THE PARADISE 

OF THE HOLY FATHERS 
VOLUME II 

CONTAINING 

THE COUNSELS OF THE 

HOLY MEN AND THE 

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS OF 

THE ASCETIC BRETHREN 

GENERALLY KNOWN AS 

THE SAYINGS OF THE 

FATHERS OF 

EGYPT 







FROM THE STORY OF MACARIUS AND THE WIDOW. 
(Brit. Miis. MS. 14626.^. 2 3 aJ 




HE PARADISE 

ORGARDENOFTHE 
HOLY FATHERS BE 
ING HISTORIES OF 
THE ANCHORITES 
RECLUSES MONKS 
COENOBITES AND ASCETIC 
FATHERS OF THE DESERTS OF 
EGYPT BETWEEN A.D. CCL AND 
A.D.CCCC CIRCITER COMPILED BY 
<ATHA2{ASIUS ARCHBISHOP 
OF ALEXANDRIA: TALLADIUS 
BISHOP OF HELENOPOLIS : SAINT 
JEROME AND OTHERS d,NOW 
TRANSLATED OUT OF THE SYRI- 
AC WITH NOTES & INTRODUC 
TION BY ERNEST A. WALLIS 
St/.DG J EM.A:L nT .D:D.L IT :KEEPER 
OF THE ASSYRIAN 8P EGYPTIAN 
ANTIQUITIES IN THE BRITISH 
MUSEUM 



rt 



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PUBLISHED AT LONDON BY 

CHATTO SP WINDUS 

MCMVII 




IFlfc aaafn, we begin, b tbe power ot our Xorfc, 
tbe Ubirfc (sic) part witb tbe Counsels of tbe 
Ibolp It) flDen, anb tbe Questions anfc tbe 
Hnswers [wbicb tbep gave] to tbe Bretbren 



Booh tbc Jf iret 

Ctmpter f . f ffli^bt from /IDen, anfc of Silent Con* 
temptation, anfc of ^Dwelling continually in tbe Cell, 
[a worfe] wbicb was composed b 3Bisbop pallafcius 
for tbe prefect Xausus 

WHEN Abbd 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 fun- 
* damental 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 quiet 
ness. Finally the first man, who had chosen to still the con 
tentions 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 dwell- 
" eth with men, for by reason of the disturbance caused by 
" this affair of the world he cannot see his sins ; but if he live 

3 u-ia 



Ube Salinas of tbe Ifools 3f atbers 

" in the peace and quietness of the desert he is able to see God 
"clearly." 

4. On one occasion Abba Ammon came during the season 
of winter to Abba Sisoes, and he saw that the old man was 
grieved because he had left the desert ; and Abba 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 
knewbeforehand 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 encou 
ragement of the children of men must be sufficient for thee. " 

6. Abba 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 
14 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 Abba Arsenius, and said unto 
him, " My thoughts vex me, and say, Thou canst not fast; 

4 



<S>n IRetreat from tbe Worlfc anfc Contemplation 

" * and thou art not able to labour, therefore visit the sick, 
" * which is a great commandment. " Then Abba" 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 be 
gan 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 Abba Sisoes was dwelling in the mountain of Abba 
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." 

p. I once asked Abba" Sarm^ta" 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 an- 
" other, and from one group of thoughts to another. What 
" shall I do, then ? For I am troubled, and my soul is little." 
And Abba Sarmata 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 Abbd An- 
" thony 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 Abbd Anthony." 

10. On one occasion the brethren went up from Scete to go 



ZTbe Sa^f 1130 of tbe fbols ffatbers 

to Abbd 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 
Abb& Anthony. And when they had all arrived at the place 
where he was, he said unto them, "Ye found excellent com- 
" pany 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 whither- 
" soever he pleaseth on him." Now this he said because they 
uttered every word which came into their mouths. 

11. A certain brother asked Abb& Sisoes, saying, "Father, 
"how was it that thou didst leave Scete where thou wast 
" with Abba Macarius, and didst come here?" And the old man 
said unto him, " When Scete began to be filled [with monks] 
" I heard that Abb& 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 Abba Theodore and Abbd 
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 Abbd 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, say 
ing, "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. Abb& 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 Abbd Abhild, 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 

6 



On IRetreat from tbe Morlfc ant) Contemplation 

" 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 Abba 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. Abba Joseph said to Abba Nestir, " What shall I do 
" with my tongue, for I cannot conquer it?" Abba Nestir 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?" Abba 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 Abbd 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 Abbd Poemen said 
unto him, " We do not learn to shut a door made of wood, 
41 but to close the door of the tongue." 

18. When a certain brother in Scete was going to the har 
vest, he went to Abba" Moses, the Black, and said unto him, 
" Father, tell me what I shall do; shall I go to the harvest?" 
and Abba 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 hewent and did as theold man hadtold him, andthen 
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 

7 



Ube Sa^inos of tbe f>ol tf atbers 

" person, and thou hast become a great man," he used to con 
tradict 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 ser- 
" vices 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 posi 
tion, and if we exalt thee we are accounted by thee for 
" humility." 

Ip. 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 bre 
thren saw what he did, they said unto him, "John gave thee 
" the garb of the monk, and made thee a dweller in a mona- 
" stery, 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. Abbd Anthony said, "As a fish when it is lifted up out 
" of the water dieth, even so doth the monk who tarrieth out- 
"side his cell." 

21. They tell the story of a certain brother who came to 
Scete to see Abbd 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 Abba 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 Abba" 
" 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 

8 



IRetteat from tbe Worlfc anfc Contemplation 

brought the visitor to AbbS. 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, Abbi Arsenius and the 
Spirit of God were travelling in silence in the one, and Abbd 
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 Abb Poemen a question, say 
ing, "If I see something done, dost thou wish me to tell it 
* * abroad ? " The old man said unto him, " It is written, Who- 
" soever 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 Abba Apos, who afterwards be 
came Bishop of Oxyrhyncus, that when he was a monk he la 
boured 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 

9 



Savings of tbe 1bol jfatbers 

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. Abb Poemen said: A certain brother asked Abba Simon, 
and said, "If I go out from my cell, and I find a brother ab- 
" sorbed 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 thy- 
* self as thou wast before thou didst go out? " And the brother 
said unto him, "If not, how then?" Then the old man an 
swered and said unto him, " It is right for thee to keep a care- 
" ful 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 ac~teth thus speaketh continually; another man speak- 
" eth 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 

10 



n IRetreat from tbe Merit) ant) Contemplation 

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 
44 done, O my brother? Or what thoughts hast thou had? For 
44 1 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 
44 that I have any filthy thoughts in me, and I do not perceive 
"in my soul that any evil a6l hath been committed by me." 
His brother said unto him, "Peradventure some vain and 
44 empty word hath gone forth from thy mouth." Then that 
brother recalled the matter to his mind, and said, "Yea, 
44 yesterday I saw certain men outside the coenobium eating, 
44 and I said unto them, Do ye eat at this time on Friday? 
44 This then is my sin. But I entreat thee to labour with me 
44 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. 

2p. The old men used to say about the blessed Abb Arse- 
nius, and Abb Theodore of Parme, that they possessed in a 
far greater degree than many monks a hatred of the admira 
tion of men; Abba" Arsenius was never pleased at meeting and 
conversing with a man, and Abba Theodore, even though he 
was willing to meet a man, was as sharp as a sword in his 
conversation. 

30. Abba" 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 
44 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. Abba Poemen said: Abbd Moses asked Abba Zechariah 
a question when he was about to die, and said unto him, 
44 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 Abba: Isidore was sitting 
with him, Abba Moses looked up to heaven, and said, " Re- 
4 4 joice 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 humi- 
44 lity?" And the old man answered and said unto him, "That 
44 thou payest not back evil for evil." That brother said unto 

ii 



TTbe Salinas of tbe Ibolp ffatbers 

him, "And supposing that a man cannot attain to this mea- 
" sure, 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 train- 
" est 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 expe- 
" rience 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 pluck- 
"eth from silence." 

35. Abbd 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 know 
ledge and expression in a man, and leave him like unto a 
" piece of dry wood." 

37. They used to say about Abba" Nastir that the old man 
was like unto the serpent which Moses made for the healing 
of the people (Numbers xxi, 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 
" 4 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, how- 
" ever 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 

12 



n iRetreat from tbe Worlfc anfc Contemplation 

" 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 Abba Bessarion, "What shall I do?" The old man 
said unto him, "Keep silence, and consider thyself to be 
"nothing." 

40. Abba Moses besought Abba 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. Abba Poemen said, "The rule of the monk is this to 
bear at all times his own blame." 

42. Abba 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 him- 
"self." 

44. Abba Alonis 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 xii, 37), he 
" would know that it is right to hold his peace." 

45. Abba 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. Abba 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. Abba Alonis said, "Unless a man saith in his heart, 
Only God and myself exist in this world, he will not find 
"rest." 

48. Abba 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 Abba Panbo (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. Abbd Poemen said, "In all the labour which cometh 
" upon a man, his victory is only assured when he holdeth his 
"peace." 

3 



ZEbe Savings of tbe Ibots jf atbers 

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 
4 do this, we ourselves afterwards may be found doing the 
4 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 Abba 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 pro 
mised to keep it. The old man said unto them, "In whatsoever 
"place ye hear that Arsenius is, come not nigh thereunto." 

53. Abba Macarius said unto Abba Arsenius, " Why fleest 
" thou from us?" And the old man said unto him, "God know- 
" eth 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 can- 
" not, 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. Abba 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 Abba 
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, "Abba 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 



On IRetteat from tbe Worlfc anfc Contemplation 

"year rain in abundance, and the palms are thriving and are 
" flourishing beautifully, and work for the hands of the bre 
thren 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 for 
got to do so, and sat down, and went on plaiting. And the 
brother knocked at the door again, and when Abba 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 Abba Evagrius went to Scete to a cer 
tain 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 Abba Evagrius spoke. And 
a certain elder said unto him, "We know, Abba, 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. Abba 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 xxv, 36). 

61. They used to say about Abba Agathon that for a period 



ftbe Salinas of tbe 1fool$ f atbere 

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 Abba 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." 



Cbapter ij* f ffastino ant> Hbstinence anfc of otbet 
[similar] OLabours 

THEY used to say about Abba 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 

63. 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 Abba 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 suf 
fered from some disease of the stomach, and much blood came 

16 



JFastina anfc Hbsttnence 

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 Abbd Macarius, the Egyp 
tian, 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 joy 
fully 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. 

6p- 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 him 
self, " 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 

17 n-2 



TTbe Savings of tbe f>ol2 jf atbers 

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 
andsaiduntohim, " Itis written, When a possession increaseth 
" set not thy heart upon it " (Psalm Ixii, 10). 

73. They used to say about Abbd 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 Abba" 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 Abbd 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 Abba" Sisoes refused to drink it, saying, 
" Stay thy hand, brother, knowest thou not that [the third cup] 
"is of Satan?" 

75. Abba" John said, u If a king wishes to subdue a city be- 
" longing 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 respecl: 
" of the hostile passions, for if a man endureth fasting and 
"hunger regularly, his enemies become stricken with weak- 
" ness in the soul." 

76. They used to say about Abbai 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 ex 
cellence, 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 re 
solutions 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 

18 



n jfastino aufc Hbstinence 

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 be 
neath him, and he fell through it; and when the sound came 
[tothebrethren] they wentand found him lying [on theground], 
and they began to think about him, and said, "O lover ofvain- 
" glory, 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 Abbd 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 Abba 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. Abba Poemen used to say, "The Spirit of God never 
" entereth into the house wherein there are delights and 
" pleasures." 

84. A brother asked Abba 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 



of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

"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 Abba" 
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 re 
joiced 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 man- 
"ner, and honour your ascetic rule of life, so that your vol- 
"untary 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 be- 
" come 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 Abba Agathon had two disciples, and they sepa- 

20 



<>n jfastino ant) Hbstinence 

rated 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 Abbd Aga- 
thon said unto him, " It is a beautiful way of living, but it is 
"very laborious." Then Abba 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 an- 
" other 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. Abba Abraham went to Abba Areus, and as they were 
sitting down, another brother came to Abba, 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 Abba 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 Abba 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, 
Abba Abraham said unto Abba Areus, "Why dost thou com- 
" mand 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." 

pO. Abba Theodotus used to say, "Abstinence from bread 
" quieteth the body of the monk." 

QI. A certain old man used to say, "I knew Abba Pater- 
" muthis 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 con- 
" demned 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 Abba Paphnutius that he did 
not drink wine readily, even though he was sick. 

21 



of tbe Ibols jf atbers 

93. Abbd Poemen said, "The soul can be humbled by no- 
" thing except thou enfeeble it by the eating of [little] bread." 

94. They used to say about Abba Sarnios that he laboured 
exceedingly hard, and that he only ate two bread-cakes each 
day. And when he came to Abba 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 Abbd Sarnaos 
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. Abba 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 Abb Sylvanus and Zechariah his dis 
ciple 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 Abba Sylvanus said unto him, "The 
"food which w r e ate was obligatory, but let us keep the fast, 
"O my son." 

97. Abba Poemen said, "Every corporeal pleasure is con- 
" temptible before the Lord." 

98. The disciple of Abba 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 w r ould say unto 
him, " If we have not eaten, bring the food and let us eat." 

99. Abba 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. Abba 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, *Be- 
" * hold, 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. Abba Benjamin also said, "We went to another old 

22 






<S)n jf astins an& Hbsttnence 

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. Abbd Joseph asked Abba Poemen what was the proper 
way in which to fast, and Abba 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 Abba 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 
4< 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 shep 
herd 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 
4 herbs?" And the shepherd said unto him, " Behold, for the 
last thirty years, more or less, and I have never tasted any- 
thing else except these herbs which I have eaten once a day, 
and I drink as much water as my food requireth ; and the 



tTbe Sa$in0s of tbe 1bol 3f atbers 

" 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 
4 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 im- 
" mediately it came in my way." Then the shepherd said unto 
him, "It is not right that rational men should make them- 
" selves 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 every- 
1 thing 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. 

Gbapter it], f tbe IReaMna of tbe Scriptures, anfc of 
watcbino bs iftigbt, anfc of tbe Service of tbe psalms, 
ant) of constant prapers 

THEY used to say about Abba 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 
105. which would end in the dawn of Sunday, he would 
leave the sun behind him, and would stretch out his hands to 
wards 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 
41 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 notable 
" 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 Abba 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 

24 



, ant> 

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 Abba Pachomius and Abba 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 Abba 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 re 
demption of their souls. 

HO. They used to say about Abba 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 tak 
ing to flight. 

111. They used to relate concerning Abba 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 when 
soever 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. Abba 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 
Godlike fire." 

113. One day Abba Arsenius called Abba Alexander and 



Ube Salinas of tbe "tools 3f atbers 

Abba Zolla, 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 Abba Poemen, saying, " How, and in 
"what manner is it right for a man to walk in the path of 
"righteousness?" Abba 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 Abba 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 Abbi Sisoes of Babylon that, wish 
ing 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 Abbd 
Epiphanius by the head of a certain monastery in Palestine, say 
ing, * 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 Abba 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 

26 



f Ifteabing, IDiotl, anfc prater 

" 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 re- 
" mote from the world to be occupied with prayers to God un- 
" ceasingly, and he should pray either in his heart, or in a care- 
" fully 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 persist- 
" ency he acquireth his natural power, and more particularly 
" is this so in the case of those who are careless and lazy." 

lip. Abbi 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 
11 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 ; 
4 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 ser- 
" vant, 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 false- 
" hood is death. If the liar, and the thief, and the calumniator 

27 



Salinas of tbe Ibots ff atbers 

" 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 
1, 16). 

123. Abba Epiphanius said, "Whensoever a thought cometh 
"and filleth thy bosom, that is to say, thy heart, with vain- 
" glory 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 un- 
" mindful 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 Abba 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 an 
swered and said unto them, "Whosoever receiveth not all the 
"brethren, but maketh distinctions between them, cannot be- 
" come 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 Abba 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 

28 



f 1Reabing t Dtail, anfc 

"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 
xxvii, 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 ap 
peared 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 de- 
" sire to fulfil that which is written, 4 I will bless the Lord al- 
" ways, and His praises shall be ever in my mouth (Psalm 
" xxxiv, i). 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 Abbd 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 ex- 
" tinguish 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 

29 



TTbe Sa^inos of tbe 1bol jfatbers 

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 de 
jection 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 after 
wards 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 
11 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 Abba 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 Abb4 Daniel used to say concerning Abba 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 straight 
way. 

134. Abbd Arsenius used to say, "One hour s sleep is suffi- 
" cient 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; 

3 



n Weeping anfc 

and he saw a small spark which [flew] about the pillar, and 
sometimes it shone brightly, and sometimes it was extinguish 
ed. And whilst he was wondering at the vision, it was explained 
to him by God, Who said, "The pillar which thou seest is 
4 the prayers of the many [brethren] which are gathered to- 
" gether 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 cus- 
"tomary 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. 

Gbapter i\>. f bow it is meet for us to Weep for our 
Sins anfc to Aourn for tbem always 

A BROTHER asked Abba Ammon, and said unto him, 
"Tell me some word whereby I may live"; and Abba 
Ammon said unto him, "Go and make thy mind like 
136. 4 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 
41 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. Abba 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 Abba 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 Abba 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 Abba Sisoes answered him never a word. Then the third 
old man said unto him, "Father, what shall I do? For the re- 
" membrance of the outer darkness troubleth me." And Abba 
Sisoes answered arid 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 

3 1 



Savings of tbe ffools jf atbers 

grieved at the answer which Abba Sisoes had spoken unto 
them. Now because he did not wish to send them away sor 
rowful, 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 Abba Sinu 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 Abbd 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?" Abba 
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 
"forme." 

141. Certain brethren went to an old man and, making apolo 
gies to him, they said, "Father, what shall we do, for Satan 
"is hunting after us?" And he said unto them, "It is right 
4 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 re 
pentance the brethren departed and became chosen vessels. 

142. A brother asked Abbd Muthues, saying, "Speak a word 
"to me"; and the old man replied, "Cut off from thee con- 
" tention concerning every matter whatsoever, and weep, and 
" mourn, for the time hath come." 

143. Abbd Ammon said that he saw a young man who 
laughed, and he said unto him, "Laugh not, O brother, for if 

3 2 



n Weeping anfc Aourning 

" thou dost, thou wilt drive the fear of God out of thy 
soul." 

144. Abba 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 Abba Theodore and Abba 6r 
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 fight- 
" ing. 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 Abba 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 Abba Poemen spake to him about Abba 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 Abba 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 

33 -3 



Savings of tbe 1bol$ df atbers 

word of profit; and the holy old man wept, and said unto them, 

I Let us weep, O my brethren, and let us make our eyes to 

II 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 Abba Poemen heard that he was dead, that 
is to say, that Abbd Arsenius had gone to his rest, he said, 
" Blessed art thou, O Abba Arsenius, for thou didst weep 
" over thyself in this world. For he who weepeth not for him- 
" self 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 Abba 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 Pro- 
" mise 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 Abbd Poemen, saying, 
" Father, what shall I do in the matter of my sins?" The old 
mansaid 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. Abba Noah asked Abba 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 inter- 

34 



f IPoluntarg poverty 

val he came to himself again, and the brethren asked him, say 
ing, "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." 

Gbapter v. f Voluntary poverty 

ABBA 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 

158. (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 Phila- 
grius, 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 weep 
ing, 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 Abba Serapion the Bishop went on one 
occasion to one of the brethren, and found [in his cell] a hol 
low 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. Abba Theodore of Parme possessed some beautiful 
books, and he went to Abba 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 Abba Theodore heard these words he went and sold 
the books and gave the price of them to the poor. 

35 -3 



TTbe Salinas of tbe 1bol$ ff atbers 

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 
4 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 
1 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 
1 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] op- 
ponent, 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 Abba 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 

n the world, in the palace, for forty years, in the days of 

36 



f IDoluntars poverty 

Theodosius, the great king, who became the father of the Em 
perors 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. Abba Isaac, the priest of the Cells, used to say that 
Abba Pambo 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 w r ish 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 de 
bated in his thoughts, saying, "Did the old man speak truth- 
" fully 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 there 
by 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 

37 



TOe Savings of tfee 1fool$ ffatbers 

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 
41 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 untohim, 
"Where are thy oboli?" and the gardener said immediately, 
"I have sinned, forgive me"; and straightway the man ap 
proached 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 ser 
vants] told him, "He went to this work in the night"; and 
straightway [the gardener] glorified God. 

171. Abb Agathon saw Abba Nastir 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 Abba Nastir replied, "I would give him the 
"better of them"; and Abba Agathon said unto him, "And if 
"another poor man came, what wouldst thou give him?" 
Abba Nastir saith unto him, "I would give him the half of 
"that which remained." And Abba Agathon said unto him, 
"Supposing yet another beggar came, what wouldst thou 
"give unto him?" And Nastir said untohim, "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 Abba 
Agathon said unto him, "And supposing yet another beggar 
" were to come?" and Nastir 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 Abba Theodore excelled in the three fol 
lowing 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. Abba Poemen used to say, " He who laboureth and 
" keepeth [the result of] his work for himself is a twofold 
" grief." 

38 



Of lt)oluntar poverty 

176. Abb Isaac used to say to the brethren, " Our fathers 
1 and Abba Panboused 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 com- 
" mandments, 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 Abba 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 Abbd Poemen the question, saying, 
" An inheritance hath been bequeathed to me; what shall I do 
" with it?" Abba Poemen said unto him, " Go, and after three 
" days come unto me, and I will give thee counsel. "And the bro 
ther came, and Abba 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 ac- 
" cept something which I do not want, and secondly, because I 
" should be giving away with boasting the charity of another," 

39 



Savings of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

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. " 

Gbapter \>j. f patient Bntwrance 

ON one occasion certain brethren went to Abba Agathon, 
because they had heard that he took the greatest possible 
care that his mind should not be disturbed by anything, 
183. 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 theethou hast replied, Yea, and that 
" thou hast endured them all with the exception of the accu- 
" sation of being a heretic." Abba 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 

40 



<W patient Endurance 

book, " Behold, I have shewn it to Father So-and-so, and he 
"hath told me that thy price is dear." And the brother an 
swered 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 re 
fused 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 grey- 
4 headed 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 straight 
way 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 Abba Macarius the Egyptian on one oc 
casion 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 as 
tonished, and came to him and said, "What fair thing hast 
" thou seen in me that thou shouldst salute me [in this gracious 



ZIbe Salinas of tbe ffoolE jfatbers 

" 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 Ma- 
carius, 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 con 
verted 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 Abba 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 disposi 
tion 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. Abbd 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. 

l8p. They say that once when Abbd 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 Abba 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 

42 



f patient JEnfcurance 

4 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. 

IpO. And another of the fathers when he was being plun 
dered said unto the thieves, "Make haste, and be quick, before 
* 4 the brethren come." 

Ipl. 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." 

Ip2. 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 re 
pented. 

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 Pior 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] Abba Pior returned to his monastery. 
And on another occasion, when the time of harvest had ar 
rived, Abba Pior 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 Abba 
Pior 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 ex 
cellence, 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 

43 



TTbe Savings of tbe Ifools $ atbets 

entreated him to receive his hire. But when the holy man re 
fused 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 pos- 
" sess 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-suffer- 
"ing." 

197. Abba" Poemen used to say, "The certain sign that 
" a monk is a monk is made known by trials (or temp 
tations)." 

198. A certain brother was estranged from a fellow monk, 
and he came to Abbd Sisoes the Theban, and said unto him, 
" I am estranged from a fellow monk, and I wish to take ven- 
" geance 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 ot 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 Abbd Sisoes healed that brother. 

199. They say that Abbd John the Less, the Theban, the 
disciple of Abbd Ammon, ministered unto the Abbd in his sick 
ness 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, Abbd Ammon took his hand, 
and said unto him, "Live, my son, live!" Then he committed 

44 



f patient lEnfcurance 

him to the old men and said unto them, "This is an angel, and 
" not a man." 

200. Abba Paule and Timath his brother dwelt in Scete, and 
there was contention between them frequently; and Abba Paule 
said, "How long are we to remain thus?" Abba Timath 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 Abba 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 Abba 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 de- 
" cided] 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 Abba 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." 
Abba 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 vi, 29); and they said unto him, "Wecan- 
not do this. " Abba 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." 

45 



TTbe Satinets of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

203. They used to say that Mother Sara, 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 foot- 
" steps, 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 Abba 
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 Patara which be 
longed to Abba 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 en- 
" dure 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." 



f patient Endurance 

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 Abba 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 tempta- 
" tions, 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. Abba 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, "OLord, 
" remove striving from me," but he made supplication unto 

47 



ZTbe Sa^inos of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

God, saying, " O Lord, give me patience to endure the 
" strife." 

2l6- 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 dis 
position 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 Abba Theo 
dore of Parme. And the old man said unto him, "Go and 
" humble thy mind, and submit thyself to live with the breth- 
" ren" ; 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 plea- 
" sure (or rest) in eight years !" 

218. A certain brother, who had vanquished Satan in every 
thing, 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. 

2Ip. A monk was smitten by a man on the leg and was 
severely injured, but the holy man was neither angry nor wroth 



f patient Endurance 

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. Abbd 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 thefur- 
" nace 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 fora 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 aman 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 Abba 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 Abba Isidore wished to turn him out from his 
abode ; and when that brother came to the door of the monas 
tery, 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 Abba 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." 1 

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ZTbe Savings of tbe 1bols jf atbers 

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 any- 
1 * thing to them, so that the matter might be a cause of remem- 
" bering 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 foe- 
" tid 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. Abbd 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 

5 



<W patient Endurance 

him, " Thou art like unto a palace the front of which is deco- 
" rated 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 
44 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. Abba 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 Abba Poemen, saying, " What 
" mean the words, If a man be angry with his brother with- 
" out a cause? " (St. Matthew v, 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 [be- 
" cause 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 with- 
" out 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. Abba Poemen said, "Abba Isidore, the priest of the 
"church, on one occasion spake to the people, saying, My 

51 ii- 4 



ZTbe Savings ot tbe 1bol jf atbers 

" 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 Abbd Poemen, had an affection 
for the people who were outside his monastery, and Abb 
Poemen did not wish this to be, and he rose up and fled to 
Abb Ammon, and said unto him, "My brother Paesius hath 
" made a promise of love to certain folk, and I am not pleased 
" thereat." Abbd 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." 

Cbapter \>ij, f beMence towards <3ofc, ant) towards 
our 3f atbers anfc JBretbren 

THEY say that Abbi John, tl i disciple of Abbd Paule, 
possessed great obedience. Now in the place where 
they used to live there was a sepulchre, wherein dwelt 
238. a savage panther, and Abb Paule 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, be- 
" hold, 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, 

5 2 



f befcience 

smote him, and said, "Thou hast brought a wandering- dog!" 
and he untied the animal and let him depart. 

239. Abba Joseph used to say, " There are three things 
44 which are held in honour before God: first, when a man is 
44 sick, and he addeth to his toil, and receiveth it with thanks- 
44 giving; secondly, when a man maketh all his works to be 
44 pure before God, and when he hath in them no human con- 
44 sideration; thirdly, when a man submitteth himself to autho- 
44 rity, and obeyeth his father, and setteth aside his own will. 
4 Such a man hath one crown the more, but I personally would 
44 choose the sickness." 

240. They used to say that Abba 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 aflflidted 
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, 4 O brother, come forth, for I have need of 
44 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, 4 4 Brother Mark, " and as soon 
as Mark heard the voice of the old man, he jumped up straight 
way, and came out, and Sylvanus sent him off on some busi 
ness. Then Sylvanus said unto the old men, 44 My fathers, 
44 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 w), 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, Gold 
44 man, we also love the brother whom thou lovest, for God 
44 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, 44 Abba, tell my son to come forth and see me"; 
and the old man went in, and said to him, 44 Go forth and see 
44 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 

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Ube Salinas of tbe tools ffatbers 

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 per- 
" adventure 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. Abba Daniel used to say, "On one occasion Abba 
" 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 Abba 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 dis 
ciple 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 

54 



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] be- 
" cause 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 Abba Sisoes 
the Theban, and the old man asked him, if he had any pos 
session 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 Abba who was in Iliu 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 Abba Pambo 
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 

55 



tbe Salinas of tbe fbol f atbers 

love, and concerning the fourth the other three said, " He hath 
"been in subjection to the old men for twenty-two years." 
Then Abba Pambo 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." 

Cbapter \?if j, f Scrupulous Watcbfulness tn out 
Ubougbts anfc Worbs anfc E>eefcs 

ABBA 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. 

248. " 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 not negligent, 
" 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 say 
ing, "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 com- 
^ piled 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 Abba 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 

5 6 



f TKaatcbfulness 

"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 affli6led; 
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 remem- 
" brance [the fa6l that] my sins are many. 

253. Whilst Abba 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 Abba Arsenius. Now Theo- 
philus, Archbishop of Alexandria, received her, and she begged 
him to entreat the old man to receive her. Then Theophilus 
went to Abba 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 hap 
pened, 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 

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of tbe 1bol^ ff atbers 

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 remem- 
" brance always." Then Abba 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 sick 
ness. 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 wo- 
4 men? 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 Abbd Hor (or Or) of the Cells dwelt for 
twenty years in the church, and that he never once lifted his 
eyes and saw the roof thereof. 

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

256. They say concerning Abbd Paphnutius, the disciple of 
Abba 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 Abbd 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 Abba Akild and saw that he 
was throwing up blood from his mouth, and he asked him, 

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<W Matcbfulness 

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 
"Abba Sisoes, and when he sat down to eat there came up to 
"us a young man who begged for alms; and when we were 
4 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. Abba Sisoes 
" said, * If he had eaten with us he would have drunk the same 
" quantity as ourselves, and he would have have been con- 
" vinced 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 Abba 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? What- 
" soever thou seest me do, that do thyself." 

261. A brother asked Abba 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 Abba Sisoes, who said, "There are some 
" who do not give even one [thought] to the Enemy." 

262. Abba Joseph asked Abba 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." Abbd Sisoes 

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ttbe Savings of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

said unto him, "Whensoever passion cometh cut it off im- 
" mediately." 

263. Abba Nastir and a certain brother were walking- to 
g-ether in the desert, and they saw a serpent, and both took to 
flight; and the brother said to Nastir, "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 other- 
" wise 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 Abba 
Sisoes, and though they spoke much he held his peace and an 
swered 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 Abbd Poemen, but the old man refused [to see him]. And, 
like a crafty man, the judge made an excuse, and seized Abba s 
nephew, and threw him into prison, saying, "Unless Abba 
"cometh and maketh entreaty on his behalf he shall not go 
" out." Then Abbd 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 pos- 
" sessest mercy of brass, have mercy upon me, for my son is 
" the only [child] I have." And Abba Poemen sent her a mes 
sage, saying, "Poemen hath no sons," and thus she departed. 
And when the judge heard [these things] he answered and said, 
" If Abba 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 Abba Anthony seven 
brethren dwelt, each of whom used to watch in the date sea 
son 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 Abba 
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, Abba Sisoes found some camel dung, and he 

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t Matcbfulness 

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 
14 this love ? Thou hast found food, and thou eatest it by thy- 
" self and hast not called me [to share it with thee]." Abb 
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 be- 
"fore mine eyes." 

269. A certain brother came to Abba 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 Abba Muthues went from Re ith to 
Mount Gebel, and he had with him his brother Awsabh, and 
Kdntirsd, the Bishop, took the old man and made him a priest. 
And when they were eating together the Bishop said unto him, 
" Forgive me, Abba, 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 Abba 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 al 
so. And they ended their lives together, but one of them never 
approached the altar for the purpose of offering up the Offer 
ing, for the old man used to say, " By God, I hope that ordi- 
" nation doth not make it obligatory on me to do so, because 
" I cannot offer up the Offering, for ordination belongeth un- 
" to those who are pure [only]." 

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ZTbe Savings of tbe 1bols 3f atbers 

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 en- 
" dure 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 
Abba Poemen to go to the congregation for the service, he sat 
down for about one hour examining and passing judgement up 
on 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 en 
treated him to do so often, the old man went forth and de 
parted 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 gar 
ments, 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 cer- 
" tainly 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 

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f Matcbfulness 

was with him whilst Abba 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 Abba Job came and found them 
fighting, and he said to Poemen, " Why hast thou let these 
44 brethren fight, and hast said nothing to them whilst they 
"have been fighting?" Abba Poemen said unto him, "They are 
44 brethren, and will become reconciled again." Abba Job said, 
44 What is this that thou hast said? Thou seest that they con- 
44 tinue to fight, and yet thou sayest that they will be reconciled 
44 again." Abb Poemen said unto him, 44 Thou must think in 
44 thy heart that I am not here." 

276. Mother Sarah sent a message to Abba Paphnutius, 
saying, 44 Dost thou think that thou art doing God s work in 
44 allowing thy brother to be reviled?" Abba Paphnutius saith, 
44 Paphnutius is here doing the work of God, and I have no 
44 concern whatsoever about man." 

277. The old man Poemen used to say, 44 Thou shalt have no 
44 dealings whatsoever with a child of the world, and thou shalt 
44 hold no converse with women"; and he also said, 44 Thou 
44 shalt possess no knowledge of the judge (or governor), lest, 
44 when thou hearest his words, thou perform his work." 

278. One of the old men used to say, 44 1 have never taken 
44 one step forwards without first of all learning where I was 
44 about to set my foot, and I have neither crossed my boun- 
44 dary to walk on a height, nor have I descended into a deep 
44 place, and been troubled by so doing; for my only care hath 
44 been to beseech God until He brought me forth from the 
44 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 Abba Copres to be with them; finally, 
however, they did call him, and they enquired of him concern 
ing the matter. And he smote three times on his mouth, and 
said, 44 Woe be to thee! Woe be to thee, O Copres, for thou 
44 hast left undone what God commanded thee to do, and thou 
44 art enquired of concerning the things which God hath not 
44 demanded of thee"; and they all left the place and fled to 
their cells. 

280. An old man used to say, 44 Freedom of speech (orbold- 
44 ness) is a wind which parcheth, and it smiteth the fruit at 
44 the harvest." 

281. An old man used to say, 44 The a<5t of despising oneself 
44 is a strong fence for a man." 

282. The old man said, 44 The withdrawal in secret [from 
44 works] maketh dark the understanding, but the persisting 

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TTbe Salinas of tbe fools ffatbers 

"in endurance with vigilance illuminateth and strengthened 
" the soul of a man." 

283. An old man used to say, " Laughter and familiar talk- 
" ing are like unto the fire which kindleth among the reeds." 

284. Certain heretics came on one occasion to Abba 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 Abba 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 sud- 
" denly 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 oc 
casion 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 de 
parted, the eagle appeared as usual, and after the Office had 



f Matcbfulness 

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 entreat- 
" ing 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 vil 
lage; and he said unto the brethren who were with him, "Be- 
" hold, how many years have I lived here without going into 
" the village, whilst ye are always going therein." Now Abba 
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 vil 
lage 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." 

2pl. Abba 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. Abba 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 negli- 
" gence, a great forest will come into being." 

294. Abba" 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." 

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ZTbe Savings of tbe Ifools ffatbers 

295. Abb& 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 tempo- 
" rarily, yet he w r ill never advance in spiritual excellence." 

296. Abbd 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. Abb& Poemen used to say, "Teach thy heart to keep 
" that which thy tongue teacheth." 

298. Abba 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 an 
swered 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 

66 



<W Watcbfulness 

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, 
44 and I would not give him any because I saw that if I did so 
44 we should arrive at the loss of [our] soulfs]. And I made up 
44 my mind that I would treat with contempt one of the com- 
"mandments, and not ten, and [therefore] we came to en- 
44 mity [with each other]. But do thou hearken not unto the 
44 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. Abba Isaac, the priest of the Cells, said, "I saw a cer- 
44 tain brother reaping the harvest in the field, and he wanted 
44 to eat one ear of wheat ; and he said to the owner of the field, 
44 4 Dost thou wish me to take one ear of wheat to eat? And 
44 the owner of the field wondered (now he profited greatly 
44 therefrom), and said unto him, 4 My son, the field is thine, 
44 4 and dost thou ask [my] permission to eat? To this extent 
44 did that brother shew scrupulous care." 

302. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, 44 What 
44 shall I do? For the thoughts which make war with me are 
44 many, and I know not how to contend against them." The 
old man said unto him, 44 Do not strive against them all, but 
44 against one, for all devilish thoughts have only one head, 
44 and it is necessary for a man to understand and to make war 
44 upon this head only, for afterwards all the rest will perforce 
44 be brought low. Just as in war, if on one side a very mighty 
44 man appear, the men on the other side use every means in 
44 their power to set up in opposition to him a mighty man who 
44 is stronger than he is, because, if he be able to hurl down 
44 that chief, all the rest will take to flight and be van- 
44 quished. In this same manner there is one head to all the 
"thoughts which come from devils, whether it be fornica- 
44 tion, or riotous living, or love of money, or wandering about 
44 from place to place, for if thou wilt first of all recognize it 
44 and wilt drive it out, it will not lead thee astray in respect 
44 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. Abb Lot went to Abbd Joseph, and said unto him, 
44 Father, according to my strength I sing a few Psalms, and 
44 I pray a little, and my fasting is little, and my prayers and 
44 silent meditations [are few], and as far as lieth in my power 
44 I cleanse my thoughts, what more can I do?" Then the old 
man stood up, and spread out his hands towards heaven, and 

67 n-5 



ttbe Sasfnss of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

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 in 
terpret to him some words which he had asked him, saying, 
44 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 an 
swered and said unto him, " This refinement [of thought] is 
(< not [given] to many, and I do not regard it as a sure mat- 
"ter. If there be any passion in the motion of the soul I 
11 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. Abba Arsenius said unto Abbd 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 Abbd Alexander 
delayed [in coming] to eat, he thought that it was because stran 
gers had come to him. And when Abba 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." 

68 



<>f Matcbfutness 

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. Abba Poemen used to say often, "We need nothing 
"except a watchful and strenuous heart." 

307. A brother asked Abba 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. Abba Agathon said concerning Abba Muam 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. Abba Copres used to say, "Blessed is the man who 
" beareth temptation with thanksgiving." 

310. Abba 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. Abba 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. Abba Euprepius said, "If thou art not certain in thy- 
" self 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 con- 
" fess that God is mighty, and we are certain that all things 

69 



tTbe 5a$inos of tbe 1bol 3f atbers 

" 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, 
4 and doeth wonders, and sheweth forth marvels." 

315. Abba Theodore used to say, "If thou hast affe6lion 
"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 Abba 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 
dinar 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 dinar 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 where- 
from he could give it to him, he rose up and went to Abba 
Jacob, so that he might persuade him to give him a dinar 
wherewith to repay the brother; and as he was going he found 
a din&r 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 bringittoyou." 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 dinar on the road. Do now, O father, an act which is 
" worthyof love, and makeaproclamationthroughoutthesebor- 
" ders, forperhaps someonehathlostthe dinar, and if its owner 
" be found, giveit 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 dinar. Then the old man said unto Abba Jacob, 
" If no man hath lost the dinar 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 dinar, and had 
found one, he did not immediately take it and pay his debt. 

70 



f Watchfulness 

Now this habit also was found with that old man who owed 
the dinar: 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 wish- 
"est"; 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. Abba Daniel used to say that on one occasion certain 
fathers came from Alexandria to see Abba 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 Patara 
of Estoris, and the fathers went back sorrowfully. And it hap 
pened on one occasion that the barbarians invaded the country, 
and then Abba 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, know- 

est thou not that when [these fathers] came to thee on the 
first occasion at Estoris thou didst not protract thy conversa 
tion 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 ex- 
" perience 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. Abba Daniel used to say: Abbd Alexander dwelt with 
Abba Agathon, and the old man loved Abba 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 Abba Agathon, " Bro- 
" ther Alexander doeth nothing," and the oldman, 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 en 
treated 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 Abba John came 
to the church which was in Scete he heard the brethren quar- 



ZTbe Saptnos of tbe fbol$ tf atbers 

relling with each other, and that he went back to his cell, and 
went round it three times, and then entered it ; now the bre 
thren 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 Abba Or 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, " Or 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, accord 
ing 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 Abba Joseph he came to him, expecting to see a very 
much more laborious form of life than his own. And the old 

72 



<W Watcbfulness 

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 Abba Eulogius said, " Bring 
"a little salt, for the father will not eat this"; but Abb 
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 a6l of 
worship which they performed was in secret; and he went 
forth from them having profited in no wise. And by the Pro 
vidence 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 be 
cause of the heat which they had endured, Abba 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 Abba 
Joseph and fell down at his feet, and entreated him to be al 
lowed 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 Abba 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 Abba Joseph taught him the difference [be 
tween 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, 
Abbd Joseph performed his ascetic labours in secret, and hav 
ing 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 bro 
ther who said unto him that ministered at the tables, "I do 
"not eat boiled food, but bread and salt," and the servant 

73 



tTbe Sa$in3$ of tbe 1bol ffatbets 

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 [where- 
" by 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 Abba Panbo 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, "Hailaw, Hailaw." Now when Abba 
Panbo saw them, he laughed, and the devils began to run 
and jump about, saying, "Wawa, Abba Panbo hath laughed." 
Then Abbi Panbo answered and said unto them, "I did not 
"laugh [for myself], but I laughed at your weakness, and be- 
" cause 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 cer 
tain old man had his abode; now he had not gone out of his 
cell for many years. And when the Abba 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 an 
swered 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 
Abba 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 Abba Poemen, but he 
would not be persuaded [to go], and said, "I will die here." 
And when they came to Abba Poemen they told him about him, 
and he entreated them, saying, "Go to that brother, and say 
"ye unto him, Abba Poemen calleth thee"; now when the 
brother learned that Abba Poemen had sent the brethren to 
him, he rose up and went. And when Abba 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 pre- 
" vented 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." 

74 



f Watcbfulness 

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 
Abba 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 re 
pented, and he remembered what he had done, and said, "Abba 
" 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 nar 
rate the following matter: An inheritance was left unto a certain 
brother, and whilst he was wishing to make therefrom a me 
morial 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 Abba Poemen entreated AbbaMacarius 
with frequent supplication, saying, "Tell me a word [whereby 

75 



tTbe Sapinos of tbe fbol^ jf atfoers 

" 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. Abba Nicetasused 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 ex 
pressed 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 watch- 
"man; 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." 

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f Watchfulness 

335. The same old man used to say also, "As he who is a 
11 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. Abb Epiphanius said, "He who revealeth and dis- 
" covereth 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. Abb 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 whatso- 
" ever 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. RabbS. 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 be- 
" longeth 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 Abb Arsenius was living in the 
lower lands, and was troubled, he determined to leave his cell 

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Savings of tbe 1bols fatbers 

without taking anything from it, and he departed to his dis 
ciples in the body, that is to say, to Alexander and Zoilus. 
Then he said to Alexander, "Arise, and go back to the place 
44 where I was living"; and Alexander did so; and he said to 
Zoilus, 44 Arise; and come with me to the river, and seek out 
44 for me a ship which is going to Alexandria, and then come 
44 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, 44 Perhaps one of us 
44 hath offended the old man, and it is for this reason that he 
44 hath separated from us"; but they could not find in them 
selves anything with which they had ever offended him. Now 
the old man became well again, and he said, t4 I will arise and 
44 go to the fathers," and he journeyed on and came to Patard 
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, 44 If thou art a monk, depart to the mountain." Now 
the old man being somewhat sad at this remark, said within 
himself, 44 Arsenius, if thou art a monk, depart to the moun- 
44 tain"; 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, 
44 Did ye not hear that I have been sick?" And they said unto 
him, 44 Yes." And the old man said, 44 Why did ye not seek to 
44 come and see me?" And Abb& Alexander said, "Because 
44 the way in which thou didst leave us was not right, and be- 
44 cause of it many were offended, and they said, 4 If they had 
14 not wearied (or pressed) the old man in someway he would 
44 4 never have separated from them. "The old man saith unto 
them, 44 I know that myself, but men will also say, 4 The dove 
44 4 could not find rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned 
44 4 to Noah in the ark "; thus the disciples were healed, and 
they took up their abode with him again. 

344. Abbd Daniel used to tell concerning Arsenius that he 
never wished to speak about any investigation into the Scrip 
tures, 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, 44 Vaunt not thyself over 
44 thy brother in thy mind, saying, 4 1 possess a greater measure 

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f Watcbfulness 

44 4 of self-denial than he doth, and I can endure more than he, 
44 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 (i Corin- 
44 thians x, 12); and, 4 A man must be seasoned with Christ as 
" 4 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 
44 not with either of them continually; for from such freedom 
44 of speech (or boldness) thou wilt acquire [the habit of think- 
44 ing], and from merely thinking thou wilt covet." 

347. Abba Agathon used to say, 4 I have never lain down 
44 to sleep and kept anger in my heart, or even a thought of 
44 enmity against any man; and I have never allowed any man 
44 to lie down to sleep keeping any anger against me." 

348. The old man Hyparchus used to say, "Do not abuse 
44 thy neighbour, and drive not away a man who turneth to- 
44 wards thee, so that thou mayest be able to say to our Lord, 
444 Forgive us our sins, even as we also forgive those who 
44 4 trespass against us. " 

349. One of the fathers used to say, " If a man ask thee for 
44 anything, and thou givest it to him grudgingly, thou wilt not 
44 receive a reward for that which thou hast given, as it is 
44 written, *If a man ask thee to go with him a mile, go with 
44 4 him two ; and the meaning of this is, 4 If a man asketh 
44 4 anything of thee give [it] unto him with all thy soul and 
44 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 Rabba Christ shewed 
unto them, before the great day of His Resurrection was ful 
filled. And the old man himself produced an illustration [of this], 
saying, There was a certain great old man who was a seer 
44 of visions, and he happened to be sitting at meat with the 
44 brethren, and whilst they were eating, the old man saw in 
44 the Spirit as he was sitting at the table that some of the 
44 brethren were eating honey, whilst others were eating bread, 
44 and others dung; and he wondered at these within himself. 
44 And he made supplication and entreaty unto God, saying, 
44 4 O Lord, reveal unto me this mystery, and tell me why 
44 4 when the food is all the same, and when the various 
44 4 things which are laid upon the table are only different forms 

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ZTbe Savings of tbe Ibols ffatbers 

" 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 con- 
" fess 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 " 
(i Corinthians x, 31). 

351. They say that Abbd Or never told a lie, and never swore, 
and never cursed a man, and never spoke unless it was abso 
lutely 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. Abbd Agathon used to say to himself, whensoever he 
saw any a<5l 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 sa.y, "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 con- 
" demn him, and such an a6l 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 

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f Matcbfulness 

" 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 Abba 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 whenso- 
" ever 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] plea- 
" sure 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 wicked- 
" nesses. 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 crafti- 
" ness, 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 
4 contempt. Hearken thou unto Him as He admonisheth [us], 
saying, (St. Matthew v, 22) "Whosoever shalt say unto his 
"brother Rdka, shall be guilty of the fire of Gehenna"; and, 
" He who looketh upon a woman to desire her hath already 

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TTbe Salinas of tbe 1bol2 jf atbers 

* " committed adultery with her in his heart " (St. Matt, v, 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 be- 
" fore 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 Abba 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 tempta- 
" tion? 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, when- 
" soever 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 

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f Watcbfulness 

" urging him or dragging him thereto, God, the Merciful One, 
" sendeth him a helper." 

365. And a brother said unto Abba 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 per- 
" mit it to go to thy neighbour in guile?" 

366. And a brother also asked him, "What shall I do? For 
" 1 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 every- 
" thing, and the acquisition of oblations, are the guides of the 
"soul." 

368. Abba Poemen said, "A brother asked Abba 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. Abba Poemen said, "If thou seest visions and nearest 
" rumours, repeat them not to thy neighbour, for this is vic- 
" tory of the war." 

370. The same old man also said, "The chief of all wicked- 
" nesses is the wandering of the thoughts." 

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

372. A brother asked Abba 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 Abba 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 con- 
" science from thy neighbour, and guard thyself carefully 
" against evil of every kind, and thou shalt live; for God de- 
" sireth that the soul shall be without sin." 

374. A brother asked Abba Sisoes of Shgkipa 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." 

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tTbe Salinas of tbe 1bol$ tf atbers 

375- On one occasion Abraham said unto Abba Sisoes, "Abba, 
" thou hast grown old, let us draw nigh unto the habitations 
" of the children of men for a little"; and Abba 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 Abba Pambo, 
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 kirats (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, "Pambo, one fasteth two days at a time, 
" and then eateth two bread-cakes; shall he become a monk 
"by such things as these? No! Pambo, [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 con- 
" science 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 with- 
" out 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 Abb Sisoes was sitting down 



f Watcbfulnesa 

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 apolo 
gies 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. Abba Daniel used to say, " On one occasion we went 
"to Abba 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 them- 
" selves I remained that 1 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 Abba 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. Abba Anthony said, "It is not seemly for us to re- 
" member 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 " (Phi- 
" lippians iii, 13). And let him also remember the word of Eli- 
"jah, who said, As the Lord liveth, before Whom I stand 
" this day " (i Kings xvii, i). 

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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 be- 
"ginneth, and let him take care in such wise that he shall 
" make himself stand before God." 

386. Abba 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 fol- 
" lows: they feed all lusts of the flesh, which is ruled by them, 
" and in welcoming the lusts they stir up the body also in re- 
" volt, 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 ex- 
" haustion [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 de- 
" stroyeth vices, even as a righteous judge [destroyeth the 
"wicked]." 

388. A brother asked Abb& Poemen, saying, "Since I suffer 
" loss in spirit when I am with my Abba, 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 Abbd, 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 

86 



f Matcbfulness 

44 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," Abba 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]theneedtoask 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 neces- 
" sary 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 
14 * neither negligent nor contemptuous, and then we may be able 
" to live. " And anoldman told him the following story, saying, 
"There was a certain prosperous husbandman who was ex- 
" ceedingly 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 con- 
tinually, 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. Abba Agathon asked Abba Alonis, saying, "I wish 
to hold my tongue that it may not speak falsehood, [what 
shall I do?]" Abba Alonis 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 

87 



Ube Sa^in^s of tbe 1bol$ jf atbers 

" 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 
" 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." 

Cbaptet- is. f 3Lo\>e, an& Cbarfts, an& ot tbe Welcom* 
ing of Stranger* 

A CERTAIN old man used to dwell with a brother in a 
cell in a friendly manner, and he was a man of com 
passionate disposition ; now a famine broke out, and 

393. 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 

88 



, anfc 1bospitalft 

having- gone in he found that the place wherein they used 
to set [the bread] was rilled 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 
44 into fornication." Now whilst he was seeking to do better, 
the brother began to swear to him, saying, "I also, when I 
44 was away from thee, fell in the same manner, nevertheless, 
4 come, and let us repent together, and it may happen that 
44 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 todo the twobrothers 
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, 4 For the sake of the love of 
" that brother who did not sin, forgive thou him that did com- 
4 mit sin. " This is what is meant by the words, 4 4 A man should 
44 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 
4 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 
44 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 
4 4 things shouldbe spoken about my holy brethren , and God forbid 
44 that I should depart from this place until my brother cometh, 
4 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 



ZTbe Savings of tbe 1bolp jf atbets 

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 command- 
" ment, and refresheth the brethren." 

397. They used to tell the story of a certain brother who fell 
into sin, and he came unto Abba Lot, and he was perplexed 
and confused, and was going in and coming out, and was un 
able to rest. And Abba Lot said unto him, "What is the 
" matter with thee, O my brother?" and he said, "I havecom- 
" mitted 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 dis- 
" covered 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 untohim until the day of his death. 

90 



<S)f Xo\>e, Cbant t anfc 

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 xxii, 21). Therefore, whenso- 
" ever 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 

9 1 



Ube Salinas of tbe 1bolp if atbers 

the same time, and seeing this he profited, and they glorified 
God. 

400. On one occasion Abba Ammon came to a certain place to 
eat with the brethren, and there was there a brother concerning 
whom evil reports were abroad, for ithadhappenedthatawoman 
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 
Abba 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 Abba 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 what 
soever 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, say 
ing, "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 Abb 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 

92 



f XOPC, Gbarit^, anfc 1bospitalit$ 

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 offer 
ing 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 Abba 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 Abba Anthony heard [him say this], 
he spake concerning Abba Paphnutius, saying, "Behold, in- 
" deed, 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 Abba 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 Abba 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 him 
self. 

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 

93 



Sapin^s of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

to the sick; which of them will receive the [greater reward for] 
1 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 monas 
tery, 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 w r ork 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 be 
cause 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 

94 



f Xox>e, CbaritSt anfc 

" 1 have hope through His help, that on the First Day of the 
" Week thou wilt be able to perform the service with thy com- 
"panions"; and straightway the old man died. And, accord 
ing to his word, a few days later he appeared unto that brother, 
and his eyes were opened, and he became an Abba 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 be 
half 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 Abba 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 Abba 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 af- 
" flicted?" And he said unto them, " My affliction is to break 
"my will." 

415. On one occasion three old men went to Abba Akila, 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 re 
plied, " 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 

95 



Salinas of tbe 1bol$ jfatbers 

" may be able to keep thee in remembrance in our monastery"; 
and Akila 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 Akila answered straightway, 
and said unto this man, " I will make one for thee." And after 
wards the [other] two brethren said unto him privately, "[Con- 
" sider] 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 al- 
" though 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 reap- 
" ing 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 

96 



f Xove t Cbaritg, anb Ifoospitalfts 

" would not take [it]." Then the old man said unto the breth 
ren who were with him, " Beat the board, and let all the 
" brethren be gathered together," and when they were as 
sembled 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 re 
ceive 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 com 
plained 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 Abba Pambo, 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] lovingkindness 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 Abba Or, 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 command 
ment, 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 acl; of kindness, and 
"take this brother and satisfy his need," and in this way he 
was able to flee to the mountain. 

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tTbe Sa^in^s of tbe 1bol 3f atbers 

421. On one occasion Adlep, Bishop of Neapolis, went to 
visit Abbd 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 
4 have just come from labour." The Bishop said, "Let it 
alone, or perhaps they will say that Abba 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 Abba 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 Abb& 
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 
Abba 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 Abbd what had been said unto him by his companion, his 
Abbi 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 



f Xo\>e, Cbarf t$, anfc Ibospttalits 

" 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 con 
trition 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, Abba Joseph said, Do we know what 
" love is? And he said that Abba Agathon had a little knife, 
" and that a certain brother came to him and said, Father, 
* 4 the little knife which thou hast is pretty ; and Abba Agathon 
" did not let him depart until he had taken it." 

426. Abba 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 Abbd 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 Abba 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. AbbA 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 vi, 37; St. Matthew vi, 14). 

431. They used to say that at the beginning Abba Zeno re 
fused 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 re- 

99 n-7 



ZTbe Sain0s of tbe 1bol2 ff atbers 

fused 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 Abba 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 afHidled 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 him- 
" self. 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, w T ho wished to live by them 
selves, 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 



& 

100 



f SLcwe, Gbarits, anfc fbospitalits 

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 com- 
" mitted] 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, say 
ing, " 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 sud 
denly 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 hap- 

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TOe Savings of tbe f>ol$ ffatbers 

pened 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 thy- 
" self alone? Let us, even us, go in with thee." Then straight 
way, whilst they were holding converse, the angel of the Lord 
appeared, and said unto them, "Your contending hath as- 
" cended 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 Abbd 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 Abbd 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 fromhim 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 Abb Moses, and whilst 

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f feumilitg 

he was boiling for them a little food, his neighbours saw the 
smoke [of his fire] rising up, and they said to the clergy, "Be- 
" hold, Moses hath broken the command, and hath boiled 
" some food in his cell"; and they said unto them, "Hold ye 

I * 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 as 
sembly, "O Abbd Moses, though thou dost break the com- 

II mand 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, ** Be- 
** hold I have these, of which I have no need, take them and 
" put them on thy baskets" ; and he left his own work and com 
pleted that of his companion. 

443. Certain of the old men went to Abbd 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?" Abbd 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 vii, 3). 

Cbapter . Of ibumilitg anb of bow a /l&an sboulb 
tbinfe liobtlE of bimself, anb sboulb esteem bimself 
tbe Inferior of even? fl&an 

ABBA ISAAC, the priest of the Cells, used to say: 
When I was a young man I used to dwell with Abba 
Chronius, and he never at any time told me to do any 

444. work; now he was an old man and he trembled, but he 
would stand up and give water with his hands to me, and to all 
of us alike. And with Abb3. Theodore of Parme it was the same, 
for he never told me to do any work whatsoever, but he would 
make ready the table with his own hands, and would say, 
" Brother, come [and] eat." And I said unto him, " Father, I 
44 came that I might assist thee, and how is that thou dost not 
" tell me to do something?" But the old man in all this held 
his peace. And I went up and informed the old men, and they 
came to him, and said unto him, " Father, this brother came 

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ZTbe Sa^inss of tfoe 1bol f atbers 

44 unto thy holiness that he might be assisted [by thee], and 
" why dost thou not tell him to do something?" Then the old 
man said unto them, u Am I the head of a monastery that I 
" shouldgive him a command? I shall say unto him nothing ex- 
" cept that [I] wish him to do that which he seeth me do." And 
from that time I was always before him in doing that which 
the old man was going to do; now whatsoever he did, he did 
in silence, and in this manner he made me to know and taught 
me to work in silence also. 

445. There was a certain Egyptian monk in Constantinople 
under the reign of Theodosius the Less, and he used to dwell 
in a little cell, and when the Emperor went forth [on one occa 
sion] to take his pleasure, he came by himself to the monk; 
now the following of men who were with him waited for him 
at a distance. And the Emperor took off his crown from his 
head, and hid it, and he knocked at the door of the monk, and 
when he opened to him he knew that it was the Emperor, but 
he [feigned] forgetfulness and would not recognize him, and he 
welcomed him as one of his own rank in life, and he prayed 
and sat down. Then the Emperor began to question him, say 
ing, " How are the fathers who are in Egypt?" And the monk 
said unto him, " They all pray for thy health." And the Em 
peror examined his cell, and saw nothing there except a small 
basket wherein was bread, and the monk said to him, " Eat," 
and he dipped the bread in water, and poured oil on it, and 
salt, and he gave it to the Emperor, who ate it; and he gave 
him some water, and he drank. Then the Emperor said unto 
him, " Knowest thou who I am?" And the monk said unto 
him, " God knoweth who thou art." And the Emperor said 
unto him, " I am Theodosius, the Emperor," and straightway 
the monk paid homage unto him. Then the Emperor said unto 
him, <( Blessed art thou in that thou hast none of the cares of 
" this world; verily I was born to kingship and before this day 
" I have never been satisfied with bread and water, and they 
" have pleased me greatly "; and the Emperor began to pay 
honour to him. And straightway that monk fled to Egypt with 
all the speed that was possible. 

446. A certain brother cameto Abb Macarius, the Egyptian, 
and said unto him, " Father, speak to me a word whereby I 
" may live." Abba Macarius saith unto him, " Get thee to the 
" cemetery and revile the dead"; and he went and reviled them, 
and stoned them with stones, and he came and informed the 
old man [that he had done so]. And the old man said unto 
him, " Did they say nothing unto thee?" and the brother said 
unto him, " No." And again the old man said unto him, " Go 
" to-morrow and praise them, and call them, Apostles, 

104 



f toumtlitg 

" Saints, and Righteous Men "; and he came to the old man, 
and said, ** I have praised them." And the old man said unto 
him, "And did they return thee no answer?" and he said 
" No." And the old man said unto him, "Thou seest how 
" thou hast praised them, and that they said nothing to thee, 
" and that although thou didst revile them they returned thee no 
" answer. And thus let it be with thyself. If thou wishest to 
" live, become dead, so that thou mayest care neither for the 
* reviling of men nor for [their] praise, for the dead care for 
"nothing; in this wise thou wilt be able to live." 

447. One of the fathers used to relate that he had an old 
man in a cell, who performed many ascetic labours, and who 
clothed himself in a palm-leaf mat; and this old man went to 
Abbd Ammon, who, seeing that he wore a palm-leaf mat only, 
said unto him, " This will profit thee nothing." And the old 
man asked him, saying, "Three thoughts vex me. Shall 1 go 
" to the desert, or shall I go forth into exile, or shall I shut 
" myself up in a cell, and receive no man, and eat once every two 
" days?" Abba Ammon said unto him, " Thou art not able to 
" do any one of these things, but go, sit in thy cell, and eat a 
" very little food each day, and let there be in thine heart al- 
" ways the wordfs] of the publican, * God be merciful to me 
" a sinner, and thus thou shalt be able to live" (St. Luke 
xviii, 13). 

448. Abb Daniel used to relate a story, saying : There was 
with us in Babylon of Egypt the daughter of a man who was 
the captain of a company of soldiers, and she was possessed of 
a devil, and her father took her to many places, but she could 
not find healing. Now her father had a friend who was a 
monk, and he said unto him, " No man is able to cure her ex- 
" cept those monks of whom I spake unto thee, but even if we 
" entreat them to do this they will not agree to it, because they 
" flee from the love of the approbation [of men]. Nevertheless, 
" when they come to sell [their] baskets, ye shall pretend that 
" ye wish to buy some, and when they come to sell and to take 
"the price of the baskets from thy house, we will say unto 
" them, Put up a prayer, and this maiden shall behealed "; and 
the man did so. And they came as it were to buy baskets, and they 
found the disciple of these holy men sitting down and selling 
[them], and they took him and the baskets, and carried him to their 
houses, and then theysetanothermaninhisplace, and command 
ed him when the monks came to bring them to them. Now when 
their disciple entered the house, the maiden who was possessed 
of a devil went forth and smote him on the cheek, but that 
brother fulfilled the commandment and turned to her the other 
cheek, and straightway that devil, who was unable to bear the 

10=; 



TTbe Saunas of tbe 1&ol$ jfatbers 

blow of the commandment of Christ which was fulfilled, cried 
out with a loud voice, and departed. And when the monks 
came [the people in the house] related unto them the reason 
for what had happened, and they glorified God, and said, " It 
" is customary for the boasting of the Evil One to fall before 
" the humility of the commandments of Christ." 

449. On one occasion Abba Ammon went to Abb Anthony, 
and he lost the way, and sat down for a little and fell asleep; 
and he rose up from his slumber, and prayed unto God, and 
said, "I beseech Thee, O Lord God, not to destroy that which 
4 Thou hast fashioned." Then he lifted up his eyes, and, be 
hold, there was the form of a man s hand above him in the 
heavens, and it shewed him the way until he came and stood 
above the cave of Abba Anthony; and when he had gone into 
the cave to the old man, Abba Anthony prophesied unto him, 
saying, "Thou shalt increase in the fear of God." Then he took 
him outside the cave, and showing him a stone, said, "Curse 
" this stone, and smite it," and he did so, and Abba Anthony 
said unto him, "It is thus that thou shalt arrive at this state, 
"for thou shalt bear heaviness, and great abuse"; and this 
actually happened to Abbd Ammon. Now, through his abun 
dant goodness Abba Ammon knew not wickedness. And after 
he had become a Bishop, through his spiritual excellence they 
brought unto him a virgin who had conceived, and they said 
unto him, "So-and-so hath done this deed; let them receive 
" correction"; but he made the sign of the Cross over her belly, 
and ordered them to give her six pair of linen cloths, and he 
said, "Peradventure when she bringeth forth either she or the 
" child will die, [and if either dieth] let them be buried." Then 
those who were with him said unto him, "What is this that 
" thou hast done? Give the command that they receive correc- 
"tion." And he said unto them, "See, O my brethren, she is 
" nigh unto death, and what can I do? "Then he dismissed her. 
And the old man never ventured to judge anyone,* for he was 
full of lovingkindness and endless goodness to all the children 
of men. 

450. They used to say that [on one occasion] when Abba 
Arsenius the Great fell ill in Scete, a priest went and brought 
him to the church, and he spread a palm-leaf mat for him, and 
[placed] a small pillow under his head; and one of the old men 
came to visit him and saw that he was lying upon a mat and 
that he had a pillow under his head, and he was offended and 
said, "And this is Arsenius lying upon such things!" Then 
the priest took the old man aside privately, and said unto him, 
"What labour didst thou do in thy village?" and the old man 
said unto him, "I was a shepherd." And the priest said unto 

1 06 



<W fbumtlits 

him, "What manner of life didst thou lead in the world?" and 
he said unto him, "A life of toil, and sore want." And when 
the old man had described all the tribulation which he had en 
dured in the world, the priest said unto him, "And here what 
" manner of life dost thou lead?" And the old man said unto 
him, "In my cell I have everything- comfortable, and I have 
44 more than I want"; and the priest said unto him, "Consider 
" [the position of] Abba Arsenius when he was in the world! 
" He was the father of kings, and a thousand slaves, girt 
" about with gold-embroidered vests, and with chains and or- 
" naments round their necks, and clothed in silk, stood before 
"him; and he had the most costly couches and cushions [to 
" lie upon]. But thou wast a shepherd, and the comforts which 
" thou didst never enjoy in the world thou hast here; but this 
"man Arsenius hath not here the comforts which he enjoyed 
"in the world, and now thou art at thine ease whilst he is 
"troubled." Then the mind of the old man was opened, and 
he expressed contrition and said, "Father, forgive me; I have 
" sinned. Verily this is the way of truth. He hath come to a 
"state of humility, whilst I have attained to ease." And the 
old man having profited went his way. 

451. They used to say that on one occasion Abba Macarius 
was passing along the road when Satan met him, and the 
Devil wished to cut him down with the scythe which he held 
in his hand, but he was unable to do so, and he said unto him, 
" Macarius, I am dragged along by thee with great force, but 
" I cannot overcome thee. Now, behold, everything which 
"thou doest I can do also. Thou fastest, and I never eat at 
" all. Thou watchest, and I never go to sleep, and there is one 
"thing only wherein thou dost conquer me." Then Macarius 
said unto him, "And what is that?" And Satan said, "It is 
" thy humility, for it is because of this that I cannot vanquish 
"thee"; then Macarius spread out his hands in prayer, and 
the Devil was no more seen. 

452. On one occasion a devil took a knife and stood over 
Abbd Macarius wishing to cut off his leg, and when he was 
unable to do so on account of the humility [of the old man], 
he answered and said unto him, "Everything which ye pos- 
" sess we possess also, and it is only in humility that ye are 
"superior to us, and [it is only by means of it] that ye con- 
" quer us." 

453. Abba Anthony said, "I saw all the snares of the Enemy 
laid out upon the ground, and I groaned and said, Who can 
1 * escape from these? " And the devils said unto me, * Humility 

* maketh a man to escape from these, for we cannot attain 
" unto it. " 

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ZTbe Sain0s of tbe 1bol2 ffatbers 

454. An old man said, " Whensoever a man is praised it is 
" meet for him to think upon his sins, and he should consider, 
saying, * I am unworthy of the things which are said about me. " 

455. The blessed Macarius behaved towards all the brethren 
without any wicked suspicion, and certain people said unto 
him, " Why dost thou act in this manner?" And he said, "Be- 
"hold, for twelve years I have been supplicating my Lord to 
" give me this gift, and would you advise me to relinquish it? 
"If it happen that one of the brethren commit a sin before 
" the eyes of him who possesseth no wickedness, and he know 
"that it is an evil thing, it is not right that he should bear 
" some of the pain of him that hath fallen." 

456. Abb Poemen used to say, "No monk should condemn 
" any man in anything, and no monk should reward a man 
" with [evil for] evil, and no monk should be a man of anger." 

457. An old man asked Abba Poemen, saying, "Somebreth- 
" ren dwell with me; dost thou wish me to give them command- 
" ments?" And he said unto him, "No, but thou thyself must 
" first do work, and if they wish to live, they will observe [it] 
" and do [it]." The old man said unto him, "Ought they also 
" to wish me to govern them?" And Abbd Poemen said unto 
him, "No, be unto them an example, and not a lawgiver." 

458. Abba" Poemen said, "If a brother come unto thee, and 
" thou be not benefited by his coming in [to thee], enquire in 
" thine heart, and learn what thought thou hadst [in thy mind] 
" before the entrance of that brother, and then thou wilt learn 
" whence cometh the source of injury; if thou wilt do this with 
"humility and knowledge, behold, thou wilt live without 
" blame with thy brother, and thou wilt bear thine own short- 
" comings. If a man maketh his habitation with knowledge 
"it will not fall, for God is before it, and, as it appeareth to 
" me, from this habitation a man may acquire the fear of God." 

459. A brother asked an old man, saying, "By what means 
"may a man go forward? and the old man said unto him, 
"The greatness of a man consisteth of humility, for in pro- 
" portion as a man descendeth to humility, he becometh exalted 
" to greatness." 

460. Abb John used to say, "We relinquish a light burden 
" when we condemn ourselves, but we take upon ourselves a 
" heavyburdenwhenwe[attemptto] make ourselves righteous." 

461. On one occasion Abba Theophilus went to the Nitrian 
Mountain to visit the fathers, and the priest of the Mountain 
came to him; and Abbd Theophilus said to him, now he was 
Theophilus the Bishop of Alexandria, "What thing of excel- 
" lence hast thou found on this road?" And the old man said 
unto him, "I make accusations against myself, and I blame 

108 



f 

"myself at all times"; and Abba Theophilus said unto him, 
" Verily this is the way of truth." 

A variant reads: "On one occasion the Archbishop Theo- 
" philus went to the mountain of Nitria, and a certain Abba of 
" the monks who was in the mountain came unto him; Abba 
"Theophilus said unto him, "What more do the monks find 
in this way [than in any other] ? " The old man said unto him, 
" They condemn themselves continually, and they do not judge 
" their neighbours"; and Abba Theophilus said, "There is no 
" way but this." 

462. On one occasion they brought a man possessed of a 
devil to one of the old men of Thebes, and entreated him to 
cast the devil out, but the old man was unwilling [to do so] ; 
but since they urged him strongly he was persuaded, and he 
had mercy on the man, and he said to the devil, "Get thee out 
"from that which God hath fashioned." Then the devil an 
swered and said, "I am going out, but I would ask thee to 
"tell me one thing: What is the meaning of that which is 
"written in the Gospel, Who are the goats and who are the 
" sheep?" The old man answered and said, "I myself am [one 
"of] the goats, but God knoweth who the sheep are"; and 
when the devil heard this, he cried out with a loud voice, 
saying, "Behold, I go forth because of thy humility," and 
straightway he left the man and departed. 

463. They used to say that on one occasion a few early, white 
figs came to Scete, but because they were nothing [of im 
portance] they did not send any to Abba Arsenius, not wishing 
to insult him; and when the old man heard of this he did not 
come to the congregation, saying, "Ye separated me from the 
"blessed gift which God sent to the brethren because I was 
"unworthy to partake of it." And when the old man heard 
[this] they profited [greatly] by his humility, and the priest went 
and carried some of the figs to him, and brought him to the 
congregation with great joy. 

464. A certain Abba asked Abba Muthues, saying, " If I go to 
a place to dwell, how wouldst thou have me conduct myself? " 
The old man said unto him, " If thou wishest to dwell in a cer- 
" tain place, [do so,] but do not let go forth concerning thyself 
"any fame for praiseworthy acts, [or say,] I do not eat, or, 
" I do not drink, for such things only produce empty fame; 
" and thou wilt find at length that thou wilt profit from many, 
"for men will go where they can find qualities of this kind." 
Then the brother said unto him, "What shall I do?" and the 
old man said unto him, "Wheresoever thou dwellest conduct 
" thyself in a simple manner like every one else, and what thou 
" seest those who fear God do, [I mean] those in whom thou 

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ZTbe Sasin^s of tbe fbols jf atbets 

" hast confidence, that do also, and thou shalt be at ease. For 
" to be as all other men are is true humility, and the men who 
" see that thou art like unto all other men will regard thee as 
" they regard every one else, and thou wilt not be troubled." 

465. A certain brother went on one occasion from Egypt to 
Syria to visit Abba Zeno, and the Egyptians began to make 
accusations against his thoughts before the old man. And 
when Abbd Zeno heard this, he marvelled and said, "The 
" Egyptians always hide the spiritual excellences which they 
" possess, but they describe the shortcomings which they do not 
possess ; on the other hand, the Syrians and the Greeks declare 
" that they possess the virtues which they have not, and they 
" hide the shortcomings which they do possess." 

466. They used to talk about a certain old man who fasted 
for seventy weeks, and who only ate each Saturday; and he 
asked God that a word from the Book might be given unto him, 
but it was not given. Then he said within himself, "Behold, I 
" have laboured in all these things, and I have omitted nothing; 
" I will arise and go to my brother and question him [about 
" it]." And when he had shut the door to depart, the angel of 
the Lord appeared, and said unto him, "The seventy weeks 
" wherein thou didst fast have not come nigh unto God, but, 
" inasmuch as thou hast humbled thyself to go to thy brother, 
" I have been sent to make known unto thee a word, and to 
"give thee rest"; thereupon he made the word known unto 
him, and gave him rest, and departed. 

467. A brother asked an old man, saying, "What shall I do? 
" For the love of praise is killing me." The old man said unto 
him, "Thou doest well, for behold, thou hast made the heavens 
" and the earth." Then the brother was sorry because of what 
the old man had said unto him, and he expressed contrition, 
and said, "Father, forgive me, but I have done nothing of the 
"kind"; the old man said unto him, "If now He Who did 
" make them came into this world in humility, why dost thou 
" who art mud boast thyself?" 

468. One of the old men said, "Be not humble in thy words 
" only, but also in thy deeds." 

469. On one occasion a certain governor came to see Abba 
Simon, and when the old man heard of his coming from those 
who came to make it known to him beforehand, he straightway 
girded up his loins, and went up a palm tree to clean it. And 
when those who came cried out to him, saying, "Old man, tell 
" us where the monk is," he said unto them, " He is not here"; 
so they departed from that place. 

470. One of the fathers from Parme told a story of how, on 
one occasion when he had returned to Abba Theodore, he found 

1 10 



f fmrntttts 

him wearing a ragged shirt, and his breast was naked and bare, 
and his outer garment was dragged round in front of him. And, 
behold, a certain Count came to see him, and when his fol 
lowers knocked at the door, and called the old man, he went out 
to meet him quite carelessly; and I took a small piece of coarse 
cloth and threw it over his shoulders that his breast might be 
covered, but the old man took it in his hand and waved it, and 
threw it away. And when the Count went I said to him, 
" Father, what is this that thou hast done? For a nobleman 
" came unto thee to be helped, and to gain profit, and behold, 
" he hath perhaps gone away offended." And the old man said 
unto me, * Get thee gone, Abba. We are still subject unto men. 
"We have done the deed, and he is gone; but whether he 
" wisheth to be benefited, or whether he wisheth to be offended 
"is his affair. As for me, as far as I am able I shall always 
" meet men of this kind in this way." And he commanded his 
disciple, saying, "If any man cometh and wisheth to see me, 
"say not to him anything after the manner of men, but if I 
" am eating, tell him that I am eating, and if I am asleep, tell 
" him that I am asleep." 

471. A certain woman who was afflicted in her lungs with 
the disease called cancer, heard concerning Longinus and 
wished to see him; now he used to dwell in [the monastery of] 
Hanton in Alexandria. And whilst the woman was seeking 
and wishing for him, it happened that the blessed man was 
gathering sticks on the sea-shore, and when the woman found 
him, she said unto him, "Father, where dwelleth the man of 
" God, Abba Longinus?" Now she did not know that he him 
self was Longinus. And he said unto her, "What dost thou 
" want with that lying hypocrite? Do not go to him, for he is 
" a liar. What is it that causeth thee pain?" Then the woman 
shewed him the place, and the old man made the sign of the 
Cross over it, and he dismissed her, saying, "Go, and may our 
" Lord heal thee, for Longinus is unable to do thee any good 
"whatsoever." And the woman went away believing in the 
word, and she was healed straightway; and afterwards when 
she was telling folks the story, she said, "I have learned by 
" the marks which were on the old man that he himself was 
" Abba Longinus." 

472. On one occasion a certain governor arranged to see 
Abba Simon, and the clergy told him beforehand, saying, 
" Father, make thyself ready, for a certain governor hath heard 
" of thy life and works, and he wisheth to come and be blessed 
"by thee"; and the old man said unto them, "I am ready." 
Then the old man went in and took in his hand some bread 
and cheese, and went out to the door and sat down there, and 

in 



of tbe Ifool^ jf atbers 

he changed about from place to place eating; and when the 
governor came with his company, and saw him sitting and eat 
ing, they despised him, saying, "So this is the monk of whom 
" I have heard!" And they left him and departed. 

473. An old man was asked, "How is it that there are men 
11 who say, We have seen a vision of angels? " and the old 
man said, " Blessed is he who seeth his sins continually." 

474. They used to say that when any man came to Abbd 
Poemen he used to send him to Abba Job, his brother, saying 
to him, "He is older than I am"; and Job used to say to those 
who came, "Go unto my brother Poemen, for he possesseth 
"the grace of these gifts." Now if Abba Joseph was sitting 
with him Abba Poemen would not speak before him. 

475. When a certain brother went to the festival he asked 
Abba Poemen, "What wouldst thou have me to do?" The 
old man said unto him, "Be thou a friend unto him that lead- 
" eth thee away by force, and sell thy work graciously." 

476. A brother asked an old man, "What is the work ot 
" exile?" And the old man said unto him, "I knew a brother 
who went forth into exile, and he went in to lodge in a church, 
" and it happened that the brethren were about to eat some of 
"the sacramental bread; and when they sat down this man 
" sat down with them. Now when some of the other monks 
" saw him, they said, Who hath brought this man in [to eat] 
" with us? And one of them said [unto him], Arise, and get 
" thee outside, and straightway he rose up and went forth 
" as the brother had told him; but the others being sorry about 
"this matter went out and brought him in. And after these 
"things a certain man asked him, What was in thy mind 
" when thou didst go out and come in again? He said unto 
"them, I thought in my mind that I was like a dog which 
" when he is driven out goeth out, and when he is called 
" cometh in. : 

477. They used to say that when Abba Moses was one of 
the clergy he wore a long outer garment, and that the Bishop 
said unto him, "Behold, thou art wholly white, O Abbi 
" Moses." The old man said unto him, "Is the Papa within 
"or without?" And again, wishing to try him, the Bishop 
said unto the clergy, "When Abba Moses goeth into the 
" sacrarium drive him out, and go after him and hear what he 
" saith." Now when he went into the sacrarium they rebuked 
him and drove him out, saying, "Get outside, O Ethiopian"; 
and having gone forth he began to say to himself, "They have 
"treated thee rightly, O thou whose skin is dark and black; 
" thou shalt not go back as if thou wert a [white] man." 

478. An old man used to say, "Do not despise or think 

112 



"lightly of him that standeth before thee, for thou knowest 
"not whether the Spirit of God is in thee or in him, though 
"thou callest him who standeth before thee him that minis- 
" tereth unto thee." 

479. Abba John the Less used to say, "Humility and the 
" fear of God are more excellent than all the [other] virtues." 

480. They used to say that a certain old man, who had 
young men living with him, told them on one occasion to do 
something, and when they did it not he said nothing further 
to them about it, but rose up himself in their sight and did 
what he had told them to do without anger, and without 
labour. 

481. Another old man used to say, "Humility is not with- 
" out salt, but it is salted with salt." 

482. An old man used to say, "I would rather learn than 
" teach." 

483. And he also used to say, "Do not learn before the 
" time, so that thou mayest not have little admonition all thy 
"time." 

484. Abb Agathon said, "If a man of wrath were to raise 
44 the dead, he would not be accepted by any man." 

485. A brother asked Abba Timothy, saying, "I myself can 
" see that my memorial is ever before God"; and the old man 
said unto him, "It would not be any great thing for thy thought 
" (or mind) to be with God, but it would be a great thing for a 
" man to see his soul beneath all creation." 

486. Abb Theodore used to say, "There is no spiritual 
" excellence greater than that of a man who despiseth not his 
" companion." 

487. An old man was asked, "By what means doth the soul 
44 receive humility?" And he said, "By searching into it, and 
" by remembering the evil things which have been done by it." 

488. One of the old men said, "I asked Abba Sisoes, saying, 
" Tell me a word, and he said, It is right for a monk to 
4 4 4 humble himself lower than the idols ; and I went to my cell, 
44 and took counsel with myself, and meditated for an hour, 
44 saying, 4 What do the words " lower than the idols" mean? 
44 Then I returned and went to the old man, and said unto 
4 4 him, 4 What do the words 4 lower than the idols " mean ? And 
"he said unto me, 4 It is written concerning the idols, "They 
44 4 "have a mouth and speak not, and they have eyes and see 
44 4 " not, and they have ears and hear not"; even thus is it right 
" 4 for a monk to be. And because idols are an abomination, a 
44 man must hold himself to be abominable in his own sight." 

489. A brother asked Abba Sisoes of Theba is, saying, "Speak 
44 a word to me," and Sisoes said unto him, 44 What have I to 

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Salinas of tbe tools ffatbers 

say unto thee? I read the New Testament, and I reflect on 
"the Old Testament." 

490. That same brother went to Abba Sisoes of Patara, and 
told him the word which Abba Sisoes of the Theba id had 
spoken, and Abb Sisoes said unto him, "I lie down to sleep 
" in my sins, and I rise up in my sins." 

491. There was a certain monk who lost himself in the desert, 
and he said to himself, "I have kept myself rightly, and I pos- 
" sess all the virtues," and he prayed to God and said, "If I 
44 be lacking in anything, shew Thou me how I may perform 
" it." And God, wishing to humble his mind, said unto him, 
" Go to such and such a head of a monastery, and whatsoever 
" he telleth thee to do that do." And God sent a revelation to 
the head of the monastery, and said unto him, Behold, such 
" and such a monk will come unto thee, and say thou unto him, 
Take a whip in thy hands, and go forth and pasture swine. " 
And the monk went forth immediately, even as the head of the 
monastery told him, and pastured swine, and when those who 
had known him formerly, and those who had heard about him, 
saw him pasturing swine, they said, "Ye see the great monk 
about whom we have heard, behold, his heart hath gone mad, 
and a devil hath seized him, and he is [now] pasturing swine/ 
Then God, when He saw his humility, and that he was hear 
ing and bearing the reproach of men, set him free so that he 
might go back where he had been formerly, 

492. An old man used to say, " If a man hath laid some work 
" upon a brother to do, he must perform that command in the 
" fear of God and in humility; for he who for God s sake layeth 
" [some work] upon a brother maketh the brother to submit 
" himself thereto, and [the one brother] must do what [the other 
"brother] hath laid upon him. But if a man wisheth to give 
commands to a brother, not in the fear of God, but on his own 
" authority, wishing to be unto him a master and a governor, 
" God, Who seeth the hidden things of his heart, will not allow 
" him to be obedient unto him and to do [that] work, for the 
" work that is for God s sake is evident, and that which is of the 
man s own authority is well known. For that which is for God s 
"sake cometh with humility and entreaty, whilst the works 
" which are of man s own authority are with wrath and trouble, 
" and they come from the Evil One." 

493. A brother asked Abb& Isidore, "Why is it that the 
"devils fear thee so greatly? The old man said, "Because 
from the time that I became a monk I have laboured hard 
" not to allow anger to enter into my throat; that is why they 
"fear me." 

494. An old man used to say, " On one occasion I went to 

114 



<W 1bumtlft 

(l the fair to sell with [other J brethren a few things, and I saw 
" anger drawing nigh unto me, and I left the things and fled 
" straightway." 

495. Abbd John the Less used to say, "On one occasion 
" when I was going up on the Scete road with some palm leaves 
" I heard a camel speaking words to me, and he was about to 
make me angry, but I straightway left the palm leaves and fled. " 

496. The same old man when he was in the harvest [field] 
heard a brother speaking to his companion in anger, saying, 
" Come hither," and straightway he left the harvest and fled. 

497. A brother asked an old man, "Why is it, when I am 
" performing my little services of prayer and praise, that I some- 
" times see in myself that there is nothing lacking in my heart, 
" and that I do not wish it?" The old man said unto him, 
" How then can a man appear to love God?" 

498. Abbd John the Less said unto the brethren who were 
with him, " Although we be little folk in the eyes of men, let 
" us consider how we may be held in honour before God." 

499. They used to say that Abba Patrd and Abb& Amplkos 
were close and affectionate friends, and that when the old men 
were eating in the church, and they were urging them to come 
to the table of the fathers, it was only with hard work that Abba" 
Patrd would go by himself; and after he had eaten, Abbd 
Ampikos said unto him, "How didst thou dare to go to the 
"table of the old men?" Abba Patra said unto him, "If I had 
" sat with you the brethren would have honoured me as an old 
" man, and they would have required it of me to be the first to 
" say the blessing, and I might have thought in my mind that 
" I was greater than you all. But since I went to the fathers I 
" am the least of you all, and I am abased, and I think in my 
" thoughts that I am nothing." 

500. On one occasion a brother committed sin in the church, 
and the priest drove him out therefrom, and there was there a 
man of discretion whose name was Bessarion, and he also arose 
and went out of the church, and said, " If ye have judged that 
" this man who hath committed only one offence is not fit to 
" worship God, how very much less fit am I, who have com- 
" mitted many sins, to do so?" And the old man said, " Woe 
" be unto him that is without more than unto him that is with- 
" in, that is to say, * Woe be unto him that is [within him that 
" is without! ] Now this is what I would say, When a man in 
" the world findeth a cause [of complaint] against a man who 
" liveth a life of silent contemplation, or who hath departed 
" from the world, this is a [cause of] judgement and of a fall 
"unto him who giveth him reason [for complaint]. Take the 
" greatest possible care then, O monk, not to commit sin, lest 

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Savings of tbe 1bol$ jfatbers 

" thou disgrace God, Who dwelleth in thee, and drive Him out 
" from thy soul." 

501. Abba Pior worked hard to be able to overcome the dis 
position to say "Thou" to any of the brethren. 

502. The disciple of Abba Arsenius used to say, "When 
"the old man was about to die, he commanded us, saying, 
" Do not let it be a care unto you to make a commemoration 
" for me, but offer up the Offering only; for, he used to say, 
" if during my life-time I have done anything which is worthy 
" of commemoration, I shall most certainly find [a memorial 
" of it]. " 

503. Abbd Ammon said, "A man may pass one hundred 
"years in his cell, and not know rightly how a monk should 
"live in his cell, or even how to live secluded for one day." 
And he used to say, "The proper way and manner for a monk 
" to live is to condemn himself continually." 

504. Abba Poemen used to say, " If a man will only condemn 
" himself he will be able to endure and continue wheresoever 
"he dwelleth." 

505. Abbfi Poemen used to say, "We live in the troubles and 
"trials which come upon us because we do not take to our- 
" selves the humble names which the Scriptures have given us; 
" and because we do not consider how our Lord Jesus relieved 
" the Canaanitish woman (St. Matthew xv, 22) who took to her- 
" self abominable names, moreover, we do not consider how, 
" when Abigail said unto David, On me be the sin (i Samuel 
" xxv, 24), he was entreated by her and loved her. Abigail must 
" be taken as [representing] the person of the soul, and David 
"as the Godhead; if then, the soul will condemn itself before 
" God, He will love it, and will give it the delight of rest." 

506. An old man used to say, In all thy trials blame no man ; 
"blame thyself only, saying, These things have happened to 
" me because of my sins. " 

507. On one occasion Abbd John was called to the church, 
and the brethren surrounded him and asked him questions 
about their thoughts; and one of the old men said unto him, 
"John is like unto a whore who adorneth herself that she may 
" multiply lovers for herself; thus art thou." And Abbd John 
sighed and said, "Father, thou hast spoken the truth." After 
wards a certain man told him that he loved him, [and said], 
"Art thou not disturbed within?" He said unto him, "No. 
" But as I am without, even so am I within." 

508. One of the old men used to say about Abba John, that he 
lived in such a way that, through the humility which he pos 
sessed, he held all Scete suspended on his finger. 

509. Abba John of the Thebaid used to say that, before all 

116 



f fmmf lit$ 

else, it was right for a monk to acquire humility, for this was 
the first commandment of our blessed Redeemer, Who said, 
" Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of 
" God" (St. Matthew v, 3). 

510. John Kolob used to say, " Humility is the door which 
" leadeth into the kingdom, and our fathers, through many 
" revilings, have gone into the city of God rejoicing." 

511. An old man used to say, " It is good for a man to say, 
" * Forgive me, and then to make an offering of something; 
" for this suiteth the monkish garb." 

512. The same old man also said, " A dog is better than I 
" am, for he hath love, and he cometh not to judgement." 

513. Abba Eupraxius used to say, "The tree of life which 
14 riseth in the heights is humility." He also said, " Make thy- 
" self like unto the publican; and be not made guilty with the 
" Pharisee; choose for thyself the meekness of Moses, so that 
41 thine heart, which is as hard as steel, thou mayestchangeinto 
** a fountain of water. 

514. One of the old men said, " I would rather have defeat 
"with humility than conquest with boasting." 

515. An old man said, " When the thought of pride goeth 
"up in thee, and thou becomest arrogant, examine thy con- 
" science [and see] if thou hast kept all the commandments, 
"and if thou lovest thine enemies, and if thou lovest the ap- 
" probation of thine enemy, and if thou art grieved when he 
" is afflicted, and if thou art considered by thyself to be an 
" unprofitable servant, and a sinner greater than any other 
"man. And even if thou hast performed rightly all the de- 
" mands of ascetic excellence, thou shalt not be proud, for 
" thou must know that the thought of pride abrogateth and 
" maketh unprofitable all the virtues." 

516. An old man used to say, " He who is held in greater 
" honour or is more praised than he deserveth suffereth great 
" loss; but the man who receiveth neither honour nor praise 
" from men shall be praised above all." 

517. A brother asked an old man, saying," Is it a good thing 
" for us to repent many times?" The old man said unto him, 
" We see that when Joshua, the son of Nun, lay upon his face 
" the Lord spake with him " (Joshua v, 14). 

518. An old man was asked, " Why do the devils fight 
" against us in the way they do?" And he said, " Because we 
"throw away from us our armour, that is to say, obedience, 
" humility, and abstinence." 

519. The old men used to say, "Whensoever we have no 
" war to wage then especially it is meet that we should abase 
" ourselves, for God, because He knoweth our feebleness, 

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Saunas of tbe 1bols ffatbers 

<( givethusHisprotection for nothing, but if webcast ourselves, 
" He removeth it from us and we perish." 

520. A brother asked an old man, saying, "What is the per- 
" fection of a monk?" The old man saith unto him, " Humility, 
" for when once a man hath arrived at humility, he can reach 
" forward to the goal." 

521. The old man said, " If a man can say unto his brother, 
" * Forgive me, and can humble himself, this belongeth to the 
" perfection of the monk." 

522. One of the old men said, " When a man saith unto his 
"companion, * Forgive me, and at the same time humbleth 
" himself, the devils are consumed." 

523. A certain brother was offended at his brother, and when 
the latter heard thereof he went to him to express his contri 
tion, but he would not open the door; then he who had offended 
his brother went to another old man and related the matter 
unto him, and the old man answered and said, " Observe lest 
" in thine own mind thou art justifying thyself, and art con- 
" demning thy brother, as if he were the offender, for it may 
" be that because of this he would not be persuaded to open 
" unto thee. Nevertheless, do thou what I am going to tell thee. 
" For although he hath offended thee, go thou, and hold firmly 
" [to the belief] that thou hast offended against him, and may 
" God put it into thy brother s mind to be reconciled to thee." 

524. And the old man related unto him a story which 
explained the matter, saying, "There were two men who 
"were living in the world, and were fearers of God, and 
" they were both of the same mind, and they went forth 
"and became monks; and when they heard in a plain man- 
" ner the word of the Gospel which saith, There are eu- 
" nuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake 
" * of the kingdom of heaven (St. Matthew xix, 12), they 
" arrived at the hottest point of their love, and they made them- 
" selves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Now 
" whentheBishopheard[ofthis]hesetthemaside and excommu- 
" nicated them. Then those men, wishing to show that they 
" had done what was good, said unto one another, * We have 
" made ourselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, 
" * and this Bishop driveth us out! Let us go and make acom- 
" plaint against him to the head of our monasteries, that is, 
" to the Bishop of Jerusalem ; and when they had gone to 
" him they related unto him the whole matter. Then the Bishop 
"said unto them, And I also set you aside and excommu- 
" nicate you ; and being greatly grieved at this remark also 
" they went to the Bishop of Antioch, and related the matter 
" unto him, and he also drove them away with the same words. 

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"Then the two brethren said unto each other, * Let us go to 
" the Patriarch of Rome, and he will avenge us and will take 
" vengeance on all these [Bishops]. And having gone to the 
"great Patriarch and Bishop of Rome, and made him to know 
" their matter, and what the Bishop and Patriarch [of Antioch] 
"had said unto them, they said at length, We have come 
" unto thee because thou art the head of them all. Then the 
" Bishop of Rome also said unto them, I also excommunicate 
" you and excommunicateyeshallbe. Then, not knowing what 
"to do, they said to each other, All these men accept the 
" * persons each of the other, and each honoureth the other, 
" because they are accustomed to assemble together at the 
" Synods, but let us go to the holy man of God, Epiphanius, 
" Bishop of Cyprus, because he is indeed a Bishop, and he 
" doth not accept the person of any man. Now when they 
"drew nigh unto the city, it was revealed unto Epiphanius 
"concerning them, and he sent [a man] to meet them, and to 
" say unto them, Ye shall not come into the city. And when 
" they came to themselves they repented, and said, In very 
" truth we have sinned; with what can we justify ourselves? 
" For, even supposing that the Bishop and the Patriarchs 
" have excommunicated us in an unseemly manner, perad- 
" * venture this man is a prophet besides, for behold, God hath 
" revealed unto him concerning us beforehand; let us then 
" condemn ourselves in respect of everything which we have 
" done. Then when God, Who knoweth that which is in the 
" hearts [of men] saw that they had in very truth condemned 
" themselves, He worked upon the mind of Epiphanius so that, 
" of his own accord, he sent and brought them, and associated 
"them in communion with him. And he also wrote concerning 
" them to the Bishop of Jerusalem, saying, Receive thy sons, 
" for they have repented in truth. " 

And the old man said, "This is the healing of a man, 
" and God desireth that a man should lay the offence of his 
" companion upon himself." And when that brother heard [this 
story] he acted according to the wordfs] of the old man, and 
he went and knocked at the door of that brother, who, imme 
diately he perceived and knew from inside [that it was he], ex 
pressed his contrition to him whilst he was as yet inside, and 
then straightway opened the door; and they made friends to 
gether, each with each, with all their souls, and the two of them 
were in great peace. 

525. Abba Poemen used to say, "As the earth falleth not, 
" because it is fixed from below, even so he who abaseth him- 
" self shall never fall." 

526. Abbi Sisoes asked Abb& 6r, and said unto him, "Tell 

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Hbe Savings of tbe 1bol$ jf atbers 

" me a word of excellence"; and he said unto him, "Dost thou 
" think me true, and dost thou believe my promise?" And Abba 
Sisoes said unto him, "Yes." Abba Or said unto him, "Go, 
" and whatsoever ye have seen me do, that also do thyself"; 
and Abba Sisoes said unto him, "What do I see in thee, Omy 
" father?" And Abba Or answered and said unto him, "Mymind 
" is more abased than that of the least of allthechildrenof men." 

527. On one occasion seven brethren came to Abba Arse- 
nius and they entreated him, saying, "What is the work of 
"monks?" And the old man answered and said, "When I 
"came to dwell in this place I went to two old men, and I 
" asked them this same question. And they answered and 
"said unto me, Dost thou believe in us? and I said, Yes. 
" Then they said unto me, Go, and whatsoever thou hast seen 
" us do, that also do thyself. " And the brethren asked him 
subsequently, saying, " Tell us, father, what was their work?" 
Then the old man said unto them, "The one acquired great 
"humility, and the other obedience." And they said unto him 
next, " Tell us what is thy work?" and the old man said unto 
them, "According to my will, and according to my mind; it is 
a great thing for a man not to bind himself with any matter" ; 
and having profited they departed in gladness, giving praise 
unto God. 

528. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, "What shall I 
"do w r ith the weight of weariness which holdeth me?" And 
the old man said unto him, "Both large and small boats are 
" provided with thick ropes for towing, and if there be blowing 
"a wind which is not favourable to the course of the ship, 
" they throw them round their breasts and pull them along 
" [from] dry land; and quietly and little by little they let the 
" ship go on her way until God sendeth a wind which is suit- 
" able for bearing her along whithersoever they wish her to 
"go. But if they learn that a storm hath begun to rise, they 
" make haste and drive a stake in the ground, and tie up the 
" ship lest she should drift away. Now the stake is that a man 
" should condemn himself." 

529. A brother asked Abba Poemen, "How is it possible for 
" a man to avoid speaking evilly to his neighbour?" The old 
"man answered and said unto him, "We and our brethren 
" possess two images. Whensoever then a man condemneth him- 
" self, his brother appeareth unto him beautiful and excellent; 
"but whensoever a man appeareth beautiful to himself, his 
" brother will be found to be, in his sight, hateful and 
" abominable." 

530. Another old man said also, "Humility is not insipidity, 
" but it is seasoned, as it were, with salt." 

1 20 



f f>umilitg 

531. He also used to say, " For a man to despise himself is 
" a strong wall." 

532. He also used to say, " Him who hath become despised 
" for our Lord s sake, will our Lord make wise." 

533. An old man used to say, "Take heed, with all thy 
"might, that thou doest nothing which meriteth blame, and 
" desire not to adorn thyself." 

534. An old man used to say, "If humility descendeth to 
" Sheol it is exalted unto the heavens; and although pride 
" goeth up to the heavens it shall be brought down to Sheol. " 

535. There were two brethren in Scete, and he who was 
younger than his fellow was the older in the monastic garb, 
and one of the fathers having come to visit them, they brought 
out a vessel of water and wanted to wash him. And the man 
who was the younger in respect of years drew nigh to wash 
the old man, but the old man laid hold upon his hands, and 
prevented him, and then he drew near him that was the elder 
[in respect of years] to wash him. And the brethren who were 
standing near him said unto him, "The younger brother, O 
" father, is the older in respect of the monastic garb"; then the 
old man said unto them, "I take the priority in the monastic 
" garboftheyoungermanand place ituponhimthatistheelder." 

536. There was a certain brother in a monastery, and he used 
to take the whole weight of the brethren upon himself, and 
seeking to be held in contempt in the sight of every man, he 
used to make accusations against himself, even to the com 
mitting of fornication, and he used to say, "I have committed 
"it." Now the brethren who did not understand his life and 
works used to murmur against him, saying, "How very many 
" are the wickednesses which this man doeth here, and because 
"of them he doth not even work." Then their Abba, because 
he knew his works, and because he knew also that he was 
taking the affairs of every man upon himself, and that he did 
not do these things, spake unto the brethren, saying, "I will 

undertake that he will make one mat in a week, in humility, 

* [which is more than all] your work [which is done] with 
boasting, and if ye wish to know whether the matter be so 
1 [or not], bring hither all your work, and bring hither also the 

* mat of that brother, and light afire and throw therein all your 

* work"; [and when they had done so] everything was consumed 
except the mat of that brother. Now when the brethren saw 
this, they feared, and expressed their contrition, and from that 
time they held him to be an Abb. 

537. They used to say that Abbd Poemen never gave his mind 
to the Lord, and that his knowledge was superior to that of 
[any] one of the old men. 

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538. Abba Ammon asked Abbd Poemen concerning the im 
pure thoughts that were born of a man, and [concerning] vain 
lusts; and Abba Poemen said unto him, "Shall the axe boast 
" itself against him that wieldeth it?" 

539. Abba Betimius asked Abb Poemen, saying, "If a man 
" be angry with me, and I express my contrition, and he will 
" not accept it, what am I to do ?" the old man said unto him, 
" Take with thee two of thy friends, and express thy contrition 
" [in their presence]." And the old man Betimius said unto him, 
" And if he will not be persuaded [to accept it] then? And Abba 
Poemen answered and said, "Take with thee five others"; 
and Abba Betimius answered and said, "And if he will not 
"be persuaded by these?" Abba Poemen saith, "Then take 
" with thee a priest"; and Abba Betimius said, "And if he will 
"not be persuaded [then]?" Abba Poemen said unto him, 
" Without anger and without excitement pray unto God that 
" He may put into his mind [the desire for peace], and straight- 
" way thou shalt have no further care." 

540. An old man used to say, "Tell me, brother, if thou 
"hast acquired the seal of work, which is humility?" A holy 
man who saw another sinning wept bitterly, saying, "This 
" man may sin to-day, but how many times shall I sin to-mor- 
" row? In whatsoever way a man may sin before thee, do not 
" condemn him, but think in thy mind that thou art a greater 
" sinner than he, even though he be a man in the world, and[re- 
" member] besides that he is sinning greatly against God." 

541. Certain brethren went to visit Abbd Poemen, and whilst 
they were sitting with him, they praised a certain brother, 
saying, "He hateth evil things." Abb Poemen said unto him 
that spake unto him, "What is the hatred of evil things?" 
Now the brother was astonished, and he found nothing to say; 
and he rose up and threw himself before the old man, saying: 
" Do thou tell me what is the hatred of evil things." And the 
old man said unto him, " The hatred of evil things is for a man 
" to hate his own sins, and to justify those of his neighbour." 

542. A certain brother committed an offence in Scete, the 
camp of the monks, and when a congregation was assembled 
on this matter, they sent after Abba Moses, but he refused to 
come; then they sent the priest of the church to him, saying, 
" Come, for all the people are expecting thee," and he rose up 
and came. And he took a basket with a hole in it and filled it 
with sand, and carried it upon his shoulders, and those who 
went out to meet him said unto him, "What meaneth this, O 
"father?" And he said unto them, "[The sands are] my sins 
"which are running down behind me and I cannot see them, 
"and I, even I, have come this day to judge shortcomings 

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f feumilitg 

"which are not mine." And when they heard [this] they set 
44 free that brother and said nothing [further] to him. 

543. Abba Moses entreated Abbd Zechariah, saying, 
44 Speak a word of consolation unto the brethren," and Zech- 
<4 ariah took his cloak, and laid it beneath his feet, saying, 
44 Except a man let himself be trodden upon thus he cannot 
44 be a monk." 

544. A brother asked Abba Aloms, saying, 44 What is the 
44 meaning of a man despising himself ?" The old man said unto 
him, 4< It meaneth that thou must set thyself below all the 
44 beasts, for thou must remember that they will not be judged." 

545. And the same old man said also, 44 If a man accustom 
44 himself to be a teacher, this act belongeth to labour." 

546. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, 4< What is the 
44 right manner for me to live in my cell?" Abbd Poemen said 
unto him, 44 Ho\v a man should live in his cell is known to 
44 men, that is to say, he must work with his hands, and eat 
44 once [daily], and hold his peace always, and meditate on the 
44 Holy Scriptures; but for a man to gain profit inwardly (or 
44 secretly), he must bear the condemnation of himself whither- 
44 soever he goeth, and he must not neglecl; the times of ser- 
4 vice and of secret labour. And if it happen that thou hast 
44 made the time unprofitable, when thou goest into the con- 
* * gregation of service complete thy service without troubling 
44 thyself; by the fulfilment of these things, grasp to thyself 
44 an upright congregation, so that thou mayest draw nigh 
44 thereto, but keep thyself remote from the assemblies of evil 
4 things." 

547. On one occasion when Abba Arsenius was in his cell 
the devils rose up against him and vexed him; and those who 
used to minister to him came to him, and as they stood out 
side his cell they heard him crying out to God, saying, 44 O 
44 God, forsake me not. I have never done before Thee anything 
44 which is good, but grant, O Lord, according to Thy grace, 
44 that I may begin in the way." 

548. Now, when he was about to die Alexander and Zoi- 
lus, his brethren and disciples, were greatly disturbed, and 
he said unto them, 44 Why are ye troubled? The hour hath 
44 not yet come." They said unto him, 44 We are not troubled 
44 about thee, father." And he said unto them, 44 When the 
44 hour hath come I will tell you, for it will be for me to rise up 
44 against you before the throne of Christ if ye give my bones 
44 to any man." Then they said unto him, 44 What shall we do 
4 4 then ? For we do not know how to bury [thee]. " The old man 
said unto them, 44 Doye not know how to throw a cord round 
44 my legs and to carry me outside the mountain?" 

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tTbe Salinas of tbe 1fool2 $ atfoers 

549 And his word at all times was this, "Arsenius, because 
"thou didst go forth"; and he used to repeat this saying 1 , 
" That I have spoken I have many times repented; that I held 
" my peace I have never repented." 

550. On one occasion the governor of the country seized one 
of the inhabitants of his village, and the people entreated the 
old man to go and bring out him that had been seized; and the 
old man said unto them, "Leave me for three days, and after- 
" wards I will go. " Then Abba Poemen prayed to the Lord, and 
said, "Lord, if thou dost not grant me this ac~t of grace the 
" people will not allow me to live in this place"; and the old 
man went to entreat the governor, and the governor said unto 
him, "Yea, father, thou makest entreaty for a thief." And the 
old man rejoiced that he did not receive from Him this a<5t of 
grace. 

551. On one occasion certain old men went to visit Abba 
Anthony, and Abba Joseph was with them, and the old man 
wishing to try them spake a word from the Book, and began 
to question the youngest of them, saying, "What is the mean- 
" ing of this word?" And each of them said, "I have never 
"yet understood it," and last of all Abba Anthony said unto 
Abba Joseph, " And what dost thou say that this word 
meaneth?" Abba Joseph saith, " I do not know." And Abba 
Anthony said unto him, "In truth, Abba Joseph, thou hast 
found the way to say, I do not know. " 

552. Abba Muthues said, "In proportion as a man draweth 
" nigh unto God, it is meet that he should regard himself as a 
" sinner, for the Prophet Isaiah (chap, vi, 5), who saw the 
" Lord, calleth himself wretched and unclean." 

553. The old man used to say, " Who sold Joseph?" They 
said unto him, "His brethren," and the old man said unto 
them, "No, it was humility that sold him. For he never said, 
" I am your brother, and he never answered them, but held 
" his peace. He sold himself by his humility, and this humility 
" made him governor over the land of Egypt." 

554. A brother came to Abba Muthues, and said unto him, 
" How is it that those who are In Scete do more than that 
" which is written in the Book, for they love their enemies 
"more than themselves?" Muthues said unto them, " I do 
" not yet love even the man who loveth me more than I love 
"myself." 

555- There was a certain old man in Egypt before those who 
belonged to the company of Abba Poemen came there, and he 
possessed knowledge and great honour; and when those of 
the following of Abba Poemen went up from Scete, every man 
left [that old man] and came to Abba Poemen and those who 

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f ftumilitg 

were with him, and the old man was filled with envy, and he 
cursed the followers of Abba Poemen because of this. Now 
Abb Poemen heard of it, and he was vexed about it, and he 
said unto the brethren who were with him, " What shall we 
"do for this old man? For the men who have forsaken him 
" have cast us into vexation, and they have left that holy old 
" man and turned their looks upon us, who are nothing-. How 
"then can we satisfy this old man?" Then he said unto the 
brethren who were with him, "Make ye some bread and boil 
"a little food, and we will go to him, and will take with us 
" also a vessel of wine, and we will eat with him, and perhaps 
"by these means we shall be able to pacify him"; and they 
took the food and went to him. And when they had knocked 
at the door his disciple looked out and asked them, " Who 
"are ye?" And they said unto him, "Tell the Abbd that it is 
"Poemen, and he wisheth to be blessed by him"; and when 
his disciple had told him this, the old man said, " Send them 
" away," and he said, "I have not leisure [to receive them]." 
Then the disciple told them these things, but they stayed there 
lovingly, saying, "We will not go away unless we are held to 
"be worthy of the blessing of the old man." Now, when the 
old man saw their humility and patient persistence, he re 
pented, and opened the door to them, and when they were 
eating together, he said unto them, "Verily, the things which 
" I have heard were in you are not in you, but indeed what I 
" see in you is a hundredfold [greater than what I expecled]"; 
and he became unto them a friend from that day. 

556. On a certain occasion when Abba John was sitting be 
fore the church, the brethren surrounded him, and asked him 
about their thoughts, and when one of the old men saw him, 
he said unto him, "Thy repentance is full of sorceries." Abba 
John said unto him, "It is even so, and this thou sayest hav- 
" ing only seen what is without, but if thou couldst see what 
" is within what wouldst thou say?" 

557- Muthues repeated the following: "When I was a 
"young man I used to say to myself, Perhaps thou wilt do 
" something good ; but now that I am an old man I see that 
" I have not done even one good work." 

558. He used to say concerning Abba Macarius that, if the 
brethren drew nigh unto him in fear, as to a great and holy old 
man, he would not answer them a word, but if one of the breth 
ren treated him with familiarcontempt, [saying], "Father, if thou 
" wert a camel wouldst thou not steal the natron and sell it, 
" and would not the driver beat thee?" he would answer him. 
And if any man spake unto him in anger, or with words similar 
to these, he would answer any question which was put to him. 



TTbe Savings ot tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 
Cbapter j. <W jf orntcation 

A CERTAIN monk was engaged, on one occasion, in a 
war against fornication, and he had in his heart, as it 
were, a burning fire by day and by night; but he bore 

559. this agony, and did not bring low his mind, and after a 
long time the war passed away from him, but he was unable to 
vanquish it in any way except by patient endurance, and straight 
way light rose on his mind. 

560. And another brother also was engaged in a war against 
fornication, and he rose up by night, and came to one of the 
old men and told him his mind, and the old man persuaded 
him [to endure], and he was helped, and went [back] to his 
cell. And again he came unto the old man, and again he helped 
him, and the brother went [back] to his cell; and the war came 
upon him the third time, and again he went back by night to 
the old man, and the old man did not cause him pain but spake 
with him for his benefit, and said unto him, "Give it no op 
portunity, but come hither whensoever the devil vexeth thee, 
" and thou wilt expose him, and when he hath been exposed he 
" will take to flight. For nothing vexeth the devil of fornica 
tion so much as that a man should hide his thoughts and 
"not reveal them." Now that brother came to the old man 
eleven times and made accusations against his thoughts, for 
he wished to be helped; and when the old man spake unto him 
that devil took to flight, but when he came [back] to his cell 
the war came upon him. At length the brother said unto the 
old man, "Do an act of grace, father, and tell me a word 
" [whereby I may live]." The old man said unto him, "Be of 
" good courage, my son, and if God permitteth my thought it 
"shall come to thee, and thou shalt bear it no longer, but 
"thou shalt depart being innocent." He said this, and God 
did away the war of that brother. 

561. And another brother was engaged in a war against for 
nication, and he bore it with very great self-restraint for four 
teen years, and he guarded his mind against being subservient 
to lust, and at length he came to the church, and made known 
the matter unto all the people; and when they heard [it] they 
were pained, and they prayed for a whole week to God on 
his behalf, and afterwards He did away the war that was 
in him. 

562. On one occasion Abba Moses of Patard was engaged 
in a war against fornication, and he could not endure being in 
his cell, and he went and informed Abb Isidore of it; and the 
old man entreated him to return to his cell, but he would not 
agree [to this]. And having said, "Father, I cannot bear it," 

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f fforntcatton 

the old man took him up to the roof of his cell, and said unto 
him, "Look to the west," and when he looked he saw multi 
tudes of devils with troubled and terrified aspects, and they 
shewed themselves in the forms of phantoms which were in 
fighting attitudes. Abba" Isidore saith unto him, "Look to the 
"east," and when he looked he saw innumerable holy angels 
standing [there], and they were in a state of great glory. Then 
Abba" Isidore said unto him, "Behold, those who are in the 
" west are those who are fighting with the holy ones, and those 
" whom thou hast seen in the east are they who are sent by 
" God to the help of the saints, for those who are with us are 
"many." And having seen [these] Abba" Moses took courage 
and returned to his cell without fear. 

563. One of the old men said concerning the lustful thoughts 
which come into the heart of a man, and which are not carried 
into effect, that they are like unto a man who seeth a vineyard, 
and who desireth to eat the grapes thereof, but is afraid to go 
in lest he be caught and suffer death. If he be caught outside 
the hedge he will not die, because he hath neither gone into 
the vineyard nor hath eaten the grapes, but hath only desired; 
now he shall be beaten with few stripes, because he hath co 
veted, but he shall not die. 

564. There was a certain old man, who lived in a cell, and 
his thoughts said unto him, "Go, take to thyself a woman"; 
then he rose up straightway and kneaded together some mud, 
and made the figure of a woman, and he said to himself, "Be- 
" hold thy wife! It is necessary for thee to labour with all thy 
" might that thou mayest be able to feed her." And he laboured 
with his hands and twisted many ropes. Then after a few days, 
he rose up and made a figure of a woman, and said unto 
his thoughts, "Behold, thy wife hath brought forth, it is ne- 
" cessary for thee to work harder to keep thy wife and to clothe 
"thy daughter"; and thus doing he vexed his body sorely. 
And he said unto his thought, "I cannot bear [all] this work, 
"and since I am unable to bear the work, a wife is unneces- 
" sary for me"; and God saw his labour, and did away his 
thoughts [of fornication], and he had peace. 

565. Abba" Poemen used to say, "As the sword-bearer stand- 
" eth before the king, being always ready [to smite], so is it 
" meet for the soul which is prepared to stand [ready] to re- 
" sist the devil of fornication." 

566. They used to say that Mother Sarah contended against 
the devil of fornication for seven years on the roof [of her 
house], before she vanquished him. 

- 567. One of the old men said, "It is written concerning 
" Solomon that he loved women, but every male loveth the fe- 

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ZTbe Savings of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

"males, and we must restrain and draw onwards our nature 
"by main force to purity." 

568. A brother asked Abba Daniel, and said unto him, "De- 
" liver to me a commandment"; [and he said unto him], "Never 
" place thy hand in a dish and eat with a woman, and thou wilt 
" be able to flee from the devil of fornication." 

569. They used to say that the great old man Abraham ar 
rived at a monastery, and that he also saw there a youth, and 
that he refused to pass the night there; and the brethren who 
were with him said unto him, "Art thou also afraid, O father? " 
The old man said unto them, "Indeed, my sons, I am not afraid, 
" but of what use is a vain war to me?" 

570. A brother asked an old man, saying, "What shall I do? 
" For my thoughts are [fixed] always upon fornication, and they 
"will not give me peace even for a moment; and thus is my 
" soul vexed." And the old man answered and said unto him, 
" When these thoughts spring up in thee speak not with them, 
"for it belongeth to them to rise up with continual anxiety, 
" and not to be sluggish, but they have no power to force thee, 
"for it belongeth to thee either to accept them or not. Hast 
" thou not seen what the Midianites did, how they adorned their 
"women and set them up, but they forced no man to take 
" them? those who wished to do so fell into them, and those 
"who did not became wroth, and made a slaughter in their 
" wrath. Even so is it with the thoughts." Then that brother 
said unto him, "What then shall I do? For I am weak, and 
" passion overcometh me." The old man said unto him, "Con- 
" sider thy thoughts well, and when they begin to speak to 
" thee, answer them never a word, but rise up and pray, and 
" meditate upon holy words." And the brother said unto him, 
" Behold, father, I do meditate [on holy words], and the passion 
" riseth not in my heart, but I do not know the power of the 
"words"; then the old man answered and said unto him, 
"Thou canst only [continue] to meditate, but I have heard 
"Abba Poemen and many fathers say this word: The en- 
" chanter knoweth not the power of the words which he 
" uttereth, but when the animal heareth them, it knoweth 
" their power, and he becometh subservient, and submitteth 
" itself [to him]. Even so is it with us, for although we do not 
" know the power of the words whereon we meditate, the devils 
" know their power as soon as they hear them." 

571. The old men in Scete were asked concerning fornication, 
When doth a man see a face in the passion stirred up in him ? " 
And they said, "This matter is like unto a table which is loaded 
" with meats of all kinds, and a man who seeketh and desireth 
" to eat of them ; but if a man putteth not forth his hand and 

128 



f ff orntcation 

" taketh not of the meats he becometh a stranger unto 

"them." 

572. They used to say that Abba Isaac went out and found 

the footprint of a woman on the road, and he thought about it 

in his mind and destroyed it, saying, " If a brother seeth it he 

"may fall." 

573- A brother asked Abbd Agathon concerning fornication, 
and he said unto him, "Go, cast thy feebleness before God, 
" and thou shalt find relief." 

574- A brother asked a father, and said unto him, "There is 
" a war of fornication against me," and the old man said unto 
him, " If it be a good thing, why goest thou away from it, but 
" if it be a bad thing why dost not thou command it [to de- 
"part]?" 

575. A certain brother, being vexed by the spirit of forni 
cation, went to a great old man, and entreated him, saying, 
" Do an act of grace, and pray for me, for I am disturbed by 
"fornication," and the old man made supplication unto God 
and entreated Him. And the brother came to him a second 
time, and said the same words as before, and the old man also 
was not neglectful in beseeching God on his behalf. Now when 
the brother had come to the old man, and troubled him in this 
way many times because he was disturbed by fornication, the 
old man afterwards entreated God, and said, "O Lord, reveal 
" unto me the manner in which this brother liveth, and whence 
" cometh the reason why I have entreated Thee so often on his 
" behalf, and he hath not found relief." Then God revealed unto 
him the affair of that brother, and he saw him dwelling with the 
spirit of fornication by him, and that brother lusting for it, and 
an angel was standing by [ready] to help him; and he was 
angry with that brother because he did not cast himself upon 
God, but was involving his mind therein. And straightway the 
old man knew that the cause lay with the brother himself, and 
he made him to undertand this, and he roused him up, and 
afterwards he took heed to himself. 

576. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, "The body is 
" feeble, but my passions are not weak"; the old man said unto 
him, * * The passions make thorns to grow and burst into flower. " 

577- A brother asked Abba Poemen concerning the passions 
of the body, and the old man said unto him, "They are like 
"unto those who sang praises to the image of Nebuchad- 
" nezzar, for if those who sang had not burned men [people] 
" would never have worshipped the image; and in this wise the 
" Enemy also singeth to the soul by means of the passions, so 
" that he may perchance be able to make it commit sin through 
14 the passion of the body." 

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tTbe Sa^inos of tbe 1bols f atbers 

578. An old man used to say, "Salt is produced by water, but 
"if it falleth into water it becometh dissolved and is lost; 
" similarly monks are born of women, but if they fall into wo- 
" men they are dissolved and perish from God." 

579. A certain father when he went out to become a monk 
was a virgin, and he did not even know that a whore existed 
among the children of men. And when he was dwelling in his 
cell the devils began to stir up in him the passion of fornication, 
and lifting up his eyes he saw the devils going round about him 
in the forms of Ethiopians, and they incited him to yield to the 
passion; then he rose up straightway and prayed, and said, 
" O Lord, help me," and when he had said these things immedi 
ately a stone fell from the roof, and he heard, as it were, a sweet 
voice, and he seemed to enjoy a short respite from the thoughts 
of fornication. And he rose up and came to one of the old men 
and related the matter to him, and the old man answered and 
said, "I know not what this meaneth"; and he sent him on to 
Abba Poemen, and that brother related the matter unto him 
also. Then the old man said unto him, "The stone which thou 
" didst see fall is the Calumniator, and that voice which thou 
" didst hear is lust. Take heed unto thy soul, and make suppli- 
" cation unto God, and behold, thou shalt be freed from this 
" war"; and Abbd Poemen taught him how to contend against 
devils, and having prayed, he dismissed him, and that brother 
came to his cell. And he made entreaty and supplication unto 
God, and God granted him to attain to such a gift [of excellence] 
that, when that brother died, He was pleased that there should 
be revealed unto him whether it was well with his soul or not. 

Now in another manuscript instead of the words, "He 
" rose up and prayed," it is thus written: He saw the devils 
surrounding him in the forms of Ethiopians and they were in 
citing him to yield to the passion. And he said, "This natural 
" member which stablisheth man is like unto a spout in a tank 
"which letteth out water, and it is also like a conduit which 
" carrieth the water off a roof; similarly this member carrieth 
" off water from a man." And having said these words straight 
way the stone fell, &c. 

580. On one occasion a certain man went out to Scete to be 
come a monk, and he took with him his son as soon as he had 
been weaned; and when the boy was grown up and had become 
a young man, the war of fornication attacked him, and he said 
unto his father, " I will go into the world, father, for I cannot 
" endure this striving against fornication." Then his father en 
treated him to persevere, but at length the boy said to his father, 
" Father, I cannot bear it any longer, let me go"; and his father 
said unto him, " My son, hearken to me for this time only. 

130 



f jf orntcation 

"Take thee seven pairs of cakes of bread, and a few palm 
" leaves, sufficient for forty days, [and get thee into the desert], 
" and may God s will be done." And his son hearkened unto 
him, and he took [the bread and palm leaves] and departed, 
and he remained [in the desert] working, and twisting dry 
palm leaves into ropes, and plaiting mats, and eating dry 
bread, and he lived a life of seclusion for twenty days. And he 
looked, and behold, the work of fornication came and drew 
nigh unto him, and it stood up before him in the form of an 
Ethiopian woman whose smell was exceedingly foul; but he 
was unable to endure her smell, and he drove her away from 
his presence. Then she said unto him, " In the hearts of men 
" I am a sweet smell, and a pleasant one, but because of thine 
" obedience and labour God hath not permitted me to lead thee 
" astray; but I have, nevertheless, made thee acquainted with 
" my smell." And the young man rose up, and came to his fa 
ther, and said unto him, " I no longer wish to go into the 
"world, for I have seen the matter of fornication, and I have 
" smelled its foul odour"; now the father knew of a certainty that 
the young man had been satisfied in his mind on the subject, 
and he said to his son, " Hadst thou remained [in the desert] 
" forty days and kept my commandment, thou wouldst most 
" certainly have seen a vision which was far more excellent." 

581. On one occasion a brother came to Abba Poemen, and 
said unto him, "What shall I do, father, for I am vexed by 
"fornication? And behold, I came unto Nebation [Anicetus], 
"and he said unto me, * It is not right that those thoughts 
" should stay with thee so long. " Abba Poemen saith unto 
him, * The labour of Abba Anicetus is high and exalted, and his 
" thoughts are above with the angels, and he hath forgotten 
"that I and thou are whoremongers; but if thou wishest, 
" hearken unto me, and I also will speak to thee: If a monk 
" can hold fast his belly, and his tongue, and his love for going 
" about as a stranger, thou mayest be sure that he is able to 
" become a monk in very truth, and that he will not die." 

582. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, "What 
" shall I do? For fornication is killing me." The old man said 
unto him, "When a mother is about to wean her son she 
" smeareth aloes over her breasts, and when the child cometh 
" to suck as usual, he shrinketh away and taketh to flight. Do 
" thou also then put bitter aloes in thy heart, and straightway 
" the wicked devils will fly therefrom." And the brother said 
unto him, " What kind of bitter aloes is it right for me to place 
" therein." The old man saith unto him, " The remembrance 
" of the death and punishment which are laid up in the world 
" which is to come." 

131 11-90 



Savings of tfoe 1bol$ jfatbets 

583. A brother asked an old man, " Whence come the 
"temptations of fornication which attack me?" The old man 
said, " They come because thou eatest and drinkest largely, 
" and because thou sleepest until thou art satisfied." 

584. Abba John used to say, " Whosoever talketh as much 
" as he can with a woman, hath already committed adultery 
" with her in his mind." 

585. On one occasion acertain brother came to Abba Muthues 
and asked him, saying, " Is calumny worse than fornication?" 
And the old man said, " Fornication is worse." The brother 
said unto him, "How can this be ?" And the old man said unto 
him, " Calumny is a wicked thing, but it receiveth healing 
"quickly, and the calumniator repenteth, saying, *I have 
" spoken evilly many times ; but fornication in the body is 
" death in [its] nature." 

586. There was in Scete a certain monk who strove hard 
[against sin], and the Enemy sowed in him the remembrance 
of a certain woman with a beautiful face, and he troubled him 
greatly through her. And by the Providence of God a certain 
brother who came down from Egypt went to visit him, and it 
came to pass that whilst they were conversing together the 
brother who had gone to visit him said, "Such and such a 
" woman is dead"; now she was the very woman the remem 
brance of whom was being stirred up in the monk. And when 
the other brother heard this, he rose up, and took his head- 
cloth, and went up by night to Egypt, and opened her grave, 
and he smeared himself with the filthy and putrefying matter 
of the dead body of the woman, and then went back to his cell. 
And he set that thing of filth before his mind at all times, and 
he did battle with his thought, saying, " Behold thy lust, and 
" that which thou didst require ! Behold, I have brought it unto 
" thee; take thy fill thereof." And he used to torture himself 
with [the remembrance of] that filthy thing until the war which 
was in him was quieted. 

587. One of the brethren asked Abba Zeno, now he had great 
freedom of speech with him, saying, " Behold, thou hast 
" grown old, how is the matter of fornication?" The old man 
said unto him, " It knocketh, but it passeth on." Then one of 
the brethren asked him, " What is the meaning of It knock- 

1 eth, but it passeth on? " The old man said unto him, 
Imagine now that one brought to thy mind the remembrance 
of a certain woman, and that thou didst say, Oh, but that 
* thou didst not allow it to go up in thy mind; [that is what * It 
1 knocketh, but passeth on meaneth] ; now young men are 
excited by it." 

588. A brother asked Abba Theodore of Scete, saying, " The 

132 



f fornication 

" thought of fornication cometh, and it troubleth and disturb- 
11 eth the mind, but it is not able to commit the deed; and it 
"certainly cannot help, but it can hinder the course towards 
" spiritual excellence "; and the old man said unto him, " The 
4 man who is wakeful and strenuous struggleth and casteth 
" it from him and standeth up to prayer." 

589. And again a certain old man from Parmis [spake] 
against this thought, saying, " If we do not possess thoughts 
"we become the prey of the Enemy, for he, even like an 
"ordinary enemy, demandeth that which is his; therefore 
" let us, in the same manner, do what is ours to do. Let us 
" stand up in prayer, and straightway he will flee; be constant 
"in the service of God, and thou shalt conquer; strive, and 
" thou shalt be crowned." 

590. Against this thought of fornication a brother asked an 
old man, saying, " What shall I do about the mind of fornica- 
" tion which vexeth me?" And Abb& Copres the Alexandrian 
answered and said, " If thou hast no minds (or thoughts) thou 
" wilt have no hope, so then their work is with thee; for he 
" who performeth their work hath no thoughts. Peradventure 
" thou hast the custom of talking with a woman?" And the 
brother said unto him, No, I have not, but they are thoughts of 
" former times and of recent times which trouble me. "The old 
man said unto him, "Thou shalt not be afraid of the dead, but 
"fear the things which are living, and cast thyself down in 
" prayer before God. For if we have no thoughts we are mere 
" animals. As the enemy worketh for that which is his, even 
" so let us do for that which is ours. Let us stand up in prayer, 
" and let us have a care for doctrine, and let us endure, for 
"patient endurance is victory. Unless a man striveth he will 
" never be crowned. For there are in the world athletes who 
"though wounded conquer nevertheless, and however many 
" times one man may be wounded by two [others], if he can 
" endure the blows he will be able to conquer those who smote 
" him. Observe then what a degree of endurance is possessed 
" by such men for the sake of the merchandise of this world ! 
" Do thou then endure, and God shall strive with thine enemies 
"on thy behalf whilst thou mayest remain quiet." 

5QI. Against the thought [of fornication] another old man 
who dwelt in the desert used to say, "Thou wishest to live 
"whilst thou art asleep! Go, and labour. Go, and work. Go, 
" seek, and ye shall find. Awake and stand up. Knock, and it 
" shall be opened unto thee. For there are in the world athletes 
" who are called pugilists, who smite each other, and who 
" are held to be worthy of the victory because they fight per- 
" sistently and endure; these men do not withdraw defeated 

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Ube Savings of tbe 1bols ff atbers 

" when they are wounded, for however many times one [of 
" them] may be smitten by two [others], and however [many 
" may be] the blows which he will suffer from them, he con- 
" tinueth to fight, and he conquereth and is crowned." 

592. Against the thought [of fornication] another old man 
said, "Such things will happen unto thee through negligence. 
" For if it be certain to us that God dwelleth in us, we can never 
" become a habitation for others, and we can never give our 
" souls over to become vessels for the service of aliens. For 
" our Lord Who dwelleth in us, and is found in us, is able to 
" watch over our lives; and it is not right for us to neglect or 
" to hold lightly Him for Whose sake we have put Him on, 
" and Whom we see. But let us make ourselves pure even as 
" He is pure. Stand up then upon a rock, and if the river be 
"violently disturbed thou shalt not fear, and behold, thy 
"building shall not shake; and sing with might, saying, 
" Those who put their hope in the Lord shall be like Mount 
" Zion (Psalm cxxv, i), and he who dwelleth in Jerusalem 
" shall never be moved. The Enemy said unto our Redeemer, 
" I will send these who belong to me against those who be- 
" long to Thee that they may drive them back; and if they 
" do evil to Thy chosen ones I cannot [help it], and I will 
" trip them up, even though I can only do so in dreams of 
" the night. Then our Redeemer said unto him, If an abor- 
" tion can inherit his father s possessions] this also shall be 
" accounted as sin to My chosen ones. " 

593- Against the thought [of fornication] another old man 
spake, saying, "Be thou like unto a man whopasseth through 
" a street of tavern-keepers, and who smelleth the odour of 
boiling meats, or the whiff of something which is being 
roasted; he who wisheth entereth into [one of them] and 
eateth, and he who doth not wish [to do so] smelleth the 
meats as he passeth by and then goeth on. Drive away then 
1 from thee the fetid smell of evil thoughts, and stand up and 
k pray, saying, O Son of God, help me. The same thing is 
also to be said about other thoughts, for we are not the roots 
of the thoughts, but are those who strive against them." 

^Excellent Counsels concerning fornication bs one of 
tbe bols oR> /toen 

NOW on thy account, O son of man, Christ was born, 
and the Son of God came that He might make thee to 
live. He became a Child. He became a man, being also 
594. God. He Who was the Lawgiver became a reader [of the 
Law], and He took the Book in the congregation, and He read, 
saying, " The Spirit of God is upon me, and for this reason He 

34 



Counsels conceriuno jf onttcatton 

4 * hath anointed me, and hath sent me to preach the Gospel unto 
"the poor." Like a servant He made a whip of rope, and He 
drove forth from the temple all those who sold oxen, and cattle, 
and doves, and other things. Like a servant He girded a napkin 
about His loins, and washed the feet of His disciples, and He 
commanded them to wash the feet of their brethren. Like an 
elder He sat among the elders, and taught the people. Like a 
Bishop He took bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave 
to His disciples; and He was beaten for thy sake, that is to 
say, for thy sake He was crucified, and for thy sake He died. 
Yet thou for His sake wilt not even endure insult! He rose as 
God. He was exalted as God. All these things for our sake, 
all these things by Divine Providence, all these things properly 
and in due order did He do that He might redeem us. Let us 
then be watchful, and strenuous, and constant in prayer, and 
let us do everything which will please Him, and will gratify His 
friends, so that we may be redeemed and live. Was not Joseph 
sold into Egypt, and did he not live in an alien land? And the 
three simple young men in Babylon, had they not men who 
opposed them? Yet, because they were fearing God, He helped 
them, and made them glorious. 

595. An old man who had delivered himself unto God used 
to say, "The monk must have no will of his own, but he whose 
44 will is of God continueth to minister to Him unwearyingly; 
44 for if thou doest thine own will, thou becomest weary, and 
44 thou labourest, and God hearkeneth not to thee." And the 
old man also said, 44 He who liveth in God liveth with Him, 
44 for He saith, I will dwell in them, and I will walk in them, 
44 and they shall be to Me a people, and I will be to them a 
44 God" (Exodus vi, 7). 

596. And the old man also said, 44 God saith unto thee thus: 
44 If thou lovest Me, O monk, do that which I ask, and do 
44 not that which I do not desire. For monks should lead lives 
" wherein they act not in iniquity, and a man should not look 
44 upon evil things with his eyes, nor hear with his ears things 
44 which are alien to the fear of God, nor utter calumnies with 
44 his mouth, nor plunder with his hands; but he should give 
44 especially to the poor, and he should not be [unduly] exalted 
44 in his mind, and he should not think evil thoughts, neither 
44 should he fill his belly. Let him do then all these things with 
44 discretion, for by them is a monk known." The old man also 
said, 44 These things [form] the life of a monk: Good works, 
4 and obedience, and training. A man should not lay blame 
44 on his neighbour, and he should not utter calumnies, and he 
44 should not complain, for it is written, The lovers of the Lord 
44 hate wickedness." 

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Savings of tbe fbols ff atbers 

597- A brother on several occasions troubled an old man, 
and said unto him, "What shall I do with the impure and 
" wicked thoughts of divers kinds which force their way into 
" me by various means?" The old man answered and said unto 
him, " Thou art like unto a cistern which hath been dug out, 
and which is sometimes full, but which, when a man cometh 
to draw water thereat, is found [to be dry]. Why dost thou 
not make thyself more like a fountain of water which is never 
without [water]? Persistence is victory, and victory is con 
stancy, and constancy is life, and life is kingdom, and king 
dom is God." 

fbere enfc tbe (Questions concerning tbe Ubougbts of 
ff ornication t anfc tbe Hnswers tbereto, an& tbe Coun 
sels ot tbe tools <S>tt> fl&en 

Cbapter ij. <S>f tbe Hcceptance of IRepentance, anfc 
of bow it is rigbt for us to IRepent in Urutb 

TWO brethren were in restraint to the lust of fornica 
tion, and they went and took to themselves wives. At 
length, however, they repented, and said to each other, 
598. What have we gained by leaving the labour of angels, 
" and coming to this [state of] impurity, since after the present 
" life we shall be delivered over to fire and everlasting torture? 
" Let us return to the desert and repent." And they went forth 
straightway, and came to the desert to the fathers, and they 
entreated them to offer up supplications on their behalf; now 
the outward appearance of both was the same, and they shut 
themselves up for one year, and they made supplications to 
God, and entreated Him to pardon them, and to each of the 
two brethren a like quantity of bread and water was given. 
Now after their period of repentance was fulfilled, they went 
forth from their seclusion; and the old men saw that the 
countenance of one was changed, and that it was exceedingly 
sad, whilst that of the other brother was cheerful and glad, 
and the fathers marvelled why, seeing that the two men had 
oeen partaking of the same amount of food, and had endured 
the same restraint, the face of one was so different from that 
of the other. And they asked him of the sad face, saying, 
"What didst thou think about in thy cell?" And he said, 
"On the evil things which I have committed, and I think 
" about the torture which is to come, and by reason of my fear 
" my flesh cleaveth to my bones." And they asked him whose ap 
pearance was cheerful, saying, "Do thou also tell us what thou 
" didst think about in thy cell." And he said, " I gave thanks 
" unto God, Who hath delivered me from the impurity of this 
"world, and from everlasting punishment, and Who hath 

136 



tbe Hcceptance of IRepentance 

" brought me to this labour of angels, and with such things I 
"remembered God and rejoiced." Then the old men said, 
"The repentance of each is equal before God." 

599. An old man was asked by one who toiled, " Is the re- 
" pentance of sinners accepted by God?" And the old man, 
after he had taught him with many words, said unto him, 
" Tell me, O my beloved one: if thy cloak were to be torn in 
" rags, wouldst thou throw it away?" And he said unto him, 
" No, but I would sew up the rents, and then I could use it 
"again." And the old man said unto him, " If thou wouldst 
" shew pity upon thy garment which hath no feeling, shall not 
" God shew pity on that which He hath fashioned, and which 
" is His work?" 

600. A certain brother fell into temptation, and through 
tribulation relinquished the garb of monkhood; and he wished 
to begin to renew his ascetic life, but he saw the great diffi 
culty of the matter, and he drew back, and said, "When shall 
" I ever find myself in the same condition as I was formerly?" 
And through fear he did not begin his work, and he went and 
made the matter known to an old man, and the old man said, 
" The matter is thus: There was a certain man who possessed 
" an estate, and he held it to be of no account and did not 
" cultivate it, and it became full of tangled undergrowth and 
"thorns. Now one day he remembered it, and he sent his 
" son, and said unto him, Go, clean the estate. And when he 
"had gone and seen the abundance of the undergrowth he 
"was afraid, and said to himself, When shall I be able to 
" clean away all this undergrowth? And he threw himself 
" upon a bed, and lay down, and went to sleep, and thus he 
" did every day. Then his father went forth and found that he 
" was asleep, and that he had done nothing; and he said unto 
"him, How is it, my son, that no work whatsoever hath 
" been done by thee? And he said to his father, When I 
" came to work and saw the abundance of the undergrowth, 
" I was afraid and said, When shall I be able to clean all 
" this away? And his father said unto him, My son, work 
" according to the measure of thy sleep each day, and it shall 
" be sufficient for thee ; and when he heard [this] the young 
" man plucked up courage, and did thus, and in a short time 
"he cleansed the estate. Thus also thou shalt not be afraid, 
" but begin the work of thy rules, and God, by His Grace, will 
"establish thee [among those in] the first rank." Now when 
the brother had done thus he was helped. 

601. A brother asked one of the old men, and said, " If a 
" monk stumble and fall into sin, are many labours necessary 
" for him, and if he doeth them will he be able to stand in the 

37 



ZTbe Sa^inos of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

"grade wherein he was formerly? He who goeth forth from 
"the world, and beginneth the cultivation of spiritual excel- 
" lence, will find it easy to advance, for he who is occupied in 
"labours, if it be that he is reduced from the grade wherein 
" he stood by his stumbling, will be afflicted and grieved in his 
" mind." Then the old man answered and said unto him, " A 
" monk is like unto a house which hath fallen down, and if he 
" be awake in his mind (or thought), and if he be zealous and 
"anxious to build that which was fallen down, he will find 
"ample material which will be of use in his building among 
"the remains of that which fell down before [he began to 
"build]; for he will find the foundation stones, and the old 
"stones from the walls, and other things, which were em- 
" ployed in the old building, and out of these, if he be so 
" disposed, he will be able to make his building to rear itself 
" up better than the man who hath not yet dug the places for 
" the foundations and laid the foundation stones, and who doth 
"not possess the materials which are to be employed in the 
"building, and who only beginneth to build with the hope 
" that he will be able to finish. And thus is it with him that 
" falleth from the practice of rules and works of the monkish 
" life into temptation, for if he turn back, and repent, he will 
" possess ample material from [his] former works of the ascetic 
"life which he possesseth [to begin his building afresh], I 
" mean to say, the training and the service of the work of the 
"hands, which is the foundation [thereof]. Whosoever then 
"hath gone forth from the world, and beginneth the cultiva 
tion of ascetic excellence, when he hath done these things 
" he will still be found standing in the front rank of the soli- 
" tary (or monkish) life." 

602. One of the old men told the following story, saying: 
There was a certain monk who dwelt in the desert, and he 
lived a life of strict and severe rule, and he was famous among 
men, and he could even cast out devils and heal the sick. And 
it came to pass that, through the agency of Satan, the pas 
sion of fornication was stirred up against him, and because he 
was not sufficiently humble to reveal his war unto the old men 
who were before him, in a few days time he fell into fornication 
with a woman who used to come to him continually for assist 
ance. Now having fallen, he despaired about himself, and he 
rose up to go to the world, and he was sad and grieved con 
cerning his fall; and he meditated, saying, "I will go into 
"the desert which is further away, and I shall not see any 
"man, and I shall not be seen of any, and there I will die 
"like the wild animals." And when he had gone, and he 
was wandering- about in the desert and in the mountains, 

38 



tbe Hcceptance of IRepentance 

he used to cry out by night and by day, saying, "Woe is 
me! woe is me!" And he ceased not to weep and to groan. 
Now there was in that desert a certain solitary old man who 
dwelt in a cleft in the rock, and when he heard the sound 
of the weeping and lamentation, his mercy for him revealed 
itself, and he went forth and met him, and they saluted 
each other. And the old man answered and said unto him, 
"Why weepest thou in this fashion?" And the young man 
said, "Because I have angered God, and because I have fallen 
"into fornication." Then was the old man astonished, and he 
said, "O how greatly did I fear and tremble at thy lugubrious 
" voice. For I thought that thou hadst been entrusted with the 
" governorship of the brethren, and that thou hadst governed 
"unjustly, or that thou hadst squandered in an unseemly 
" manner the work of the community. For the harlot repented, 
" and for the unbeliever there is a foundation, and the thief is 
" a son of the kingdom, but Ananias and Sapphira were slain 
" because they stole the money of the community of the breth- 
" ren, and thus is slain the soul of every one who with fraud 
"or carelessness squanders the possessions of the religious 
"houses. But be thou of good courage, O brother, and go 
"back again to thy cell, and make thine entreaty to God as 
"thou repentest, and He will stablish thee in thy former 
" grade." Then the monk went back to his place, and he shut 
himself in, and never again undertook to talk with any man, 
except him that handed in to him his food through the little 
window of his cell, and there he remained until the end of his 
life, and he attained to a most exalted state of perfection. 

603. Abb& Ammon of Ritheaon asked Abba Poemen about 
the impure thoughts which are produced in a man, and the 
vain lusts; and AbbA Poemen said unto him, "It belongeth to 
" Satan to sow them, but it is our affair not to welcome them." 

604. A brother asked Abb& Ammon, saying, "Behold, there 
" were two men, the one was a monk, and the other a son of 
" the world; now the monk used to determine in the evening 
" to cast away from him in the morning the garb of the monk, 
" and the son of the world used to make up his mind that on 
"the morrow he would take the garb of monkhood. Now it 
"happened that both men died on the same night; how will 
" they be regarded, and which determination will be reckoned 
" to them?" The old man said unto him, " He who was a monk 
" died a monk, and he who was a child of the world died as 
" such, for as they were found [to be] so were they taken." 

605. A brother asked AbbS. Sisoes, saying, "What shall I 
"do, father? For I have fallen." The old man said unto him, 
" Rise up"; and the brother said unto him, "I did rise up, but 

39 



Sasinss of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

" I fell again." The old man said unto him, "Rise up again"; 
and the brother said unto him, "I did rise up again, many 
" times, and I fell [again]." The old man said unto him, "Rise 
" up again"; and the brother said unto him, "Until when?" 
The old man said unto him, "Until thou advancest, either in 
" good deeds or in falling; for in the road wherein a man ad- 
" vanceth he goeth, whether it be to death or to life." 

606. It happened on one occasion that a brother in the mona 
stery of Abba Hatil (or Helit) was tempted, [and he fell,] and 
having been expelled from that place he went to the mountain, 
to Abba Anthony, and having remained with him for a long 
time, Abba Anthony sent him back to the monastery from 
which he had gone forth. Now when the sons of the monastery 
saw him, they cast him out, and he returned to Abba Anthony, 
and said unto him, " Father, they have refused to receive me"; 
and Abba Anthony sent them a message, saying, "A storm 
" rose up against a ship on the sea, and destroyed the freight 
"which she carried, but with the greatest difficulty she was 
" saved [and brought] to land. Now what do ye wish to do? 
" Do ye wish to drown him that hath been saved?" And when 
those monks [heard the words of] Abba Anthony, they sent to 
the brother, and welcomed him with gladness. 

607. Abba Anthony used to say, "There are many who fall 
" and who rise up to an attitude of rectitude, but there are 
" some who fall from good deeds to polluted things; better is 
" he who falleth and riseth up than he who standeth and then 
"falleth." 

608. Abb^ Poemen said, "If a man sinneth, and he saith, 
" I have not sinned, and thou chidest him, thou cuttest off 
" his will; but if thou sayest unto him, Be not sorry about this, 
" but guard thyself from sinning again, by these means thou 
" wakest his soul to repentance." 

609. He also said, "I prefer a man who hath sinned, and 
" done wickedly, and repented, to the man who hath not sinned 
" and hath not manifested repentance; for the former possesseth 
"a humble mind, and the latter esteemeth himself in his 
" thoughts a just man." 

610. Abba Sarmata used to say, " I prefer a man who hath 
" sinned, and who knoweth how to acknowledge his sins, to him 
" that doeth righteousness, and who saith, I do what is fair. " 

611. Abba Theodore of Parme used to say, "The man who 
"is in [a state of] repentance is not bound by the Law." 

612. They used to say that the thoughts of a certain old man 
used to say unto him, "Let to-day go by, and repent to- 
" morrow"; but he would say, "Nay, not so, for I will repent 
" to-day, and to-morrow shall be as God willeth." 

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f tbe jfatbers wbo wrougbt Members 

613. There was at one time among- the brethren a certain man 
who at the beginning of his [ascetic] career took good heed unto 
his soul, but when a short time had elapsed, he began to treat the 
salvation of his life with contempt; and his Abba ordered him 
to strip off the garb of the monks, and to put on the apparel 
of men who are in the world, and to depart from among the 
brethren. Then the man fell down at his feet, and entreated 
him, saying, "If thou wilt forgive me this once only, thou wilt 
* gain me henceforward, for I repentof these things which I have 
"done through negligence." And having multiplied and pro 
longed his entreaties, and made many promises that he would 
in the future mend his ways, he was held worthy of forgiveness; 
and he struggled with all the power of his soul to such purpose 
as to become a pattern to great and small. 

Cbapter fij* f [tbe ffatbers wbo] wrougbt Won* 
fcerful Motto 

ABBA Sisoes said : When we were in Scete, with Abba 
Macarius, seven of us went up to reap with him, and 
behold, a certain widow followed after us gleaning, and 

614. she ceased not to weep. And the old man cried to the lord 
of the estate, and said unto him, "What is the matter with 
the old woman who weepeth continually?" He said unto him, 

Her husband took a deposit of money from a man and he 
died suddenly without saying with whom he had placed it, 
4 and the owner of the deposit wisheth to take her and her 

* children as slaves." The old man said unto him, "Tell her to 

* come to us at the place where we rest at the season of noon," 
and it was told to her. And at the season of noon the woman 
came to them, and the old man said unto her, "Woman, why 
" dost thou weep continually?" And she said, "My husband is 
" dead. He had taken a deposit from a certain man, and he died 
" suddenly without telling us where he had laid it up." The old 
man said unto her, "Come [and] and show me where ye have 
" laid him"; and he took the brethren with him, and went with 
her, and having arrived at the place where the man was laid, 
the old man said unto her, "Get thee now to thy house." And 
after [she had departed] and he had made an end of his prayer, 
the old man cried out to the dead man and said, "O Such-an- 
" one, where hast thou laid up the deposit which belongeth to 
"the stranger?" Then the dead man answered straightway, 
and said, "It is hidden in my house beneath the leg of the bed"; 
and the old man said unto him, " Sleep now until the Resur- 
" rection." Now when the brethren saw what had been done, 
they all fell down at his feet in fear; and the old man said unto 
them, This hath not happened because of me, O my brethren, 

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" nor is the matter a great one, but God hath wrought this thing 
" for the sake of the widow and the orphans; but what is great 
" is that God desireth a soul which is pure and sinless." And when 
they had come they told the widow that the deposit was laid 
up in such and such a place, and then the old woman brought it 
up, andgaveittoits owner, and set free her children from slavery. 
And every one who heard [of this] gave thanks unto God. 

615. When Abba Miles (or Manilius) was passing through 
a certain place he saw a man holding a monk by force as if 
he had committed murder, and the old man drew nigh and 
questioned the brother, and when he learned that he was being 
wrongfully accused, he said unto those who had seized 
him, "Tell me where is the man who hath been murdered"; 
and they shewed him. Then the old man drew nigh to the 
murdered man, and said unto all who were standing [there], 
"Let us pray"; and when he had spread out his hands in 
prayer before God, the dead man rose up. And the old man 
said unto him before every man, "Tell us who it was that slew 
* thee" ; and he answered and said, I went into the church and 
"gave some money to the elder, and it was he who rose up 
"and killed me, and he carried me out and threw me in the 
" habitation of this monk. I entreat you that the goods which 
" I have given to him may be taken back and given to my 
"children." 

616. On one occasion a certain man in the world went to 
Abba Sisoes in the mountain of Abba Anthony, and he had 
his son with him, and as they were going along the road his 
son died; now the man was in no wise disturbed, but he took 
him up in faith and brought him to the old man, and he came 
with his son, and fell down before him with his son upon his 
knees as if he was entreating him to bless them; and the father 
of the boy went out and left his son [lying] dead at the feet of 
the old man. Now the old man did not know that the boy was 
dead, but he thought that he was making supplication and 
entreaty to him; and he answered and said unto him, "Arise, 
" and go forth," and straightway without any delay whatso 
ever, the youth rose up and went out to his father, who, when 
he saw him, marvelled; and his father took him and went in 
and did homage to the old man, and informed him about the 
matter. Now when the old man heard this he was troubled, 
for he did not wish this thing to happen because of the praise of 
men; and his disciple commanded them not to tell the story 
before any man until the day of his death. 

617. One of the fathers used to relate that Abba Paule, who 
dwelt in Thebes, would take snakes, and scorpions, and horned 
snakes in his hands, and kill them. And the brethren made 

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f tbe if atbers wbo wrougbt Monfcers 

apologies to him, and said, "Father, tell us through what 
" labour thou hast received this gift." And he said unto them, 
" Forgive me, O my fathers, if ye possess purity of heart, 
"every living thing will be subject unto you as it was unto 
" Adam before he transgressed the commandment of God." 

6l8. On one occasion one of the old men of Thebes came to 
Mount Sinai, and having departed from there, one of the bre 
thren met him on the way, and with a groan he said unto the 
old man, "We are distressed, O father, through the want ot 
" rain." And the old man said unto him, "Why do ye not pray 
"and ask God for some?" And the brother said unto him, 
"We have prayed and made earnest supplication, and the 
" rain hath not come." The old man said unto them, "Then 
"ye did not pray with all your hearts; do ye wish to know 
" that the matter is thus?" And after [this] the old man stood 
up in prayer, and he spread out his hands to heaven, and 
straightway, without any delay whatsoever, the rain came; 
and the brother saw, and feared, and he fell down and did 
homage to him. Now the old man took to flight, but the 
brother made known everything which had happened, and 
when [the brethren] heard [thereof] they all glorified God. 

6lp. They used to say that, when on one occasion, Abbd 
Moses of Scete was going into Patara, he grew weary through 
the length of the road, and he was afraid and said, "How can 
* I bring water for myself into this place?" And a voice was 
heard by him, saying, "Go on, and fear not." Now one day a 
large number of the fathers came to him, and he had there 
only one vessel of water, and having boiled some lentiles the 
water came to an end; at this the old man was troubled, and 
went out and in, and prayed to God, and afterwards a great 
cloud came and poured down upon them much rain, and it 
filled all the vessels which he had with water. Then after 
wards the fathers said unto him, "Abba Moses, tell us why 
" thou didst come in and out"; and he said unto them, "I en- 
" tered into judgement with God, who brought me hither be- 
" cause there was want of water, and because I had no water 
" for His servants to drink; therefore I came in and out." 

620. The old man Joseph used to say: "I went on one occa- 
" sion to Abba Poemen and found many old men with him, and 
" behold, a certain man had brought a youth who was a kins- 
" man of Abba Poemen, and whose face had been turned back- 
" wards through the operation of the Evil One; and when his 
" father saw the multitude of the old men who were coming to 
"Abba Poemen, he took him and brought him outside the 
"door of the monastery, and sat down there and wept. Now 
"when one of the old men had ended his business, and was 

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Salinas of tbe 1bol jf atbers 

"going forth [from the building], he saw him, and said unto 
" him, Why weepest thou, O man? The father of the youth 
"said unto him, I am of the family of Abba Poemen. A 
" trial hath come upon this youth, but we are afraid to 
" * take him to him, for he refuseth to see us, and now, if he 
learneth that I am here, he will send and drive me away; 
but when I knew that ye were coming here, I ventured to 
" * come also. And he cast the youth down on the ground at 
" his feet, and wept, saying, If thou wilt, have mercy on me, 
" and take this youth inside, and pray over him ; and the old 
" man took him and carried him in with him to Abba Poemen. 
" Now the old man acted wisely in the matter, and he did not 
" take the youth at once to Abba Poemen, but beginning with 
" the last of the brethren who was there, he brought the youth 
" to each and every one of them, saying, Make the sign of the 
" Cross upon this youth ; and having brought him alike to 
" all the brethren and to all the old men who were there, finally 
" he brought him to Abba Poemen, but the blessed man refused 
" to touch him. Thereupon a contention arose, and they all 
" entreated him, saying, Father, do thou even as we all have 
" done ; then Abba Poemen sighed, and he roseup and prayed, 
"and said, O God, heal that which Thou hast fashioned so 
" * that it may not be destroyed by the Enemy, and he finished 
"his prayer, and made the sign of the Cross over him, and 
"straightway the face of the youth was made straight, 
"and he was healed. And Abba Poemen gave him to his 
"father made whole, so he took him and departed with 
" rejoicing." 

621. They used to say that the face of Abba Pambo was like 
lightning, even as Moses received the glory of the likeness of 
Adam, and that his face shone, and that he was like a king 
who sitteth upon his throne; and thus was it also with Abba 
Silvanus and with Abba Sisoes. 

622. They used to say about one of the old men that as he 
was in the light during the day, so also was he [in the light] in 
his cell by night, and that he used to work with his hands and 
read in the night time just as he did during the day. 

623. One of the old men sent his disciple to draw water, now 
the well was a very long way off from their cell, and that 
brother forgot to take the rope with him; and being distressed 
[thereat] he bowed himself in prayer, and he prayed and cried 
out, saying, " O well, my father [saith], Fill this vessel for me 
" with water, and without delay "; and the water came up, 
and the brother filled [the vessel], and as soon as he had done 
so the water descended to its place. 

624. On one occasion Abba Moses came to the well to draw 

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water, and he saw Abbd Zechariah praying to the stream, and 
the Spirit of God was resting upon him like a dove. 

625. On one occasion one of the brethren went to the cell of 
Abba Arsenius in Scete, and he looked through the window, 
and saw the old man standing up, and all his body was like 
fire; now that brother was worthy to see this sight. And hav 
ing knocked at the door the old man came out to him; and 
seeing that the brother was marvelling at the sight which he 
had seen, he said unto him, Hast thou been knocking a long 
" time? Peradventure thou hast seen something?" and he said 
unto him, "No; [I have not]." And x^bba Arsenius spake with 
him and dismissed him. 

626. They used to say that a certain old man said, " Verily, 
"as he who worketh gold, and as he who maketh beautiful 
"work, cleanly and at peace, so thou also by thy beautiful 
" thoughts must inherit the kingdom of God; but I who have 
"passed the whole period of my life in the desert have not 
" been able to overtake thee." 

627. They used to say about a certain great old man, who 
lived in Purpirine, that when he lifted up his eyes to heaven he 
could see whatsoever was therein, and that if he gazed into 
the earth, he could see into the depths, and whatsoever was in 
them. 

628. Abba John, who was cast out by the Marcionites, used to 
say: On one occasion we went from Syria to Abba Poemen, 
and when we wished him to speak to us about hardness of 
heart [we found that] the old man did not know Greek, and 
there was no interpreter with leisure [to interpret there]. And 
the old man saw that we were troubled at this, and he began 
to talk to us in the Greek tongue, and at the beginning of his 
speech he said, "Water is by nature soft, and stone is hard, 
" nevertheless if thou suspendest a vessel full of water above 
"a stone, and wilt pour it out upon it drop by drop, it will 
" wear away the stone. In the same way the Word of God is 
" soft, and our heart is hard, but if it heareth continually the 
" Word of God, the heart will be opened, and will turn to the 
" fear of God." 

629. A certain monk lived in the desert, and there was 
another brother who lived in a cell by his side, and when he 
visited him from time to time he used to see him praying and 
entreating our Lord that the wild animals might be at peace 
with him. And after the prayer a panther which was suckling 
her young was found by him, and that brother went down upon 
his knees and sucked with them. And on another occasion the 
blessed man saw that brother praying and beseeching God to 
make fire to be at peace with him ; and he lit a fire, and knelt 

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down in the middle of it, and prayed. And that old man used 
to say, " If thou wishest to become a monk, bring thyself into 
" subjection that thou mayest be in the congregation of the 
" community, and mayest enter the monastery; but if thou 
"canst not cast away from thee care concerning [all kinds of] 
" occupations and affairs, thou canst never dwell in the con- 
11 gregation. All the power thou hast is over a bottle of water." 

630. And there are also wonderful things which the blessed 
Bessarion performed. He made the waters of the sea sweet, 
and Saul his disciple drank [of them] ; he crossed over the 
water of the river; he prevented the sun from setting in the 
heavens ; and the rooting up of the temples of the idols was 
revealed unto him. As they were going to John the Theban his 
disciple became thirsty, and Bessarion prayed, and water bub 
bled up, and he gave him to drink; and he healed also the 
young man who was a paralytic, so that he ran to his father; 
and he cast out a devil from a young man who was always 
asleep, and whom his parents besought him to wake up. I have, 
however, written down all these things in the history of the 
holy man Bessarion, wherein it is written that he was sitting 
at the door of the monastery and weeping bitterly. 

Gbapter iv, f tbe Greatness of tbe Sublime 1Rule of 
tbe Solitary %ife 

THERE was a certain old man amongst the fathers who 
used to see visions, and this man testified, and said, 
"That power which I have seen existing in baptism, I 

631. " have also seen in the apparel of the monks when they 
" take the garb of the monk." 

632. An old man from Thebais used to say: I was the son 
of a priest of idols, and when I was young I lived in the tem 
ple, and I have on many occasions seen my father go into the 
temple to perform the sacrifices to the idols. Once I went in 
secretly after him, and I saw Satan sitting [there], with his 
whole army before him, and, behold, one of his devils came 
and did homage to him. And Satan answered and said unto 
him, "Whence comest thou?" And the devil made answer, 
saying, "I was in such and such a country, and I stirred up 
"many wars and revolts, and I caused the shedding of blood, 
" and I have come to tell thee these things." Satan said unto 
him, * How long did it take thee to do this?" and the devil said 
"Thirty days. " Then Satan commanded him to be beaten, saying 
unto him, "Is this all that thou hast done in so long a time?" 
And, behold, another devil came and worshipped him, and to 
him he said, "Whence comest thou?" And the devil answered 
and said, "I was in the sea, where I stirred up storms, and 

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f tbe Greatness of tbe Solitary Xife 

sank ships, and drowned many men, and I have come that 
" I may inform thee of these things." Then Satan answered 
and said unto him, "In how much time hast thou done this?" 
and the devil answered and said unto him, " In twenty days," 
and Satan commanded that he also should be beaten, saying 
unto him, "Why is it that in all these days thou hast only done 
"[what thou sayest]?" And when he had said this, behold, a 
third devil came and worshipped Satan, who answered and 
said unto him also, "And where dost thou come from?" and 
the devil answered and said unto him, "I have been in such 
"and such a city wherein there was a marriage feast, and I 
"stirred up a war there, and caused the shedding of much 
" blood, and the death of the bridegroom and the bride; and 
" as soon as I had done this I came to inform thee." And Satan 
said unto him, "In how many days hast thou done this?" and 
the devil said, "In ten days"; and Satan commanded that he 
should be beaten, saying, "In all these days thou hast only 
"done this." Then afterwards, behold, a fourth devil came 
and worshipped him, and Satan answered and said unto him, 
" And whence comest thou also?" And he who was asked an 
swered and said unto him, "I have been in the desert for forty 
"years striving with a monk, and to-night I have hurled him 
"into fornication"; and when Satan heard this, he rose up 
straightway and embraced and kissed that devil, and he took 
the crown off his head, and placed it upon him, and he made 
him to sit by his side upon his throne, saying, "And so thou 
" hast been able to do so great a work as this in so short a 
" time! For there is nothing which I prize so highly as the fall 
" of a monk." And the old man went on to say: When I saw 
these things I said within myself, "Yea, so great then is the 
" army of the monks! And by the operation of God, Who de- 
" sired my redemption, I came forth, and became a monk." 

633. In the time when Julian, the rebellious Emperor, was 
going down to the territory of the Persians, he sent a certain 
devil to go speedily to the country of the West, and to bring 
him from thence an account of what he had sent him [to do]. 
Now when that devil arrived at a certain place wherein dwelt 
a monk, he stopped and tarried there for a period of fifteen 
days without being able to move anywhere, and he was unable 
to travel onwards, because the monk did not cease from pray 
ing, either by night or by day ; so he returned to the heathen 
who had sent him without having done anything. Then the 
wicked Julian said unto him, Why hast thou tarried so long ?" 
And the devil answered and said unto him, "I delayed in 
"coming, and I have done nothing; for a monk, who con 
tinued in prayer, came in my way and I tarried with him 

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"fifteen days, expecting- that he would some time cease to 
"pray and that I should be able to go on my way; but he 
" never ceased from his prayer, and I was prevented from going 
" on, and so I delayed in coming, and I have done nothing." 
Then was the wicked Julian angry, and he said, "When I 
"come back I will take vengeance upon him"; but before a 
few days were over, he was slain by Divine Providence. And 
straightway one of the eparchs who were with him went and 
sold everything which he possessed and gave [the money] to 
the poor, and he came to that monk, and himself became a 
chosen monk ; and he died with a good ending, and with works 
which were pleasing unto God. 

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

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



148 



Booh ij. 

Cbapter j. (Questions ant) Hnswets on tbe 1Rule of 
OLife of tbe ibolp /Ifeen wbicb tbe^ tangbt betore tbe 
fllMUtftnfce ant> in tbeir Cells on even? feinfc ot 
Spiritual Excellence 

TWO of the fathers entreated God to inform them as to 
the measure [of spiritual excellence] to which they had 
arrived, and a voice came to them which said, "In 
" such and such a village of Egypt there is a certain man in 
44 the world who is called Eucharistos, and his wife Mary, and 
"ye have not as yet arrived at the same measure as they." 
Now when the fathers heard [this] they marvelled, and they 
rose up and came to that village, and they enquired for and 
found the house and the wife of Eucharistos, and they asked 
her, saying, "Where is thy husband?" And she answered and 
said unto them, " He is a shepherd, and he is in the field pas 
turing sheep"; and she brought them into her house. And when 
the evening had come her husband came from the sheep, and 
seeing the fathers he rejoiced with great joy, and he prepared 
a table [for them], and brought water that he might wash their 
feet. Then the fathers answered and said unto him, "We will 
" eat nothing, but tell us what is thy work"; and Eucharistos 
said unto them with great humility, "I am a shepherd, and 
"this is my wife." Now the fathers entreated him to inform 
them concerning his life and works, but he concealed the mat 
ter, and refused to speak. Finally they said unto him, "God 
"told us to come to thee," and when Eucharistos heard this 
he was afraid, and he told them, saying, "Behold, we inherited 

* these sheep from our parents, and whatsoever God provid- 
4 eth as [our] income from them we divide into three portions; 
one portion [we devote] to charity, one portion to the love 

* of strangers, and the remaining part serveth for our own 
4 use. Since the time when I took this woman to wife we have 
4 not defiled ourselves, and she is a virgin, and each of us 
4 sleepeth alone; at night time we wear sackcloth, and in the 
4 daytime we put it off and array ourselves in our [ordinary] 
4 attire, and no man hath known this thing until the present 
4 moment." And when the fathers heard [this] they glorified 

God. 

2. They say concerning Abba Anthony that on one occasion, 
when he was praying in his cell he heard a voice which said 
unto him, " Anthony, thou hast not yet arrived [at the state of 
44 excellence] of a certain man who is a tailor and who dwell- 
44 eth in Alexandria." Then Anthony rose up in the morning, 

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tTbe Sasfn^s of tbe t>ol2 f atbera 

and took a palm stick and departed to him, and when the 
man saw him, he was disturbed; and the old man said unto 
him, " Tell me what thou doest, and how thou livest," and the 
tailor said unto him, "I do not myself know that I do any 
"good, and I know only that when I rise up in the morning, 
" before I sit down to the labour of my hands, I give thanks 
" unto God, and praise Him, and that I set my evil deeds be- 
" fore mine eyes, saying, All the men who are in this city will 
" * go into the kingdom of God, because of their alms and good 
" * deeds, except myself, and I shall inherit punishment for my 
* sins ; and again in the evening, before I sleep, I do the same 
"things." Now when Abbd Anthony heard these things, he 
said, "Verily, as the man who worketh in gold, and who doeth 
"beautiful work, cleanly, and in peace, even so art thou; 
"through thy beautiful thoughts thou wilt inherit the king- 
" dom of God, whilst I, who have passed the whole of my life 
"in the desert, separated [from men], have never overtaken 
"thee." 

3. Abba Anthony received a revelation in the desert, saying, 
" In such and such a city there is a man who resembleth thee; 
" he is a physician, and he worketh and giveth whatsoever he 
" earneth to the poor and needy, and each day he, with the 
" angels, ascribeth holiness to God three times a day." 

4. When Abba Macarius was praying in his cell on one oc 
casion he heard a voice which said, "Macarius, thou hast not 
"yet arrived [at the state of excellence] of two women who are 
"in such and such a city"; and the old man rose up in the 
morning, and took in his hand a palm stick, and he began to 
set out on the road to that city. Now therefore, when he had 
arrived at the city, and learned the place [of the abode of the 
women], he knocked at the door, and there went forth one of 
the women and brought him into the house. And when he had 
been sitting down for a little, the other woman came in, and 
he called them to him, and they came nigh and sat down be 
fore him. Then the old man said unto them, "On your account 
" I have made this long journey, and have performed all this 
" labour, and with great difficulty have come from the desert; 
"tell me, then, what works do ye do." And they said unto 
him, "Believe us, O father; neither of us hath ever been 
"absent from, or kept herself back from, her husband s 
" couch up to this day; what work, then, wouldst thou see in 
"us?" Then the old man made apologies to them, and en 
treated them to reveal to him and to show him their labour, 
and thereupon they said unto him, "According to worldly 
" considerations we are strangers one to the other, for we are 
" not kinsfolk, but it fell out that the two of us married two 

150 



Questions anb answers on tbe Hscetic 1Ruie 

"men who were brethren in the flesh. And behold, up to this 
" present we have lived in this house for twelve years, and we 
"have never wanted to quarrel with each other, and neither 
" of us hath spoken one abominable word of abuse to her com- 
" panion. Now we made up our minds together to leave our 
" husbands and to join the army of virgins, but, although we 
" entreated our husbands earnestly to allow us to do so, they 
" would not undertake to send us away. And as we were un- 
" able to do that which we wished, we made a promise between 
" ourselves and God that, until death, no worldly word should 
"go forth from our mouths." Now when Macarius heard 
[this] he said, "Verily, virginity by itself is nothing, nor 
" marriage, nor life as a monk, nor life in the world; for God 
" seeketh the desire [of a man], and giveth the Spirit unto 
" every man." 

5. They used to tell a story about certain brethren who were 
members of the household of Abba Poemen. Now whilst these 
men were dwelling in Egypt their mother wished to see them, 
but was unable to do so, and she watched for them as they 
were going to the church, and went out to meet them, but as 
soon as they saw her they went back to their cell and shut the 
door on themselves, and then their mother took up her stand 
by the door, and spake [unto them], and wept and sighed 
heavily. And when Abba Job heard her, he went in to Abba 
Poemen and said unto him, "What shall we do in respec~l of 
"this old woman who is weeping by the door?" Then Abbd 
Poemen rose up and drew nigh to the door and pressed him 
self against it and, hearing her speaking in the deepest sorrow, 
he said unto her, "WiH thou, who art an old woman, cry in 
" this fashion?" Now as soon as she heard his voice she wept 
the more, and she cried out, saying, "I want to see my sons. 
" For what is this that I see in you? Peradventure I did not rear 
"you? Peradventure I am not your mother? Peradventure ye 
" did not suck at my breasts? Peradventure ye did not go forth 
" from my womb? I am prevented by mine old age, but now 
" that I have heard thy voice my bowels have been moved." 
The old man said unto her, "Dost thou wish to see us here, 
" or wouldst thou see us in that country [beyond the grave]?" 
She said unto him, "My sons, if I do not see you here I shall 
" see you there." And the old man said unto her, "If thou wilt 
" compel thyself not to see us here, thou shalt, in very truth, 
" see us there." Then the old woman departed, saying, "Yea, 
" my son, if I shall see you there I shall not seek to see you 
"here." 

6. There was a certain old man who lived a life of such strict 
self-denial that he never drank wine. And when I arrived at 



tTbe Saplngs of tbe f>ol jfatbers 

his cell we sat down to eat, and one brought dates and he ate, 
and he took water and drank; and I said unto him laughingly, 
" So thou art angry with absinthe, O father? Since thou hast 
" eaten dates and hast drunk water, why dost thou not drink 
"wine?" And he answered and said unto me, "If thou takest 
" a handful of dust and throwest it on a man will it hurt him?" 
and I said unto him, "No." And he said unto me, "If thou 
" takest a handful of water and throwest it over a man, per- 
" adventure he will feel pain?" and I said unto him, "No." 
And he said unto me, "And again, if thou takest a handful of 
" chopped straw and throwest it over a man, peradventure it 
" will cause him pain? and I said unto him, "No." Then he 
said unto me, "But if thou bringest [them all] and dost mix 
" them together, and dost knead them well, and dost dry them, 
" thou mayest throw and hurl the mass on the skull of a man 
" and thou wilt not break it"; and I said unto him, "Yea, 
"father, [that is true]." And he said unto me, "The monks 
" do not abstain from certain things without good reason, and 
" thou must not listen to the men who are in the world who 
" say, * Why do they not eat this, and why do they not drink 
" that? Is there not sin in them? Such people know not. Now 
" we abstain from certain things not because the things them- 
" selves are bad, but because the passions are mighty, and 
" when they have waxed strong they kill us." 

7. On one occasion the priest of Scete went to the Archbishop 
of Alexandria, and when he had returned to Scete he wanted 
to send the brethren [to Alexandria], and he said unto them, 
" I have heard you say that there is a large assembly of people 
" in Alexandria. Verily, I say unto you that I who went there 
"did not see the face of any man except the Archbishop." 
Now when they heard [this] they were disturbed, and said, 
" Have they sunk into the ground, then?" And he said, "Nay, 
* not so, but my thoughts did not compel me to look at a man " ; 
and when they heard [this] they marvelled, and they were 
greatly confirmed by these words [in their desire] to keep 
themselves from looking upon the vain things of the world. 

8. One of the old men used to say: On one occasion the 
fathers were sitting and conversing together on the subject of 
ascetic excellence, and there was in their midst one of the old 
men who was a seer of visions, and he saw angels flying about 
over [the fathers]; but when they came to another subject of 
discourse, the angels departed, and he saw pigs rolling about 
among them and wallowing in the mire. And afterwards when 
the fathers renewed their conversation on spiritual excellence 
the angels came back and glorified God. 

p. One of the fathers used to say that there were two 



Questions anfc answers on tbe Hscetic 1Rule 

brethren who were neighbours of his in the desert, and that 
one was a stranger and the other a native of the country; now 
the stranger was a man of little faith, but the native performed 
many works in the service of God. And it happened that the 
stranger died, and the old man, who saw divine visions, saw 
multitudes of angels bearing away in triumph his soul until it 
arrived in heaven. And an inquiry arose concerning this, and 
the old man heard a voice from heaven which said, "He was 
* certainly a negligent man, but because of his being a stranger 
" they opened unto him." And afterwards the man who was a 
native of the country died, and his kinsfolk came to him and 
buried him, and the old man saw that there were no angels 
with him, and he marvelled, and he fell on his face and en 
treated God to inform him how it was that the stranger who 
was a negligent man was worthy of glory, whilst the man who 
had all those labours [to his credit] was not granted the same 
thing. And he heard a voice which said, "When the native 
" with all his works came to die, he opened his eyes and saw 
"his kinsfolk weeping, and his soul was refreshed; but the 
" stranger, although he was negligent, saw none of his kins- 
" folk, and he sighed and wept." 

10. One of the fathers told a story, saying: There was a 
certain monk in the desert of Linopolis, and a man who was 
in the world ministered unto him; and there was in the city a 
certain rich and wicked man who died, and he was accom 
panied to his burial by the whole city, and by the Bishop, with 
lights and great honour. Now the man who ministered to the 
monk went forth to give him some bread, but he found him 
dead and eaten by the panthers; and he fell upon his face 
before the Lord and said, "My Lord, I will not rise up from 
" this place until Thou makest me to know why this wicked 
" man is buried with such great honour, and why this monk 
" who served Thee by night and by day hath come to such an 
" end." And an angel came and said unto him, "That wicked 
" man did one good work, and he was rewarded here so that 
" he might not find even one pleasure in the world to come; 
" but this holy man, because he was a man who was adorned 
" with divine virtues, although inasmuch as he was a man he 
" possessed certain shortcomings, will receive these things in 
"the world to come, so that there he may be found perfect 
" therein." And having heard [this] he returned, and glorified 
God for His judgements because they are good. 

11. A brother asked an old man, saying, " Is it the name 
" or the work which maketh to live?" The old man said unto 
him, "I knew a certain brother who was praying on one 
"occasion, and who thought within himself, saying, I wish 

53 



tbe Savings of tbe 1bolp 3f atbers 

" to see the soul of a righteous man, and the soul of a sinner 
" when they are leaving" the body ; and because God wished 
" neither to make him grieve, nor to deprive him of his desire, 
" whilst he was sitting in his cell a wolf went in to him, and 
" laid hold of him by his clothes and dragged him outside, and 
" then having pulled him along he carried him to the outside 
" of a certain city, and then he left him there and departed. 

" Now whilst he was sitting outside the city there was a man 
" who lived in a monastery, and who had gained renown, and 
* and concerning whom a report had gone forth that he was a 
"monk of spiritual excellence; and this man was grievously 
"sick, and was waiting for the hour of his departure [from 
" this world]. And that brother looked on and saw theprepar- 
" ations which they were making, and the things which they 
" were putting ready for the event, namely, the wax candles, 
" and the lamps which they were trimming and preparing, and 
" he saw that all the city was weeping for him, and that his 
"people were in grief, and saying, * By his hand God hath 
" given us meat and drink, and by his hands He hath de- 
" * livered us, and hath kept us and the whole city alive; if 
" anything happeneth to him we shall die. And when the time 
" for this man to end his life had come that brother looked, and 
" saw, and behold, the keeper of Sheol went in having in his 
" hand a fork of fire with three prongs, and he heard a voice 
"which spake [to the keeper], saying, * Thou shalt not give 
" his soul any rest, even for a moment, and thou shalt not 
" shew any compassion unto him when thou takestaway his 
" soul. Then he who had appeared to that brother went in, and 
" he drove that fiery, three-pronged fork which he had in his 
"hand into the heart of the dying man, and he tortured him 
" for a long time, and then he carried away his soul. And after 
" these things, when that brother was going into the city, he 
"saw a certain brother who was a stranger, and who was 
"lying sick in the market-place, and there was none to care 
" for him; and he remained with him for one day, and at the 
" time when his soul was departing the brother saw Gabriel and 
" Michael come for his soul, and they sat down, one on his 
" right hand, and the other on his left, and they stayed there 
" entreating his soul and wishing to carry it away. And since 
" his soul refused to leave its body, Gabriel said to Michael, 
" Lift up his soul and take it, so that we may depart ; and 
" Michael said unto him, We were commanded by our Lord 
" * to bring it out without pain and without suffering, and 
" therefore we cannot constrain it and do it violence. Then 
" Michael cried out with a loud voice, saying, What dost Thou 
" command concerning this soul which will not be entreated 

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dSiuesttons anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscetfc 1Rule 

" * to come forth, O Lord? And there came unto him a voice 
" which said, Behold, I will send David and his harp, and all 
" * those who sing with him, so that when the soul heareth the 
" * sweetness of their voices it shall come forth ; and they came 
"down and surrounded the soul, and as they were singing 
" psalms and hymns the soul leaped forth, and it was rejoicing 
"in the hands of Michael, and was taken up on high with 
" gladness." 

12. They used to say that a certain old man went on one oc 
casion to a city to sell his handiwork, and it chanced that he 
sat down by the door of a house of a rich man who was dying, 
and whose death was very near at hand; and as he was sitting 
[there] he looked and saw black horses, with their black riders, 
who were exceedingly terrible, and they held in their hands 
staves of fire. And when they had come to the door of the house, 
they set their horses outside, and they went in together, and as 
soon as the sick man saw them, he cried out with a mighty 
voice, saying, " O Lord, help me." Then those who had been 
sent unto him said, "Now that the sun hath set upon thee thou 
" hast come to call God to remembrance; why didst thou not 
" seek Him while it was yet day? Now thou hast neither a por- 
" tion of hope nor consolation left." Then they took away his 
soul and departed. 

13. There were two brethren who lived in cells, and one of 
them was an old man who had persuaded the younger man, 
saying, " My brother, let us dwell together," but he said unto 
him, " I am a sinner, and I cannot let thee be with me, O fa- 
"ther." Then the old man entreated him, saying, "Yes, we 
"can [live together]"; now that old man was pure in his 
thoughts, and he was not content to hear that there was in the 
young man the thought of fornication. And the brother said 
unto him, " Father, leave me for one week, and we will speak 
" [on the subject] again"; and when the week was ended the 
old man came and, wishing to try him, the brother said unto 
him, " During the past week, O father, I fell into great temp- 
" tation, for I went to a certain village on business, and I met 
"a woman." The old man said unto him, "There is repent- 
"ance"; and the brother said unto him, "Yea, there is. "And 
the old man said unto him, " I will bear the half of this sin 
" with thee"; then the brother said unto him, " We shall now 
" be able to dwell together." So they dwelt together until the 
end of their lives. 

14. Certain brethren from the great monastery went forth 
and departed to the desert, and they came to one of the monks 
who received them with gladness; and when he saw that, as 
was usual with monks, they had come from labour, he pre- 
155 



Ube Sa^tnos of tbe 1bolp jf atbers 

pared for them a table before the appointed season, and what 
soever he had in his cell he set before them, and refreshed 
them. Now when the evening- was come they sang twelve 
Psalms, and they did the same thing during the night, but the 
old man left them to rest, and he departed that he might sing 
and pray by himself. And whilst he was keeping vigil, he 
heard the brethren conversing together and saying, " The 
" monks who live in the desert live more comfortably than do 
" we who are in the monasteries." And when they were making 
ready in the morning to go to an old man who was his neigh 
bour, he said unto them, " Salute him for me"; and they said 
unto him, "Thou shalt not water the green herb," and when 
he heard [this], he understood the matter. And he kept them 
until the evening working and fasting, and when the evening 
had come they sang the great service through, and the brother 
said unto them, " To-day, because ye have come from toil, we 
" have shortened the service somewhat," and he also said unto 
them, " We are not in the habit of eating every day, but be- 
" cause of you we will eat a little." And he prepared for them 
dry bread and salt, and he said unto them, " It is fitting that 
" on your account we should this day make a feast," and he 
sprinkled a little vinegar in the salt, and they rose up to sing 
and pray until the morning, and he said unto them, "We are, 
" on account of you, unable to perform the whole of the ser- 
" vice as we are wont to do, for ye must rest a little, and ye 
* are strangers. "Now when the morning had come they wished 
to escape, but he entreated them, saying, " Spend a few days 
" with us, especially that ye may live according to the custom 
" of the desert, for we cannot let you go"; and when they saw 
that he did not want to send them away, they rose up and fled 
secretly. 

15. On one occasion a certain brother came to Mount Sinai 
to visit Abba Sylvanus, and he saw the brethren working with 
their hands to supply their wants, and he said unto Abba Syl 
vanus, with boasting, "Ye toil for the food which perisheth; 
" Mary chose a good portion for herself." Then Abba Sylva 
nus said unto Zechariah, his disciple, "Give him a book and 
" take him to a cell wherein there is nothing." And when the 
time of the ninth hour had come, the brother looked this way 
and that way to see if they were going to send for him to come 
and eat, but no man came to seek him. Then he rose up and 
came to the old man and said unto him, "Father, have not the 
" brethren eaten to-day?" and he said unto him, "Yea." And 
the brother said unto him, "Why have ye not called me?" The 
old man said unto him, "Thou art a spiritual man and hast 
" no need of the meat which is for the body, but we are cor- 

56 



(Questions anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscetic 1Rule 

" poreal beings, and we require to eat, and it is for this reason 
"that we work. Thou hast chosen the [good] part; read all 
" day, and do not seek after the food of the body." Now when 
"that brother heard [this] he expressed his contrition, and 
"said, " Father, forgive me"; and the old man said, "Even 
" Mary had need of Martha, for through the labour of Martha 
" Mary triumphed." 

16. It happened on one occasion that a certain heathen priest 
came to Scete, and he visited the cell of one of the brethren, 
and passed the night there, and he saw the labours of his rule, 
and marvelled; and he said unto him, "Do ye labour so greatly 
" and yet do not see visions from your God?" and the brother 
said unto him, "We do not see [visions]." The priest of idols 
said unto him, " When we perform the part of priests to our 
" god he hideth nothing from us, and he revealeth unto us his 
"mysteries, whilst ye who perform the labours of vigil, and 
"abstinence, and silent contemplation, as thou sayest, see 
" nothing. There must be in your hearts evil thoughts which 
"separate you from your God, and it is for this reason that 
" He doth not reveal unto you His mysteries." Then the 
brother went and informed the old men of the word[s] of that 
priest of idols, and they marvelled and said, " It is thus, for 
" the thoughts which are not clean alienate a man from God." 

17. One of the brethren said unto one of the great old men, 
" If I could find one of the fathers according to my desire, I 
" would choose to die with him," and the old man said unto him 
with a laugh, "Good, my lord," and the brother said, "Such 
" is my desire." Now he did not understand the mind (or 
thought) of the old man. And when the old man saw that the 
brother was in truth speaking concerning himself that which 
he thoroughly believed, he said unto him, "If thou didst find 
" an old man according to thy desire, wouldstthou be able to 
" dwell with him?" And he said unto him, "Yea." The old man 
said unto him, " Well hast thou said, If I could find [an old 
" man] according to my desire "; and afterwards he said unto 
him, "Thou dost not wish to be subject to the will of the old 
" man, but the old man must be subject unto thee!" Then the 
"brother rose up, and made apologies to him, saying, For- 
" give me, father; I have boasted greatly. I thought that I was 
" saying that which was good, but I find that I possess that 
" which is of no value." 

18. Abba Daniel used to say about Abbd Arsenius that im 
mediately he heard that the fruits were [ripe] on the trees, he 
would tell them in his desire to bring him some, and that he 
used to eat once a year of every kind of fruit, so that he might 
give thanks to God. 

57 



ot tbe tbolp jf atbers 

ip. Abba Abraham asked Abb Theodore, saying-, "Father, 
" which is the better thing- for me to do, [to give] praise or to 
"blame? "The old man said unto him, "I myself prefer to 
" perform the works of praise, and not of blame"; and Abba 
Abraham said unto him, "How is this?" And the old man said 
unto him, " If I perform good works, and I be praised there- 
" for, I find that I can bring an accusation against my mind 
" whilst I flee from the love of approbation, and I can say that 
" I do not deserve this praise, but blame belongeth to evil 
" works, and how shall I be able to comfort my heart, because 
" men are offended at me? It is necessary for us to do good 
"works, and to be praised, without receiving upon ourselves 
"the love of approbation, and not evil deeds, lest we be 
"blamed." And Abb& Abraham said, "Thou hast said well, 
" O father; even so is it." 

20. They used to say about one of the fathers who had lived 
in the world, that when he was in the desert he was occupied 
in fighting [his desire] to return to his wife whom he had 
married before [he became a monk], and when he related the 
matter to the fathers, they appointed him certain works, so 
that he might be kept back from the fight [within him]. Now 
because he was an obedient man and one who laboured, he 
performed these works in excess, and at length his body be 
came so emaciated that he was unable to rise up from his place. 
And, by the operation of God, a certain father who was a 
stranger came to the place of Scete, and he passed by the cell 
of that monk and found it to be empty; and as he passed by he 
said in his mind, "How is it that no man hath come out to 
meet me from this cell ? And he went back there, and knocked, 
saying, "Perhaps he is sick"; and when he knocked the brother 
who was grievously sick went forth, and the father said unto 
him, " What is thy sickness, O father?" And the brother told 
him of all his suffering, saying, "I belonged to the world, and the 
" Enemy made war upon me through my wife, and I told the 
" fathers the story, and they imposed upon me severe labours ; 
"and having performed these my body hath become ill, and 
"the war hath waxed stronger against me." Now when the 
old man heard these things, he was grieved, and he said unto 
him, "The fathers have imposed upon thee great labours as 
" if [thou hadst been] a mighty man, but if thou wilt hearken 
"to my feeble [voice] thou wilt relinquish those labours, and 
" partake of a little food, at the appointed time, and wilt sing 
" and pray a little, and wilt cast thy business upon God. For by 
" thy pains and sickness thou wilt not be able to conquer this 
" matter, because our body is like unto a garment; if thou take 
"care of it, it will last, but if thou neglect it, it will come to an 

158 



dluedtfons anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscetfc 1Rute 

" end." Now the brother having heard these things acled thus, 
and in a few days the war passed away from him. 

21. One of the fathers asked Abba Nastir, the friend of the 
blessed Anthony, saying, "What is the best work for me to 
"do?" And he said unto him, "Not all kinds of labour are the 
" same. For the book saith that Abraham was a lover of stran- 
" gers, and that God was with him; and Elijah was a lover of 
"a life of silent contemplation, and God was with him; and 
" David was a humble man, and God was with him; therefore 
" whatsoever work thy soul wisheth to do, provided that it be 
" of God, that do, and keep thy heart from evil things." 

And the brother asked him again, saying, "Father, tell me 
other things " ; and the old man said, * Abbd Anbastion asked 
" Abba" Athri, saying, What shall I do? And he said unto him, 
" Go, make thy belly little, and the work of thy hands great, 
" and be not troubled in thy cell. " 

And again the brother asked him, saying, "If there be a 
" persecution, is it better to flee to the desert or to the habi- 
" tation of men?" And the old man said unto him, "Go where- 
" soever thou hearest that true believers are, and have no 
"friendship with a youth, and do not dwell with one; and if 
" thou art able so to do, dwell in thy cell, for this is good, and 
" cleanse thy garden herbs. This is far better than going to a 
" man and asking him questions." 

And again the brother asked him, "I wish to dwell in close 
" friendship with a brother, and I want to live a life of silent 
"contemplation by myself in my cell, and he must give me 
"what I want, and I will give him the work of my hands." 
The old man said unto him, "The fathers have never sought 
"after a thing of this kind; and if thou dost not give bread 
" to the poor Satan will not permit thee [so to live]." 

22. Abba Daniel Parndyd, the disciple of Abbd Arsenius, 
used to tell about a man of Scete, and say that he was a man 
of great labours but simple in the faith, and in his ignorance 
he considered and declared that the bread which we receive is 
not in very truth the Body of Christ, but a similitude of His 
Body. And two of the fathers heard this word which he spake, 
but because they knew of his sublime works and labours, they 
imagined that he had spoken it in his innocence and simple- 
mindedness ; and they came to him and said unto him, "Father, 
" we have heard a thing from a man which we do not believe, 
" for he saith that this bread which we receive is not in very 
" truth the Body of Christ, but a mere similitude." And he said 
unto them, "It is I who have said this thing," and they en 
treated him, saying, "Thou must not say thus, father, but 
"according to what the Holy Catholic Church hath handed 

59 



Savings of tbe 1bol$ ffatbers 

44 down to us, even so do we believe, that is to say, this bread 

44 is the Body of Christ in very truth, and is not a mere simili- 

44 tude. As, in truth, God straightway took dust from the earth, 

" and fashioned man in His image, [and no man is able to say 

that he is not the image of God], so also was it the case of the 

4 bread of which He said, This is My Body, for it is not to be 

4 regarded as a merely commemorative thing, and we believe 

that it is indeed the Body of Christ." And the old man said, 

4 Unless I be convinced by the thing itself I will not hearken 

4 [to this]"; then the fathers said unto him, "Let us pray to 

* God for the whole week on this mystery, and we believe that 

4 He will reveal [it] unto us," and the old man agreed to this 

with great joy, and each man went to his cell. Then the old 

man prayed unto God, saying, 44 O Lord, Thou knowest that it 

44 is not from wickedness that I do not believe, but in order 

44 that I may not go astray through ignorance, reveal Thou 

44 therefore unto me, O Lord Jesus Christ, this mystery"; and 

the two other old men prayed unto God and said thus, 44 O Lord 

44 Jesus Christ, make Thou this old man to have knowledge 

44 concerning this mystery, and we believe that he will not 

44 destroy his labours." 

And God heard the entreaty of the two fathers, and when 
the week was ended they came to the church, and the three of 
them sat down by themselves on one seat, and the old man was 
between the other two ; and the eyes of their understandings 
were opened, and when the time of the Mysteries had arrived, 
and the bread was laid upon the holy table, there appeared to 
the three of them as it were a child on the table. And when the 
priest stretched out his hand to break the bread, behold the angel 
of the Lord came down from heaven with a knife in his hand, 
and he slew the child and pressed out his blood into the cup; 
and when the priest broke off from the bread small members, 
the old man drew nigh that he might partake of the Holy 
Offering, and a piece of living flesh smeared and dripping with 
blood was given to him. Now when he saw [this] he was afraid, 
and he cried out with a loud voice, saying, 44 1 believe, O Lord, 
44 that the bread is Thy Body, and that the cup is Thy Blood"; 
and straightway the flesh which was in his hand became bread 
like unto that of the Mystery, and he took it and gave thanks 
unto God. And the old men said unto him, 44 God knoweth the 
44 nature of men, and that it is unable to eat living flesh, and 
44 for this reason He turneth His Body into bread, and His 
44 Blood into wine, for those who receive Him in faith." Then 
they gave thanks unto God for that old man, and because he 
had not permitted Satan to destroy him from his labours, and 
the three of them went to their cells in gladness. 

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23. Abbd Daniel used to say that Abbd Arsenius told him a 
story, as if he were speaking of some other man, saying: 
Whilst a certain old man was sitting in his cell, there came 
unto him a voice which said, "Come hither, and I will shew 
" thee the works of the children of men"; and he rose up and 
went out. And the voice led him out and shewed him an Ethi 
opian cutting wood, and he made up a large bundle and wished 
to carry it away, but he was unable to do so. Then instead of 
making the bundle smaller, he went and cut down some more 
wood, and added thereto, and this he did many times. And 
when he had gone on a little further, the voice shewed him a 
man who was standing by a pit drawing up water, which he 
cast in a certain hollowed out place, and when he had thrown 
the water therein it ran down again into the pit. 

And again the voice said unto him, "Come, and I will shew 
" thee other things." Then he looked, and, behold, there was 
a temple, and two men, who were riding horses, were carrying 
a piece of wood as wide as the temple was, and they wanted 
to go in through the door, but the width of the wood did not 
permit them to do so, for they would not humble themselves 
to go in, one after his companion, and to bring it in end-wise, 
and therefore they remained outside the door. Now these are 
the men who bear the yoke of righteousness with boasting, 
and they will not humblethemselvestomakethemselves straight 
and go in the humble way of Christ, and therefore they remain 
outside the kingdom of God. And the man who was cutting 
wood is the man who laboureth in many sins, and who, instead 
of repenting and diminishing from his sins, addeth other wicked 
nesses thereunto. Now he who was drawing water is the man 
who doeth good works, and who, because other things are 
mingled in his good works, destroyeth his works thereby. Now 
it is meet that a man should be watchful in his labour, lest he 
toil in vain. 

24. On one occasion Abba" Macarius was going from the 
wood to his cell, and was carrying [with him] some palm leaves, 
and Satan met him on the road holding a scythe [in his hand]; 
and when Macarius sought to wound him, Satan was afraid, 
and he fell down and did homage to the blessed man. Then the 
old man fled from that place, and he related to the brethren 
everything which had happened, and when they heard [it] they 
glorified God. 

25. An old man used to say, "Be like a camel when thou 
" bearest thy sins, and be thou tied closely to him thatknow- 
" eth the way." 

26. An old man used to say, "Become not a lawgiver unto 
" thyself, and judge no man, for thou art not under the Law, 

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"but under grace; but give thou everything to Him that is 
"able to do everything, for thou art unable to do anything. 
" Judge then [in] this [way], and do not sin at any time." 

27. He also said, "He who wisheth to dwell in the desert 
" should become a learner, and he should not practise doctrine 
" lest he suffer loss; and his occupation should be with a man 
" who loveth God." 

28. Unto one of the old men Satan appeared in the form of 
an angel of light, and said, "I, even I, am Gabriel who have 
" been sent unto thee"; and he said unto him, " Hast thou 
" not been sent unto another? for I am a sinner"; and when 
Satan heard this he did not again appear. And the old man 
said, "If in very truth an angel appeareth unto thee, say, As 
" unto whom [hast thou come in coming] to me? I am not 
" worthy. " 

29. When Abba Gregory was dying he said these [words]: 
" God demandeth three things from the man who hath been 
" baptized, true faith from the soul, and truth from the tongue, 
" and chastity from the body." 

30. The old man said, "God seeketh nothing from Chris- 
" tians except true faith, and [belief] that the things which are 
"spoken shall come to pass in deed, and that we should be 
" persuaded by the orthodox fathers." 

31. An old man was asked, "How can a man find God? By 
" fasting? By works? By watching? By mercy?" And he said, 
" By means of these certainly when they are mingled with dis- 
" cretion, but I say that there are many who have afflicted 
" theirbodies withoutdiscretion, and they have departed vainly, 
" having gained nothing. Our mouth becometh foul through 
"thirst, and we repeat the Scriptures with our mouth, 
" and we go through all the Psalms of David in our service, 
"but that which God requireth, and which is necessary we 
" have not, that is to say, a good word for each other. For as 
" a man cannot see his face in troubled waters, so the soul, un- 
" less it be cleansed from alien thoughts, is not able to appear 
" before God in prayer." 

32. A certain monk was going along the road and he met 
some nuns, and he turned aside out of the path, and she who 
was leading them said unto him,"Hadst thou been a perfect 
" monk thou wouldst never have regarded us as women." 

33. Abbd Anthony used to say, "A man s life or death 
" cometh from his neighbour; if we benefit our brother we 
" benefit ourselves, and if we offend him we sin against God." 

34. A certain brother came to Abbd Theodore, and he began 
to talk and to speak about the things which he had not done ; 
and the old man said unto him, "So far thou hast not found a 

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(SSJuestions anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscetic 1Rule 

" ship, and thou hast not let down in it thy possessions, and 
" before thou hast embarked thou hast gone to the city where- 
" to thou wishest to go. First of all do the work, and then 
" thou shalt arrive at that concerning which thou art now 
talking." 

35. A brother asked Abbd Anthony, saying, " What [com- 
" mandment] shall I keep so that I may please God?" And 
he answered and said unto him, "That which I command 
" thee observe. Set thou God before thine eyes continually, 
" wheresoever thou goest; whatsoever thou doest make to it 
" a witness (or testimony) from the Scriptures; and in what- 
" soever place thou dwellest be not easily moved therefrom, 
" but abide therein persistently. Observe these three things, 
" and thou shalt be saved." 

36. They used to say about a certain old man that when 
soever he sat in his cell toiling in the contest, he saw 
the devils face to face, and that he treated them with con 
tempt and despised them through his contest. Now when 
Satan saw that he was being overcome by the old man, he ap 
peared unto him in human form, and said unto him, " I am 
"Christ." And when the old man saw him, he winked his 
eyes and made a mock of him. Then Satan said unto him, 
" Why dost thou wink thine eyes? I, even I, am Christ." And 
the old man answered and said unto him, "I do not desire to 
" see Christ here"; and when Satan heard these things he de 
parted from him and was no more seen. 

37. Abba John used to say, that he saw in a vision one ot 
the old men in a state of stupefaction, and behold, three monks 
were standing on the shore of a lake, and a voice came to 
them from heaven (or from the other shore of the lake), which 
said, "Take ye wings of fire and come to me"; and two of 
them took wings of fire and flew over to the other side, even 
as it was told them. Now the third remained behind, and he 
wept abundantly, and cried out, and at length wings were 
given to him also, but they were not of fire like those of his 
companions, for they were weak and feeble wings, and it was 
only with the greatest difficulty, and after dropping down into 
the water, and with most painful exertions that he reached 
the [opposite] shore. And even so is it with this generation, 
for although it taketh to itself wings, they are not the powerful 
wings of fire, but it forceth itself to take weak and feeble 
wings. 

38. An old man used to say, " Every wickedness which is 
" not perfect is not wickedness, and every righteousness which 
"is not perfect is not righteousness; for the man who hath 
" not good and evil thoughts is like unto the land of Sodom, 

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"which is salted, and which bringeth forth neither green 
" herb nor fruit. Now good ground produceth wheat and ex- 
" pelleth tares from itself." 

39. Certain brethren came and asked Abb& Anthony a ques 
tion about the Book of the Levites, and the old man went forth 
to the desert, and Abbd Ammon, who knew his habit, followed 
him secretly. And when the old man had gone some distance, 
he cried out with a loud voice, and said, "O God, send Moses 
" unto me, and let him teach me [the meaning of] this verse"; 
and straightway a voice was heard holding converse with him. 
Now Abbd Ammon heard this voice, and said, " I heard the 
"voice which spake with him, but the force of the verse I 
" never learned." 

40. On one occasion when Abba Poemen was a youth, he 
went to an old man to ask him [concerning] three matters, 
and having gone into his presence he forgot one of them, and 
he turned to go to his cell; and as he put the key [in the door] 
to open [it], he remembered the matter which he had forgot 
ten, and straightway he left the key in the door and returned 
to the old man, and the old man said unto him, "Thou hast 
" returned quickly, brother." And Abb Poemen told him the 
story thus: " When I put the key [in the door] to open [it], I 
1 remembered the matter which I wanted to know, and I did 
"not open the door because I came back hither speedily." 
Now the rocky ground which [he had traversed] in the inter 
val was of no inconsiderable length. And the old man said 
unto him, "Thy name shall be spoken about throughout all 
"Egypt." 

41. A brother said unto an old Abba, " Behold, I have en- 
" treated the old men, and they talk to me about the redemp- 
" tion of my soul, but I can lay hold upon nothing in their 
" words; what is the use, then, of making them toil when I can 
" do nothing [with what they say], for I am wholly in a state 
" of uncleanness?" Now there were there two basins, and the 
old man said unto him, "Go, bring me one of these basins, 
" and pour some oil into it, and rinse the basin round with it, 
" and then empty it out"; and he did so twice. Then the old 
man said unto him, " Bring now the two [basins] together"; 
and the brother did as he told him. [And the old man said, 
" Look and see which basin is the cleaner," and the brother 
said unto him], " That into which the oil hath been poured is 
" the cleaner." The old man said unto him, "And thus also is 
" it with the soul, for even if it layeth hold of nothing through 
* that which it asketh, it is cleaner than if it had never asked 
" a question at all." 

42. A brother asked Abbd John, and said unto him, "How is 

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" it that the soul which hath blemishes in itself is not ashamed 
" to speak about its neighbour, and to calumniate it?" And the 
old man spake unto him a word concerning calumny, saying, 
"There was a certain man who was poor, and he had a wife, and 
" he saw another woman who hearkened unto him, and he took 
" her to wife also; now the two women were naked. And when 
" there was a fair in a certain place the two women persuaded 
" him to take them to it, and he took his two wives, and put 
" them in a boat, and when he had gone up out of the boat he 
"arrived at a certain place. Now when the day had waxed 
" hot, and every man was resting, one of the women looked 
" out and saw that there was no man outside, and she leaped 
"up and went forth to a heap of waste rubbish, and chose 
11 therefrom some old rags and made a girdle for herself, and 
4 then walked about boldly. Meanwhile her companion was 
" sitting down naked, and she said unto her husband, * Look 
" at that harlot going about naked and without shame ; 
"then her husband, with sadness, said unto her, The thing 
" to be wondered at is that, whilst she hath, at least, covered 
" her shame, thou art entirely naked, and dost speak these 
" words without being ashamed. Now a calumny [uttered] 
" against a neighbour is like unto this." 

43. They used to say that one of the old men asked God 
that he might see the fathers, and he saw them [all], with the 
exception of Abba Anthony; and he said unto him that shewed 
[them] to him, " Where is Abba Anthony?" And he said unto 
him, " Wheresoever God is there is Anthony." 

44. Abba Poemen used to say, "This is what is written, 
" As the hart crieth out for the water-brooks, even so crieth 
" out my soul unto Thee, O Lord (Psalm xlii, i). For the 
"harts in the desert swallow many serpents, and when the 
"poison of these maketh them hot within, they cry out to 
"come to the water-brooks, but as soon as they have drunk 

the burning which cometh from the serpents inside them is 
cooled. And thus is it with the monks who are in the desert, 
for they are burnt up by the envy of evil devils, and they 
wait for the Saturday and Sunday that they may come to 
the fountain of water, that is to say to the body of Christ, 

" and they sweeten and purify themselves from the gall of the 

" Evil One." 

45. On one occasion when the brethren were sitting with 
Abba Moses, he said unto them, " Behold, this day have the 
"barbarians come to Scete; rise up and flee." And they said 
unto him, "Wilt thou not flee, father? He said unto them, "I 
" have been expecting this day to come for many years past, 
"so that might be fulfilled the command of our Redeemer, 

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tTbe Salinas of tbe 1bol ff atbers 

"Who said, Those who take the sword shall perish by the 
" sword " (St. Matthew xxvi, 52). And they said unto him, 
" We then will not flee, but will die with thee." He said unto 
them, This is not my affair, but your own desire; let every man 
" look after himself in the place where he dwelleth." Now the 
brethren were seven in number. And after a little he said 
unto them, "Behold, the barbarians have drawn near the 
" door"; and the barbarians entered and slew them. Now one 
of them had been afraid, and he fled behind the palm leaves, 
and he saw seven crowns come down and place themselves on 
the heads of those who had been slain. 

46. The brethren asked an old man, saying-, " How is it that 
" God promiseth in the Scriptures good things to the soul, 
" and that the soul desireth them not, but turneth aside toim- 
" purity?" And he answered and said unto them, " It is my 
" opinion that it is because it hath not yet tasted the good 
" things which are above, and therefore the good things which 
" are here are dear unto it." 

47. Abba Arsenius used to say, " The monk is a stranger in 
" a foreign land; let him not occupy himself with anything 
" [therein], and he will find rest." 

48. They used to say that on one occasion when Abba Ma- 
carius the Great went up from Scete, and was carrying 
palm leaves, he became weary and sat down; and he prayed 
to God,andsaid, "God, thou knowest that I have no strength," 
and straightway he found that he was by the side of the sea 
(or river). 

49. There was a certain old man in the mountain of Athlibd 
(Athribis), and thieves came to attack him, and he cried out; 
and when his neighbours heard [his cry] they hunted down the 
thieves, and they sent them to the governor, who shut them 
up in prison. And the brethren were sorry, and said, " They 
" were delivered into our hands"; and they rose up and went 
to Abba Poemen, and informed him about the matter. Then 
he wrote to that old man, and said unto him, "Thou must 
"understand whence hath come the first betrayal, and then 
" thou wilt perceive how the second betrayal arose; for if thou 
" hadst not been betrayed first of all by those that were with- 
" in thou wouldst never have effected the second betrayal." 
Now when the old man heard the letter of Abba Poemen, who 
was famous throughout all that country, and who kept himself 
strictly secluded in his cell, and never went out, straightway he 
rose up and went into the city, and took the thieves out of 
prison, and thus the assembly set them free. 

50. On one occasion Abbd Macarius, wishing to rebuke the 
brethren, said unto them, * * There came here a young man with 

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Cfcuestions anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscettc IRule 

"his mother, and he was under the power of a devil, and he 
"said unto his mother, * Rise up, let us depart from here ; 
"and she said unto him, I cannot walk. Then the young 
" man said unto him, I will carry thee myself. " And Abba 
Macarius marvelled at the wickedness of that devil, and sought 
to drive them away. 

51. On one occasion five brethren came to visit a great old 
man, and he asked the first one, saying, "What kind of work 
" doest thou?" And he said unto him, "I twist palm leaves 
"into ropes, father"; and the old man said unto him, "God 
" shall plait a crown for thee, O my son." Then he said to the 
second brother, "And what dost thou do?" And he said unto 
him, "I make mats, father"; and the old man said unto him, 
" God shall give thee strength, O my son." And he said unto 
the third brother, "And what dost thou do?" And he said 
unto him, " [I make] sieves, father"; and the old man said unto 
him, "God shall preserve thee, O my son." Then he asked the 
fourth brother, saying, "What dost thou do?" And he said 
unto him, " I can write well." And the old man said unto him, 
" Thou knowest." Then he said unto the fifth brother, " And 
"what dost thou do?" And he said unto him, "I weave 
"linen." Then the old man said, " I am not near," and he said 
also, " If the twister of palm-leaf ropes be watchful with God 
" He will plait him a crown for him; mat[-making] requireth 
" strength because there is labour therein; and God must pro- 
" te6fc him of the sieves because he hath to sell them in the vil- 
" lages; as to the scribe, he must be humble in heart, for there 
"is in his business exaltation of spirit, as regardeth the linen 
" weaver, I am not near (i.e., concerned) to speak, for he is a 
" merchant and he tradeth. But if a man seeth a brother afar 
" off carrying palm branches, or palm-leaf mats, or sieves, he 
" saith, 4 This man is a monk, for grass is the work of our 
" * hands, and he is avoiding the burning of the fire ; and if he 
" seeth a man selling linen, he saith straightway, Behold, 
" * the merchants have come, for the [selling of] linen is the 
" work of this world, and it doth not benefit many. 

52. Abba Jacob used to say, "It is not only words which 
" are required, for in this [life of] time many have abundance 
" of words, but it is work which is required, and it is neces- 
" sary to have it, and not words wherein there is no work." 

53. One of the old men used to say, " That which is hated 
" by thee do not unto thy companion; if it be hateful to thee 
" for him to calumniate thee, do not thou calumniate any man; 
" if it be hateful to thee to be accused, accuse thou no man; if 
" it be hateful to thee for a man to revile thee, or to treat thee 
"with contempt, or to pluck thee away, or to do any such 

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ZTbe Sa^inss of tbe fbolp ff atbers 

44 thing unto thee, do not thou do unto any man anything of 
44 the kind. He who is able to perform this commandment is 
44 able to redeem his own soul." 

54. 4< On one occasion I went to Abba Muthues, and when 
44 1 was about to return, I said unto him, 4 1 wish to goto the 
44 4 Cells ; and he said unto me, 4 Salute Abbd John for me. 
44 Now when I came to Abba John, I said unto him, 4 Abbd 
444 Muthues saluteth thee ; and the old man said unto me, 
44 4 Behold, Abba Muthues is indeed a man of Israel in whom 
444 there is no guile. And after one year I went to Abba 
44 Muthues, and I told him the greeting of Abba John; and the 
44 old man said unto me, 4 1 am unworthy of the old man s 
44 4 words, but know, if ever thou hearest an old man praising 
444 his companion more than himself, that he hath attained 
44 4 unto a great measure of perfection, for it is indeed obe- 
<44 dience for a man to praise his companion more than 
44 himself." 

55. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, 44 My 
44 brother abuseth me, and I cannot bear him any longer; what 
44 shall I do? Shall I rebuke him, or shall I speak evil words 
44 to him?" The old man said unto him, 44 Both things are bad, 
44 whether a man rebuke him, or whether a man speak unto 
44 him evil words"; and the brother said unto him, "And 
44 what shall I do? For I cannot endure either." The old man 
said unto him, 4< If thou canst not bear both things, speak to 
44 him, but do not rebuke him; but if thou speakest unto him 
44 with words of evil, and he listeneth, thou wilt be able to 
44 quiet him, saying, 4 I did not say such and such a thing, and 
44 4 it will be possible for the matter which is between you to 
44 4 be healed; but if thou rebuke him to his face, thou wilt 
44 4 make a sore which will be incurable. 

56. Certain brethren came to Abba Anthony that he might 
tell them about the visions which they used to see, whether 
they indeed came from devils [or not]; now they had with them 
an ass, and he died on the road as they were coming, and 
when they had gone into the presence of the old man, he said 
unto them straightway, 44 How was it that your ass died on 
"the road?" And they said unto him, 44 Whence doth the 
44 Abba know that our ass is dead?" And Abba Anthony said 
unto them, <4 The devils shewed me [the matter]." Then they 
said unto him, 44 We have come to ask thee questions because 
44 we have seen phantoms, and also because on several occa- 
44 sions they have actually become real things, and we want 
44 to learn whether we have erred or not"; and the old man 
shewed them that such phantoms which arise through cer 
tain devils cannot be inquired into. 

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57. They were saying that Abba Sylvanus used to sit in se 
cret in a cell with a few chick peas, and he made of them one 
hundred bundles; and behold, a man came from Egypt leading 
an ass loaded with bread, and having knocked at the door of 
his cell, he went in, and set down [the bread], and the old 
man took these bundles, and loaded them upon the ass, and 
sent him away. 

58. They used to say that when Abbd Zeno dwelt in a cell 
in Scete he went forth one night from his cell as if for a pur 
pose, and wandered about; and when he had passed three days 
and three nights in travelling, being exhausted by toil and hun 
ger, and ready to die, he fell upon the ground. And behold, a 
youth stood before him carrying some bread and a pitcher of 
water, and he said unto Abba Zeno, "Arise, and eat bread"; 
and the old man rose up and prayed, thinking that the youth 
was a phantom. Then the youth answered and said unto him, 
"Thou hast done well"; and again Abbd Zeno prayed twice, 
and three times, and the youth said unto him, "Thou hast 
"done well"; and the old man took the bread and ate. Then 
afterwards the youth said unto him, "How is it that thou hast 
" gone so far from thy cell? But arise and follow me"; and im 
mediately he found himself in his cell. The old man said unto 
him, * Come, enter into the cell with me, and make thy prayer, " 
and as he was going on in front he was swallowed up from his 
sight. 

59. They used to say that a certain brother had such an at 
tack of blasphemy that he was ashamed to speak, and wherever 
he heard that there were great old men he used to go to them 
wishing to tell them [about it]; but whenever he had come to 
one of them he was ashamed to speak to him. Now having gone 
to the fathers several times, on one occasion Abba Poemen 
saw him, and he perceived that he was full of thoughts, and 
he was sorry for him; but when the brother would not reveal 
the matter to him, and he made as if he would pass him by, 
as soon as the brother had gone a little way from him, the old 
man said unto him, "How often hast thou come hither to tell 
"me the thoughts which thou hast in thy mind! Yet, when 
" thou comest here, thou findest it hard to tell me. How long 
" wilt thou go on in this manner and be vexed by such thoughts 
"in thy mind? Tell me, my son, what is it that aileth thee?" 
Then that brother answered, and said unto him, "I am fight- 
" ing against the devil of blasphemy of God, and though I 
" have often sought [to tell thee] I have been ashamed to do 
" so." And when he had told him the matter, the face of Abba 
Poemen broke into a smile, and he said unto him, "Be not 
"vexed, O my son, for when this thought cometh to thee, 

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Salinas of tbe 1bol dfatbers 

"speak thou to it, saying-, I have nothing to do with this 
" thought, and my soul desireth it not; let this blasphemy be 
" upon thee, Satan, for nothing in [my] soul desireth it, for 
" the time is short. " And when that brother heard these 
things he departed rejoicing. 

60. A brother asked an old man, saying, "How is that the 
" soul is obstinate, and that it wisheth not to fear God?" The 
old man said unto him, "The soul wisheth, O my son, to fear 
" God, but there is no time, for the fear of God belongeth to 
"perfection." 

61. One of the old men used to say, "Be not thou asking 
"for one thing after another, but ask concerning the matter 
" of the war wherein thou art at the time engaged, and when 
"thou hast eradicated that then ask concerning something 
" else; but if when there is in thee one passion, thou settest it 
" aside and askest about another, the former passion will 
" never be eradicated from thee." 

62. A brother asked one of the old men, saying, "What 
"shall I do? for my thoughts wish to wander and go round 
"about by reason of the sight of the fathers." And the old 
man answered and said unto him, "If thou seest that thy 
" thoughts wish to go forth by reason of the strictness of the 
"restraint, or through need, make unto thyself a division in 
" thy cell, and thou wilt henceforward seek not to go out; but 
" if thou seest that they wish to go out for the benefit of the 
" soul, go out." 

63. There was a certain brother in the Cells, who, when the 
service in the church was ended, used to remain until the last 
and to wait for some one to lead him home; one day, however, 
when the church was being dismissed, he went out before any 
one else and ran to his cell, and the priest saw him and mar 
velled. And when the brother came on the following day, the 
priest said unto him, " Tell me truly why thou, who hadst been 
" in the habit of going out last, dost now go forth first of all?" 
and he said, "Up to the present I made a distinction by not 
" boiling any food [on the First Day of the week], and I waited 
" that, peradventure, some one might take me to his cell; on 
" that day, however, before I came [to the church] I boiled a 
"few lentiles, and therefore I departed quickly." And when 
the priest heard this he gave a commandment to the brethren 
in the church that before each man came to the service in the 
church, he should on the First Day of the week boil some food, 
by way of making a distinction. 

64. The brethren used to tell about a certain old man who 
had a disciple who, when he sat down to eat, used to put his 
feet on the table, and although the old man had suffered this 

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(Questions ant) Hnswers on tbe Hscettc 1Rule 

war for many years he did not rebuke him. At length, however, 
he went to another old man, and told him about the brother, 
and the old man said unto him, Complete thy love, and send 
" him to me." Now when the brother came to that old man, 
at the appointed time for the meal the old man rose up and 
made ready the table, and as soon as they had seated them 
selves the brother straightway put his two feet on the table; 
and the old man said unto him, "Father, it is not good for 
"thee to set thy feet on the table"; and he said unto him, 
"Forgive me, O my son. Thou hast well said, for it is a sin." 
And the brother returned to his master, and told him about 
[it], and when the old man had learned this he perceived that 
this matter had been corrected in his disciple. And from that 
time the brother did not put his feet on the table. 

65. A brother asked Abba Muthues, saying, "Speak unto 
" me a word whereby I may live." He said unto him, " Go, en- 
" treat God to give thee mourning and meekness of heart, and 
" consider at all times thy sins, and do not judge other people, 
" and make thyself lower than every other man, and have no 
" love for a boy, and no acquaintance with a woman, and no 
" friendship with heretics, and put aside from thee all free- 
"dom of speech (or boldness), and restrain both thy tongue 
"and thy belly, and guard thyself somewhat against wine, 
" and if a man speak with thee concerning any matter whatso- 
" ever, do not quarrel with him, but if he saith that a thing is 
"good, say Yes, and if he say that it is bad, say, Thou 
" knowest. This is a meek spirit." 

66. A brother came unto Abba Poemen and said unto him, 
" I have very many thoughts, O father, whereby I am vexed" ; 
and the old man took him out into the air, and said unto him, 
" Spread out thy skirt, and catch the winds," and the brother 
said unto him, "I cannot do this." The old man said unto him, 
"Thou canst not do this, neither canst thou prevent thy 
" thoughts from coming, but it belongeth to thee to stand up 
" against them." 

67. The brethren were on one occasion gathered together to 
Abba Joseph, and as they were sitting and asking him ques 
tions about their thoughts he said unto them, by way of [afford 
ing] them consolation, "This day am I a king, for I have con- 
" trolled my passions." 

68. A brother asked Abba Ammon, saying, "Why is it that 
"a man laboureth in prayer and maketh petitions, and that 
" for which he asketh is not given to him?" The old man said 
unto him, "Hast thou never heard how Jacob wearied himself 
" for her whom he took to wife, and that he did not obtain her 
"whom he sought, but her whom he did not seek, and how 

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tTbe Sa^inos of tbe 1bol ffatbers 

"afterwards he worked and toiled more, and finally received 
"her whom he loved? Thus is it with the monk also, for he 
"shall fast and keep vigil, and yet shall not receive that which 
" he asketh; and again, he shall labour with fasting and vigil, 
" and shall receive the gift of grace which he asketh." 

69. One of the old men asked Abba Sisoes, saying, "Did 
" Satan persecute the men of olden time as he doth those of 
"to-day?" Sisoes said unto them, "He persecuteth the men 
" of this age especially, because his time hath come." 

70. Abbd John the Less, who was a young man, and had an 
elder brother, used to say, "I wanted to be without any care 
" whatsoever, and to be like the angels of God, who do nothing 
" except sing and pray to Him." And straightway he cast from 
him the garments which he had on, and went forth to the wil 
derness, and when he had passed one week there, he returned 
to his brother; now when he knocked at the door his brother 
did not answer it, but asked him, "Who art thou?" And John 
said unto him, "I am John," and his brother answered and 
said unto him, "John hath become an angel and is no longer 
" among men"; and John entreated him, saying, "I indeed am 
"John," but his brother left him outsidein affliction, and did not 
open the door until the morning. And when he came to open the 
door he said unto John, "If thou art indeed a man, it is neces- 
" sary for thee to work so that thou mayest live." 

71. Abba Purt said, * * If God wisheth me to live, He knoweth 
"how to lead me, and to strengthen me, and to provide for 
" me; but if He desireth it not unto whom shall I go to live?" 
And he would accept nothing from any man, not even when 
he was lying upon his bed, "For," he used to say, "if a man 
" maketh an offering of any kind to me, and not for the sake 
" of God, I myself have nothing whatsoever to give him, and 
" he will receive nothing from God, for I am not in the place 
" of God, so therefore he who offereth will suffer loss." 

72. Abba Poemen used to say, "Everything which ariseth 
"through passion is sin"; and he used to say also, "Every 
" [exercise of] power which is for God s sake, is thanksgiving 
" (or confession)." 

73. An old man used to say, "Acquire silence, and take no 
" care for any earthly thing, and examine closely thy medita- 
" tions, and when thou sleepest and when thou risest up, be 
" with God, and fear not the attack of the wicked." 

74. On one occasion a brother came to a father, and said 
unto him, "Abba, I sow a field, and I reap the harvest there 
from, and I give alms also thereof"; and the old man said 
unto him, "Be strong, my son, for thou doest well." So the 
brother went away rejoicing in this desire. And Abba Job said 

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Questions anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscetic 1Rule 

unto Abba Poemen, " Since thou hast spoken unto that brother 
"in this fashion, [I know that] thou dost not fear God." Then, 
after two days, Abbd Poemen sent and called that brother, and 
said unto him whilst Abba Joseph was listening, What didst 
" thou say to me when thou earnest to me, for my mind was 
"occupied in another place?" The brother said unto him, "I 
" sow a field, and I reap the harvest therefrom, and I give alms 
" also thereof"; and Abb Poemen said unto him, "I thought 
" in my mind that it was thy brother, who is in the world, of 
" whom thou wast speaking when thou didst tell me that he did 
" these things ; but if it be thou thyself who doest them [I must 
say] that it is not the work for monks. " And when the brother 
heard these [words] he was grieved, and he said, "I cannot do 
" without sowing, for I know not how to do any other work 
"but this." Now when that brother had departed, Abbd Job 
expressed his contrition to Abba Poemen, and said unto him, 
"Forgive me." Then Abba Poemen said unto him, "I also 
"knew that this work was not the works of monks, but, 
" according to the measure of his desire, I gave him that where- 
" with I knew he would be edified, and I knew that he would 
" thus abound in love; but now he hath departed in sorrow." 

75- Mother Sarah said, "If I were to pray to God that all 
men might be built up through me I should be found express- 
" ing contrition at the door of each one of them; but I pray to 
" God especially that my heart may be pure with Him and with 
" every man." 

76. Certain brethren, whilst talking to an old man about the 
thoughts, said unto him, " Our hearts are hard, and we are 
" not afraid of God ; what shall we do that we may fear God?" 
The old man said unto them, "I think that if a man have 
"knowledge in his heart about Him that will rebuke him, it 
" will bring him to the fear of God." Then the brethren said 
unto him, " What is the rebuke?" The old man said, "In every 
"matter a man should rebuke himself, saying, Remember that 
" thou art about to go forth to meet God. And he should also 
"say, What do I require from man? And I think that if a 
" man remain in these things the fear which is in God will come 
"to him." 

77- Abbd Poemen used to say, * An evil will is a wall of brass 
" between a man and God; but if a man would set it aside he 
" must also say, By [the help of] my God I will leap over a 
" wall (Psalm xviii, 29) God Whose way is without blemish 
" but if that which is seemly lendeth help to the thought, a 
" man is not easily turned aside." 

78. They used to say that on one occasion, when Abbd Aloms 
was singing the service, and the old men were sitting [close 

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by], these old men watched him [performing- the] service, and 
that they praised him ; but when he heard them he answered 
them never a word. Then a certain man spake unto him aside 
and privately, saying, "Why dost thou not make answer to 
" the old men who have praised thee?" Abbd Alonis said unto 
them, "Because if I made answer to them I should be as one 
" who had accepted the praise." 

79. An old man used to say, "If a word of the Book goeth 
"up in the heart of a brother when he is sitting in his cell, and 
" if he pursue that word before it hath arrived at its maturity, 
"not being driven by God, the devils will demonstrate the 
" word before it [become complete] according to their desire." 

80. Abbd Saranis used to say, "I have worked during the 
"whole period of my life in reaping, and in twisting ropes, 
"and in sewing mats, and notwithstanding these things, if 
" the hand of the Lord had not fed me I should not have had 
" enough to eat." 

81. An old man used to say, "Spread abroad the Name of 
"Jesus in humility, and with a meek heart; shew thy feeble- 
" ness before Him, and He will become strength unto thee." 

82. Abb Macarius said unto Abbd Zechariah, "Tell me, 
" what is the work of monks?" He said unto him, "Dost thou 
4 ask me, father? " The old man said unto him, ( I beseech thee, 
" my son, Zechariah, for there is something which is right I 
" should ask thee." And Abbd Zechariah said unto him, "Fa- 
" ther, I give it as my opinion that the work of monks consisteth 
" in a man restraining himself in everything." 

83. An old man also said, "He who constraineth himself in 
* everything, for God s sake, is a confessor. " And again he said, 
" He who constraineth himself for the sake of the Son of God 
" will not be forgotten by the Son of God." And he also said, 
" Him who hath made himself a fool for the sake of God, God 
" will make him to be wise." 

84. An old man used to say, "If when thou art sitting down, 
" or standing up, or when thou art doing anything else, God 
"beset before thine eyes continually, no [a<5t] of the Enemy 
" can terrify thee; if this thought abide with a man, the power 
" of God will abide with him also." 

85. An old man also said, "The man who hath his death 
" before his eyes continually will overcome littleness of soul." 

86. Abba Poemen used to say, "Hunger and slumber have 
" not allowed me to notice these small matters." 

87. Abbd Theodore said, "Many men in this age are desirous 
" of life before God giveth [it] to them." 

88. He used to say also, " Be a free man, so that thou mayest 
" not be crafty in thy words." 

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(Sluestions anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscetic iRule 

89. Abba Poemen used to say, "Keep thyself aloof from 
"every man who is contentious in speech." 

90. An old man said, "In all [thy] trials blame no man ex- 
" cept thyself, and say, These have happened me for my sins." 

pi. An old man said, "In the sluggard and the useless man 
" God hath no pleasure." 

92. A brother asked Abbd Timothy, saying, "I wish to guard 
" my soul from things that will hurt it"; and the old man said 
unto him, "How can we guard our soul when the door[s] ot 
" our tongue and belly are open?" 

93. They used to say that a certain man asked Abbd Sisoes 
about Abbd Pambo, saying, "Tell us about his life and con- 
"du6t"; the old man made answer to him, saying, "Abbd 
" Pambo is great in his works." 

94. Abba Joseph related that Abba Poemen said, "The 
"meaning of the words which are written in the Gospel, 
" Whosoever hath a garment, let him sell it, and buy a 
" sword (St. Luke xxii, 36), is, Let him that hath a life of 
" ease relinquish it, and lay hold upon [a life of] toil. " 

95. They used to say that [on one occasion] when certain of 
the old men were sitting with Abba Poemen and were discuss 
ing some of the fathers, and were [asking each other] if they 
remembered Abba" Sisoes, Abba Poemen said, "Quit talking 
"about Abbd Sisoes, for he hath surpassed the measure (or 
"limit) of all histories." 

96. On one occasion a father came to Abba Theodore of 
Perdme, and said unto him, "Behold, O father, such and such 
"a brother hath gone back to the world"; and the old man 
said, "Dost thou wonder thereat? Marvel not at this, but thou 
" mayest marvel when thou hearest that a man hath been able 
" to flee completely from the world." 

97. An old man related of Moses that when he slew the 
Egyptian he looked on this side and on that, and saw no man, 
and explained the meaning of the passage as being that Moses 
did not see his thoughts. And when he saw himself, and that 
he was doing no evil thing, and that that which he was about 
to do was for God s sake, he then slew the Egyptian. 

98. An old man also said concerning the verse of the Psalms 
wherein it is written, "I will place his hand in the sea, and 
"his right hand in the rivers" (Psalm Ixxxix, 25), that it 
was spoken concerning our Redeemer, Whose left hand is on 
the sea, that is to say the world, and Whose right hand is in the 
rivers, that is to say, the Apostles, who water the whole world 
with faith. 

99. A brother asked one of the old men, saying, "What shall 
"I do? For I am troubled about the works of my hands: I love 

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" making mats, but I am unable to make [them] here." The 
old man said unto him, "Abba Sisoes used to say, It is not the 
" work which is easy for us that we ought to do, but that 
" which befitteth the place, and a brother should labour 
" according to what it will cost to keep him. " 

100. Abba Joseph used to say, "When we were sitting with 
" Abba. Poemen he made mention of Abba Agathon, and we 
" said to him, He was a young man, why dost thou call him 
" Abba7 Abbd Poemen said unto him, His mouth made him 
"to be called Abba. " 

101. One of the old men used to say, "Wheresoever the bee 
" goeth it maketh honey; and thus also it is with the monk, 
" for wheresoever he goeth he doeth the work of God." 

102. An old man used to say, "Satan is a twister of cords, 
"and as long as thou givest him threads he will plait them"; 
now he spake this concerning the thoughts. 

103. Abbd Sisoes shewed us the cave of Abba Anthony, and 
said, "Thus in the cave of a lion a fox dwelleth." 

104. They used to say of those who were in Scete that no 
pride was found among them, because they surpassed each 
other in spiritual excellences. They fasted so much that one 
would only eat [once] every two days, and another [once] every 
four days, and another [once] every seven days; another would 
eat no bread, and another would drink no water, and to 
speak briefly, they were adorned with every spiritual ex 
cellence. 

105. They used to relate that a certain old man entreated 
God and made supplication unto Him that the devils might 
appear to him, and it was revealed to him that "It is not 
" necessary for thee to see them"; but the old man made en 
treaty, saying, "Lord, Thou art able to hide me in Thy grace." 
Then God opened his eyes, and he saw them like bees sur 
rounding a man, and they were gnashing their teeth upon him, 
and the angels of God were rebuking them and driving them 
away from men. 

106. A man asked a certain old man from Thebes, and said 
unto him, "Tell me how I may be redeemed"; and the old man 
said unto him, "Three things [thou must do]. Sit in thy cell 
" and keep silence, and consider attentively thy sins, and keep 
"thyself wholly from judging any man, and accept no gift 
from any man, and let thine hands be sufficient to find thee thy 
"food. And if thou art unable to give alms of thy work at 
" least supply all thy needs by thine own hands." 

107. They used to say that one day when Abba Sisoes was 
sitting down he cried out with a loud voice, and said, "O my 
" feebleness"; his disciple said unto him, "What aileth thee, O 



Cfcuestions ant) Hnswers on the Hscettc IRnle 

" father?" And the old man said unto him, "I wish to speak 
" to a certain man, and I am unable [to do so]." 

108. They used to say that when the barbarians came the 
brethren took to flight, and that Abba Daniel, who was in 
Scete, said, " Unless God taketh care for me, why should I 
"live?" And he passed through all the barbarians, and they 
saw him not. Then afterwards he said in himself, "Behold God 
" hath cared for me, and I am not dead, I also will do as a man 
"doeth, and I will flee as the [other] fathers have fled." 

109. When Abba Sisoes was about to die, and the fathers were 
sitting about him, they saw that his face was shining like the 
sunjandhesaidunto them straightway, "Behold, Abba Anthony 
" hath come"; and after a little while he said also, "Behold, the 
"company of the prophets hath come"; his face shone again, 
and he said, "Behold the company of apostles hath come"; and 
again his face shone with twofold brightness, and he became 
suddenly like unto one who was speaking with some one. Then 
the old men who was sitting [there] entreated him, and said, 
" Show us with whom thou art talking, father"; and straight 
way he said unto them, "Behold, the angels came to take me 
" away, and I besought them to leave me so that I might tarry 
" here a little longer, and repent." And the old men said unto 
him, "Thou hast no need to repent, father"; the old man said 
unto them, "I do not know in my soul if I have rightly begun 
" to repent"; and they all learned that the old man was perfect. 
Then again suddenly his face beamed like the sun, and all who 
sat there were afraid, and he said unto them straightway, 
"Look ye, look ye. Behold our Lord hath come, and He 
" saith, Bring ye unto Me the chosen vessel which is in the 
" desert "; and straightway he delivered up his spirit, and he 
became [like] lightning, and the whole place was filled with a 
sweet odour. 

110. Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, used 
to say, "I entreated him, saying, Father, tell me a word "; 
and he said unto me, "Do no harm to any man, and condemn 
" no man; observe these [words], and thou shalt be redeemed." 

111. A brother asked a certain old man, saying, "In what 
" form doth the fear of God dwell in the soul?" The old man 
said unto him, " If a man possess humility, and practise absti- 
" nence, and judge no man, in this manner doth the fear of 
"God dwell in the soul." 

112. Abba Hilarion of Syria came to the mountain to Abba 
Anthony, and Abba Anthony said unto him, "Hast thou come, 
" O star of light, who shinest with the morning?" And Abba 
Hilarion said unto him, "Peace be to thee, O pillar of light, 
" who sustainest creation!" 

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113. Certain of the fathers used to say, "God bringeth not 
"young men to monasteries, but Satan, so that he may turn 
" back the mighty men." 

114. A brother said unto Abba Anthony, "Pray for me, 
" father"; the old man said unto him, "I cannot help thee, and 
"God will not, if thou wilt not abolish thyself and ask Him 
" thyself [to do so]." 

115. They used to tell of a certain old man who had passed 
fifty years [of his life] without eating bread or drinking water; 
and he used to say, "I have slain fornication, and the love of 
"gold, and the love of glory." Now Abba Abraham heard [of 
him], and came to him, and said, "Didst thou say these 
"things?" and he said, "Yea." Abba Abraham said unto 
him, " If thou wert to go into thy cell, and find a woman on 
"thy mat, wouldst thou be able to keep from thinking that 
" she was a woman?" And the old man said unto him, " No, 
" but I should struggle against my thoughts so as not to touch 
* * her. " Abba Abraham said unto him, * Behold, then, thou hast 
" not slain it (i.e., the lust for fornication), but the passion is 
"still alive, though fettered. Behold, also, if thou wert travel- 
" ling along a road and thou didst see lying thereon some 
" potsherds and among them a talent of gold, would thy mind 
" be able to look upon the money in the same way as the pot- 
" sherds?" The old man said unto him, " Nay, but I should 
" contend against my thoughts in such wise as not to take it." 
Then Abba Abraham said unto him, "Behold, the passion [of 
"love of money] is still alive, though fettered. Behold now, if 
" thou didst hear of two brethren, one of whom was esteem- 
" ing thee highly and praising thee, and the other was hating 
"thee and reviling thee, if these men came to thee wouldst 
" thou be able to regard each of them with equal friendliness?" 
And the old man said unto them, "No, but I would strive 
" against my thoughts in such a way that I would treat him 
" that cursed me as well as I did him that loved me." Then 
Abba Abraham said unto him, "Behold, then, the passions 
" are still alive, but they are fettered in the saints." 

116. There was a certain old man who was a monk, and who 
dwelt in the desert far away, and he had a kinswoman who 
with difficulty discovered after very many years where he was 
living, and then, by the operation of Satan, she rose up and 
came to the road to the desert, and she found camels which 
were going to travel on that road, and she entered [the desert] 
with them. Now she was [driven to do this] by the devil. And 
as soon as she had come to the cell of the old man, she began 
to give him proofs about herself, saying, "I am indeed thy 
"kinswoman," and she remained with him. Now there was 

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Questions anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscettc 1Rule 

another monk who lived in the neighbourhood of men, and he 
filled a vessel full of water, and set [it] down, and at the season 
when he ate, being urged by the operation of God, he medi 
tated within himself, and said, "I will arise and will go into 
"the desert, and will learn from that old man what this is." 
Now as he was travelling along the way, the night overtook 
him, and he went into a house of idols which was on the road, 
and passed the night there, and he heard the devils saying to 
each other, "This night we have cast down such a monk by 
" fornication." Now when he heard this he marvelled, and he 
came to the old man, and found him sad, and he said unto him, 
" Father, what shall I do? For I filled a vessel with water, but 
" when I came to eat my meal I found that it had been spilled." 
And the old man said unto him, "Hast thou come to ask me 
" about a vessel of water which hath been spilled? What am 
" I myself to do? For this night I have fallen into fornication." 
The monk said unto him, "I know it also; hold thy peace." 
The old man said unto him, "How knowest thou?" And the 
monk said unto him, "Last night when I was sleeping in a 
"house of idols which is on the road, I heard the devils say 
"[so] to each other, and I was distressed [thereat]." And the 
old man said unto him, "Henceforth I will go to the world," 
but the monk persuaded him, saying, "Nay, father, but stay 
" in thy place, and send the woman away, for this is a temp- 
" tation of the Enemy"; and the old man hearkened unto him, 
and sent her away, and he himself continued in his ascetic 
works, and he mourned, and made supplication unto God with 
abundant tears, until at length he arrived at his former state of 
ascetic excellence. 

117. A brother asked one of the fathers, saying, "What 
" shall I do, for I am disturbed in mind when I go up to per- 
" form the office of the deacon?" And the old man said unto 
him, "It is not good for thee to be disturbed when thou goest 
"up to minister, but if thou art, and thou art disturbed in thy 
" cell, thou must labour, and give thanks, and receive the hire 
" of which thou art worthy." Then that brother said unto him, 
" If I can find a man who will minister for me for a gift, 
" and I cheat him not, may I [let him] do so?" The old man 
said unto him, "If thou canst find a man who is in the world 
"who can perform thy ministration, and will take his hire, 
" yes, but if he be a monk, no." 

118. A brother said unto Abba Poemen, " Can a man rely 
" upon anyone work of spiritual excellence [for salvation]?" 
The old man said unto him, "John the Less said, * I should 
" wish that a man should take to himself a little of each kind 
" * of spiritual excellence. 

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Sain0s of tbe 1bol$ tf atbers 

lip. These are the words which Abba Moses said to Abba 
Poemen, and the first word which was spoken by the old man 
was : 

120. " It is better for a man to put himself to death rather 
"than his neighbour, and he should not condemn him in 
" anything." 

121. " It is good for a man to die unto every work which is 
" evil, and he should not vex a man before his departure from 
4 the body." 

122. " If a man doth not put himself in the attitude of a 
" sinner, his prayer will not be heard before God." A brother 
said unto him, " What is a sinful soul?" And the old man said, 
" Every one who beareth his own sins, and considereth not 
" [those] of his companion." 

123. The old man also said unto him, " If works do not cor- 
" respond to prayer he who prayeth laboureth in vain." And 
a brother asked him: " What is the equality of works with 
"prayer?" The old man said unto him, "He who prayeth 
" that he may receive the remission of sins must not hence- 
" forth be negligent, for if a man relinquisheth his own will, he 
" will be accepted by God rightly." 

124. A brother asked an old man, saying, "Fasting and 
" praying which spring from men, what do they effect?" The 
old man said unto him, " They make the soul to be humble be- 
" fore God, for it is written, * Look upon my subjugation, and 
" my labour, and forgive me all my sin (Psalm xxv, 18). 
" For if the soul be afflicted it will receive mercy from 
"God." 

125. A brother said unto an old man, " What shall a man 
"do in every temptation which cometh upon him, and during 
"every thought of the Enemy?" The old man said unto him, 
" It is right for a man to weep before the grace of God so that 
" He may help him, and he shall speedily find relief if he make 
" his supplication with knowledge, for it is written, The Lord 
" is my Helper, I will not be afraid what man shall do unto 
" me " (Psalm cxviii, 6; Hebrews xiii, 6). 

126. The perfection of all spiritual excellences is for a man 
not to judge his neighbour. For when the hand of the Lord slew 
the first-born of Egypt, there was no house wherein there was 
not one dead person. Then a brother said unto the old man, 
"What is the meaning of these words?" The old man said 
unto him, " If we allow ourselves to view closely our own sins 
" we shall not see those of our neighbour. It is folly for a man 
to forsake his own dead and to lament over that of his 
" neighbour." 

127. And in respect of the words "A man should put his own 

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CJuesttons anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscettc IRule 

" soul to death rather than [that] of his neighbour," they mean 
that a man should bear his own sins, and should be remote 
from the anxiety of all men. And he should not say, "This is 
"good, and this is bad"; and he should not do harm to any 
man; and the wickedness of thy neighbour should not be re 
membered in thy heart; and thou must not hold in contempt 
the man who hath done wickedness to thy friend; and thou 
must not deliver thy will over to him that doeth evil to thy 
neighbour; and thou must not rejoice in that which causeth 
evil to thy neighbour. This is the meaning of the words that a 
man "should die rather than [his] neighbour." And thou shalt 
not speak evilly of a man, but say, " God knoweth every man"; 
and thou shalt not take pleasure in evil converse, and thou shalt 
not deliver thy will over to him that revileth thy neighbour. 
This is the meaning of the words, "Judge not that ye be not 
"judged." And thou shalt not make enmity against any man, 
and thou shalt not make any enmity in thy heart, and thou 
shalt not hate him that worketh enmity against his neighbour, 
and thou shalt not judge his enmity, and thou shalt not keep 
wrath against a brother who keepeth wrath against his neigh 
bour. For this is peace. 

128. Now the conclusion of all these things is that whatso 
ever thou hearest thou must speak, but this is not the opinion 
to which I incline, and I am a sinner; for because of these things 
God will give thee rest. When thou risest up in the morning 
each day, lay hold upon a governor who will suit every kind of 
spiritual excellence, and every command of God with abundant 
long-suffering, and in humility of soul and of body, and with 
patience and tribulations, and with thoughts and prayers, and 
supplications, and with groanings, and with the cleansing of 
the tongue, and with watching of the eyes, in suffering abuse 
without being angry and maintaining peace, in not rewarding 
evil for evil without discretion. And thou must not regard the 
lapses [of others], and thou must not measure thine own [ex 
cellence], but thou must be the lowest thing in creation through 
alienation from the things of the body and multitudinous af 
fairs, through the agony of the cross, and poverty of spirit, and 
good desire, and spiritual self-abnegation, and fasting, and re 
pentance, and tears, through the strife of war, and discretion, 
and purity of soul, through noble patience, and vigil by nights, 
and hunger, and thirst, and nakedness, and cold, and labours. 
And thou must keep hold upon thy grave as if thou wert al 
ready dead, and as if death were thy neighbour every day, in 
the mountains, and in the caves, and in the holes of the earth; 
and take heed that thou dost not become merely a hearer of the 
Word and not a doer of it. For those who do these things are 

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ZTbe Salinas of tbe 1bol ff atbers 

indeed they who are clothed in the wedding garments, and they 
it is who have worked with the talents. 

I2Q. A brother asked an old man, saying, " Father, what 
" answer shall I return unto those who abuse us and say that 
" we do not return to the world because of our laziness, and 
" that by the work of our hands and the labour of our souls we 
" do not relieve strangers?" The old man said unto him, " Al 
though we have from the Law and from the commandments 
" of our Lord many things wherewith we could make answer 
" concerning the crown of perfection, yet we must make an- 
" swer, with humility, in this wise: Beloved, when the Nine- 
" vites were in need of repentance, which of them did these 
" things for the necessity of the world and the rights thereof? 
" Did not even the king himself refrain from this thing and take 
" the same course as the men of olden time, and those of the 
" later time, and those who were before them? And he kept 
" silence and was quiet, even according to all the characteris- 
" tics of the world, and up to the present no [men] have described 
" the punishment which befitted them. Thus also it is with us, 
4 and because we have sinned against and transgressed the 
" natural and written law we bring to naught all [the charac- 
" teristics] of the world until we shall perceive that reconcilia- 
" tion hath come, and the penalty of the rights of olden time and 
" of the commandments hath been dissolved. And did not Paul 
" also teach us this, [when he said], He who wageth a strife 
" keepeth his mind [free] from everything else? (Compare 
" i Corinthians ix, 24, 25.) And a man must not rest until the 
" Lord blot out seed from Babel." 

130. A brother asked an old man, saying, "What shall I do 
" with my mind which fighteth [against me]? For it is better 
"and also a greater thing for me to go into the world and 
"to teach and convert many, and to become like unto the 
"Apostles." The old man said unto him, "If there be in thy 
" mind no fear that thou hast fallen short in the matter of any 
"of the commandments, and if thou hast also felt that thou 
" hast arrived at the haven of rest, and if thou hast no feeling 
" about anything in thy mind, then go; but if thou hast not 
"all these things together in thee, [the desire] is due to the 
" operation of wickedness which urgeth thee on, so that it may 
" cast thee down from thine integrity." 

131. On one occasion the brethren were eating together in 
Scete, and John Kolob was with them, and a great priest rose 
up to give them a pitcher of water, but no man would accept 
it from him except John Kolob; and they all marvelled and 
said unto him, "How is it that thou who art the least among 
" all of us hast been so bold as to take the pitcher from him, 

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" and drink, whilst none of us dared to do so?" Then Abb 
John said unto them, "When I stand up I rejoice that every 
"man should take [the pitcher] from me and drink, so that 
" I may have a reward, and I considered on this occasion also, 
"and I took [the pitcher] and drank so that there might be 
" a reward to him, and that he mig-ht not be grieved because 
14 no man accepted [water] from him, and that his [good] will 
"might not be wronged." And when he had said this the 
fathers marvelled at his intelligence, and they all obtained 
benefit by his word[s]. 

132. A brother asked Poemen, saying, "I observe my soul, 
" so that wheresoever I go I may find help"; the old man said 
unto him, "Even those who bear swords have a God, Who 
"hath mercy upon them in this life. If then we were to find 
" ourselves in islands of terror God would deal with us accord- 
" ing to His mercy." 

134. Abba Poemen used to say that Abbd Ammon said, * One 
" man spendeth the whole period of his life holding an axe in 
" his hand [ready] to cut down a tree, and never findeth the 
"opportunity of wielding it; and another man, who knoweth 
" well how to fell trees, heweth with three axes, and wieldeth 
" them [against trees]. Now," he said, " the axe [in this case] 
" is discretion [or discernment]." 

135. Abba Poemen also said that Abba" Anthony said con 
cerning Abbd Pambo, "This man feared God so greatly that 
" he made the Spirit of God to dwell in him." 

136. Abb Poemen used to say, "The fear of God teacheth a 
"man all spiritual excellences." 

137. A brother asked Abba" Poemen, saying, " Why do my 
" thoughts persuade me to esteem myself and compare myself 
" with one whose rule of conduct is more excellent [than mine], 
" and to despise that man as much as if he had been my infe- 
" rior?"The old man answered and said, "The blessed Apos- 
" tie spake concerning this, saying, In a large house there 
" are not only vessels of gold and vessels of silver, but also 
" vessels of wood and of earthenware. If now a man will 
" cleanse his soul from all these things, he shall become a 
" vessel which is suitable and convenient for the honour of 
" his Lord, and he will be ready for every good work" 
(2 Timothy ii, 20, 21). That brother said unto him, "How are 
"these matters to be explained?" And the old man said unto 
him, "They are to be explained thus. The house is the world 
" and the vessels are the children of men. The vessels of gold 
" must be taken as representing the perfect, and those of sil- 
" ver are the men who are inferior to them in the measure of 
" ascetic deeds, and the other vessels of wood and earthen- 



of tbe 1bolg ffatbers 

" ware are those who possess a little ascetic excellence. If now 
" a man will cleanse his soul from all the things which areout- 
" side what is right, he will become a pure vessel of honour 
" suitable for the use of his Lord, and be ready for every good 
"work." 

138. A brother also asked Abbd Poemen, "Why is it that 
"I am not allowed to be free in my thoughts like the other 
" old men?" The old man said unto him, "John Kolob used to 
" say, The Enemy doth not rejoice in anything so much as in 
" those who do not reveal and lay bare their thoughts to 
" their fathers. " 

139. Abba" Poemen used to say, "Men are wont to speak 
" great and perfect things, but in their deeds they draw nigh 
" unto the things which are little and inferior." 

140. An old man used to say, "Neither shame nor fear con- 
" firms sin." 

141. An old man used to say, "As the company of the monks 
" is more excellent than and superior to the children of the 
" world, so it is meet that the monk who is a stranger should 
" be a mirror to those who are found in a monastery which is 
" devoted to the ascetic life." 

142. A brother asked an old man, saying, "What shall I 
"do?" The old man said unto him, "Go, and love the con- 
" straint of thyself in everything." 

143. The same old man said unto him, "Reveal and shew 
forth thy gift "; and the brother said unto him, My thoughts 
"will not permit me [to do so]." The old man said, "It is 
"written, Call upon Me in the day of affliction, and I will 
" deliver thee, and thou shalt praise Me (Psalm 1, 15); call 
"then upon Him, and He shall deliver thee." 

144. An old man used to say, "Teach thy heart to keep and 
" to take heed unto the things which thy tongue speaketh." 

145. An old man used to say, "If a man teacheth and per- 
" formeth not he is like unto the large basin which receiveth 
" the water for the assembly, which watereth and cleanseth 
" many, but cannot itself be cleaned, and is full of dirt and 
" impurity." 

146. Abbd Jacob used to say, "As a lamp illumineth a dark 
" chamber, so doth the fear of God, if it abide in the heart of 
" a man, illumine him, and teach him all the excellences of 
"the commandments of God." 

147. Abba Muthues used to say, " I would rather have the 
" man with a little work, which abideth and is constant, than 
"him who at the beginning laboureth severely, and soon 
" ceaseth altogether." 

148. On one occasion Abba Theodore went to Abba John, 

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Questions anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscettc 1Rule 

who was an eunuch from his mother s womb, and as they 
were talking together about spiritual excellences, he said, 
" When we were in Scete the cultivation of the soul was our 
" labour, and we worked with our hands only in the ordinary 
"way, and we only did work of this kind when it came [in 
" the way]; to-day, however, the cultivation of the soul is 
" made our ordinary work, which is performed whensoever it 
" happeneth to come [in the way], and the work of our hands, 
" which was always regarded as a common matter, hath be- 
11 come unto us a serious matter and an objecl: of earnest 
" solicitude." 

149. A brother asked an old man, saying, "What is the 
"cultivation of the soul like? And what is the labour of the 
"hands like?" The old man said unto him, "Whatsoever 
" happeneth for God s sake is the cultivation (or labour) of the 
" soul; but whatsoever a man doeth for himself, or whatso- 
" ever he gathereth together for himself, is the labour of the 
" hands." That brother said unto him, "Father, teach me a 
" proof of this matter which I do not understand." The old 
man said unto him, "It is as if a man were to say, Behold, 
" thou hearest that I am sick, and thou sayest in thyself, Now 
" I have a piece of work to do, shall I leave [it], and go and 
" visit him, or shall I finish it first and then go? And however 
" many times thou art prevented [from going] for some reason 
"or cause, and however many times the brother saith unto 
" thee, Come, take me, and help me, thou sayest within thy- 
" self, Shall I leave my work and go and help him? But if 
" thou goest not, behold, thou hast abrogated the command- 
" ments of God, which are for the cultivation of the soul, be- 
" cause of the work of the hands. If then a man ask thee, go 
"with him, since this is a work of God, for He said, If a 
" man compel thee to go a mile with him, go two " (St. 
Matthew v, 41). 

150. A brother asked Abba Marcianus, saying, "What shall 
"I do so that I may live?" And the old man answered and 
said unto him, "He who looketh above seeth not what is 
" below; he who is occupied closely with the things which are 
"below hath no knowledge of what is above. And he who 
" understandeth the things which are above is not concerned 
"with what is below, for it is written, Turn ye, and know 
" that I am God " (Psalm xlvi, 10). 

151. Abb Poemen said that Abb John cultivated all 
spiritual excellences. 

152. A brother asked one of the old men, saying, "If I am 
" being tempted, and a temptation come upon me, and I have 
" no one in whom I have confidence to tell about it, what shall 

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TTbe Savings of tbe ffools jf atbers 

" I do?" The old man said unto him, "I believe in God, and 
" that He will send His Grace, and will comfort thee, and give 
<4 thee strength if thou will ask Him in truth and wilt make 
" supplication unto Him. For I have heard that a matter like 
14 unto this took place in Scete, where there was a man whose 
" rule and conduct were excellent, and he fell into temptation, 
" and he became oppressed in his mind, and because he had no 
" man in whom he had confidence to reveal the matter to, and 
" none to bid him be of good courage, he made himself ready 
" to depart. And behold, the grace of God appeared unto him 
"by night in the form of a virgin, and she comforted him, 
1 saying, * Depart not, but dwell here with me, for not one of the 
" things of which I have heard shall be performed ; and 
" straightway his mind was healed, and he was consoled and 
"strengthened." 

153. A certain brother used to say, "I knew an old man who 
"dwelt in the mountain who would never agree to accept 
" anything from any man ; now he possessed a little water, and 
" with it he used to care for and water a few garden herbs which 
"he had. And he lived this life for fifty years, and he never 
"went outside the fence of his cell. He was exceedingly 
"famous because of the numerous cures which he wrought 
" daily upon those who came to him. He died in peace, leaving 
" in his place five brethren." 

154. There was a certain old man in Scete who toiled in the 
works of the body, that is to say, in fasting and in standing up; 
and in his thoughts he was a simple man, and he was neither 
keen in intellect nor learned. And he went to Abb John Kolob 
to ask him about his thoughts, and when the old man had 
spoken to him he returned and went to his cell, and forgot 
what the old man had said to him. And he came a second time 
to the old man, who told him what he had already said unto 
him, and when he had departed he forgot it again; and 
though he did this several times he always forgot what had 
been said to him. Then, after these things, he went unto the 
blessed man once more, and said unto him, "Thou knowest, 
" O father, that I forgot [thy words] again; but I did not come 
" to thee because I did not wish to weary thee." Abba John said 
unto him, " Go, and light a lamp"; and he went and did as he 
commanded him. And Abbd John said unto him, " Bring several 
" lamps, and light [them all] from it"; and he lit [them] as he 
had told him. And Abba John said to the old man, "Is the 
"lamp wherefrom thou hast kindled the many lamps in any 
" way the worse?" and he said unto him, "No." And the old 
man John said unto him, "If all Scete were to come unto him 
"John would not be the worse for it, neither would the gift of 

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djuesttons anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscettc 1Rule 

"the grace of Christ be impeded thereby. Whensoever then 
" thou wishest, and art in doubt, come [to me]." Thus by the 
patient endurance of both of them he removed and did away 
error from that brother. For this was the work of those who 
were dwelling- in Scete, and they devoted themselves, and 
delivered over their wills to compel those who were engaged 
in [spiritual] war to inherit the good things (or virtues) each 
from each. 

155. There was a certain old man who was sick, and as he 
possessed nothing which he required for his wants, the Abbd of 
the coenobium received him [there], and said to the brethren, 
" Exert yourselves a little to relieve this sick man." Now the 
man who was sick had a pot full of gold, and he dug a hole 
below where he was [lying] and buried it; and it happened that 
he died without confessing and revealing the matter. And after 
he was buried, the Abbd who had taken him in said unto the 
brethren, "Remove this bench from here," and whilst they 
were rooting it out they found the gold. Then the Abba said, 
"Since he confessed not about this when he was alive, he 
"cannot reveal the matter when he is dead" now he knew 
that the sick man s hope had been in it "but go ye and bury 
"it with him." And fire came down from heaven, and it con 
tinued above his grave for many days in the sight of every man, 
and all those who saw it marvelled. 

156. A certain brother came on one occasion to the cell of 
Abbd John at the time of evening, and he was in a great hurry 
to depart; and they talked about spiritual excellences [for a 
long time] without knowing [it], and when he went forth to set 
him on his way, they tarried talking together until it was the 
sixth hour of the night. Then Abba John made him go back to 
his cell, and they ate together, and then he sent him away, 
and he departed. 

157. Abba Ammon said : On one occasion I and Abbd 
Betimius went to visit Abba Akhila, for we had heard that he 
was meditating upon the passage, "Fear thou not, O Jacob, 
"to go down to Egypt" (Genesis xlvi, 3), and that he was 
repeating these words several times; and when we knocked he 
opened unto us, and he asked us, saying, "Whence are ye?" 
And being afraid to say, "[We come] from the cells," we made 
answer that we were from the Mountain of Nitria, and he 
brought us in, and we found that he was working by night at 
plaiting palm leaves, and we asked him, saying, Speak a word 
" unto us." Then he answered and said, "Between the evening 
" and the morning I have twisted twenty branches, but in very 
" truth I have no need for all this, only [I am afraid] lest God 
"be angry with me, and He chide me, saying, Though thou 

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ZTbe Sayings of tbe 1bols ff atbers 

ttf wast able to work thou hast not done so ; therefore I toil and 
" I work with all my might." 

158. Certain of the fathers used to tell a story about a holy 
man who was indeed a great man, and if people came to ask 
him a question he would say unto them with wisdom, "Behold, 
" 1 take upon myself the face (or Person) of God, and I sit 
" upon the throne of judgement; what now dost thou wish me 
" to do for thee? If thou sayest, Have mercy upon me, God 
" saith unto thee, If thou wishest Me to have mercy upon 
" * thee, thou also must have mercy upon thy brother, and then 
" I will have mercy upon thee ; and if thou wishest Me to for- 
" * give thee, thou also must forgive thy brother, and then I will 
" forgive thee. Can any blame rest upon God? God forbid ! But 
" the cause resteth with us, and if we wish we are able to live." 

159. On one occasion a certain brother departed into exile 
from the countries and places wherein dwelt Abbd Poemen, 
and he went to a monk who used to live in that country where 
to he was going; now this man was one who possessed love, 
and many folk thronged to him and the brother related unto 
that monk stories concerning Abba Poemen, and when he heard 
about his spiritual excellences he longed to see him. And the 
brother came back again to Egypt, and after some time the 
monk [unto whom he had gone], who lived in that country, 
came to Egypt to him, for the brother had already told him 
where he lived, and when the monk saw the brother he rejoiced 
greatly. Then the monk said unto the brother, "Do [me an act 
* of] love, and take me so that I may go to Abba Poemen," 
and he took him to Abba Poemen, and the brother told him the 
story of the monk who was with him, saying, "He is a great 
" man, and is much beloved, and he hath no small honour in 
" his own country. I related unto him storiesconcerningthy holi- 
* ness, and he greatly desired to come and see thee "; and Abba 
Poemen received him with gladness, and having saluted each 
other they sat down. Then the stranger began to converse with 
Abbd Poemen from the Scriptures concerning spiritual and 
heavenly things, but Abbd Poemen turned away his face and 
returned him no answer whatsoever. And when he saw that 
Abba Poemen would not speak unto him, he was grieved, and 
went outside, and said unto the brother who had brought him, 
" In my opinion I have toiled in vain in coming all this long 
"journey to see the old man, for behold, he refuseth to speak to 
" me." Now when the brother went in to the old man Poemen, 
he said unto him, "Father, this great man, who is so greatly 
" praised in his own country, came on thy account; why didst 
"thou not speak with him?" Poemen said, "He spake about 
" the things which are above and concerning heavenly matters, 

1 88 



(Questions anfc Hnsvvers on tbe Hscettc 1Rule 

" but I can only talk about things which are below and about 
4 the things of earth; had he spoken to me about the pas- 
" sions of the soul I would have given him an answer; but since 
" he talked about spiritual things, I know nothing about them." 
Then that brother went forth to the monk and said unto him, 
" The old man is not one of those who wish a man to talk to 
" them from the Scriptures, but if thou wilt converse with him 
" about the passions of the soul he will return thee answer." 
And straightway the monk repented, and he came to the old 
man, and said unto him, " Father, what shall I do so that I 
" may bring into subjection the passions of the body?" Then 
the old man looked upon him gladly, and said unto him, 
" Now thou art welcome! Open now thy mouth on such mat 
ters as these, and I will fill it with good things." And the 
monk, having been greatly helped, and having gained benefit, 
said, "In very truth this is the way of truth"; and he went back 
to his country, giving thanks to God that he had been held 
worthy of such converse with the holy man. 

160. Abba Poemen said concerning Abba John that he culti 
vated spiritual excellences of every kind. 

161. Abba Muthues used to say that there were three brethren 
who were in the habit of coming to Abbd Anthony, and that 
two of them used to ask him questions about the thoughts, 
and about life, and redemption, and the discretion (or intelli 
gence) of the soul, whilst the third one held his peace contin 
ually. And after a long time Abba Anthony said unto him, 
" Brother, thou comest here each year, and askest nothing!" 
And he answered and said unto the old man, "It is sufficient 
" for me to see thee." 

162. Abba Sisoes asked Abba Poemen about filthy thoughts, 
and the old man said unto him, "The matter is like unto a box 

* of clothes : if a man leaveth the clothes inside it for a long 
time without being turned, they will become eaten up in pro- 
1 cess of time and destroyed. And thus also is it with the 
thoughts, and if a man doth not drive them out from his body 
" they will be destroyed and perish." 

163. Abba Joseph asked Abba Poemen about the wicked and 
vain thoughts which a man produceth, and the old man said 
unto him, "It is as if a man were to take a snake and a scor- 
" pion, and throw them in a vessel (or cloth), and close (or 
" wrap) them up tightly for a long time, when they would die 
" owing to the period [which they have been shut up]; even so 
"do the evil thoughts, which spring up in the mind through 
" the workings of devils, decay and become destroyed through 
"patient endurance." 

164. Abba Elijah used to say, "What is sin able to do where 

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" repentance is found? And what will love profit where there is 
41 pride?" 

165. One of the fathers said, "The early [fathers] did not 

* depart from their places except for the three following 

* reasons : First: If one of them was vexed with his neighbour, 
and it was impossible for him to make clean his heart in re- 
spect of him. Secondly: If the abundant approval of the chil- 
dren of men was gathered together to him. Thirdly: If the 
temptation of fornication clung to him. Whensoever they 

"saw these three reasons they departed." 

166. On one occasion when he saw him pouring some water 
over his feet, Abba Isaac said unto Abba Poemen, as one who 
possessed freedom of speech before him, "How is it that, 
" whilst the fathers exercised themselves in such stern labours 
"and mighty deeds of asceticism that they oppressed their 
" bodies, behold, thou art washing [thy feet]?" Abbd Poemen 
said unto him, "We have not learned to be slayers of the body, 
" but slayers of the passions." 

167. This same Abba Isaac heard the voice of a cock, and 
he said to Abbd Poemen, "Are there such things as fowls 
" here, father?" And he answered and said unto him, "Isaac, 
" why dost thou force me to speak to thee? It is only people 
"who are like thyself that hear such sounds as these; he 
"who is strenuous concerneth not himself with matters of 
"this kind." 

168. An old man used to say, "Wisdom and simplicity form 
" the perfect order of the Apostles and of those who examine 
" closely their rules of life and their conduct, and to this Christ 
"urged them, saying, Be ye harmless as doves and subtle 
"Mike serpents (St. Matthew x, 16). And the Apostle [Paul] 
" also admonished the Corinthians to the same effect, saying, 
" My brethren, be not childish in your minds, but be ye as 
* babes in respect of things which are evil, and be ye perfect 
in your minds (i Corinthians xiv, 20). Now wisdom without 
simplicity is wicked cunning, and it is the subtlety of the 
philosophers among the pagans of which it is said, He 
catcheth the wise men in their own cunning (Job v, 13; 
" i Corinthians iii, 19), and again, The Lord knoweth the 
"thoughts of the wise, that they are vain (Psalm xciv, n; i 
"Corinthians iii, 20). And simplicity without wisdom is the 
" foolishness which is prone to error, and concerning this also 
" the Apostle spake, and he wrote unto those who possessed it, 
" saying, I fear lest, even as the serpent led Eve into error by 
" his craftiness, so your minds also may be destroyed in re- 
" spect of your simplicity which is towards Christ (2 Corin- 
" thians xi, 3). For they accepted every word without testing 

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tijuestions anfc Hnswers on tbe Hscettc 1Rule 

"it, even as it is said in the [Book of] Proverbs, The simple 
" man believeth every word " (Proverbs xiv, 15). 

169. They used to say that one of the old men in Scete had 
been a slave, and that he came each year to Alexandria, and 
brought with him a gift for his owners from [the results of] 
labour, and they received him, and paid him homage. And the 
old man [formerly] poured water into a basin, and brought it 
so that he might wash the feet of his owners, but they said 
unto him, "Nay, father, thou shalt not honour us [thus]." 
Then he said unto them, "My lords, I acknowledge that I am 
"your slave, and that I have received from you an a6l of grace 
" in that ye have let me become a free man to serve our Lord, 
"and if I may not wash your feet accept at least my gift"; 
but they objected to this, and would not accept [it]. And he 
said unto them, "Since ye refuse to accept it I shall dwell here, 
" and be subject unto you"; then they allowed him to do what 
he wished, and they sent him away with great gifts of various 
kinds, so that he might do ac~ts of kindness on their behalf to 
the brethren who were in need, and because of this he became 
famous in Scete. Now he conducted himself with great humi 
lity towards every man. 

170. There was a certain man who was a slave and he be 
came a monk, and he persisted in a life of self-abnegation for 
five and forty years, and bread, and water, and salt, were 
sufficient for his food; now after some time the man who had 
been his master repented, and he also made himself to be re 
mote from the world. And when the time came for him to de 
part from this world, he said unto his slave, who was now his 
Rabba, "I see the hosts of wickedness surrounding me, but 
" through thy prayer they are going back from me." And when 
the call came for that slave one stood on his right hand, and 
the other on his left, and he heard them saying unto him, 
" Dost thou wish to come, O father, or shall we go and leave 
" thee?" And he said, " I desire not to remain, take my soul"; 
and thus he ended [his life]. 

171. A certain man made himself remote from the world, and 
he had a wife and also a daughter, and the latter died before 
she had been baptized by the disciples ; and her father distri 
buted among the poor the portion which came to her, and also 
that of his wife ; but he never ceased to make entreaty to God 
on behalf of his daughter who had departed from the world 
without being baptized. And a voice was heard by him as he 
was praying, which said, "I have baptized thy daughter, have 
"no sorrow"; but he did not believe. And that voice, which 
was hidden, spake again unto him, saying, "Uncover her 
"grave, and look [in], and thou wilt not find her"; then he 

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ZTbe Sa^inos of tbe 1bol^ ffatbets 

went to her grave, and dug it up, and he found her not, for 
she had departed, and had been laid with the believers. 

172. The old man Macarius used to say, "These are the three 
" principal things, and it is right that a man should set them 
" before him at every season. The remembrance of his death 

I should be before him at every hour, and he should die to 
"every man, and he should be constant always in his mind 

II towards our Lord. For, if a man have not the remembrance 
" of his death before him at all seasons, he will not be able to 
" die to every man, and if he die not to every man he will be 
" unable to be constantly before God." 

173. The old man Macarius used to say, "Strive for every 
"kind of death, for the death of the body, that is to say, if 
" thou hast not the death which is in the spirit; strive for the 
" death of the body, and then shall be added unto thee the 
" death which is in the spirit. And death of this kind will make 
" thee to die to every man, and henceforward thou wilt acquire 
"the faculty of being constantly with God in silence." 

174. The same old man also said, " If thou hast not theprayer 
" of the spirit, strive for the prayer of the body, and then shall 
" be added unto thee the prayer in the spirit. If thou hast not 
" humility in the spirit, strive for the humility which is in the 
" body, and then shall be added unto thee the humility which 
" is in the spirit. For it is written, Ask, and ye shall receive " 
(St. Matthew vii, 7; xxi, 22). 

175. A brother asked an old man, saying, "Why do I keep 
" my sins in remembrance without being pained about them?" 
The old man said unto him, "This happeneth unto us through 
" contempt and negligence. When a man wisheth to boil some 
" food for his need, and he findeth some small sparks of fire in 
" his fireplace, he desireth to take care of them, and preserve 
" them, and to kindle therefrom a large flame; but if he neg- 
" lec"leth them they become black and die out. And thus also 
"is it with ourselves, for if, according as God hath bestowed 
"upon us, we remember our sins, and we desire and come 
" to the life of silence, and we possess persistence in remem- 
" bering our sins, we shall acquire great grief in our hearts; 
" but, if we hold them in contempt and do not even remember 
" them, we shall be rejected. 

176. A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, "Who is a 
"hypocrite?" The old man said unto him, "The hypocrite is 
" he who teacheth his neighbour to do a certain thing which 
" he himself hath not performed, and to the doing of which he 
"hath not attained; for it is written, Hypocrite! why dost 
" thou look at the mote which is in the eye of thy brother, and 
" behold there is a beam in thine own eye? And how canst 

192 



(Questions anfc Hnsvvers on tbe Hscettc TCule 

" thou say to thy brother, Let me take out the mote from 
" thine eye, seeing that thou hast not first taken the beam 
" out of thine own eye? " (St. Matthew vii, 5.) 

177. A brother asked Abba Chronius, saying, "What shall I 
"do in respect of the error which leadeth captive my mind? 
" For I do not perceive it until it bringeth me to the committal 
" of sin." And the old man said unto him, "When the Philis- 
" tines took captive the Ark of the Lord because of the evil 
"deeds of the children of Israel, they dragged it along and 
" carried it until they had brought it into the house of Dagon 
"their God, and then Dagon fell down on his face in that 
"place" (i Samuel v, 3). The brother said unto him, "What 
" [meaneth] this word?" The old man said unto him, "If the 
" unclean devils take captive the mind of a man by their own 
" means, they lead it on until they bring it to invisible and un- 
" known passion; but if, on the spot, the mind turneth and 
" seeketh God, and remembereth fervently the judgement of 
" the world which is to come, straightway the passion depart- 
" eth, and is destroyed. For it is written, When ye repent 
" and groan, ye shall be redeemed, and ye shall know in what 
" condition ye are. " 

178. Again a brother asked Abba Chronius, saying, "In what 
"manner doth a man come to humility?" The old man said 
unto him, "In my opinion a man doeth this by restraining and 
" withdrawing himself from everything, and by devoting him- 
" self to the labour of the body, and as far as he hath the power 
"so to do he should remember his departure from the body, 
" and the awful judgement of God." 

179. Abba Anthony used to say, " Behold a time shall come to 
"the children of men when they shall become silly, and they shall 
" turn aside and depart from the fear of God, and if they see a 
" man who is neither as mad nor as silly as they are, they 
"shall rise up against him, saying, Thou art both mad and 
" silly, because he is not like unto them." 

ISO. Abbsi Ammon of Nitria went to Abba Anthony, and said 
unto him, " I see that the labours which I perform are greater 
"than thine, how then is it that thy name is more renowned 
" among men than mine?" Abba Anthony said unto him, " Be- 
" cause I also love the Lord more than thou." 

l8l. When Abba Poemen heard that Abba Nastir was dwel 
ling in the coenobium he desired greatly to see him, and he 
told his Abba that he ought to send him to go and visit him, 
but he refused to send him by himself, and he would not let 
him go. Now a few days afterwards the steward of the coeno 
bium, who had certain thoughts, persuaded Abba to send him 
to Abbd Nastir, and he dismissed him, saying, "Take this 

193 11-13 



Sa$f n$B of tbe tools jf atbers 

" brother with thee, and send me an old man because of him; 
" and because I could not trust myself to send him alone I did 
" not send him at all." Now when the steward had come to 
the old man Nastir, he told him his thoughts, and Abba Nastir 
healed him. And afterwards the old man asked Abba Poemen, 
saying, " Whence hast thou gotten such humility that when- 
" soever it happeneth that there be trouble in the coenobium 
" thou dost not speak, and dost not interfere to put an end to 
" contention?" And the old man having pressed the brother, 
Abba Poemen answered and said unto him, "Forgive me, 
" father ! When I first entered the coenobium I said unto my 
" mind, I and the ass are one. As the ass is beaten and speak- 
" eth not, and is cursed and maketh no answer, so also act 
" thou, according to what the blessed David said, I was a 
" beast with Thee " (Psalm Ixxiii, 22). 

lS2. On one occasion Saint The