# Letter to Eudoxius

- Author: [Serapion of Thmuis](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/serapion-of-thmuis/)
- Latin title: *Epistola ad Eudoxium*
- Date: ca. 340-362 (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, series Graeca, vol. 40 (Paris, 1858), Serapion of Thmuis (cols. 899-941 here); Greek text separated from the Greek-Latin two-column page in the OCR of the Bavarian State Library copy (the page for cols. 915-916, missing there, read from the page image by Tesseract); Migne's Latin version and notes not reproduced (Greek text: Migne, Patrologia Graeca vol. 40 (1858), OCR of the Bavarian State Library copy)

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Editions and translations: Serapion of Thmuis, Against the Manichees, ed. R. P. Casey (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1931) (cited only; not used)
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/serapion-epistula-eudoxium/
- Passages: 1

## Letter to Eudoxius

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/serapion-epistula-eudoxium/1/#p-1
- Source: PG 40:923
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27

Summary: Serapion consoles the sick bishop Eudoxius: illness ends at death but sin does not, and God never abandons the church.

### Greek text

Μὴ ἀθύμει πάσχων, ἀλλ᾽ εὐθύμει πιστεύων καὶ μὴ κατάπιπτε νοσῶν, ἀλλ᾽ εὐτόνει μὴ ἁμαρτάνων· καὶ μὴ νόμιζε χαλεπὴν τὴν νόσον, μόνη γὰρ χαλεπὴ ἡ ἁμαρτία· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀσθενῆσαι, κοινὸν καὶ καλῶν καὶ κακῶν ἀνδρῶν, τὸ δὲ ἁμαρτῆσαι ἴδιον τῶν φαύλων ὁρῶμεν· καὶ ὁ μὲν νοσῶν, ἅμα τῷ θανάτῳ καὶ τὴν νόσον συναποθνήσκουσαν ἔχει, ὁ δὲ ἁμαρτήσας καὶ μετὰ τὸ μνῆμα εὑρήσει ἐκεῖ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν· μέχρι γε τοῦ μνήματος ἵσταται ἡ νόσος, μετὰ δὲ τὸ μνῆμα ἐπιβῆναι τῷ τεθνηκότι οὐ δύναται· ἡ δ᾽ ἁμαρτία τοῖς μὲν ζῶσιν ἐμφωλεύει καὶ ἐγκρύπτει, ἐν δὲ τοῖς τεθνηκόσι πλέον ἐξάπτεται, καὶ τὴν ἑαυτῆς φλόγα ἐνδείκνυται, καὶ τὸν ἁμαρτήσαντα τιμωρεῖται. Ταῦτά σοι γεγράφηκα, ποθεινότατε ἀδελφὲ, ἵνα μὴ πάνυ ἀθυμῆς, ἐν Χριστῷ σεαυτὸν διατηρῶν· τοῦ βίου τὰς συγχύσεις φέρειν δεῖ, καὶ τοὺς θορύβους βαστάζειν προσήκει, καὶ πρὸς τὸ τέλος βλέπειν, καὶ εἰδέναι, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐπιστατεῖ, καὶ ὀλίγον ἐπανεὶς, πάλιν ἡγεμονεύει· καὶ ὀλίγον συγχωρῶν, πάλιν προΐσταται, καὶ οὐδέποτε ἡ Ἐκκλησία καταλιμπάνεται· οὐδὲ γὰρ πύλαι ᾄδου κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς. Τῆς σῆς οὖν ἀρετῆς τὴν διάθεσιν δείκνυε τῷ παντεπόπτῃ Θεῷ, ἵνα δυνηθῇ ἐν πᾶσιν εὐδοκιμεῖν· ἡμεῖς δὲ καλέσαι σε οὐκ ἂν ἐπασχόμεθα, ἵνα μὴ δόξωμεν τῆς πόλεως ἀφιστᾷν.

### English translation (Claude)

Do not lose heart when you suffer, but take heart in believing; and do not collapse when you are ill, but be strong in not sinning; and do not think illness grievous, for only sin is grievous. For to be sick is common to good and bad men alike, but to sin we see is proper to the wicked. The sick man has his illness die together with him at death, but the sinner will find his sin there even after the tomb. Illness stops at the tomb and cannot go on after it to the dead; but sin lurks and hides in the living, and in the dead it is kindled more, shows its flame, and punishes the one who sinned. I have written this to you, most beloved brother, so that you may not lose heart altogether, keeping yourself in Christ. One must bear the confusions of life and carry its tumults, and look to the end, and know that God watches over all; and having relaxed a little he governs again, and having permitted a little he presides again, and the church is never abandoned; for not even the gates of Hades will prevail against it. Show, then, the disposition of your virtue to God who sees all, so that he may be well pleased with you in all things. We would not have hesitated to invite you here, were it not that we might seem to draw you away from your city.

### Scripture references

- Matt 16:18: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- Serapion's letter to Eudoxius, a sick bishop. Matt 16:18. The last sentence is obscure in the Greek (ἐπασχόμεθα, probably for ἐπεσχόμεθα, “refrained”); translated by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Serapion, Eud. 1 (PG 40:923; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/serapion-epistula-eudoxium/1).