Letter 31: The knowledge that Your Magnificence abounds in the love of God encourages me to call upon your great and generous...

Theodoret to the Patrician Anatolius. The knowledge that Your Magnificence abounds in the love of God encourages me to call upon your great and generous patronage. This I do not in the interests of personal profit, for by God's grace I possess nothing and desire nothing, but on behalf of others who lack the protection of a powerful friend. The people of Cyrrhus, over whom by God's providence I have been set as bishop, are suffering grievously. The burden of their taxes has become unbearable, not because the assessment is unjust but because the majority of the population has fled. Many have migrated to places where life is easier, and the fiscal obligation that belonged to the whole community now falls upon the few who remain. I therefore beseech Your Magnificence to lend the weight of your authority to their relief. You have it in your power to lighten their load and to earn from God a reward far surpassing any earthly distinction.

Letter 31