Paradise of the Holy Fathers (Palladius' Lausiac History, Apophthegmata Patrum)

57. An old man used to say, ‘‘I never take a step without ‘first learning where | am about to put my foot, but I stand ‘Cup and look about me carefully, and I am not careless, and The Sayings of the tholy ffatbers ‘1 do not let [my foot go] until God guideth me, and leadeth ‘me on the path to the place which pleaseth Him.” 458. An old man used to say, ‘‘God giveth a man the op- ‘‘portunity to repent as long as he wisheth to do, and in pro- “portion as he wisheth, for it is written, ‘Speak first thy sins, “**and thou shalt be justified.” , 459. An old man used to say, ‘‘Silence is filled with all life, ‘“but in the speech which is abundant death is hidden.” 460. And the old man also said, ‘‘ Lying and sin are wont to ‘lie in ambush in the words which are long and broad.” 461. An old man used to say, ‘‘Humility never becometh ““angry, and never provoketh a man to wrath.” 462. Abba Joseph said unto Abba Lét, ‘Thou art unable to ‘““ become a monk, but thou mayest become wholly like a flame “which burneth and blazeth fiercely.”

463. An old man was asked, ‘‘ What is humility?” And he said unto him that asked the question, ‘If thy brother offend ‘‘thee, and thou forgive him before he can repent and entreat “‘ thee [that is humility],” 464. An old man also said, ‘‘ Keep thy conscience with thy ‘brother, and thou shalt find rest.” 465. Abba Paphnutius used to say, ‘‘ He who esteemeth him- ‘‘ self as nothing, whithersoever he goeth, or wheresoever he ‘‘ dwelleth, he shall find rest.” 466. The same old man said, ‘During all the days of the ‘life of the old men I used to go and visit them twice each “month, and my cell was distant from them twelve miles, ‘and in respect of every thought about which I asked them, ““they never said to me anything except, ‘Wheresoever thou “““goest esteem thyself as nothing, and thou shalt find rest.’” 467. One of the old men used to say, ‘‘Love knoweth not “how to keep a storehouse [full] of possessions.” 468. The same old man also said, ‘‘I do not know the actual “thing whereby, on two occasions, the enemies led me into ‘ferror, and into the committing of sin, and into the trans- “gression [of the Law].”

469. Certain old men asked John the Less, saying, ‘‘When “thou wast in Crete with the fathers, how didst thou see them ““ conducting themselves?” And he said unto them, ‘‘By night “‘and by day they were performing with all their might the “‘ work of God, that is to say, [they were reciting the service, ““and they prayed, and read, and were anxious with divine ‘“solicitude, and instead of being idle they worked with their ‘* hands.” 470. On one occasion Abba Ammon came to the brethren, and they, whilst expressing regret [for troubling him, asked Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule him] to say some words of excellence to them; and the old man answered and said unto them, ‘‘It is right that we all *‘ should travel the path of God with well-ordered [minds].” 471. Abba Anthony used to say, ‘‘When we rise up in the ** morning each day let us think that we shall not abide until ‘the evening, and when we come to lie down also let us think ‘that we shall not abide until the morning; for we know not “the days of our life, but they are known unto God. If we do “‘this each day we shall not sin, and we shall do nothing ‘“ wicked before God, and we shall not lust eagerly for any- ‘“*thing belonging to this world, and we shall not be angry “‘with anyone, but in everything we shall be regarding our ** souls, even as men who await death.”

472. And he also said, ‘‘As fish die when they are drawn ** out of the water, even so do monks, who have forsaken the ‘‘ world, become sluggish, when they remain with the children ‘* of this world or dwell with them; it is then meet for us to ‘‘ hasten to the mountain even as fish haste to the water.” 473. Now they used to say that Abba Anthony was wholly [illumined] by the appearance of the light of the spirit, and that he could see what was happening from a distance; now on one occasion he saw the soul of the blessed Ammon being taken up into heaven by the hands of angels, although he was distant from him ten stages. 474. One of the brethren asked him once about the thoughts, and the old man answered and said unto him, ‘‘Do not carry “‘them into effect, but let them settle down and down until “‘ they breed worms and perish.” 475. Abba Poemen used to say, ‘‘If a man pass a hundred ‘* years in the cell he will not understand his departure from ‘this world and become a monk, unless he attribute sin to ‘himself at all times, and make himself to be remote, both in ‘“‘his mind and in his actions, from those things which he “‘ knoweth will separate him from God, and make supplication “‘unto God at all times through suffering and tears.”

476. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, ‘‘What is the ‘* repentance of sins?” And he said unto him, ‘‘The repentance ‘of sins consisteth in a man not committing the sin again “« from the moment wherein he repenteth of it; and on account “« of this the righteous were called ‘spotless,’ and because they ‘‘had forsaken [their] sins, and had cleansed themselves from “*them.”’ 477. And another brother also asked him, saying, ‘‘Shew ‘me a word whereby I may live”; and the old man said unto him, ‘‘The first thing of all which the fathers have given us ‘*[to do] is to mourn.” The Savings of the holy Fathers 478. Abba Poemen used to say, ‘‘The passions are four “heads”; and a brother said unto him, ‘‘What are they?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘ Worldly grief which cometh ‘“‘ about many thing's, the love of money, vainglory, and forni- “cation; and it is meet that we should be on the watch against ‘‘these before all other passions.” 479. He said also, ‘‘If a monk hateth two things he is able ‘to free himself from the world, and these are,” said he, ‘‘the ‘« gratifications of the body, and vainglory.” ‘

480. The same old man also said, ‘‘Wrath is a natural thing ‘Cin man, it is his nature, but it must be used to cut off evil ‘passions. Hunger is natural in a man, but it must be em- ‘« ployed [in satisfying | the want of the body, andnot [to gratify] ‘‘ the feeling of eager lust [to eat], even as the blessed David ‘said, ‘With him whose eye is lofty and whose heart is ‘‘ ‘oreedy I have not eaten’ (Psalm ci, 5; cxxxi, 1). Sleep “too is natural in man, but [it must not be indulged] to ‘* satiety.” 481. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, “‘ Tell me, why ‘it is that when I offer repentance to a brother who is wroth “with me I do not see him pleased with me?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘ Tell me truly: when thou offerest to him re- ‘‘ pentance hast thou not the opinion that thou art not doing “it because thou hast sinned against him, but because of the «¢ commandment ?” And the brother said unto him, ‘‘ It is even ‘¢thus.” The old man said unto him, ‘‘ Because of this God ‘doth not permit him to be pleased with thee, and because ‘thou dost not offer repentance to him in fulfilment of thine ‘€ own desire, but as if thou hadst not sinned against him, but ‘he had sinned against thee.”

482. They used to say that when the disciples of Abba Agathon were building a cell he remained with them for a period of four months, and when they had finished it, on the first Sabbath on which they dwelt in it, the old man saw in it something which did not afford him profit, and he said unto his disciples, ‘‘ Arise, let us go away from here.”” And when they heard [this], they were greatly troubled, and they answered and said unto him, ‘ If thou hadst this thought to depart, why ‘have we done all this work and built the cell? Moreover, ‘¢men will be offended with us, and will say, ‘They have left ‘““this place because they can abide nowhere.’”” Now when the old man saw that their souls were grieved, he said unto them, ‘‘If some men be offended at us, there are others who will “be edified by us, and they will say, ‘These blessed men de- ‘“ ‘parted for God’s sake, and they considered nothing [else].’ ‘¢ However, let him that wisheth to come with me come, for I Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule “* shall certainly depart.” Then they threw themselves on the ground, and entreated him to let them go with him.

483. Abba Agathon also used to say, ‘‘ The monk’s cloak is ““a sign of the absence of wickedness”; and he also said, ‘‘God ““asketh from those who begin the service of the works of the ** fear of God nothing except that they shall order their bodies ““by obedience to the commandments against the passions of *“ the lusts.” 484. Abba Agathon also said, ‘‘ He who removeth from be- “fore his eyes accusations, and disgrace (or insult), and loss “* (or belittlement) is able to live.” 485. A brother said unto Abba Agathon, ‘‘ Father, I had the ** order to dwell in a certain place, and I have war there, and “T want to depart; I would fulfil the command, but I am “‘afraid of the war.” The old man said unto him, ‘‘ If it were ‘* Agathon, he would keep the command, and overcome the “war.” 486. The same old man also said, ‘‘If the inner man be “* watchful he will be able to guard the outer man also; but if ** he be not, let us guard the tongue by every means in our ** power.” 487. The old man Benjamin was asked by a brother, ‘‘ Of ‘* what consisteth the life of a monk?” And he answered and said, ‘‘A mouth of truth, a holy body, and a pure heart.”

488. They used to say concerning a certain old man that, on account of the great humility which he possessed, God gave him the gift of becoming a seer of visions, and he could see beforehand when anyone was coming to him, and it was revealed to him concerning it; now the old man was sorry and did not wish for this thing, and he made supplication unto God that it might be taken away from him. And he went toan old Rabba, and entreated him, saying, ‘‘ My brother, labour ‘*for me, so that this gift may be removed from me”; then each of them sat down in his cell and made entreaty unto God concerning this matter, and a voice was heard by that old man, saying, ‘‘ Behold, I remove the gift from thee, but when- ‘* soever thou wishest it is thine.” And he went straightway to the old Rabba and shewed him what had been said unto him, and when he heard [it] he gave thanks unto God. 489. The fathers once asked Abba Sylvanus, saying, ‘‘ What “‘ work of ascetic excellence hast thou performed that thou didst ‘receive the wisdom which thou dost possess, and the gift “‘ with which is endowed thy face?” And the old man answered and said unto them with great humility, ‘‘[I received these ‘“things] because I never left in my heart a thought which “could provoke God to wrath.” And they used to say that the

The Sayings of the holy Fathers face of the old man Sylvanus shone so brightly, even as did the face of Moses, with the glorious splendour which he had received from God, that no man was able to look upon it with his eyes wide open. : : 490. Zeno, the disciple of Abba Sylvanus, said on a certain occasion, ‘*Dwell not in a place which is famous, and abide ‘not with a man who hath a great name for ascetic ex- ‘¢ cellence.” F 491. One of the brethren asked an old Rabba, saying, ‘“‘ Abba, ‘‘ what shall I do? For whensoever I see the face of a woman ‘the war of fornication is stirred up against me.” And the old man answered and said, ‘‘My son, guard thine eyes against ‘looking on a woman, and behold, henceforth thou wilt have ‘(no fear.” The brother said unto him, ‘‘ Behold, how very ‘often doth a man meet women by chance, without expecting “to do so!” The old man said unto him, ‘‘ As far as it is pos- ‘« sible for thee to do so keepthy watchcarefully, both within and “‘ without; and as concerning that which happeneth by chance, ‘(and a man meeting women without thinking about it, [in ‘that case] passion will have no power to bestir itself. But ‘‘take good heed to thyself that such a thing doth not happen “Cunto thee of thine own will, for it is this which the Holy ‘‘ Book condemneth, saying, ‘Every man who looketh upon ‘©¢a woman to lust after her hath already committed adultery ‘© with her in his heart.’ For if when thou art not thinking ‘‘about them thou meetest women, and the passion stirreth ‘itself up against thee, lift up thy mind immediately to God, ‘Cand He will help thee.” Then wishing especially to strengthen that brother, he answered and said unto him, ‘‘ Behold, my “‘son, know thou that thou hast been with me for two years, ‘Cand that I have not as yet seen what manner of face thou ‘hast, whether it be good, or whether it be bad, and it was ‘‘this [fact] which urged me to tell thee to guard thine eyes ‘‘from the sight of women.” And afterwards he made a prayer over him, and sent him away to depart to the coenobium, for that brother used to dwell in the church.

492. They used to say about one of the old men that when the church was dismissed, he fled straightway and departed to his cell, and [they said] that he had a devil, but the holy man was [only] fulfilling the work of God. 493. An old man used to say, ‘‘ Without prayer thou shouldst ‘¢do nothing, and afterwards thou wilt not be sorry.” 494. A brother asked an old man, saying, ‘‘If] am in a clean ‘* place, and the time for service hath arrived am I to return?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘Who, when he remembereth ‘‘ riches, will return to poverty?” Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule 495. The old man Theodotus used to say, ‘‘Constant hunger | “‘maketh monks to be emaciated and driveth them mad.” 496. Abba Daniel used to say, ‘Constant vigil especially *‘drieth up and maketh the body to diminish.” 497. Abba Ammon asked Abba Sisoes, saying, ‘‘When I **read in the Book my mind wisheth to arrange the words so “that there may be an answer to [my] question.” The old man said unto him, ‘This is unnecessary, for only purity of heart ‘‘[is required].” From this it ariseth that a man should speak without overmuch care.

498. Abba Theona used to say, ‘‘Because we put ourselves ‘out of the sight of God we are led captive by the passions of ‘* the body.” 499. Abba Poemen used to say, ‘‘Temptations are a sure “sign whereby a monk may be known.” 500. Abba Agathon once fell sick, and another of the old men with him, and as they both were lying in the cell a brother read the Book of Genesis to them; and when he came to the place where Jacob said unto his sons, ‘‘ Joseph is not, and ‘Simeon is not, and ye would take Benjamin away that ye **may bring down my grey hairs with sorrow to Sheol,” the old man answered and said, ‘‘ Were not the ten other sons suf ‘*ficient for thee, O Jacob?” And Abba Agathon said, ‘‘Hold “thy peace, old man, if God holdeth a man to be innocent, ** who shall condemn him?” 501. One of the fathers came to Abba Theodore of Pirmé, and said unto him, ‘‘O father, behold, brother So-and-So hath “* gone back to the world.” And the old man said unto him, ‘Dost thou marvel at this? Wonder not at this, but be sur- ‘* prised when thou hearest that a man hath been able to flee ‘* wholly from the world.”

502. If a man thinketh filthy thoughts, doth he himself become defiled? Some of the old men said, ‘‘ Yes, he is defiled,” and others said, ‘‘He is not defiled, for if he doth it is impos- ‘sible for simple folk like ourselves to live at all; but [the ‘*truth] is that a man must not carry his filthy thoughts into ** deeds.” 503. A certain brother went to a strenuous and tried old man, and asked him about this matter, and the old man said unto him, ‘‘Every man is required [to do] according to his ‘* ability.’’ Then a brother entreated the old man, saying, ‘‘ For ‘‘our Lord’s sake explain these words to me.” The old man said unto him, ‘‘Behold, supposing that some very desirable ‘*thing were placed here, and that two brethren came in, one ‘* being of great stature and the other of little stature. If now ‘*the mind of him that was of full strength were to say, ‘I The Savings of the holy Fathers ‘« (wish to possess that thing,’ and he did not carry his soul’s ‘« desire into effect, but straightway cut it short, the man would ‘‘not be defiled; if then the man of lesser strength were to ‘« desire the thing, being incited thereto by his thoughts, and ‘‘he took it not, he also would not be defiled. But, if he de- ‘‘ siring it were to take it, he would be defiled.” ;

504. The old man said, ‘‘If thou seest a young man going ‘‘up to heaven of his own will, lay hold upon his leg, and ‘sweep him away therefrom; for thus will a man help him,” 505. The same old man used to say, ‘‘If thou criest unto God ‘(in prayer with a pure heart thy prayer shall not return unto ‘¢ thee fruitless.” 506. The same old man used to say, ‘‘As two words cannot ‘«be uttered [at the same time] by one voice, and be recognized ‘and understood, so is it with the mixed prayer which is ‘uttered by a man before God.” 507. He also said, ‘‘If thou seest the wing's of ravens stretch- ‘‘ed out in flight, even so is the foolish prayer of the mind ‘¢ which is lifted up.” 508. He also said, ‘‘If thou art earnest in asking God for ‘things, but wilt not pay back as far as thou art able, thou ‘‘ must hear the words, ‘Thou shalt ask and shalt not receive, ‘« (because thou didst accept a loan and didst not pay it back.’” 509. He also said, ‘‘The words of the mouth of him that ‘‘prayeth purely before God are a fetter wherewith he shall ‘“be able [to bind] the devils beneath his feet like a sparrow; ‘‘and, as prisoners tremble before him that is their master, “¢even so will they quake at the words of his prayer.

510. He also said, ‘‘As the rain when it falleth upon the ‘Cearth taketh the place of a key in the lock thereof, and. ‘‘openeth [it] and bringeth forth to sight the growth of the ‘‘ seeds and roots which are in it, so are the soul and the mind ‘‘of him that receiveth and tasteth the heavenly droppings, ‘for by the words of his lips shall be made known unto man ‘‘his hidden conduct before God, I mean to say, that when a ‘(man’s request and entreaty about everything are made within “the words of his pure prayer, he openeth the door of the ‘treasury of the Trinity, Who is the Lord of treasures, and ‘‘bringeth out therefrom the treasures which are hidden for ‘‘those who are worthy of them.” 511. Concerning Abba Anthony they used to say:—Therewas a man with an unclean spirit which sought to cast him into the water, and the monks who were with Abba Anthony came and entreated him to pray over the man who was thus troubled, but he excused himself [from doing so]. And when the demoniac had remained with him for a long time, he smote the Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule

blessed man on his cheek, whereupon the old man made ready ti eae cheek; and having done this that evil spirit took to ight. 512. A brother asked Abba Muthues, saying, ‘‘What shall I *‘ do? for my tongue vexeth me. Whensoever I sit among the *‘brethren I am unable to restrain myself, but I condemn them ‘*in every good work, and treat them with contempt. What ‘* shall I do, then?” The old man answered and said unto him, “‘If thou art not able to restrain thyself, get thee away, and ‘“ stay by thyself, for this is a disease. Now, he who sitteth ““among the brethren must not possess four corners, but he *“must be altogether round, so that he may move smoothly in ‘* respect of every man.” And the old man said unto him also, ** | myself do not dwell alone as an example of spiritual excel- *‘lence, but as an emblem of feebleness, for mighty men are ‘those who are among the brethren.” 513. When the brethren were talking to an old man about the thoughts they said unto him, ‘‘Our hearts are hard, and ““ we do not fear God; what are we to do so that we may come **to fear God?” The old man said unto them, ‘‘I think that if ‘a man will lay hold in his heart upon that which rebuketh ‘*him, it will bring to him the fear of God.” And they said unto him, ‘‘ What is the rebuke?” The old man said unto him, ** In every act a man should rebuke his soul, and say unto it, ‘**Remember that thou hast to go forth to meet God.’ And ‘let him say also, ‘What do I seek with man?’ I think that ‘if a man remain in these things the fear of God will come to am.”

514. Abba Timothy said unto a certain brother, ‘‘How art ‘*thour” The brother said unto him, ‘‘I destroy my days, O ‘* father.” And the old man said unto him, ‘‘My son, my days ‘‘also are destroyed, and I give thanks.” 515. An old man used to say, ‘‘The Shunammite woman re- ‘* ceived Elisha because she had no human promise with man; ‘‘and they spoke of the Shunammite woman [as] a person of “the soul, and of Elijah [as] a person of the Spirit of God; ‘‘when the soul maketh itself remote from commotion and ‘trouble, the Spirit of God abideth on it, and then it is able ‘to bring forth, though hitherto it hath been barren.” 516. Abba Ammon used to say, ‘‘I said unto Abba Poemen, ** “If IT go to my neighbour’s cell, or he cometh to mine concern- ‘*‘ing any matter whatsoever, are we two to be ashamed to ** «speak, lest some alien subject of discourse appear between ‘us?’ The old man said unto him, ‘Thou wilt do well, for ** ‘youth hath need of care and watchfulness.’ And I said unto ‘* him, ‘What do the old men do?’ And he said unto me, ‘The

The Sayings of the tholy Fathers ‘© ‘old men have been skilled, and have had experience, and ‘‘ ‘they have arrived at the measure for speech, for in them ‘« ‘there is nothing alien which they can speak with the mouth.’ ‘‘ And I said unto him, ‘And supposing that I have the neces- ‘* ¢sity to talk with a neighbour, wouldst thou that I should ‘* ‘speak with the words of the Scriptures, or with the words of ‘6 ‘the old men?’ And he said unto me, ‘If thou art not able to ‘« “hold thy peace it is better for thee to use the speech of the old ‘(men rather than that of the Scriptures, for there is danger ‘‘¢in a man employing the speech of the Scriptures.’” 517. Abba Daniel used to say that a man of business once came to Abbé Arsenius, and brought him a testament of a certain kinsman who had left him a very large inheritance, and having received the deed he wished to tear it to pieces. Then the man of business fell down at his feet, and said, ‘‘I beseech ‘“thee, do not tear it up, for ifthou dost I shall die.” And Abba Arsenius said unto him, ‘‘I died before he did, though he hath ‘only now died, but shall I live?” And he sent the man of affairs away without having taken anything.

518. A monk went to a nunnery to visit his sister, for she was sick; now she was a woman who was great with God, and a firm believer, and she never allowed herself to see the face of a man, not even that of her brother, lest through her he might go in among the women. And she sent him a message, saying, ‘Go, my brother, and pray for me, that Christ, by His grace, ‘‘ may make me worthy to see thee in that world of the king- ‘©dom of heaven.” 519. A brother asked an old man and said unto him, ‘‘ What ‘is the best thing for me to do, so that I may do it and live “thereby?” And the old man said unto him, ‘‘God [alone] ‘‘ knoweth which is best; but listen. One of the old men said ‘that the mind which rebuked a man was his [best] adversary, ‘‘ for it resisted a man who sought to carry out his desires in ‘‘the flesh, and to rebel against God, and not to be obedient ‘unto Him, and it would also deliver a man over to his ‘* enemies.” 520. An old man also said, ‘‘It is meet that the soul should ‘“be occupied in the service [of God] by day and night, even ‘like Huldah, the prophetess, who used to sit in the house of ‘“the Lord with supplication and ministration; and also like ‘‘ Hannah, who never ceased in her ministrations during a ‘“‘ period of eighty years.”

521. A brother asked an old man, saying, ‘What shall I do, ‘‘ father? For my belly vexeth me, and I am unable to restrain ‘‘it, and therefore I am leading a life of luxury.” The old man said unto him, ‘‘If thou dost not throw on it the fear of fasting Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule “*thou wilt never be able to straighten the path. Place before ‘‘it the following parable. A certain man had an ass, and as ‘* he was sitting upon it and journeying along, the animal would ‘not go straight, but went first to this side of the road and ‘‘then to that; and he took a stick and smote it. And the ass “said, ‘Beat me not, and henceforward I will go straight.’ ‘‘ Now when he had gone a little further on, the man alighted ‘from the ass, and placed the stick in [his] cloak-bag which ‘‘was on it, but the ass knew not that the stick was on his ‘‘back. And when the ass saw that its master was not carrying ‘‘the stick, he began to hold him in contempt, and he walked ‘among the crops; thereupon his master ran after him, and “took the stick and beat him with it until he went straight. ‘‘ Now the belly of the body is even like unto the ass.”

522. A brother said to Theodore of Parmé, ‘‘Speak a word ‘*to me, for behold, I am about to perish.” And with great labour the old man said unto him, ‘‘I stand in danger myself, ‘¢and what have I to say to thee?” 3. Abba Kérién used to say, ‘‘I have performed more ‘‘ bodily labours than my son Zechariah, but I have not reached ‘‘his measure of humility and silence.” 4. Abba Macarius used to say, ‘‘Guard thyself against ‘‘ freedom of word and deed, for it is meet for a monk not to ‘permit his thought to be his judge in anything whatsoever.” 525. Mother Sarah used to say to her brethren, “‘ItisI who ‘¢am a man, and ye who are women.” 526. A brother asked Abba Poemen, ‘‘How can it be right ‘for me to take good heed to my ways when I am sitting in ‘‘ my cell?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘For a season I was “¢a man who had fallen into the mire up to my shoulders, and ‘‘ a basketful of gall hung from my neck, and I was crying out ‘to God, ‘Have mercy upon me.’”’ 527. They used to say of the men who were in the cells ‘‘that ‘‘their rules were so stri€t that during the night they slept ‘‘ four hours, and assembled for service four hours, and worked ‘for four hours; that during the day they worked with their ‘‘hands until the ninth hour, and that after that they pre- ‘‘ pared the small quantity of food which they ate, and if any ‘‘ man had anything to do in his cell he then did it. In this ‘‘ way they filled up their day.”

528. A brother asked Abba Sisoes, saying, ‘‘ Why do not the ‘passions depart from me?” The old man said unto him, ‘‘ Because their possessions are in thee; give them their pledge ‘« (or security), and they will depart.” . On one occasion the fathers were summoned by the Archbishop Theophilus, and they went to Alexandria to him 257 ey The Sayings of the holy Fathers so that he might make a prayer and cleanse a house of idols; and as they were eating with him, flesh of a calf was set before them, and they ate it in simplicity, doubting nothing. And the Archbishop took a piece of meat and gave it to an old man who was near him, saying, ‘‘ Behold, this piece of meat is very ‘* good, father”; and they all answered and said unto him, ‘* Behold, up to the present we have been eating herbs, but if ‘it be flesh, we do not eat flesh,” and not one of them ate anything more. 530. They used to tell a story of a brother who was the neighbour of an old Rabbda, and say that he would go into the cell of the old man, and steal whatsoever he found there, and though the old man saw him he never rebuked him, but worked with his hands and wearied himself the more, saying, ‘‘Per- ‘‘ haps that brother is in need”; and the old man suffered much tribulation at the thought, and ate his food in sadness. And when the old man was about to die, the brethren sat round about him, and when he saw in their midst the brother who used to steal from him, he said unto him, ‘‘My son, come near ‘to me”; and when he had drawn nigh to him, he kissed his hands, saying, ‘‘My brother, I am grateful to these hands, for ‘through them I shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” Now when that brother heard these things he was sorry, and he also repented, and he became a well-tried monk through the things which he had seen in that old man.

531. On one occasion, when Abba Agathon was travelling, and some young men were with him, one of them found a small bag on the road, and he said to him, ‘*Father, dost thou ‘‘wish me to take this little bag?” and the old man looked at him in wonder, saying, ‘‘My son, didst thou place it there?” And the young man said, ‘‘No.” Then the old man said unto him, ‘‘If thou didst not place it there, how canst thou desire **to take it?” 532. Abba Joseph, the priest of Ascalon, told us the following story, saying: There was a certain merchant in Ascalon who borrowed from other people much money, and he hired a ship for himself and put out to sea; and a fierce storm rose up against him, and he lost everything which he had with him; but he himself was saved. And when he returned to the city those to whom he owed money seized him, and they took everything which he had in his house, and sold it, and shut him up in prison; but they left him his wife as an act of charity, so that she might beg for him and feed him. And the woman went about from door to door, and she herself begged for bread for her husband; and one day as she was sitting and eating bread with her husband, one of the chief men of the

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule city went in to give alms to the prisoners who were there, and he saw the woman and lusted for her, for she was beautiful. And he sent his servant to call her, and she came thinking that he wished to give her alms; but he took her aside, and said to her, ‘‘ Why hast thou come here?” And she related unto him the whole matter. Then he said unto her, ‘‘If I pay “one-third of thy husband’s debt wilt thou lie with me this “night?” And that chaste, free woman said unto him, “ I have ‘‘heard that the holy Apostle said, ‘A woman hath no power “© over her body, but her husband.’ I will first ask my hus- “‘band, and whatsoever he commandeth me that will I do.” And having come she told her husband, and he was grieved; and he wept, and said unto her, ‘‘Go, and say unto leibauty Sal ‘“‘é have told my husband, and it hath not pleased him, and ‘“<Thave hope in God that He will not forsake us.’” Now there was in the prison-house a certain thief who had been a highway robber, and he was shut up [in a room] inside beyond them, and at that moment he happened to be sitting at ‘a window which faced them, and he heard everything which they were saying; and with tears he said unto himself, ‘‘ Woe ‘‘ig me! For although these people are in such great trouble, ‘‘ they are not willing to deliver over their freedom, and accept “‘money, and go forth from this place, but they bold their ‘chastity to be more valuable than riches. What then shall I, ‘‘the wretched one, do? For the thought that there is a God ‘‘ hath never entered my mind, and I never remember that my ‘‘eyil deeds will be judged, and I have committed many ‘‘ wickednesses, and many awful murders. And I know that ‘‘ when the judge cometh here he will kill me without asking ‘a question, as is just.” And he answered and said unto the woman and her husband, ‘‘ Because I see that ye preserve the “purity of your bodies for Christ’s sake, and that ye have ‘chosen to remain in great tribulation and not to destroy ‘* your chastity, God hath put it into my heart to do unto you an ‘«aét of grace which ye deserve, and perhaps God will shew ‘me mercy through you on the day of judgement. Go ye to ‘‘the northern side of the city wall, and dig there in a certain ‘“ place, and behold, ye shall find there a large earthen pot, «beneath which is a vessel full of gold. Take it, and pay your «< debt, and may a great blessing abide with you so that youmay “Jive upon it; but I beseech you to pray for me continually, ‘that I may find mercy before God in the day of judgement.”

And after three days the judge came to the city, and he ordered them to cut off the head of that thief without [asking any] questions, and after he had been slain, that noble woman said unto her husband, ‘‘ Wilt thou command me to go and The Sayings of the holy Fathers ‘see if that which the thief said is true?” And he said unto her, ‘‘Go.” And she went at the time of evening, and by the indications which the thief had given her, she found the place, and having dug a little she found the money, even as he had told her, and she took it and went to her house, giving thanks unto God. And she brought it out little by little, and she gave it to the creditors, who thought that she brought it to them as the result of her begging, a little from here and a little from there; then when she had paid her husband’s debt, he came forth from prison, thanking and glorifying God. Then AbbA Joseph said unto us, ‘‘ Behold these men, O my ‘“brethren! Because they chose to live in affliction, and re- ‘‘fused to despise the command of God, God multiplied His ‘‘ grace unto them without delay. For even if the woman had ‘‘ hearkened untothat lascivious man hemightnot, perhaps,have ‘‘ given her what he promised her; but because they preserved ‘‘their chastity which is pleasing to God, God rewarded her ‘Cwith the whole amount of their debts, and brought them to ‘‘a greater state of prosperity than [that which they enjoyed] ‘Cat first. And, my beloved, I think thus concerning Adam ‘‘when he was in Paradise. Had he kept that little command, ‘‘honour greater than that which he had at first would have ‘“come to him; but when he transgressed the command of his ‘‘Lord, he fell from and was driven out of the delight and ‘‘pleasure wherein he lived. May our Lord make us worthy ‘*to keep His commandments! Amen.”

533. On one occasion when Abbé John and the brethren who were with him were going up from Scete, he who was guiding them lost the way, and the brethren said unto Abba John, ‘¢ What shall we do, father? For this brother hath lost the way, ‘Cand peradventure we shail die in wandering about.” Abba John said unto them, ‘‘If ye tell him he will be grieved and ‘*feel ashamed. But behold I will feign to be sick, and will say ‘‘that Iam not able to go on any further”; and the brethren said, ‘‘ Father, thou hast well said.” And they acted thus, and decided that they would stay where they were until the lees rather than rebuke the brother who was guiding them. 534. Abba Serenus used to say, ‘‘I have passed the whole ‘* period of my life in cutting and twisting and sewing palm ‘‘leaves, and in spite of it all, had not the hand of the Lord ‘* fed me I should not have had enough to eat. ’ Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule Demonstrations which are suitable to La3y “den and Sluggards, and to all those who take no care tor their Souls

535. Those who are in despair, and who have delivered themselves over to the filthy work of their abominable lusts, and who make loose their ways at all times, and who love the lusts which harm them, are like unto the sterile land, and the arid desert, and a house laid waste, and a vineyard without grapes, and an empty vessel, and a body without a soul, and eyes without light, and a dead body without a voice, and hands which are cut off, and knees which are bowed, and a paralytic lying on a bed, and a vessel filled with stinkingness. 530. AGAINST THOSE WHO LOVE VAINGLORY, AND THOSE WHO BOAST OF THEIR ALMS. Those who love vainglory, and those who boast of their fair works and life, are like unto a broken cistern, and a bag with a hole in it, and a tree without fruit, and a naked man, and a moth-eaten garment, and a wormeaten beam of wood, and unto other things which are consumed by their [false] glory. 537. AGAINST HIM THAT IS NOT CAREFUL (or WATCHFUL) IN RESPECT OF HIS TONGUE. He who is not watchful in respect of his tongue is like unto him whose house door is open, and whose riches are plundered by every man, and he is like unto an uncovered vessel (ov unrolled garment), and like that which is unsealed.

538. AGAINST THOSE OVER WHOM EVIL THOUGHTS HAVE DOMINION, AND IN WHOSE MIND WICKED COGITATIONS RISE UP. Those who through their sluggishness give a hand to the thoughts which make a mock of them, and by their negligence help filthy devils to have dominion over them, are like unto an abode which is full of snakes, and a house which is full of evil-smelling things, and a ship which is tossed by the waves, and a poor piece of land which is full of briars and brambles, and unto the thorns that choke it, the end of which is burning. 539. AGAINST HIM WHO DOTH NOT SUPPRESS IN HIMSELF WRATH AND ANGER, AND WHO KEEPETH HIS HATRED AGAINST HIS BROTHER. He who doth not suppress in himself wrath and anger, and who keepeth his hatred against his neighbour, is like unto a savage animal which cannot be tamed, and which goeth along every road, and wandereth about in an erring manner, and unto the man who burieth fire in chopped straw, and like the man who putteth in his bosom the spawn of serpents, and like a den which is full of enraged serpents, and like a cleft in the rock which is full of reptiles which shoot out venom, anda mad dog that barketh at every man, and a wild boar that

The Savings of the holy Fatbers gnasheth his teeth as soon as he seeth a man, and like the evening wolf which goeth about with his mouth wide open to destroy the simple lambs, and the panther which leapeth upon the gazelle in the desert, and the ship which saileth on the sea with an evil spirit for her steersman, and the savage beast which cannot be subdued, and which walketh on every road and wandereth about in error without discernment. These [words] are [directed] to those who are not humble, so that they may correct themselves and their savage habits, and to those who are lifted up against their brethren in their pride, and who do not wish to travel in the path of the humility of Christ. 540. AGAINST THE CHANGE OF THE EVIL WILL OF THOSE MEN WHO DENY THE GRACE WHICH IS PERFORMED TOWARDS THEM. One of the teachers said, ‘‘If thou hast made thyself humble, they de- ‘spise thee without discernment. If thou hast made thyself ‘‘angry, they hate thee without understanding. If thou hast ‘made thyself pleasant, they swallow thee, and thou dis- ‘‘appearest. If thou hast made thyself bitter (ov cruel), they ‘reject thee, and thou art reviled. And if thou hast mingled ‘‘ with folk they hold thee to be a liar fair[-spoken], and wan- “dering. If they have fallen ill, they command thee, and if ‘‘they are despised, they judge thee; if they be visited, they ‘‘ abuse thee; and if thou art whole, they leave thee; and if they ‘‘are reclining, they drive thee away; and if aught be required ‘* from them, they curse thee; and if mercy be shown unto them, ‘‘they oppress thee. Neither grace (ov goodness), nor justice ‘‘will ever please those who belong to every evil of every pei Cash

Chapter rvi. Questions by the Pupils and the Answers [to the same] by the boly Fatbers and Monks ROTHER. How is love (07 charity) acquired by men of BRevestanding? 541. Op Man. True and pure love is the way of life, and the haven of promises, and the treasure of faith, and the interpreter of the kingdom, and the herald of that which is hidden. 542. B. I do not know the power of the word. O.M. If a man loveth not God, he cannot believe in Him, and His promises are not true [to him], and he feareth not His judgement, and he followeth Him not. Now because love is not in him [he cannot]be free from iniquity, and await the life which is promised, but he performeth at all times the plans of sin; and this [happeneth] because the judgement of God is [too] ex- Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule alted in his sight. Therefore let us run after love, wherewith the holy fathers have enriched themselves, for it is able to pay back [what is due] to its nature and its God. This then is praise. 543. B. How doth wisdom dwell in man? O.M. Now when a man hath gone forth to follow after God with a lowly mind, grace bestoweth itself upon him, and his conduét becometh strengthened in the spirit, and when he hateth the world he becometh sensible of the new conduct o— the new man, which is more exalted than the impurity of the human abode; and he meditateth in his mind the humility ot the rule of the life which is to come, and he becometh a man of greater spiritual exccllence.

4. B. How is love made known? O.M. By the fulfilment of works, and by spiritual care, and by the knowledge of faith. 545. B. What are the works? O.M. The keeping of the commandments of the Lord with the purity of the inner man, together with the labour of the outer man. 546. B. Is he who is destitute of work also destitute of love? O.M. It is impossible that he who is of God should not love, and it is impossible for him that loveth not to work, and it is impossible to believe that he who teacheth but worketh not is a true believer, for his tongue is the enemy of his action, and though he speaketh life he is in subjection unto death. 547. B. And is he who is in this state free from retribution? O.M. Such a man who speaketh the things of the spirit, and performeth the things of the body, and supplieth his own wants, is not deprived of reward, but he is deprived of the crown of light, because the guidance of the spirit refuseth to rule him. 548. What are fasting and prayer? O.M. Fasting is the subjugation of the body, prayer is converse with God, vigil is a war against Satan, abstinence is the being weaned from meats, humility is the state of the first man, kneeling is the inclining of the body before the Judge, tears are the remembrance of sins, nakedness is our captivity which is caused by the transgression of the command, and service is constant supplication to and praise of God.

549. B. Are these able to redeem the soul? : O.M. When internal things agree with external, and manifest humility appeareth in the hidden works which are from within, verily, a man shall be redeemed from the weight of the body. 4 550. B. And what is internal humility? O.M. The humility of love, peace, friendship, purity, rest- The Sayings of the holy Fathers fulness, tranquillity, subjection, faith, remoteness from envy, and a soul which is free from the heat of anger, and is far from the grade of arrogance, and is redeemed from the love of vainglory, and is full of patient endurance like the great deep, and whose motion is drawn after the knowledge of the spirit, and before whose eyes are depicted the fall of the body, and the greatness of the marvel of the Resurrection, and the demand for judgement which shall come after the revivification, and its standing before the awful throne of God. [If the soul hath these things] redemption shall be unto it. 551. B. Is there any man who fasteth that shall not be redeemed? O.M. There is one [kind of] fasting which is from habit, and another from desire, and another from compulsion, and another from sight, and another from the love of vainglory, and another from affliction, and another from repentance, and another from spiritual affection; for although each of these seems to be the same as the other in the mind externally, yet in the word of knowledge they are distin¢ét. Now the way in which each is performed by the body is the same, and the way in which each is to be undertaken is wholly the same by him who travelleth straightly on the path of love, and who beareth his burden with patient endurance spiritually, and who doth not rejoice in his honour.

552. B. Who is the true [monk]? O.M. He who maketh his word manifest in deeds, and beareth his passion with patient endurance; with such a man life is found, and the knowledge of the spirit dwelleth in him. 553. B. Who is the pure habitation? O.M. He who is destitute of the good things of the body, and who rejoiceth in the love of his neighbours in the love of God; for spiritual relaxation is produced in proportion as need ruleth over the soul. 554. B. With what is a man able to overcome lust? O.M. With spiritual remembrance. If the desire for the delights which are to come doth not obliterate that of the things which are here, a man cannot conquer; for if the ship of the merchant did not arrive over and over again by means of hope, he could not endure the storms, and he would go on his way of tribulation. 555. B. How doth a man go forth from the world? O.M. By forsaking entirely the gratification of desire, and by running to the utmost of his power in the fulfilment of the commandments; for he who doth not a¢t in this way falleth.

556. B. Behold, through what have the men of old triumphed? O.M. Through the fervour of their supernatural love, -and Questions and Hnswers on the Ascetic Rule through the death of the corruptible man, and through the contempt for pride, and through the abatement of the belly, and through the fear of the judgement, and through the promise of certainty; through the desire for these glorious things the fathers have acquired in the soul the spiritual body. 557. B. How can I conquer the passions which trouble me when they are fixed in me by nature? O.M. By thy death to this world; for if thou dost not bury thy soul in the grave of persistent endurance the spiritual Adam can never be quickened in thee. When a dying man hath departed from this temporary life he hath no consciousness of this world, and all his perceptions are at rest and are abated. Now if thou forsakest that which is of nature naturally, and thou dost not perform it voluntarily in thy person, thou art dead; but if thy desire dieth in repentance, the whole of [thy] nature ceaseth from this temporary life by the death of the spirit just as do the motions of the body at the natural end of time.

558. B. To what extent is a man held capable of revelation? ©.M. To the same extent as a man is capable of stripping off sin, both internally and externally. For when a man dieth by spiritual sacrifice, [he dieth] to all the words and deeds of this habitation of time, and when he hath committed his life to the life which is after the revivification, Divine grace bestoweth itself upon him, and he hecometh capable of divine revelations. For the impurity of the world is a dark covering before the face of the soul, and it preventeth it from discerning spiritual wisdom. _ B. Is he who loveth money able to believe the promises? ©.M. No. If he believeth, wherefore doth he possess [riches]? Perhaps our hope is [set] upon gold, or perhaps the hand of the Lord is too small to redeem [us]? The body of our Lord is given unto us for [our] happiness, and His blood is the drink of our redemption, and He withholdeth from us the loaves of bread and the apparel which groweth old. He who loveth money is divided in his mind concerning God, and he prepareth for himself pleasures before God giveth them unto him; and though he rejoiceth in the promises in [his] word, he maketh them to be a lie by his deed. True indeed is the word of our Lord which He spake, ‘‘It is as difficult for the rich man ‘to enter the kingdom of heaven as it is for a camel to go “‘ through the hole of the needle”; it is impossible to possess in one dwelling both God and mammon. Monks should, then, not belong unto the things which are seen.

560. B. Who is indeed the man of excellence? O.M. He who crieth out always that he is a sinner, and asketh mercy from on high, whose word is laden with the The Savings of the holy Fathers feeling of discernment, and his senses with the watchfulness of deeds, and who, being silent, yet speaketh, and who, though speaking, holdeth his peace, and whose actions are wholly good fruits for the life of time, and the revelation of Christ. 561. B. What is the way of life? : O.M. The going forth of a man from this world on his entrance into another. But if a man forsaketh his childhood of humility and cometh to the old age of this world in his love, he revealeth the way of life. To go forth truly from this world is to be remote from it. 562. B. And what shall I do in respect of the world which troubleth me? O.M. This world troubleth thee because its care is in thy mind, and the love of it is in thy body, and its pleasures are in thy heart; forsake the world and it will depart from thee, and root up from thyself all its branches, and behold, the war thereof will die down in thee. For as long as thy body seeketh its gratifications, and its lust is of this world, thou art not capable of life.

563. B. What is pure prayer? O.M. Pure prayer is little in speech and great in deeds, for if it were not so work would be more excellent than supplication. .. . For if it be not so why do we ask and yet not receive, seeing that the mercy of God aboundeth? The method of penitents is, however, something different, as is also the labour of the humble, for the penitents are hirelings, and the humble are sons. 564. B. From what is the love of money produced? O.M. From desire, for unless a man desireth he doth not possess. When a man desireth he possesseth, and when he possesseth he hath fulfilled his desire; and when he hath fulfilled his desire, he becometh greedy; and when he hath become greedy he committeth fraud, and when he hath committed fraud his. possessions have become many. When his possessions are many his love diminisheth, and when his love hath diminished the remembrance of God is removed from his heart. And when the remembrance of God hath been removed from his heart, the mind becometh darkened, and his understanding is blinded; and when his understanding hath become blinded the power of discernment is darkened, and when the power of discernment hath become dark, the soul loseth its sight. And when the soul hath lost its sight good is rooted out therefrom, and wickedness entereth in, and sin taketh up its rule; and when sin hath taken up its rule the thought of God is blotted out, and the passions of the body are stirred up, and they seek to satisfy their needs. And having taken that which they

Questions and Hnswers on the Ascetic Rule sought for, it is necessary for much money to be collected, and when money is multiplied, the gratification of the body is fulfilled, and it eateth and drinketh, and committeth adultery and fornication, and it lieth and worketh fraud and oppression, and it transgresseth the covenant, and destroyeth the Law, and treateth the promises with contempt, and the lust for the things which are seen is fulfilled. Let money be an abominable thing in our sight, and let us not love it; but if we perform the lust of the flesh it is an absolute necessity to love money; for money belongeth to the flesh and not to the spirit, even as saith the Apostle, ‘‘The flesh hurteth the spirit, and the spirit ‘‘the flesh, and both are opponents each of the other” (Galatians v, 17). 565. B. What is the kind of prayer which is not acceptable before God? O.M. The destruction of enemies, and asking for evil things [to come upon] those who do harm to us, and the health of the body, and a multitude of possessions, and abundance of offspring—prayers for these things are not acceptable before God. But if God beareth with us whilst we are sinners and commit offences against Him, how much more is it right that we should bear with each other? It is not right for us to ask for the things which belong to the body, for the wisdom of God provideth all things.

566. B. What is purity of soul? O.M. Remoteness from anger and from the error of the remembrance of evil things, and being weaned from the bitter nature, and reconciliation with our enemies, and peace which is beyond troubling, and simplicity of love which is above this world; with these things is the inner man cleansed, and he putteth on Christ and is redeemed. 567. B. What is envy? O.M. Hatred towards the virtues of other folk, and wickedness towards the good, and a bitter mind towards the innocent, and anger against those who are prosperous in this world, and the cloaking of the upright conduct of those who repent, and vexation with the peace of the lovers of God. 568. B. How ought we to pray before God? O.M. For the return of sinners, and the finding of the lost, and the bringing near of those who are afar off, and friendliness towards those who wrong us, and love towards those who persecute us, and a sorrowful care for those who provoke to wrath; if a man doeth these things verily there is repentance in his mind, and sinners will often live, and their soul[s] be redeemed in life. For the prayer which our Lord delivered unto us for the need of the body is a word which covereth the

The Savings of the holy fathers whole community, and was not uttered solely for those who are strangers to the world, and who hold in contempt the pleasures of the body. For he in whose dwelling the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof are found lacketh nothing, even when he asketh [not]. 569. B. What is remoteness from the world? O.M. The thought (07 mind) which overcometh the love or the body; for if the body be not trampled upon by the feeling of patient endurance a man cannot conquer in his strife. 570. B. Is the soul of a man, which is held fast in the lust of the things which are seen, fair in the sight of God? O.M. Who is able to live chastely when the body is making demands upon him? Or, in what soul is found the love of our Lord which bestoweth itself upon the things which are seen and which are corruptible? A servant cannot serve two masters, and the soul cannot please God with spiritual excellence so long as the memories of the things which are corruptible are in its mind, for the mind of the flesh cannot please our Lord; and except the world die in the heart humility cannot dwell therein, and except the body be deprived of its lusts, the soul cannot be cleansed from thoughts.

571. B. Why is the mind disturbed at meeting women? O.M. Because they make use of the lust of nature. For, when the sight hath fallen upon the construction for the produ¢tion of children and the gratification of the body, that old poison layeth hold upon it, and the law of the desire is confounded; now desire conquereth nature, not by the stirring up of the passions, but by the will, [and] by the fulfilling of works of humility, which, by the might of our Lord, conquer everything by their love, and by the patient endurance of the merit of Christ. 572. B. Who is the mighty man, he who is remote from the world, or he who dwelleth therein? O.M. The mighty man conquereth in every place, whether he be in the world or without. Nevertheless, the fathers departed to the wilderness, the place which is preserved from the uproar of those who are afraid that as long as they dwell in the body the passions which give trouble will cleave to them. Now, for those who have ended the great strife of their conflict in the world Divine grace hath worked with its power, and it still worketh for the remembrance and benefit of the community, and truly great is the crown of those whose spiritual ship hath not sunk to the bottom of the tossed and troubled sea of this world, and hath not ceased its course heavenwards by the straight road which is full of fear.

573: B. Is it helpful to the soul to make oneself a stranger? Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule O.M. With perfect thanksgiving it doth help, provided that the soul beareth chastely afflictions, and rejoiceth in our Lord who giveth pleasure; but if it doth not, its good seed is made of no effect because it doth not give fruit beloved of God, and if it endureth and uttereth blessing it hath a reward, but if it lack these things it becometh a mere wandering of the mind, and a sight which is without profit. The best thing of all is the quietness of the mind which is akin to God. 574. B. Since all the creatures of God are holy, why do the fathers make the sign of the blessed Cross over the things which they eat? O.M. It is true that all the creatures of God were pure [when they came from] Him that created them, but because sin gained dominion everything became polluted; but the advent of our Lord came, and sin was abrogated and righteousness had its rule, and everything was made holy, whether it was in the heavens or on the earth. But because the blessed fathers knew the wiles of Satan, and that they would certainly bring upon them that which would do them harm by means of such things as are employed as food, they signed what they ate with the holy sign of the Great Cross so that they might slay all the craftiness of the Calumniator.

575. One of the fathers said, ‘‘On one occasion I was lying ‘‘ down at night, and I thirsted for water to drink; now there ‘‘ was near me one of the holy men who lived in a holy manner, ‘‘ and he saw that I took up the vessel to drink without having ‘‘ made over it the [sign of] the Cross. And he said unto me, ‘«« Wait, master, wait’; and he made the sign of the Cross “ over it, and straightway the Calumniator fell from the vessel “¢in the form of a flash of fire, and both he and I saw it. And ‘we wondered at the great might of our Redeemer, and at ‘the marvellous symbol of His merit.” A variant [reads]:—One of the fathers said, “‘I was lying «‘ down one night, and I thirsted for water to drink. And there ‘6 was with me a certain widow who lived a chaste life, both ‘¢when she was with her husband, and afterwards, and she ‘said unto me, ‘Wait, master, wait,’ and she made the sign ‘© of the holy Cross over the vessel of water, and straightway ‘there fell from it the Calumniator in the form of a flash of ‘fire, and both she and I saw him. And we wondered at the ‘‘ might of the Redeemer, and at the marvellous symbol of His “merit.”

These things were indeed told to us by the blessed mouth which is remote from falsehood; therefore it is required of us necessarily to do this [i.e., make the sign of the Cross] for the protection of our life. Now the tad used to wage war openly The Sayings of the holy Fathers whole community, and was not uttered solely for those who are strangers to the world, and who hold in contempt the pleasures of the body. For he in whose dwelling the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof are found lacketh nothing, even when he asketh [not]. 69. B. What is remoteness from the world? O.M. The thought (ov mind) which overcometh the love or the body; for if the body be not trampled upon by the feeling of patient endurance a man cannot conquer in his strife. 570. B. Is the soul of a man, which is held fast in the lust of the things which are seen, fair in the sight of God? O.M. Who is able to live chastely when the body is making demands upon him? Or, in what soul is found the love of our Lord which bestoweth itself upon the things which are seen and which are corruptible? A servant cannot serve two masters, and the soul cannot please God with spiritual excellence so long as the memories of the things which are corruptible are in its mind, for the mind of the flesh cannot please our Lord; and except the world die in the heart humility cannot dwell therein, and except the body be deprived of its lusts, the soul cannot be cleansed from thoughts.

571. B. Why is the mind disturbed at meeting women? O.M. Because they make use of the lust of nature. For, when the sight hath fallen upon the construction for the production of children and the gratification of the body, that old poison layeth hold upon it, and the law of the desire is confounded; now desire conquereth nature, not by the stirring up of the passions, but by the will, [and] by the fulfilling of works of humility, which, by the might of our Lord, conquer everything by their love, and by the patient endurance of the merit of Christ. 572. B. Who is the mighty man, he who is remote from the world, or he who dwelleth therein? O.M. The mighty man conquereth in every place, whether he be in the world or without. Nevertheless, the fathers departed to the wilderness, the place which is preserved from the uproar of those who are afraid that as long as they dwell in the body the passions which give trouble will cleave to them. Now, for those who have ended the great strife of their conflict in the world Divine grace hath worked with its power, and it still worketh for the remembrance and benefit of the community, and truly great is the crown of those whose spiritual ship hath not sunk to the bottom of the tossed and troubled sea of this world, and hath not ceased its course heavenwards by the straight road which is full of fear.

573: B. Is it helpful to the soul to make oneself a stranger? Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule O.M. With perfect thanksgiving it doth help, provided that the soul beareth chastely afflictions, and rejoiceth in our Lord who giveth pleasure; but if it doth not, its good seed is made of no effect because it doth not give fruit beloved of God, and if it endureth and uttereth blessing it hath a reward, but if it lack these things it becometh a mere wandering of the mind, and a sight which is without profit. The best thing of all is the quietness of the mind which is akin to God. 574. B. Since all the creatures of God are holy, why do the fathers make the sign of the blessed Cross over the things which they eat? O.M. It is true that all the creatures of God were pure [when they came from] Him that created them, but because sin gained dominion everything became polluted; but the advent of our Lord came, and sin was abrogated and righteousness had its rule, and everything was made holy, whether it was in the heavens or on the earth. But because the blessed fathers knew the wiles of Satan, and that they would certainly bring upon them that which would do them harm by means of such things as are employed as food, they signed what they ate with the holy sign of the Great Cross so that they might slay all the craftiness of the Calumniator.

575. One of the fathers said, ‘‘On one occasion I was lying ‘*down at night, and I thirsted for water to drink; now there ‘‘ was near me one of the holy men who lived in a holy manner, ‘and he saw that I took up the vessel to drink without having “made over it the [sign of] the Cross. And he said unto me, ‘<< Wait, master, wait’; and he made the sign of the Cross “over it, and straightway the Calumniator fell from the vessel ‘¢in the form of a flash of fire, and both he and I saw it. And ‘‘we wondered at the great might of our Redeemer, and at ‘‘the marvellous symbol of His merit.” A variant [reads|:—One of the fathers said, ‘‘I was lying ‘¢down one night, and I thirsted for water to drink. And there ‘‘ was with me a certain widow who lived a chaste life, both ‘“‘when she was with her husband, and afterwards, and she “¢said unto me, ‘Wait, master, wait,’ and she made the sign ‘‘ of the holy Cross over the vessel of water, and straightway ‘‘there fell from it the Calumniator in the form of a flash of ‘fire, and both she and I saw him. And we wondered at the ‘‘ might of the Redeemer, and at the marvellous symbol of His “merit.”

These things were indeed told to us by the blessed mouth which is remote from falsehood ; therefore it is required of us necessarily to do this [i.e., make the sign of the Cross] for the protection of our life. Now the Enemy used to wage war openly The Savings of the holy Fathers against that widow who did these things, even as I have learned from the chosen ones of our Lord, and one of the holy men who heard [this] from her own mouth spake thus :—The blessed woman said as follows:—One day I went to the house of God, and Satan drew nigh, and said unto me, ‘¢Why dost ‘thou pray like a man, and say, Glory be to the Father, and ‘‘to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost?” And J said unto him, ‘‘ How then shall I pray?” Then Satan said unto me, ‘‘Thou ‘‘ shouldst pray in this wise, and say, Glory be to thee, Mary, “‘mother of Christ.” Then I answered and said unto him, ‘There is dust in thine eyes, Satan. Why should I forsake ‘‘the Lord and worship a handmaiden?” And he disappeared from me. 576. And the blessed man said unto me also:—The same old woman said in my presence:—And again I went to the church according to [my] custom, and I entered in and prayed, and then the Enemy came and made blind my eyes, and I could not see, and I called one of the women, and she carried me to my house. And after three days he departed from before my eyes, and he began to go in front of me; then I said unto him, ‘There is a thing which thou must do for me. Go thou ‘to where thou didst first seize upon me.” And we went to the church, I and he. And I left him where he had seized me, and went away a short distance, and turning round I looked for him, and I saw him standing like a shadow; then I went a little further, and I turned round again, and I [still] saw him. And I shut the door of the church and went out, and then I opened it again and went in, and I saw him still standing there, and he ceased to practise his wiles upon me. Such were the great things which happened to the blessed old woman. For the monk must not boast himself over the man who is in the world, for init are mighty men; and if such things as these are to be foundin Eve, how much more ought they to be found in the Adam which hath been redeemed by |the second] Adam?

577. One of the fathers said, ‘‘Whilst I was sleeping one ‘‘ night, the Enemy came and smote me, and said unto me, ‘ Go ***to the world and work righteousness; why dost thou shut ‘« ‘thyself up like a beast in a cave?’ And knowing the wicked- ‘ness of the Enemy, who regarded me with an evil eye, I made ‘the sign of the Cross, and he fled from me. Then, having ‘“ waited a few days, he came and smote me on the neck in a ‘‘bantering fashion, saying, ‘Now that thou hast become a ‘* “righteous man, go to the world that I may not destroy thee’; ‘‘and when I prayed and made the sign of the Cross over my ‘face he departed from me. And after a short time he came ‘‘again, and he took up a seat upon my neck, and then I bade Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule Sf my soul to be of good cheer, and stood up, and made the Be sign of the Cross, the symbol of merit, before him, and he * disappeared again, for he was not able to stand before me.” Now these things took place and happened in this wise in very truth, and we may therefore know and understand the conduét wherein God rejoiceth, and there is, even as this [story sheweth], no reason for fearing the devils and all the evil spirits. Whosoever holdeth in contempt humility, and penitence of the mind, and the subjugation of the body, and remoteness from the care for the things which are seen, falleth into the inclination of the world, and despiseth the good riches of the fear of God, and his hope for the inheritance of holy men is cut off, and for the delights of heaven which neither pass away nor are dissolved. May we, through the grace and mercy of Christ, be held to be worthy of these things! Amen.

Chapter rviij. Questions and Answers on the Vision of the Mind BROTHER asked an old man, saying, In what manA= ought a monk to dwell in silent contemplation in his cell? The old man said, He should have no re- 578. membrance of man whatsoever whilst he is dwelling in the cell. 579. B. What kind of labour should the heart perform? O.M. The perfect labour of monks is for a man to have his gaze directed towards God firmly and continually. 580. B. In what way should the mind persecute abominable thoughts? O.M. The mind is unable to do this of itself, and it hath not the power [to do it], nevertheless whensoever a thought [of evil] cometh against the soul, it is required of it to flee immediately from the performance thereof, and to take refuge in supplication [to God], and that shall dissolve the thoughts even as wax [is dissolved] before the fire, for our God is a consuming fire. 581. B. How did the fathers who dwelt in Scete give answers to their enemies? O.M. That service also was great and excellent, but there was labour therein, and not every man was able to stand firm therein, and there was in it, moreover, wandering of the understanding.

O.M. When a thought hath come against the soul, and the soul hath, with great difficulty, been able to drive it out, another thought maketh ready to come, and in this manner the soul is occupied the whole day long in a war against the The Sayings of the holy Fathers thoughts, and it is unable to occupy itself with the sight of God, and [to enjoy it] continually. 583. B. With what intent, then, should the mind flee towards God? : O.M. If the thought of fornication rush upon thee, seize thy mind and carry it to God immediately, and raise it upwards with strenuousness, and delay not, for to delay is to be on the limit of being brought low. 584. B. If a thought of vainglory rise up in my mind, and it maketh me think that I can be free from the evil passions, is it not necessary that I should contend against it? O.M. Whensoever thou contendest against it, it will become exceedingly strong against thee, and will act cruelly and sharply, and thou wilt not, as thou imaginest, become strengthened by the Spirit of God; for it is better able to contend against thee than thou art able to contend against ity and thou wilt [not] find thyself, apparently, sufficient of thyself to resist the passions of the thoughts. For as it is with the man who hath a spiritual father, that giveth to him his every desire, and who is without any care whatsoever, and who hath, therefore, no judgement with God, so also is it with him that hath committed his soul to God, for it is, henceforward, unnecessary for him in any way whatsoever to fall into care concerning the thoughts, or to allow a thought to enter into his heart. But if it should happen that a thought hath entered, lift it up strenuously towards thy Father, and say, ‘‘I myself know nothing; behold, my Father knoweth.” And whilst thou art raising up thy mind, the thought itself will leave it and take to flight half way, for it cannot ascend upwards with thee, and it dare not stand with thee there. There is no service which is superior to this, for it belongeth to confidence, and it hath no care in all the Church.

585. B. How is it that the fathers who dwelt in Scete made use of answers against their enemies, and pleased God thereby? O.M. Because they worked in simplicity and in the fear of God, and because of this God helped them, and afterwards the service of the vision of God rose upon them, with His help, because of their works of excellence, and because of the mercy of God, and that old man who taught in this wise said, ‘‘Once ‘*T went to Scete to visit an old man there who had become ‘aged in ascetic labours. And having saluted each other we ‘“sat down in silence, and that old man made [me] no answer ‘‘ whatsoever. Then, whilst I was sitting down, my mind be- ‘came occupied with a vision of God, and that old man con- ‘* tinued to sit there and to make baskets of palm leaves, and ‘he neither lifted up his gaze to me, nor did he tell me to eat, Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule “Cand for six whole days I ate nothing whatsoever. Now that “old man was occupied with his work of basket-making the ‘“whole day long, and when the evening came he soaked some ‘‘palm leaves in water, and worked the whole night through. ** And on the following day, after the ninth hour, he answered ‘*and said unto me, ‘Brother, when hast thou the power to per- ‘* “form this work of the spiritual vision?’ And I answered and ‘said unto him, ‘Yea, father, and whence hast thou the power ***Tto work thus]? We have accustomed ourselves to learn this “**from our youth.’ And the old man said unto me, ‘I have ** “never received teaching of this kind from my fathers. But as ““*thou seest me now, even so have I been all [my] days. A “* little work and a little meditation, and a little singing of “« “the Psalms, and a little prayer; I have cleansed my thoughts “*“according to my power, and I resist [as far as I can] the ***thoughts which rush upon me. And in this manner, after- *** wards, there dawned upon me the spirit of visions, as I “*learned this [faculty], and I knew not that any man pos- *** sessed this gift.’ Then I answered and said unto him, *«¢T have learned this from my youth up.’”

586. B. How ought a man to see the order of the divine vision? O.M. The Scriptures have shown [him how]. O.M. Daniel saw Him as the Ancient of Days. And Ezekiel saw Him on the chariot of the Cherubim. And Isaiah saw Him upon a lofty and glorious throne. And Moses persisted in being with Him Who cannot be seen, as if he saw Him. 588. B. And how can the mind see that which cannot be seen? O.M. A king cannot be seen, as far as his exact image is ~ concerned, when he is sitting on the throne. 589. B. And is it right for a man to depict God in this manner? O.M. And what is the better for a man to depict God in his mind in this manner, or to bow himself down to many abominable thoughts? 590. B. Peradventure this is accounted as sin? O.M. No. Only thou must hold according to what the Scriptures have shown [thee], and the fulfilment of the matter will come of itself, even as the Apostle said, ‘‘Now, as ina ‘‘miracle, we see in parable, but then face to face,” the meaning of which is as if a man were to say, ‘‘ When the mind ‘hath been made perfect, then it will be able to see with ease ** and freedom.”

591. B. And is there no confusion in the mind in respect of this? The Savings of the holy Fathers O. M. If a man performeth his strife in truth there will be no confusion in the mind, ‘‘For,” said the old man, ‘‘I have ‘passed a whole week of days without a remembrance of any ‘human thing having entered my heart.” And another old man said, ‘‘I was once journeying along the road, and behold, ‘‘T saw two angels close to me, one on this side, and one on ‘the other, and they walked along with me, and I did not “look at them.” O.M. Because it is written, ‘‘Neither angels nor powers ‘‘ shall be able to separate me from the love of God, which is ‘in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans viii, 39). 593. B. Can the mind be occupied with, and stay with the divine vision continually? O.M. Although the mind cannot be occupied with and stay with the divine vision continually, still when it is pressed by the thoughts it can fly to God, and it shall not be deprived of the divine vision. But I say unto thee that if the mind be made perfect in this respect, it shall be easier for thee to move mountains than to bring it down from above. For as the blind man who is shut up in darkness, if his eyes be opened and he go forth into the light, will be unwilling for the darkness to overtake him again, so the mind having begun to see the light of its own person, hateth the darkness, and is unwilling to remember it again. And one of the fathers also said, ‘I ‘‘ wished to look upon my mind, saying, Perhaps if I allow my ‘‘ mind to do so it will go and wander about in the world; but ‘when I set it free it stood still, and was silent, and did not ‘know where to go. And again, I lifted it up on high, for it ‘‘ knew that if it departed and wandered about I had to ad- ‘‘monish it; quietness and prayer make strong this class of ‘«service.”” And the same old man said, ‘‘If a man prayeth ‘* continually it will bring correction to the mind immediately.”

594. B. How is it possible for a man to pray continually? For the body becometh ill through constant prayer. O.M. The standing up of a man in his prayer [once] is not said to be prayer, but [he must do so] continually. 595. B. How is [prayer to be made] continually? O.M. Whether thou art eating, or drinking, or even travelling on the road, or if thou art doing some piece of work, thou shalt not let prayer be remote from thy heart. . 596. B. But suppose I be talking with some one, how is it possible for me to fulfil the command, ‘‘ Be ye praying con- ‘* tinually”? O.M. Now concerning this the Apostle spake, ‘‘In [all ‘‘ your] prayers, and in [all your] supplications, pray ye at all Questions and Answers on the Uscetic Rule “‘ times in the spirit; and when it would be unseemly for thee ““to pray, because thou art speaking with another man, pray ** thou through supplication.” 597. What manner of prayer is it necessary for a man to pray: O. M. The prayer in the Gospel which our Lord taught His disciples. 598. B. What limit ought there to be to prayer?

O. M. No measure hath been laid down to prayer; because He said, ‘‘ Pray ye at all times, and continually,” He did not lay down any measure to prayer. For if the monk only really prayeth when he standeth up in prayer, he who is thus doth not pray with the heart but with the mouth only. Now the old man said, ‘‘It is necessary for the man who is thus to look ‘‘upon all [men] in the same way, and he must be remote from “fail calumny for the love of Christ; to Whom be glory for “ever! Amen.” 599. In another manuscript I have found the following:—A certain monk who was a foreigner, and was chaste in his conduct, and who came from the city of Antioch, from the monastery which is called Kawsydn, went once to pray in Jerusalem, and to see the holy places wherein our Lord Jesus Christ went about, and after he had lived there for a long time, and had worked a way which was full of every excellence, he wished to return to his country in peace. Now he lacked food for the journey and the money which was necessary for his wants, and he knew not what to do; and when he had gone in to pray in the great temple of the Resurrection of our Lord, he prayed, and sat down in sorrow, and he was troubled about his departure, and the lack of that which he needed. And having sat down, he dropped into slumber, and slept, and he saw in his dream our Lord Jesus Christ, Who bade him be of good cheer, saying, ‘‘Arise, be not sorrowful, but go in to the steward ““of My house of the Resurrection, and say unto him, ‘Jesus ** ‘hath sent me unto thee so that thou mayest give me the one ‘¢ (dinar of which I am in need, and when He cometh He will ‘* “give it [back] to thee for me.’”” Now when the monk had awoke from his sleep, he arose, and prayed first and believed the vision which had appeared to him, and he rose up and went to the steward [of the Church] of the Resurrection, as he had been commanded to do, and he spake to the steward, as he had been told in the vision. Then the steward said unto him, ‘* When will Jesus come and repay me?” And the monk said unto him, ‘‘I have told thee what I have heard from Him, and ‘Sas for thee, thou must do what thou wishest.” And the steward said unto the monk, ‘‘Give me a paper in thine own

The Savings of the holy Fathers ‘(handwriting for the dinar, and take [it] and go”; and the | monk sat down and wrote thus: ‘‘I, John the monk, the ‘stranger, from Antioch, a city of Syria, and from the holy ‘monastery of Kawsyan hereby testify that I have received “from the steward one dinar for food by the way, and I have, ‘« of mine own free will, set my handwriting thereto saying that ‘‘ when Jesus cometh He will pay him for me.” And after the monk had taken the dinar and departed, the steward saw that same night in a vision of the night, that a man of splendid appearance came and said unto him, ‘‘Take the dinar which ‘‘thou gavest to that monk, and give me the written paper ‘‘which he gave thee.” And the steward said in the vision, ‘My Lord, the monk said unto me, ‘Jesus will come and re- ‘(pay me, and will take from thee the paper which I have ‘“ 6written.’” And the man said to the steward, ‘‘I, even I, am ‘Jesus; take thy dinar, and give Me the writing which the ‘monk gave thee. Or, wouldst thou take anything more from ‘‘him?” Then the steward took the dinar from Him, and he laid it in his hand, and gave Him the written paper, and He tore it up.

Now when the steward awoke from his slumber he found the dinar in his hand, but the written paper had disappeared; and he marvelled and wondered, and praised God. Then he sent some of his people to bring back the monk wheresoever he might be found, and having gone they found him praying, and they said unto him, ‘‘Come with us; behold, the steward of the ‘“Church of the Resurrection seeketh thee.” And when the monk heard [this], he feared greatly, and said in his heart, ‘‘Peradventure he wisheth to take back the dinar”; and he went with them being troubled and sorrowful. Now when the steward saw him, he said unto him, ‘‘For the love of Christ I ‘‘entreat thee to eat with me this day,” and whilst they were eating, the steward said unto him, ‘‘ What hast thou done with ‘‘the dinar?” and the monk said, ‘‘ Behold, it is still with me.” The steward said unto him, ‘‘Mar Abba, take thou as many ‘‘ dinars as thou wishest, only give me the paper which thou ‘‘didst write [saying] that Jesus would come and repay me.” And the monk said unto him, ‘‘ My lord, forgive me, but I have ‘* received nothing else from thee, for that which I did take was ‘* sufficient for me.” Then the steward related unto him that which had appeared unto him, saying, ‘‘The dinar hath been ‘* paid back to me, and the paper which thou didst write hath ‘*been taken by our Lord Jesus Christ from me”; and the steward entreated the monk, saying, ‘‘Take from me, if thou ‘‘wishest, ten pounds of gold, only write me [a paper, saying], ‘* “Jesus will come and pay thee for me,’ and do thou, my lord,

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule ‘‘depart in peace.” And the monk said unto him, ‘‘ Master, ‘‘ verily I say unto thee, thou shalt not receive from me another ‘‘jot, and I will not take anything else from thee.” And all those who heard [this story] praised God Who neglected not those who call upon Him in truth. 600. AN ApMONITION OF THE Hoty Fartuers. Be thou an enemy unto all folly and sin. Dejection driveth away the fear of God, captivity [to sin] driveth away the virtues from the soul. There are three excellences which illumine the mind always; a man must not see the vices of his neighbours, and he must do good unto those who do evil to him, and he must bear with gladness all the trials which come upon him. And these produce three (szc) other excellences, namely, a man must not look upon the vices of his brother, and this excellence produceth love; and he must bear the trials that come upon him, and this excellence produceth self-denial. There are three excellences of which the mind hath need, and a man should observe them always: He should lean away from follies, and he should not be lax in his service, and he should make strong his heart. There are three excellences, the which if a man see them with him he knoweth within himself that he is delivered from devils, namely, knowledge whereby he will be able to understand and to discern between thoughts, and the sight of everything before it cometh to pass, and the power of not becoming entangled with evil thoughts of any kind. There are three things which gain dominion over the soul until it arriveth at great weakness, captivity [to sin], and dejection, and sickness, and these contend against every man’s soul, and from them are produced evil thoughts, and when a man buildeth up they overthrow |what he hath built]. There are three excellences which benefit and strengthen the soul: mercy, the absence of lust and long-suffering, and besides these three excellences the mind hath need to pray without ceasing continually, and a man must fall down and cry out before God, and hate all evil passions.

601. And he also said:—The fear of God driveth away all evil things, but dejection (or lowness) driveth away the fear of God from a man; the wandering of the thoughts driveth away good works from the soul. There are four things which are good :—Silence, the keeping of the commandments, humility, and tribulations. There are four good things which protect the soul: Love towards every man, absence of lust, long-suffering, and a man severing from himself wickedness. And the soul hath need of the four following virtues at all seasons:—A man must pray without ceasing, and he should pour himself out before God continually, and he should declare his own de- The Sayings of the holy Fathers fects in his heart, and he should judge no man, and his own mind should be tranquil, The four following things help a young monk:—Doctrine, the repetition of the Psalms at every moment, and he should not be lax in obedience to fasting, and he should esteem himself to be of no account whatsoever. Through four things the soul is corrupted:—For a man to walk about through the city without guarding his eyes, for a man to have anything to do with women, for a man to have friendship with the rich men of the world, and for a man to love empty talk. Of four things fornication is begotten, namely, by eating and by drinking overmuch, by sleeping overmuch and by idleness, by laughter and by silly words, and by the arrangement of the apparel. By four things the mind is darkened: by a man hating his neighbour, by hating his brother, by crying out evil things, and by uttering them. By four things is the soul laid waste: by a man not keeping silent (or tranquil), by loving the works of the world, by trafficking in material things, and by the evilness of the eye. Through four things anger cometh: By a man giving and taking (i.e., buying and selling) in the world, by doing his own will, by loving to teach, and by thinking in himself that he is a wise man. There are three virtues which a man acquireth by weariness (ov exhaustion): by mourning always, by observing his sins, and by having his death before his eyes every day. He who taketh care to keep these virtues shall be able to be saved by the mercy of God and, to speak briefly, these are necessary for the man who seeketh to live: Faith, and hope, and love, and love of God, and obedience, and humility, and patient endurance, and self-denial, and fasting, and constant prayer, and vigil, and service, and going into exile, and voluntary poverty, and absence of evil passions, and the silence of discretion, and deprivation of various meats. For if a man doth not believe, he can neither hope nor love, nor have affection, nor be obedient; and if he be not obedient, he cannot either be humble, or endure patiently; and if he cannot endure patiently, he cannot practise self-denial, and if he cannot pradtise self-denial, he cannot draw nigh to fasting. And if he cannot fast, he cannot pray continually, and if he hath no prayer, he cannot keep vigils; and if he keepeth not vigil, service will not be found in him, for he will say and sing the service in a hurried manner. And he who possesseth these things only in a little degree cannot go into exile and become voluntarily poor, and without the love of these things he cannot deprive himself of meats; and a man cannot acquire the silence of discretion when all these things are remote from him. Let us, then, take care to perfect all these things in ourselves with all our might, 278

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule aoe the help of God, to Whom be glory for ever and ever! men. 602, An Exnortation. Now therefore I have written down for thee all these things so that thy soul may not become sluggish, and so that thou mayest not become the cause of [others] being like unto thee. And because of this I counsel thee to take the yoke of pleasantness upon thy neck, for it will help thee to sit by thyself in silence, and to withdraw thyself from human intercourse, and from cares about the things of this world which will hinder thee. And make thyself as the dust in [thy] humility towards every man, knowing [at the same time] that there is hope [for thee]. And let not weeping cease from thine eyes, for there is the occasion of tears. And make thy cell a hall of judgement of thyself, and a place for striving against devils and evil passions, and let there be depicted therein the kingdom [of heaven], and Gehenna, and death and life, and sinners and the righteous, and the fire which never is quenched, and the glory of the righteous, and the outer darkness, and the gnashing of the teeth, and the light of the righteous, and their joy in the Holy Spirit, and the Passion of our Lord, and the memorial of His Resurrection, and the redemption of creation. And let thy habitation be free from superfluous things, for one of two things will happen unto thee; either through thinking of them thou wilt suffer injury, or in withdrawing thyself from them thy war will be added to and become fiercer. And take heed lest, through [holding in] honour and sparing other folk, thou bring thyselt to evil case in the war; whatsoever belongeth to lust and is of the eyes thou shalt not possess, for the wars of thy passions are sufficient for thee. Heal thou and make whole in thy habitation those in whom God hath pleasure; it is He Who knoweth thy sitting down, and thy coming in, and thy going forth. And in all thy conduct be constant in prayer, especially in the night seasons, for [night] is the acceptable time for prayer, as it is written, ‘‘ Be thou like unto thy Lord, Who prayed to God «continually throughout the night until the rising up of the ‘©Sun.” When all voices are quiet do thou fill thy mouth with praise, and thy tongue with glorifying, and whilst others are lying like dead men on their biers do thou depict in thyself the waking of the Resurrection. The night which is darkness unto other folk shall be to thee bright as the day, and instead of filling thyself with wine as other men do, fill thou thyself with the love of God; and in the night season, when silver and gold are stolen, do thou steal the kingdom [of heaven] like a thief. In the night season, when sinners perform their evil deeds to their own injury, do thou labour for the benefit of thine own

The Savings of the tholy Fathers soul, and take care, continually of all excellences. Then He Who is merciful in His gifts, and rich unto every one who calleth upon Him, will come unto thee quickly and will help thee, and thou shalt smite the Evil One, and shalt bring to naught his crafty acts. And thou shalt make thy mind to shine, and the Lord of All shall place in thee the innocent thoughts of uprightness, and He shall comfort thy mind; then shall the rugged ground become smooth before thee, and the difficult ground shall be as a plain, and thy ship shall anchor in [its] haven. And thou shalt lead beforehand the life which is to come, and thou shalt fulfil the Will of God, according to His Will, both in heaven and on earth; and thy knowledge shall grow and thy joy increase in proportion to thy spiritual conduct, and thou shalt be held to be worthy of the sight of the righteous by the grace and mercy of Christ our Lord, to Whom, with His Father, and the Holy Ghost, be glory now, and always, and for ever and ever! Amen. 603. AN ADMONITION OF ABBA MAR Joun. Now thou wilt not be able to find a more excellent way than this: He who would repent to Christ of his sins and follies must fall on his face many, many times, [and be sorry for] the sins which he hath committed, and he must make supplication and entreaty to the mercy of God. Moreover, our other fathers have incited [us| to kneel down, and he who continually kneeleth down and prayeth rejoiceth in God. Woe is me, me the man of negligence! Now he who sigheth, and weepeth, and sheddeth tears in prayer, possesseth all excellences together; for if we do not keep watch on and remember always our feebleness, whilst despising ourselves, and holding ourselves in contempt, the devils will lead us astray. Wake thyself up, O my beloved one, and keep in thy remembrance always three moments, and forget them not; the first is the moment of death, with its sorrow, and grief, and trouble, which is immeasurable, that overtaketh every man, when [a man shall stand] before the awful throne of Christ; the second moment is the moment of fear and quaking when men and angels shall rise up, when a man doth not know what command shall come forth concerning him, whether it shall be for life everlasting or for torment everlasting; and the third moment is that when the penalty (or decree of doom) shall come forth upon us, with its repentance of soul which shall last for ever, and shall be with us afterwards in the years which shall have no end. At the [remembrance of] these three moments all men fear and quake; may God in His compassion save us from Gehenna and its endless torments! Amen.

I am an apostle, and I cast out devils, and I perform Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule mighty deeds, but how am I to know that the end of Judas may not be mine, and how am I to know that I shall [not] inherit hanging, and be called by our Lord ‘‘Satan” and ‘‘son “« of perdition’’? If thou seest, moreover, a man who is a murderer, and a thief, and an adulterer, and a shedder of blood, thou mayest think whence I shall know [this]; for if this murderer at the end confesseth Christ, he will precede me in the kingdom of heaven, and thou shalt think thus concerning every man. If thou, O man of God, whithersoever thou goest, thinkest these and suchlike things continually, and if thy humility be in proportion to the greatness of thy power, thou shalt never fall. But if a man be neglectful, even for the twinkling of an eye, of his humility, and if pride be mingled in his negligence, he shall be cut off quickly from the height of the love of God, and he shall fall, even as quickly as a glass vessel full of water, which is suspended by a thread of a spider’s web, would fall if that thread were to be severed. Now the conduct of humility is thus. If at the beginning, or in the middle, or at the end, or wheresoever it may be, aman first of all layeth hold upon perfect humility, and upon complete contempt of himself, the devils will be unable to approach him, on the contrary, they will flee before him, like flies before smoke, both they and their thoughts; but if a man [doth not] acquire humility, either at the beginning, or in the middle, or at the end of his career, there is nothing which [can stand up] against the strife and contest. As the holy man Evagrius said, ‘After the vanquishing of [all] the other pas- ‘« sions, there still remain two which will wage war against ‘‘the perfect man until death, namely, vainglory and pride.” And John, the seer of Thebais, used to say, ‘‘He against “‘ whom the devil of vainglory still fighteth, wandereth with- ‘‘out measure, and is divided [in his mind] to a boundless ‘« degree.” The Teacher used to say, ‘‘Humility possesseth two ‘‘ characteristics which are superior to the other excellences of ‘« the spirit, for it seeth to what degree it can abase itself to the ‘‘Jowest depth, and grace also exalteth humility to God, [and] ‘to the height which is above; and because grace exalteth it ‘continually towards God, it acquireth faith at all times, and ‘‘strengtheneth confidence. And the second characteristic of ‘‘ humility is that it feareth not that which opposeth it, that is ‘to say, it feareth neither devils, nor wild animals, nor evil ‘‘men, even as the holy man Evagrius said, ‘The man who “«¢ig proud and wrathful is a timid man, but the humble man ‘‘ (ig without fear.’ And he said, ‘ Humility by itself van- ‘< €quisheth both passions and devils, and the labours of the ‘¢ “body, and the contests of the mind only serve to strengthen 281

The Savings of the holy Fathers ‘humility the more.’” Therefore there is never a time when the monk hath not need of humility. Now it is right for him that dwelleth in silence wishing to arrive speedily at purity of heart, and to take care of [his spiritual] splendour, to guard the three following things:—he must guard his hearing against listening toany word which may strikehimand may rouse him up toanger; and he must guard his tongue, not only against rebuking and chiding any man, even though he be a man of no account whatsoever and a man of ignorance, and he must not [attempt] to teach or to admonish. But if a man ask him for a prayer, he must esteem himself to be the servant of him that asketh him, and he must kneel down before the cross and say, ‘‘O ‘Lord, provide for my brethren according to Thy Will, and ‘according to Thy design, and according as it may be bene- ‘* ficial for them before Thee, and make me, a sinner, worthy ‘of Thy mercy through my prayers”; let him pray after this example, and it shall suffice. Do not think in thy mind, which may lead thee astray, that thou wilt be able to acquire even one spiritual excellence, no matter which it may be, without afflictions and troubles, whether with or without the desire; for no man who feedeth his body daintily on lusts is able to enter through the door, even as the camel cannot go through the narrow hole of the needle.

Now the pleasures of the body come into being because of unbelief, because the wretched body doth not believe in those good things which are promised unto the hungry, and in the woes which are prepared for those who are filled with food and who live delicately. Therefore he, who believeth in the promises and threats, goeth hungry, and he denieth himself, and he watcheth in prayer, and he humbleth himself, and he layeth hold upon abstinence, and restraineth himself from the gratification of his pleasures, and he inheriteth the purity which is promised to those who are blessed. But if he leadeth a life of sluggishness and pleasure, from it he shall inherit the impurities and the punishments which are prepared for him in Gehenna. Now the desire of the Holy Spirit is thus: —Remoteness from the habitation of men, continual quiet, weeping and sorrowful cries, joyful hymns, the singing of the Psalms, and praises, fasting, and abstinence, and vigil, poor apparel, a humble gait, the cloaking of the thoughts of the passions, the hidden prayer of the mind; know ye that such are the things in which those who are in the desire of the spirit wish to walk, and they never wish to perform the lusts of the flesh. And to speak briefly unto you, O my brethren, fasting, and service, and standing up, and vigil, and abstinence from meats, are the constituent parts of a fair rule of life and condu&, and

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule those who perform them will receive a reward from the true God if they perform them in truth, and if there be no alien pretence in their service. But hearken, O my brethren, for this is the true work of the monastic life, the binding of the understanding which is in God, and the suppression of the alien thoughts which enter his heart; and whosoever hath his heart [set] upon God acquireth for his soul pleasure, and the life which is everlasting. Amen and Amen. there end the histories & the WMarratives of the Tri-= umpbant cts of the holy Fathers and Monks which were composed by the boly and excellent Palladius, Bisbop of the City of hetenopolis, & which be wrote to Lausus the Prefect. To God be glory, and bonour, and adoration, and worship, and exaltation, for ever and ever! Dea and Amen. Questions of the Brethren, and Answers of the Fathers, which are exceedingly tair and beautitul HE brethren said:—There were two brethren who were the sons of a merchant, and their father died, and they divided their inheritance between themselves, and unto 604. each one there came five thousand dinars. And one of the brethren divided his inheritance among the churches, and the monasteries, and the poor, and he himself became a monk, and he chose for himself a life of continual silence, and fasting, and prayer; now the other brother built a monastery for himself, and gathered brethren to him, and he took care of the strangers, and the poor, and the sick, whom he received and relieved. When the two brothers were dead there was questioning among the brethren about them, and they went to Abba Pambé and asked him, ‘‘Which manner of life and conduct ‘© was the more excellent and exalted?” And having learned from God, he said unto them, ‘‘They are both perfect, and in ‘‘my sight they appear to be of equal merit.” Explain to us now the old man’s words, for how can the man who is destitute, and the man who hath possessions be equal [in merit]? The old man said, ‘‘Since the whole condué¢t of these brethren ‘‘ was to God, and since whatsoever they did they did it for ‘‘God, with an upright aim, and since the aim of each was ‘the same, they appeared to be in the old man’s opinion of ‘equal merit before God.” 605. The brethren asked Abba Nastir, ‘‘What rule of life “and conduét should a man follow?” The old man said, ‘‘All rules of conduct are not alike. 283

The Sayings of the holy Fathers ‘‘ Abraham was a lover of strangers, David wasa humble man, ‘« Elijah loved silence, and God accepted the work of all of them. «« Whatsoever work is of God, if thy soul desireth it, that do, ‘Cand God be with thee.” 606. The brethren said:—Abba Pambé said, ‘‘If there be ‘three monks in one place, and one of them live in silence [it ‘‘is] well, and if another be sick and he give thanks in his ‘weakness, and if another minister to men and relieve them, ‘‘ all three of them are in the same service.”’ Reveal to us now the mind of this holy man. And Abba Pambé said, ‘If a man dwell in silence for God’s ‘‘ sake, and not for the sake of vainglory, or any other human ‘thing; and if another, who is sick, give thanks to God for “‘ his sickness, and he endure him that ministereth unto him ‘with longsuffering, he becometh like unto him that is in ‘‘ silence; and if he who ministereth unto men doeth it not for ‘¢a reward of this world, but for God’s sake, and if he con- ‘‘ straineth himself in everything, and doeth the will of those ‘‘ who are ministered unto by him in love and gladness, he ‘‘thus becometh like unto him who shutteth himself up in ‘‘ silence, and like unto him that is sick, and in this way the ‘‘work of all three is of equal merit. For Abba Joseph and ‘‘ Abba Poemen divided the perfect ascetic life into three “‘classes, and therefore Abba Nastir said to that brother, ‘If «thou conduct thyself according to any one of the three thou ‘« «shalt be perfect.’ And this is well known from that which ‘Abba Anthony said, ‘Many have afflicted themselves with ‘¢ Jabours and tribulations, and because they had not in them ‘« “the power of discernment, they did not know the way of ‘« ‘truth.’ And again he said, ‘One man might live in a cell ‘« ‘for a hundred years, and yet not know how to dwell therein ‘« “lrightly] for one day, because he humbleth not himself, and ‘« “accounteth not himself a sinner, and a feeble man, and igno- ‘rant, but he justifieth himself, and blameth others; never- “« ‘theless.it is right that we should know that, even though “* “some are sick, and others relieve the wants of men and minister unto them with an upright aim, those who lead a “* ‘life of silence lead a superior life, and follow a line of con- ‘* ‘duét which is more excellent than all the rules of life which ‘fare followed among brethren. And this life is superior in “* “the same way that the Spirit of God is more exalted than ***the holy angels, according to what we have learned from ‘* ‘the history of the holy men Abba Arsenius and Abba Moses ‘“*the Ethiopian. For when one of the brethren went to the ‘* ‘blessed Arsenius [to enquire of him] concerning the love of ‘* a silent life of contemplation, he neither set a table for him

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule “ ‘nor gave him refreshment; then he went to the blessed Abba <¢ ‘Moses and he both welcomed him and gave him refresh- ‘‘ ‘ment. And when one of the great fathers heard [this], he ‘‘ ‘entreated our Lord to reveal to him this matter, saying, «6 <<¢How is it that one fleeth for Thy Name’s sake, and an- ‘6 (66other welcometh and giveth refreshment for Thy Name’s ‘6 «66sake?” And there appeared unto him on the river two ‘ships, in one of which were Abba Arsenius, and the Spirit ‘6 69 God Who was travelling along in silence, and in the ‘‘ 6other was Abba Moses, who was travelling with holy angels ‘‘ ‘that were feeding him upon honey, with the comb thereof. ‘« ‘And by this the fathers understood that the life of silent ‘“ ‘contemplation was as greatly exalted above alms and mini- ‘6 6strations as was the conduct of Matthew the Evangelist ‘‘ Cabove that of Zacchaeus the tax-gatherer.’” 607. The brethren said: The brethren asked Abbé Pambé, saying, ‘‘ Supposing that a man who liveth in the world hath ‘© wife and children, and supposing that he giveth much ‘‘ alms, and setteth free slaves, and redeemeth those in capti- ‘‘vity, and visiteth the sick, and relieveth those who are ‘afflicted, and fulfilleth all the things which are proper for ‘him [to fulfil], is not such a man equal in labour to one of ‘‘the three classes of monks, that is, to the man that dwelleth ‘¢in silence, or him that is sick, or him that ministereth unto ‘the poor?”

And the old man said, ‘‘Not altogether.” And the brethren said, ‘‘ Wherefore?” And the old man said, ‘‘ Because, although the man who is ‘Cin the world leadeth a life of righteousness, his whole con- ‘ du&t is outside the body, but all the labour of the monks is ‘‘inside the body, that is, fasting, and prayer, and vigil, and ‘hunger, and thirst, and the constraint of the will at every ‘¢moment, and wars, both secret and manifest. And it is well ‘known and manifest that the men, who are in the world ‘‘ and who are exceedingly excellent in their conduét, are not ‘* equal to the monks in their labours; for our Lord Jesus Christ ‘‘ surnamed the monks ‘sons of light,’ and those who are in the ‘‘ world ‘sons of the world.’ Now the monks with their mem- ‘bers, and with their thoughts, and with their bodies, and with ‘‘ theirconduct serve God perfectly with stern labours and afflic- ‘‘tions, and they offer themselves up to God as a living, and ‘‘ rational, and holy sacrifice, with rational and spiritual ser- ‘‘ vice, and they are crucified unto the world, and the world is ‘‘ crucified unto them, according to the word of our Lord, Who ‘‘ said, ‘ Whosoever wisheth to come after Me, let him take ‘©¢up his cross, and follow Me,’ that is to say, Let him not

The Sayings of the holy Fathers ‘fulfil his own will, but let him do My will only, and bear ‘‘tribulations of all kinds. And monks shall leave father, and ‘‘mother, and brothers, and sisters, and kinsfolk, and coun- ‘‘try, and in return for these they shall receive a hundredfold, ‘¢and shall inherit everlasting life. And to the men who are ‘Cin the world, He said, ‘Acquire for yourselves friends of the ‘«¢mammon of unrighteousness, so that when it hath come to ‘‘¢an end they may receive you into their everlasting habita- ‘‘¢tions.’ For as men who are in the world receive monks ‘into their houses, so shall the monks receive those who have ‘lived in the world into the kingdom of heaven; and by this ‘Cour Lord shewed that all the good things of God and His ‘‘kingdom belong to the monks who, from their youth even ‘to their old age, have laboured to God in the excellent works ‘of the ascetic and monastic life. But it is right that we should ‘¢know to what degree the soul is superior to the body. The ‘‘ life which is led by the monks in silent contemplation, and ‘*the works thereof, are as much superior to the life which is ‘led by righteous men in the world, as the life and conduét ‘‘of the angels are superior to those of men. And the life and ** conduct of the monks are superior to those of men who are ‘‘in the world, because the latter please God because of their ‘“love for men, whilst the monks do so because of their love ‘* for God.”

608. The brethren said, ‘‘Into how many orders have the ‘fathers arranged the monastic life?” And the old man said, ‘Into three orders.” 609. The brethren said, ‘‘ What are they?” And the old man said, ‘‘The perfect, those whoarehalf perfect, andthe beginners.” 610. The brethren said, ‘‘Whence canst thou prove to us “that this is so?” The old man said: ‘‘ From the words of our ‘‘ Lord in the Gospel. For he said, ‘ The sower went forth to ‘*“sow. And some [seeds] fell on the roadside, and others fell *“*on the rock, and others among thorns’ (St. Matthew ‘xiii, 3 ff.) Now these three [kinds of] seed are those who are ‘fin the world. And as concerning the other seed of which He ‘‘spake, saying that it fell on good ground, and gave fruit, ‘‘some thirtyfold, and some sixtyfold, and some a hundred- ‘fold, these are the grades of monks, for the seed which ‘‘yielded fruit thirtyfold is the beginners, and that which ‘‘ yielded sixtyfold is the half-perfeét, and that which yielded ‘*one hundredfold is the perfect.” 611. The brethren said, ‘‘And supposing a man in the world ‘*conducteth himself in a wholly perfeét manner, and accord- ‘fing to what is right, is not his labour equal unto that of a ‘*beginner?” The old man said, ‘‘No.”

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule 612. The brethren said, ‘‘Why [not]?” The old man said, ‘Although the monk is little and is a beginner, he is still ‘¢ more excellent than the man in the world who keepeth every *“just [demand] of righteousness.” ‘ 613. ‘‘Why did Abba Anthony say unto Paule, his disciple, “¢*Go and dwell in silence that thou mayest receive the temp- ‘¢*tations of devils?’ The old man said, ‘‘ Because the per- ‘fection of the monk ariseth from spiritual conduct, and ‘‘ spiritual conduct is acquired by the conduct of the heart, ‘and purity of heart ariseth from the conduct of the mind, and “the conduct of the mind from prayer which is unceasing, and ‘from strife with devils; but unceasing prayer, and the con- “tending with devils, both in the thoughts and in visions, have “‘ no opportunity for existence without silence and solitariness.” 614. The brethren said, ‘‘ What is the meaning of that which ‘‘Paphnutius and James the Lame said to Mar Evagrius, ‘©¢ Every lapse which taketh place through the tongue, or ‘<through lust, or through an action, or through the whole ‘<body, is in proportion to the measure of pride which a man ‘* © nossesseth’? Now what is the lapse which cometh through ‘lust? And what is the lapse which cometh through an action? ‘© And what is the lapse which cometh through the whole body? ‘« Enlighten us about these [various] kinds of lapses.” The old man said, ‘‘The lapse through lust is the fall which taketh ‘place inwardly through pride, even as the blessed Maca- ‘‘ ius said, ‘Thou shalt not be lifted up in thy heart and in ‘““¢thy mind through the knowledge of the Scriptures, lest ‘¢ ‘thou fall into a spirit of blasphemy in thy mind.’ And the ‘‘lapse through the tongue resembleth that into which one of ‘‘the monks once fell through his pride, and he reviled the ‘‘holy man Evagrius and the fathers who were in the desert ‘‘of Scete. And the lapse through an action resembleth that ‘into which another monk fell when he became lascivious and ‘‘abominable; and the lapse through the whole body resem- ‘‘bleth that when, through his pride, one of the brethren was ‘‘abandoned to the hands of thieves, and they burned him ‘‘ with fire.”

615. The brethren said :—Palladius said, ‘‘Once the blessed «« man Diocles said, ‘The mind which falleth from God is either ‘< delivered over to the devil of wrath, or to the devil of forni- ‘« ‘cation.’ And I said unto him, ‘How is it possible for the ‘«fuman mind to be with God uninterruptedly?’ And he said, «(Tn whatsoever work of the fear of God the soul [is engaged], ‘‘ provided that the soul hath due care, its mind is with God.’ ‘‘ What is the meaning of the a¢tion of which the old man “spake?” The Sayings of the holy Fatbers The old man said, ‘‘He calleth [a man’s] care concerning “‘ God’s promises ‘action of the fear of God,’ wishing to say thus: ‘«__Tf thou art unable to bind thy thought continually in various ‘‘ ways to God, though thou thinkest about His Majesty, and ‘‘ His power, and His grace, and thou prayest to Him with- ‘‘ out ceasing and without wandering [in thy prayer, thy mind ‘* cannot be with Him]; but if thou reducest thine understand- ‘ing by means of the constant labour of prayer and by the ‘thought which is on God, and more particularly through the ‘‘war with devils that [accompanieth] this work, bring down ‘‘thy mind by degrees from the thought which is about God, ‘and from prayer, and fetter it with the thought which is ‘(lower than this, and meditate on the promises of God, ‘and think upon His commandments and the correétion of ‘‘ thyself. And set not free thy mind from spiritual care, and do ‘‘not make it wander and think the thought of passibility, but ‘fetter thy mind to some thought of excellence, which will ‘* make it gain profit. And when it hath rested somewhat, then ‘raise it up on high, and make it to labour in the thought ‘‘ which is of God, and in pure prayer which hath no wander- ‘ing therein. For as the growth of the capacity of those who ‘are as yet in the grade of bodily prayer and the reading [of ‘* the Scriptures] still existeth, even when they are exhausted ‘* by standing up, and by the singing of the Psalms, and they ‘‘rest their bodies for a little by sitting down and by medita- ‘‘tion upon the reading, and when they have rested their ‘*bodies and their mind hath become enlightened through the ‘reading, they stand up for service and prayer, so also it is ‘‘ right for those who have arrived at a correct conduct of the ‘mind, and who think continually about God, and who pray ‘‘to Him without wandering, when they are exhausted by this ‘* severe labour, to bring down their minds from time to time, ‘‘and to relieve it by means of thought concerning some pro- ‘‘ fitable subject which is less exalted than the thought about ‘God. And this thought must take the place to them of read- ‘‘ing, and they must meditate upon God’s promises and com- ‘‘mandments, and upon their straightness which is in God; ‘‘and if some abominable thought knock [at the door of their ‘‘minds] they must quickly make their minds to enter into ‘‘ prayer and into the thought which is upon God. And if there ‘‘ stir in their heart a thought of passion, as soon as they have ‘‘ refreshed themselves by means of thinking about some pro- ‘‘ fitable subject, they must make their mind to enter into the ‘height of prayer, and they must pray without ceasing, and ‘meditate upon God. And from this we know that when the ‘“‘soul meditateth with understanding upon some profitable

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule “subject, or upon some profitable action, its mind is with “*God, even as the blessed man Diocles said. Similarly, when- ““soever a monk thinketh about the passions of sin, or about ““deeds connected with the world, his mind is with Satan.” 616, The brethren said, ‘‘ Why is it that the Divine Light ‘did not shine in the hearts of all the monks until a long time ‘‘after they had been cleansed by labours and contests? And ‘* why is it that the light of grace did shine upon some men “before they went forth from the world and came to the “‘ascetic life, as it did in the heart of Abraham Kindénaya ‘“through the Divine revelation on the day of his feast, and ‘“straightway he left his feast, and went forth from the world?” The old man said, ‘‘ Whensoever this light riseth in its order ‘*in the hearts of men, according to what the fathers say, it ** cometh in this wise. First of all Divine Grace maketh a man ‘*hot with the love of God, and he hateth all the glories and ‘“honours of this world; and next he cometh in a state of ‘“ poverty to this rule of life, and Divine Grace itself first giv- ‘‘eth him the love of labours, and it maketh the things which ‘¢ are hard easy to him. And it prote¢teth him from the fierce ‘attacks of the war of devils, so that they may not, whenso- ‘*ever they wish and will, assault him, but only according to ‘his strength, and his capacity, and as is convenient for his ‘‘srowth. And thus after many labours and contests, his ‘‘heart is purified with abundant humility, and he shineth ‘with the light of grace, and he is held to be worthy to see “Christ in a revelation of light. And the fathers also said, ‘¢that in proportion as the monk himself travelleth along the ‘‘nath of ascetic excellences to meet our Lord by means of ‘‘Jabours and contests, so doth our Lord advance to meet him ‘‘with light until they meet each other, and then the monk ‘*remaineth in our Lord by means of labours, and our Lord ‘‘ remaineth in him by means of his light, even as Abba Isaiah ‘‘ said in his interpretation of that which our Lord said, ‘ Re- “¢ ¢main in Me and I in you.’ Thus thou seest, O my brother, “‘that He wisheth us to remain in him first of all by the la- ‘“bours of righteousness, and then He will remain Himself in ‘ ys in purity and in light. And the words, ‘The monk travelleth ‘along the path of ascetic excellences until he seeth Him ‘¢¢ and is illumined by Him,’ explain the verse, ‘My soul ‘¢ ¢thirsteth for Thee, the Living God,’” e¢ cedera.

617. The brethren said, ‘‘ Why isitthat though the holy fathers “incite us continually to the labours of excellence, and to the ‘contending against passions and devils, Abba Isidore re- “‘ strained Abba Moses the Ethiopian from works, and from ‘‘ contests with devils, saying, ‘ Rest thee, Moses, and quarrel The Savings of the holy Fathers ‘(not with the devils, and seek not to make attacks upon ‘“¢them, for there is a measure [i.e., moderation] in every- “«¢ thing’; doth this apply also to works and to the labours of “the ascetic life?” The old man said, ‘‘ Because at the beginning Abba Moses ‘‘ was ignorant of the rule of the ascetic life, and because he ‘‘ was healthy of body, he worked overmuch, and he thought “that he would be able to prevail mightily against devils by ‘the multitude of his works alone, and that he would be able ‘“to vanquish them. Therefore, because the devils perceived “his object, they attacked him more severely with frequent ‘‘wars, both secretly and openly, but Abba Isidore, wishing ‘to teach him the truth, and to make him to acquire humility, ‘“ said unto him, ‘ Without the power of the Spirit which our ‘«« Lord gave us in baptism for the fulfilling of His command- ‘‘¢ ments, the which is confirmed in us each day by the taking ‘“ 6of His Body and Blood, we cannot be purified from the ‘passions, and we cannot vanquish devils, and we cannot ‘perform the works of spiritual excellence’; thereupon Abba ‘“ Moses learned these things, and his thoughts were humbled, ‘Cand he partook of the Holy Mysteries, and the devils were ‘‘ conquered, and they reduced their war against him, and from ‘‘ that time forward he lived in rest, and knowledge, and peace. ‘‘Many monks have imagined that their passions would be ‘healed, and that they would acquire soundness of soul merely ‘‘by their labours and strenuousness, and therefore they were ‘‘ abandoned by grace, and fell from the truth. For as he who ‘Cis sick in his body cannot be healed without the physician ‘©and medicines, however much he may watch and fast during ‘‘the time he is taking the medicine, so he who is sick in his ‘soul through the passions of sin, without Christ, the Phy- ‘‘sician of souls, and without the partaking of His Body and ‘* Blood, and the power which is hidden in His commandments, ‘¢and the humility which is like unto His, cannot be healed ot ‘his passions, and cannot receive a perfect cure, Therefore, ‘‘ whosoever fighteth against the passions and the devils by ‘‘ the commandments of our Lord is healed of the sickness of ‘the passions, and acquireth health of soul, and is delivered ‘from the crafts of the devils.”

618. The brethren said, ‘‘ With what object did those two ““monks say to Abba Macarius, ‘If thou art not able to be- **€come a monk like us, sit in thy cell, and weep for thy sins, **and thus thou shalt be like us?” The old man said, ‘‘ Because ‘they knew that, if a man was able to be a solitary in his ‘*body, and a dweller in silent contemplation, and a worker ‘both in his soul and in his body, who made himself humble Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule ‘“and who wept each day for his sins, and who cut off from ‘‘ himself all memories of every kind of passion and anxious ‘*thought, and who meditated only upon God and upon his ‘*own correct behaviour, such a man was a monk (o¢ solitary) ‘‘in very truth, even as the blessed Evagrius said, ‘The monk ‘« ‘who is remote from the world is he who hath cut off from ‘« ‘himself all the motions of his passions, and hath fastened ““ “unto God all the mind of his soul.’” 619. The brethren said, ‘‘Why is it that certain ot the ‘‘Fathers were called Méshannaydné [i.e., men who trans- ‘‘ ferred themselves from one place to another], since they were ‘*recluses, and never departed from their cells?” The old man said, ‘‘ Because after much silent contemplation, and unceasing ‘‘ prayer, and watching of the mind, they were worthy to de- ‘‘ part from the earth in their minds, and to ascend unto heaven ‘‘to Christ the King. And they did not do this on occasions ‘‘only, but continually, for whensoever they wished, or when- ‘“soever they sang the Psalms, or prayed, or meditated upon ‘‘God, straightway their mind was exalted to heaven, and ‘stood before our Lord. But there were other [kinds of] ‘Mé- ‘‘<shannaydné,’ that is to say, those who lived with wild ‘‘beasts in the deserts, such as Abba Bessarion, and others ‘‘who were like unto him.”

620. The brethren said, ‘‘ What is [the meaning] of the fact ‘that when one of the monks saw a brother in the mountain ‘he fled from him, and was unable to bear the smell of the “children of men?” The old man said, ‘‘The monk fled be- “cause he saw that the brother was carrying silver. And when ‘the brother saw that the monk fled, he cast off his garments ‘‘ and pursued him. And when the monk saw that he had cast ‘‘ off his garments, he waited for him, and welcomed him ‘‘oladly, saying, ‘Since thou hast cast off the matter which is ‘<< ©of this world I have waited for thee. I was not able to bear ‘« «(the sight thereof] because I myself am naked.’ I looked be- ‘‘yond my rule of life and saw that he was carrying a burden ‘‘upon his shoulder like a man who was in the world.” 621. The brethren said, ‘‘Why did the monk not permit that “brother who came to him to dwell in the cave by his side, ‘but did say unto him, ‘Thou art not able to bear up against ‘« ‘the attack of devils?’” The old man said, ‘‘ Because he knew ‘‘ his manner of life and works, and also that he possessed not ‘‘the labours and the strenuousness which were sufficient to ‘make him strong to resist the fierce assault of the savage ‘‘ nature of the devils which make war against the monks. For ‘‘ according to the labour of every man, and according to his “‘ striving, and his rule of life and strenuousness, and accord-

The Savings of the tholy Fathers ‘‘ing as he is able to bear, so much the greater are the fero- ‘city, and the wickedness, and the bitterness, and the craftiness ‘‘of the devils who make war against him. Similarly, when ‘© one of the brethren entreated Abba Apellen to allow him to ‘‘ live with him in the desert, he said unto him, ‘Thou art not ‘able to bear the temptation of the devils.’ Finally, when “‘the brother urged him [to let him do so], he commanded him ‘to dwell in a cave by his side. And the devils came against ‘Chim in the night and sought to strangle him, until Abba ‘ Apellen came, and surrounded the cave with the sign of the ‘Cross, after which the brother was able to live in the cave. ‘For not all monks are able to fight against the devils, but ‘only such as are perfect and humble.” 622. Why is it that the two Romans who went to Abba Macarius, did not, during the whole period of three years which they lived [near him] come to him and ask him, or any other aged man, questions about the thoughts? The old man said, ‘‘Because the elder brother was exceedingly wise, and ‘‘perfect and humble. Had he gone to Abba Macarius, or to ‘one of the other old men, his perfection would have been ‘revealed, and he would have [received] praise throughout ‘‘Scete from the Fathers, who would have wondered, saying, ‘«¢ How is it that a young man hath become perfect in three ‘“¢years’? It is, however, not right for us to make ourselves ‘‘ like unto these two brethren, and to neglect the doctrine of ‘“the old men. As for the two brethren, the elder was perfect, ‘‘and the younger was humble, and learned from him.”

623. The brethren said, ‘‘The history of the triumphs of ‘‘ Bessarion saith that during all the days of his life he dwelt in ‘‘waste places, and in the desert and in the mountains, and ‘‘ among the rocks. Once having come to a certain monastery, ‘“he stood up by the door like a wandering beggar, and then “sat down weeping and crying out, even as one who had been ‘‘ rescued from a storm. And when the brethren entreated him ‘to go in and rest with them, he said, ‘ Before I find the posses- ‘«<sions of my house which I have lost I cannot endure being ‘‘ ‘under a roof; for thieves fell upon me on the sea, and a ‘(storm reared itself up against me, and I have been robbed ‘ Cof the riches which I once possessed, and from being a man ‘«¢of high estate I am become of no account.’ Now what were ‘‘the riches which [he inherited] from his parents and lost? ‘‘ And what does this [story] mean? Who are parents? What ‘© does he refer to by the words ‘sea, and storms, and waves’? ‘© Who were the thieves? Are these words spoken of himself or ‘‘ of the other persons? The old man said, ‘‘These things are ‘* said of all the monks who are still striving and contending

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule ‘‘against passions and devils, and who are lacking at the pre- ‘sent time purity of heart, and fruits of the spirit, and visions ‘© of our Lord, and they are not spoken of men who are perfect ‘““as he was. The word ‘sea’ he applieth to the sea of the mind ‘* whereon the monk saileth with works of spiritual excellence, ‘“wherefrom he entereth the haven of impassibility, even as ‘the blessed Macarius saith, ‘He who wisheth to cleave the “**sea of the mind, maketh himself longsuffering.’ And he ‘‘calleth temptations ‘storms,’ and the passions ‘waves,’ and ‘«the ‘thieves’ are devils, and his ‘parents’ are the Father, and “‘the Son, and the Holy Ghost, One God, in Whose image and ‘‘ likeness we are made, even as our Creator said, ‘Come, let ‘us make man in our image and likeness,’ and also as ‘‘‘our Lord said, ‘Be ye like unto your Father, Who is in ‘¢*heaven.’ And He calleth the spiritual excellences, which “‘contain likenesses of the similitude of our Father, Who is ‘©in heaven, and which make us heirs of God, and sons of “«the inheritance of Jesus Christ, by the name of ‘riches and “ ‘possessions of his parents,’ and these are faith, and hope, ‘¢ and the love of God and man, and joy, and rest, and peace, ‘‘and graciousness, and pleasantness, and lowliness, and hu- ‘‘mility, and longsuffering, and patient endurance, and in- ‘‘tegrity, and simplicity, and purity, and mercy, and cleanness ‘‘of heart, and the holy light of the mind, and pure prayer, *©and the divine light which riseth on the heart at the hour ‘‘of prayer, and spiritual prayer, and Divine knowledge, and ‘‘the visions and revelations of our Lord. These are the <¢ possessions of the soul, some of which it acquireth naturally, “‘and some by Divine Grace; now those which it acquireth ‘naturally are they which the Creator sowed in its nature at ‘“ the beginning of its creation, and those which it acquireth ‘« by Divine Grace are they which are bestowed upon it by the ‘‘ baptism in Christ. And these possessions are lost to a man ‘through pleasures, and honours, and lusts, and benefits, but ‘‘they are found and acquired, and the soul waxeth rich in “them, through tribulations, and revilings, and oppression, ‘and hardships. Now although Abba Bessarion, and men who ‘were as perfect as he was, possessed these things, other “men lack them and are strangers unto them. [And as re- ‘‘gards the words] ‘He once came to a certain monastery, ‘<tand sat down outside the door like a wandering beggar,’ ‘« [they mean that] he saw clearly with the secret eye of the mind ‘that the greater number of the monks were destitute of this ‘« spiritual possession, and of the spiritual excellences and gifts ‘‘ which have been already mentioned. And being incited there, ‘‘ to by the law of affection and of brotherly love, he cried out

The Sayings of the holy Fathers ‘‘and wept on their behalf, as if it had been on his own, and ‘‘he made supplication to the lovingkindness of God that He ‘would make them worthy of the riches of His love, and of ‘“the possession of His Grace.” ' vi 624. The brethren said, ‘‘ What are the nine spiritual excel- ‘‘lences which that holy man possessed, and what did he “lack?” The old man said, ‘‘ Although they are not written ‘‘ down I think that they were as follows: 1. Voluntary poverty. ‘‘2, Abstinence, 3. Constant evening fasting. 4. Vigil. 5. The ‘recital of the whole Book of the Psalms seven times during ‘the night and day. 6. The reading of the Holy Books be- ‘“tween times. 7. Lowliness. 8. Humility. 9. Love of man. ‘‘ These are the nine spiritual excellences which he possessed, ‘‘ and by means of them he vanquished all passions. By poverty “he overcame the love of money. By abstinence he conquered ‘‘unbridled appetite and gluttony. By fasting he overcame the ‘‘passion of the love of the belly. By vigil he vanquished ‘“sleep. By the recital of the Psalms he did away idleness. By ‘‘reading he kept away the converse of evil. By lowliness he ‘‘ dispelled wrath and anger. By humility he overcame vain- ‘‘ slory and pride. By love of man he conquered hatred, and ‘“ spite, and enmity. Now the spiritual excellence which he ‘‘lacked, and which is the tenth, was the constant fervour of ‘the love of God, which is in our Lord Jesus Christ, and this ‘‘can [only] be gathered together, and stablished and ac- ‘‘ quired by the secret prayer of the mind, which is unceasing ‘‘and wandereth not, and by the strict and constant suppres- “* sion of the thoughts of the passions, and the incitements of ‘‘ devils, when they first begin to bestir themselves in the ‘‘ heart. And because among all the works of ascetic excellence ‘there is none more difficult [to do] than this, for, even as ‘*the blessed Macarius said, ‘ All the fightings and fierce, and ‘* ‘crafty, and evil temptations of the devils are set in array “« ‘against it,’ the holy man is not able easily to become per- ‘‘fect in the love of Christ, which is acquired by the concen- ‘* tration of the mind and by deep thought about God. There- ‘‘fore the blessed Evagrius said, ‘If thou canst overcome the ‘wandering of the thoughts, it is the end of all ends; and if ‘**thou canst make deep thought about God have dominion ‘* ‘in thee, thou canst overcome all passions, and thou shalt ‘“ “be worthy of the perfection of the love of Christ.’ By the ‘‘love of man and by the other virtues a monk may, by the ‘“help of God, vanquish all the passions; but by the love of ‘Christ he shall conquer the evil passion of the love of the ‘“ soul, which is the first of all the passions, and which em- ‘‘ braceth them all, even as Saint Evagrius said, ‘The first of

Questions and Answers on the Ascetic Rule “« all the passions is the thought of the love of the soul, and “« ‘after it come the following eight.’ And again he said, ‘Con- “« ‘quer the strife of the love of the soul which is in thy bosom, ‘“¢by that which is towards God.’ For until the monk is ‘‘ worthy of this love, he is unable to acquire exact consola- “tion from the remainder of the labours of the other spiritual ‘©excellences, even though it be that he obtaineth assistance ‘‘from them, as Abba Isaiah said, ‘Although the children of ‘‘ ‘Leah were a help to Jacob, yet he loved Joseph most of all, ‘and when Joseph was born, he wished to leave Laban and ‘‘ ‘eo to his parents,’ that is to say, When a monk hath be- ‘*come worthy, and hath acquired the perfect love of Christ, ‘‘ which is stablished by silent contemplation, and the power ‘to pray without ceasing, and his soul is at all times rejoicing ‘‘and exulting with gladness, he will not be content to remain ‘‘in this life; but each and every day he will be desiring ‘eagerly and longing to depart from the body, and to be with ‘our Lord in Paradise, which is the habitation of the spirits ‘« of just men who have become perfect, and the holy country ‘which is exalted above the passions, and devils, and the ‘‘ striving of those who cultivate the virtues until the revela- ‘tion of our Lord Jesus, Who loveth to make perfect a man ‘< with the never-ending happiness of His love in a glorious ‘* kingdom.”

625. The brethren said, ‘Explain to us the course of life ‘‘ and labour of the old man [who made] baskets, [and dropped] ‘‘ small stones in them.” The old man said, ‘‘The course of ‘life of that old man was one which was of the mind, and it ‘¢was stern, and excellent, and it swiftly brought the monk ‘unto purity of heart. And as concerning that which he said, ‘« T set two baskets, one on my right hand and one on my “ left,’ etc. it doth not [mean] that he sat the whole day with ‘his baskets round him, but that his two baskets were set in ‘‘ two places. And he himself was occupied with service and ‘‘ prayer, and with his toil, and for every thought, good or ‘bad, which entered his mind he cast a pebble [into the ‘‘ baskets], that is to say, the labour is very severe for the ‘‘ man for a certain time at the beginning, because the devils ‘are envious at the purity of heart which is acquired by him, ‘‘ and therefore they afflicted this old man also for a long time «‘ with the multitude of evil thoughts which were stirring in ‘‘him, even as he said, ‘Many days I have eaten nothing, be- “ ‘cause the good thoughts did not outnumber the bad ones.’ ‘‘ Now he used to afflict his body with the labour of much ‘fasting, so that he might do away the evil thoughts, because ‘it is not the soul only which feeleth the labours of the body,