Letter 2: To the assembly of solitaries on zeal for faith

B. To the assembly of solitaries on zeal for faith. To the holy father of all, the blessed Mar Babai the patriarch, Ishoʿyahb in the Lord greets. If it were not that the boast of victory is displayed in every generation of the activity of goodness, O father, the world would be dark over its face, even for those who, with feeble strength, are armed in the arena of combats. For this glory, which from many was an addition of help, gave strength to the weakness of their zeal; and contests such as these were a training in boldness for the word on behalf of truth. And it is his alone, of truth, that the victory of triumph was, and not that of his servants. Now, however, for every contest that is with external enemies, it is confined from within, along with the intention that is with internal ones, and thirdly with these, the poverty of the human mind in the difficulty of times that have been received for the affliction of the inner self. Likewise, also the evil of the intractable nature that has ruled over many, and has taken away, along with it, the echo of the apostle. A proper greeting: that in the last times they were in the midst of afflictions, loving their own souls and the rest of the word, and the abundance of other things, those which in the spirit of holiness were anticipated and were proclaimed many generations ago; but are now being fulfilled in deed from the side of intractability, and have made difficult the manifest covenant among these successes of your faith. For to what hand is the glory of praises not master, that which, in the obstacles that cut off hope, steers the ship of faith through the channels of its proclamation, and abundant tradition fills its city with the merchandise of spiritual life? For such a contest as this of the established ones among the barbarians, when the diligence of your zeal and the labor of the solitaries, O holy father of all, was hidden, I was unable to show your face to all the satanic dispersions of the bodily demons.

For the name of victory is taken by me to call the wicked. For even that ruler of the air, when a better nature was contending with him from his creation with the good Creator, but wickedness against God this name was stirred up for him. And in pride, also the heirs of his lordship, the inheritance of his name, they snatched to themselves with every boldness. To such as these, foolish and wicked demons, the enemies of truth, and to children and the undisciplined, partners in their evil, with all the frenzy of their nocturnal madness, the fire of your divine zeal was burning. And when the flame of its light, as if for fuel, was applied to the wickedness of their arrogance, it made no obstacle to the course of truth for those who were accustomed to be delighted by the splendor of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, through the midst of the assaults of enemies, and through the tumult of the household, and all the distress of the time, the boast of your zeal is displayed in the glory that is from God, who in his goodness magnifies your honor by his grace for the confirmation of his true ones for the struggle of eternal praises.