St. Athanasius: The Paradise of the Holy Fathers

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THE PARADISE OF THE HOLY FATHERS: VOLUME 2
BOOK THE FIRST

CHAPTER XIV

OF THE GREATNESS OF THE SUBLIME RULE OF THE SOLITARY LIFE

631. THERE was a certain old man amongst the fathers who used to see visions, and this man testified, and said, “That power which I have seen existing in baptism, I have also seen in the apparel of the monks when they take the garb of the monk.”

632. An old man from Thebaïs used to say:—I was the son of a priest of idols, and when I was young I lived in the temple, and I have on many occasions seen my father go into the temple to perform the sacrifices to the idols. Once I went in secretly after him, and I saw Satan sitting [there], with his whole army before him, and, behold, one of his devils came and did homage to him. And Satan answered and said unto him, “Whence comest thou?” And the devil made answer, saying, “I was in such and such a country, and I stirred up many wars and revolts, and I caused the shedding of blood, and I have come to tell thee these things.” Satan said unto him, “How long did it take thee to do this?” and the devil said “Thirty days.” Then Satan commanded him to be beaten, saying unto him, “Is this all that thou hast done in so long a time?” And, behold, another devil came and worshipped him, and to him he said, “Whence comest thou?” And the devil answered and said, “I was in the sea, where I stirred up storms, and sank ships, and drowned many men, and I have come that I may inform thee of these things.” Then Satan answered and said unto him, “In how much time hast thou done this?” and the devil answered and said unto him, “In twenty days,” and Satan commanded that he also should be beaten, saying unto him, “Why is it that in all these days thou hast only done [what thou sayest]?” And when he had said this, behold, a third devil came and worshipped Satan, who answered and said unto him also, “And where dost thou come from?” and the devil answered and said unto him, “I have been in such and such a city wherein there was a marriage feast, and I stirred up a war there, and caused the shedding of much blood, and the death of the bridegroom and the bride; and as soon as I had done this I came to inform thee.” And Satan said unto him, “In how many days hast thou done this?” and the devil said, “In ten days”; and Satan commanded that he should be beaten, saying, “In all these days thou hast only done this.” Then afterwards, behold, a fourth devil came and worshipped him, and Satan answered and said unto him, “And whence comest thou also?” And he who was asked answered and said unto him, “I have been in the desert for forty years striving with a monk, and to-night I have hurled him into fornication”; and when Satan heard this, he rose up straightway and embraced and kissed that devil, and he took the crown off his head, and placed it upon him, and he made him to sit by his side upon his throne, saying, “And so thou hast been able to do so great a work as this in so short a time! For there is nothing which I prize so highly as the fall of a monk.” And the old man went on to say:—When I saw these things I said within myself, “Yea, so great then is the army of the monks! And by the operation of God, Who desired my redemption, I came forth, and became a monk.”

633. In the time when Julian, the rebellious Emperor, was going down to the territory of the Persians, he sent a certain devil to go speedily to the country of the West, and to bring him from thence an account of what he had sent him [to do]. Now when that devil arrived at a certain place wherein dwelt a monk, he stopped and tarried there for a period of fifteen days without being able to move anywhere, and he was unable to travel onwards, because the monk did not cease from praying, either by night or by day; so he returned to the heathen who had sent him without having done anything. Then the wicked Julian said unto him, “Why hast thou tarried so long?” And the devil answered and said unto him, “I delayed in coming, and I have done nothing; for a monk, who continued in prayer, came in my way and I tarried with him fifteen days, expecting that he would some time cease to pray and that I should be able to go on my way; but he never ceased from his prayer, and I was prevented from going on, and so I delayed in coming, and I have done nothing.” Then was the wicked Julian angry, and he said, “When I come back I will take vengeance upon him”; but before a few days were over, he was slain by Divine Providence. And straightway one of the eparchs who were with him went and sold everything which he possessed and gave [the money] to the poor, and he came to that monk, and himself became a chosen monk; and he died with a good ending, and with works which were pleasing unto God.

634. On one occasion Abbâ Pambô was travelling with some monks in the districts of Egypt; and seeing some worldly folk sitting down he said unto them, “Rise up, and salute the monks so that ye may be blessed, for they are always holding converse with God, and their mouths are holy.”

635. Abbâ John used to say, “The whole company of the holy men is like unto a garden which is full of fruit-bearing trees of various kinds, and wherein the trees are planted in [one] earth, and all of them drink from one fountain; and thus is it with all the holy men, for they have not one rule only, but several varieties, and one man laboureth in one way, and another man in another, but it is one Spirit which operateth and worketh in them.”