Letter 1: Bodily affliction can become a path to bold prayer and endurance.

There is a saying that someone bitten by a viper suffers less if he speaks with another person who has also been bitten. So I too, wounded many times, comfort my own badly bruised soul by speaking with you. The demons have many great schemes against those of us who are eager to acquire the knowledge of Christ. Know this much: no temptation gives the soul such boldness in prayer as the temptation that seizes the body, and our Lord gives no one so great a share of freedom from passion as he gives to the person who bears what happens in confession and despises the pressure of necessity. Let blessed Job persuade you. After the contest he endured in this skin, he saw God and learned from him why he had borne those trials. If, in our own pain, we simply keep our mind on the Lord, blessing him, showing patience toward those who serve us, and listening to profitable accounts of contemplation, then we are following the law of people tested in this way. Those who tempt us are trying to drag us down from higher meditation. If we add to their blows the conversations of wandering men and women, we double the wounds our enemies give us. Remember too that even Job's friends, while trying through speeches about God's providence to console a suffering man, were driven by the evil one to provoke blessed Job to anger. The cursed one knew that a person in pain is quick to anger. So be patient if those you call are slow to answer; that too is part of the trial. Scripture says, "I called my servant, and he did not answer." And if one of your acquaintances treats you with contempt, do not be surprised; Job's friends were merciless to him as well. The evil one arranges all this because he wants to confuse the mind with which we look to God as creator and offer him pure prayer. Yet if people under trial are drawn nearer to God because they seek help from him, and if drawing near to God is good, then being tested is good, just as blessed Paul says: suffering produces endurance, endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope; and hope does not put us to shame, because it makes the mind able to receive the kingdom of heaven. So, in your self-control, hurry to become a good example not only to women but also to men, an image of endurance. A disciple of Christ must struggle even to blood and show everyone that our Lord has armed women too with courage against the demons and has strengthened weak souls by giving them the commandments and the faith.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): το λεγομενον οτι ο δηχθεις υπ' εχιδνης ου πολυ παθος υπομενει ει ομιλει αλλωι τινι υπ' εχιδνης δηχθεντι και εγω τοινον εν ταις πολλαις μου πληγαις την ψυχην μου παραμυθουμαι σοι διαλεγων πολυ τεθραυσμενηι οτι πολλοι και μεγαλοι οι των δαιμονων προς ημας δολοι φιλοτιμουμενους την γνωσιν Χ κτασθαι· μονον γιγνωσκε οτι ουδε εις των πειφασμων τοιαυτην παρρησιαν διδωσι τηι ψυχηι καιρωι προσευχης οιαν διδωσιν ο την σαρκα καταλαμβανων πειρασμος ουδε ο κυριος ημων τοιαυτην απαθειαν τινι εμποιει ως τωι εν ομολογιαι τα επιτυχοντα υπομενοντι τε και της αναγκης(?) ταυτης καταφρονουντι. και αναπειθετω δε ο μακαριος Ιωβ ος μετα τον εν τουτωι τωι δερματι αγωνα τον θεον εωρακε και παρ' αυτου εμαθε τις η αιτια ων υπεμεινε πειρασμων. και ημεις ει γαρ μονον εν ταις οδυναις ημων μελετωιμεν τον κυριον ευλογουντες τε και προς τους ημιν διακονουντας μακροθυμουντες ακουοντες δε ωφελιμων θεωριων διηγησις! ουτοι γαρ εισιν οι νομοι των ουτως πειραζομενων. ει γαρ οι ημας πειραζοντες εν τωι κατασπαν ημας απο των ανω μελετων πειραζουσιν, ημεις δε διατριβας ανθρωπων ρεμβομενων και γυναικων προσεπιτιθεμεν τας των εχθρων ημων πληγας ημεις διπλασιαζομεν. μνημονευε οτι και τους φιλους Ιωβ θελοντας θεωριαι λογων της θεου προνοιας τον θλιβομενον παρακαλεσαι ο πονηρος επωτρυνε πλανων τον μακαριον προς οργην ερεθιζειν, ειδως ο καταρατος οτι αλγουμενος ταχεως θυμουται. μακροθυμησον δη εαν καλουσης σου αποκνωσιν υπαχουειν οτι και τουτο μερος εστι των πειρασμων· γεγραπται γαρ θεραποντα μου εκαλεσα και ουχ υπηκουσεν . και ει τις των γνωστων σου καταφρονει μη θαυμαζε οτι και οι φιλοι Ιωβ ανελεημονες προς αυτον ησαν, παντα δε ταυτα πραγματευει ο πονηρος θελων συγχεειν την διανοιαν ηι εις θεον ως ποιητην αποβλεπομεν τε και καθαραν προσευχην τωι θεωι προσαγομεν. και μετα τουτων παντων ει οι πειραζομενοι μαλλον προσαγονται τωι θεωι τωι παρ' αυτου βοηθειαν ζητειν προσαγεσθαι δε προς τον θεον αγαθον εστι πειραζεσθαι αρα αγαθον εστιν, ει περ καθως λεγει ο μακ. παυλος· η θλιψις υπομονην κατεργαζεται εν ημιν, η οε υπομονη δοκιμην, η δε δοκιμη ελπιδα η δε ελπις ου καταισχυνει, οτι ποιει τον νουν αυτον δεκτικον της βασιλειας του ουρανου. συ τοιγαρουν σωφρονουσα σπευδε καλον παραδειγμα γενεσθαι ου μονον ταις γυναιξιν αλλα και τοις ανδρασι ωστε αρχετυπον ειναι της υπομονης· οτι πρεπει μαθητηι Χ. εως αιματος αγωνιζεσθαι και πασιν αποδειξαι οτι και τας γυναικας ο κυριος ημων ωπλισεν ανδρειοτητι προς τους δαιμονας και τας ασθενεις ψυχας δοσει των τε εντολων και της πιστεως εδυναμωσεν Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.