we shall express the power of these things in the sequence of our discourse, and having now arrived at this point, God willing, after having previously interpreted according to our ability those things pertaining to the sacred ordinations, we shall now speak of this.
Clericus: Yes, most holy master. It is fitting and necessary for us to be taught about this as well.
ON PENITENCE
A Bishop: I, too, am prepared for this, and it shall be my concern to explain them according to my ability; for the sum of the salvation of all the faithful after baptism is penitence, and it is another purgatory, and a second baptism, happily instituted through confession and humility, and through labors undertaken according to one's power and tears. The prelude to this penitence was the publicans and sinners who approached Christ in penitence and were received by Him, and also the thief who upon the cross offered only confession and faith, and the words, "Remember me." The chief of the apostles, also, when after the fall of his denial he had wept bitterly, both obtained mercy and was restored to his former state by the triple questioning, and what is greater, was constituted the shepherd of Christ’s sheep, that he might feed them with attention and gentleness; and so that from his own fall, and from his reception after the fall, he might learn to receive those who have fallen and are penitent, and that all the shepherds of the Church might learn this same thing with him. For there is no man at all who does not sin, and I am the first, and I have sinned above all the faithful, and I ask for pardon and salvation.
Clericus: How truly we all need this pardon, since we all sin continually!
CHAPTER CCLI.
That this is penitence: to be continually humbled, and to call and consider oneself a sinner, and to run to confession. And that no one among men is pure from sins.D Bishop: Truly, brother. For who shall boast that he has a pure heart? Or who is pure from defilement, as it is written, even if he has spent but one day in this life? Whether one is considered a sinner because of original sin, or whether, after being illuminated by baptism, one immediately, even if unwillingly, falls into some sin. For it is impossible that, even in the ignorance of infancy, it should not happen that a father, or a friend, or some kinsman has sinned on his account. But on account of this it comes to pass that a stain and sin are immediately attributed to him, since man, even though he has received grace, for this reason alone, and for the things that are of the flesh, as soon as he is begotten, imprudently and without understanding seeks and desires them. And this arises from the transgres-
transgression. Hence also, as soon as he A is born and not yet understanding, he sins, because he is conceived in sins according to David. If, therefore, it is not possible that a recently born and newly-baptized infant should not have some sin impressed upon him, much more so is it for all of us who, although we use reason, nevertheless sin perpetually in all things both according to and contrary to our will—but rather according to our will, as we are rational beings, and we sin willingly B and continuously. For even the things of forgetfulness and ignorance proceed from our negligence; and there is no excuse to be found for this.
CHAPTER CCLII.
That it is necessary for all to repent, both the clergy and the laity.
Therefore, we must repent alone, as the Baptist and the Lord and His disciples preached; and it behooves both laymen and monks, and clerics and priests and bishops, that no one exempt himself from repentance, because we have all sinned and do sin, and we are all duty-bound to perform repentance. Therefore, both our Savior and His Baptist C said: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." He Himself, clearly, is the King of heaven, drawing near to those who repent; because "the Lord is near to all who call upon Him in truth." But I openly and clearly exclaim to all who are with me, through the grace of our Savior: Let us repent, that we may be saved; for the kingdom of God is near; and with the most divine Paul, "Now is our salvation nearer; for our Savior and Judge is coming. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light." That confession and repentance are necessary D for priests, and for monks, and for laymen, the Apostle testifies, saying: "Confess your trespasses one to another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed." From the fact that he says, "Confess to one another and pray for one another," he teaches that the confession of sins and repentance is useful for all, which, as we said, the Baptist had previously preached, and the Savior had performed, receiving the confessions of sinners, and especially those of the publican, the prodigal, the harlot, Zacchaeus, the thief on the cross, and very many others who had sinned, by their confession. Moreover, He demonstrates this by many parables, but especially by the parable of the prodigal son, who indeed did all the things that pertain to repentance. For when he said, "I have sinned against heaven and before thee," he made a confession; but when he said, "I am no longer worthy to be called thy son," he indicated contrition, and his own self-condemnation through voluntary self-reproach. But when he said, "Make me as one of thy hired servants," he offered a humble supplication with hope: for one must not despair of anyone. Behold, therefore, from the Gospel, the fruits of repentance which the Baptist himself requires: to turn away from sin; for thus did that prodigal who was saved; having abandoned his prodigality and his impure life, he returned to the father to confess to him. "I have sinned," he says confidently; and not simply, but "against heaven and before thee,"
A having clearly done things contrary to the heavens, and having appeared before thee as a scorner of thee, and not having been terrified, nor standing in awe, nor having been ashamed at all of thee, my holy Creator. To condemn oneself truly; for he says, "I am no longer worthy to be called thy son." And both to pray and to seek the works of the humble, those both under judgement and debtors; for he says, "Make me as one of thy hired servants." This the choir of the apostles also did and taught. Nay, rather, for the sake of this they went about laboring, and dying they ran, seeing those who were sinning and making haste to convert them; whom they both rebuked and exhorted, and turned away when it was necessary, and accepted, and they became wholly occupied in saving all.
CHAPTER CCLIII
That to preach repentance was even the peculiar work of the Saviour and of the apostles, and that this is owed by bishops and priests before all else.
Regarding this, indeed, we also must be anxious—I mean those of us who are consecrated; and I cry this both to myself and to the hierarchs with me, that this is more than all other works the excellent task owed by us: to lead [others] to repentance; and this is the labor of preaching, just as is the converting of the godless B to the faith. For although it is a good thing to draw the unbelieving to the faith—and indeed this is the work of the Saviour and His apostles—yet it is rare now, because the zeal of apostolic men has failed, and because persecutions have recently arisen more vehemently. But most excellent after this, and equal to it, is to preserve the faithful and to convert them with all power and all zeal to repentance. Therefore, it is not necessary to wait for them to come, nor to seek repentance from them, but [for us] to run as stewards of repentance, and to search out and seek the one who is falling, and by all means to hasten to draw him to God, and to lead him away from sin, and to bring him to God.
CHAPTER CCLIV
That the true preaching is the action of those C who work repentance in the faithful.
And this will be for the hierarch in place of the preaching of the Gospel; or rather, it is the preaching itself. For what else is preaching but the salvation of those who have perished, and the resurrection of those who have fallen, and the conversion of those who have swerved from the better way toward that same better way? Therefore, what it is to preach to those who have stumbled regarding the faith—in that he who converts them to God is as the mouth of God, making the worthy out of the unworthy—this same thing it is to convert him who has sinned. For he who converts a sinner from the error of his way is likewise the mouth of God, and worthy of Christ, as one saving a soul from death and covering a multitude of sins, as it is written. For which reason the discourse of doctrine is stirred up by the Spirit of the Church, D and is delivered, and is necessary and owed to the hierarch; and this should not be sophisticated and varied, nor composed of the words of external art, but simple, and according to one's power, instituted for the instruction of souls, the correction of morals, and
a good constitution; for the confirmation of those who stand; for the raising up of those who have fallen; for the bringing back of those who have strayed; for the settling of those who are shaken; and for the profit of all, so far as is possible. For even the arts and various methods did not originate with nature, but were invented after nature. But God, correcting nature, corrects it from the simple things given by nature, and not from variegated ones. Therefore, He has even become incarnate through the very nature that is ours, reforming and refashioning nature. Let the teacher, therefore, teach in simple words, and words derived especially from the Spirit, so that he may both correct and benefit himself, being humble and not boasting of varied [words], nor failing to benefit those who hear, and fulfilling his debt, considering this to be the end of all preaching and teaching: either to benefit the hearers and those under him, or to fulfill the debt. B "For woe unto me," says Paul, "if I preach not the gospel." Who also shows many times that [in performing] other sacred acts and mysteries, one should not be so hasty to perform baptism itself, but should prefer preaching, in order that he might convert as many as possible, and he says, "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel," even though he did baptize; for he baptized both Timothy and the house of Stephanas, and many others. But he preferred preaching to this. Why? Because it is necessary first to convert the unbeliever to the faith, and then to baptize him. To baptize, therefore, belongs to any priest, but to convert belongs to a teacher. But now, alas! I see many priests neglecting the sacraments, and at the same time the word of doctrine and divine and saving preaching; C performing sacred acts once with pride and a certain affectation, yet rarely praying and never preaching, sitting magnificently, and concerning themselves with secular judgments, from which all battles and tumults are born, and useless—nay, rather, soul-harming—strife and altercations. I see them anxiously occupying their minds with the care of corruptible goods, but having no regard for their own spiritual life, as if those who are under them were more spiritual than they themselves are, or for the investigation of the holy Scriptures, or for the observance of the canons, or for any other sacred diligence [handed down] from the Fathers; and they are not concerned for the churches, nor for the flock of Christ, although Paul declares this: "Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, D over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of the Lord and God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." And these things [apply] not to wolves that are yet to come, but to those already present. And for many, the discourse is frequent about their own revenues and personal business, but about the heavenly treasure of souls to be saved, the discourse is rare. And I do not place myself outside the number of such men; for I too, being negligent with the negligent, shall bear the blame of carelessness. Therefore, weighing the debt of my office within myself, I lament both for myself and for my brothers, and what is necessary to be said, I now say and set forth: namely, that it is our duty and debt, which we cannot shirk, to urge our brothers to take repentance into their heart. Repenten-
repentance is one of the sacraments, and it is the special office of bishops to stir it up and effect it in the faithful, and to strive for this. And let those who have received this ministry by command also strive to do so along with the bishops, and let them not gape after carnal gain—which is in truth a loss—as some (I do not say all, just as I do not say all bishops) have done. Nor let them judge contrary to the canons, lest the one who acts contrary to the canons might draw upon himself the sins of another.
Therefore, let no one, being deceived, think either that he is more accurate than the Fathers (for who was more knowing, or more attentive, or more pure than they in such matters?), B nor let him seem more compassionate than they, being deceived by acting laxly and falling away unreasonably with those who fall. But who is so bold as to presume to be more philanthropic than the Fathers? And whence will he have the authority if he rejects them and acts contrary to their definitions? He will surely act by his own authority, and what is done will not have security; for it does not flow from the succession of the Fathers. Therefore, let each one determine firmly and surely with himself to do nothing contrary to the definitions and canons of the Fathers, since these were established by various authors inspired by God, and are sufficient, being composed as if by the Spirit, C to heal the diseases and affections of the soul with remedies that are most salutary and effective in producing health. Concerning these, we need not speak, since they are most clear and are found written in many places, and have been explained by many for a clearer understanding. Therefore, all ought to judge according to the canons, and not give heed to I know not what other things composed outside of the canonical definitions, since grace descends to us through succession. For from the fountain of graces, our Lord and Savior, it came to his apostles; from the apostles, to the Fathers; from our Fathers, to us. If, therefore, we keep the things of the Fathers, the succession of grace will also be in us, and our judgment will be firm and stable. If, however, you act otherwise than what was determined by them, D your judgment also will be doubtful.
But what is it that compels one to act contrary to the definitions? It is the fervent demonstration of someone’s repentance, and a perfect confession of transgressions, and contrition from the soul, and humility, and the true abstaining from evil works, and the sincere hatred of sin from the heart, and the flight from it, and a readiness for the works of repentance in temperance and mercy. The Fathers teach these things most beautifully. And receive such a one, and confirm to him the things of charity; strengthen your brother, and inquire more diligently into matters of repentance, and test him yourself. If you have learned from him that he is being led by the genuine fruit of repentance, and if he seeks for something to be reasonably and usefully reduced or retracted from the set time of repentance, so that you may share with him what is good, you will not be forbidden; for the whole purpose of the sacraments is to unite all to the Good. And if you do this, you will not
A hesitate. For you will find [support] from the Fathers, and you will receive authority. And I myself join in encouraging you, as a fellow laborer and an enthusiast for your work. And encourage all the more the one who is eager, and embrace him, and treat him with all the strength you have, in proportion to his zeal.
Chapter CCLV.
*That attention must be given to those who profess to repent, and that those who come in sincerity must be received, but those who do this in hypocrisy must be examined.*If, however, someone is cold and double-minded, demonstrating conversion by word alone but not at all by deed in any way, not only sluggish and lazy in doing anything good but also ready to return to his own vomit, and as it were mocking the holy things and scoffing with gestures, or feigning humility and zeal, but being tested in a few things, immediately after participating in the gift becomes lukewarm or even cold, and again entangled in his former [sins], let such a person be far from you, lest you partake in the sins of others. For precious ointment should not be poured into a muddy vessel, and we are commanded not to throw pearls before swine, nor to give what is holy to the dogs—commands B we have received—who may seem well-disposed towards the Lord, but are actually unclean and bloodthirsty and rapacious. Nevertheless, one should not despair of such persons, nor should anyone be rejected, but, as we have said, each one must be sought and received and urged toward repentance, which is always to be expected as long as hope persists until the end; yet one must not deem them worthy of the communion of the saints, lest it be imputed—to the imprudent who give it as well as to those who receive it—as condemnation.
CHAPTER CCLVI.
*On confession, and how it ought to take place.*Confession, moreover, ought not to be made simply, but as our Savior demonstrated when He received Zacchaeus and the harlot. For the former confessed with a certain dignity C and contrition, and promised to correct the things he had done unjustly and to add divine works. "For behold," he says, "the half of my goods, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." But she, taking an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing at His feet, weeping behind Him (for she did not dare to be before His face), began to bathe His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head, and kissed His feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Therefore Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven you," and, "Because she loved much; but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." And to Zacchaeus, "Today salvation has come to this house." You see how, because of the eager inclination D of the mind toward good and the truth of conversion, the remission of sins was granted immediately along with salvation. But to those who do not repent: "Depart from me," He says, "you who work iniquity." And, concerning those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit, He said it "will never be forgiven," and to those who do not wish to forgive: "It will not be forgiven to you." And, "Unless you repent," He says, "you shall all likewise perish;" and to those who do not obey
A Him: "Behold, your house is left to you desolate." Therefore, one must repent sincerely and in humility; and not, as some say—which is ridiculous—that the heart is opened to confession while eating and drinking. Wherefore, those oppressed by gluttony, to say nothing more, dare confidently to perform the things of repentance, while doing the opposite and walking in opposition to Him who said: "Take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing and drunkenness, and that day come upon you unexpectedly." And how will he who is in such a state crush his heart? How will he be pricked with compunction? Or with what attention and humility will he perform the things that pertain to confession? B
CHAPTER CCLVII
*How he who hears the confession ought to sit and be disposed, and how he who confesses.*But this must not be done in such a way. For in a solemn and holy place, and privately and without disturbance, the one receiving the confession must sit with reverence, being cheerful and gentle in soul and in countenance, demonstrating the divine love through his demeanor and conduct; and he who is confessing must sit with confidence and divine fear and reverence before the one receiving him, or rather, before Christ Himself; C since, through the one who receives him, he is confessing to Christ, who also grants the remission. And the confessor must exhort him to say everything without doubting and in humility and truth, and to hide nothing.
CHAPTER CCLVIII
*That there are three things in us in which we do right or sin: the rational, the irascible, and the concupiscible, which are also called the tripartite faculty of the soul.*Since there are three things in us—I mean the rational, the irascible, and the concupiscible—one must declare in detail all the offenses D within these. But if the one confessing does not know what these are, he is to be reminded and questioned by the one receiving him; for it is in these three, as the great Gregory of Nyssa also says, that we either do right or stumble. And in the rational part is faith and everything worked through the mind. Therefore, it is necessary to question him about his faith, lest he have inadvertently stumbled or blasphemed.
CHAPTER CCLIX
*That there are three other things in us by which we work either the good or the evil: the mind, the spoken word, and the deeds of the body.*Which also proceeds according to mind and word; for we possess three other things in which we either do right or fall: the mind and things concerning the mind; the word and things concerning the word; actions and things concerning actions—in which the rational, the irascible, and the concupiscible also operate.
CHAPTER CCLX
*As many things as are rightly accomplished through the mind by those struggling, by the rational and irascible and concupiscible faculties.*And those things which coincidentally happen to those not struggling. First of all, the mind in the heart, B by either attending to good thoughts or by not attending to evil ones, brings forth thoughts. Hence, therefore, for those who struggle, by means of the rational faculty, the memory of God, and right faith, and prayer, and attention are set aright, and the glorification and thanksgiving of God—which indeed belong to the rational faculty, as we have said. By means of the irascible faculty, through the mind, there comes zeal, and an excitement for piety and for sacred hymns and for the thanksgiving of God, fervent and intense. And by means of the concupiscible, through the mind, there comes love toward God, and toward one’s neighbor, true and genuine, and desire for divine things, and good and spiritual thoughts. C The contraries of these happen to those who do not struggle. For to the man who is not sober-minded, through the rational faculty, it happens that he does not think rightly concerning the pious faith and the one God in Trinity and the incarnation of the Word, and the remaining things which are referred to God; and to these are to be added ingratitude, blasphemy, and the imagining of things that tend toward apostasy and are diabolical. By means of the irascible, he shows zeal in evil things, and plots something against his brother, envies, bewitches, rages, seeks revenge, and performs many other things full of anger. By means of the concupiscible, he is ambitious, greedy in his soul for money, covets what belongs to his neighbor, loves against reason and propriety the goods of another, or the fading beauty of the flesh, retains in his thought the perverse movements of desire, nourishes and fosters sordid things in his soul, and all manner of impurity, living like beasts, and agitating in his mind things worse than beasts. These and things similar to these, according to that three-fold distinction, refer to the mind.
CHAPTER CCLXI
*What a man rightly does by reason together with the tripartite faculty of the soul if he struggles, and what he sins if he neglects to struggle.*A man acts rightly according to the Word, through the rational faculty, being moved piously and D holily, and spurred on to the words of faith, when publicly and confidently he confesses God according to the catholic faith, praises and celebrates Him, gives thanks, teaches divine truths, interprets, professes the truth in all things, judges righteous judgment, and speaks all that is good and divine. By means of the irascible faculty, however, [he acts rightly] by exciting others with his speech, with zeal for virtue, for the glory of God and the defense of the brethren; speaking against adversaries, rebuking those who act impiously and the transgressors of the laws, speaking boldly before kings and princes and striking fear into them, and championing justice. By means of the concupiscible, however, [he acts rightly] by praising and celebrating God, recounting His works, and by his praises extolling Him above all things, and praying for others, procuring peace with the brethren, reconciling them to one another, and interceding for them before kings and leaders with whatever words and means he is able. But a man slips in speech through the rational faculty when, having been ill-instigated, he blasphemes God with his tongue, denies Him, does not give Him thanks, and speaks nothing according to conscience.
Through the irascible faculty he rails with his speech, insults, slanders, betrays, bears false witness, defames, accuses, blames, and repeats whatever evil is spoken against a neighbor. Through the concupiscible faculty he utters pornographic songs, filthy talk, and foolish, jesting words. He vomits forth A mythical and old-wives' tales, and speaks every word of impurity. And such are the things of speech.
CHAPTER CCLXII.
What actions are good through the tripartite soul when a man is attentive, and what are wicked when he is inattentive.
The well-done deeds of a man attentive to his actions are, through the rational faculty, the intense recitation of hymns, fervent praise of God, attending to oneself, gathering his mind within himself, praying continuously, giving himself to labor and tribulations for the sake of the Orthodox faith in God and for His honor and praise, and remaining unmoved in those things which are right and divine. Through the irascible faculty, in deeds, he acts nobly toward virtue, acts justly, labors for the sake of what is just, burns with zeal toward the performing of God's commandments, bestows liberally upon the poor from what he has, is deprived of goods for Christ's sake, has no care for the things of the flesh, flees the world, scorns the things of the world, B ministers to brothers, keeps vigil, lives in penury, sleeps on the ground, stays awake and stands, bends his knees, fasts, remains unwashed, suffers bodily for Christ's sake, and often even seeks martyrdom, which is the final and highest of the Christian actions. Through the concupiscible faculty, he preserves chastity for Christ's sake, guards his virginity, shows mercy to the poor with charity, visits prisons and the infirm for Christ's sake, serves and benefits orphans and widows, abandons his own business for the sake of helping a brother, and at last frequently gives himself with charity for his brothers, just as Christ did for us. C But the contrary actions of a man who is falling are, according to the rational faculty, not running to divine churches, not caring for things that make for the honor of God, not laboring for God and divine things, and rather snatching at divine things and making them common, and behaving against the servants of God, reviling and mistreating them; through the irascible faculty, in deeds, striking brothers, killing, excluding them, and doing evil to them in every way; through the concupiscible faculty, committing fornication, adultery, living lasciviously and insolently, and engaging in all actions of impurity, such as incest and debauchery, as well as acting unjustly for the sake of sordid gain, seizing, D stealing, getting drunk, gluttony, and performing the other grievous and horrible works of concupiscence.
CHAPTER CCLXIII.
That confession is necessary for everyone, since we all sin.
In these things, therefore, every one of those who are confessing is bound to examine and scrutinize himself, and he who is receiving this...
confession should inquire of every individual; and if he has accomplished some good, he should praise him and encourage and confirm him in this; but if he finds that he has fallen in some respects, he should correct him as much as he is able through confession and repentance, and lead the fallen one back to God, following the definitions of the Fathers and adhering to their spiritual judgment and discernment. Yet even those who seem to themselves not to have fallen—which, as I believe, is impossible—are all bound to perform penance. A
Chapter CCLXIV. That he who lives piously must also live in obedience and be directed by a Father, and not trust in himself.
For to suppose that one has not fallen is itself a fall, and the greatest of sins, a condition that those who are unhappily afflicted by a certain madness of soul suffer, saying: "When did we see you?" instead of saying, "We have not sinned." That this is the greatest sin, the beloved and virgin [apostle] testifies, saying: "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, so that he may forgive us our sins." You see the power of confession. Let us all, therefore, hasten to offer it, because we all have need of it, and the witness of God, the Brother of the Lord, says: "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed." For all are wounded and bear the welts and bruises of sin, and there is no one who does not need healing. B One alone is without sin, he who also heals humbly, and gives us by his humility a model, since he bids us to fall to one another and be humbled, and commands that we be healed by one another. But if anyone is healed and is eager for the practice of virtues, let not even such a man proceed in this by himself and of his own accord, but let him do so with the blessing of a Father, and let him fulfill a rule—not a personal one, but one received by living voice—and let him seek it with subjection of soul; and let no one in any way trust in himself, nor think to lead himself. For this is far removed from the Christian life, because to live by one's own will is not of Christ, since Christ was obedient to his own Father even unto death, even death on a cross. C If, then, he [was], who is greater than he? And how is he of Christ who does not live according to Christ? Therefore, he who lives according to Christ is of Christ in humility, not doing his own will but only the divine will, and remaining in subjection, as also the Savior [prayed], "Nevertheless, not my will"—that is, of his humanity, obviously—"but thine be done." Which divine will is also his own, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, as he is of dual nature, he also possesses two natural wills. D And being one Theanthropos, he subjected the natural human will with which he was endowed—and that, most pure and subject to no accusation or calumny—to the Father, and destroyed the first rebellion of the will; and he enriched us with two natural operations, being one person ineffably, and, renewing us, deified us; yet in two natures he is twofold, through which he totally [restored] us.
In penitence, indeed, the angelic habit is found, concerning which we have already spoken. However, it is necessary to speak again of how it is accomplished and of its symbols.
CAPUT CCLXV. Why is the penitential and monastic habit called by an angelic name?
But how is the penitential habit called angelic? For angels do not fall, someone might say, since by nature they are not susceptible to falling. Let him hear: this immutability and impeccability belong to God alone, who is always and remains immutable; but for those who had a beginning and were created, change follows, which is evident since some of the angels have fallen. But for them to cleave to God, to be humbled before Him, to obey Him, to be pure ministers, and to do His will, as it is written, this is the condition of angels. For "angel" means the same as "messenger of divine things." Hence also the monk, although he is of the fallen human nature, nevertheless, if he is fervent in will, has the power to walk upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall harm him. He, therefore, departing from this life, and having left world, parents, wife, children, and brothers, imitates the life of the angels. For they are held by no love of earthly things, nor do they have carnal kinship, but furthermore, to submit their reason, to take up the cross of Christ upon their shoulders, to follow in His footsteps, to be docile, to renounce all things, and not to do their own will, this is the work of the angels. For He says: "Bless the Lord, all you His angels, mighty in strength, who do His word, to hear the voice of His discourse. Bless the Lord, all you His powers, you His ministers, who do His will." Do you see? Lo, the habit is according to the likeness of the angels and of Jesus Christ Himself, who besought the Father saying: "Not my will, but Thine be done." Therefore Dionysius B said that this habit excels in purity even the life of the bishops who are in the world.
CAPUT CCLXVI. Why do those who are now promoted to the episcopate usually become monks first?
Therefore, the Church of Christ adorns the majority of those who are now promoted to the episcopate with this divine habit first, and thus appoints them bishops, confirming the greatest and holy of holies with this most holy and sacred habit. See also how the divine consecration of the monastic habit in Christ is accomplished.
CAPUT CCLXVII. Concerning monastic perfection.
He who willingly desires to lead the monastic life approaches, and having given an account of the life according to God, he is tested for a determined time; and having given faith C through his manner of life, and having sought the perfection of the habit—lest he appear to have been forced or compelled—he is brought to the temple; for he offers himself as a gift, leading himself out of the world; and he stands before the gates, since not yet D
A numbered among the angels and angelic men. But as one repenting, he stands before paradise and heaven, not daring to enter, and once the sacred initiation has begun, after the first entry into the holy places—which signifies that our nature has been assumed to the things above—he himself is brought forward, just as if he had been the one who was lost, having been taken up and carried upon the shoulders of the Master who found him.
CAPUT CCLXVIII. What is signified by being without shoes, naked, and with head uncovered.
B Therefore he is stripped of worldly clothing, and is barefooted and bareheaded: on the one hand, because he has cast away all the superfluities of the world; on the other, because he is needy and poor, as if he had been despoiled of his riches by robbers, miserably wounded and bruised, left by all, and lying half-dead; or even as if he had been cast out by evil fellow-citizens and his strength exhausted by hunger and the worst fodder of carob pods.
CAPUT CCLXIX. Why he is brought in thus naked, received in arms, falls down, and the rest.
When he has been brought in thus naked by the good servants—as if by angels, men who have been elevated to the dignity of angels—that C chant is sung aloud: "Make haste to open to me your fatherly arms." Lights also are kindled, which signify to all the given grace, illumination, and heavenly joy. Three times indeed he who is being presented falls down, on account of the Trinity and the firmness of the presentation. And three times he rises, because he is raised from his fall; and having approached the holy doors as if to heaven, he falls down before the superior as before the heavenly Father, who receives him joyfully as the son who had traveled far away. Then he rises and falls before the brothers, begging forgiveness, just as if he were beseeching the elder son not to be angry, as though he had wronged them while he was living foolishly, and thus he is reconciled with them and at the same time with the heavenly Father. D
CAPUT CCLXX. Why the promises consist of question and answer, and that it is shown thereby that it is promised spontaneously and voluntarily.
Afterwards he is commanded to open his ears and mouth, not to resort to lying or simulation, but that he may truly confess the truth of repentance; and when questioned, he acknowledges why he has come: because he desires the ascetic life, and asks to be enrolled in the choir of monks; and because he comes voluntarily and without compulsion; and he promises to keep himself in virginity, chastity, and piety, and to render obedience to the superior unto death; and also to endure every affliction and distress for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, and to remain in the monastery and in its sacred exercises until his last breath. Having therefore promised these things before God and men, as if he were offering to the Creator a voluntary sacrifice...
he is instructed by the priest, who teaches him the walk of a most perfect life. He reveals to him how much he must hunger and thirst and be naked for Christ who endured such things for our sake, as well as being reviled and mocked and persecuted, and enduring all things for Him, and rejoicing when he suffers all these things for Christ’s sake. And he teaches that this is the greatest gift, A and that he receives a second baptism, and is cleansed of his sins, and is shown to be a son of light, and our Lord rejoices over him with his angels, killing for him the fatted calf, which is His body and blood. He also shows how rebellion and disobedience, and pride, and all other evil things must be far from him, but that he will be rich in humility, obedience, brotherly love, and gentleness, and in the meditation and reading of the divine scriptures, and the guarding of the heart from impure thoughts; and furthermore in laboring according to one’s strength, and finally in the confession of the secrets of the heart according to the sacred and divine instructions. By these it is shown how rightly it has been said that the holy habit is found in repentance.
CHAPTER CCLXXI. What the tonsure of the hair signifies.
Having therefore confessed all these things in the hope of the power of Christ, and having agreed to remain among the brothers in these things until the end of his life, for he voluntarily dedicates himself to Christ, his head is shorn in the shape of a cross in the name of the Trinity. By the Trinity he is perfected, and by the cross he shows the deadness of the world, B and is sealed to Him who was crucified for us. Through the removal and tonsure of the hair, he offers the first-fruits of his body as a sacrifice to the Lord; for he is brought forward entirely and dedicated to Christ, as if casting off all superfluous things and those of the world.CHAPTER CCLXXII. What is the meaning of the prayers that precede the tonsure.
But before the tonsure, after the promises, he receives sacred prayers from the priest. And the first is that the all-merciful God may receive him as he approaches, and embrace him like the prodigal son, and protect him against the enemies who are always attacking. And that He may always be with him, gladdening and sweetening his heart with the consolation of the Holy Spirit, C deeming him worthy of the portion of the saints whose habit he puts on, that he may also with them inherit the kingdom of heaven, in Christ Himself, whom He blesses with the Father and the Spirit. For this invocation gives all divine things and perfects the one being initiated. Then, having sealed him, and turned towards the east, he says the more perfect prayer, while the initiate lies upon the floor: "O Thou who art, Master, Lord, who together with Thy living and consubstantial Word, D and the Spirit of truth proceeding from Thee ... whom He calls the God of angels, whom the Seraphim stand round singing, and [who is] the true light that enlightens all, whose splendor all the Church of the first-born on high stands in awe [of], and he prays that..."A he might look upon the humility of the one being initiated—who has offered his vows before many—and might admit him into the grace of that adoption which He redeemed in holy baptism, in favor of this most angelic habit; he begs also that he may be preserved in it, and be endued with strength to fight against the invisible enemy, and to subject the rebellions of the flesh by the power of the Spirit, and that, having put off the old man, he may put on the new man, dwelling in all things and insisting upon prayer, that he might live in holiness and justice, and become an instrument of God and a dwelling-place of the Spirit, and he asks that he be deemed worthy of this along with all the elect of the kingdom of heaven. And having spoken aloud, he blesses the Trinity, from whom every perfect gift is bestowed upon us. And when he has pronounced peace to all, and [said] to bow [our] heads, all bow, showing forth their submission together with the monk being initiated; who, indeed, does not have the hand of the hierarch laid upon him—for he does not receive ordination—but only the book of prayers placed upon his head, while he receives the sacred prayers. The priest therefore B adds another prayer: "O holy Lord of hosts, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, receive this Thy servant." And he signs him three times for the perfection of the initiated monk, and at the same time to the glory of the Trinity, dedicating him to It; and having prayed for the rest, he speaks aloud and gives glory. And turning, he raises the one lying [on the ground], indicating that he has arisen from sin, and has received remission, and the Father has received him, and is leading him back to adoption, and is giving him the former robe of purity, and is ranking him with the angels. Wherefore, C taking him by the right hand to raise him up, the priest points out the Gospel as the Savior, and tells him to kiss it, which signifies to embrace and kiss the Father. Then also he says: "Behold, Christ is invisibly present here." And he warns him to be attentive, so that he might no longer fall; since no one compels him so as to make him come unwillingly, but he comes of his own free will. And he confesses this, as he comes by his own intention. Then the priest says again: "Behold, Christ is invisibly present here, and see to whom you are approaching: to Christ, clearly; with whom you are being united: for you are being joined to Christ himself; and whom you are renouncing: namely, the world and the things of the world." Giving him the shears, he says: "Take and return them to me," so that he might show his spontaneous will. And if the priest who is about to perform the tonsure is himself the one receiving them, he takes the shears back from the initiated monk, who first embraces them. But if the sponsor has received them, he then gives them to the priest, and the priest again hands them to the initiated one, and as he embraces them again and gives them to the sponsor, he himself delivers them again to the priest. And this happens three times, D for the honor of the Trinity, and for the confirmation of what has been done. And the priest, taking them the third time, says: "Behold, you receive them from the hand of Christ." The word is terrible, and inspires trembling in those who hear. Then, taking the shears, he says: "Blessed is God who wills that all men should be saved," and the rest. For it is necessary to give thanks to the Lord for all salvific works. Immediately, therefore, the priest tonsures him in the name of
A the Trinity, shearing him in the form of a cross from the crown of his head, and lays the hair upon the altar, showing that these are the first-fruits and a gift to God, just as he himself is offered, whole, as a living and acceptable sacrifice. Then he clothes him in the garments of the holy habit, signing each one with the sign of the cross and saying, "The servant of God is clothed," or "is girded," or "is shod," or whatever else, "in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." And, "Let us say for him, Lord have mercy." This is said by all three times for each item, showing that he is fortified in the Trinity and that divine mercy is upon him; and it is the special prayer of the monk to invoke mercy from the Lord Jesus.
Chapter 273. What the sacred habit of monks signifies when it is put on.
B He is clothed first, he says, with a garment of joy and exultation, in place of that nakedness and shame, and of the corruption of death and of sorrow that followed through disobedience and sin—which the holy habit of the monks removes by way of obedience and incorruptible life.
Next, the pallium of the Great Habit saying, "Into the stole of immortality and holiness," as a sign of God's protection, granting eternal life to the recipient through a life lived in piety, and furthermore as a sign of the divine covering which the grace of the Spirit gives in place of garments of skin.
Then he bestows the koukoulion of innocence, saying, "Into the helmet of saving hope," for the sake of the overshadowing of divine grace and the exaltation of the ruling mind through humility and innocence, like guileless infants, and also for the keeping and protection of the head and all the senses at once from God. This C indeed hangs in front around the chest for the sake of the logical faculty and the heart, and is fastened behind, bearing red crosses, in order to drive away, by the royal and fearful sign, those who attack us from the front and from the back.
Then he imposes the analogion, made from the skin of an animal—since the monk is dead to the things of the world—hanging from the shoulders in the form of a cross in front, and in the back filled with marks of the cross, or rather bearing the cross itself. "Taking up his cross upon his shoulders," says the priest, "he follows the Master, as he has confessed."
Then after these, he girds him with a belt, and this too of leather, saying, "His loins are girded for the mortification D of the body and the renewal of the spirit," for the sake of chastity and purity, and in order to make dead, as far as possible, the stirrings of the flesh, and to be strengthened against the passions, and to act manfully toward the performance of the commandments.
Then the sandals, "Into the preparation," he says, "of the Gospel of peace," that he may not bruise the intellectual feet of the soul, nor be bitten in the heel of his thoughts by the perceived serpents, but rather may tread upon these, and trample upon the lion and the dragon, the hidden
A wickedness and envious beasts, and run irrevocably the way of the Gospel, until he shall have outrun [all things] above, where our citizenship is in the heavens and [there] attains its goal. Finally, as one wrapping all things, he is invested with the mantle, at which the priest also says more clearly: "Thou, brother so-and-so, receivest the great and angelic habit in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," B as being the most perfect and encompassing all things, and declaring and signifying the guarding, all-embracing, and shielding power of God; and that [it signifies] the constrained, pious, and humble nature of the monastic life, and that the monk possesses no hands or any of his members living according to the world, and free for worldly labors, but rather that all are dead. Only the head does he have free, looking toward God, who is the head of all, and pondering His matters, and running back toward Him. But even this [he has] covered by the cowl on account of humility, and so that he might not have his senses there uncovered.
Chapter CCLXXIV: That the monk by his habit imitates the condition of Christ's death.
Furthermore, he who leads the monastic life is dead and is as if placed in a tomb. Therefore, the mantle is as a tomb, C while the inner garments represent burial cloths—namely, the tunic and the rest. The *analavos* and the other vestments show forth the passion consummated through the cross; for the monk is crucified to the world, and this indeed he has promised. The cowl hanging from the head is as a napkin. And wholly he imitates the Master who was crucified for us, and died, and was wrapped in burial cloths and the napkin; so that, just as having been crucified with [Him] in this life and having died with Him, he may also rise and be exalted with Him, and appear an heir of His Father’s kingdom, and may be shown a partaker of the goods prepared for us from the foundation of the world. D Which things the priest also prays for him after he has received the holy habit. For immediately he adds another prayer, and prays that God the good, who is faithful in His promises and unregretful in His gifts, may grant him a dignified life and a virtuous and blameless manner of conduct, and that he may keep the habit which he has put on undefiled, living in holiness. And he recounts the meaning and power of each of the garments: that with the tunic he has put on divine righteousness in place of the transgression; with the girdle, the mortification of the body and temperance he has girded upon himself—for this is placed about the loins, so that he might be dead to desire, but courageous in the virtues. With the cowl he has put on saving humility, so that the mind, which rules the whole man, might think lowly thoughts and well instruct the senses; therefore he calls it the helmet of salvation. With the *analavos*, he says, he has been adorned with the cross and faith; for this has the figure of the cross, through which the faith and the death of Christ are witnessed. And with the covering—that is to say, the *pallion* and the mantle—he has clothed himself in the robe of immortality as an iron breastplate. And instead of garments of skin, he has been made to shine, adorned with divine grace; and by the sandals he has received the power of traversing the way that leads to salvation and peace.
and has been illumined by grace. In his sandals he has received the power A to tread upon the road that leads to salvation, and it is his duty to walk and run in the paths of peace according to the Gospel, and to evangelize this peace, as one who has himself appeared as a disciple of Christ, having abandoned all things and followed Him. For Christ is our peace, and the way to the Father, and the truth, and the life, and the light; and he who follows Him shall have the light of life, and shall arrive at life. Furthermore, the monk, having imitated Elias and the Baptist as the leaders of the anchoritic life, shall put on the immortality of the angels, and be deemed worthy to stand at the right hand of Christ, and shall hear His blessed voice: “Come, you blessed of my Father”; a grace he prays all may be worthy to receive. B Having exclaimed and glorified the Trinity as is customary, and having said, “Peace to all,” and having ordered the bowing of heads to the Lord as servants, so that all might attain the blessing from above, he prays again to God to bring him into His divine and spiritual court—that is, to make him familiar to Himself, and to associate him with His friends and His senate—to purify his thoughts and to exalt them above worldly things, so that he may continually remember the blessings reserved for those who have crucified themselves to this life for the sake of Christ. And aloud, once again, he praises the Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, calling Him God in Trinity. For from Him also comes to us our guidance toward the better way, and our providence and oversight.
Then, the deacon holding the holy Gospel, the priest takes it and says: “The Lord said, ‘If anyone wills to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.’” C And he gives it to him if he is a priest; if otherwise, he presents the cross to him. He, receiving it, worships and kisses it, showing that he has followed Him and is bound to follow. Then the priest also gives him a lamp, as a sign of the illumination he has received, and as one who must live in purity. For this reason, he declares to him the words of the Savior, crying out: “The Lord said, ‘Let your light so shine before men,’” and so forth. Then he stations him before the holy doors, as one who has reached the gates of heaven, being reconciled with the Lord, carrying the Gospel and the burning lamp, since he ought to live according to the Gospel and in the light, to the glory of God who has called him to His marvelous light. And immediately the priest, having kissed him on account of the love and union in Christ, D and signifying the kiss of the heavenly Father when He found the lost son and made great joy, stations him near himself, because he has become closer to God. The brothers also, all bearing lamps with the father, signifying the brightness and the grace of God and the joy of the angels, depart, and each one, kissing both the holy Gospel and the priest, who preserves the type of Christ, and the cross itself, and him who has received the habit, sings with joy. And this is what is sung: “Let us know, brothers, the power of the mystery. For what is it? Because the good Father, meeting the one who has returned from sin to the father’s house, embraces him, and restoring his original dignity, the fatted calf having been slain, makes a feast and gladness with those in heaven.”