Letter 42: Do not correct the Lord; his discipline is medicine that leads through endurance to knowledge.

I do not know what the Lord has done with you, or how he has set your matter right. But this I know: we ought to give thanks to God at every time, as it is written, "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise will always be in my mouth." He is the physician of souls, and he wants all human beings to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. I ask you: let no one correct the Lord by saying, "This should have happened to us, and that should not have happened to us." Who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has become his counselor? He judges in darkness, according to Job's word, and a hidden cloud covers him, and he is not seen. He knows what medicines draw people from vice to virtue and lead them from ignorance to knowledge. He wants all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Listen also to wise Solomon speaking in Proverbs: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when you are corrected by him. The Lord corrects the one he loves, and he scourges every son he receives." If someone is disciplined more, he is loved more. Wounds produce affliction in us, and according to blessed Paul, affliction produces endurance, endurance produces tested character, and tested character produces hope; and hope does not put us to shame, because the completion of hope is the knowledge of God. Those who struggle tirelessly for virtue and gladly endure the burning heat of this world are made worthy of that knowledge.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): τι επραξεν προς υμας ο κυριος η πως κατωρθωσε το πραγμα υμων ουκ οιδα πλην τουτο οιδα οτι προσηκει ημας παντι καιρωι τωι θεωι ευχαριστειν καθο γεγραπται· ευλογησω τον κυριον εν παντι καιρωι δια παντος η αινεσις αυτου εν τωι στοματι μου οτι ιατρος εστι ψυχων και θελει παντας ανθρωπους σωθηναι και εις επιγνωσιν αληθειας ελθειν . δεομαι υμων μη τις κατευθυνηι τον κυριον λεγων οτι τουτο εδει ημιν επιγενεσθαι και μη εκεινο ημιν συμβηναι — τις γαρ εγνω νουν κυριου και τις αυτου συμβουλος εγενετο; εν γνοφωι κρινει κατα το ρημα Ιωβ και νεφελη αποκρυφη αυτου και ουχ οραται· αυτος οιδε τινα φαρμακα απο κακιας (προς?) την αρετην ελκει και απ' αγνωσιας προς την γνωσιν προσαγει, παντας θελει σωθηναι και εις επιγνωσιν αληθειας ελθειν. ακουσον και του σοφου Σολ. εν ταις παροιμιαις λεγοντος· υιε μη ολιγωρει παιδειας κυριου μηδε εκλυου υπ' αυτου ελεγχομενος ον γαρ αγαπαι κυριος ελεγχει μαστιγοι δε παντα υιον ον παραδεχεται, εαν μαλλον παιδευηται μαλλον αγαπαται· αι πληγαι θλιψιν εν ημιν αποτελουσι και κατα τον λογον του μακαριου παυλου η θλιψις υπομονην κατεργαζεται η δε υπομονη δοκιμην η δε δοχιμη ελπιδα η δε ελπις ου καταισχυνει διοτι ο της ελπιδος καταρτισμος γνωσις εστι θεου ης καταξιουνται οι αοχνως υπερ της αρετης αγωνιζομενοι τε και τον καυσωνα τουτου του κοσμου προθυμως υπομενοντες 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.