NOTITIA
(Jos. Fessler, *Institutiones Patrologiae*. Oeniponte MDCCCLI, t. II, p. 592.)
SOURCES: The works of Saint Nilus himself, especially the Letters and Opuscula, edited by Fr. Possinus, Paris 1639 in 4to; Photius, *cod.* 201 (p. 270); Nicephorus Callistus, *Hist. eccles.*, bk. XIV, c. 54. — SUBSIDIA: J. M. Suaresius, *Index Operum S. Nili et liber chronologicus de vita S. Nili abbatis* in the cited edition, pp. 591-640, and pp. 641-705; Leo Allatius, *Diatriba de Nilo et eorum Scriptis*, § IV, at the end of the edition of the Letters of S. Nilus, Rome 1668; Tillemont, vol. XIV, *S. Nilus*, pp. 189-218; Ceillier, vol. XIII, chap. III, (pp. 146-195); G. Cave, vol. I, pp. 428-29; C. Bellarmin and Labbe, *De scriptoribus ecclesiasticis*, in the cit. ed., p. 172; Cas. Oudin, vol. I, col. 1231-58; J. A. Fabricius, *Biblioth. Graec.*, vol. I, pp. 3-17.
LIFE OF SAINT NILUS
Saint Nilus, born of a noble family, distinguished for his wealth and eloquence, was Prefect of the city of Constantinople, or even, as others suspect, he became Praetorian Prefect, and at that time he was married and had two sons. Indeed, although he had reached the highest pinnacle of honor and possessed an abundance of all goods, yet, moved by the love of divine things, he renounced all the comforts of life and decided to serve God alone in the wilderness, poor and humble. Saint John Chrysostom, either before or after he had taken such a decision, instructed him in the study of piety and the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures and helped him to advance greatly (a). He therefore withdrew towards the end of the fourth century (b) with his son Theodulus to Mount Sinai, in order to live an ascetic life there and to advance in Christian perfection according to the custom of the monks (c). This admirable man soon became so renowned for every kind of virtue and for his knowledge of divine things that, being frequently consulted, he sent letters in every direction, and in them he discoursed most abundantly either on the Holy Scripture, or on the doctrine of the Church, or on the formation of morals. Moreover, whenever he perceived an imminent threat to the faith or a troubled state of the Church, he defended divine truth strenuously against heretics and pagans, and reproved abuses and crimes wherever he found them (lib. I, ep. 301; lib. II, ep. 190, 285): nor did he spare even the Emperor himself when he acted wrongly; he admonished leaders and prefects, bishops and abbots in a fitting manner (d). God tested him with a most grievous affliction when, during a hostile incursion (c. a. 410) launched by the Saracens (e), his son Theodulus, already enrolled in the clerical militia on account of his exceptional virtues, was carried off by them into captivity; nonetheless, through the mercy of God, having been liberated, he later found him at the bishop of Elusa. The latter did not let both, father and son, depart before they had been marked by him with the sacred honor of the presbyterate by the laying on of hands. Having returned to Mount Sinai, they fulfilled the father's vow—his son having been restored to him—of serving God more perfectly, with combined forces (f). Saint Nilus wrote for the edification and instruction of the monks until about the year 430 (g). A
(a) Nicephorus Callistus, *Hist. eccles.* lib. XIV, c. 54, 30, and 53. S. Nilus, *Narratio* I and II in *Opp.* ed. Possini, pp. 4 and 13-16. Cf. Suares, *l. c.* 641-56. Leo Allat., *l. c.* pp. 7-9. Tillemont.
(b) There are various opinions among the learned regarding the time in which Saint Nilus lived. But that opinion, which hands down that he retired to the wilderness around the year 390 after abdicating his prefecture, is supported by clear places in his letters and by the judgment of very grave authors. Cf. Tillemont, *l. c.* art. I and II (pp. 190, 191) with Note 1 (pp. 742-43); Ceillier, *l. c.* art. I and 2 (pp. 146-47). Others place Saint Nilus's withdrawal a little later, namely at the year 404; cf. Leo Allat., *l. c.* pp. 11-14, and Suares, *l. c.* p. 651. S. Nilus, p. 166-67. B
(c) S. Nilus, *Narrat.* II and *l. c.* pp. 14-17. Cf. Tillemont, *l. c.* art. II (pp. 191-195), Leo Allat., *l. c.* p. 15, and Suares, *l. c.* pp. 656-57.
(d) Hence it is that so great a multitude of his letters has reached us; for they are almost all responses to consultations brought to him from everywhere. How great, moreover, was the liberty of speech with which he rebuked the Emperor Arcadius for the iniquities committed against Saint John Chrysostom is shown in lib. III, ep. 279; lib. II, ep. 255. See also in the same cause letters to other men conspicuous by their dignity, lib. I, ep. 509; lib. III, ep. 199. Nor did he write with less boldness to that famous Gainas, leader of the Goths (lib. I, ep. 70, 79, 114, 115). C
(e) Regarding the time of this incursion of the Barbarians, which Nilus himself describes at length in his *Narrations on the Slaughter of the monks of Mt. Sinai and the captivity of his son Theodulus* (Nilus's *Works*, ed. P. Possinus, Paris 1638), the learned generally agree among themselves that, according to St. Jerome, *ep.* 126, n. 2, and St. Augustine, *ep.* 111, n. 1, they refer it to the year 410. Cf. Suares, *l. c.* 666. Tillemont, *l. c.* art. VIII (p. 483) and vol. XII, Saint Jerome, Not. 82 (p. 660). D
(f) S. Nilus, *Narrat.* VII, *l. c.* pp. 120-25. Cf. Tillemont, *l. c.* art. VIII (p. 204) and Suares, *l. c.* pp. 692-93.
(g) There are those who, by conjecture, think that the life of St. Nilus should be extended to the year 451, or to the times of the Emperor Marcian, such as Leo Allatius, *l. c.* pp. 8-14, and Suares, *l. c.* pp. 698-700. But the calculation which I have decided to follow in the *Life of St. Nilus*, putting aside the *Menologion of the Greeks* which is openly erroneous, rests on these moments: at the time of the incursion of the barbarians (a. 410) Nilus is called an old man (*Narrat.* VI and VII, ed. Possini pp. 96 and 113-14); his son Theodulus, at the time when Nilus bade farewell to the world, was of a tender age; finally, after that incursion of the barbarians and the wondrous liberation of Theodulus, the bishop of Elusa imposed upon him the yoke of priestly dignity, and consequently Theodulus [must have been] thirty years of age...
The writings of St. Nilus are conveniently divided into several categories: 1. Works that deal with principal virtues and their opposite vices. — II. Works pertaining to the monastic life, whether of Nilus himself or of monks in general; — III. Shorter sentences; — IV. Epistles.
I. WORKS ON VIRTUES AND VICES
1. *Peristeria* (on the lady Peristeria), or a *Treatise on the Cultivation of Virtues and the Avoidance of Vices*, dealing with the example of Peristeria, a woman most illustrious in that age [b], and highly commended by the monk Agathius. The author, while still living in the city, having explained the occasion of this work (sect. I), proceeds to deal with virtues and vices individually, and completes the entire Work in three parts. The first part embraces those things which perfect a man considered in isolation; therein he commends most highly temperance or abstinence (*enkrateia*), which moderates the needs of the body (sect. II); purity of intention, which directs the soul in all things to the glory of God (sect. III); and finally, an excellent aid to virtue, namely pious reading and prayer, which is most certainly heard by God (sect. IV, c. 1-11). — The second part concerns the relationship of man to his neighbor, where he explains mercy and kindness toward the poor, proposing the example of the rich man and Lazarus, teaching in what manner one ought to consider and treat earthly goods both while living and when dying, while condemning avarice and luxury (sect. IV, c. 11 - sect. IX, fin.). The third part instructs regarding the necessary struggle. The origin of this struggle, from which no mortal is immune, is traced back to the fall of our first parents; help and liberation are found in God, of which there are almost numberless examples, beginning with Joseph the Egyptian and Susanna; finally, especially from the Lord’s parable of the laborers hired into the vineyard (Matt. xx.), a glorious reward is promised to one who strives legitimately, and hence a more sublime zeal for all-encompassing perfection is provoked (sect. X, XIX, II.) [c].
2. *Treatise on Prayer* (*Logos peri proseuches*) [d], a work of distinction, consists of 153 Chapters. After the author has set forth the occasion of the Work in the preface, he discourses at length on prayer itself. He describes indiscriminately the two modes of prayer, the practical and the contemplative; he teaches what ought to be prayed for; and he sets forth—in brief chapters—the excellence and gifts of true prayer, the immediate and mediate preparation, the time of prayer, its efficacy against temptations (especially those of demons), remedies against distractions, etc.
3. *Treatise on the Eight Spirits of Malice* [e], is replete with excellent precepts, imitating the style of the book of Proverbs, using most fitting and elegant similitudes, he treats the eight capital vices, describes their malice and harmful consequences, shows how they may be conquered, and vehemently urges the virtues opposite to each. He begins by commending temperance (*enkrateia*), which he proposes as the very beginning of a life dedicated to the exercise of Christian virtues. The vices, however, which he attacks are these: Gluttony (c. 1-3), [the text...] had already filled; all of which conspire in a miraculous way, if [we assume that] c. 390 St. Nilus betook himself to the wilderness perhaps at the age of forty, while Theodulus was then ten years old, and the life of St. Nilus, which was without doubt prolonged beyond the year 426, as is evident from his Works (cf. Tillemont l. c. art. IX and X, p. 206, 209-210), reached its end around the year 430 or perhaps slightly later. This terminus of his life is rendered probable from the fact that many of his epistles (lib. I, item De monast. exercit. c. 45) strike quite openly against the heresy of Nestorius and explicitly call the B. V. Mary "Theotokos," while no trace or vestige of the impugned Eutychianism appears therein.
[a] Opp. S. Nili ed. Suares, p. 85-251. This treatise is cited in St. Anastasius of Sinai, *Questions and Answers on Various Arguments*, quæst. II, p. 24-27 (this locus is taken from sect. IV, c. 5 and 6, p. 102-3), quæst. XI, p. 134 (from sect. VI, c. 2, p. 129), and quæst. XXI, p. 256 (from sect. VII, c. 1, p. 130). Cf. Suares, in Opp. S. Nili p. 595-604 and p. 637. Tillemont l. c. art. X (p. 209), and Ceillier l. c. art. II, § 11 (p. 154-55). [b] Their opinion is not improbable who think this illustrious woman to be the same as the Alexandrian Peristeria, of whom Ischyrion, the Alexandrian deacon, spoke in a little book to Leo the Great, read at the Council of Chalcedon, act. III (Mansi t. VI, col. 1013). [c] The last two sections (XI and XII) seemed to the editor Suares (p. 604) rather to be appendices of this work; but since the author of this work wanders at liberty more than once, the style is not at all discrepant, and the subject matter agrees with the scope of the whole book, it has seemed to me beyond doubt that they make up a part of the work itself. [d] Opp. S. Nili ed. Suares, p. 475-511. Photius mentions it in Cod. 201 (p. 270). Cf. Suares in Opp. Nili p. 624 and 627. Tillemont l. c. art. XI (p. 211-12), and Ceillier l. c. art. II, § IV, n. 9 (p. 162-64). Almost everything which is referred to in the *Apophthegmata Patrum* (Cotelerius, *Monumenta Ecclesiæ Græcæ*, t. 1, p. 573-74) concerning Abba Nilus (*peri tou Abba Neilou*) is taken from this treatise. [e] Opp. S. Nili ed. Suares, p. 456-74, also in *Auctuarium Biblioth. Patrum Gr. Lat.* ed. P. Combefis, Paris, 1672, p. 1, p. 503-15. And included with Palladius's *Dialogus de vita S. Joannis Chrysostomi* ed. Bigot, Paris, 1680, p. 356-82 (with a very ancient Latin version). From this book, c. 4 (p. 459), is taken a sentiment which Abba Nilus is said to have uttered in *Vitis Patrum* ed. Rosweydus, lib. V, libell. 2, § 11 (p. 564). Cf. Suares, ibid. p. 622-24, Tillemont l. c. art. XI (p. 241), Ceillier l. c. art. II, § IV, n. 7 (p. 160-61), and Bigot in the Preface to the cited work at the end. Cotelerius in *Monumenta Ecclesiæ Græcæ*, t. III, p. 185-219, edited another, slightly more diffuse treatise, which is inscribed: *On the Eight Vicious Thoughts* (*peri ton okto tes kakias logismon*), concerning which the opinion of the learned Dupin seems to me more probable than others, who, namely, establishes that the treatise edited by Suares and Bigot is the original work of St. Nilus, whereas that of Cotelerius is interpolated in various places, in almost the same manner in which, even in our own age, a certain pious and learned man has added several sentences of the same argument to the books on the *Imitation of Christ*, certainly with the best intention and fruit. Cf. Ceillier, l. c. art. II, IV, n. 8 (p. 162).
A lasciviousness (c. 4–6), avarice (c. 7–8), anger (c. 9–10), sadness (c. 11–12), acedia (c. 13–14), vainglory (c. 15–16), and pride (c. 17–19).
4. A *Tractate on the Eulogy of Vices*, which are opposed to the virtues, follows an almost identical argument but in a slightly different manner, while it depicts the eight principal vices and the virtues opposed to them: gluttony and temperance, lust and chastity, avarice and voluntary poverty, sadness and joy in the Lord, anger and long-suffering, acedia and the endurance of labors, vainglory and the flight of vainglory, and lastly, envy, in a few words.
5. A *Tractate on Diverse Malignant Thoughts*, consisting of 27 chapters, deals with diabolical temptations, describes the various species of temptations, and accurately shows the manner in which evil thoughts originate in a person from the triple root of gluttony, avarice, and human glory through the operation of the devil, while teaching at the same time how we may resist them.
6. A *Sermon* (λόγος) on that statement of the Gospel: "He that hath no purse, let him sell his garment, and buy a sword" (Luke XXII, 36). These words, which do not appear able to yield a suitable meaning in the historical sense, are explained allegorically, so that most ingeniously the garment is understood as the practice and habit of virtue, especially of meekness and humility, while the sword is taken as the study and knowledge of the divine word for the purpose of attacking the enemies of the Christian faith, and this interpretation is illustrated by various passages of divine Scripture accommodated to this sense.
B II. WORKS OF ST. NILUS WHICH PERTAIN TO THE MONASTIC LIFE.
1. A *Narrative of the Slaughter of Monks on Mount Sinai*. This history (as Nilus himself calls it) which is divided into seven narratives, describes the withdrawal of Nilus himself into the solitude of Mount Sinai, the life of the monks living there, the incursion of the barbarians and the slaughter of many monks, the fate of his son Theodulus abducted into the captivity of the barbarians, and finally how the son was found by his father and rejoined him in his former solitude and monastic life.
2. An *Oration to Ablabius*, a Nitrian monk, whose life is described as an exemplar and norm of the monastic life and is proposed for imitation.
3. A *Tractate on Monastic Exercise* (λόγος ἀσκητικός) which of its own accord divides into three parts. It describes in the first place the origin and idea of the monastic life (or true philosophy) and laments how much that sublime condition of the monastic life has fallen away (c. 1–21). Then it instructs the superiors, setting forth the qualities required in the superior of monks, the duties of such an office, and the difficulties, from which it infers that no one should seek such a burden (c. 21–41). Finally, turning to the monks, it exhorts them in many and very grave words to fulfill the duties of their condition strenuously, such as obedience, the renunciation of earthly goods and affections, the spiritual battle against the passions—specifically gluttony, pleasure, and anger—the love of solitude, and the study of piety (c. 42–75).
4. A *Tractate on Voluntary Poverty* (λόγος περὶ ἀκτημοσύνης) which is a continuation...
of the work on monastic exercise A appears to be the case. In it, he first persuades generally regarding the renunciation of all worldly things (c. 1–12); then he distinguishes a threefold voluntary poverty: highest, middle, and lowest, the last of which is content with merely an external appearance. The saints, who, burdened by no care for things pertaining to the body and trusting entirely in divine providence, cast away their possessions and lived for God alone and the salvation of their soul, cultivated the highest poverty (c. 13–21). He especially commends the middle poverty to monks, namely, that in which they spend a portion of their time in manual labor to procure what is necessary for the body, while they spend the remaining time in prayer and reading (c. 21–29). Those, however, who, remaining in the lowest stage, present only the appearance of poverty in their monastic habit, while otherwise emulating secular men, waste days and nights in worldly cares and business and strive to accumulate earthly goods—these he sharply rebukes and attempts to lead toward a better way of life (c. 30–41). Then, he kindly instructs good monks, who are studious of true poverty, as to how they ought to strive toward the likeness of God and, according to the teaching of the Apostle Paul, arrive at a more sublime perfection by which a man lives in the spirit and not in the flesh (c. 42–51), and furthermore, that they ought to tear away their very affection and solicitude from earthly things and, always intent upon the meditation of the divine law and nature, devote every effort of both body and mind to the fulfillment of God’s will (c. 52–64): finally, he adds to these some admonitions regarding temperance, humility, and patience, especially for those who had recently been enrolled in the company of monks (c. 65–67). B 5. The *Tractate on the Excellence of Monks* (a) proves at length that those who dwell in cities are more excellent than those who remain in the deserts. He confirms this thesis most strongly by placing before the eyes of the readers the damage and dangers of associating among men, as well as the spiritual advantages of solitude and quiet (c. 1–9 and 21–27). He also resolves a double objection, one of which argues that it is a noble work, and full of merit, to lead a life among secular men, to take care of souls, and to direct them on the way of eternal salvation (c. 9–12); the other, however, persuades that the dangers are not to be feared so greatly, for the reason that the habit of evils diminishes their force significantly (c. 13–20). 6. The *Tractate to the Monk Eulogius* (b) is filled with excellent matters which perfect not only the monastic life but the Christian life in general. It treats of the pilgrimage away from worldly things (c. 2), of fortitude, humility, and tolerance (c. 3–5), of pursuing peace both external and internal (c. 5–6), and of the discernment of spirits (c. 6–7). Moreover, he teaches what ought to be done in sadness and tribulations (c. 7–8): he reveals the trickery and frauds of the devil in the spiritual battle, and instructs how one must overcome the passions, persist in prayer, perform manual labor, and cultivate virtues with tireless study, so as to devote oneself to meekness, poverty, continence, hospitality, obedience to the truth, and finally charity (c. 8–34).
III. SENTENCES OR ADMONITIONS.
The *Sentences* or *Admonitions* of St. Nilus, nearly 200 in number (c), declare C excellent moral and ascetic truths briefly, clearly, powerfully, and ingeniously. [These] are addressed to the deacon Mogarus, nor is any trace found in the course of the work that this book was written for a pious woman; on the contrary, what is contained in chapter 65 [suggests this], for the saint could scarcely have written it to a woman, and in chapters 42, 45, 51, 52, and 64 he openly addresses men who, according to chapter 1 and 65, appear to be the same, or certainly similar to those, whom he had instructed in the book *On Monastic Exercise*. Cf. Suares in *Opp. S. Nili*, pp. 604–6; Tillemont, *l.c.*, art. X (pp. 209–10) and Note 3 (ibid., p. 743); and Ceillier, *l.c.*, art. 11, § II (pp. 156–57).
(a) *Opp. S. Nili ed. Suares*, pp. 577–607. From this book are excerpted the sentences [sententiae] which are to be found among the *Sentences of St. Nilus leading a man away from corruptible things*, n. 122–35 (*Opp. S. Nili ed. cit.*, pp. 572–75). Cf. Suares in *Opp. S. Nili*, pp. 619–21; Tillemont, *l.c.*, art. XI (pp. 210–11); and Ceillier, *l.c.*, art. 11, § IV, n. 6 (pp. 159–60).
(b) *Opp. S. Nili ed. Suares*, pp. 408–59. Cf. Suares, ibid., pp. 621–22; Tillemont, *l.c.*, art. X (p. 208); and Ceillier, *l.c.*, art. 11, § IV, n. 6 (pp. 159–60).
(c) Of the *Sentences* or *Capitula* which are inscribed to St. Nilus, Suaresius exhibits five collections in *Opp. S. Nili*, pp. 545–75; furthermore, under the title: *Capitula of Nilus the Bishop and Martyr, or Precepts on living life piously, Christianly, and honestly* (κεφάλαια ἢ παραινέσεις), M. Neander edited a collection of 229 sentences in Greek and Latin, Basel 1559 in 4°, reprinted in *Monumenta SS. Patrum orthodoxographis* edited by Grynæus, Basel 1569 fol. vol. I, pp. 169–180, and frequently (for various editions of this collection in the *Bibliotheca Patrum*, see J. A. Fabricius, *Biblioth. Graec.*, vol. X, pp. 7–9). This collection of Neandrus and Grynæus, which Suaresius, as it was already printed, wished to omit (although subsequently, without having employed due diligence, he caused a part of it to be printed among the Works of St. Nilus edited by himself, as will be said below), properly consists of three parts. Part I comprises 24 sentences digested in alphabetical order; Part II, which begins: *Φόβον ἔχε*, contains 113 sentences; Part III, however, to which it is necessary to add another eight sentences, which Suaresius extracted from a certain Roman manuscript codex and published in his *Dissertation on the Works of St. Nilus* to complete the collection of Neandrus, exhibits those sentences which are inscribed by Suaresius: *Sentences leading a man away from corruptible things*, and they constitute the fifth of his [Suaresius's] own collection, n. 1–98 (*Opp. Nili ed. Suares*, pp. 557–640). Having premised these for the sake of clarity, the genuine *Sentences of Nilus*, which Nicephorus Callistus also praises in *Hist. eccles.* lib. XIV, c. 54, must be sought out. For no small difficulty arises concerning these sentences, because some manuscripts attribute them to St. Nilus, others to Evagrius, as Suaresius notes *l.c.*, pp. 611–13 and p. 624–p. 543–47. In so much confusion and uncertainty, believing that I must consult the ancient Greek authors, I have found sufficiently certain indications, as it seems to me, by which I might restore the individual collections to the author. Collection 1 of Suaresius (Κεφάλαια 55 κατ' ἀκολουθίαν).
ἀκολουθίαν), A II. (Spiritual Sentences, alphabetical, pp. 548-51) and III. (Other Sentences, pp. 552-53) have deservedly been long attributed to the works of Evagrius, both by the trust placed in the manuscripts and by the authority of the ancients. — Suaresius’s Collection IV (Institution for Monks, pp. 553-56), from those things which Suares himself brings forward on p. 626, is assigned much more probably to Evagrius, whence it is surprising that it escaped the comprehensive diligence of A. Galland in collecting the scattered pamphlets of Evagrius everywhere. — Suaresius’s Collection V (Sentences leading man away from corruptible things, pp. 557-75) can be divided into two parts: nos. 1-98 and nos. 99-135; the latter is nothing more than an addition, not pertaining to this. For I know not what enthusiast for the works of S. Nilus, from his books *On Voluntary Poverty* and *On the Excellence of Monks*, copied out most beautiful sentences verbatim, collected them into one, and added them there from no. 99-135 (pp. 564-75). Therefore, there remains properly in Collection V the former part or *Sentences leading away*, nos. 1-98 (pp. 557-64). However, the part of the collection of sentences which M. Neander made public, and after him J. Grynaeus and the *Bibliotheca Patrum*, has1 Evagrius as author according to the testimony of the ancients; for it is cited from these alphabetical sentences under the name of Evagrius [as no. 2 in S. John Damascene’s *Sacred Parallels*, letter A, title 19; no. 3 in Antonius Melissa, ed. Tiguri, 1546, fol. p. 125; no. 7 in S. John Damascene’s *Sacred Parallels*, letter A, title 7; no. 17 in S. Maximus the Confessor’s *Theological Chapters*, sermon, same as Antonius Melissa p. 50; and no. 23 in S. John Damascene’s *Sacred Parallels*, letter O, title 9; cf. Cotelier’s *Ecclesiastical Monuments of the Greeks*, vol. III, pp. 544-45]. Parts II and III of this collection, beginning from the sentence 456ov Exe 0a0u, include 204 sentences, or, with the eight sentences added in the Dissertation of Suaresius on the works of S. Nilus found there, 212. Suaresius, however, not noticing that the last 91 sentences of this collection of Neander (which I have called Part III of Neander’s collection above) are, together with those eight brought forth by him from the Roman manuscript and—as the manuscript testifies—pertaining to this, the very same 98 sentences which constitute the former part of Suaresius’s Collection V, or nos. 1-98 (pp. 557-64), added them again to the works of Nilus under this title: *Sentences leading man away from corruptible things*, B differing by almost one number from those which Neander’s collection, Part III, exhibited. But that part II and III of Neander’s collection, printed more frequently, truly has S. Nilus as its author; for it is cited under the name of S. Nilus from these sentences [as p. II, which begins: 456ov Exe 0e0u, no. 4 by S. Maximus, l. c. serm. 2 (vol. II, p. 531) and in Antonius Melissa p. 10; item as p. II, no. 69 by S. Maximus, l. c. serm. 18 (vol. II, p. 588) and in Antonius Melissa p. 70; then as p. III (or *Sentences leading away* etc.) no. 7 ed. Suares, by S. John Damascene, *Sacred Parallels*, letter Y, title 12, no. 35 ed. Suares, by S. Maximus, l. c. serm. 47 (vol. II, p. 647) and in Antonius Melissa p. 135; no. 48 ed. Suares, by S. Maximus l. c. serm. 12 (vol. II, p. 568) and in Antonius Melissa p. 38; finally no. 91 ed. Suares, by S. Maximus l. c. serm. 49 (vol. II, p. 650) and in Antonius Melissa p. 139]. I have judged that these things should be explained more clearly and accurately so that I might bring some light to the intricate question concerning the author of these various sentences. Furthermore, regarding the false title: *Bishop and Martyr*, which is prefixed to the genuine collection of our Nilus’s sentences, cf. the *Diatribe on Nilus* by Leo Allatius, annexed to his edition of the *Epistles of S. Nilus* p. 16, 19-22, and Tillemont.
(a) There are two editions of the epistles of S. Nilus, namely: *S. Nili Epistolae Gr. et Lat. cum Notis* ed. P. Possini, Paris, 1657, in-4°; and: *S. Nili Epistolarum libri IV Gr. et Lat.* ed. Leo Allatius, Rome, 1668, fol. Possini’s edition contains 355 epistles, Allatius’s edition 1061, among which are found all the epistles of the Possinian edition except one epistle. I shall follow Allatius’s edition here, as it is more complete.
(b) Few epistles appear to be complete, from which one may certainly learn the damage that Christian piety has suffered through this mutilation; see lib. II, ep. 167; III, 43, 245, 257; IV, 1, which last, however, is judged not to be S. Nilus’s on account of a diversity of style. Epistles which consist of nothing more than a single and brief sentence occur frequently from Gr. lib. I, ep. 8, 14, 15, 35, 42, 47, 49. A clear example is had of the way in which a brief sentence of this kind, plucked from a larger epistle, is exhibited as an epistle subsisting by itself in the Allatian edition, which it is very likely happened quite often. Sometimes two or more epistles, which Allatius numbers separately, are not obscurely excerpted from one and the same epistle of Nilus, such as lib. I, ep. 38-40, 55-57, 63-66, 80-81, 98-101, 109-115, 145-147, 165-66, 311-12; lib. II, ep. 6-7 (cf. Possini ep. 277), 91-92; lib. III, ep. 53-54 (cf. Possini ep. 30), 109-110 (cf. Possin. ep. 66), 150-131 (cf. Possin. ep. 90), 139-40 (cf. Possin. ep. 97), 201-3 (cf. Possin. ep. 145), 205-7 (cf. Possin. ep. 147), 209-211 (cf. Possin. ep. 149), 217-18 (cf. Possin. ep. 153), 229-30 (cf. Possin. ep. 161), 233-34 (cf. Possin. ep. 164). Indeed, one epistle occurs (lib. III, ep. 53) which contains within itself fourteen other epistles. Other epistles occur, sometimes with no change, sometimes with a slight alteration, as lib. I, ep. 151, I, 73, and 67; II, 117, II, 140 (fin), II, 257, III, 293 (lin), III, 97, III, 248, II, 106, II, 249, III, 113, IV, 10, III, 114, II, 250, III, 160, IV, 25 (fin), III, 64 and 65. Furthermore, many of these epistles were translated verbatim from Nilus’s book *On Monastic Exercise*, e.g., lib. II, ep. 54 from cap. 3, lib. II, ep. 55 from cap. 41, lib. II, ep. 57 from cap. 5, lib. II, ep. 60 from cap. 16-17, lib. II, ep. 65 from cap. 42, lib. II, ep. 68 from cap. 47, lib. II, ep. 69 from cap. 50, lib. II, ep. 70 from cap. 66, lib. I, ep. 188 from cap. 15, lib. II, ep. 195 from cap. 1, lib. II, ep. 198 from cap. 26, lib. II, ep. 259 from cap. 75, lib. II, ep. 264 from cap. 2, lib. III, ep. 119 from cap. 9, lib. III, ep. 293 from cap. 73, 74, 75, lib. II, ep. 328 from cap. 72, lib. III, ep. 532 from cap. 35, finally ep. 534 ed. Possini (which alone is missing in the Allatius edition) from cap. 71. Similarly, lib. IV, ep. 6 seems to have been taken from Nilus’s *Tract to Eulogius*, c. 29. Moreover, lib. I, ep. 32 is read in S. Gregory Nazianzen’s *Oration* 21, no. 15 ed. Maur., lib. I, ep. 36 in S. Basil the Great’s *Homily on Psalm XXXII*, no. 3 ed. Maur., lib. I, ep. 247 in S. Irenaeus *Against Heresies*, lib. I, c.
A His letters are partly dogmatic, partly exegetical, partly moral and ascetical. The dogmatic letters impugn the Gentiles and the Jews (I, ep. 124–28); then heretics in general, and specifically the Gnostics (I, 234, 248, 296) and Manichaeans (II, 321. Cf. I, 117); the Origenists (I, 188–90) and Novatians (II, 155, cf. III, 243); the Arians or followers of Eunomius (c), the Macedonians (I, 211, II, 210), and the Apollinarians (I, 257, 272; II, 40, 49). Furthermore, he proves the existence of God (I, ep. 19), describes His nature (I, 47, 458), confesses the Trinity (I, 174, 255), explains the Incarnation of our Savior (d), and asserts the perpetual virginity of Mary, the Mother of God (I, 263, 269, 270, 271). He teaches that the origin of evil is to be traced not to nature, but to free will (II, 299, 309; III, 22), he notes original sin clearly enough (I, 249, 328), and explains the whole doctrine of justification quite clearly (e); he also indicates in few words the nature of the Church and its propagation through the apostles (I, 117, 209, 258, 268, 275, 230; II, B [omission in original: presumably referring to] resurrection (I, 109–118, 173; II, 78, 82, 170, 200; III, 120, 135), and asserts eternal blessedness (II, 247, 250, 251; IV, 22).
The exegetical letters interpret phrases or passages of Holy Scripture both in the literal and historical sense (f), and in the allegorical sense (g).
The moral and ascetical letters contain a distinguished treasure, by which the life of a Christian man is so cultivated that it attains the highest perfection. Primarily, he commends true faith in God the rewarder and Christ the Savior (h). He also frequently confirms our hope in God's mercy and goodness, whether we are subject to sins or assailed by temptations, whether we are oppressed by adverse circumstances or destitute of necessary things (i); yet to hope he joins fear (I, 14, 96; III, 5, 136, 272, 276; IV, 22) and patience (III, 35, 68, 144, 305, 309).
8. n. 10 ed. Maur., lib. III, ep. 13 in S. Chrysostom's Homily 1, *On the Statues*, n. 9–10; lib. III, ep. 24 in the *Recognitions* wrongly ascribed to Clement of Rome, lib. II, n. 20–21 (ed. Lips.); lib. IV, ep. 14 in S. Basil the Great's Homily 14, n. 8 ed. Maur.; finally, lib. III, ep. 242 is verbatim cobbled together from S. Isidore of Pelusium, lib. I, ep. 402; the latter, among the *Apophthegmata Patrum*, is likewise referred to under the name of Abbot Isidore of Pelusium in Cotelier’s *Ecclesiae Graecae Monumenta*, vol. I, p. 488. It will be helpful to have pointed out these few things to persuade [the reader] that the edition of the letters of S. Nilus leaves much to be desired and that a wide field for critical art still lies open in them. Cf. also Leo Allatius, *Diatriba de Nilis*, ed. cit., p. 27–29; Suares in *Opp. Nili*, p. 633–34; J. A. Fabricius, *Biblioth. Graec.*, vol. X, p. 11–13, and Ceillier, l.c., art. III, n. 9 (p. 192).
(a) Lib. I, ep. 6, 56, 57, 75, 278, 282; lib. II, ep. 16, cf. lib. I, ep. 229; lib. IV, ep. 32. (b) Lib. I, ep. 204, 247, 256, 285, 315; lib. II, ep. 49, 123. (c) Lib. I, ep. 16, 18, 70, 79, 114–16, 191, 193, 205–206, 219, 226, 286, 288; lib. II, ep. 39, 293. Passages of Holy Scripture, which the Arians were accustomed to use to confirm their errors, are briefly explained. (d) Lib. I, ep. 88, 102, 149, 170, 171, 259, 272, 293; lib. II, ep. 40, 150, 187, 238, 289, 292; lib. III, ep. 91, 92. Many of these letters, especially those striking at the errors of [Nestorius], although the name of this heresiarch never appears anywhere; from which, perhaps, one might conjecture, not without likelihood, that S. Nilus departed from this life not long after a. 430. (e) See lib. I, ep. 60, 61, 63–66, 104, 108, 131, 250–51, 260, 262, 267–68, 271, 272, 276, 298, 303. Whoever wishes to read these through attentively will easily discern therefrom the full doctrine of S. Nilus concerning justification, predestination, grace, and free will, concerning good works and their reward, consistent with the doctrine of the Council of Trent, session VI. (f) See, e.g., I, 7, 12, 14, 15, 17, 21, 23, 36, 55–57, 62, 69, 72, 77, 80, 81, 102, 104, 131, 132, 134, 135, 141, 145–47, 149, 150, 152–154, 172, 178, 192, 193, 200, 284, 293, 325, 333; IV, 5, 19, 25, 40. He also occasionally regards various Greek versions of the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament, as lib. III, ep. 38, 78, 191. (g) See, e.g., I, 265–68, 273, 276, 285, 289, 304, 320–21, 325, 330, 333; II, 2, 5, 14–16, 52, 64, 68, 69, 72, 74, 75, 79, 309; III, 1, 4, 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 23, 25, 28, 34, 36, 193–96, 201–4, 206–12, 220, 222, 225, 236, 240, 251, 253, 255, 257, 259, 265, 271, 275, 291–92, 302, 310; IV, 2, 8, 10, 12, 13, 23, 27–30, 32, 45, 46, 47, 51. He defends the manner of interpreting. Moreover, I ask that this prolix enumeration of exegetical letters should not weary the reader, remembering that it will be very convenient for students of Holy Scripture if they can turn Nilus' interpretations to their own use with ease. (h) Lib. I, ep. 8, 9, 101, 177, 198, 237, 313; lib. II, ep. 17, 149, 165, 216, 261, 314, 327; lib. III, ep. 5; IV, ep. 22, 46. How much faith consoles a man in the death of dear ones, he shows in I, 311–12; II, 170. (i) Lib. I, ep. 7, 10, 14, 22, 38–40, 123, 151, 230; IV, ep. 36–39, 42, 48.
A frequently stirs sinners to conversion and amendment, admirably describing the power and manner of penance (a). He treats most often of temptations, explaining why they are permitted by God, and he describes the various modes and degrees of temptation; he warns that the principal temptations—of incredulity, blasphemy, pride and vainglory, gluttony and lust, avarice and irascibility, sadness, fear, and acedia—must be anxiously avoided and bravely overcome. At the same time, he advises that the principal remedies for temptations—the faith of Christ and the denial of one's self, vigilance, humility, obedience, patience, fasting, and vigils—must be diligently employed, and he promises glorious triumphs and blessed rest for such a spiritual battle against B opposing demons and disordered affections, a battle which is no less necessary than it is useful (b). He teaches that the adverse events of this life, ordained by God for our salvation, must be borne not only with patience and trust, but also with thanksgiving and an exultation of the spirit (c). He maximally commends, however, persevering prayer for overcoming temptations and adversities, adding psalmody and diligent reading of Holy Scripture to prayer, and finally he teaches its best method and supreme efficacy (d). He also inculcates charity, both toward God and toward one's neighbor, even toward an enemy, with weighty words (e). From the fruits of charity, he praises almsgiving (II. 149. 157. 230. 274. 298. 301–2, III. 7) and perfect continence or virginity (II. 31. 118, III. 298) in the highest degree. Other letters pertain especially to monks; he praises, instructs, and corrects them (f), and especially rebukes the wandering and unstable (I. 292. 295, II. 56. 62. 71–72. 117. 136, III. 119. 223).
NOTE I. Certain fragments of St. Nilus are exhibited in Latin only in the Works of St. Nilus, ed. Suares, pp. 635–37. His Book against the Gentiles (concerning which see Nicephorus Callistus in *Hist. eccl.* lib. XIV, c. 54) and the Book on Compunction (concerning which Nilus himself speaks in lib. II, ep. 11) have been lost. An Expository on the Song of Songs, collected from the commentaries of St. Gregory of Nyssa, Nilus, and Maximus, in which the places of each are so mixed that they can hardly be distinguished, exists in Greek and Latin in the *Bibliotheca Patrum*, Paris, 1654, vol. XIII. Cf. regarding these and other works of St. Nilus the *Diatribe de Nilis* of Leo Allatius, appended to the edition of the Letters of St. Nilus, pp. 16–18 and pp. 29–31; Tillemont, *loc. cit.*, art. XI (p. 213); and J. A. Fabricius, *Biblioth. Graec.*, vol. X, pp. 6 and 16–17.
NOTE II. These are the spurious works of St. Nilus: 1) A Moral Treatise (*Opp. Nili* ed. Suares, pp. 321–26), cf. Tillemont, *loc. cit.*, art. XI, p. 210; Ceillier, *loc. cit.*, art. II, § IV, n. 1 (p. 158); 2) Epictetus’ *Enchiridion* or Manual, perhaps contracted and interpolated by St. Nilus (*Opp. Nili* ed. Suares, pp. 327–53), cf. Leo Allatius, *Diatribe de Nilis*, *loc. cit.*, pp. 31–33; Tillemont, *loc. cit.*, art. XI, p. 210; Ceillier, *loc. cit.*, art. II, § IV, p. 158; 3) The Narration of the monk Pachon (*Opp. Nili* ed. Suares, pp. 355–57), cf. Tillemont, *loc. cit.*, art. XI, p. 210; Ceillier, *loc. cit.*, art. II, § IV, n. 3, p. 158; 4) A Dogmatic Sermon on the Holy Trinity, which is St. Basil the Great’s Epistle 8, cf. Tillemont, *loc. cit.*, art. XI, p. 210; Ceillier, *loc. cit.*, art. II, § IV, n. 4 (pp. 158–59); 5) The Martyrdom of St. Theodotus of Ancyra, who suffered under the Emperor Diocletian, which exists in Greek and Latin, written by another Nilus, a contemporary author, in Galland’s *Bibliotheca Patrum*, vol. IV, pp. 114–30; cf. *ibid.*, *Prolegom.*, cap. 7; 6) An Oratio Supplex to God against the incursion of barbarians, etc., which some ascribe to our Nilus, but which must be attributed to a certain Nilus the Younger; cf. Oudin, vol. I, col. 1256–58. C D
NOTICE ON SAINT NILUS. THE CHARACTER AND DOCTRINE OF SAINT NILUS.
A The holy and distinguished Father Nilus, as he is called in the Second Council of Nicaea (a), set forth in his writings not so much the dogmas of the faith as the rules of conduct. His various studies contain a treasury of ascetic doctrine (b); he describes the diverse movements and intimate recesses of the human soul, the malignant arts of the devil, the benign mercy of God, the manifold struggle of man, his fall, and his victory, with such accurate knowledge, tender solicitude, and sincere charity, that no one does it better. His writings, full of vigor and stuffed with maxims, shine with most elegant similes (c); and although they excel in a certain nervous vehemence, everything is nonetheless tempered by the sweetness of extraordinary charity.
His dogmatic doctrine, which is everywhere the foundation of moral teaching, agrees perfectly with Catholic doctrine, as will be evident from these points:
1. Of faith, which is the beginning of salvation, the same is declared in his words: «No one comes to me, says our Savior Christ, unless it is given to him from above. For faith in Christ is not obvious to everyone; it requires a superior impulse, since truly to believe is the work of a generous soul. Therefore, such a soul needs that compunction which is from God, so that it may believe. But even a heavenly impulse requires our own choice and free will.» Lib. II. ep. 288. Cf. Concil. Trid. sess. 6. cap. 6, and can. 3, 4.
2. Of good works, he teaches that they are necessary: «The logic of true piety consists of two things: pious dogmas and good works; therefore, the one is not to be separated from the other.» Lib. II, ep. 161. Cf. Concil. Trident. sess. 6, cap. 11, 16, and can. 25.
3. Transubstantiation is openly proposed: «Before the words and the coming of the Holy Spirit, common bread and wine are what are set forth; but after those tremendous invocations and the coming of the adorable, life-giving, and good Spirit, they are no longer common bread and common wine that have been set upon the holy altar, but the precious and immaculate body and blood of Christ, the God of all, cleansing from all filth those who, with fear and maximum desire, become participants of them (d).»
4. Of the confession of sins and satisfaction, he has this: «Do not despise, O priest, but rather embrace and cherish a heart that is contrite and humbled, and take back and save, not only seeking and demanding from delinquents the fruits of well-performed deeds of great value through studious works, but also receiving the words of those who are stung with compunction for their own sin and who confess their crimes to you with immense dejection of spirit (e).»
5. Of the invocation of saints and sacred images, he says: «In every place those who, through the same (holy martyrs), implore God, can bring about all things that are wondrous and beyond expectation, by the celebration of the Lord Christ and the most illustrious champions (martyrs) who are famous in honor and name.» — «It is proper to a fixed and manly spirit to form one single cross in the sanctuary toward the East of a most sacred church; for indeed, by one salutary cross the whole human race is freed from servitude, and good hope shines forth for those in despair everywhere among the nations; furthermore, fill the sacred building with narrations from the Old and New Testaments on every side by the hand of an excellent painter, so that those unlearned in letters and ignorant of the reading of the divine Scriptures may, from the visual contemplation of the figure, acquire knowledge of the deeds well performed by those who truly and legitimately served God, and may hasten to their glorious and most excellent struggles (f).»
EDITIONS. *Certain works of Saint Nilus not yet published in Greek and Latin, ed. P. Possinus, Paris, 1679, in 4°.* — *Treatises or Opuscula of Abbot Nilus (omitting those which Possinus had published) in Greek and Latin, ed. Suaresius, Rome, 1673, fol.* — *Epistles of Saint Nilus (355) in Greek and Latin, ed. P. Possinus, Paris, 1657, in 4°.* — *The Ascetica of Saint Nilus, disciple of Saint John Chrysostom, four books of Epistles (in which all the epistles of the prior edition are contained, one excepted) in Greek and Latin, ed. Leo Allatius, Rome, 1668, fol.* — Regarding these and other editions that exist only in Latin, cf. Ceillier, l.c. art. III, n. 9 (p. 190–93) and Hoffmann, *Lexicon bibliographicum* (t. III, p. 141–45). It is also worth noting that the Greek text of the Epistles of Nilus in the Allatius edition is deformed by many errors, and the Latin version of both this edition of the Epistles and the Opuscula of the Suaresius edition is in many places very obscure and convoluted.
SECOND NOTICE.
(Leo ALLATIUS, *Diatriba de Nilis*, at the end of the Epistles of Nilus, p. 7.)Nilus, Eparch of Constantinople, monk and ascetic from being an eparch, with his son Theodulus.
A But now our Nilus the Ascetic is present, whom Nicephorus Callistus mentions in *Ecclesiastical History*, Book XIV, ch. 54, as most distinguished in virtue, doctrine, and eloquence, whom Michael Neander calls a man of no value. The Basilian Menologium of the Vatican Library, January 14: "The Struggle of our holy Fathers who were perfected on Mount Sinai. These holy men, coming from diverse places and regions, abandoned the world, and kin, and wealth, and departed to Mount Sinai, and became monks, serving God alone, and feeding on wild herbs. And among these holy men was also holy Nilus, who had been Eparch of Constantinople, a wise and pious man; but he too, for the sake of Christ, abandoned both glory and wealth, and became one of the poor monks. But the devil, moved by envy, stirred up the savage nation of the Blemmyes against the holy Fathers; these are they who dwell from Arabia to Egypt along the Red Sea, and hoping to find wealth, they came to plunder the monks. But when they found nothing but mats of reeds alone, and that the holy men were clothed in haircloth, they were thus perfected."
B The blessed Nilus had Constantinople as his fatherland, of which, due to the excellence of his nobility, he was also Eparch. Flowing with deep wealth and power, he exchanged them for an ascetic life. He was much spoken of in the time of the Emperor Maurice, being known as Eparch of Constantinople. Having been joined in marriage to a dignified woman, and having begotten two children, a male and a female, he persuaded his wife to leave Constantinople and settle in the monasteries of Egypt, and to divide the children between them; he himself took the son, Theodulus, and she took their daughter, and having done so, they separated from one another. And when the blessed Nilus had reached the mountain with his son and was enjoying the company of the Fathers, then...
C ...certain barbarians, creeping and rushing in like wild beasts, carried off his son Theodulus into captivity, along with many others. The *Roman Martyrology*, the day before the Ides of November: "At Constantinople, Saint Nilus the abbot, who from being Prefect of the city became a monk, and flourished in doctrine and sanctity under Theodosius the Younger." And finally, the Menologium of Sirleti, November 12: "Nativity of our holy Father Nilus. He was, under the Emperor Maurice, distinguished in the learning of the holy Scriptures and the sanctity of his morals, who, having incited many to the pursuit of virtue by the power of his prayers and the example of his righteous life, rested in peace."
D Here, so that you may perceive the unbridled spirit of the poison of perverse religion and petulant sectarians in ulcerating clear and pure Catholic truth, and in interpreting the malice in the words of Callistus cited above, when he speaks about our Nilus, I repeat to you the words of Nicephorus: "For the admirable Nilus, Constantinople was his fatherland, of which, on account of the outstanding nobility of his lineage, he was also Prefect. Flowing with power and wealth, he preferred the ascetic life to them." The meaning of which is this: although he was most famous for nobility, dignity, wealth, and other things, and, in the greatest of all cities, excelled in power, nevertheless...