Ephrem the Syrian : "I appeal to you, brethren, bear with my words of exhortation"—I wrote and proved that all those traditional customs on which you pride yourselves are only traces of this new gospel which was preached to you through Christ. "I have written to you briefly," in accordance with your strength; if you are just adequate to your task, I will write to you more, but if you have reached perfection, you do not need any of these words. — COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS John Chrysostom : "And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation, for indeed I have written a letter unto you in few words." Seest thou that what he wrote to no one else, he writes to them? For (he means) I do not even trouble you with long discourse. And having written thus much, he said this was little, in comparison with what he was going to say. As he says also in another place, "As I wrote to you in few words: whereby when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ." (Eph. iii. 3, 4.) And observe his wisdom. He says not, "I beseech you, suffer the word of" admonition, but "the word of exhortation," that is, of consolation, of encouragement. No one, he means, can be wearied at the length of what has been said (Did this then make them turn away from him? By no means: he does not indeed wish to express this): that is, even if ye be of little spirit, for it is the peculiarity of such persons not to endure a long discourse. — Homily on Hebrews 34 Oecumenius : "bear with the word of encouragement." Gladly accept the encouragement sent to you through the letters from me. Paul does not say, of counsel or exhortation, but, because of the tribulations in which they were, he speaks of encouragement, that is, of consolation, of the call to endure. "for I have written to you briefly." Briefly, as it relates to what is to be said in the future, there are indeed many things, if everything has been said. — The Pseudo-Oecumenian Catena on Hebrews