The Paradise of the Holy Fathers, Volume 2 (chapters 11. Of Fornication–14. Of the Greatness of the Sublime Rule of the Solitary Life)
The Paradise of the Holy Fathers, Volume 2
continued
Chapter 11. Of Fornication
559. 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 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 straightway 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 opportunity, 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 fornication 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 fornication, and he bore it with very great self-restraint for fourteen 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 Abbâ Moses of Pâtârâ was engaged in a war against fornication, and he could not endure being in his cell, and he went and informed Abbâ 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," 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 multitudes of devils with troubled and terrified aspects, and they shewed themselves in the forms of phantoms which were in fighting attitudes. Abbâ 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 Abbâ 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] Abbâ 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 coveted, 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, "Behold 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 necessary 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 unnecessary for me"; and God saw his labour, and did away his thoughts [of fornication], and he had peace.
565. Abbâ 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 resist 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 females, and we must restrain and draw onwards our nature by main force to purity." 568. A brother asked Abbâ Daniel, and said unto him, "Deliver 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 arrived 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, "Consider 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 Abbâ Poemen and many fathers say this word: 'The enchanter 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 taketh not of the meats he becometh a stranger unto them." 572. They used to say that Abbâ 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 Abbâ 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 depart]?"
575. A certain brother, being vexed by the spirit of fornication, 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 understand this, and he roused him up, and afterwards he took heed to himself.
576. A brother asked Abbâ 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 Abbâ 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 Nebuchadnezzar, 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 the passion of the body." 578. 129 578. 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 women 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 immediately 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 Abbâ 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 supplication unto God, and behold, thou shalt be freed from this war"; and Abbâ 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 inciting 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 straightway the stone fell, &c. 580. On one occasion a certain man went out to Scete to become 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 entreated 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.
"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 father, 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 Abbâ Poemen, and said unto him, "What shall I do, father, for I am vexed by fornication? And behold, I came unto Nebatîôn [Anicetus], and he said unto me, 'It is not right that those thoughts should stay with thee so long.'" Abbâ Poemen saith unto him, "The labour of Abbâ 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 II-9a 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. Abbâ 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 a certain brother came to Abbâ 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 remembrance of whom was being stirred up in the monk. And when the other brother heard this, he rose up, and took his headcloth, 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 Abbâ 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 knocketh, 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 knocketh, but passeth on' meaneth]; now young men are excited by it." 588. A brother asked Abbâ Theodore of Scete, saying, "The thought of fornication cometh, and it troubleth and disturbeth 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 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 Parmís [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 fornication which vexeth me?" And Abbá 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."
591. 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 persistently and endure; these men do not withdraw defeated 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 continueth 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, 1), 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 belong 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 abortion 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 who passeth 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 from thee the fetid smell of evil thoughts, and stand up and 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 by one of the holy old Men
594. 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 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 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 will is of God continueth to minister to Him unwearyingly; for if thou doest thine own will, thou becomest weary, and thou labourest, and God hearkeneth not to thee." And the old man also said, "He who liveth in God liveth with Him, for He saith, I will dwell in them, and I will walk in them, and they shall be to Me a people, and I will be to them a God" (Exodus vi, 7). 596. And the old man also said, "God saith unto thee thus:— If thou lovest Me, O monk, do that which I ask, and do not that which I do not desire. For monks should lead lives wherein they act not in iniquity, and a man should not look upon evil things with his eyes, nor hear with his ears things which are alien to the fear of God, nor utter calumnies with his mouth, nor plunder with his hands; but he should give especially to the poor, and he should not be [unduly] exalted in his mind, and he should not think evil thoughts, neither should he fill his belly. Let him do then all these things with discretion, for by them is a monk known." The old man also said, "These things [form] the life of a monk: Good works, and obedience, and training. A man should not lay blame on his neighbour, and he should not utter calumnies, and he should not complain, for it is written, The lovers of the Lord hate wickedness."
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 constancy, and constancy is life, and life is kingdom, and kingdom is God." Here end the Questions concerning the Thoughts of Fornication, and the Answers thereto, and the Counsels of the Holy Old Men
Chapter 12. Of the Acceptance of Repentance, and of how it is right for us to Repent in Truth
598. Two brethren were in restraint to the lust of fornication, 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 been 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 appearance 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 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 repentance 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 difficulty 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 grade wherein he was formerly? He who goeth forth from the world, and beginneth the cultivation of spiritual excellence, 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 employed 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 fallet 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 cultivation of ascetic excellence, when he hath done these things he will still be found standing in the front rank of the solitary (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 passion 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 assistance. Now having fallen, he despaired about himself, and he rose up to go to the world, and he was sad and grieved concerning 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, 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 brethren, 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. Abbâ Ammon of Rîtheaôn asked Abbâ Poemen about the impure thoughts which are produced in a man, and the vain lusts; and Abbâ Poemen said unto him, "It belongeth to Satan to sow them, but it is our affair not to welcome them." 604. A brother asked Abbâ 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 Abbâ Sišoes, 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 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 advanceth he goeth, whether it be to death or to life." 606. It happened on one occasion that a brother in the monastery of Abbâ Hatîl (or Helît) was tempted, [and he fell,] and having been expelled from that place he went to the mountain, to Abbâ Anthony, and having remained with him for a long time, Abbâ 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 Abbâ Anthony, and said unto him, "Father, they have refused to receive me"; and Abbâ 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] Abbâ Anthony, they sent to the brother, and welcomed him with gladness.
607. Abbâ 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. Abbâ 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. Abbâ Sarmâtâ 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. Abbâ Theodore of Parmê 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." 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 Abbâ 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 repent of these things which I have done through negligence." And having multiplied and prolonged 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.
Chapter 13. Of [the Fathers who] wrought Wonderful Works
614. Abbâ Sisoes said: When we were in Scete, with Abbâ Macarius, seven of us went up to reap with him, and behold, a certain widow followed after us gleaning, and 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, 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 Resurrection. 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, 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, and gave it to its owner, and set free her children from slavery. And every one who heard [of this] gave thanks unto God.
615. When Abbâ 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 Abbâ Sisoes in the mountain of Abbâ 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 whatsoever, 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 Abbâ Paule, who dwelt in Thebes, would take snakes, and scorpions, and horned snakes in his hands, and kill them. And the brethren made 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." 618. On one occasion one of the old men of Thebes came to Mount Sinai, and having departed from there, one of the brethren met him on the way, and with a groan he said unto the old man, "We are distressed, O father, through the want of 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.
619. They used to say that, when on one occasion, Abbâ Moses of Scete was going into Patârâ, 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 afterwards the fathers said unto him, "Abbâ Moses, tell us why thou didst come in and out"; and he said unto them, "I entered into judgement with God, who brought me hither because 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 occasion to Abbâ Poemen and found many old men with him, and behold, a certain man had brought a youth who was a kinsman of Abbâ Poemen, and whose face had been turned backwards through the operation of the Evil One; and when his father saw the multitude of the old men who were coming to Abbâ 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 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 Abbâ 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 Abbâ Poemen.
Now the old man acted wisely in the matter, and he did not take the youth at once to Abbâ 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 Abbâ 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 Abbâ Poemen sighed, and he rose up 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 Abbâ 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 Abbâ Pambô 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 Abbâ Silvanus and with Abbâ 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 Abbâ Moses came to the well to draw water, and he saw Abbâ 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 Abbâ 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 having 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 Abbâ 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 Pûrpîrînê, 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. Abbâ John, who was cast out by the Marcionites, used to say:—On one occasion we went from Syria to Abbâ 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 145 II-IO 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 congregation. 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 bubbled 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.
Chapter 14. Of the Greatness of the Sublime Rule of the Solitary Life
631. There was a certain old man amongst the fathers who used to see visions, and this man testified, and said, "That power which I have seen existing in baptism, I have also seen in the apparel of the monks when they take the garb of the monk." 632. An old man from Thebaïs used to say:—I was the son of a priest of idols, and when I was young I lived in the temple, and I have on many occasions seen my father go into the temple to perform the sacrifices to the idols. Once I went in secretly after him, and I saw Satan sitting [there], with his whole army before him, and, behold, one of his devils came and did homage to him. And Satan answered and said unto him, "Whence comest thou? And the devil made answer, saying, "I was in such and such a country, and I stirred up many wars and revolts, and I caused the shedding of blood, and I have come to tell thee these things. Satan said unto him, "How long did it take thee to do this? and the devil said "Thirty days. Then Satan commanded him to be beaten, saying unto him, "Is this all that thou hast done in so long a time? And, behold, another devil came and worshipped him, and to him he said, "Whence comest thou? And the devil answered and said, "I was in the sea, where I stirred up storms, and sank ships, and drowned many men, and I have come that I may inform thee of these things. Then Satan answered and said unto him, "In how much time hast thou done this?
and the devil answered and said unto him, "In twenty days," and Satan commanded that he also should be beaten, saying unto him, "Why is it that in all these days thou hast only done [what thou sayest]? And when he had said this, behold, a third devil came and worshipped Satan, who answered and said unto him also, "And where dost thou come from? and the devil answered and said unto him, "I have been in such and such a city wherein there was a marriage feast, and I stirred up a war there, and caused the shedding of much blood, and the death of the bridegroom and the bride; and as soon as I had done this I came to inform thee. And Satan said unto him, "In how many days hast thou done this? and the devil said, "In ten days"; and Satan commanded that he should be beaten, saying, "In all these days thou hast only done this. Then afterwards, behold, a fourth devil came and worshipped him, and Satan answered and said unto him, "And whence comest thou also? And he who was asked answered and said unto him, "I have been in the desert for forty years striving with a monk, and to-night I have hurled him into fornication";
and when Satan heard this, he rose up straightway and embraced and kissed that devil, and he took the crown off his head, and placed it upon him, and he made him to sit by his side upon his throne, saying, "And so thou hast been able to do so great a work as this in so short a time! For there is nothing which I prize so highly as the fall of a monk. And the old man went on to say:—When I saw these things I said within myself, "Yea, so great then is the army of the monks! And by the operation of God, Who desired my redemption, I came forth, and became a monk." 633. In the time when Julian, the rebellious Emperor, was going down to the territory of the Persians, he sent a certain devil to go speedily to the country of the West, and to bring him from thence an account of what he had sent him [to do]. Now when that devil arrived at a certain place wherein dwelt a monk, he stopped and tarried there for a period of fifteen days without being able to move anywhere, and he was unable to travel onwards, because the monk did not cease from praying, either by night or by day; so he returned to the heathen who had sent him without having done anything. Then the wicked Julian said unto him, "Why hast thou tarried so long?" And the devil answered and said unto him, "I delayed in coming, and I have done nothing; for a monk, who continued in prayer, came in my way and I tarried with him
147 fifteen days, expecting that he would some time cease to pray and that I should be able to go on my way; but he never ceased from his prayer, and I was prevented from going on, and so I delayed in coming, and I have done nothing." Then was the wicked Julian angry, and he said, "When I come back I will take vengeance upon him"; but before a few days were over, he was slain by Divine Providence. And straightway one of the eparchs who were with him went and sold everything which he possessed and gave [the money] to the poor, and he came to that monk, and himself became a chosen monk; and he died with a good ending, and with works which were pleasing unto God. 634. On one occasion Abbâ Pambô was travelling with some monks in the districts of Egypt; and seeing some worldly folk sitting down he said unto them, "Rise up, and salute the monks so that ye may be blessed, for they are always holding converse with God, and their mouths are holy."
635. Abbâ John used to say, "The whole company of the holy men is like unto a garden which is full of fruit-bearing trees of various kinds, and wherein the trees are planted in [one] earth, and all of them drink from one fountain; and thus is it with all the holy men, for they have not one rule only, but several varieties, and one man laboureth in one way, and another man in another, but it is one Spirit which operateth and worketh in them."