Letter 799

To Quintus the Subdeacon, who has fallen. It would have been a fine thing not to have stained the spotless tunic at all. It would have been a fine thing not to have darkened the light. It would have been a fine thing to remain unwounded and to have no need of a physician. It would have been a fine thing not to have befouled with lawless pleasure the heart that was baptized in the blood of God and that flourished like a rose. But since, having grown a little slack and careless, you have been conquered, and have been defeated, befouling yourself with bitter sin, and, tripped up by the devil, you have been made a captive—though you never expected to suffer any such thing—do not despair. For there is a way back to the good through repentance; so take refuge with Christ, the all-compassionate and most loving of mankind. There is an acceptable defense made before him through prayers, and fastings, and weeping, and confession, and vigils, and sleeping on the ground, and lamentations, and the rest.

Καλὸν ὑπῆρχε μηδὲ ὅλως μολῦναι τὸν ἄσπιλον χιτῶνα. Καλὸν ὑπῆρχε μὴ ζοφῶσαι τὸ φέγγος. Καλὸν ὑπῆρχε ἀτραυμάτιστον μένειν, καὶ μὴ χρήζειν ἰατροῦ. Καλὸν ὑπῆρχε τὴν βαπτισθεῖσαν καρδίαν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἀνθοῦσαν ῥοδοειδῶς, μὴ βορβορώσαι τῇ ἀθέσμῳ ἡδονῇ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μικρὸν ἐῤῥαθυμηκὼς καὶ ἀμελήσας νενίκησαι, καὶ ἡττήθης βορβορώσας καὶ πικρᾶς ἁμαρτίας, καὶ σκελισθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου, αἰχμάλωτος γέγονας, καίτοι μὴ προσδοκήσας τοιοῦτόν τι πείσεσθαι μὴ ἀπογνῷς. Ἔστι γὰρ ἐπάνοδος πρὸς τὸ καλὸν διὰ τῆς μετανοίας· καὶ κατάφυγε πρὸς Χριστὸν τὸν πανοικτίρμονα καὶ φιλανθρωπότατον. Ἔστιν εὐπρόσδεκτος πρὸς αὐτὸν γινομένη ἀπολογία δι’ εὐχῶν, καὶ νηστειῶν, καὶ κλαυθμοῦ, ἐξομολογήσεώς τε καὶ ἀγρυπνίας, καὶ χαμευνίας, καὶ θρήνων, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς.