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Stone · 12-05-2021, 01:43 PM

THE HISTORIES OF THE MONKS WHO LIVED IN THE DESERT OF EGYPT, WHICH WERE COMPILED BY SAINT HIERONYMUS

And moreover, in the might of and with confidence in Christ, we begin to write the Histories of the solitary Monks
who lived in the Desert of Egypt, which were composed by the blessed Hieronymus [Died A.D. 420]

CHAPTER XXII

THE TRIUMPH OF AMMON THE FIRST

THERE was in the early times in Nitria a certain man whose name was Ammon, whose soul the blessed Anthony saw being taken up to heaven, and this man became the chief of the monks who were in Nitria. He belonged to a noble family, and because his parents were exceedingly rich, they urged him to marry a wife, although he was unwilling to do so; and having persisted in urging him [he did so], but in the wedding chamber he persuaded the maiden who became his bride to keep [her] virginity, and he promised to do the same. Now after a few days he departed to the country of Nitria, and the maiden herself called all the members of her household to virginity, and turned her house into a nunnery.

Now the blessed Ammon was living by himself in the country of Nitria, and they brought unto him a certain young man who had been seized with madness and he was bound with chains; a mad dog had bitten him, and the madness of the animal had entered into him, and his body was torn by the severe pain which was in it. And when the blessed man saw that the relatives of the young man were making supplication unto him, he said unto them, “What are ye bringing to me, O men? Ye are seeking from me what is greater than my power, and besides it lieth in your own hands to help and to heal the young man. Get ye gone, and restore [the value of] the widow’s bull which ye slew secretly, and your son shall be given back to you healed.” Then they, as people who had been rebuked, fulfilled his commandment, with gladness, and he prayed straightway, and their son was healed.

And on one occasion certain people came to visit the blessed Ammon, and he, having learned their mind, said unto them, “Bring hither to me a large potter’s vessel, so that there may be an abundance of water for the people who come here.” Now, although they promised him that they would do so, one of them, as soon as he had gone to his village, took counsel and said unto his companion, “I am not going to carry the potter’s vessel on my camel and kill it”; and when the other man heard this, he saddled his asses, and carried the vessel to the holy man with great labour. And the blessed man Ammon said unto the man before he could speak, saying, “What [is this]? Behold, thy friend’s camel died whilst thou wast coming here”; and when the man returned he found that the camel had been killed by wolves. And many [other] miracles were worked by this man.

Here endeth the Triumph of Ammon

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CHAPTER XXIII

THE TRIUMPH OF ANOTHER AMMON WHO WAS IN NITRIA

AND we also saw there a certain Abbâ whose name also was Ammon, and he possessed [a number of] small houses which were exceedingly beautiful, and a courtyard, and a well of water, and other things for use; and a certain brother, who wished earnestly to obtain mercy, came to him, and said unto the blessed man, “Build me a little house wherein I may dwell.” Then the holy man, like one who was going forth [to do] this, ordered him not to depart from these chambers until he could find one which would be convenient for him; and he left to him everything he had, together with the chambers, and went and shut himself up in a house which was far away from that place. And if the brethren who came to him seeking to have mercy shown to them were many, he would assemble the whole brotherhood, and [tell] one to draw water, and another to bring bricks, and a house for them would be completed in a day. Then the brethren would invite those who were ready to inhabit the chambers to refresh themselves in the church, and whilst they were resting there he would fill his cloak, and baskets also, with bread and with other things which they would want to make use of, and would carry them to the new house, and it was not known to any man that he was the source (or head) of the gifts of each one of them. And at eventide the brethren who were ready to take up their abode in these [new] chambers would come there, and would find ready before them whatsoever they required.

Here endeth the Triumph of the other Ammon

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CHAPTER XXIV

THE TRIUMPH OF DIDYMUS

AND we also saw there another blessed man whose name was Didymus, and he was very far advanced in years, and his countenance was beautiful; and this man used to kill scorpions and other venomous reptiles with his feet, which no other man dared to do.

Here endeth the Triumph of Didymus

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CHAPTER XXV

THE TRIUMPH OF CHRONIUS

AND we also saw another brother among the monks whose name was Chronius, and he had arrived at a good old age, and was one of the first men who were contemporaneous with Abbâ Anthony; he was about one hundred and ten years of age, and he comforted us greatly and admonished us by his humility, which he had preserved even in his old age.

Here endeth the Triumph of Chronius

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CHAPTER XXVI

THE TRIUMPH OF THREE BRETHREN

AND we saw there also three brethren who were learned in speech and glorious in their lives and deeds, and because of their splendid works they were about to be raised to the grade of the episcopate. They had cut off their ears in the fear of God, but although they had done this with great boldness (or presumption), the object with which they had done it was a good one, for [they wished] that henceforth no man might vex them.

Here end the Triumphs of Three Brethren

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CHAPTER XXVII

THE TRIUMPH OF PHILEMON

AND we also saw there a certain elder who was exceedingly holy and humble, and he was constantly seeing revelations, and his name was Philemon; and when this man was offering unto God the service [due] to him, he saw an angel standing at the right hand of the altar. He used to write and set down in a book the names of those brethren who drew nigh to the Gift of Grace, and he took care that the names of those who did not come to the congregation were erased, and such men, after three days, died. On several occasions the devils beat this man, and they brought so many sicknesses upon him that he was unable to stand by the altar, and could not even offer up the Offering; but an angel came and took him by the hand, and straightway he received strength, and the angel made him to stand up healed before the altar. And the brethren saw the scars made by his beatings, and marvelled.

Here endeth the Triumph of Philemon

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CHAPTER XXVIII

THE TRIUMPH OF JOHN

AND we saw another blessed man whose name was John, and he was an Abbâ of the monks in the city of Dîkâpôlîs; and grace clung to him even as unto Abraham, and his beard flowed down like that of Aaron. He worked many mighty deeds and cures, and he healed those who were afflicted with gout, and the sick, and those who were paralytics.

Here endeth the Triumph of John

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CHAPTER XXIX

THE TRIUMPH OF SERAPION

AND we also saw in the regions of Arsinoïtes a certain elder whose name was Serapion; he was the father of all the monasteries, and the head of numerous brotherhoods, which contained about ten thousand men, and he took the greatest care in providing for the wants of all the brethren. And in the season of harvest he would make those who worked for hire from year to year bring and gather together to him twelve ardebs of wheat, that is to say, forty bushels, that it might serve for his ministrations to those in want, and might be distributed by his hands, so that in that district no destitute man might be found, and he sent to the needy in Alexandria the Great their gifts. Now the fathers of whom we have already spoken did not at any time neglect to visit the whole of Egypt, but as a result of the toil of the brethren they used to fill boats with food and apparel, and send them year after year to the poor who were in Alexandria, because the poor and needy who lived round about them were too few [to exhaust their benevolence]. And we saw in the region of Babylon and Memphis many great fathers, and many, yea innumerable, monks who were adorned with works which were glorious before God.

Here endeth the Triumph of Serapion

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CHAPTER XXX

THE TRIUMPHS OF APOLLO THE LESS, THE READER AND MARTYR

AND we saw also the granaries of Joseph (i.e., the Pyramids of Gizah) wherein he collected grain in the time of famine. And there was there, in Thebes, a certain monk whose name was Apollo, and he made manifest many mighty deeds, and led a life of great works; he was held to be worthy of the office of deacon, and his works of spiritual excellence were as glorious and renowned as [those of] the famous monks of old. During the period of the persecution he made many martyrs by putting courage into the hearts of the confessors of Christ, but at length he himself was seized and put under ward in the prison-house, and the wickedest men among the heathen used to come to him and heap words of hatred and blasphemy upon him. Now one of those who behaved thus was a certain singer, who was a famous man, and was beloved by all the people; and this man drew nigh and reviled the blessed Apollo, and called him a wicked man, and a liar, and a hater of all mankind, and said that he was guilty of death before all the people. Then to him the blessed man Apollo made answer, and he said unto him, “O man, may God have mercy upon thee, and may the sin which hath been uttered by thee not be accounted unto thee as anything.”

Now when the man who was a singer, whose name was Philemon, had heard these things, he repented at the words of the blessed man, because he had gone into the place where he was, and caused him pain, and he went down immediately, and stood up before the throne of the judge, and in the presence of all the people said unto him, “O judge, thou art acting wickedly in tormenting the servants of God without a cause, for the Christians neither say nor do wicked things, on the contrary, they even bless their enemies.” Now when the judge heard the things which Philemon was saying, he thought at first that he had gone mad through his pride, and that having gone mad he had spoken; but as soon as the judge perceived that he persisted in his words, he answered and said unto him, “Thou art mad, O man, and hast suddenly become a fool.” And Philemon made answer to him and said, “I have not gone mad, O thou wicked judge, but I am a Christian, and I fear the God of heaven.” And the judge and all the people wished to persuade him [to be quiet] by means of flattering speeches, but, when they saw that he would not yield to them, they applied to him all kinds of wicked tortures. And after these things they seized the blessed and holy Apollo, and brought him [there], and they laid many stripes upon him, and they scourged him as men scourge those who are wicked and who lead the people into error.

Then the blessed Apollo spake unto the judge, saying, “I pray God that thou also, O judge, and all those who are here present with thee may follow after my error”; and when the judge perceived that he had spoken such words unto him, he commanded that both Apollo and Philemon should be delivered over to be burnt by fire in the presence of all the multitude. And when they were in the blazing fire before the judge the blessed Apollo cried out with a loud voice unto God, so that all the assembly and even the judge himself might hear, saying, “O Lord, give not to be broken the souls which confess Thee, but make us to see Thy deliverance boldly.” Then straightway a brilliant cloud, which was laden with dew, appeared, and it enveloped these men and quenched the flames of fire; and the crowds and the judge marvelled and cried out, saying, “One is the God of the Christians.”

And certain wicked men made known the things which had taken place to the governor of Alexandria, and he chose out from among his bodyguard some savage and merciless men, and sent them for all those who were with the judge, and for Philemon, and the blessed Apollo, and other confessors came with them. And as they were going along the road, the gracious gift of the Spirit lighted upon Apollo, and he began to teach the soldiers, and as he spake they hearkened unto him, and they repented at his words, and believed in Christ, and they all stood up with the prisoners before the throne. And as soon as the governor perceived and knew that they could not be changed from the faith of Christ, he commanded that they should be cast into the depth of the sea; and since they were drowned of their own will for Christ’s sake, this became unto them a sign of baptism. Now the sea refused to keep them, and it brought them together near the shore, and on the spot where they had lain a temple was built in their honour, and in it great miracles were wrought; and such grace was found with the blessed man, and he was so greatly honoured that he was heard by Christ in respect of the things for which he prayed and made supplication. And we ourselves saw the martyrium wherein he and those who had testified with him were laid, and we prayed and worshipped God, and also touched their dead bodies, for they were not as yet buried because of the inundation of the Nile, but lay embalmed upon their biers in Thebaïs, and for this reason we made ready to insert here the history of the man.

Here end the Triumph of Apollo, the Monk and Martyr, and the other Histories of the Holy Men which were written by Hieronymus the Monk. Glory be to the father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, now, and always, and for and ever.

Stone · 12-05-2021, 01:46 PM

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

CHAPTER I

OF FLIGHT FROM MEN, AND OF SILENT CONTEMPLATION, AND OF DWELLING CONTINUALLY IN THE CELL
[A WORK] WHICH WAS COMPOSED BY BISHOP PALLADIUS FOR THE PREFECT LAUSUS

WHEN Abbâ Arsenius was in the palace, he prayed to God, and said, “O Lord, direct me how to live”; and a voice came to him, saying, “Arsenius, flee from men, and thou shalt live.”

2. And when Arsenius was living the ascetic life in the monastery, he prayed to God the same prayer, and again he heard a voice saying unto him, “Arsenius, flee, keep silence, and lead a life of silent contemplation, for these are the fundamental causes which prevent a man from committing sin.”

3. A certain man said that there were once three men who loved labours, and they were monks. The first one chose to go about and see where there was strife, which he turned into peace; the second chose to go about and visit the sick; but the third departed to the desert that he might dwell in quietness. Finally the first man, who had chosen to still the contentions of men, was unable to make every man to be at peace with his neighbour, and his spirit was sad; and he went to the man who had chosen to visit the sick, and he found him in affliction because he was not able to fulfil the law which he had laid down for himself. Then the two of them went to the monk in the desert, and seeing each other they rejoiced, and the two men related to the third the tribulations which had befallen them in the world, and entreated him to tell them how he had lived in the desert. And he was silent, but after a little he said unto them, “Come, let each of us go and fill a vessel of water”; and after they had filled the vessel, he said unto them, “Pour out some of the water into a basin, and look down to the bottom through it,” and they did so. And he said unto them, “What do ye see?” and they said, “We see nothing.” And after the water in the basin had ceased to move, he said to them a second time, “Look into the water,” and they looked, and he said unto them, “What do ye see?” And they said unto him, “We see our own faces distinctly”; and he said unto them, “Thus is it with the man who dwelleth with men, for by reason of the disturbance caused by this affair of the world he cannot see his sins; but if he live in the peace and quietness of the desert he is able to see God clearly.”

4. On one occasion Abbâ Ammon came during the season of winter to Abbâ Sisoes, and he saw that the old man was grieved because he had left the desert; and Abbâ Ammon said unto him, “Why art thou distressed, O father? For what wast thou able to do in the desert in thine old age?” And the old man Sisoes looked at him fiercely, and said, “What sayest thou to me, Ammon? Are not the mere thoughts of the freedom which is in the desert better for us [than living out of it]?”

5. There were two brethren in the desert who were the equals of each other in the spiritual life, and they led a life of ascetic self-denial, and performed the exalted works which belong to spiritual excellence. And it happened that one of them was called to be the head of a habitation of the brethren, but the other remained in the desert, where he became a man perfect in self-denial. And he was held by God to be worthy of the gift of healing those who were possessed of devils, and he knew beforehand the things which were about to happen, and he made whole the sick. Now when he who had become the head of a habitation of brethren (i.e., a coenobium, or monastery) heard these things, he decided in his mind that his fellow monk must have acquired these powers suddenly, and he lived a life of silence and ceased from converse with men for three weeks, and he made supplication unto God continually that He would shew him how the monk in the desert wrought these mighty works, while he had not received even one of the gifts which he had. And an angel appeared and said unto him, “He who dwelleth in the desert maketh supplication to God both by night and by day, and his pain and anxiety are for our Lord’s sake; but thou hast care for many things, and thou hast converse with many, and the consolation and encouragement of the children of men must be sufficient for thee.”

6. Abbâ Arsenius on one occasion went to the brethren in a certain place where there were some reeds growing, and the wind blew upon them, and they were shaken. And the old man said, “What is this rustling sound?” and they said unto him, “It is that caused by the reeds which are being shaken by the wind.” And he said unto them, “Verily I say unto you, if the man who dwelleth in silence heareth but the twittering of a sparrow, he shall not be able to acquire that repose in his heart which he seeketh; how much less then can ye do so with all this rustling of the reeds about you?”

7. A certain brother came to Abbâ Arsenius, and said unto him, “My thoughts vex me, and say, ‘Thou canst not fast and thou art not able to labour, therefore visit the sick, which is a great commandment.’ ” Then Abbâ Arsenius, after the manner of one who was well acquainted with the war of devils, said unto him, “Eat, drink, and sleep, and toil not, but on no account go out of thy cell”; for the old man knew that dwelling constantly in the cell induceth all the habits of the solitary life. And when the brother had done these things for three days he became weary of idleness, and finding a few palm leaves on the ground, he took them and began to split them up, and on the following day he dipped them in water and began to work (i.e., to weave baskets); and when he felt hungry he said, “I will finish one more small piece of work, and then I will eat.” And when he was reading in the Book, he said, “I will sing a few Psalms and say a few prayers, and then I shall eat without any compunction.” Thus little by little, by the agency of God, he advanced in the ascetic life until he reached the first rank, and received the power to resist the thoughts and to vanquish them.

8. When Abbâ Sisoes was dwelling in the mountain of Abbâ Anthony, the man who used to minister unto him departed and remained away for a period of ten months and did not come [back] to him, and he saw no man. And afterwards, as he was walking in the mountains, he saw a man hunting wild animals, and the old man said to him, “Whence comest thou? And how long hast thou been here?” And the man said unto him, “Father, I have been in this mountain eleven months, and I have seen no man except thyself.” Then the old man having heard these things went into his cell, and smote upon his face, and said, “Behold, O Sisoes, well mayest thou think that thou hast done nothing, for thou hast not made thyself even like unto this man who is in the world, and is not a monk.”

9. I once asked Abbâ Sarmâtâ a question, and said unto him, “What shall I do, O my father, for I do nothing which the monks do? On the contrary, I am negligent, and I eat, and drink, and sleep, and I think many filthy thoughts, and my mind is ever disturbed, and I depart from one work to another, and from one group of thoughts to another. What shall I do, then? For I am troubled, and my soul is little.” And Abbâ Sarmâtâ said unto him: “Sit thou in thy cell, and whatsoever thou canst do, that do, and trouble not thyself. For I wish thee to do now a little, even as did Abbâ Anthony in the mountain, and I believe that by sitting in [thy] cell for the sake of the Name of God, thou also wilt be found in the same place as Abbâ Anthony.”

10. On one occasion the brethren went up from Scete to go to Abbâ Anthony, and having embarked in a boat to journey to him, they found [there] a certain old man, who was also going to visit him, and they were not acquainted with him. And as they were sitting in the boat, they spake now and again a word of the Fathers, or a word from the Book, or they talked about the work of their hands; and the old man listened unto all they said, but held his peace. Then, having crossed the ferry, the old man was found to be going also to Abbâ Anthony. And when they had all arrived at the place where he was, he said unto them, “Ye found excellent company in this old man”; and to the old man himself he said, “Thou didst find excellent brethren to travel with thee, O father.” And the old man said, “They are excellent brethren, but they have no door to their house, and whosoever wisheth can go into the stable, and untie the ass, and go whithersoever he pleaseth on him.” Now this he said because they uttered every word which came into their mouths.

11. A certain brother asked Abbâ Sisoes, saying, “Father, how was it that thou didst leave Scete where thou wast with Abbâ Macarius, and didst come here?” And the old man said unto him, “When Scete began to be filled [with monks] I heard that Abbâ Antonius had fallen asleep, and I came to the mountain here, and found that this place was quiet, and I lived here for a little time.” The brother said unto him, “How long hast thou been here?” and the old man said, “Behold, I have been here seventy years this day.”

12. They used to say concerning Abbâ Theodore and Abbâ Luk that they passed fifty years with disturbed minds, and were troubled the whole time about changing their place [of abode]; and they said, “Behold, we will change in the winter”; and when the winter arrived, they said, “We will change in the summer”; and thus they did unto the end of their lives.

13. A certain father came to Abbâ Arsenius, and he knocked at the door, and the old man opened unto him thinking that it was his servant [who had knocked]; and when he saw who it was, he cast himself upon his face, and the father entreated him, saying, “Stand up, O father, that I may give thee the salutation of peace.” But Arsenius disputed with him, saying, “I will not stand up until thou hast departed”; and though he entreated him to do so often he would not stand up, and the father left him and departed.

14. Abbâ Battimion said, “When I went down to Scete they gave me some apples to take to the brethren, and when I had knocked at the door of Abbâ Abhîlâ, he said to me when he saw me, ‘If these apples had been of gold I would not have wished thee to knock at my door; and moreover, do not knock at the door of any other brother’; so I returned and placed the apples in the church and departed.”

15. They said concerning Abbâ Sisoes that when the church began [to fill] he fled quickly to his cell, and, [though] the brethren said, “He hath a devil,” he was performing the work of God.

16. Abbâ Joseph said to Abbâ Nestîr, “What shall I do with my tongue, for I cannot conquer it?” Abbâ Nestîr said unto him, “If thou talkest wilt thou have relief from this [trouble]?” And he said unto him, “Nay.” The old man said unto him, “If then thou hast no relief when thou talkest, why dost thou talk?” Abbâ Joseph said unto him, “What shall I do? For I cannot stand against it.” The old man said unto him, “Wilt thou have relief then?” and he said unto him, “Nay.” The old man said unto him, “If thou canst not gain relief by talking, then hold thy peace.”

17. A certain brother went to Abbâ Poemen on the second Sunday in the Fast of Forty Days and repeated unto him his thoughts, and sighing over what the old man had told him, he said unto him, “I had almost kept myself from coming here to-day”; and the old man said, “Why?” Then the brother said, “I said in my mind, Peradventure during the fast the door will be closed against thee”; and Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “We do not learn to shut a door made of wood, but to close the door of the tongue.”

18. When a certain brother in Scete was going to the harvest, he went to Abbâ Moses, the Black, and said unto him, “Father, tell me what I shall do; shall I go to the harvest?” and Abbâ Moses said unto him, “If I tell thee, wilt thou be persuaded to do as I say?” And the brother said unto him, “Yea, I will hearken unto thee.” The old man said unto him, “If thou wilt be persuaded by me, rise up, go, and release thyself from going to the harvest, and come unto me, and I will tell thee what thou shalt do.” The brother therefore departed and obtained his release from his companions, as the old man had told him, and then he came to him. And the old man said unto him, “Go into thy cell and keep Pentecost, and thou shalt eat dry bread and salt once a day [only], and after thou hast done this I will tell thee something else to do later on”; and he went and did as the old man had told him, and then came to him again. Now when the old man saw that he was one who worked with his hands, he shewed him the proper way to live in his cell; and the brother went to his cell, and fell on his face upon the ground, and for three whole days and nights he wept before God. And after these things, when his thoughts were saying unto him, “Thou art now an exalted person, and thou hast become a great man,” he used to contradict them, and set before his eyes his former shortcomings, [and say], “Thus were all thine offences.” And again, when they used to say to him, “Thou hast performed many things negligently,” he would say, “Nevertheless I do small services for God, and He sheweth His mercy upon me.” And when by such means as these the spirits had been overcome, they appeared unto him in the form of corporeal creatures, and said unto him, “We have been vanquished by thee”; and he said unto them, “Why?” and they said unto him, “If we humble thee, we are raised up by thee to an exalted position, and if we exalt thee we are accounted by thee for humility.”

19. There was a certain brother in the monastery who worked hard, and the brethren who were in Scete heard about him, and came to see him, and they entered into the place where he used to work; and having received them, and saluted them, he turned round and began to work again. And when the brethren saw what he did, they said unto him, “John gave thee the garb of the monk, and made thee a dweller in a monastery, but he did not teach thee to receive a blessing (literally, prayer) from the brethren, or to give one, or to say to them, ‘Pray ye,’ or, ‘Sit ye down.’ ” And John said unto them, “Nay, a sinner is not sufficient for these things.”

20. Abbâ Anthony said, “As a fish when it is lifted up out of the water dieth, even so doth the monk who tarrieth outside his cell.”

21. They tell the story of a certain brother who came to Scete to see Abbâ Arsenius, and who went into the church and entreated the clergy to take him to see him; and the clergy said unto him, “Refresh thyself a little, and thou shalt see him.” And the brother said unto them, “I will eat nothing before I meet him and see him”; and when the clergy heard this they sent a brother with him to shew him Abbâ Arsenius, because his cell was some distance away. And when they had arrived there, they knocked at the door and went inside, and having saluted him, and prayed, they sat down and held their peace; and the brother who was from the church answered and said, “I will depart, pray ye for me.” But when the other brother saw that he possessed not freedom of speech with the old man, he said unto the brother from the church, “I also will go with thee,” and they departed together.

Then he entreated him, saying, “Take me also to Abbâ Moses who was a thief,” and when they went to him, the old man received them with joy, and having refreshed them greatly he dismissed them in peace. And the brother who had brought the visitor to Abbâ Moses said unto him, “Behold, I brought thee to a man from a foreign land, and to an Egyptian, which of the two pleaseth thee?” And he answered and said unto him, “The Egyptian who hath just received me, and refreshed me.” And when one of the old men heard what had happened, he prayed to God, and said, “O Lord, shew me this matter; one fleeth from the world for Thy Name’s sake, and another receiveth and is gracious for Thy Name’s sake.” And behold, suddenly there appeared unto him on the river two great boats, and lo, Abbâ Arsenius and the Spirit of God were travelling in silence in the one, and Abbâ Moses and the angels of God were in the other, and they were feeding the monk with honey from the comb.

22. A certain brother asked Abbâ Poemen a question, saying, “If I see something done, dost thou wish me to tell it abroad?” The old man said unto him, “It is written, ‘Whosoever shall declare a matter incorrectly, it is a disgrace to him and [a subject for] mockery.’ And if thou art asked, speak; and if thou art not asked, hold thy peace.”

23. On one occasion there was an assembly in a great church, and all the old men were asked in a body, “What striving is the mightiest against the monks?” And they all agreed that there was none stronger than that which would make a man leave his cell and depart, for when this striving is overcome, all the rest can quite easily be brought low.

24. They say concerning Abbâ Âpôs, who afterwards became Bishop of Oxyrhyncus, that when he was a monk he laboured with great toil in the ascetic life, and that he was moved every hour by Divine Grace, but that after he became Bishop, though he wished to perform the same labours, he was not able to do so. And he cast himself before God, and made supplication unto Him, saying, “Peradventure, O my Lord, it is because of the Bishopric that Thou hast removed Thy grace from me,” and it was said unto him, “It is not so, but formerly thou wast in the desert, and there were no men there, and God took care of thee; here, however, thou art in a portion of the world which is inhabited, and men care for thee.”

25. A certain brother from the Cells soaked some palm leaves in water, and then sat down to weave ropes, and his mind said unto him, “Go and visit such and such a brother”; and he pondered on the matter, and said, “I will go after a few days.” And again his mind said unto him, “Supposing thou shouldst die, what wilt thou do? for thou wouldst not see thy brother”; and once again he satisfied his mind by saying, “I will go after such and such a time.” Now when the summer had come, he said within himself, “To-day is not the right time for going,” and again he said to his mind, “As soon as thou hast cut off the end of the palm leaves it will be time for thee to go”; and he said to himself, “I will finish these leaves, and then I will go.” And once again his mind urged him and said, “The weather is beautiful to-day,” and he rose up straightway and left the palm leaves soaking in the water, and he picked up a cloak and ran off on his way. Now he had as a neighbour a certain old man who used to see visions, and as soon as this man saw the brother running, he cried out, and said unto him, “Prisoner, prisoner, come hither”; and when he had gone in the old man said unto him, “Go back to thy cell,” and the brother went back, and he related unto him the whole story of his war. And having entered his own cell, he offered up repentance unto God, and the devils cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Thou hast vanquished us, thou hast vanquished us, O monk.” Now he had a palm-leaf mat under him, and it was charred as if it had been burned in the fire, and the devils vanished like smoke; then straightway the brother perceived their wiles, and he gave thanks unto God.

26. Abbâ Poemen said: A certain brother asked Abbâ Sîmôn, and said, “If I go out from my cell, and I find a brother absorbed and immersed in matters unnecessary for salvation, shall I associate myself also with him? And supposing also that I should find him laughing, and that I also should laugh, when I have gone into my cell again shall I not be forgiven my relaxation?” And the old man said unto him, “What dost thou wish? Dost thou mean that having gone out of thy cell and having found a man who was laughing, and laughed with him, and having found a man who was talking, and talked with him, thou canst go back to thy cell and find thyself as thou wast before thou didst go out?” And the brother said unto him, “If not, how then?” Then the old man answered and said unto him, “It is right for thee to keep a careful watch both within and without.”

27. An old man said, “One man is thought to be silent, and yet his heart judgeth and condemneth others, and the man who acteth thus speaketh continually; another man speaketh from morning till evening, and yet keepeth silence, that is to say, he speaketh nothing which is not helpful.”

28. There were two excellent brethren in the Cells, and they were held to be worthy to see things of mystery, and each one of them saw the might which was sent down by God upon his brethren. Now it happened that one of them came on Friday to the coenobium, and as he was outside, he saw that some of the brethren were eating from the morning [upwards], and he said unto them, “Is it possible that ye eat at this time on Friday? And do ye usually hold a congregation at the turn of the day?” And as his brother looked upon him, he saw that the might of God was going away from him, and he was grieved, for he was accustomed to see it upon him. And when they had come to their own cell he said unto him, “What hast thou done, O my brother? Or what thoughts hast thou had? For I do not see upon thee as usual the might of God.” And the brother made answer and said, “I know not; I do not feel that I have any filthy thoughts in me, and I do not perceive in my soul that any evil act hath been committed by me.” His brother said unto him, “Peradventure some vain and empty word hath gone forth from thy mouth.” Then that brother recalled the matter to his mind, and said, “Yea, yesterday I saw certain men outside the coenobium eating, and I said unto them, ‘Do ye eat at this time on Friday?’ This then is my sin. But I entreat thee to labour with me for two weeks, and thou and I will beg God to forgive me.” And they did even as he had said, and after two weeks his brother saw that might which is of the goodness of God come upon him as usual.

29. The old men used to say about the blessed Abbâ Arsenius, and Abbâ Theodore of Parmê, that they possessed in a far greater degree than many monks a hatred of the admiration of men; Abbâ Arsenius was never pleased at meeting and conversing with a man, and Abbâ Theodore, even though he was willing to meet a man, was as sharp as a sword in his conversation.

30. Abbâ Macarius said unto the brethren when the service in the church was ended, “Flee ye, O brethren”; and one of the old men said, “Father, whither can we flee farther than this desert?” Then Macarius laid his hand upon his mouth, saying, “Flee in this manner,” and straightway he went to his cell and, shutting the door, sat down.

31. Abbâ Poemen said:—Abbâ Moses asked Abbâ Zechariah a question when he was about to die, and said unto him, “Father, is it good that we should hold our peace?” And Zechariah said unto him, “Yea, my son, hold thy peace.” And at the time of his death, whilst Abbâ Isidore was sitting with him, Abbâ Moses looked up to heaven, and said, “Rejoice and be glad, O my son Zechariah, for the gates of heaven have been opened.”

32. A brother asked an old man, saying, “What is humility?” And the old man answered and said unto him, “That thou payest not back evil for evil.” That brother said unto him, “And supposing that a man cannot attain to this measure, what must we do?” The old man said unto him, “Let us flee and follow after silence.”

33. And an old man said, “Lay hold upon silence. Look carefully into and scrutinize the manner in which thou trainest thyself, both when thou art lying down, and when thou art standing up. Meditate upon the fear of God, and be not afraid of the attack of sinners. Consent not to everything. Be swift to hear and slow to believe.”

34. An old man said: “The man, who hath learned by experience the sweetness of the quietness which is in his cell, doth not flee from meeting his neighbour because he is as one who despiseth him, but because of the fruits which he plucketh from silence.”

35. Abbâ Moses used to say, “The man who fleeth from the world is like unto ripe grapes, but he who dwelleth among the attractions of the children of men is like unto sour grapes.”

36. An old man said: “Human care and worry and anxiety about the things of the body destroy the faculties of knowledge and expression in a man, and leave him like unto a piece of dry wood.”

37. They used to say about Abbâ Nastîr that the old man was like unto the serpent which Moses made for the healing of the people (Numbers 21:9 ff.), and that he was perfect in all spiritual excellences, and that, although he kept silence, he healed every man.

38. A certain brother asked an old man a question, and said unto him, “Father, what shall I do? For, although my body is in my cell, my thoughts wander about into every place, and because of this they vex me greatly, saying, ‘Thou hast no benefit whatsoever, for though thy body is shut up in the cell, thy thoughts wander and are scattered abroad.’ And they bring me to despair, and counsel me to go back to the world as one who has not the ability to acquire the rule of life which is proper for the ascetic monk.” The old man said unto him, “Thou must know, O my son, that this is an attack of Satan, but go, and continue to abide in thy cell, and go not out of it at any time, and pray to God that He may give thee the power to endure patiently, and then thy mind shall collect itself in thee. For the matter is like unto that of a she-ass which hath a sucking foal. If she be tied up, however much the foal may gambol about or wander hither and thither, he will come back to her eventually, either because he is hungry, or for other reasons which drive him to her; but if it happen that his mother be also roaming about loose, both animals will go to destruction. And thus is it in the matter of the monk. If the body remain continually in its cell, the mind thereof will certainly come back to it after all its wanderings, for many reasons which will come upon it, but if the body as well as the soul wander outside the cell, both will become a prey and a thing of joy to the enemy.”

39. A certain brother belonging to a habitation of brethren said to Abbâ Bessarion, “What shall I do?” The old man said unto him, “Keep silence, and consider thyself to be nothing.”

40. Abbâ Moses besought Abbâ Zechariah, saying, “Speak a word of consolation to the brethren”; and Zechariah took his cloak, and placed it under his feet, saying, “Except a man die thus he cannot be a monk.”

41. Abbâ Poemen said, “The rule of the monk is this—to bear at all times his own blame.”

42. Abbâ Poemen said, “If thou holdest thyself in thine own sight to be of no account, thou mayest dwell where thou pleasest, and find rest.”

43. The same old man used to say, “A man will be always tripped up by that thing which he will not cut off from himself.”

44. Abbâ Alônîs said, “If a man will only remember that which is written, ‘Thou shalt be justified by thy words, and shalt be condemned by thy words’ (St. Matthew 12:37), he would know that it is right to hold his peace.”

45. Abbâ Poemen said, “If thou wishest to acquire the power to keep silence, think not and say not within thyself that thou art doing the works of spiritual excellence, but say, ‘I am not even worthy to speak.’ ”

46. Abbâ Anthony said, “He who liveth in the desert is free from three kinds of spiritual attacks, that is to say, those which arise through the ears, speech, and sight; he hath only one kind to fight, namely, that of the heart.”

47. Abbâ Alônîs said, “Unless a man saith in his heart, ‘Only God and myself exist in this world,’ he will not find rest.”

48. Abbâ Sisoes used to say, “It is well for a man to dwell in his cell, and if he suffer with patient endurance he will find blessings of every kind.”

49. A certain brother asked Abbâ Panbô (Pambo), “Is it a good thing for a man to praise his neighbour?” Saith the old man, “It is a much better thing for a man tohold his peace.”

50. Abbâ Poemen said, “In all the labour which cometh upon a man, his victory is only assured when he holdeth his peace.”

51. A certain brother said unto an old man, “If a brother bringeth unto me news from the outer world, dost thou wish me to tell him not to bring it to me?” The old man said unto him, “Nay,” and the brother said unto him, “Why?” The old man said unto him, “Because not even we are able to flee from this. For having told our neighbour that he must not do this, we ourselves afterwards may be found doing the very same thing.” And that brother said unto him, “What then is the right [course of action]?” Then the old man said unto him, “If we take upon ourselves to hold our peace, the example alone will be sufficient to make our neighbour do the same.”

52. The blessed Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, once went with a certain judge to Abbâ Arsenius, and begged the old man to let him hear some saying from him; and the old man held his peace for a little, and then answered him, and said, “If I speak a word to you will ye observe it?” And they promised to keep it. The old man said unto them, “In whatsoever place ye hear that Arsenius is, come not nigh thereunto.”

53. Abbâ Macarius said unto Abbâ Arsenius, “Why fleest thou from us?” And the old man said unto him, “God knoweth that I love you, but I cannot be both with God and with men. The thousands and ten thousands of beings who are above have only one will, but men have many wills: I cannot, therefore, leave God and be with men.” And the old man was always uttering these words, “Arsenius, for this thou didst go forth.” And he used to say thus: “I have many times repented that I spoke, but that I held my peace I have never repented.”

54. Abbâ Anthony said, “The cell of a monk is the furnace of Babylon wherein the Three Children found the Son of God, and it is also the pillar of cloud wherefrom God spake with Moses.”

55. On one occasion the Fathers in Scete were gathered together, and because certain folk were wishing to see Abbâ Moses, they treated him with contumely, saying, “Why doth this Ethiopian come and go in our midst?” But Moses hearing this held his peace. And when the congregation was dismissed, they said unto him, “Abbâ Moses, wast thou not afraid?” And he said unto them, “Although I was afraid I uttered not a word.”

56. On one occasion certain brethren came unto John the Less to tempt him, for they had heard that he never permitted his mind to think about any of the affairs of this world, and that he never spoke about them. And they said unto him, “Father, we thank God because He hath brought down this year rain in abundance, and the palms are thriving and are flourishing beautifully, and work for the hands of the brethren is abundant.” The old man John saith unto them, “Even thus is it with the Holy Spirit of God, for when It descendeth upon the hearts of holy men they blossom and bring forth the fruit of the fear of God.”

57. A certain brother came to take some baskets from John the Less, and when he had knocked at the door, the old man came out to him, and said unto him, “What seekest thou?” And the brother said unto him, “Father, I want baskets.” And John the Less went in to bring them out to him, but he forgot to do so, and sat down, and went on plaiting. And the brother knocked at the door again, and when Abbâ John went forth to answer him, he said unto him, “Wilt thou bring out the baskets to me, Father?” And again John went in, and sat down, and went on plaiting, and when the brother knocked again, John went forth and said unto him, “Brother, what seekest thou?” And he said unto John, “Baskets, Father”; and John took his hand and led him inside, saying, “If thou wishest for baskets take them and get thee gone, for I am not able [to bring them to you].”

58. Some time ago Abbâ Evagrius went to Scete to a certain father and said unto him, “Speak some word whereby I may be able to save myself.” The old man saith unto him, “If thou wishest to be saved, when thou goest unto any man speak not before he asketh thee a question.” Now Evagrius was sorry about this sentence, and shewed regret because he had asked the question, saying, “Verily I have read many books, and I cannot accept instruction of this kind”; and having profited greatly he went forth from him.

59. On one occasion there was a congregation in the Cells concerning a certain matter, and Abbâ Evagrius spoke. And a certain elder said unto him, “We know, Abbâ, that hadst thou been in thine own country where thou art a bishop and the governor of many, [thou wouldst have been right in speaking]; but in this place thou sittest [as] a stranger.” Now Evagrius was sorry, but he was not offended, and he shook his head, and bent his gaze downwards, and he wrote with his finger and said unto them, “Verily, it is even as thou sayest, O my fathers; I have spoken once, but I will not do it a second time.”

60. Abbâ John, who was in prison, said that there was a man sitting in his cell who always made mention of God, and in this was fulfilled that which is written, “I was in prison, and ye came unto Me” (St. Matthew 25:36).

61. They used to say about Abbâ Agathon that for a period of three years he placed a stone in his mouth [and kept it there], until he had learned thoroughly how to hold his peace.

62. A certain brother went to Abbâ Moses in Scete, and asked him to speak a word; and the old man said unto him, “Get thee gone, and sit in thy cell, and thy cell shall teach thee everything.”

Stone · 12-05-2021, 01:47 PM

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

CHAPTER II

OF FASTING AND ABSTINENCE AND OF OTHER [SIMILAR] LABOURS[b][/b]

63. THEY used to say about Abbâ Paphnutius that he would not readily drink wine, and that on one occasion he came by chance upon a band of thieves, and found them drinking; and the captain of the thieves recognized him, and knew that he never drank wine; and he looked closely at him [and saw that] he was a man of great ascetic works. And the captain filled a cup with wine and, taking a sword in his hand, he said unto the old man, “If thou wilt not drink I will slay thee”; and the old man knew that the grace of God wished to work on the captain of the thieves through him, and sought to do good to him, so he took [the cup] and drank [the wine]. Then the captain made excuse to him and said, “Forgive me, father, for having distressed thee”; and the old man said unto him, “I believe, by God, that through this cup God will forgive thee thy sins.” And the captain of thieves said unto him, “I believe, by God; from this time forth I will never vex any man.” Thus, because for God’s sake Paphnutius gave up his own wish, he was able to do good to all that band of thieves.

64. A certain old man came unto one of the holy men who was a companion of his, and who cooked a few lentiles; and one of the two said unto his fellow, “Shall we sing a part of the service?” And he sang the whole of the Psalms of David, and his companion repeated two books of the Great Prophets, and when it was morning the old man departed to his own place, and they forgot all about the food. And the old man went another evening and found the food which had been cooked, and he was sorry and said, “Oh! how was it that we came to forget that little mess of lentiles, and did not eat it?”

65. On one occasion a brother came to Abbâ Isaiah, who threw a handful of lentiles into a saucepan to boil, but when they had just begun to boil he took them off the fire; and the brother said unto him, “Are they not yet cooked, O father?” And the old man said unto him, “Is it not sufficient for thee to have seen the fire? For this [alone] is great refreshing.”

66. A certain old man became very seriously ill, for he suffered from some disease of the stomach, and much blood came away from him; and one of the brethren had some dried prunes, and because of the severe illness of the old man he cooked a little food, and put some of the prunes in it, and brought it to him, and entreated him, saying, “Father, do [me] an act of grace, and take a little of this stew, for perhaps it will do thee good.” And the old man lifted up his eyes and looked at him, and said, “In which of the Scriptures hast thou found this thing? Verily I have wished that God would leave me in this illness for the last thirty years, for when I am weak then am I strong”; and the old man, although he was grievously sick, would not take even a little of the food, and when the brother saw [this] he took it and went back to his cell.

67. They used to say concerning Abbâ Macarius, the Egyptian, that if it happened that he ate with the brethren, he would make an agreement with himself that if there was wine [on the table] and he drank one cup of it, he would drink no water for a whole day; now the brethren, wishing him to be refreshed (or pleased), used to give him wine, and the old man took it joyfully so that he might torment his body. And when his disciple saw this thing, he said unto the brethren, “I entreat you, for our Lord’s sake, not to give him wine to drink, for if he drinketh it he will go to his cell and afflict himself because thereof”; and when the brethren knew this they did not give him any more wine to drink.

68. There was a certain old man who made a vow not to drink any water during the Fast of Forty Days; and when he became thirsty (literally, hot) he would wash a potter’s vessel, and fill it with water, and hang it up in front of him. Then the brethren asked him why and wherefore he acted thus, and he said, “That I may labour the more, and receive a reward from God”; now he said this that he might incite them to great labours.

69. A brother asked an old man questions about comforts [or pleasures], and the old man said unto him, “Eat grass, wear grass, and sleep on grass, and then thy heart will become like iron.”

70. A certain brother was hungry one morning, and he fought against his inclination and determined not to eat until the third hour; and when the third hour had passed, he dipped his bread in water, and sat down to eat, but he forced himself to wait until the sixth hour arrived, when he said within himself, “Let us wait till the ninth hour.” And when the ninth hour had come, he prayed, and saw the working of Satan rising up before him like smoke, and he suppressed his desire [to eat], and his hunger passed away from him.

71. A certain brother from the Cells brought some new bread, and he invited all the old men who were under vows at Scete to partake of a meal; and when each of them had eaten two bread-cakes, they ceased eating. Then the brother, who knew their labours of abstinence, and that they did not usually eat, and never satisfied themselves, made excuses to them, saying, “Eat ye this day, for our Lord’s sake, until ye are satisfied”; and hearing this each ate ten cakes more. All this [sheweth] how much they afflicted themselves in not satisfying themselves with any kind of food.

72. On one occasion two old men were going up from Scete to Egypt, and because of the fatigue of the way they sat down on the bank of the river to eat some food, and one of them took his bread-cake in his hand and dipped it in the water; and he answered and said unto his companion, “Wilt thou not dip thy cake in water, O father?” And his companion answered and said unto him, “It is written, When a possession increaseth set not thy heart upon it” (Psalm 62:10).

73. They used to say about Abbâ Isaac, the priest of the Cells, that he ate the ashes of the censer which was before the altar with his bread.

74. On one occasion there was an offering [made] in the mountain of Abbâ Anthony, and a skin of wine was there, and one of the monks took some of it in a small vessel, and with a cup in his hand he went and carried it to Abbâ Sisoes. And he mixed him a cupful, and he drank it, and he mixed him a second cupful, and he took it and drank it, but when he mixed him a third cupful Abbâ Sisoes refused to drink it, saying, “Stay thy hand, brother, knowest thou not that [the third cup] is of Satan?”

75. Abbâ John said, “If a king wishes to subdue a city belonging to enemies, he first of all keepeth them without bread and water, and the enemy being in this wise harassed by hunger becometh subject unto him; and thus it is in respect of the hostile passions, for if a man endureth fasting and hunger regularly, his enemies become stricken with weakness in the soul.”

76. They used to say about Abbâ Dioscurus that his bread was made of barley and lentiles, and that at the beginning of each year he would set himself some [new] task of ascetic excellence, saying, “This year I will not hold converse with (or visit) any man,” or, “I will not speak at all,” or, “I will not eat food which hath been boiled,” or, “I will not eat fruit,” or, “I will not eat vegetables.” He began each year with resolutions of this kind and carried them out, and each year he set himself some new task.

77. On one occasion when certain brethren went to the church during the Easter Festival, they gave a brother a cup of wine, and when they urged him to drink it, he said to them, “Forgive me, O my fathers, but ye did the same thing to me last year, and I drank a cup of wine, and I was greatly troubled thereby for a long time.”

78. The monks were celebrating a festival in Scete, and they gave a certain old man a cup of wine, and he handed it back, saying, “Take this death away from me”; and when the others who were eating with him saw him [do this] they also would not take the wine.

79. And again on another occasion certain first-fruits of wine were sent that it might be given to the brethren cup by cup, (i.e., a cup each). And one of the brethren went up to a roof, that he might escape from drinking, and it parted asunder beneath him, and he fell through it; and when the sound came [to the brethren] they went and found him lying [on the ground], and they began to think about him, and said, “O lover of vainglory, this hath befallen thee rightly.” And an old man laid him out, saying unto them, “Forgive ye my son, for he hath done a good work. And, as the Lord liveth, this breach shall not be built up in my days, for all the world shall know that because of a cup of wine a schism hath taken place in Scete.”

80. It was reported to Abbâ Poemen about a certain brother that he would not drink wine, and the old man Poemen said, “The nature of wine is not such as to make it useful to the dwellers in monasteries.”

81. They used to say about Abbâ Sisoes the Theban that he never ate bread. During the Easter Festival the brethren came to him, and having made excuses they entreated him to eat with them; and he answered and said, “I will do one [of two] things; I will either eat bread and bread alone, or I will eat of the meats which ye have boiled.” And they said unto him, “Then eat bread only.”

82. A certain old man said, “Reduce thy knowledge of the things of man, and thy belly also, and thou shalt find all [manner of] delights.”

83. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “The Spirit of God never entereth into the house wherein there are delights and pleasures.”

84. A brother asked Abbâ Sisoes, “What [good do] I do in going to church, for often [the devils] recognize me and seize me?” The old man saith unto him, “There is work in the matter.”

85. Abraham his disciple thereupon said unto him, “Father, if there happen to be a congregation on the Sabbath, or on Sunday, and a brother drink three cups of wine, is that too much?” The old man saith unto him, “If Satan did not exist three cups would not be too much to drink, but since he doth exist three cups are too much.”

86. On one occasion some early grapes were sent to Abbâ Macarius because he longed for them, and to give a proof of his abstinence, he sent them to another brother who was sick, and who craved for grapes; and having received them, he rejoiced over them greatly, and then he despised his desire, and sent them on to another brother, as one who had no wish for food of any kind, and who held his self-denial in contempt. Now when the brother had received the grapes, although he desired greatly to eat them, he did the same as the other brother had done, and no man wished to eat them. And after they had gone about among many of the brethren, the last one who received them sent them to the blessed Macarius as a gift of great honour; and when the blessed Macarius saw the grapes he marvelled at the extent of the self-denial of the brethren, and gave thanks unto God, and he did not eat them.

87. On one occasion certain monks went down from Egypt to visit the Fathers, and when they saw that they were eating—now it was after prolonged hunger and very much fasting, and continual abstinence,—they were greatly offended; and when the elder of the coenobium learned [about this] he came to quiet their minds. And he proclaimed in the church of the congregation, saying, “Ye shall fast in your customary manner,” and honour your ascetic rule of life, so that your voluntary abstinence may not be held in contempt.” Now the Egyptian strangers wished to depart, but the monks shut them in cells. And when they had fasted the whole of the first day they began to feel faint, but notwithstanding this the monks made them to fast two days at a time; now the monks who were in Scete used to fast for a week at a time. And when the day of the Sabbath came, the Egyptians sat down to eat with the old men, and when one of the Egyptians began to eat hurriedly and voraciously, one of the old men caught hold of his hands, saying, “Eat moderately, (or according to rule) like the monks.” Then one of the others clutched at the old man’s hand, saying, “Let me eat so that I may not die, for behold, I have not eaten a piece of boiled food for a whole week.” And the old man said unto him, “If now ye have become so very weak after having fasted but one night only, why were ye offended at the brethren who live a life of self-denial for long periods of time, and who fulfil their seasons with voluntary abstinence?” And straightway those Egyptians made excuses to the old men, and they were edified by their patient endurance, and departed rejoicing.

88. Once Abbâ Agathon had two disciples, and they separated from him, and each of them dwelt in a place by himself. One day he asked one of them, and said, “How dost thou live in thy cell?” And the disciple answered and said, “I fast until evening, and then I eat two bread-cakes”; and Abbâ Agathon said unto him, “It is a beautiful way of living, but it is very laborious.” Then Abbâ Agathon said unto the other disciple, “And how dost thou live?” And the disciple answered and said unto him, “I fast two days at a time, and after each fast I eat two bread-cakes.” Then the old man said unto him, “Thou toilest greatly, and maintainest a twofold strife. For one man eateth every day and filleth not his belly, and another fasteth two days at a time and taketh whatsoever he needeth; but thou, though thou dost fast two days at a time, dost not fill thy belly.”

89. Abbâ Abraham went to Abbâ Areus, and as they were sitting down, another brother came to Abbâ, and asked him, saying, “Tell me what I shall do to live?” And he said unto him, “Go and pass the whole week in plaiting palm leaves and twisting ropes thereof, and eat bread and salt once each day in the evening, and then come again to me, and I will tell thee [what else to do].” And the brother went away and did as he had told him to do, and when Abbâ Abraham heard this he wondered. Now when the week was ended that brother came again to the old man Areus, with whom there happened to be also Abbâ Abraham. And the old man said unto the brother, “Get thee gone, and pass thou the whole week in fasting two days at a time.” And when that brother had gone, Abbâ Abraham said unto Abbâ Areus, “Why dost thou command all the other brethren to bear a light burden, but layest aheavy load upon the brother who was here?” Then the old man said unto him, “The other brethren as they come, ask, and according as they ask they receive and depart; but this brother cometh for God’s sake, that he may hear the word of profit, for he is a worker, and whatsoever I say unto him he performeth with care and diligence.”

90. Abbâ Theodotus used to say, “Abstinence from bread quieteth the body of the monk.”

91. A certain old man used to say, “I knew Abbâ Patermuthis in the cells, and he did not drink wine, but when they took some wine and mixed it with water, and urged him to drink [it], he said, ‘Believe me, O my brethren, I hold it to be a most beautiful thing.’ And he blamed himself and condemned himself because of the mixing, and at the same time he gave thanks unto God and accepted His gracious gift.”

92. They used to say about Abbâ Paphnutius that he did not drink wine readily, even though he was sick.

93. Abbâ Poemen said, “The soul can be humbled by nothing except thou enfeeble it by the eating of [little] bread.”

94. They used to say about Abbâ Sarnâôs that he laboured exceedingly hard, and that he only ate two bread-cakes each day. And when he came to Abbâ Job, who was a man that was perfect in the laborious work of active excellence, and who was also a man that practised strict self-denial and abstinence, he said unto him, “As long as I live in my cell I can observe my rule of life, but if I go outside my cell I make openly submission because of the brethren.” Then Abbâ Sarnâôs said unto him, “To be able to keep hold upon thy rule of life only so long as thou art in thy cell is no great act of spiritual excellence, but it would be if thou couldst do so when thou didst go forth outside thy cell.”

95. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “As smoke driveth away bees, and men take the sweetness of their labour, even so also doth ease of the body drive away the fear of God from the heart, and it carrieth away all the good [effect] of its labour.”

96. On one occasion Abbâ Sylvanus and Zechariah his disciple were going to a monastery, and they prepared a little food to eat before they set out on their journey. And when they had gone forth his disciple found water on the way, and he wished to drink, but the old man said unto him, “Zechariah, to-day is a fast day,” but the disciple said, “Nay, O father, for behold we have eaten.” Then Abbâ Sylvanus said unto him, “The food which we ate was obligatory, but let us keep the fast, O my son.”

97. Abbâ Poemen said, “Every corporeal pleasure is contemptible before the Lord.”

98. The disciple of Abbâ Sisoes had to say unto him several times, “Rise up and let us eat.” And he used to say unto him, “My son, have we not eaten?” And the disciple would say unto him, “Nay, father.” Then the old man would say unto him, “If we have not eaten, bring the food and let us eat.”

99. Abbâ Daniel used to say, “In proportion as the body groweth, the soul becometh enfeebled; and the more the body becometh emaciated, the more the soul groweth.”

100. Abbâ Benjamin, the priest of the Cells, said, “On one occasion we went to a certain old man in Scete, and we wanted to give him a little oil; and he said unto us, ‘Behold, that little vessel of oil which ye brought to me three years ago is still lying in the place where ye put it, and it hath remained in the same state as that wherein ye brought it.’ And when we heard [this] we marvelled at the old man’s manner of life.”

101. Abbâ Benjamin also said, “We went to another old man, and he took some food which we were going to eat, and threw into it a little oil of radishes. And we said unto him, ‘Father, throw into our food a little sweet oil,’ but when he heard these words, he made the sign of the Cross over himself, and said, ‘If there be any other oil besides this I know not of it.’ ”

102. Abbâ Joseph asked Abbâ Poemen what was the proper way in which to fast, and Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “I prefer the man who eateth every day a very small quantity of food, and who doth not satisfy his cravings for food.” And Abbâ Joseph said unto him, “When thou wast a young man didst thou not fast two days at a time, O father?” Then the old man said unto him, “Yea, I did, and three days at a time, and four days at a time, and even a week at a time; and the old men, like men of might, have tried all these by experience, but they have found that it is beneficial for a man to eat an exceedingly small quantity of food each day, and because of this they have delivered unto us an easy way to the kingdom.”

103. One of the fathers said, “I knew a brother in the Cells who used to fast the whole of the Great Sabbath, and when the brethren were assembled in the evening he used to flee to his cell in order that he might eat nothing in the church; and he would eat a few plantains with salt, and without bread, that he might conceal his abstinence.”

104. They used to tell about a certain monk who, having gone forth from the world, and lived in the coenobium for a number of years, was gracious unto every man in his humility, and all the brethren marvelled at his abstinence from meats; then he went to the barren desert, and lived there for many years, eating for food wild herbs. And afterwards he entreated God to inform him what reward He would give him, and it was said unto him by an angel, “Go forth from this desert and get thee along the road, and behold a certain shepherd shall meet thee, and according to [what he saith] so shalt thou receive.” Now when he had made ready to depart, the shepherd of whom he had been told by the angel met him, and saluted him, and having sat down to hold converse with each other, the monk saw in the shepherd’s bag some green herbs, and he asked him, saying, “What is this?” And the shepherd said unto him, “It is my food.” And the monk said unto him, “How long hast thou been feeding thyself on these green herbs?” And the shepherd said unto him, “Behold, for the last thirty years, more or less, and I have never tasted anything else except these herbs which I have eaten once a day, and I drink as much water as my food requireth; and the wages which are given to me by the owner of the sheep I give unto the poor.” Now when the monk heard these things he fell down at the feet of the shepherd, and said, “I imagined that I had laid hold upon abstinence, but thou through thy well-ordered life art worthy of a greater reward than I, because I have eaten every kind of green thing immediately it came in my way.” Then the shepherd said unto him, “It is not right that rational men should make themselves like unto the beasts, but they should eat whatsoever is prepared for them at the seasons which are duly ordered and appointed for them, and afterwards they should fast from everything until an appointed time.” And the monk profited by these words, and he added to his labour and became perfect, and he praised God, and marvelled how many were the saints in the world who were not known to the children of men.

Stone · 12-05-2021, 01:48 PM

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

CHAPTER III

OF THE READING OF THE SCRIPTURES, AND OF WATCHING BY NIGHT, AND OF THE SERVICE OF THE PSALMS, AND OF CONSTANT PRAYERS

105. THEY used to say about Abbâ Arsenius that no man was able to attain to the manner of life in his abode. And they also said about him that on the night of the Sabbath which would end in the dawn of Sunday, he would leave the sun behind him, and would stretch out his hands towards heaven, and would pray [in this position] until the sun rose in his face, when he would satisfy his eyes with a little slumber.

106. A certain old man was complete in all perfection, and he could see what was happening from a very long way off; and he said, “I once saw in a monastery a certain brother who was meditating on the study of God in his cell, and behold, a devil came and stood outside, and he wanted to go in, but he could not do so, so long as the brother was meditating. Finally, however, when the monk ceased his contemplation the devil was able to enter his cell, for his power is not able to vanquish those whose converse is with God.”

107. An old man said, “Whensoever a man readeth the Divine Books, the devils are afraid.”

108. They used to say about Abbâ Pachomius that he spent much time in striving with devils like a true athlete, and after the manner of Saint Anthony. And because many devils came against him in the night season, he asked God to keep away sleep from him both by day and by night, so that he might not sleep at all, and might be able to bring low the might of the Enemy, even according to that which is written, “I will not turn back until I have made an end of them”; for they are powerless against the faith which is in the Lord. Now this gift was given unto him, even as he had asked, for a certain time, and because he was pure, his heart used to see God, Who is invisible, as in a mirror.

109. They used to say about Abbâ Pachomius and Abbâ John that they lived together in the same religious house (now John was larger in stature than Pachomius), but both had adopted a life of poverty voluntarily, and they possessed nothing whatsoever except the fear of God. Whatsoever they gained by the work of their hands they gave to those who were in need, and they kept for themselves only what was sufficient for their bare necessities; in respect of clothes they were well-nigh destitute, and they had so few of them that they were obliged to wash those which they wore [and put them on again]. Now Abbâ Pachomius always wore a garment made of hair, because of the toil of his body. And whensoever they wished to refresh their bodies by a little sleep after their vigil and prayer, each of them would sit down in the middle of the cell, and, without leaning against a wall, would go to sleep. And they continued to do this for fifteen years, and many of the fathers heard of them, and saw them living thus, and they also strove in like manner to humble their bodies for the redemption of their souls.

110. They used to say about Abbâ Joseph that when he was about to die, and the old men were sitting about him, he looked at the window and saw Satan sitting there; and he cried out to his disciple and said, “Bring me a stick here, for this devil thinketh that I have become old, and that I am no longer able to stand up against him,” and as soon as he grasped the stick in his hand, Satan, in the form of a dog, threw himself from the window, and the old man saw him taking to flight.

111. They used to relate concerning Abbâ Sisoes that if he did not bring down his hands swiftly when he was standing up in prayer, his mind would be carried off on high; but whensoever it chanced that one of the brethren was with him he would bring his hands down hurriedly lest peradventure his mind should be carried off, and he should be left alone.

112. Abbâ Isaiah, the elder of the church, rebuked the brethren when they were eating that which had been prepared for them because they began to talk with each other, and he said to them, “Hold ye your peace, O my brethren. I know a brother who eateth with us and drinketh with us full (?) cups even as we do, and yet his prayer ascendeth up before God like fire.”

113. One day Abbâ Arsenius called Abbâ Alexander and Abbâ Zôîlâ, and said unto them, “Because the devils are striving with me, and because I do not know but that they may carry me off during [my] sleep, toil ye here with me this night, and keep vigil, and watch me and see if I sleep during [my] vigil.” So they sat down, one on his right hand, and the other on his left, from the evening even until the morning. And they said, “We slept and we woke up, and we did not observe that he slept at all; but when it began to be light there came unto us three times the sound of breathing in his nostrils, but whether he did this purposely so that we might think he slept or whether slumber had really fallen upon him we know not.” And he stood up and said unto us, “Have I been asleep?” And we answered and said unto him, “We do not know, O father, for we ourselves went to sleep.”

114. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “How, and in what manner is it right for a man to walk in the path of righteousness?” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “We have seen Daniel, and also that his enemies were unable to bring any accusation whatsoever against him except in respect of his service of God.”

115. On one occasion Abbâ Sisoes was sitting in his cell, and when his disciple knocked at the door [meaning to] go in, the old man cried out, saying, “Flee, Abraham, and do not come in now, for this place is not empty.”

116. They say concerning Abbâ Sisoes of Babylon that, wishing to vanquish sleep, he stood upright upon a mountain crag, and that the angel of the Lord came and rescued him from that place, and commanded him never to do such a thing again, and not even to hand on this tradition to another.

117. An old man said, “I knew a brother who used to sit with the brethren at the meal which is made for the coming of the brethren, and although the brethren ate and drank, he never made himself to be remote from converse with God in his prayer, and he did not drink even a cup of wine. Now this man’s manner of life was marvellous, and a certain man used to say about him, ‘I once wished to count the prayers which he made, and I saw that he did not cease to pray either by day or by night.’ ”

118. On one occasion a Bishop was sent secretly to Abbâ Epiphanius by the head of a certain monastery in Palestine, saying, “We have not treated lightly thy services of prayer since thy departure from us, but we perform most carefully the services for the third, and sixth, and ninth hours, and also vespers.” Then Abbâ Epiphanius blamed those who sent him, and wrote a message, which he sent to them, saying, “Ye must know that ye are indeed neglectful of the services and prayers which belong to the other eight hours which are in the day, for it is right for the monk who hath made himself to be remote from the world to be occupied with prayers to God unceasingly, and he should pray either in his heart, or in a carefully defined service, or in that service which he performeth with his will and with understanding. For the Calumniator addeth greatly to any small failing which he may find in a monk, and by being with him continually he enlargeth greatly the breach which he hath made, and by his habit of persistency he acquireth his natural power, and more particularly is this so in the case of those who are careless and lazy.”

119. Abbâ Epiphanius also said, “Whatsoever food thou wishest to eat with gratification, that give not to thy body, especially when thou art in good health, and that which thou lustest after, eat not; and when thou feedest upon the things which are sent unto thee by God, give thanks unto Him at all seasons, and receive His gracious gift, the delights and the pleasures which we have received through the name of monk, [although] we do not do the works of monks. And [if] it be that thou art a monk, wilt thou then not make thyself strong, lest peradventure thou art arrayed in apparel which is strange to thee? Tell me, O brother, dost thou possess the seal of the service, that is to say, humility? For the holy man who seeth another man sin weepeth bitterly, saying, ‘It is this man who sinneth now, but some time subsequently it may be myself.’ However much then a man may sin before thee, condemn him not, but esteem thyself a sinner far greater than he is, even though he may be a child of this world, and besides there is the fact that he may have sinned greatly against God.”

120. And he said also, “Know thyself, and thou shalt never fall. Give thy soul work, that is to say, constant prayer, and love of God, before another can give it evil [and filthy] thoughts; and pray ye that the spirit of error may be remote from you.”

121. And he also said, “Whatsoever ye do successfully, and what ye boast of, destroy, for it is not right for a monk to boast of his fair deeds, and if he boasteth he will fall.”

122. [And he also said], “When thou prayest speak unto God in a quiet voice and say, ‘How can I possess Thee, O Lord? Thou knowest full well that I am a beast, and that I know nothing. Thou hast brought me to the prime of this life, deliver me then for Thy mercy’s sake; I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaiden, O Lord, by Thy will, vivify Thou me.’ The old man is falsehood, and the new man is truth; the truth is the root of good works, and falsehood is death. If the liar, and the thief, and the calumniator knew that they would finally be made known unto all and [their works] revealed, they would never offend. And thus also was it with the adulterous sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, for they were not priests of the Lord, and they feared not God, and they perished, together with all their house. And the man who taketh hold of, and bindeth to himself, and shutteth within himself the memory of evil things is like unto the man who hideth fire in straw. If thou speakest to a man concerning life, and if thou sayest a word unto him let it be with feeling, and penitence, and with tears; and say thy word to the man who will hearken and will do it, but if not, speak not, lest thou die, and thou depart from this world without any profit from the words whereby thou didst wish to give life unto others. For unto the sinner God saith, ‘What hast thou to do with the Books of My Commandments? for thou hast taken My covenant in thy mouth [only]’ ” (Psalm 50:16).

123. Abbâ Epiphanius said, “Whensoever a thought cometh and filleth thy bosom, that is to say, thy heart, with vainglory or with pride, say thou unto thyself, ‘Old man, behold thy fornication.’ ”

124. And he also said, “If we do evil things God will be unmindful of His longsuffering; but if we do good things, it will not help us greatly because we increase the advantage of freedom, and the merchandise is not plundered thereby, for the will rejoiceth in the striving.”

125. Certain brethren entreated Abbâ Epiphanius on one occasion, saying, “Father, speak unto us some word of life, even though when thou speakest we may not grasp the seed of thy word, because the soil is salt.” Then the old man answered and said unto them, “Whosoever receiveth not all the brethren, but maketh distinctions between them, cannot become a perfect man. If a man revile thee, bless him, whether it be good for both of you, or whether it be not; it will be he who will receive a reward of blessing. This is the right way for a monk to live, and in this way lived Abbâ Arsenius, who took care each day to stand up before God without sin, and he drew nigh unto Him with tears like the sinful woman. In this manner pray to the Lord God—as if He were standing before thee, for He is nigh unto thee and He looketh upon thee. It is right that the man who wisheth to dwell in the desert should be [as] a teacher in his knowledge, and he must not be in need of instruction lest he be swept away by the devils; and he must look into his mind most minutely, both in respect of the things which are above, and those which are below, lest he become a laughing-stock unto them by some means or other. It is right that the manner of life of the man who loveth God should be blameless.”

126. A certain man made answer to the brethren against evil thoughts, saying, “I entreat you, O my brethren, let us cease from ascetic works, and let us give up also anxious thoughts. For what are we? A voice which cometh out of the dust, or a cry which riseth from the mud? When Joseph of Ramah had asked to be allowed to take the body of Jesus, he took it, and wrapped it round in a sheet of clean linen, and then he laid it in a new sepulchre of the new man” (St. Matthew 27:59).

127. On one occasion a certain monk saw a devil who was calling to his fellow to come with him, so that the two together might wake up a monk for service, and might lead him into error thereby, [and cause him to think] that angels had appeared unto him. And the monk heard the voice of the other devil, who made answer to his fellow, saying, “I cannot do this. For once I woke him up, and he stood up and broke me with a terrible breaking, and [all the time he was doing it] he sang psalms and prayed.”

128. A brother asked an old man and said, “Why is it that when I go forth to labour I feel wearied and disgusted in my soul, and my mind is wholly empty of spiritual thoughts?” And the old man said unto him, “Because thou dost not desire to fulfil that which is written, ‘I will bless the Lord always, and His praises shall be ever in my mouth’ (Psalm 34:1). Therefore, whether thou art inside or outside, and whithersoever thou goest thou must not cease from blessing God; not only in actions, but with word and mind thou shalt bless thy Maker. For God doth not dwell in any place which hath bounds and limits, but He is everywhere, and by His Divine Power He sustaineth all things, and is capable of all things.”

129. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen concerning the thoughts which invaded his mind, and he said unto him, “This matter is like unto that of a man who hath a fire on his left hand, and a tank of water on his right hand; if he wisheth to extinguish the fire, he taketh the water from the tank and doeth it, and it is right for a man to act thus every hour. Now the fire is the evil thought, which cometh from enemies, and the water is the pouring out of the soul before the Lord which a man should do.”

130. There was a certain monk who did not do any work whatsoever with his hands, but he prayed without ceasing; and at eventide he would go into his cell and find his bread laid there [for him], and he would eat it. Now another monk came to him, who had upon him [materials] for the labour of his hands, and wheresoever he entered in he worked, and he made the old man, into whose cell he had entered, to work with him. And when the evening had come, he wished according to his custom, to eat, but he found nothing, and he therefore lay down in sorrow; and it was revealed unto him, saying, “Whilst thou wast occupied in converse with Me, I fed thee, but now thou hast begun to work, thou must demand thy food from the labour of thy hands.”

131. They tell the story that on one occasion, whilst the blessed Anthony was dwelling in the desert, thoughts of dejection and despair rose up in his mind, and he was in deep gloom of thought, and said unto God, “Lord, I wish to live, but my thoughts will not permit me to do so. What shall I do in my tribulations to be saved?” And he came a little nearer [to the town] from the place where he was, and he saw a man who was like unto himself, and was in his own form, and he was sitting down and twisting palm leaves into ropes; and this man rose up from his work, and prayed, and afterwards he sat down again and continued his work, and then he stood up once more, and prayed. Now the man was an angel who had been sent from God to correct and to admonish the blessed Anthony, who afterwards heard him say unto him, “O Anthony, do thou also do this and live”; and when Anthony heard this, the blessed man had great joy, and afterwards he did as the angel had done, and lived.

132. They said concerning Abbâ John the Less that, on one occasion, he steeped the palm leaves for two baskets in water, and sewed one basket to the other without perceiving it until he came to the side of it, for his mind was led captive by the sight of God.

133. And Abbâ Daniel used to say concerning Abbâ Arsenius that he would pass the whole night in vigil, and when, for the sake of nature, he wished for the approach of the morning so that he might have some relief, he would struggle against sleep, and say, “Get thee gone, O wicked handmaiden”; then he would snatch a very little slumber and stand up straightway.

134. Abbâ Arsenius used to say, “One hour’s sleep is sufficient for a monk, provided that he be strenuous.”

135. They used to say about a certain monk who lived in a monastery of the brotherhood, that although he kept frequent vigil and prayed he was neglectful about praying with the congregation. And one night there appeared unto him a glorious pillar of brilliant light from the place where the brethren were congregated, and it reached up into the heavens; and he saw a small spark which [flew] about the pillar, and sometimes it shone brightly, and sometimes it was extinguished. And whilst he was wondering at the vision, it was explained to him by God, Who said, “The pillar which thou seest is the prayers of the many [brethren] which are gathered together and go up to God and gratify Him; and the spark is the prayers of those who dwell among the congregation, and who despise the appointed services of the brotherhood. And now, if thou wouldst live, perform that which it is customary to perform with the brethren, and then, if thou wishest to do so, and art able to pray separately, do so.” And the monk related all these things before the brotherhood, and they glorified God.

Stone · 12-07-2021, 03:57 PM

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

CHAPTER IV

OF HOW IT IS MEET FOR US TO WEEP FOR OUR SINS AND TO MOURN FOR THEM ALWAYS

136. A BROTHER asked Abbâ Ammon, and said unto him, “Tell me some word whereby I may live”; and Abbâ Ammon said unto him, “Go and make thy mind like unto the minds of those evil-doers who are in the prison house, and who ask those who go to them, saying, ‘Where is the governor? When will he come here?’ And their minds tremble in fearful expectation. Thus also is a monk bound to wait in expectation always, and he must admonish himself, saying, ‘Woe is me! For how can I stand before the throne of Christ? And how shall I be able to make answer unto Him?’ If thou art able to think thus always thou wilt be able to live.”

137. Abbâ Poemen was once passing through Egypt, and he saw a woman sitting in the cemetery and weeping, and he said, “If every kind of instrument of sweet music in the world were to come [here] they would not be able to change the grief of this woman’s soul [into gladness]; even thus it is meet for a monk to have pain (or grief) within himself.”

138. Three old men once came to Abbâ Sisoes because they had heard that he was a great man. And the first one said unto him, “Father, how can I escape from the river of fire?” And Abbâ Sisoes answered him never a word. Then the second old man said unto him, “Father, how can I escape from the gnashing of teeth, and from the worm which never dieth?” And Abbâ Sisoes answered him never a word. Then the third old man said unto him, “Father, what shall I do? For the remembrance of the outer darkness troubleth me.” And Abbâ Sisoes answered and said unto them, “I never think on any of these things, but I believe that God is Merciful, and that He will shew mercy unto me”; then the old men went away grieved at the answer which Abbâ Sisoes had spoken unto them. Now because he did not wish to send them away sorrowful, he brought them back, and said unto them, “Blessed are ye, O my brethren, for I have been jealous of you”; and they said unto him, “In what matter hast thou been jealous of us?” And he said, “The first one of you spake about a river of fire; and the second spake about the gnashing of teeth and the worm which dieth not; and the third spake about the outer darkness; if remembrances of this kind have dominion over your minds it is impossible for you to commit sin. What can I do who am stubborn of heart? For hardness of heart will not allow me to perceive even that there a punishment for men existeth, and because of this I sin every hour.” And when the old men had heard these words, they made excuses to him, and said, “In very truth according to what we have heard, even so have we seen.”

139. A certain father said that on one occasion when the brethren were eating the food of grace, one of them laughed at table; and Abbâ Sînû saw him, and burst into tears, and said, “What can there be in the heart of this brother who hath laughed? It is meet that he should weep because he is eating the food of grace.”

140. They say that when Abbâ Sisoes was sick the old men who were sitting with him saw that he was talking [to some one], and they said unto him, “What seest thou, O father?” And he said unto them, “Some people came to take me away, and I entreated them to leave me [here] a little longer that I might repent.” Then one of the old men said unto him, “What power hast thou in thee now for repentance?” Abbâ Sisoes said unto them, “If I can do nothing else I can sigh and lament a little over my soul, and this will be sufficient for me.”

141. Certain brethren went to an old man and, making apologies to him, they said, “Father, what shall we do, for Satan is hunting after us?” And he said unto them, “It is right for you to be watchful and to weep continually. My own thoughts are always fixed upon the place where our Lord was crucified, and I sigh and lament and weep about it always;” and thus having received a good example of repentance the brethren departed and became chosen vessels.

142. A brother asked Abbâ Muthues, saying, “Speak a word to me”; and the old man replied, “Cut off from thee contention concerning every matter whatsoever, and weep, and mourn, for the time hath come.”

143. Abbâ Ammon said that he saw a young man who laughed, and he said unto him, “Laugh not, O brother, for if thou dost, thou wilt drive the fear of God out of thy soul.”

144. Abbâ Paule used to say, “I had sunk in the mire up to my neck, and I wept and spake before God, saying, ‘Have mercy on me.’ ”

145. They used to say that Abbâ Theodore and Abbâ ’Ôr put on the skins of lambs for clothing; and they said to each other, “If God were to visit us now what should we do?” and they left [the skins], and departed to their cells weeping.

146. A blessed Archbishop, when he was about to depart from this world, said, “Blessed art thou, O Arsenius, because thou hast remembered this hour.”

147. An old man said, “God dwelleth in the man into whom nothing alien entereth.”

148. A brother asked a certain old man, and said unto him, “My soul desireth tears, even as I have heard that the old men [desire] them, but they will not come to me, and my soul is vexed.” And the old man said unto him, “The children of Israel entered into the land of promise [after] forty years; now tears are the land of promise, and since thou wouldst enter therein thou must not henceforward be afraid of fighting. For God wisheth to bring tribulation upon the soul in this manner in order that it may at all times be wishful to enter into that land [of promise].”

149. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen a question and said unto him, “What shall I do? for my thoughts disturb me, and they say unto me, ‘Thy sins have been forgiven thee,’ and they make me to pry into the shortcomings of the brethren.” Then Abbâ Poemen spake to him about Abbâ Isidore, who dwelt in a cell and wept over his soul, and his disciple used to dwell in another cell; and the disciple came to the old man, and finding him weeping, said unto him, “My father, why weepest thou?” And the old man said unto him, “I am weeping for my sins.” Then the disciple said unto him, “And hast thou any sins, father?” And the old man said unto him, “Indeed I have, my son, and if I were permitted to see my sins, not three or even four men would suffice to weep with me for them.” Then Abbâ Poemen said, “Thus it is with the man who knoweth himself.”

150. I have heard that the old men who lived in Nitria sent to Macarius the Great, who was living in Scete, and entreated him, saying, “In order that all the people may not be vexed, we beseech thee, O our father, to come to us so that we may see thee before [thou departest] to our Lord. And having gone [to them] they all gathered together to him, and the old men begged and entreated him to speak unto the brethren one word of profit; and the holy old man wept, and said unto them, Let us weep, O my brethren, and let us make our eyes to overflow with tears before we go to the place where the tears of our eyeballs will burn up our bodies.” And they all wept, and they fell upon their faces, saying, “Father, pray for us.”

151. When the blessed Arsenius was about to deliver up his spirit the brethren saw him weeping, and they said unto him, “Art thou also afraid, O father?” And he said unto them, “The dread of this hour hath been with me in very truth from the time when I became a monk, and was afraid.” And so he died.

152. And when Abbâ Poemen heard that he was dead, that is to say, that Abbâ Arsenius had gone to his rest, he said, “Blessed art thou, O Abbâ Arsenius, for thou didst weep over thyself in this world. For he who weepeth not for himself in this world must weep for ever in the next. He may weep here voluntarily, or there because of the punishments [which he will receive], but it is impossible for a man to escape weeping either here or there.”

153. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen and said unto him, “What shall I do in the matter of my sins?” And the old man said unto him, “When Abraham went into the Land of Promise he bought himself a grave, and through the grave he inherited the land.” And the brother said unto him, “What is a grave?” Then the old man said unto him, “Weeping and mourning are a grave and a place [of burial].”

154. One of the brethren asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “Father, what shall I do in the matter of my sins?” The old man said unto him, “Whosoever wisheth to blot out his offences can do so by weeping, and he who wisheth to acquire good works can do so by means of weeping; for weeping is the path which the Scriptures have taught us, and the fathers have also wept continually, and there is no other path except that of tears.”

155. And the same old man (i.e., Poemen) said, “There are two things [to remember]: We must fear our Lord, and do good unto our neighbour.”

156. Abbâ Noah asked Abbâ Macarius, and said unto him, “Speak to me a word”; and the old man said, “Flee from the children of men.” Noah said unto him, “Father, what doth it mean to flee from the children of men?” The old man said unto him, “Thou shalt sit in thy cell and weep for thy sins.”

157. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, “What shall I do, father?” The old man said unto him, “It is right that we should sigh and lament always.” Now it happened that one of the old men fell asleep, and that after a long interval he came to himself again, and the brethren asked him, saying, “What didst thou see there, O father?” and he said unto us with many tears, “I heard there the sound of the weeping of many, who were crying out and wailing incessantly, and saying, ‘Woe is me! Woe is me!’ And it is meet that we should always be saying the same thing.”

Stone · 12-07-2021, 03:58 PM

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

CHAPTER V

OF VOLUNTARY POVERTY

158. ABBÂ ARSENIUS once fell sick at Scete, and he was in need of a bowl of pottage; and since this was not to be found there, he took the remains of the Eucharist (or food of grace), and said, “I give thanks unto Thee, O Christ, that, because of Thy name, I am able to receive the food of grace.”

159. There was a certain holy man whose name was Philagrius, who lived in Jerusalem, and he worked with his hands and toiled [to earn] the food which he needed; and the old man rose up to see the work of his hands, and he found a purse containing one thousand darics which had dropped from some one [on the road], and he remained in the place where he was, saying, “The man who lost this will come back seeking for it.” And behold the man did come back, and he was weeping, and the old man took him aside and gave him the darics; and their owner laid hold upon him, and wished to give him some small sum of money, but the old man refused to accept anything. Then the owner of the darics began to cry out and say, “Come ye and see what the man of God hath done”; but the old man fled secretly and departed from the city, lest what he had done should become known, and men should pay him honour because of it.

160. They say that Abbâ Serapion the Bishop went on one occasion to one of the brethren, and found [in his cell] a hollow in the wall which was filled with books; and the brother said unto him, “Speak to me one word whereby I may live.” And the Bishop said unto him, “What have I to say to thee? For thou hast taken that which belongeth to the orphans and widows and laid it up in a hole in the wall.”

161. Abbâ Theodore of Parmê possessed some beautiful books, and he went to Abbâ Macarius and said unto him, “Father, I have three books, and I gain profit from them, and the brethren borrow them from me, and they also have profit from them; tell me, now, what shall I do with them?” And the old man answered and said, “Ascetic labours are beautiful, but the greatest of them all is voluntary poverty.” And when Abbâ Theodore heard these words he went and sold the books and gave the price of them to the poor.

162. They say about a certain monk that when his food came to him he was in the habit of taking so much of it as he needed, [but that if it happened that another man was brought to him he would not accept any of it], saying, “It is sufficient for me; behold my Lord hath fed me.”

163. A certain monk used to live in a cave in the desert, and a message was sent unto him by his kinsfolk, saying, “Thy father is grievously sick, and is nigh to die, therefore come, and inherit his possessions”; and he made answer unto them, saying, “I died to the world long before he will die, and a dead man cannot be the heir of a living one.”

164. An old man was asked by a brother the question, “How shall I live?” Then the old man took off his garment, and girded up his loins therewith, and lifted up his hands and said, “It is meet for a monk to be as naked in respect of this world’s goods as I am of clothing. And in his striving against his thoughts he must stand as upright as a vigorous athlete, and when the athlete contendeth he also standeth up naked, and when he is anointed with oil he is quite naked, and hath nothing upon him; and he learneth from him that traineth him how to contend, and when the enemy cometh against him he throweth dust upon him, which is a matter of this world, that he may be able to grasp him easily. In thyself, then, O monk, thou must see the athlete, and he who sheweth thee how to contend is God, for it is He Who giveth the victory, and Who conquereth for us; and those who contend are ourselves, and the striving is [our] opponent, and the dust is the affairs of the world. And since thou hast seen the cunning of the Adversary, stand thou up and oppose him in thy nakedness, being free from any care which belongeth to this world, and thou shalt overcome [him]. For when the mind is weighted down with the care of the world it cannot receive the holy word of God.”

165. They say concerning Abbâ Arsenius that as, when he lived in the world, his apparel was finer than that of anyone else, so, when he lived in Scete, he wore raiment which was inferior to that of every one else. And when, at long intervals, he came to church, he used to sit behind a pillar so that no one might see his face, and he might not see the faces of others; now his face was like that of an angel, and his hair was as white as snow, and as abundant as [that of] Jacob. His body was dry by reason of his labours, and his beard descended to his belly, but his eyelashes were destroyed by weeping; he was tall in stature, but somewhat bowed by old age and he ended his days when he was ninety-five years old. He lived in the world, in the palace, for forty years, in the days of Theodosius, the great king, who became the father of the Emperors Honorius and Arcadius, and he lived in Scete forty years, and he lived for ten years in the Troja of Babylon which is opposite the Memphis which is in Egypt, and he dwelt for three years in Canopus of Alexandria, and during the two remaining years he came to Troja again, where he died. And he finished his career in peace and in the fear of God.

166. On one occasion a certain Bishop came to the Fathers in Scete, and a brother went forth to meet him, and having met him, he took him and brought him into his cell; and having set before him bread and salt, he said, “Forgive me, O my father, for I have nothing else to set before thee.” And the Bishop said unto him, “I wish that when I come another year I may not find even bread and salt in thy cell.”

167. One of the old men said, “If thou sittest in a place and seest people with abundant provisions, look not at them; but if there be a man who is destitute, look at him as one who hath no bread, and thou shalt find relief.”

168. Abbâ Isaac, the priest of the Cells, used to say that Abbâ Pambô said, “The manner of the apparel which a monk ought to wear should be such that if it were cast outside the cell for three days no one would carry it away.”

169. A certain brother asked one of the old men a question, and said unto him, “Dost thou wish me to keep two darics as provision for the needs of the feebleness of the body?” And the old man, perceiving his mind and also that he wished to keep them, said unto him, “Yea.” Now when the brother had gone to his cell, he became troubled in his mind, and he debated in his thoughts, saying, “Did the old man speak truthfully or not?” Then he rose up, and went back to the old man, and made excuses to him, and said, “For our Lord’s sake, tell me the truth, because my thoughts are troubling me about these two darics.” The old man said unto him, “I spake to thee as I did because I saw that thy mind was to keep them, but it is not necessary for thee to keep the two darics, except only for the need of thy body. But why is thy hope set upon two darics? If by chance they were lost would not God take care of thee? Let us then cast [our] care upon Him, for it belongeth to Him to take care of us continually.”

170. Some of the old men used to tell a story about a gardener who used to work and to give away whatsoever he gained thereby in alms, but subsequently his thoughts said to him, “Gather together a few oboli, lest when thou hast grown old thou fall into want”; so he gathered together some money, and filled a large vessel therewith. And it fell out that he became sick, and the disease seized upon his foot, and he spent the whole of the money in the vessel on the physicians, and was not in the least benefited thereby. At length another physician came unto him and said, “If thou dost not cut off thy foot all thy body will putrefy,” and he came to consider the cutting off of his foot. And in the night he came to himself, and he groaned, and wept, and said, “Remember, O Lord, my former deeds,” and straightway a man appeared behind him, and said unto him, “Where are thy oboli?” and the gardener said immediately, “I have sinned, forgive me”; and straightway the man approached his leg, and it was made whole forthwith, and he rose up, and went to the garden to work. And in the morning the physician came to cut off his foot as he had said, and [the servants] told him, “He went to this work in the night”; and straightway [the gardener] glorified God.

171. Abbâ Agathon saw Abbâ Nastîr wearing two shoulder wrappers, and he said unto him, “If a poor man were to come, and ask thee for a garment, which of them wouldst thou give him?” And Abbâ Nastîr replied, “I would give him the better of them”; and Abbâ Agathon said unto him, “And if another poor man came, what wouldst thou give him?” Abbâ Nastîr saith unto him, “I would give him the half of that which remained.” And Abbâ Agathon said unto him, “Supposing yet another beggar came, what wouldst thou give unto him?” And Nastîr said unto him, “I would cut the half which remained into two pieces, and give one to him, and with the other I would cover my body.” And Abbâ Agathon said unto him, “And supposing yet another beggar were to come?” and Nastîr said, “I would give him what was left. For though I do not wish to receive anything from any man, yet I would go and sit down in some place until God sent me wherewith to cover myself.”

172. The blessed woman Eugenia said, “It is right for us to beg, but only we must be with Christ. He who is with Christ becometh rich, but he who honoureth the things of the body more than the things of the spirit shall fall both from the things which are first and the things which are last.”

173. One of the old men said, “How can a man teach unto his neighbour that which he himself doth not observe?”

174. They say that Abbâ Theodore excelled in the three following things more than any other man, and that he attained in their performance a degree which was greater than that of many, namely, voluntary poverty, self-abnegation, and flight from the children of men.

175. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “He who laboureth and keepeth [the result of] his work for himself is a twofold grief.”

176. Abbâ Isaac used to say to the brethren, “Our fathers and Abbâ Panbô used to wear old garments which were much mended and were patched with rags, but at this present ye wear very costly apparel; get ye gone from this place, for ye have laid the country waste, and I will not give you commandments, for ye will not keep them.”

177. On one occasion a brother came to the church of the Cells wearing a small head-cloth which came down to his shoulders, and when Abbâ Isaac saw him he followed him, and said, “Monks dwell here, but thou art a man in the world, and thou canst not live here.”

178. A certain man, having made himself remote from the world, and divided his possessions among those who were in need, left to himself the remainder of his riches. And when the blessed Anthony heard [this] he said unto him, “Dost thou wish to become a monk? If thou dost, get thee to such and such a village, and take some meat, and lay it upon thy body, and come hither alone”; and having done this the dogs, and the hawks and other birds of prey rent and tore his body. And when he returned to the blessed man, Saint Anthony asked him whether he had done as he had commanded him, and when the man had shewn him his body which was rent and torn, the blessed Anthony said unto him, “Even thus are those who wish to go out from the world, and who nevertheless leave themselves certain possessions, wherefrom arise for their owners war and strife.”

179. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen the question, saying, “An inheritance hath been bequeathed to me; what shall I do with it?” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “Go, and after three days come unto me, and I will give theecounsel.” And the brother came, and Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “What counsel shall I give thee, O brother? If I tell thee to give it to the church, they will make feasts with it; and again, if I tell thee to give it to thy kinsmen, thou wilt have no reward; but if I tell thee to give it to the poor, thou wilt have no [further] care. Therefore go and do with thine inheritance what thou pleasest, for I am not able to advise thee rightly.”

180. A certain man entreated an old man to accept from him a gift of grace for his wants, but he refused to do so because the labour of his hands was sufficient for him; and when he who asked him to accept it persisted, saying, “If thou wilt not accept it for thine own needs, at least do so for the wants of others,” the old man answered and said unto him, “It would be a twofold disgrace [unto me]. First, because I should accept something which I do not want, and secondly, because I should be giving away with boasting the charity of another.”

181. An old man used to say, “It is not right for a man to have any care whatsoever except the fear of God, for,” said he, “although I am forced to take care for the needs of the body, no thought whatsoever concerning anything riseth in my mind before the time when I shall require to make use of it.”

182. The same old man used to say, “When thou risest up, in the morning, say, ‘O body, work that thou mayest be fed; O soul, rouse up that thou mayest inherit life.’ ”

Stone · 12-07-2021, 03:59 PM

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

CHAPTER VI

OF PATTENT ENDURANCE

183. ON one occasion certain brethren went to Abbâ Agathon, because they had heard that he took the greatest possible care that his mind should not be disturbed by anything, and they sought to try him, and to see if his mind would rise [to any matter]; and they said unto him, “Art thou indeed Agathon? We have heard that thou art a whoremonger and a boastful man.” And Agathon said unto them, “Yea, I am.” And again they said unto him, “Agathon, thou art a garrulous and talkative old man”; and he said unto them, “Indeed I am.” And again they said unto him, “Agathon, thou art a heretic”; and he said unto them, “I am not a heretic.” Then they said unto him, “Tell us now why in answer to all these things which we have said to thee thou hast replied, ‘Yea,’ and that thou hast endured them all with the exception of the accusation of being a heretic.” Abbâ Agathon said unto them, “The earlier things I accounted as profitable to my soul, but heresy meaneth separation from God, and I do not wish to be separated from God.” And when the brethren heard [these words] they marvelled at his solicitude, and went away rejoicing.

184. A certain father used to tell the story of a father who had a book wherein were the New Testament and the Old Testament, and the price thereof was more than eighteen darics, and he laid up the book in a hole in the wall; and there came a certain stranger and stayed there, and he coveted the book greatly, and stole it, and departed, but the old man did not go after him, although he knew that he had taken it. And the brother went to a neighbouring village and wished to sell the book, and he asked as its price sixteen darics, and the man who wanted to buy it said unto him, “Give it to me, that I may shew it [to a friend],” and he took it and carried it to the old man who had lost it. Then the old man said unto him, “How much doth he ask for it?” And when he heard how much he said to him, “It is well” (or “it is a good price”). Then the man went and said unto the brother who wished to sell the book, “Behold, I have shewn it to Father So-and-so, and he hath told me that thy price is dear.” And the brother answered and said unto him, “I did not tell thee anything to the contrary,” and the would-be buyer said, “No, thou didst not.” Said the brother, “I will not then sell thee the book,” and straightway he repented, and came to the old man and made excuses to him, and offered him the book, but the old man refused to accept it. And the brother entreated him, saying, “Allow me [to restore it to thee], O father, for if thou dost not accept it I cannot obtain life”; so the old man was entreated, and he took it, and that brother remained with him until his death, and through the patient endurance of the old man he gained life.

185. On one occasion certain philosophers came to the desert to try the monks. And there was living there a man who led a life of fair works, and they said unto him, “Come thou hither,” and his anger rose and he reviled them. Now there passed by a certain great monk who was a Libyan, and they said unto him, “O thou monk who hast grown greyheaded in iniquity, come hither”; and he went to them readily, and they smote him on one cheek, whereupon he turned the other to them. And when they saw this they rose up straightway and worshipped him, and they said, “Verily this is a monk”; then they set him in their midst, and asked him, saying, “What things do ye who are living in the desert do more than we? Ye fast, and we also fast; ye lead pure lives, and we also lead pure lives; whatsoever ye do we also do; what do ye who live in the desert do more than we?” The Libyan said unto them, “We keep watch over our minds”; and the philosophers said unto him, “We are unable to keep watch over our minds.”

186. They say that Abbâ Macarius the Egyptian on one occasion went up from Scete to the Nitrian mountain, and as he drew nigh unto a certain place, he said unto his disciple, “Pass on a little in front of me”; and when he had done so there met him a certain heathen priest, who was running along and carrying some wood about the time of noon. And that brother cried out to him and said, “O minister unto devils, whither runnest thou?” And the priest turned round and smote him with many severe blows, and he left him with but very little breath remaining in him, and he took up his wood and went on his way; and when he had gone on a little further the blessed Macarius met him on his journey, and said unto him, “Mayest thou be helped, O man of labours?” And the priest was astonished, and came to him and said, “What fair thing hast thou seen in me that thou shouldst salute me [in this gracious fashion]?” And the old man said unto him, “I see that thou toilest, and that thou dost not know that thou art toiling for naught”; then he said unto the old man, “At thy salutation I also was very sorry, and I learned that thou didst belong to the Great God. But a wicked monk met me just before thou didst, and he cursed me, and I smote him even unto death.” And the old man knew that it was his disciple [of whom he spake], and the priest laid hold upon the feet of Macarius, and said unto him, “I will not let thee [go] until thou makest me a monk”; and they came to the place where the brother was lying, and they carried him and brought him to the church of the mountain. Now when the fathers saw the heathen priest with him, they marvelled that he had been converted from the error which he had held; and Macarius took him and made him a monk, and through him many of the heathen became Christians. And Abbâ Macarius said, “ ‘An evil word maketh wicked even those who are good, and a good word maketh good even those who are wicked,’ as it is written.”

187. On one occasion thieves came to the cell of an old man, and said unto him, “We have come to take away everything which thou hast in thy cell”; and he said unto them, “My sons, take whatsoever ye please”; and they took everything which they saw in his cell and departed. Now they forgot [to take] a wallet which was hanging there, and the old man took it and ran after them, and entreated them, saying, “My sons, take this wallet which ye have left behind in your cell.” And when the thieves saw this they marvelled at the good disposition of the old man, and they gave back everything which they had taken from his cell, and they repented, and said to each other, “Verily, this man is a man of God.”

188. Abbâ Macarius the monk loved money so little that, on one occasion when thieves came to his cell by night, and took out whatsoever they could find in it, as soon as he perceived what they were doing, he helped them in their work and also to carry [their plunder] out of the desert.

189. They say that once when Abbâ Macarius was absent a thief entered his cell, and that when he returned and found a thief therein loading upon a camel everything which he had in his cell, he also went in and took some of the things and laid them on the camel; and when the thief had loaded the camel, he began to beat it in order to make it rise up, but it would not move. Now when Abbâ Macarius saw that the beast would not stand up, he took a basket which was remaining, and brought it out and laid it on the camel, and said, “The camel wisheth to carry off this also, O brother, and because of this it would not stand up.” Then the old man cried out to the camel, “Stand up,” and straightway, because of the old man’s words, it stood up; but when it had gone forward for a little it lay down again, and it would not rise up until the thief had emptied the whole of its load.

190. And another of the fathers when he was being plundered said unto the thieves, “Make haste, and be quick, before the brethren come.”

191. On one occasion when some men of iniquity, and doers of wickedness, and thieves, rose up against him on the eve of the day of the congregation, an old man said unto the brethren, “Let them do their work, and let us do ours.”

192. And when certain evil-doers rose up against one of the brethren in his cell, he brought forth a basin and entreated them to wash their feet, and the thieves were ashamed and repented.

193. And another brother who was travelling on a journey, and did not know the road, asked a man to shew him the way and to direct him; now the man whom he had asked was an evil-doer, and he led the brother out of his road into a waste place, and he made him to arrive at the river Nile, which he commanded the brother to cross over. And when he began to cross over, behold a crocodile was swiftly pursuing the man who was a thief, but the servant of God, not being unmindful of him, cried out to him, and made known to him concerning the fierce attack which the animal was about to make. Then, the thief having been delivered from death, gave thanks to that brother, and marvelled at his affection, and protected him.

194. The blessed Pîôr was on one occasion working for a man in the fields in the summer time, and he was weary, and reminded the lord of his hire about his wages, and when he delayed [in paying him] Abbâ Pîôr returned to his monastery. And on another occasion, when the time of harvest had arrived, Abbâ Pîôr went to the same man, and reaped his crops with a good will, and he returned to his monastery, the man having given him nothing. And again in the third year Abbâ Pîôr came and helped him to harvest his crops, and when he had made an end of the work of harvest according to custom, and yet received nothing, he departed again to his monastery. Meanwhile the man, who was worthy of blessing, laboured according to his custom in the life and works of spiritual excellence, and rejoiced that he had been defrauded of his hire. And Christ worked upon the lord of his hire in his house, and he took the wages of the blessed man, and went round about among the monasteries seeking for him, and when, after the greatest difficulty, he had found him, he fell at his feet and entreated him to receive his hire. But when the holy man refused the wages and said, “Perhaps thou hast need of them, and as for me God will give me my hire,” the man increased his supplications unto him, and finally the holy man permitted him to give the money to the church.

195. An old man used to say, “We do not advance because we do not know our capacity, and we have not sufficient patience in the work which we begin, and we wish to possess spiritual excellences without working for them, and we go from place to place, and expect to find some spot where Satan is not, and when we see the temptation of Satan in that place whereunto we have been called, he who knoweth what the war is will remain in God. For the kingdom of heaven is within you.”

196. An old man used to say, “If it should happen that a sickness of the body overtake thee, let it not be grievous unto thee, for if thy Lord wisheth thee to be sick in the body, who art thou that thou shouldst be in despair? Doth He not take care for thee in everything? Couldst thou live without Him? Be patient, and entreat thou Him to give thee such things as are helpful, and which are according to His will; and besides this eat thou His food of grace with long-suffering.”

197. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “The certain sign that a monk is a monk is made known by trials (or temptations).”

198. A certain brother was estranged from a fellow monk, and he came to Abbâ Sisoes the Theban, and said unto him, “I am estranged from a fellow monk, and I wish to take vengeance for myself”; and the old man said, “Let us pray.” And whilst he was praying, he said in his prayer, “O God, henceforward we have no need of Thee to take care of us, for we will take vengeance for ourselves”; and when the brother heard these words he fell down at the feet of the old man straightway, and said unto him, “Henceforward I will not enter into judgement with that brother. Forgive me, O Father.” And thus Abbâ Sisoes healed that brother.

199. They say that Abbâ John the Less, the Theban, the disciple of Abbâ Ammon, ministered unto the Abbâ in his sickness for twelve years, and he sat by him when the old man was in a state of exhaustion, and he persevered and endured so patiently, even whilst he was performing great labours, that the old man never once said unto him, “Rest, my son; rest, my son!” And when the old man was about to die, and the other old men were sitting before him, Abbâ Ammon took his hand, and said unto him, “Live, my son, live!” Then he committed him to the old men and said unto them, “This is an angel, and not a man.”

200. Abbâ Paulê and Tîmâth his brother dwelt in Scete, and there was contention between them frequently; and Abbâ Paulê said, “How long are we to remain thus?” Abbâ Tîmâth said unto him, “When I come upon thee bear with me; and when thou comest upon me I will bear with thee.” And from that time they were at peace.

201. Certain brethren asked Abbâ Sisoes a question, and said unto him, “If we are going along a road, and he who is conducting us forgetteth the way, is it necessary for us to tell him?” And Abbâ Sisoes said unto them, “No.” Then a brother said unto him, “Are we then to let him lead us astray?” And the old man said unto him, “What then? Thou hast a stick, canst thou not take it and smite him? Now I knew twelve brethren who were travelling along the road, and in the night time he who was leading them lost the way, and all the brethren knew that he had done so; and every one of them struggled with his thoughts, [and decided] not to tell him. And when the day had come he who had been leading them learned that he had wandered off the road, and he made excuses and said unto them, ‘Forgive me because I lost the way’; and they all said, ‘We all of us knew it, brother, but we held our peace.’ And when he heard this he marvelled, saying, ‘The brethren would endure even unto death and would utter never a word’; and he glorified God. Now the distance which they had wandered from the road was twelve miles.”

202. Certain brethren came unto Abbâ Anthony, and said unto him, “Speak unto us a word whereby we may live”; and the old man said unto them, “Behold, ye have heard the Scriptures, and they are sufficient for you,” and the brethren said, “We wish to hear [a word] from thee also, O father.” Abbâ Anthony said unto them, “It is said in the Gospel, ‘If a man smite thee on the [one] cheek, turn to him the other also’ ” (St. Luke 6:29); and they said unto him, “We cannot do this.” Abbâ Anthony said unto them, “If ye cannot turn the other cheek, continue [to be smitten] on the one cheek”; and they said to him, “And this we cannot do.” The old man said unto them, “If ye cannot do even this, do not pay back blows in return for the smiting which ye have received”; and they said, “We cannot even do this.” Then the old man said unto his disciples, “Make then for the brethren a little boiled food, for they are ill”; and he said to them, “If ye cannot do this, and ye are unable to do the other things, prayers are necessary forthwith.”

203. They used to say that Mother Sarâ, who dwelt above the river and was sixty years old, had never looked out [from her abode] and seen the river.

204. A certain old man dwelt in the desert at a distance of ten miles from the monastery, wherefrom he had always to draw water, and on one occasion the matter became very wearisome to him, and he said, “What is the necessity for me to labour so much? I will come and will take up my abode by the side of this stream.” And having said this, he turned behind him and he saw a man coming after him, and he was counting his footsteps, and he asked him, saying, “Who art thou?” And he answered and said unto him, “I am an angel of the Lord, and I have been sent to count thy footsteps, and to give thee thy reward”; and having heard this the old man was consoled greatly, and he went five miles further from the place wherein he was, and took up his abode there.

205. They say that three thieves went into the cell of Abbâ Theodore, and that two of them laid hold upon him whilst the third carried off the things which he had in his cell; and having taken out even the books which he had there, they were going to carry away his cloak, when he said unto them, “Leave me this”; and as they refused to do so, he moved his arms and hands and hurled the two men who were holding him from him, and when they saw this they were afraid. Then the old man said unto them, “Fear ye not, but divide what ye have taken into four parts, and take three of them, and leave me one.”

206. They used to say that the cave in Patârâ which belonged to Abbâ Chaeremon who was in Scete, was forty miles distant from the church, and twelve miles further from a spring of water. And he used to bring to the church, with the labour of his hands, two pitchers of water, one for each day, and when he was tired he would set one down by the roadside and go back afterwards and fetch it.

207. They used to say that the cell of the blessed Arsenius also was two and thirty miles from the church, but he never went anywhere and others brought him whatsoever he required.

208. The blessed Arsenius never changed the water [wherein he soaked] the leaves which he twisted into ropes except once a year, but he used to add frequently to it, for he twisted palm leaves and sewed them together until the sixth hour [daily]. And the fathers entreated him, saying, “Tell us why thou dost not change the water of the leaves, for it is very foul”; then the old man answered, and said, “It is right that I should endure this foul smell in return for the odours of the sweet scents, and oils, and delightful odours, which I enjoyed when I was in the world.”

209. It is related of a certain old man that if he heard a brother speak evilly to him he would labour very hard to make something which would please the brother who had spoken to him, and that if that brother did not live with him, the old man would send whatsoever he had made to the place where he was.

210. A certain old man used to say, “It is a disgrace for a monk to enter into judgement with the man who hath done him an injury.”

211. A brother asked a certain old man, saying, “Tell me one thing, whereby, if I keep it, I shall live.” The old man said unto him, “If thou canst endure being reviled and cursed, this command is the greatest of all the commandments.”

212. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “What shall I do to my heart which flaggeth and is frightened if a little toil, and tribulation overtake me, or if temptation come upon me?” The old man said unto him, “Therefore we should wonder and admire the righteous man Joseph who, being only a very young man—that is to say, seventeen years of age—was sold into slavery into the land of Egypt, the land of the worshippers of idols, and he endured temptations, and God made him glorious to the end.”

213. And he said also, “We may consider also the blessed Job, who never became slothful, for he persevered in his trust in his God, and his enemies were not able to shake him from his hope.”

214. On one occasion the brethren who were in Scete were cleaning and dressing palm leaves, and there was among them a man who had become ill through his excessive spiritual labours, and he was coughing, and bringing up clots of phlegm and spittle; and as he spat, involuntarily, some of the spittle fell upon a certain brother. Then the mind of that brother on whom the spittle had fallen said unto him, “Tell that brother not to spit upon thee”; but straightway he licked up the spittle, and he turned and said to his mind, “Thou hast not licked up the spittle, therefore do not tell him not to spit upon thee.”

215. Abbâ Poemen used to say that John Colob, who made entreaty unto God, and [his] passions were removed from him, and he was set free from anxious care, went and said unto a famous old man, “I perceive that my soul is at rest, and that it hath neither war nor strife [to trouble it].” Then the old man said unto him, “Go and entreat God to let war and strife come unto thee again, for it is through war and strife that the soul advanceth in spiritual excellence.” And afterwards, whensoever war stood up before him, he did not pray, “O Lord, remove striving from me,” but he made supplication unto God, saying, “O Lord, give me patience to endure the strife.”

216. There was a certain man who had within himself love and affection for the brotherhood, and who never had in his mind any evil thought whatsoever; and a certain brother stole some things and brought [them] and deposited them with him, and the man did not consider or perceive by what means the brother had obtained them. Now some days later the matter was discovered, and it was pointed out to the owner of the things that they had been deposited with the old man, who made excuses to them, saying, “Forgive ye me, for I repent.” And after a few days the brother who had stolen the things came to him, and he began to demand [them from] the old man, and said unto him, “Thou thyself didst take the things”; and the old man made excuses to him, saying, “Forgive me”; and the old man brought out all the work of his hands, and gave it to him, and the brother took it and departed. Now the disposition of the old man was such that, if one of the brethren committed a fault, and denied it, he would make excuses for him, saying, “It was I who did this thing”; thus meek and humble was the holy man, and he never wronged any man even by the least word.

217. A certain brother lived by himself, and he was disturbed in his mind, and went and revealed the matter to Abbâ Theodore of Parmê. And the old man said unto him, “Go and humble thy mind, and submit thyself to live with the brethren”; and he went and did as the old man had told him, and took up his abode with other men. And he went back to the the old man, and said unto him, “Father, I am not content to dwell with other men”; then the old man said unto him, “If thou art not content to live either by thyself or with others, why didst thou come out to be a monk? Is it not necessary for thee to endure trials? Tell me, how long hast thou lived this life?” And the brother said unto him, “Eight years.” The old man said unto him, “Verily I have led the life I lead now for seventy years, and not one pleasure hath come in my way [the whole time], and yet thou wishest to find pleasure (or rest) in eight years!”

218. A certain brother, who had vanquished Satan in everything, subsequently had his eyes blinded by Satan so that he could not see, yet this blessed man did not pray for himself, and that he might be able to see, but he only prayed that he might be able to endure patiently his trial; and through his constancy his eyes were opened.

219. A monk was smitten by a man on the leg and was severely injured, but the holy man was neither angry nor wroth with him that had smitten him, [but he nursed the place wherein he had been wounded, and made excuses to the man who had struck him].

220. Abbâ Arsenius used to say, “When an unbaked [or moist] brick is laid in the foundations of a building by the river-side, it will not support it, but if it be burnt in the furnace it will support the building like a stone. And thus it is with the man who possesseth a carnal mind, and who doth not become hot and burn with heat, even as did Joseph with the word of God, for when he cometh to have dominion he will be found to be wanting. For very many of those upon whom trials have come have straightway been swept away and have fallen. It is therefore a good thing for a man to know the gravity of dominion, and to be required to bear trials, which are like the onset of many mighty waters, so that he may remain firm and unmoved.” And of this holy man Joseph—if a man wisheth to have the story told—Arsenius used to say that “He was not a being of earth at all—so much was he tempted. And [consider] the country [of Egypt] wherein formerly there was not even a trace of the fear of God! But the God of his fathers was with him, and He delivered him out of all his tribulations, and Joseph is now with his fathers in the kingdom of heaven; and let us also make supplication with all our might that we too may in the same manner be able to flee from and escape from the righteous judgement of God.”

221. They say that there was with Abbâ Isidore, the priest of Scete, a certain brother who was infirm in his mind, and he was a man who used abusive language and possessed very little intelligence, and Abbâ Isidore wished to turn him out from his abode; and when that brother came to the door of the monastery, the old man said once again, “Bring him to me,” and he rebuked him, saying, “Brother, be silent, lest through thy little intelligence and thine impatience thou provoke our Lord to anger”; and thus by his longsuffering Abbâ Isidore quieted that brother.

222. A lover of ascetic labours saw a man carrying a dead person on a bier, and he said unto him, “Dost thou carry a dead man? Go and carry the living.”

223. They say that there was a certain monk who, whenever he found a man reviling and cursing him, used to run towards him with all his power, saying, “These [words] are the causes of spiritual excellence in those who are strenuous, for those who ascribe blessing to a man disturb the soul, as it is written, ‘Those who ascribe blessing to you lead astray your soul.’ ”

224. Certain old men came unto an old man who dwelt in the desert that they might reveal unto him their thoughts, and might profit by his knowledge, and they found some young men outside his cell who were pasturing sheep, and they were saying unto one another words which were unseemly. And the old men said unto the old man, “Father, how is it that thou dost not command these young men not to curse?” And the old man said unto them, “My brethren, believe me, I have many times wished to command them [not to do so], but I have rebuked myself, saying, ‘If thou canst not endure this little thing, how couldst thou bear some severe trial if it were to come upon thee?’ I have therefore never said anything to them, so that the matter might be a cause of remembering that I have to endure the things which are to come.”

225. A certain brother ministered unto one of the fathers who was sick, now his disease was decline of the body, and he used to bring up foetid pus; and the mind of the brother said unto him, “Flee from him, for thou canst not endure this foetid smell.” Then the brother took an earthen vessel and put into it some of the water in which the old man had washed, and when he was thirsty he used to drink some of it; and his mind began to say unto him, “Flee not, but drink not of this filthy water.” But that brother laboured on greatly in respect of the water in which the sick man had washed, and although his soul shrank from that filthiness, he persevered in drinking it; and God saw his labour and tribulation, and He changed the filthy washing water which was in the earthen vessel into clean water, and He healed that old man.

226. One of the monks wished to go out from his monastery and to wander about so that he might have a little relaxation and enjoyment, and when they saw him, an old man said unto him, “Seek not gratification in this world, O my son, but work rather and persevere therein in the invincible power of the Holy Trinity.”

227. Abbâ Moses used to say, “Secret withdrawal [from work] maketh dark the mind, but for a man to endure and to persevere in his works maketh light the mind in our Lord, and it strengtheneth and fortifieth the soul.”

228. And he used to say also, “Bear disgrace and affliction in the Name of Jesus with humility and a troubled heart; and shew before Him thy feebleness, and He will become unto thee might.”

229. Certain people praised one of the brethren before the blessed Anthony, and when that brother came to the blessed man the old man put him to the test, and he found that he could not bear contempt and contumely. And the old man said unto him, “Thou art like unto a palace the front of which is decorated and beautiful, but the back whereof hath been broken into by thieves and plundered.”

230. A brother asked an old man a question, saying, “What shall I do?” And the old man said unto him, “Go and learn to love putting restraint upon thyself in everything.”

231. One of the old men said concerning Lazarus, the poor man, “We cannot find that Lazarus ever did one excellent thing except that he never murmured against the rich man as being one who had never shewn him an act of mercy; but he bore his infirmity with the giving of thanks, and because of this God took him to Himself.”

232. Abbâ Macarius used to say, “If contumely be accounted by thee as an honour, and blame as praise, and poverty as wealth, thou wilt not die.”

233. A certain brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “What mean the words, ‘If a man be angry with his brother without a cause?’ ” (St. Matthew 5:22.) The old man said unto him, “If thy brother make use of oppression, and wrong, and fraud in respect of thee, and thou art angry with him [because of them], thou art angry with him without a cause. And if he tear out thy right eye, or cut off thy right hand, and thou art angry with him, thou art angry with him without a cause; but if a man wisheth to separate thee or to put thee away from God, then to be angry and wroth with him is a good thing.”

234. There were two men in the desert who were brethren in the flesh, and a devil came to separate them from each other; and one day the younger brother lit a lamp and set it upon a candlestick, but, by the agency of the Evil One, he overturned the candlestick and extinguished the lamp. Then the elder brother was angry and smote him, and the younger brother made excuses to him, saying, “Have a little patience with me, and I will light the lamp again.” Now when God saw his patient endurance, He punished that devil until the morning, and the devil came and told the prince of devils what had happened; and there was with the prince of devils a certain priest of idols, and straightway this man left everything, and he went and became a monk. And at the very beginning he laid hold upon humility, saying, “Humility is able to bring to naught all the power of the Adversary, even as I have heard from the devils, who said, ‘Whensoever we stir up the monks, they turn to humility, and they make excuses one to the other, and thus they do away all our power.’ ”

235. Abbâ Poemen said, “Abbâ Isidore, the priest of the church, on one occasion spake to the people, saying, My brethren, when ye are working in a certain place it is not strength to depart therefrom because of the labour; and as for myself, I wrap myself up in my cloak and I go to the place where labour is, and labour becometh unto me a pleasure.”

236. Paesius, the brother of Abbâ Poemen, had an affection for the people who were outside his monastery, and Abbâ Poemen did not wish this to be, and he rose up and fled to Abbâ Ammon, and said unto him, “My brother Paesius hath made a promise of love to certain folk, and I am not pleased thereat.” Abbâ Ammon said unto him, “Poemen, thou art still alive. Go, and sit in thy cell, and meditate in thy mind, saying, ‘Behold, there is a year for thee in the grave.’ ”

237. There were two monks who lived in one place, and an old man came to them, and wishing to put them to the test, he took a stick, and began to beat to pieces the garden herbs of one of them; and when one monk saw him doing this, he hid himself. And when only one root was left, the other brother said unto him, “Father, if it please thee, leave me this root that I may boil it and we may eat together.” Then the old man made excuses to that brother, and said unto him, “The Spirit of God hath rested upon thee, O my brother.”

Stone · 12-07-2021, 04:00 PM

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

CHAPTER VII

OF OBEDIENCE TOWARDS GOD, AND TOWARDS OUR FATHERS AND BRETHREN

238. THEY say that Abbâ John, the disciple of Abbâ Paulê, possessed great obedience. Now in the place where they used to live there was a sepulchre, wherein dwelt a savage panther, and Abbâ Paulê saw in it a few little heaps of goods, and he said unto John, “Go to the sepulchre and bring me some of the things from there”; and John said unto him, “My father, what shall I do with the panther?” And the old man laughed and said unto him, “If he cometh against thee, tie him up and bring him here”; so John went there at eventide, and the panther came against him, and when he went to lay hold of him the animal fled from him. Then John pursued him, saying, “My father told me to fetter thee,” and he seized him, and bound him with cords. Meanwhile the old man was very much troubled about John, and he was sitting waiting for him anxiously; and behold, he came dragging along the panther which was tied with ropes, and the old man saw and marvelled. Then the brother said unto him, “Father, behold, I have taken prisoner the panther according as thou didst command, and I have brought him here”; and the old man, wishing to remove from him the occasion for boasting, smote him, and said, “Thou hast brought a wandering dog!” and he untied the animal and let him depart.

239. Abbâ Joseph used to say, “There are three things which are held in honour before God: first, when a man is sick, and he addeth to his toil, and receiveth it with thanksgiving; secondly, when a man maketh all his works to be pure before God, and when he hath in them no human consideration; thirdly, when a man submitteth himself to authority, and obeyeth his father, and setteth aside his own will. Such a man hath one crown the more, but I personally would choose the sickness.”

240. They used to say that Abbâ Sylvanus had in Scete a disciple whose name was Mark, and that he possessed to a great degree the faculty of obedience; he was a scribe, and the old man loved him greatly for his obedience. Now Sylvanus had eleven other disciples, and they were vexed because they saw that the old man loved Mark more than them, and when the old men who were in Scete heard [of this] they were afflicted about it. And one day when they came to him to reprove him about this, Sylvanus took them, and went forth, and passing by the cells of the brethren, he knocked at the door of each cell, and said, “O brother, come forth, for I have need of thee”; and he passed by all their cells, and not one of them obeyed him quickly. But when they went to the cell of Mark, he knocked at the door and said, “Brother Mark,” and as soon as Mark heard the voice of the old man, he jumped up straightway, and came out, and Sylvanus sent him off on some business. Then Sylvanus said unto the old men, “My fathers, where are the other brethren?” And they went into Mark’s cell, and looked at the quire of the book which he was writing, and they saw that he had begun to write [one side of] the Greek letter o (or ω), and that as soon as he heard the voice of his master, [he ran out] and did not stay to complete the other side of the letter. Now when the old men perceived these things, they answered and said unto Sylvanus, “Verily, O old man, we also love the brother whom thou lovest, for God also loveth him.”

241. On another occasion the mother of Mark came to see him, and she had with her an abundant company of members of her household; and an old man went forth to her, and she said unto him, “Abbâ, tell my son to come forth and see me”; and the old man went in, and said to him, “Go forth and see thy mother.” Then Mark wrapped himself up in rags, and blackened his face by standing up in the sooty chimney, and he went forth thus fulfilling the behest of his master, and shutting his eyes, he said unto those [who were with his mother], “Live ye! Live ye!” but he did not look at them. Now his mother did not recognize him, and she sent in again to the old man a message, saying, “Send me my son, O father, so that I may see him.” Then the old man said unto Mark, “Did I not tell thee to go out and see thy mother?” And he said unto him, “Father, I went forth according to thy word, but I beseech thee do not tell me to go forth again, lest peradventure I feel myself compelled to disobey thee”; and [the old man] spake with her, and quieted her, and sent her away in peace.

242. And they used to tell about two brethren who lived in a monastery, and who both had arrived at a high grade in the ascetic life; the one devoted himself to an austere life of self-denial and poverty, and the other was obedient and humble. And being angry with each other they wished to know which of the two [kinds of] service was the greater, and they went down to the river where there were many crocodiles, and that brother who possessed the faculty of obedience went in, and stood up among them, and they all worshipped him. Then he cried out to his fellow who was a mourner, and said unto him, “Forgive me, O my brother, I have not yet attained to such a high degree of faith as thou hast”; and when they returned to the monastery, the head of the monastery heard a voice, saying, “The man who obeyeth is better than the man who leadeth a life of voluntary poverty.”

243. Abbâ Daniel used to say, “On one occasion Abbâ Arsenius called me and said unto me, ‘Make thy father to be gratified, so that when he goeth to our Lord, he may make entreaties to Him on behalf of thee, and good shall be unto thee.’ ”

244. A certain brother was engaged in a war against Satan, and he told the matter to Abbâ Herakles; and wishing to strengthen and confirm him the old man told him the following story:—There was a certain old man who had a disciple, and he had been very obedient unto him for many years, and when the war came upon him, he made a request to his master, saying, “I beseech thee to make me a monk.” And his master said unto him, “Seek out a place for thyself, and we will build a cell for thee, and thou shalt become a monk.” So the disciple went and found a place, which was distant from his master about one hundred paces, and he made himself a cell. Then the old man said unto that brother, “Whatsoever I say unto thee, that do. When thou art hungry, eat; and when thou art thirsty, drink; and sleep, but thou must not go out from thy cell until the Sabbath Day, when thou shalt come to me.” Then the old man went back to his cell. And the brother did according as the old man told him for two days, but on the third day he became dejected, and wearied, and said, “What hath the old man done for me, seeing that he hath not commanded me to make prayers?” Then he rose up and sang more Psalms than usual, and after the sun had set he ate his food, and he rose up, and went, and lay down upon his mat; and he saw, as it were, an Ethiopian who stood up and gnashed his teeth at him, and the monk, by reason of his great fear, ran quickly to his master, and he knocked hastily at his door, saying, “Father, have mercy upon me, and open to me immediately.” Now because the old man knew that he had not kept his commandment he refused to open the door to him until the morning, and when he opened the door in the morning, he found him [there], and as the brother entreated him to be allowed to enter, the old man had compassion upon him and brought him in. Then he began to say unto the old man, “I beseech thee, O father, [to believe me]. When I went to lie down to go to sleep, I saw a black Ethiopian on my bed.” The old man said unto him, “This [happened] because thou didst not keep my words.” Then he laid down a rule for him which was suitable to his strength and to the monastic life, and dismissed him, and little by little he became an excellent monk.

245. A man who wanted to be a monk came to Abbâ Sisoes the Theban, and the old man asked him, if he had any possession whatsoever in the world, and he said, “I have one son”; and the old man, wishing to find out if he possessed the faculty of obedience, said unto him, “Go, and throw him in the river, and then come, and thou shalt be a monk,” and because the man was obedient he went straightway to do it. Now when he had departed the old man sent another brother to prevent him from doing this thing, and when the man had taken up his son to throw him into the river, the brother said unto him, “Thou shalt not cast him in.” Then the man said unto him, “My father told me that I was to cast him in,” and the brother replied, “He told me that thou wast not to cast him in,” so the man left him, and came [unto the old man], and through his obedience he became a chosen monk.

246. The Abbâ who was in Îlîû used to say, “Obedience cometh into existence because of obedience; for if a man obeyeth God, God also will obey him.”

247. On one occasion four brethren came to Abbâ Pambô from Scete, and they were wearing skins, and each one of them, whilst his neighbour was absent, recounted [to him] his works, [saying], the first one fasteth very often, and the second leadeth a life of poverty, and the third possesseth great love, and concerning the fourth the other three said, “He hath been in subjection to the old men for twenty-two years.” Then Abbâ Pambô said unto them, “I say unto you that the spiritual excellence of this man is great. Each of you hath chosen the ascetic virtue which he possesseth according to his own wish, but this man hath cut off his own desire, and hath performed the will of others; and those who are thus will, if they keep these things to the end, become confessors.”

Stone · 12-07-2021, 04:01 PM

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

CHAPTER VIII

OF SCRUPULOUS WATCHFULNESS IN OUR THOUGHTS AND WORDS ANB DEEDS

248. ABBÂ POEMEN used to say, “Satan hath three kinds of power which precede all sin. The first is error, and the second is neglect (or laxity), and the third is lust. When error hath come it produceth neglect, and from neglect springeth lust, and by lust man fell; if we watch against error neglect will not come, and if we be notnegligent, lust will not appear, and if a man worketh not lust, he will, through the help of Christ, never fall.”

249. They used to say that there was a certain father who was [occupied] in great works, and that [on one occasion], when he was singing the Psalms and praying, one of the holy men came unto him, and he heard him striving with his thoughts, and saying, “How long for the sake of one thought wilt thou go through all this?” Then the man who had come thought that the father was striving with another man, and he knocked at the door before going in to make peace between them; but when he had gone inside he saw no other man there. And because he possessed some authority over the father, he said unto him, “Father, with whom wast thou striving?” And he said, “With my thoughts. For I can repeat fourteen Books, but if I hear one little word outside it will make useless my service to me, and [the repetition] of all these Books will be in vain. And this word only cometh and standeth before me at the season of prayer, and it is because of this that I strive.” And when the holy man heard [these things], he marvelled at the spiritual excellence and purity of the old man, and how openly he had told him about his war.

250. One of the old men used to say, “The Prophets compiled the Scriptures, and the Fathers have copied them, and the men who came after them learned to repeat them by heart; then hath come this generation and [its children] have placed them in cupboards as useless things.”

251. A disciple of Abbâ Ammon told the following story: “On one occasion when we were singing the service, my mind became confused, and I forgot the verse in the Psalm; and when we had ended the service Ammon answered and said unto me, ‘Whilst I was standing up during the service it seemed that I was standing on fire and was being consumed, and my mind was unable to make me turn aside either to the right hand or to the left. And as for thee, where was thy mind when we were singing the service? for thou didst omit a verse from the Psalm. Didst thou not know that thou wast standing in the presence of God, and that thou wast speaking unto Him?’ ”

252. A certain brother came to dwell in a cell with one of the fathers, and he told him of a thought whereby he was afflicted; and the old man said unto him, “Thou hast left upon the earth the excellent service of the fear of God, and thou hast taken and hast laid hold upon a staff made of a reed, that is to say, evil thoughts. Take unto thyself the fear of God, which is the fire, and as soon as they come nigh unto thee they shall be burned like reeds.” Now this man was, according to what his disciple related about him, a great old man, and for twenty years he never lay upon either of his sides, but slept upon the seat whereon he sat to work. Sometimes he ate once in two days, and at other times once in four days, and at others once in five days, and in this manner he passed twenty years. Now I said unto him, “What is this which thou doest, O father?” And he said unto me, “Because I set the judgement of God before my eyes I cannot be negligent, for I keep in remembrance [the fact that] my sins are many.

253. Whilst Abbâ Arsenius was dwelling in Canopus of Alexandria a certain noble lady came to him; she was a virgin, and was exceedingly rich, and she feared the Lord, and she was from Rome and had come to see Abbâ Arsenius. Now Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, received her, and she begged him to entreat the old man to receive her. Then Theophilus went to Abbâ Arsenius and entreated him, saying, “Such and such a noble lady hath come from Rome, and she wisheth to see thee, and to be blessed by thee”; but the old man refused to receive her. And when Theophilus informed her that the old man refused to receive her, she commanded them to make ready the beasts [for travelling], and she said, “By God, I believe that I shall see him. I did not come to see men, for there are men in my own city, but I came to see a prophet.” And when she came outside the cell of the old man, he happened, through the working of God, to be there, and she saw him, and fell down at his feet; then he lifted her up eagerly, and looking at her, said, “If thou wishest to look upon my face, behold, look”; but she by reason of her bashfulness, was not able to look upon his face. Then the old man said unto her, “Hast thou not heard about my works, and that I am a sinner? For it is these which it is necessary for thee to see. How didst thou dare to travel hither by ship? Didst thou not know that thou wast a woman, and that it was incumbent upon thee not to go forth anywhere? Wouldst thou go back to Rome and make a boast to the women [there] that thou hast seen Arsenius, and dost thou wish to make the sea into a road whereby women shall come unto me?” And the lady said unto him, “Please God I will not let any woman come unto thee; but pray for me that God may have me in remembrance always.” Then Abbâ Arsenius said unto her, “I will pray to God that He may blot out the memory of thee from my heart”; and when she heard these words she went forth, being afraid. Now as soon as she had come to the city a fever began to come upon her because of her grief of mind, and the people told the Bishop, saying, “That noble lady is ill”; and he came to her, and entreated her that he might learn the cause of her sickness.Then she said unto him, “Would that I never had journeyed thither! For I said unto the old man Arsenius, ‘Make mention of me in prayer,’ and he said unto me, ‘I will pray unto God that He may blot out the remembrance of thee from my heart,’ and behold I shall die of grief.” And the Archbishop said unto her, “Dost thou not know that thou art a woman, and that the Enemy doeth battle with the holy men by means of women? It was for this reason that the old man spake as he did; for thy soul, however, he will pray always.” And the noble lady remembered [these things] in her mind, and she rose up, and went to her country with gladness.

254. They say that Abbâ Hôr (or Ôr) of the Cells dwelt for twenty years in the church, and that he never once lifted his eyes and saw the roof thereof.

255. Abbâ Ammon asked Abbâ Poemen about the unclean thoughts which a man begetteth, and about vain lusts; Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “Peradventure shall an axe boast itself without him that heweth therewith? (Isaiah 10:15.) Do not henceforward aid these thoughts and they will come to an end.”

256. They say concerning Abbâ Paphnutius, the disciple of Abbâ Macarius, that when he was a youth he used to look after the oxen with others of his companions; and they went to take some cucumbers to the animals, and as they were going along one of the cucumbers fell, and Abbâ Paphnutius took it up and ate it, and whensoever he remembered this thing, he used to sit down and weep over it with great feeling.

257. One of the fathers went to Abbâ Akîlâ and saw that he was throwing up blood from his mouth, and he asked him, saying, “What is this, O father?” and the old man said unto him, “It is a word. I was vexed with a certain brother, and I was engaged in a strife of which I knew nothing, and I made supplication to God that it might be taken from me; and straightway that word became blood in my mouth, but when I spat it up I was relieved, and I forgot my vexation.”

258. One of the old men used to say: “We were going [on one occasion] to the mountain of the blessed Anthony to visit Abbâ Sisoes, and when he sat down to eat there came up to us a young man who begged for alms; and when we were beginning to eat, the old man said, ‘Ask that young man if he wisheth to come in and eat with us.’ Now when one had said this to him, the young man refused [to do so], and the old man said, ‘Let whatsoever is left over by us be given to him to eat outside.’ Then the old man brought out a jar of wine which he kept for the Offering, and he mixed for each one of us a cup, but he gave to the young man two cups, whereat I smiled, and said unto him, ‘I also will go outside, and thou shalt give me two cups of wine also.’ Abbâ Sisoes said, ‘If he had eaten with us he would have drunk the same quantity as ourselves, and he would have have been convinced that we did not drink more than he did; but now he will say in his mind, These monks enjoy themselves more than I do. It is good therefore that our conscience should not hold us in contempt.’ ”

259. One of the old men came to another old man who was his companion, and as they were talking together one of them said, “I have died to the world”; and his companion said, “Have no confidence in thyself that this is so until thou goest forth from the world, for although thou sayest, ‘I have died,’ Satan is not dead.”

260. A brother asked Abbâ Sisoes, saying, “Tell me a word [whereby I may live].” The old man saith unto him, “Why dost thou urge me, O brother, to speak a useless word? Whatsoever thou seest me do, that do thyself.”

261. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “Is it possible for a man to keep hold upon all thoughts, and not to give any of them to the Enemy?” The old man said unto him, There are some of them who give ten and keep one, and “there are some who give one and keep ten.” And the brother told this saying to Abbâ Sisoes, who said, “There are some who do not give even one [thought] to the Enemy.”

262. Abbâ Joseph asked Abbâ Sisoes, saying, “How many times is it right for a man to cut off his passions?” The old said unto him, “Dost thou wish to learn when thou must cut them off?” and Joseph said unto him, “Yes.” Abbâ Sisoes said unto him, “Whensoever passion cometh cut it off immediately.”

263. Abbâ Nastîr and a certain brother were walking together in the desert, and they saw a serpent, and both took to flight; and the brother said to Nastîr, “Father, art thou also afraid?” The old man said unto him, “My son, I am not afraid, but it was a beneficial thing for me to flee, for otherwise I should not have been able to escape from the thought of the love of approbation.”

264. Certain men who lived in the world came to see Abbâ Sisoes, and though they spoke much he held his peace and answered them never a word; at length one of them said to his companions, “My brethren, why do ye trouble the old man? He eateth not, and for this reason he is not able to talk.” And when the old man heard this, he made answer unto them straightway, and said, “My sons, I eat whensoever I feel the need of eating.”

265. On one occasion a certain judge of the district wished to see Abbâ Poemen, but the old man refused [to see him]. And, like a crafty man, the judge made an excuse, and seized Abbâ’s nephew, and threw him into prison, saying, “Unless Abbâ cometh and maketh entreaty on his behalf he shall not go out.” Then Abbâ’s sister came and stood by the door of his cell and wept for her son, but although she importuned him greatly, he did not give her an answer; now when the woman saw this she began to revile him, saying, “O thou who possessest mercy of brass, have mercy upon me, for my son is the only [child] I have.” And Abbâ Poemen sent her a message, saying, “Poemen hath no sons,” and thus she departed. And when the judge heard [these things] he answered and said, If Abbâ, will only give the order I will release him”; and after this the old man sent him a message, saying, “Examine and consider his case according to the Law, and if he be worthy of death, let him die; and if he be not do whatsoever thou pleasest with him.”

266. They say that in the mountain of Abbâ Anthony seven brethren dwelt, each of whom used to watch in the date season and drive away the birds; and among them was an old man who, when it was his day for watching [the dates], used to cry out, saying, “Depart, O ye evil thoughts, from within, and depart, O ye birds, from without.”

267. On one occasion the Arabs came and plundered Abbâ Sisoes and the brother who was with him of everything they had, and being hungry, the brethren went out into the desert to find something to eat. And when they were some distance from each other, Abbâ Sisoes found some camel dung, and he broke it, and found inside two grains of barley; and he ate one grain and placed the other in his hand; and when the brother came, and found that he was eating, he said unto him, “Is this love? Thou hast found food, and thou eatest it by thyself and hast not called me [to share it with thee].” Abbâ Sisoes saith unto him, “I have not defrauded thee, O brother, for behold, I have kept thy share in my hands.”

268. Mother Sarah used to say, “Whensoever I put my foot on the ladder to go up, before I ascend it I set my death before mine eyes.”

269. A certain brother came to Abbâ Theodore and entreated him to shew him how he twisted palm leaves, and he sent him away, saying, “Go away, and come here to-morrow morning.” Then the old man rose up straightway, and put some leaves to soak in water, and made ready, and when the brother came in the morning he shewed him [how to make] one or two plaits, and he said to him, “Work thus”; and the old man left him and went to his cell. And at the proper season the old man took him food and made him eat, and he rose up and went away; and when he came [back again] in the morning, the old man said unto him, “Why didst thou not take some palm leaves with thee? Take some now, and get thee gone, for thou hast made me fall into the temptation of caring about things,” and he did not allow him to come inside [his cell] again.

270. On one occasion Abbâ Muthues went from Re‘îth to Mount Gebêl, and he had with him his brother’ Awsâbh, and Kântîrsâ, the Bishop, took the old man and made him a priest. And when they were eating together the Bishop said unto him, “Forgive me, Abbâ, for I know that thou didst not wish for this thing, but I ventured to do this thing that I might be blessed by thee.” Then the old man said unto him with a meek spirit, and with a sorrowful mind, “I will labour in this work, though I must be separated from this my brother who is with me, for I cannot endure the making of all the prayers.” The Bishop said unto him, “If thou knowest that he is worthy I will make him a priest also”; and Abbâ Muthues said unto him, “Whether he be worthy [or not] I do not know, but one thing I know, and that is, that he is better than I am,” so the Bishop laid his hands upon him and made him a priest also. And they ended their lives together, but one of them never approached the altar for the purpose of offering up the Offering, for the old man used to say, “By God, I hope that ordination doth not make it obligatory on me to do so, because I cannot offer up the Offering, for ordination belongeth unto those who are pure [only].”

271. A certain brother in Scete called one of his companions to come to him in his cell to wash his feet, and he did not go; and twice and thrice he said, “Come to [my] cell, and wash thy feet,” and he went not. And at length the brother went to him, and made excuses to him, and entreated him to go with him, and he rose up and went; and the brother said unto him, “How is it that thou didst not come when I entreated thee so often to do so?” And he answered and said unto him, “Whilst thou wast speaking my will would not consent to my coming, but when I saw that thou wast doing the work of monks, that is to say, repenting, then I rejoiced and came.”

272. On one occasion when the old man Zeno was walking in Palestine, he became weary, and he sat down by the side of a cucumber bed to eat; and his thought said to him, “Take a cucumber and eat, for of what value is one cucumber?” And he answered and said to his thought, “Those who steal go to torment; try thy soul, then, and see if it be able to endure the torment.” And he crucified himself in the heat for five days, and having tortured himself he said unto his thought, “I cannot endure that torment; how then can the man who cannot do this steal and eat?”

273. They say that on one occasion, when it was time for Abbâ Poemen to go to the congregation for the service, he sat down for about one hour examining and passing judgement upon his thoughts, and that at the end of this time he went forth.

274. They say that a certain old man dwelt by himself in silence, and that a son of the world used to minister unto him continually; and it happened that the son of that son of the world fell sick, and his father entreated the old man to go with him to his house and to pray over him, and, when he had entreated him to do so often, the old man went forth and departed with him. And the man went before him and entered the village, and he said unto the people thereof, “Come forth to meet the monk”; now when the old man saw the people from afar off, and perceived that they had come forth to meet him carrying lanterns, straightway he stripped off his garments, and dipped them in the river, and he began to wash them, being naked. And when the man who ministered unto him saw [this], he was ashamed, and he entreated the people of the village, saying, “Get ye back, for the old man hath certainly gone mad”; then he approached the old man, and said unto him, “Father, what is this which thou hast done? For all the people are saying that the old man hath a devil.” And the old man said, “This is what I wished to hear.”

275. Paesius on one occasion had strife with the brother who was with him whilst Abbâ Poemen was sitting by, and they fought with each other until the blood ran down from both their heads; and although the old man saw [them] he uttered no word whatsoever. Then Abbâ Job came and found them fighting, and he said to Poemen, “Why hast thou let these brethren fight, and hast said nothing to them whilst they have been fighting?” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “They are brethren, and will become reconciled again.” Abbâ Job said, “What is this that thou hast said? Thou seest that they continue to fight, and yet thou sayest that they will be reconciled again.” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “Thou must think in thy heart that I am not here.”

276. Mother Sarah sent a message to Abbâ Paphnutius, saying, “Dost thou think that thou art doing God’s work in allowing thy brother to be reviled?” Abbâ Paphnutius saith, “Paphnutius is here doing the work of God, and I have no concern whatsoever about man.”

277. The old man Poemen used to say, “Thou shalt have no dealings whatsoever with a child of the world, and thou shalt hold no converse with women”; and he also said, “Thou shalt possess no knowledge of the judge (or governor), lest, when thou hearest his words, thou perform his work.”

278. One of the old men used to say, “I have never taken one step forwards without first of all learning where I was about to set my foot, and I have neither crossed my boundary to walk on a height, nor have I descended into a deep place, and been troubled by so doing; for my only care hath been to beseech God until He brought me forth from the old man.”

279. On one occasion the brethren were gathered together in Scete that they might enquire into the history of Melchisedek, and they forgot to invite Abbâ Copres to be with them; finally, however, they did call him, and they enquired of him concerning the matter. And he smote three times on his mouth, and said, “Woe be to thee! Woe be to thee, O Copres, for thou hast left undone what God commanded thee to do, and thou art enquired of concerning the things which God hath not demanded of thee”; and they all left the place and fled to their cells.

280. An old man used to say, “Freedom of speech (or boldness) is a wind which parcheth, and it smiteth the fruit at the harvest.”

281. An old man used to say, “The act of despising oneself is a strong fence for a man.”

282. The old man said, “The withdrawal in secret [from works] maketh dark the understanding, but the persisting in endurance with vigilance illuminateth and strengtheneth the soul of a man.”

283. An old man used to say, “Laughter and familiar talking are like unto the fire which kindleth among the reeds.”

284. Certain heretics came on one occasion to Abbâ Poemen, and they began to calumniate the Archbishop of Alexandria, and to speak evil things concerning him, and they sought to prove that as they had received consecration from the priests, they were consecrated like [other] priests; and the old man held his peace. Then he called his brother, and said unto him, “Make ready a table and make them eat,” and he dismissed them that they might depart in peace.

285. Some of the old men asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “If we see one of the brethren committing sin, wouldst thou have us rebuke him?” And the old man said unto them, “If I had some business which made me pass by him, and in passing by him I saw him committing sin, I should pass him by and not see him.”

286. And the old man also said, “It is written, ‘Whatsoever thine eyes have seen, that declare.’ But I say unto you, that unless ye have not first touched with your hands, ye shall not testify. For on one occasion the devil led astray a brother in a matter of this kind. This brother saw a brother committing sin with a woman, and the war being strong against him, he went to them, thinking that what he saw was really a man and a woman, and he kicked them with his foot, and said, ‘Enough, enough, how long [will ye act thus]?’ And suddenly he discovered that the things were sacks of wheat. For this reason I say unto you that unless ye have felt with your hands ye should not offer rebuke.”

287. One of the fathers related a story, saying:—On one occasion in Scete when the clergy were offering up the Offering, something which was like unto an eagle descended upon the Offering, and no man saw the appearance except the clergy; and one day a brother questioned the deacon about the matter, and the deacon said unto him, “I am not at leisure now [to discuss it].” And afterwards when the time arrived for the Offering, and the clergy went in as usual to offer It up, the form of the eagle did not appear as it did before; and the priest said unto the deacon, “What is this? The eagle hath not come as usual, and the fault of this lieth either upon me or thee. But get thee gone from me, and if the eagle then appeareth and descendeth, it will be evident that it did not come down now because of thee, and if it doth not descend thou wilt know that the fault is mine.” Now as soon as the deacon had departed, the eagle appeared as usual, and after the Office had been said, and the service was ended, the priest said unto the deacon, “Tell me what thou hast done.” And the deacon, wishing to shew him everything, made excuses, saying, “I am not conscious in my soul of having committed any sin, except when a brother came to me, and asked me a question on the matter, and I made answer to him, saying, ‘I am not at leisure [to talk] with thee.’ ” Then the priest said, “It was because of thee that the eagle came not down, for the brother was offended at thee”; and straightway the deacon went to the brother, and expressed his contrition, and entreated him [to forgive] him his offence.

288. They used to speak about a certain father, who for seven years asked God to give him a certain gift, and [at length] it was given unto him; and he went to a great old man and told him about the gift, and when the old man heard thereof, he was grieved, and said, “What great labour!” Then he said unto the father, “Go and spend seven years more in entreating God that the gift may be taken away from thee, for it will do thee no good”; and the old man went, and did as he had told him until the gift was taken away from him.

289. A certain brother dwelt in a cell outside his village, and he had passed many years without going into the village; and he said unto the brethren who were with him, “Behold, how many years have I lived here without going into the village, whilst ye are always going therein.” Now Abbâ Poemen was told about this man, and that he used to say words of this kind to the brethren, and he said, “If I were [that man] I would go up and walk round about in the village during the night, so that my thoughts might not be able to boast themselves that I had not gone into it.”

290. One of the fathers said, “God beareth with the sins of those who live in the world, but He will not endure the sins of those who live in the desert.”

291. Abbâ Job used to say, “Since the time when I was [first] called by the Name of Christ, falsehood hath never gone forth from my mouth.”

292. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “If a man dwelleth with a youth, however much he may guard his thoughts he maketh a means for sin.”

293. A certain brother asked an old man, saying, “What shall I do because of my negligence?” The old man said unto him, “If thou wilt root out this small plant, which is negligence, a great forest will come into being.”

294. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “Do not dwell in a place wherein thou seest that there are those who have envy against thee, for if thou dost thou wilt never advance.”

295. Abbâ Chronius used to say, “The man who dwelleth with a youth will, unless he be mighty, go downwards, and if he be mighty, even though he doth not go downwards temporarily, yet he will never advance in spiritual excellence.”

296. Abbâ Anthony used to say, “There are some monks who vex their bodies with the labours of abstinence and self-denial, and who, because they have not found understanding, are remote from the path of God.”

297. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “Teach thy heart to keep that which thy tongue teacheth.”

298. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “One man is thought to be silent, yet his heart condemneth others, and he who is thus speaketh everything; and another speaketh from morn until evening, and yet keepeth silence, but such a man speaketh not without profit.”

299. I have heard that there were two old men who dwelt together for many years, and who never quarrelled, and that one said to the other, “Let us also pick a quarrel with each other, even as other men do.” Then his companion answered and said unto him, “I know not how a quarrel cometh,” and the other old man answered and said unto him, “Behold, I will set a brick in the midst, and will say, ‘This is mine,’ and do thou say, ‘It is not thine, but mine’; and from this quarrelling will ensue.” And they placed a brick in the midst, and one of them said, “This is mine,” and his companion answered and said after him, “This is not so, for it is mine”; and straightway the other replied and said unto him, “If it be so, and the brick be thine, take it and go.” Thus they were not able to make a quarrel.

300. There was a certain brother who lived a life of very strict seclusion, and the devils, wishing to lead him astray, [used to appear] to him, when he was sleeping at night, in the form of angels, and wake him up to sing the Psalms and pray, and they would shew him a light. And he went to an old man, and said unto him, “Father, the devils come to me with a light and wake me up to sing and pray”; and the old man said unto him, “Hearken not unto them, O my son, for they are devils, but, if they come to wake thee up, say unto them, ‘When I wish to rise up I will do so, but unto you I will not hearken.’ ” And when they came to wake him he said unto them what the old man had told him, and they said unto him forthwith, “That wicked old man is a liar, and he hath led thee astray. For a certain brother came to him and wished to borrow some oboli on a pledge, and although he had money to lend, he lied and said, ‘I have none,’ and he gave him none, and learn from this thing that he is a liar.” Then the brother rose up early in the morning and went to the old man and related unto him everything which he had heard, and the old man said unto him, “The matter is thus. I had some oboli, and a brother came and asked me for some money, and I would not give him any because I saw that if I did so we should arrive at the loss of [our] soul[s]. And I made up my mind that I would treat with contempt one of the commandments, and not ten, and [therefore] we came to enmity [with each other]. But do thou hearken not unto the devils who wish to lead thee astray.” And when he had been greatly confirmed by the old man, that monk departed to his cell.

301. Abbâ Isaac, the priest of the Cells, said, “I saw a certain brother reaping the harvest in the field, and he wanted to eat one ear of wheat; and he said to the owner of the field, ‘Dost thou wish me to take one ear of wheat to eat?’ And the owner of the field wondered (now he profited greatly therefrom), and said unto him, ‘My son, the field is thine, and dost thou ask [my] permission to eat?’ To this extent did that brother shew scrupulous care.”

302. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, “What shall I do? For the thoughts which make war with me are many, and I know not how to contend against them.” The old man said unto him, “Do not strive against them all, but against one, for all devilish thoughts have only one head, and it is necessary for a man to understand and to make war upon this head only, for afterwards all the rest will perforce be brought low. Just as in war, if on one side a very mighty man appear, the men on the other side use every means in their power to set up in opposition to him a mighty man who is stronger than he is, because, if he be able to hurl down that chief, all the rest will take to flight and be vanquished. In this same manner there is one head to all the thoughts which come from devils, whether it be fornication, or riotous living, or love of money, or wandering about from place to place, for if thou wilt first of all recognize it and wilt drive it out, it will not lead thee astray in respect of other things.” And [when] that chief thought came, and stood up and fought against him, he recognized which it was, and contended against it only.

303. Abbâ Lôt went to Abbâ Joseph, and said unto him, “Father, according to my strength I sing a few Psalms, and I pray a little, and my fasting is little, and my prayers and silent meditations [are few], and as far as lieth in my power I cleanse my thoughts, what more can I do?” Then the old man stood up, and spread out his hands towards heaven, and his fingers were like unto ten lamps of fire, and he said unto him, “If thou wishest, let the whole of thee be like unto fire.”

304. A certain brother entreated one of the old men to interpret to him some words which he had asked him, saying, “If I see a man doing something, and I tell others about it, I mean not by way of passing judgement upon him, but merely for the sake of conversation, would this be considered as evil talk of the thoughts?” The old man said unto him, “If there be any motion of passion the repetition is wicked, but if it be free from passion the repetition is not wicked, but speak in such a way that evil increase not.” And another brother made answer to the old man, and said, “If I come to one of the old men and ask him, saying, ‘I wish to dwell with such and such a man, [may I do so?]’ and I know at the same time that it will not be profitable for me, what answer must he make me? If he saith, ‘Thou shalt not go,’ hath he not condemned that man in his mind?” Then the old man answered and said unto him, “This refinement [of thought] is not [given] to many, and I do not regard it as a sure matter. If there be any passion in the motion of the soul I should say that he would injure himself; but in words there is no power [to do so]. And as to ‘What is he bound to say?’ I say that I do not know, if his soul be [not] free [from passion]; but if it be free from passions he will not condemn any man, and he will condemn himself, and say, ‘I am a changeable person,’ now perhaps [this] will not help thee, but if he be a man of understanding he will not go.” Now the old man did not speak concerning wickedness, but only that wickedness might not be multiplied.

305. Abbâ Arsenius said unto Abbâ Alexander, “When thou hast finished the work of thy hands, come to me and we will eat; but if strangers come, eat with them, and do not come to me.” Now Alexander continued at his work late, and when the time for the meal had arrived, and palm leaves were still standing before him, although he was anxious to keep the word of the old man, he also wanted to finish up the leaves, and then to go to him. Now when the old man saw that Abbâ Alexander delayed [in coming] to eat, he thought that it was because strangers had come to him. And when Abbâ Alexander had finished his work he went to the old man, who said unto him, “Did strangers come to thee?” And Alexander said unto him, “No, father.” Then the old man said unto him, “Why hast thou delayed [in coming]?” And Alexander answered and said unto him, “Because thou didst say unto me, ‘When thou hast finished thy leaves come to me’; and paying heed to thy word, and having finished [my work], behold, I have come.” And the old man marvelled at this scrupulous obedience, and said unto him, “Make haste and perform thy service of praise and prayer, and bring it to an end, and drink some water, for if thou dost not do it quickly thy body will become sick.”

306. Abbâ Poemen used to say often, “We need nothing except a watchful and strenuous heart.”

307. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “How is it right for me to live in the place wherein I am?” The old man saith unto him, “Acquire the thought of sojourning in the place where thou livest, and desire not to cast thy word among the multitude, or to be the first to speak, and thou wilt find rest.”

308. Abbâ Agathon said concerning Abbâ Mûaîn that, on one occasion, he made fifty bushels of wheat into bread for the needs of the community, and then laid it out in the sun, but before it became dry and hard he saw something in the place which was not helpful to him, and he said to the brethren who were with him, “Arise, let us go hence”; and they were greatly grieved. And when he saw that they were grieved, he said unto them, “Are ye troubled about the bread? Verily I have seen men take to flight and forsake their cells, although they were well whitewashed and contained cupboards which were filled with books of the Holy Scriptures and service books, and they did not even shut the cupboard doors, but departed leaving them wide open.”

309. Abbâ Copres used to say, “Blessed is the man who beareth temptation with thanksgiving.”

310. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “The mighty ones have been many, and those who never felt envy have been many, and they have neither been jealous in an evil way, nor have they stirred up their own passions.”

311. Abbâ Sisoes used to say, “Seek the Lord, and search [Him] out, but not only in the place where [thou] dwellest.”

312. An old man used to say, “Eat not before thou art hungry; lie not down to sleep before thou art sleepy; and speak not before thou art asked a question.”

313. An old man used to say, “Prepare not a table before the time when thou art alone, and speak not before thou art asked a question, and if thou art asked a question, speak that which is fair and helpful, and not that which is evil and destructive.”

314. Abbâ Euprepius said, “If thou art not certain in thyself that God is faithful and mighty, believe in Him, and associate thyself with those who are His, but if thou art doubtful thou canst not believe. For we all believe and confess that God is mighty, and we are certain that all things are easy for Him [to do]; do thou then also shew thy belief in Him by thy works, for in thee also He worketh miracles, and doeth wonders, and sheweth forth marvels.”

315. Abbâ Theodore used to say, “If thou hast affection for a man, and it happeneth that he fall into temptation, stretch out thy hand to him, and lift him up therefrom, but if he fall into heresy, and will not be persuaded by thee to return, cut him off from thee immediately, lest, if thou tarry long with him, thou be drawn unto him, and thou sink down into the uttermost depths.”

316. One of the fathers used to tell the story of Abbâ John, the Persian, who by reason of the abundance of his spiritual excellence arrived at goodness; now this man used to dwell in the Arabia of Egypt. And on one occasion he borrowed one dînâr from a brother, and bought some flax to weave, and a brother came and entreated him, saying, “Give me a little flax that I may make a tunic for myself”; and he gave it to him with joy; and then another [brother] entreated him, saying, “Give me a little flax that I may make myself a turban,” and he gave unto him also, and the man departed. And many other brethren borrowed from him, and he gave them [the flax] with rejoicing; but finally the owner of the dînâr came, and wanted to take it back. Then the old man said unto him, “I will go and bring it to thee,” but as he had no place wherefrom he could give it to him, he rose up and went to Abbâ Jacob, so that he might persuade him to give him a dînâr wherewith to repay the brother; and as he was going he found a dînâr lying on the ground, but he was not disposed to offer it to him, so he prayed and returned to his cell. And the brother came again and pressed him to let him have what was his own, and the old man said unto him, “Have patience with me this time only, and I will bring it to you.” And he again rose up and went to that place where he had found the daric, and, having made a prayer, he took it. And he came to the old man Jacob, and said unto him, “As I was coming to you, O father, I found this dînâr on the road. Do now, O father, an act which is worthy of love, and make a proclamation throughout these boders, for perhaps some one hath lost the dînâr, and if its owner be found, give it unto him.” Then the old man went, and made a proclamation for three days, and he could not find the man who had lost the dînâr. Then the old man said unto Abbâ Jacob, “If no man hath lost the dînâr give it unto that brother to whom I owe one, for I was coming to obtain one from thee for the Lord’s sake, when I found it.” And the old man Jacob marvelled at him, because, although he owed a dînâr, and had found one, he did not immediately take it and pay his debt. Now this habit also was found with that old man who owed the dînâr: if any man came and wanted to borrow something from him, he did not give it unto him with his own hands, but he said unto him, “Take for thyself whatsoever thou wishest”; and when the man brought back that which he had taken, the old man would say unto him, “Place it where thou didst take it from,” and if he did not bring it back he would say to him nothing at all.

317. Abbâ Daniel used to say that on one occasion certain fathers came from Alexandria to see Abbâ Arsenius, and one of them was the brother of Timothy, Patriarch of Alexandria, and they were taking his nephew also. Now the old man was ill at that season, and he did not wish to spend much time with them, lest, peradventure, they should come to visit him another time and trouble him; and he was then living in Patârâ of Estôrîs, and the fathers went back sorrowfully. And it happened on one occasion that the barbarians invaded the country, and then Abbâ Arsenius came and dwelt in the lower countries; and when those same fathers heard [of his coming] they went to see him, and he received them with gladness. Then the brother who belonged to them said unto him, “Father, knowest thou not that when [these fathers] came to thee on the first occasion at Estôrîs thou didst not protract thy conversation with us?” The old man said unto him, “My son, ye ate bread, and ye drank water, in very truth, but I refused to eat bread and drink water, and I would not sit upon my legs through torturing myself, until the time when I knew from experience that ye must have arrived at your homes, for I knew that for my sake ye had given yourselves trouble.” Thus they were pleased and gratified in their minds and they departed rejoicing.

318. Abbâ Daniel used to say: Abbâ Alexander dwelt with Abbâ Agathon, and the old man loved Abbâ Alexander because he was a man of labour, and he was gentle and gracious. And it happened that all the brethren were washing their linen armcloths in the river, and Alexander was quietly washing his with them; but the brethren said unto Abbâ Agathon, “Brother Alexander doeth nothing,” and the old man, wishing to quiet his disciples, said unto him, “Wash well, O brother, for the armcloth is [made] of linen.” Now when Alexander heard [this] he was grieved, and afterwards the old man entreated him, saying, “What then? Do I not know that thou canst wash well? But I spake as I did to thee before them so that I might rebuke their minds by thine obedience.”

319. They used to say that one day when Abbâ John came to the church which was in Scete he heard the brethren quarrelling with each other, and that he went back to his cell, and went round it three times, and then entered it; now the brethren saw him, and they expressed their contrition to him, saying, “Tell us why thou didst go round thy cell three times.” And he said unto them, “Because the sound of the quarrel was still in my ears, and I said, ‘I will first of all drive it out from them, and then I will go into the cell.’ ”

320. They used to say about Abbâ ’Ôr that whilst other monks would give a pledge for the palm leaves when they wished to buy, he would never give any pledge whatsoever, but whensoever he required leaves he would send the price of them, and take them. Now his disciple went on one occasion to buy leaves, and the gardener said unto him, “A man gave me a deposit, but he hath not taken away his leaves, and therefore thou mayest take them”; and having brought them he came to the old man and related unto him the matter as it had happened. And when the old man heard it, he wrung his hands, and said, “’Ôr will not work this year,” and he did not cease [to importune] his disciple until he had returned the palm leaves to their [proper] place.

321. They used to tell the story of a certain brother who never ate bread, but only unleavened cakes soaked in water; and whenever he visited the monks when they sat down to eat he would set before himself unleavened cakes and eat [them]. And it happened that one day he went to a certain great Sage, and there also visited him at the same time other strangers, and the old man boiled a few lentiles for them; and when they sat down to eat that brother also brought out his soaked cakes, and set them before himself, and ate them. Now when the old man saw this, he held his peace and did not rebuke him before the brethren who happened to be there, but when they rose up from the table, he took him aside privately, and said unto him, “O brother, if thou goest to visit a man do not reveal thy rule of life, but eat with the brethren that thou mayest not think within thyself that thou art better than they, and so condemn them. But if thou wishest to keep hold upon thy self-denial, sit in thy cell and do not go out of it.” Then the brother was persuaded by the old man, and he ate with the brethren what they ate so as to deceive them, according to what the old man had said.

322. A certain father whose name was Eulogius, having led a life of great austerity and labour in Constantinople, obtained great fame and reputation; and he came to Egypt in order that he might see something more excellent, and when he heard about Abbâ Joseph he came to him, expecting to see a very much more laborious form of life than his own. And the old man received him with gladness, and said unto his disciple, “Make some distinction in the food which ye have to prepare, and let it be suitable for strangers.” Now when they had sat down to eat, those who were with Abbâ Eulogius said, “Bring a little salt, for the father will not eat this”; but Abbâ Joseph ate, and drank, and held his peace. And Eulogius passed three days with him, but he never heard them singing the Psalms, and he never saw them praying, for every act of worship which they performed was in secret; and he went forth from them having profited in no wise. And by the Providence of God it happened that they lost their way, and they returned the same day, and they came and stood at the door of the old man’s cell; and before they could knock at the door, Eulogius heard them singing the Psalms inside, and having waited for a long time, they knocked, and immediately those of the company of Joseph who were singing inside stopped. Now when Eulogius and those who were with him had gone inside the old man received them again with gladness, and because of the heat which they had endured, Abbâ Joseph’s monks gave Eulogius [some] water to drink; and this water was a mixture, part being sea water and part being river water, and when Eulogius had tasted it he was unable to drink it. Then he repented within himself, and he went in to Abbâ Joseph and fell down at his feet, and entreated him to be allowed to learn his rule, for he wished so to do, and he said, “What doth this mean? When we were with you ye sang no Psalms, but as soon as we have left you ye perform services overmuch. And when I want to drink water I find it to be salt.” The old man said unto him, “It was brother Sylvanus who did this, and he mixed the water without knowing”; and Eulogius entreated him [to tell him about it], for he wished to learn the truth. Thereupon Abbâ Joseph said unto him, “That mixture of wine which we drink we drink for the sake of the love of Christ, but the brethren always drink this water.” And Abbâ Joseph taught him the difference [between their rules of life], and that he toiled in secret and not before the children of men; and he ate a meal at the same table with them, and he partook of whatsoever was set thereupon; and Eulogius learned that, even as the old man had said, Abbâ Joseph performed his ascetic labours in secret, and having profited greatly he departed with gladness, giving thanks unto God.

323. On one occasion there was a feast, and the brethren were eating in the church; and there was among them a brother who said unto him that ministered at the tables, “I do not eat boiled food, but bread and salt,” and the servant cried out to certain other brethren before the whole assembly, saying, “Such and such a brother doth not eat boiled food, therefore bring him salt.” Then one of the old men came to that brother, and said unto him, “It would have been better for thee this day to have eaten flesh in thy cell than that this word should have been heard before the whole assembly.”

324. On one occasion Ammon came to the brethren, and the brethren expressed contrition, saying, “Tell us a word [whereby we may live].” The old man said unto them, “It is this: we must travel along the path of God with due order.”

325. They used to say that the face of Abbâ Panbô never smiled or laughed. Now one day when the devils wished to make him laugh, they hung a feather on a piece of wood, and they carried it along and danced about therewith in great haste, and they cried out, “Hâilâw, Hâilâw.” Now when Abbâ Panbô saw them, he laughed, and the devils began to run and jump about, saying, “Wâwâ, Abbâ Panbô hath laughed.” Then Abbâ Panbô answered and said unto them, “I did not laugh [for myself], but I laughed at your weakness, and because it needeth so many of you to carry a feather.”

326. On one occasion a certain brother committed an offence in the coenobium, and in the places which were therein a certain old man had his abode; now he had not gone out of his cell for many years. And when the Abbâ of the coenobium came to the old man he told concerning the folly (or offence) of that brother, and about his transgression. Then the old man answered and said, “Drive him out from you”; and when that brother was driven out, he departed and went into a reedy jungle, and as some brethren happened to pass by to go to Abbâ Poemen they heard the voice of the brother weeping; and they went in and found him in great labour, and they entreated him to let them take him with them to Abbâ Poemen, but he would not be persuaded [to go], and said, “I will die here.” And when they came to Abbâ Poemen they told him about him, and he entreated them, saying, “Go to that brother, and say ye unto him, Abbâ Poemen calleth thee”; now when the brother learned that Abbâ Poemen had sent the brethren to him, he rose up and went. And when Abbâ Poemen saw that he was sorrow-stricken, he rose up and gave him the salutation of peace, and smiling with him, gave him [food] to eat. Then he sent his brother to the old man, saying, “For many years past I have greatly longed to see thee, because I have heard about thee, but through negligence both of us have been prevented from seeing each other. Now therefore that God wisheth it, and the opportunity calleth, I beg thee to trouble thyself [to come] hither, and we will each welcome the other.” Now, as I have already said, the old man had up to that time never gone out of his cell. And when the old man heard the message, he said, “If God had not worked in him he would not have sent for me”; and he rose up and came to him; and having saluted each other, they sat down with gladness. And Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “There were two men living in one place, and both of them had dead, and one of them left weeping for his own dead and went and wept over that of his neighbour”; and when the old man heard these words he repented, and he remembered what he had done, and said, “Abbâ Poemen is above in heaven, but I am down, down, on the earth.”

327. An old man used to say, “It is right for a man to keep his work in all diligence so that he may lose nothing thereof; for if a man worketh even a very little, and keepeth it, his work remaineth and abideth.” And the old man used to narrate the following matter: An inheritance was left unto a certain brother, and whilst he was wishing to make therefrom a memorial to him that had died, a certain brother who was a stranger came to him, and he roused him up in the night saying, “Arise, and help me to sing the service.” Then the stranger entreated him, saying, “Leave me, O my brother, for I am away from labour, and I cannot [get up]”; and the brother who had welcomed him said, “If thou wilt not come, get up and depart from this place”; and the stranger rose up and departed. And at the turn of the night he saw in his dream him who had driven him out giving wheat to the baker, and that the baker did not give him [back] even one loaf of bread; and he rose up and went to an old man and related unto him the whole matter even as it had taken place, and the old man said unto him, “Thou hast performed a beautiful action, but the Enemy hath not allowed thee to receive the reward [thereof].” And after these things the old man said that [this] story was a proof according to which it is right for a man to be watchful and to guard his work with great care.

328. An old man said, “The Calumniator is the Enemy, and the Enemy will never cease to cast into thy house, if he possibly can, impurity of every kind, and it is thy duty neither to refuse nor to neglect to take that which is cast in and to throw it out; for if thou art negligent thy house will become filled with impurity, and thou wilt be unable to enter therein. Therefore whatsoever the Enemy casteth in little by little do thou throw out little by little, and thy house shall remain pure by the Grace of Christ.”

329. On one occasion Abbâ Poemen entreated Abbâ Macarius with frequent supplication, saying, “Tell me a word [whereby I may live]”; and the old man anwered and said unto him, “The matter which thou seekest hath this day passed from the monks.”

330. Abbâ Nicetas used to tell about two brethren who had met together, and who wished to dwell together; and one of them thought, saying, “Whatsoever my brother wisheth that will I do,” and similarly the other meditated, saying, “Whatsoever will gratify my brother that will I do.” Now when the Enemy saw this, he went to them and wished to separate each from the other, and as he was standing before the door, he appeared unto one of them in the form of a dove, and to the other in the form of a raven. Then one of them said unto his companion, “Seest thou this dove?” and the other replied, “It is a raven.” And they began to quarrel with each other, neither of them yielding to his companion, and they stood up and fought with each other, even unto blood, and at length, to the joy of the Calumniator, they separated. And after three days they came to themselves and were sorry for what had happened, and they went back and lived together in peace as they did formerly, and each expressed his sorrow unto the other. And each of them devoted himself to performing the will of his companion, and they lived together until the end.

331. One of the old men used to say, “If thou seest a man who hath fallen into the water, and thou canst help him, stretch out thy staff to him, and draw him out, lest, if thou stretch out thy hand to him, and thou art not able to bring him up, he drag thee down and both of you perish.” Now he spake this for the sake of those who thrust themselves forward to help other people who are being tempted, and who, through wishing to help [others] beyond their power, [themselves] fall. It is right for a man to help his brother according to the power that he hath, for God demandeth not from a man that which is beyond his strength.

332. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, “Supposing that I find sufficient for my daily wants in any place, dost thou wish me not to take care for the work of my hands?” The old man said unto him, “However much thou mayest have, do not neglect the work of thy hands; work as much as thou canst, only do not work with an agitated mind.”

333. An old man used to say, “When the soldier goeth into battle he careth for himself only, and so also doth the watchman; let us then imitate these men, for riches, and family, and wisdom, without a correct life and works, are dung.”

334. An old man used to say “I await death evening, and morning, and every day.”

335. The same old man used to say also, “As he who is a stranger is not able to take another stranger into the house of one by whom he hath not been entreated to enter, so also is it in the case of the Enemy, for he will not enter in where he is not welcomed.”

336. Abbâ Epiphanius said, “He who revealeth and discovereth his good work is like unto the man who soweth [seed] on the surface of the ground, and doth not cover it up, and the fowl of the heavens cometh and devoureth it; but he who hideth his good works is like unto the man who soweth his seed in the furrows of the earth, and he shall reap the same at harvest.”

337. Abbâ Epiphanius used to say, “Whensoever a thought cometh and filleth thy breast, that is to say, thy heart, with vainglory or pride, say thou unto it, ‘Old man, behold thy fornication.’ ”

338. And he also said, “O monk, take thou the greatest possible care that thou sin not, lest thou disgrace God Who dwelleth in thee, and thou drive Him out of thy soul.”

339. The old men said, “Let no monk do anything whatsoever without first of all trying his heart [to see] that what he is about to do will be [done] for God’s sake.”

340. One of the fathers asked a youthful brother, saying, “Tell us, O brother, is it good to hold one’s peace or to speak?” then that young brother spake unto him, saying, “If the words [to be said] be useless, leave them [unsaid], but if they be good, give place to good things, and speak [them]. Yet, even though the words be good, prolong not thy speech, but cut it short, for silence is best of all.”

341. Rabbâ Paul the Great, the Galatian, used to say, “The monk who living in his cell hath some small need, and who goeth out to provide therefor, is laughed at by the devils.”

342. The blessed woman Eugenia said, “It is helpful to us to go about begging, only we must be with Jesus, for he who is with Jesus is rich, even though we be poor in the flesh. For he who holdeth the things of earth in greater honour than the things of the Spirit falleth away both from the things which are first and the things which are last. For he who coveteth heavenly things must, of necessity, receive the good things which are on the earth. Therefore it belongeth unto the wise to await not the things which now exist [here], but the things which are about to be, and the happiness which is indescribable, and in this short and trouble some life they should prepare themselves therefor.”

343. On one occasion when Abbâ Arsenius was living in the lower lands, and was troubled, he determined to leave his cell without taking anything from it, and he departed to his disciples in the body, that is to say, to Alexander and Zoilus. Then he said to Alexander, “Arise, and go back to the place where I was living”; and Alexander did so; and he said to Zoilus, “Arise; and come with me to the river, and seek out for me a ship which is going to Alexandria, and then come back, and go to thy brother.” Now Zoilus marvelled at this speech, but he held his peace; and thus they parted from each other, and the old man Arsenius then went down to the country of Alexandria, where he fell ill of a serious sickness. And his disciples went back and came to the place where they had been formerly, and they said to each other, “Perhaps one of us hath offended the old man, and it is for this reason that he hath separated from us”; but they could not find in themselves anything with which they had ever offended him. Now the old man became well again, and he said, “I will arise and go to the fathers,” and he journeyed on and came to Patârâ where his disciples were. Now when the old man was nigh unto the river-side a young Ethiopian woman saw him, and she came behind him, and drew near him, and plucked his raiment; and the old man rebuked her. Then the maiden said unto him, “If thou art a monk, depart to the mountain.” Now the old man being somewhat sad at this remark, said within himself, “Arsenius, if thou art a monk, depart to the mountain”; and afterwards his disciples Alexander and Zoilus met him, and they fell down at his feet, and the old man threw himself down [on the ground] also, and he wept himself, and his disciples wept before him. And the old man said unto them, “Did ye not hear that I have been sick?” And they said unto him, “Yes.” And the old man said, “Why did ye not seek to come and see me?” And Abbâ Alexander said, “Because the way in which thou didst leave us was not right, and because of it many were offended, and they said, ‘If they had not wearied (or pressed) the old man in some way he would never have separated from them.’ ” The old man saith unto them, “I know that myself, but men will also say, ‘The dove could not find rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned to Noah in the ark’ ”; thus the disciples were healed, and they took up their abode with him again.

344. Abbâ Daniel used to tell concerning Arsenius that he never wished to speak about any investigation into the Scriptures, although he was well able to speak [on the subject] if he had been so disposed, but he could not write even a letter quickly.

345. A certain old man used to say, “Vaunt not thyself over thy brother in thy mind, saying, ‘I possess a greater measure of self-denial than he doth, and I can endure more than he,’ but be subject unto the Grace of Christ, with a humble spirit, and love which is not hypocritical, lest through thy haughty spirit thou destroy thy labours. For it is written, ‘Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall’ (1 Corinthians 10:12); and, ‘A man must be seasoned with Christ as with salt.’ ”

346. An old man used to say, “Let there be not unto thee free converse with the governor or with the judge, and be not with either of them continually; for from such freedom of speech (or boldness) thou wilt acquire [the habit of thinking], and from merely thinking thou wilt covet.”

347. Abbâ Agathon used to say, “I have never lain down to sleep and kept anger in my heart, or even a thought of enmity against any man; and I have never allowed any man to lie down to sleep keeping any anger against me.”

348. The old man Hyparchus used to say, “Do not abuse thy neighbour, and drive not away a man who turneth towards thee, so that thou mayest be able to say to our Lord, ‘Forgive us our sins, even as we also forgive those who trespass against us.’ ”

349. One of the fathers used to say, “If a man ask thee for anything, and thou givest it to him grudgingly, thou wilt not receive a reward for that which thou hast given, as it is written, ‘If a man ask thee to go with him a mile, go with him two’; and the meaning of this is, ‘If a man asketh anything of thee give [it] unto him with all thy soul and spirit.’ ”

350. One of the fathers related that there were three things which were especially honoured in monks: that is to say, with fear and trembling, and spiritual gladness they thought it meet to draw nigh, I mean to the participation in the Holy Mysteries, and the table of the brethren, and the washing of one another, according to the example which their true Rabbâ Christ shewed unto them, before the great day of His Resurrection was fulfilled. And the old man himself produced an illustration [of this], saying, “There was a certain great old man who was a seer of visions, and he happened to be sitting at meat with the brethren, and whilst they were eating, the old man saw in the Spirit as he was sitting at the table that some of the brethren were eating honey, whilst others were eating bread, and others dung; and he wondered at these within himself. And he made supplication and entreaty unto God, saying, ‘O Lord, reveal unto me this mystery, and tell me why when the food is all the same, and when the various things which are laid upon the table are only different forms thereof, the brethren appear to be eating different kinds of food, for some seem to be eating honey, and others bread, and others dung.’ Then a voice came unto him from above, saying, ‘Those who are eating honey are those who eat with fear, and with trembling, and with spiritual love when they sit at the table, and who pray without ceasing, and whose praise goeth up to God like sweet incense; for this reason they eat honey. And those who eat bread are those who confess and receive the Grace of God, which is given unto them by Him for these things. And those who eat dung are those who complain, and say, This is sweet and pleasant, and that is not seemly and prospereth not.’ Now it is not right to think about these at all, but we should glorify and praise God the more, and receive (or welcome) His abundant provisions which come to us without labour, so that there may be fulfilled in us that which was said by the blessed Apostle, ‘Whether ye eat, or whether ye drink, or whether ye do anything else, do all things unto the glory of God’ ” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

351. They say that Abbâ ’Ôr never told a lie, and never swore, and never cursed a man, and never spoke unless it was absolutely necessary.

352. One of the old men said, “That which thou observest not thyself, how canst thou teach to another?”

353. And it was he who said unto his disciple, “Take heed that thou never bringest an alien word into this cell.”

354. An old man used to say, “As far as I have been able to overtake my soul when it hath transgressed, I have never slipped (or committed an offence) a second time.”

355. An old man used to say, “Strive with all thy might so that thou mayest never in any way do evil to any man, and make thine heart to be pure with every man.”

356. Abbâ Agathon used to say to himself, whensoever he saw any act or anything which his thought wished to judge or condemn, “Do not commit the thing thyself,” and in this manner he quieted his mind, and held his peace.

357. The old men used to say, “For a man to be so bold as to condemn his neighbour resembleth the sweeping of the lawgiver, or the judge, from off his seat, and the wishing to pass judgement in his place, and it is as if a man were to bring an accusation against the weakness of the judge and to condemn him, and such an act will be found to be the rebellion of the slave against his Lord, and against the Judge of the living and the dead.”

358. An old man used to say, “From the greatest to the least of the things which I perform, I carefully consider the fruit which will be produced from it, whether it be in thoughts, or in words, or in deeds.”

359. They used to tell the story about Abbâ Pachomius and say that on many occasions he heard the devils repeating many evil things of various kinds, some of which were to come upon the brethren. First of all he heard one of them saying, “I have [strife] with a man who constantly [defieth] me, for whensoever I approach to sow thoughts in his mind, immediately he turneth to prayer, and I depart from him being consumed with fire.” And another devil said, “I have [strife]with a man who is easy to persuade, and he doeth whatsoever I counsel him to do, and I love him dearly.” It is right then, O my brethren, that we should keep ourselves awake always, and that, making ourselves mighty men in the Name of the Lord, we should strive against the devils, and then they will never be able to overcome us.

360. One of the holy men used to say, “Through holding small wickednesses in contempt we fall into great ones; consider then attentively the following story which is told even as it took place. A certain man laughed in an empty manner, and his companion rebuked and condemned him; [another brother] happened to be there, and he thought lightly of the matter, saying, ‘This is nothing; for what is it for a man to laugh?’ [And the brother replied, ‘From laughter] pleasure is produced, and next empty words, and filthy actions, and iniquity, and so from the things which are thought to be small that wicked devil bringeth in great wickednesses. And from great wickednesses a man cometh to despair, for this cruel and wicked evil hath the Evil One discovered (or invented) through the malignity of his craftiness, for a man to commit sin is not so destructive as for a man to cut off hope from his soul. For he who repenteth in a fitting manner, and according to what is right blotteth out his offences; but he who cutteth off hope from his soul perisheth because he will not offer unto it the binding up of repentance. Therefore let not a man hold in contempt small wickednesses. For this is the seed which the Calumniator soweth, for if he made war openly it would not be difficult to fight, and victory would be easy; and even now, if we be watchful and strenuous, it will be easy for us to conquer, for it is God Who hath armed us, and He teacheth us and entreateth us not to hold even the smallest wickednesses in contempt. Hearken thou unto Him as He admonisheth [us], saying, (St. Matthew 5:22) “Whosoever shalt say unto his brother ‘Râkâ,’ shall be guilty of the fire of Gehenna”; and, “He who looketh upon a woman to desire her hath already committed adultery with her in his heart” (St. Matt, 5:28). And in another place He rebuked and admonished those who laugh, and concerning the idle word also He said, “Its answer is given”; and on account of this the blessed Job, “ ‘because of the thoughts which were in the hearts of his sons, offered up an offering. Now therefore, since we know all these things, let us take good heed to ourselves [and avoid] the beginning of the movement of our thoughts, and then we shall never fall.’ ”

361. A brother said unto an old man, “Dost thou not see that I have not even one war in my heart?” The old man said unto him, “Thou hast an opening in thee at each of the four points of the compass, and whatsoever wisheth can go in and come out without thy perceiving it. But if thou wilt set up a door, and wilt shut it, and wilt not allow evil thoughts to enter, thou wilt then see them standing outside; for if our minds be watchful and strenuous in loving God, the Enemy who is the counsellor of wickednesses will not approach [us].”

362. A certain Mother of noble rank said, “As the stamped silver coin which is current loseth its weight and becometh less, so doth the spiritual excellence which is apparent and is made manifest become destroyed; and as wax melteth before the fire, so also doth the soul become lax and confused, and strenuousness departeth from it.”

363. One of the old men used to say, “The man who doeth many good deeds doth Satan cast down by means of small matters into pits, so that he may destroy the wages of all the good things which he hath performed.”

364. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “For what purpose were spoken the words, ‘Take no thought for the morrow?’ ” The old man said unto him, “For the man who is under temptation, and is in affliction; for it is not meet that such a man should take thought for the morrow, or should say, ‘How long shall I have to endure this temptation?’ but he should think upon patient endurance, saying, ‘It is to-day, and the temptation will not remain thus for a long time.’ ” And the old man said, “It is good that a man should be remote from temptation of the body, for he who is nigh unto the temptation of the body is like unto him that standeth upon the mouth of a deep pit, and whom, whensoever his enemy wisheth, he can easily cast therein. But if he be remote from the temptation of the body, he is like unto a man who is far away from the pit, and even though his enemy may wish to cast him into it, he is not able to do so because the pit is far away from him, and whilst he is either urging him or dragging him thereto, God, the Merciful One, sendeth him a helper.”

365. And a brother said unto Abbâ Poemen, “My body is weak, and I am not able to perform ascetic labours; speak to me a word whereby I may live”; and the old man said unto him, “Art thou able to rule thy thought and not to permit it to go to thy neighbour in guile?”

366. And a brother also asked him, “What shall I do? For I am troubled when I am sitting in my cell.” The old man said unto him, “Think lightly of no man; think no evil in thy heart; condemn no man and curse no man; then shall God give thee rest, and thy habitation shall be without trouble.”

367. And the same old man used to say, “The keeping of the commandments, and the taking heed to oneself in everything, and the acquisition of oblations, are the guides of the soul.”

368. Abbâ Poemen said, “A brother asked Abbâ Moses, saying, ‘In what manner is a man to keep himself from his neighbour?’ The old man said unto him, ‘Except a man layeth it up in his heart that he hath been already three years in the grave, he will not be sufficiently strong [to keep] this saying.’ ”

369. Abbâ Poemen said, “If thou seest visions and hearest rumours, repeat them not to thy neighbour, for this is victory of the war.”

370. The same old man also said, “The chief of all wickednesses is the wandering of the thoughts.”

371. Abbâ Poemen said, “If a man perform the desire, and pleasure, and custom of these, they will cast him down.”

372. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “If a brother owe me a few oboli, shall I remind him of it?” The old man saith, “Remind him once.” And the brother said unto him, “And if I have reminded him and he hath given me nothing, [what am I to do then?]” The old man saith unto him, “Let the thought perish, only do not harass the man.”

373. A brother asked Abbâ Joseph, saying, “What shall I do? For I cannot be disgraced, and I cannot work, and I have nothing [wherefrom] to give alms.” The old man said unto him, “If thou canst not do these things, keep thy conscience from thy neighbour, and guard thyself carefully against evil of every kind, and thou shalt live; for God desireth that the soul shall be without sin.”

374. A brother asked Abbâ Sisoes of Shĕkîpâ about his life and works, and the old man said unto him that which Daniel spake, “The bread of desire I have not eaten,” that is to say, “A man should not fulfil the lust of his desire.”

375. On one occasion Abraham said unto Abbâ Sisoes, “Abbâ, thou hast grown old, let us draw nigh unto the habitations of the children of men for a little”; and Abbâ Sisoes said unto him, “Let us go where there is no woman”; then his disciple said unto him, “And what place is there without a woman except the desert?” The old man said unto him, “Then let us go to the desert.”

376. On one occasion certain brethren came to Abbâ Pambô, and one of them asked him, saying, “Father, I fast two days at a time, and then I eat two bread-cakes; shall I gain life, O father, or am I making a mistake?” And another asked him and said, “I perform work with my hands [each] day to the value of two kîrâts (i.e., carats), and I keep a few oboli by me for my food, and the remainder I spend upon the relief of the poor; shall I be redeemed, O father, or am I making a mistake?” And the other brethren asked of him many things, but he answered them never a word. Now after four days they were wishing to depart, and the clergy entreated them, saying, “O brethren, trouble not ye yourselves, for God will give you a reward. The custom of the old man is not to speak immediately, for he doth not speak until God giveth him permission to do so.” Then the brethren went to the old man and said unto him, “Father, pray for us”; and he said unto them, “Do ye wish to depart?” And they said unto him, “Yes.” Then he took their actions into his consideration, and he put himself in the position of one who was writing on the ground, and said, “Pambô, one fasteth two days at a time, and then eateth two bread-cakes; shall he become a monk by such things as these? No! Pambô, [another] worketh for two carats a day, and giveth to those who are in need, shall he become a monk by such things as these? No!” And he said, “[Thy] actions are good, and if thou preservest thy conscience with thy [good actions] thou shalt live”; and being consoled by these words, the brethren departed rejoicing.

377. Certain of the old men used to say, “If temptation cometh upon thee in the place where thou dwellest, forsake not the place in the time of temptation, lest peradventure thou findest wherever thou goest that from which thou fleest; but endure until the period of temptation be overpast, and thy departure can be [effected] without offence and without affliction, for thou wilt have departed in a time of peace. Now if thou departest during a period of temptation, many will be afflicted because of thee, and will say that thou didst depart because of the temptation, and this will be unto them a source of grief.”

378. On one occasion when Abbâ Sisoes was sitting down with a certain brother, he sighed unknowingly, and he did not perceive that the brother was with him, because his mind was carried away by the noonday [prayer]; and he made apologies to that brother, and said unto him, “Forgive me, O my brother, that I heaved a sigh before thee [proves] that I have not yet become a monk.”

379. An old man used to say, “Whensoever I bring down the bar of the loom, and before I raise it up again, I always set my death before mine eyes.”

380. Another old man used to say, “When I am plaiting (or sewing) a basket, with every stitch which I put into it I set my death before my eyes before I take another stitch.”

381. Abbâ Daniel used to say, “On one occasion we went to Abbâ Poemen, and having eaten together, he said unto us subsequently, ‘Go ye and rest yourselves a little, O my brethren’; and when the brethren had gone to rest themselves I remained that I might be able to talk to the old man privately. And I rose up and came to his cell, and I saw that he was sitting outside on a mat, and seeing me he lay down; now he did not know that I had seen him seated, and he pretended to be asleep. And this was the custom of the old man, for everything which he did was done by him in secret.”

382. One of the fathers asked Abbâ Sisoes, saying, “If I am living in the desert and the barbarians come against me to kill me, supposing that I have strength may I kill one of them?” The old man said unto him, “No. Commit thyself unto God, and leave [it to Him]. For with every trial which cometh upon a man he should say, ‘It hath come because of my sins’; but if something good happeneth to him, let him say, ‘It is of the Providence of God.’ ”

383. One of the old men used to say, “When the eyes of the ox are covered over then he is subjugated by the yoke bar, but if they do not cover [his] eyes he cannot be made to bow beneath the yoke; and thus is it with Satan, for if he can cover over the eyes of a man he can bring him low with every kind of sin, but if his eyes be able to see (or shine), he is able to flee from him.”

384. Abbâ Anthony said, “It is not seemly for us to remember the time which hath passed, but let a man be each day as one who beginneth his toil, so that the excessive weariness [which we shall feel] may be to our advantage. And let him say, as Paul said, ‘That which is behind me I forget, and I reach out to that which is before me’ ” (Philippians 3:13). And let him also remember the word of Elijah, who said, ‘As the Lord liveth, before Whom I stand this day’ ” (1 Kings 17:1).

385. And the same old man said also, “Let us not consider the time which is past, but let a man be even as he who beginneth, and let him take care in such wise that he shall make himself stand before God.”

386. Abbâ Paphnutius said: “A monk is bound to keep not only his body pure, but his soul free from unclean thoughts. Now we find that the body is consoled by thoughts, and unless the thoughts withdraw themselves they will sink the body; and the manner in which the thoughts work is as follows: they feed all lusts of the flesh, which is ruled by them, and in welcoming the lusts they stir up the body also in revolt, and they cast it down, like a pilot who is caught in a storm, and they make the ship to sink. And is it fitting that we should know that if one man loveth another he will say nothing evil about him? for if he doth speak against him he is not his friend; similarly he who loveth lust will not speak anything evil against it, and if he doeth so he is not its friend. But if a man [speak] against that which he knoweth not, (or against that which causeth him no affliction), or against that which causeth him no pain, [he may speak evil], but against that which he hath suffered, and that wherewith he hath been tried by the Enemy, he will speak evil, and he will not talk about him as a friend, but as an enemy. Thus whosoever speaketh evil of and who despiseth lust is not a friend of lusts.

387. And he also said, “As judges (or governors) slay the wicked, even so do labours slay evil lusts; and as wicked slaves fly from their lords even so do lusts fly from the exhaustion [caused by] ascetic labours. But good slaves hold their masters in honour as sons hold in honour their fathers. For the exhaustion [caused by ascetic labours] produceth good works, and from it the virtues spring up, even as the passions are produced from dainty meats. Exhaustion then begetteth good works, when a man hath wearied himself with [all] his soul, and it bringeth forth virtues and destroyeth vices, even as a righteous judge [destroyeth the wicked].”

388. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “Since I suffer loss in spirit when I am with my Abbâ, dost thou wish me to continue to live with him any longer?” Now that old man knew that the brother was suffering loss through living with his Abbâ, and the old man marvelled how the brother could ask him the question, “Dost thou wish me to dwell with him any longer.” And the old man said unto him, “If thou wishest, dwell [with him],” and the brother went and did so, but he came again to the old man and said, “I am suffering loss in spirit”; and the old man said unto him nothing. And, when for the third time the brother came and said unto him, “Indeed, I cannot henceforth dwell with him,” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “Now thou knowest how to live; depart, and dwell with him no longer.”

389. Therefore the old man said, “If there existeth a man who knoweth how to suffer loss in his spirit, and who still [feeleth] the need to ask a question about [his] secret thoughts, it is a good thing that he should ask; and it belongeth unto the old men to search into and investigate a matter of this kind, for concerning open sins a man doth not feel it necessary to enquire, but he cutteth them off immediately.”

390. A brother asked one of the fathers, saying, “Tell me a word whereby I may live”; and the old man answered and “said, ‘We must be careful to work a little, and we must be neither negligent nor contemptuous, and then we may be able to live.’ ” And an oldman told him the following story, saying, “There was a certain prosperous husbandman who was exceedingly rich, and wishing to teach his sons husbandry he said unto them, ‘My sons, behold, see how I have become rich, and if ye will be persuaded by me, [and will do as I have done], ye will become rich also.’ Then they said unto him, ‘Father, we will be persuaded [by thee], tell us how [to become rich].’ Now although the husbandman knew well that he who laboureth always becometh rich, yet because he thought that they might be negligent, and despise [work], he made use of cunning in his words, and said unto them: ‘There is one day in the year whereon if a man worketh he will become rich, but because of my exceedingly great old age I have forgotten which it is; therefore, ye must work continually, and ye must not be idle even one day, and ye must by every possible means in your power go forwards. But if ye are neglectful and disinclined to work, even for one day, take good heed to yourselves lest the day whereon ye do not work be that very day, and that lucky day pass you by, and your labour for all the rest of the year be in vain.’ ” Thus also, O my brethren, if we labour and work each day, and we do not make use of sloth and negligence and contempt we shall find the way of life.

391. Abbâ Agathon asked Abbâ Alônîs, saying, “I wish to hold my tongue that it may not speak falsehood, [what shall I do?]” Abbâ Alônîs said unto him, “If thou dost not lie, thou art about to commit many sins.” Agathon said, “How?” And the old man said unto him, “Behold, two brethren are going to commit a murder, and one of them will flee to thee. And it will happen that the judge will come and search for him, and he will ask thee, saying, ‘Did this murder take place in thy presence?’ And if thou dost not wish to tell a I lie thou wilt deliver up to death the other man, whom it would be right for thee to let go free, so that he might be reserved for the judgement hall of God, Who knoweth all things.”

392. A certain brother was travelling on a road, and his aged mother was with him, and they came to a river which the old woman was not able to cross; and her son took his shoulder cloth and wound it round his hands so that they might not touch his mother’s body, and in this manner he carried her across the river. Then his mother said unto him, “My son, why didst thou first wrap round thy hands with the cloth, and then take me across?” and he said, “The body of a woman is fire, and through thy body there would have come to me the memory of [the body of] another woman, and it was for this reason that I acted as I did.”

Stone · 12-07-2021, 09:25 PM

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

CHAPTER IX

OF LOVE, AND CHARITY, AND OF THE WELCOMING OF STRANGERS

393. A CERTAIN old man used to dwell with a brother in a cell in a friendly manner, and he was a man of compassionate disposition; now a famine broke out, and the people began to be hungry, and they came to him that they might receive charity, and he gave bread unto them all. And when the brother saw that he was giving away large quantities of bread, he said unto the old man, “Give me my portion of the bread”; and the old man said unto him, Take [it],” and he divided [what there was] and gave him [his share], and the brother took it from him for himself. And the old man was compassionate, and gave away bread from his portion, and many folk heard [that he was doing this] and came unto him, and when God saw the generosity of the old man He blessed his bread; but the brother took all his portion and ate it up, and when he saw that his bread was finished, and that the portion of the old man was still lasting, he made entreaty unto him, saying, “My portion hath come to an end, and this [bread of thine is all] that I have; receive me as a partner [therein].” And the old man said unto him, “Good,” and he associated him with himself again. And when there was abundance [again], the people came to take [bread] from him, and he gave it unto them again. Now it came to pass that they lacked bread, and the brother went and found that bread was wanting, and a poor man came for some, and the old man said unto the brother, “Go in and give him some,” and the brother said, “There is none”; for he was filled with bread. The old man said, “Go in and search [for some],” and having gone in he found that the place wherein they used to set [the bread] was filled with loaves to the very top, and he took [some] and gave to the poor man, and he was afraid. Thus that brother knew the excellence and the faith of the old man, and he gave thanks unto God, and glorified Him.

394. Two brethren went to the market to sell their wares, and whilst one of them had gone to perform the service, he who was left by himself fell into fornication; and the other brother came and said unto him, “My brother, let us go to the cell,” but he said unto him, “I cannot go, for I have fallen into fornication.” Now whilst he was seeking to do better, the brother began to swear to him, saying, “I also, when I was away from thee, fell in the same manner, nevertheless, come, and let us repent together, and it may happen that God will pardon us.” And when they came to their cells they informed the old men about the temptation which had come to them, and whatsoever the old men told them to do the two brothers did, and the one brother repented with the other, just as if he had sinned with him. Now God saw the labour of his love, and in a few days He sent a revelation unto one of the old men concerning the matter, saying, “For the sake of the love of that brother who did not sin, forgive thou him that did commit sin.” This is what is meant by the words, “A man should lay down his soul for his friend.”

395. And they also say that there was a certain self-denying and ascetic brother who wished to go to the city to sell his handiwork, and to buy the things which he needed; and he called a brother, and said unto him, “Come with me, and let us go and return together.” And when they had gone as far as the gate of the city, the man of abstinence said unto his companion, “Sit down here, O my brother, and wait for me while I go in and perform my business; and I will return speedily.” And having gone into the city, and wandered round about in the streets, a certain rich woman tried her blandishments upon him, and he stripped off his monk’s garb and took her to wife. Then he sent a message to his companion, saying, “Arise, get thee to thy cell, for I can never see thee again”; now the man who had been sent to him with this message related unto him the whole matter, even as it had happened, and he said to the messenger, “God forbid that such things should be spoken about my holy brethren, and God forbid that I should depart from this place until my brother cometh, according to his word to me.” And having tarried there a long time, and ceasing not from weeping and praying either by night or by day, the report of him was heard throughout the city, and the clergy, and the monks, and the governors of the city entreated him to depart to his monastery, but he would not hearken unto their supplication, and he said, “I cannot transgress my brother’s command, and I cannot leave this place until we go back together to the monastery.” So he stayed there for seven years, being burned by heat in the summer, and dried up by the cold and ice in the winter, and with hunger, and thirst, and weeping and watching, he made supplication on behalf of his brother. Then at length one day his former companion himself came unto him, dressed in costly garments, and said unto him, “O So-and-so, I am he who was with thee the monk So-and-so, arise, get thee gone to thy monastery”; and the brother looked at him and said, Thou art not, for he was a monk, and thou art a man in the world.” Then God looked upon the trouble of that brother, and at the end of the seven years the woman died, and the brother who [had married her] repented, and again put on the garb of the monk, and went out to his companion; and when he saw him, he rose up, and embraced him and kissed him, and he took him with gladness, and they went forth to the monastery. Then that brother renewed his former ascetic works, and he was worthy of the highest grade of perfection. Thus by the patience of one man the other lived, and the saying, “A brother is helped by his brother, even as a city is helped by its fortress,” was fulfilled.

396. On one occasion two old men came to an old man, whose custom was not to eat every day; and when he saw them he rejoiced, and said, “Fasting hath its reward, and he who eateth for the sake of love fulfilleth two commandments, for he setteth aside his own desire and he fulfilleth the commandment, and refresheth the brethren.”

397. They used to tell the story of a certain brother who fell into sin, and he came unto Abbâ Lôt, and he was perplexed and confused, and was going in and coming out, and was unable to rest. And Abbâ Lôt said unto him, “What is the matter with thee, O my brother?” and he said, “I have committed a great sin, and I am unable to confess it before the fathers.” The old man said unto him, “Confess it unto me, and I will bear it”; and then the brother said unto him, “I have fallen into fornication, and I thought thou hadst discovered the matter.” And the old man said unto him, “Be of good courage, for there remaineth repentance; get thee gone and sit in thy habitation, and fast for two weeks, and I will bear with thee one half of thy sin”; and at the end of three weeks it was revealed unto the old man that God had accepted the repentance of that brother, and he remained with the old man, and was subject unto him until the day of his death.

398. Certain of the fathers came to Joseph to ask him a question about welcoming the strangers who came to them, that is to say, whether it was fitting for a man to forsake his work, and to be with them in the ordinary way or not; and before they asked him, he said unto his disciple, “Lay to heart that which I am about to do this day, and wait.” Then the old man placed two pillows, one on his right hand, and the other on his left, and he said unto the fathers, “Sit ye down”; and he went into his cell, and put on the apparel of beggars, and went forth to them; and again, he took this off, and put on the beautiful apparel of the monks, and he went forth again, and passed among them; and he went in again and took this off, and having put on his own clothes, he sat down in their midst, and they marvelled at the doings of the old man. Then he said unto them, “Have ye understood what I did?” and they said unto him, “Yes.” He said unto them, “What is it?” And they said unto him, “Thou didst put on first of all the apparel of beggars”; he said unto them, “Peradventure I have been changed by that disgraceful apparel?” and they said unto him, “No.” The old man said unto them, “Since I have not myself been changed by all these changes of raiment, for the first change brought no loss upon me and the second did not change me, so are we in duty bound to welcome the brethren, according to the command of the Gospel, which saith, ‘Give to Caesar the things of Caesar, and to God the things of God’ (St. Matthew 22:21). Therefore, whensoever strange brethren arrive we must welcome them gladly, for it is when we are alone that it is necessary for us to suffer.” Now when the fathers heard [these words] they marvelled that he had spoken unto them that which was in their hearts before they asked him, and they glorified God, and departed with rejoicing; and they received his word as if it had [come] from God, and they accepted what he had said, and did it.

399. They used to speak about an old man, who was from Syria, and who used to dwell on the road of the desert of Egypt, and whose work was as follows:—At whatever time a monk came to him he would welcome him. And it came to pass that on one occasion a man came from the desert and asked him to allow him to rest, but he would not permit him to do so, and said unto him, “I am fasting.” Then the blessed man was grieved and said unto him, “Is this thy labour, that thou wilt not perform thy brother’s desire? I beseech thee to come, and let us pray, and let us follow after him with whom this tree, which is here with us, shall bow.” Then the man from the desert knelt down, and nothing happened, but when he who received strangers knelt down, that tree inclined its head at the same time, and seeing this he profited, and they glorified God.

400. On one occasion Abbâ Ammon came to a certain place to eat with the brethren, and there was there a brother concerning whom evil reports were abroad, for it had happened that a woman had come and entered his cell. And when all the people who were living in that place heard [of this], they were troubled, and they gathered together to expel that brother from his cell, and learning that the blessed Bishop Ammon was there, they came and entreated him to go with them. Now when the brother knew [this], he took the woman and hid her under an earthenware vessel. And much people having assembled, and Abbâ Ammon, understanding what that brother had done, for the sake of God hid the matter. And he went in and sat upon the earthenware vessel, and commanded that the cell of the brother should be searched, but although they examined the place they found no one there. Then Abbâ Ammon answered and said, “What is this that ye have done? May God forgive you”; and he prayed and said, “Let all the people go forth,” and finally he took the brother by the hand, and said unto him, “Take heed to thy soul, O my brother,” and having said this he departed, and he refused to make public the matter of the brother.

401. There were two brethren who lived in the wilderness, and they were neighbours, and one of them used to hide whatsoever he gained from his work, whether it was bread or whether it was oboli, and place it with his companion’s goods; now the other brother did not know this, but he wondered how it was that his goods increased so much. One day, however, he suddenly caught him doing this, and he strove with him, saying, “By means of thy corporeal things thou hast robbed me of my spiritual goods”; and he demanded that he should make a covenant with him never to act in this manner again, and then he left him.

402. On one occasion Abbâ Macarius went to visit a certain monk, and he found him to be ill, and he asked him if he wanted anything to eat, for he had nothing whatsoever in his cell, and the monk said unto him, “I want some honeycakes”; and when the wonderful old man heard [this] he set out for Alexandria, and he did not regard this journey as a trouble, although [the city] was sixty miles away from them, and he brought the honeycakes to give to the sick monk. And this he did himself, and did not tell anyone else to bring them, and the old man thus made manifest the solicitude which he felt for the monks.

403. They used to tell the story of an old man who lived in Scete; now he had fallen sick, and wished to eat a little fine bread. And when a certain brother heard [this], he took his cloak and placed in it some dry bread, and he went to Egypt and changed it [for fine bread] and brought [it] to the old man, and the old man looked upon him and wondered. But the old man refused to eat it, saying, “This is the bread of blood, O my brother,” and the old men entreated him to eat lest the offering of the brother should be in vain, and having pressed him the old man was persuaded and he ate the bread.

404. The blessed Anthony never deemed it right to do that which was convenient for himself to the same extent as that which was profitable for his neighbour.

405. An old man used to say, “I have never desired any work which doeth good to myself and harm to my neighbour, and I have the hope that what is of benefit to my brother will be labour that is beneficial to me, and that it will be a thing that will invite a reward for me.”

406. A certain brother from the Great Monastery was accused of fornication, and he rose up and came to Father Anthony; and there came brethren after him from that monastery to inform him about the matter and to take him away, and they began to accuse him, saying, “Thus and thus hast thou done,” and the brother made excuses, and said, “I never acted in this manner.” Now Abbâ Paphnutius happened to be there, and he spake a word unto them, saying, “I saw a man in the river with the mud up to his knees, and some men came to give him help and to drag him out, and they made him to sink up to his neck.” And when Abbâ Anthony heard [him say this], he spake concerning Abbâ Paphnutius, saying, “Behold, indeed, a man who is able to make quiet and to redeem souls!” And the eyes of those brethren were opened, by the word of the old men, and they took that brother, and he departed with them to their monastery.

407. They used to say about Abbâ Theodore that when he was a young man he dwelt in the desert, and that he went to make his bread in the same place as the monks made theirs; and he found a certain brother who wished to make bread, but he had no one to do the work for him, and he was unable to do it for himself. Then Abbâ Theodore left his own bread and made that of the brother, and a second brother came and he made his also, and a third brother came, and he did likewise; and finally when he had satisfied them, he made bread for himself.

408. A brother asked an old man, saying, “There were two brethren, and one of them led a life of silent contemplation in his cell, and used to fast six days at a time, and to devote himself to great labour, and his companion used to minister to the sick; which of them will receive the [greater reward for] his service?” The old man saith, “If he who fasted were to raise himself up upon the works which are profitable, he would not find himself equal before God with him that visited the sick.”

409. There was a certain head of a monastery in a house of monks in the desert, and it happened that the brother who ministered unto him had a desire to leave the monastery, and he departed and dwelt in another monastery; now the old man was unwilling to let him go, and on this account he was always going to him to visit him, and he entreated him to return to his monastery, and the brother refused to do so. And for three whole years the old man used to go to the brother and entreat him to return, and finally he was constrained, and he departed with him. One day the old man told him to go out and bring in some fuel for the fire, and whilst he was gathering the firewood, by the agency of Satan, a stick stuck in his eye and it was put out; and when the old man heard of this he was greatly grieved, and being full of sorrow he began to speak to him words of good cheer. And the brother answered, and said, “Be not afflicted, O father, for I was the cause of this myself, for this hath happened to me through all the toil and labour which I brought upon thee when thou usedst to go and come to me.” And after a little time, when the brother had recovered from the sickness caused by the injury to his eye, the old man said unto him, “Go out and bring in some palm leaves from the ground,” for this was the work which the monks who dwelt there had to do; and whilst the brother was cutting them, once again, as it were by the agency of Satan, a stick sprang up in the air, and smote the man in the other eye, and it was put out, and he came to the monastery in grief, and he was perforce idle and useless because he was unable to do any work. Thus the old man was deprived [of a servant], and he had no one with him, because each of the brethren dwelt in his own cell. And after a short time the day of his departure, which he had known beforehand, drew nigh, and he sent and called all the brethren and said unto them, “The day of my departure hath drawn nigh. Watch ye yourselves, and take good heed to the service of your lives (or life’s work), and treat not lightly your ascetic labours.” And each one of them began to say to him sorrowfully, “Father, why art thou leaving us?” and the old man held his peace. Then he sent and brought the blind man, and revealed to him concerning his departure, and the blind man wept and said unto him, “Wherefore leavest thou me, the blind man?” The old man saith unto him, “Pray that I may have openness of face with God, and that I may find mercy before Him, and I have hope through His help, that on the First Day of the Week thou wilt be able to perform the service with thy companions”; and straightway the old man died. And, according to his word, a few days later he appeared unto that brother, and his eyes were opened, and he became an Abbâ and a head of monks. Now these things were related unto us by those who were acquainted with the period wherein the old man lived.

410. A certain man of abstinence saw a man who had a devil, and who was unable to fast, and he was exceedingly sorry for him; and by reason of the love for Christ with which he was filled, and because he not only took care for himself, but for his companion also, he prayed and entreated God that the devil might come to him, and that the man might be released from him. Now God looked upon his prayer and upon his good will, and saw that the holy man was carrying a great load on behalf of that demoniac, and since that brother began to prolong his fasting and prayer, and to practise continually self-denial, in a few days that evil spirit departed.

411. They used to say concerning Abbâ Poemen that when he was pressed by any man to go with him to eat at an unusual time, he would go, with the tears streaming from his eyes, so that he might not resist the wish of that brother and cause him annoyance; for he would forgo his own will, and he would humble himself and go.

412. There was an old man in the Cells whose name was Apollo, and when one of the brethren came to call him to work, he would go joyfully, saying, “I go to-day with the King Christ to work on my own behalf, for this is the reward of this labour.”

413. On one occasion Abraham, the disciple of Abbâ Sisoes, was tempted by Satan, and the old man saw him fall down, and straightway he spread out his hands towards heaven, and said to God, “My Lord, I will not let Thee go until Thou hast healed him,” and straightway Abraham was healed.

414. A certain monk was sitting by the monastery, and whilst he was occupied in great labours, it happened that strangers came to the monastery, and they forced him to eat with them contrary to his usual custom, and afterwards the brethren said unto him, “Father, wast thou not just now afflicted?” And he said unto them, “My affliction is to break my will.”

415. On one occasion three old men went to Abbâ Akîlâ, and on one of them [rested] some small suspicion of evil; and one of them said unto him, “Father, make me a net,” and he replied, “I will not make thee a net.” Then another said unto him, “Do [us] an act of grace, and make us a net, so that we may be able to keep thee in remembrance in our monastery”; and Akîlâ said again, “I am not at leisure [to do so].” Then the third brother, on whom [rested] the suspicion of evil, also said unto him, “Father, make me a net which I can possess [direct] from thy hands”; and Akîlâ answered straightway, and said unto this man, “I will make one for thee.” And afterwards the [other] two brethren said unto him privately, “[Consider] how much we entreated thee, and yet thou wouldst not be persuaded to make [a net] for us, and thou didst say to this man, ‘I will make thee one immediately!’ ” The old man said unto them, “I told you that I would not make one, and ye were not grieved, because I had not the leisure; but if I had not made one for this man, he would have said, ‘It was because the old man had heard about my sins that he was unwilling to make a net for me.’ ”

416. On one occasion three brethren went to harvest, and the three of them undertook to reap the harvest [in certain fields] together for a certain sum of money; but one of them fell sick on the first day, and was unable to work, and he went back and lay down in his cell. Then one of the two brethren who remained said unto his companion, “Behold, O my brother, thou seest that our brother hath fallen sick, let us exert ourselves a little, thou and I, and let us believe that by his prayers we shall be sufficiently strong to do his share of the work of harvest for him.” Then when the harvest was ended, and they came to receive their hire, they called the [sick] brother, and said unto him, “Come, brother, and take also the hire of thy harvesting”; and he said, “What hire can there be for me since I have not been harvesting?” And they said unto him, “Through thy prayers the harvest hath been reaped; come now, and take [thy] hire.” Then the contention between them waxed strong, for the [sick] brother contended that he ought not to receive [any wages], and they said, “We will not leave thee until thou dost.” So they went, that they might be heard by a certain great old man, and that brother answered and said, “O father, three of us went to harvest, but I fell sick on the first day, and went and lay down in my cell, and although I did not work even one day these brethren urge me, saying, ‘Come and take the hire for which thou didst not work.’ ” Then the two brethren said, “Three of us went to the harvest, and we took certain fields [to reap] together, and if we had been thirty we should have succeeded in reaping them with great labour; but through the prayers of this our brother the two of us reaped them quickly, and we said to him, ‘Come, take thy hire, because, through thy prayers, God helped us, and we reaped quickly,’ but he would not take [it].” Then the old man said unto the brethren who were with him, “Beat the board, and let all the brethren be gathered together,” and when they were assembled he said unto them, “Come, O ye brethren, and hear this day a righteous judgement,” and he related before them the whole matter, and they decided that the brother was to receive his hire, and that he might do whatsoever he wished [therewith]. And the brother went away weeping and distressed.

417. On one occasion a certain demoniac came to Scete, and having passed a long time there without being healed, he complained about the matter to one of the old men, who made the sign of the Cross over him, and healed him. But the devil was angry, and said unto the old man, “Now that thou hast cast me out I will come upon thee”; and the old man said unto him, “Come gladly, and I shall rejoice.” And the old man passed twelve years with the devil inside him, vexing him, now he used to eat twelve dates each day, and after these years that devil leaped out of him, and departed from him. Now when the old man saw that he was taking to flight, he said unto him, “To whom dost thou flee? Continue [with me] longer”; and the devil answered and said unto him, “By Jupiter, God hath made thee useless, O old man; God alone is equal to thy strength.”

418. The old man Theodore asked Abbâ Pambô, saying, “Tell me a word”; and with much labour he said unto him, “Theodore, get thee gone, and let thy mercy be poured out on every man, for [thy] loving-kindness hath found freedom of speech (or boldness) before God.”

419. A certain brother went to buy some linen from a widow, and as she was selling it to him, she sighed; the brother said unto her, “What aileth thee?” and the widow said unto him, “God hath sent thee this day that my orphans may be fed.” Now when that brother heard [these words] he was distressed, and he took secretly from the linen which was his, and threw it on to the widow’s side of the scales until he fulfilled an act of charity towards her.

420. A certain brother came to Abbâ ’Ôr, and said unto him, “Come with me to the village, and buy me a little wheat of which I am in need”; now the old man was greatly troubled at this, because he was not accustomed to go to the village, nevertheless, being afraid [of transgressing] the commandment, he rose up and went with him. And when they arrived at the village the old man saw a man passing by, and he called him and said unto him, “Do an act of kindness, and take this brother and satisfy his need,” and in this way he was able to flee to the mountain.

421. On one occasion Adlêp, Bishop of Neapolis, went to visit Abbâ. Sisoes, and when he wished to depart the old man made him and the brethren who were with him to eat in the morning; now the days were the first days of the fast. And when they had made ready the table to eat, behold, certain men from the plough knocked at the door, and the old man said unto his disciple, “Open to them, and put some of the boiled food in a dish, and set it before them to eat, for they have just come from labour.” The Bishop said, “Let it alone, or perhaps they will say that Abbâ Sisoes eateth at this time.” And the old man looked at the youth and said unto him, “Go, and give them the food”; and when the strangers saw the boiled food they said unto him, “Have ye strangers with you? Peradventure Abbâ is also eating with them?” And the disciple said unto them, “Yes.” Then they cried out and spake words of condemnation to the company, saying, “May God forgive you, for ye have made the old man to eat at this time of the day. Perhaps ye are unaware that ye are causing him much vexation thereat?” And when the Bishop heard these things he expressed contrition, and said unto him, “Forgive me, I have behaved after the manner of a man, but thou hast acted like God.”

422. They used to say that, [on one occasion] when Abbâ Agathon came to the city to sell his handiwork, he found a stranger lying sick in the market, and he had no man to care for him, and the old man stayed with him; and he hired a room in the town and remained therein working with his hands, now [what he received therefor] he spent on the rent of the room and on the needs of the sick man, for a period of four months, and when the sick man was made whole the old man departed to his own cell.

423. And an old man used to say, “It is a defect in a man if, when he is reviled by his brother, or when any evil cometh to him from him, he cannot strengthen his love before he meeteth him.”

424. A brother was, on one occasion, sent from Scete by his Abbâ on a camel to Egypt to fetch palm leaves for [making]. baskets, and having gone down and brought the camel, another brother met him and said unto him, “Had I known that thou wast coming up I should have begged thee to bring a camel for me also”; and when the brother came and told his Abbâ what had been said unto him by his companion, his Abbâ said unto him, “Take the camel and lead it to that brother, and say unto him, ‘We have taken counsel, and we have given up the intention of bringing up palm leaves at present, but do thou take [the camel] and bring some up for thyself.’ ” Now the brother did not wish to accept the camel, but [his companion] entreated him [to do so], saying, “If thou dost not take him we shall waste what we have paid in hire for him.” So the brother took the camel and brought up his palm leaves. And after he had gone up to Egypt that brother took the camel a second time, and he came back that he himself might go up; and the brother said unto him, “Where takest thou the camel?” and he said unto him, “To Scete, so that we also may bring up our palm leaves”; and that brother repented and was very sorry, and he expressed contrition and said, “Forgive me, my brethren, for your great charity hath taken away my hire.”

425. One of the brethren said, “Whilst we were sitting and talking about love, Abbâ Joseph said, ‘Do we know what love is?’ And he said that Abbâ Agathon had a little knife, and that a certain brother came to him and said, ‘Father, the little knife which thou hast is pretty’; and Abbâ Agathon did not let him depart until he had taken it.”

426. Abbâ Agathon used to say, “If I could find an Arian to whom I could give my body and take his in its place, I would do so, because this would be perfect love.”

427. A brother asked Abbâ Muthues, saying, “What shall I do if a brother come unto me, and it be a time of fast or the morning, and I am in tribulation?” The old man said unto him, “If thou art afflicted, and dost eat with the brother thou doest well; but if thou dost not look at the man, and dost eat, this is a matter of thy will only.”

428. Mother Sarah used to say, “It is a good thing for a man to give alms, even though he do so for the approbation of the children of men, for from this he will come to do it for God’s sake.”

429. A brother asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “If I find a place wherein there is pleasure for the brethren, dost thou wish me to dwell there?” The old man said unto him, “Where thou wilt not do harm to thy brother, there dwell.”

430. Abbâ Poemen used to say that whenever Isidore, the priest of Scete, used to address the brethren in the church, he spake the following words only: “My brethren, it is written, Forgive thy brother that thou also mayest be accounted worthy of forgiveness” (St. Luke 6:37; St. Matthew 6:14).

431. They used to say that at the beginning Abbâ Zeno refused to take anything from any man, and that those who brought him things used to go away sorrowfully because he would not be persuaded to accept them from them. And other men used to come and ask him to give them gifts as of a great old man, and they also went away sorrowfully because he refused to do so. Then the old man said within himself, “Those who bring go away in sorrow, and those who beg also go away grieving because they have received nothing; I will, therefore, act as follows: If any man bringeth me anything I will take it, and if any man asketh me for anything I will give it”; and he did so, and pleased every one.

432. The disciple of Abbâ Theodore said, “A certain man on one occasion came to sell onions, and he filled a basin with some of them and gave them to us; and the old man said to me, ‘Fill [the basin] with wheat and give it to him.’ Now there were two baskets of wheat there, one full of clean wheat, and the other was full of wheat which was dirty, and I filled the basin with the dirty wheat and gave it to him. Then the old man looked at me in wrath and anger, and in my fear I fell down, and broke the basin; and the old man said unto me, ‘Arise, thou art not akin to me, but I know well what I said unto thee.’ And the old man went in and filled his garment with clean wheat, and gave it to the man with the onions, together with his onions.”

433. A certain monk used to dwell by the side of a coenobium, and he was occupied in great ascetic labours, and led a life of hard work, and strangers came to the coenobium, and forced him to eat before his time; and afterwards the brethren said unto him, “Art thou not now afflicted, father?” He said unto them, “Although I am afflicted I have cut off my desire.”

434. A certain old man used to say, “It is right for a man to take up the burden for those who are akin (or near) to him, whatsoever it may be, and, so to speak, to put his own soul in the place of that of his neighbour, and to become, if it were possible, a double man; and he must suffer, and weep, and mourn with him, and finally the matter must be accounted by him as if he himself had put on the actual body of his neighbour, and as if he had acquired his countenance and soul, and he must suffer for him as he would for himself. For thus is it written:—‘We are all one body,’ and this [passage] also affordeth information concerning the holy and mysterious kiss.”

435. An old man said that the father had a custom of going to the cells of the new brethren, who wished to live by themselves, to visit them, lest one of them might be tempted and injured in his mind by the devils, and if they found any man who had been harmed they would bring him to the church, and would place a wash-basin full of water [in the midst], and when prayer had been made on behalf of him that had been brought there, all the brethren would wash themselves and then pour some of the water upon him, and immediately that brother was cleansed.

436. A brother asked an old man, saying, “If I find a brother concerning whom I have heard [that he hath committed] some offence, I never rest until I have brought him into my cell; but if I see a man who leadeth a good life I bring him unto myself gladly.” The old man said unto him, “Do that which is good twice over unto the former man, for he is sick, and he needeth help.”

437. An old man used to say, “Defeat cometh to a man if, when he is reviled and treated with contempt by his brother, he doth not shew him evenness of heart before he repenteth and asketh him to forgive him.”

438. There was a monk, and away on the mountain, which was about ten miles distant from him, was another monk; and the first monk had some bread in his cell, and he meditated in his mind and determined to invite the other monk to come and partake of his bread. And again he thought in his mind, saying, “Since the bread is with me I shall give my brother the labour [of walking] ten miles [if I invite him to come here], but it will be more helpful [to him] if I take one half of the bread which I possess, and carry it to him”; so he took the bread to carry it to the cell of the other brother. Now as he was journeying along, he tripped up, and fell, and injured one of his fingers, and as the blood was running down he began to cry because of the pain; and there appeared unto him suddenly an angel who said unto him, “Why weepest thou?” And the monk said unto him, “I have hurt my finger, and it paineth me”; and the angel said unto him, “Dost thou weep because of this? Weep not, for the number of every step which thou takest for our Lord’s sake is written down, and is estimated at a great reward (or hire) before Him, and the report of the labour of such things goeth up to Him. And that thou mayest be certain that such is the case, behold, in thy presence I will take some of this blood and carry [it] to our Lord”; and immediately the monk was healed, and with rejoicing and thanksgiving to God he set out again on his journey to go to his companion. And having come to him and given him the bread, he related unto him concerning the love for man which is found in the good Lord, the Creator of the universe, and then went back to his cell. Now after one day he took the other half of the bread and went to carry it to another monk. And it happened that he also was found to be burning with anxiety to emulate works of this kind, and he wanted to do even as the other monk had done; and having set out to go and carry the bread of the first monk, they happened to meet each other on the way. Then the first monk who had done good to the other monk began to say unto him, “I possessed a certain treasure, and thou wishest to rob me [of it]”; and the other monk said unto him, “Where is it written that the strait and narrow door is sufficient for thyself alone? Let us, even us, go in with thee.” Then straightway, whilst they were holding converse, the angel of the Lord appeared, and said unto them, “Your contending hath ascended unto the Lord even as a sweet smell.”

439. On one occasion, a certain excellent man, who feared God in his life and works, and who was living in the world, went to Abbâ Poemen, and some of the brethren, who were also with the old man, were asking him questions [wishing] to hear a word from him. Then Abbâ Poemen said to the man who was in the world, “Speak a word to the brethren”; but he entreated him, saying, “Forgive me, father, but I came to learn.” And the old man pressed him [to speak], and, as the force of his urging increased, he said, “I am a man living in the world, and I sell vegetables, and because I do not know how to speak from a book, listen ye to a parable. There was a certain man who had three friends, and he said to the first, ‘since I desire to see the Emperor come with me’; and the friend said unto him, ‘I will come with thee half the way.’ And the man said to the second friend, ‘Come, go with me to the Emperor’s presence’; and the friend said unto him, ‘I will come with thee as far as his palace, but I cannot go with thee inside’; and the man said the same unto his third friend, who answered and said, ‘I will come with thee, and I will go inside the palace with thee, and I will even stand up before the Emperor and speak on thy behalf.’ ” Then the brethren questioned him, wishing to learn from him the strength of the riddle (or dark saying), and he answered and said unto them, “The first friend is abstinence, which leadeth as far as one half of the way; and the second friend is purity and holiness, which lead to heaven; and the third friend is loving-kindness, which stablisheth a man before God, and speaketh on his behalf with great boldness.”

440. A brother went to visit a certain monk, and when he went forth from him, he said unto him, “Forgive me, father, for having made thee to desist from thy rule”; and the monk said unto him, “My rule is to refresh thee, and to send thee away in peace.”

441. On one occasion a command was given to the brethren who were in Scete, and it was said unto them, “Fast ye this week, and celebrate the Passover.” And it happened that some brethren came from Egypt to Abbâ Moses, and whilst he was boiling for them a little food, his neighbours saw the smoke [of his fire] rising up, and they said to the clergy, “Behold, Moses hath broken the command, and hath boiled some food in his cell”; and they said unto them, “Hold ye your peace, and when he cometh to us we will speak to him.” Now when the Sabbath arrived, the clergy, having regard to his great ascetic labours, said unto him before the whole assembly, “O Abbâ Moses, though thou dost break the command of men, thou stablishest [that of God].”

442. They used to tell the story of a certain brother who, when he was throwing away the handles of his baskets, heard his neighbour say, “What shall I do? For the festival draweth nigh, and I have no handles to put on my baskets”; and the brother went straightway and picked up the handles of his baskets, and brought them to his companion, saying, “Behold I have these, of which I have no need, take them and put them on thy baskets”; and he left his own work and completed that of his companion.

443. Certain of the old men went to Abbâ Poemen, and said unto him, “Dost thou wish us if we see brethren sleeping in the congregation, to smite them so that they may wake up?” And he said unto them, “If I see my brother sleeping, I place his head upon my knees, and I give him a place to rest upon”; then an old man said unto him, “And what dost thou say unto God?” Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “I say unto Him thus: Thou Thyself hast said, ‘First of all pluck the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou wilt be able to see to take the mote out of the eye of thy brother” (St. Matthew 7:3).

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