A led me around in the village through the neighborhoods, beating me and saying, "This monk has corrupted our virgin; seize him, seize him." And they beat me to the point of death. But one of the elders came up and said, "How long will you beat this foreign monk?" Now he who was ministering to me followed behind me, covered with shame; for they were heaping many insults upon him, saying, "Behold the anchorite to whom you bore witness, what has he done?" And her parents said, "We will not release him until he provides a surety that he will support her." And I said to my attendant, and he stood surety for me. And going home to my cell, I gave him all the baskets I had, saying, "Sell them and give the food to my wife." And I said to my thoughts, "Macarius, see, you have found a wife for yourself; you must work a little more B so that you may support her." And I worked night and day, and sent it to her. And when the time came for the wretched woman to give birth, she remained for many days in labor and could not deliver. And they said to her, "What is this?" And she said, "I know: it is because I slandered the anchorite and lied when I accused him; for he has no part in this, but rather such-and-such a young man." And my attendant came to me rejoicing and said that the virgin could not give birth until she confessed, saying, "The anchorite is not at fault, but I lied against him; and behold, the whole village wishes to come here with honor to ask your forgiveness." Hearing these things, so that the people would not cause me trouble, I arose and fled here to Scetis. This is the beginning of the reason why I came here C.
2. Macarius the Egyptian once came to the mountain of Nitria for the offering of Abba Pambo. And the elders said to him, "Speak a word to the brothers, Father." But he said, "I have not yet become a monk, but I have seen monks. For when I was sitting once in my cell at Scetis, thoughts troubled me, saying, 'Go into the desert, and see what you might see there.' I remained for five years fighting this thought, saying, 'Perhaps it is from demons.' But when the thought persisted, I went away into the desert. And I found there a pond of water, and an island in the midst of it. And the beasts of the desert came to drink from it. And in their midst I saw two naked men; and my body trembled, for I thought they were spirits. But when they saw me trembling, they spoke to me, 'Do not fear; we too are men.' And I said to them, 'Where are you from, and how did you come to this desert?' And they said, 'We are from a coenobium; and we came to an agreement, and departed to this place; behold, forty years have passed, and one is an Egyptian, the other a Libyan...
' They also asked me and said: 'How is the world? Does the water come in its season? Does the world have its usual abundance?' I answered: 'Yes.' In turn, I asked them: 'In what way can I become a monk?' They said to me: 'If one does not renounce all things of the world, he cannot become a monk.' I said to them: 'I am weak and cannot do as you do.' And they also said to me: 'And if you cannot act as we do, sit in your cell and mourn your sins.' And I asked them: 'When winter comes, do you not shiver? And when heat comes, are your bodies not burned?' But they said: 'God has provided this dispensation for us; and we do not shiver in the winter, nor does the heat of summer harm us; B for this reason I said to you, that I have not yet become a monk, but I have seen monks. Forgive me, brothers.' [(a)]
3. When the abbot Macarius lived in the total solitude, he remained alone there living an anchoritic life; but further down there was another desert where many brothers dwelt. Now, the old man was one day watching the road and he saw Satan coming in the guise of a man, passing by him; he appeared to be wearing a perforated linen tunic, and from the holes hung little flasks. C The great old man says to him: 'Where are you going?' And he said to him: 'I am going to remind the brothers.' [(b)] The old man said: 'And why do you have these little flasks?' And he said: 'I am taking flavors to the brothers.' The old man said: 'And all these?' He answered: 'Yes, if one does not please someone, I bring another; and if not that one, I give another; in any case, at least one of them will please him.' And having said this, he went away. But the old man remained watching the paths until he returned again. And when the old man saw him, he says to him: 'May you be saved.' But he answered: 'Where is there for me to be saved?' The old man says to him: 'Why?' And he says: 'Because all have D become savage to me, and no one endures me.' The old man says to him: 'Have you no friend there then?' And he answered: 'Yes, I have one monk there as a friend, and even he obeys me; and when he sees me, he turns around like the wind.' The old man says to him: 'And who is the brother called?' And he says: 'Theopemptus.' Having said these things, he went away, and the abbot Macarius arose and went to the lower desert, and when the brothers heard, they took palm branches and went out to meet him.
thinking thinking APOPHTHEGMATA. A thinking that the elder was going to stay with him. But he inquired who was called Theopemptus in the mountain. And having found him, he entered his cell. Theopemptus received him joyfully. And when he began to be alone with him, the elder says to him, "How are your affairs, brother?" He said, "By your prayers, well." The elder said, "Do not thoughts war against you?" He said, "So far I am well," for he was ashamed to speak. The elder says to him, "Behold for how many years I have been practicing asceticism, and I am honored by everyone, and yet the spirit of fornication molests me, the old man." Theopemptus replied, saying, "Believe me, Abba, it is the same with me." But the elder was offering excuses and saying that other thoughts were warring against him, until he made him confess. Then he says to him, "How do you fast?" He says to him, "Until the ninth hour." The elder says to him, "Fast until evening, and train yourself, and memorize the Gospel and the other Scriptures; and if a thought rises up in you, never look down, but always up; and immediately B the Lord will help you." And having instructed the brother, the elder went out to his own desert. And watching again, he sees that same demon, and he says to him, "Where are you going again?" And he says, "To remind the brothers," and he went away. When he came back again, the holy man says to him, "How are the brothers?" And he says, "Badly." And the elder says, "Why?" And he said, "They are all wild; and the greater evil is that even the friend I had who obeyed me, even he, I know not whence, has turned, and not even he obeys me, but has become wilder than all; and I swore not to tread there again, unless it be after a long time." And having said this, he went away, having left the elder; and the holy man entered his cell (a).
4. Abba Macarius the Great came to Abba C Antony in the mountain, and when he had knocked at the door, he came out to him and said to him, "Who are you?" And he said, "I am Macarius." And having shut the door, he went in and left him outside. And seeing his patience, he opened to him. And being friendly with him, he said, "For much time I have been longing to see you, hearing about you." And having shown him hospitality, he gave him rest; for he was exhausted from much labor. And when evening came, Abba Antony wetted palm branches for himself; and he says [to him...]*
D (a) Cf. VV. PP. Rosw. lib. III. cap. 61; lib. V libell. 18, 8, lib. VII cap. 1, 8. Dorothei Doctr. 5.
*Note: The translation ends mid-sentence to match the source text page ending.*
A Abba Macarius said, “Give a command, that I too may wet for myself.” He said, “Wet.” Having made a large bundle, he wet it; and sitting from evening on, speaking about the salvation of souls, they wove; and the rope was descending through the window into the cave. And entering in the morning, the blessed Antony saw the abundance of the rope of Abba Macarius, and said, “Much power goes out from these hands (a).”
5. Abba Macarius predicted to the brothers concerning the devastation of Scetis: “When you see a cell being built near the marsh, know that its desolation is near: when you see trees, it is at the doors. But when you see children, take up your sheepskins, and depart (b).”
6. He said again, wishing to comfort the brothers: A child troubled by a demon came here with his mother, and he said to his mother, “Get up, old woman, let us go from here.” She said, “I cannot walk.” And the child said to her, “I will carry you.” And I marveled at the wickedness of the demon, how he wished to chase them away (c).”
7. Abba Sisoes related: “When I was in Scetis with Macarius, we went up to reap with him seven names. And behold, a certain widow was gathering ears of grain behind us, and she did not cease weeping. The elder therefore called the master of the field and said to him, ‘What is the matter with this old woman, that she is always weeping?’ He answered him, ‘Because her husband had a deposit of someone’s, and he died suddenly, and he did not say where he had placed it; and the master of the deposit wants to take her and her children as slaves.’ The elder says to him, ‘Tell her to come to us, where we are resting from the heat.’ And when the woman had come, the elder said to her, ‘Why do you always weep so?’ She answered, ‘My husband died having taken a deposit of someone’s, and he did not say on dying where he had placed it.’ Then the elder said to her, ‘Come, show me where you buried him.’ And taking the brothers with him, he went out with her. And when they had arrived at the place, the elder said to her, ‘Withdraw to your house.’ And after they had prayed, the elder called...
to the dead man, saying, ‘You there A, where have you placed the deposit that did not belong to you?’ And the man, answering, said, ‘It is hidden in my house under the foot of the bed.’ And the elder said to him, ‘Sleep again until the day of the resurrection.’ Seeing this, the brothers fell at his feet from fear. And the elder said to them, ‘This has not happened because of me, for I am nothing; but because of the widow and the orphans, God has performed this deed. But this is the great thing, that God desires the soul to be without sin, and whatever it asks, it will receive.’ Having gone, he announced to the widow where the deposit lay. And she, taking it, gave it to its owner and set her children free. And all who heard of the miracle gave glory to God.
8. B Abbot Peter related that when he once arrived to visit a certain anchorite and found him ailing, he inquired what food he might wish to take. And since the man asked for a cake, and there was nothing in his cell, it did not weary the brave man to journey to the city of the Alexandrians to provide it for the sick man; and yet the wondrous deed was made manifest to no one.
9. He said again, that regarding the simplicity with which Abbot Macarius conducted himself before all the brothers, some said to him, ‘Why do you behave thus toward yourself?’ And he said, ‘I served my Lord for twelve years, that He might grant me this grace; and do you all advise me to put it aside?’
10. C Regarding Abbot Macarius, when he was spending time with the brothers, he would set a rule for himself: that if wine were to be found, he should drink it for the sake of the brothers, and in exchange for one cup of wine he should not drink water for one day. The brothers, therefore, desiring to refresh him, would give it to him. But the elder would accept it with joy, so that he might punish himself. But his disciple, knowing the matter, would say to the brothers, ‘For the sake of the Lord, do not give it to him; otherwise, he will destroy himself in his cell.’ And having learned this, the brothers no longer provided it for him.
11. D As Abbot Macarius was one day passing from the marsh to his own cell, he was carrying palm fronds, and behold, the devil met him on the way with a sickle. And as he wanted to strike him, he could not. And he said to him, ‘There is much force from you, Macarius, that I cannot prevail against you. For behold, whatever you do, I also do. You fast; and I do not eat at all. You keep vigil; and I do not sleep at all. There is only one thing in which you conquer me.’ Abbot Macarius asked him, ‘What is that?’ And he replied, ‘Your humility. And because of this, I cannot prevail against you.’
12. [(e)] Some of the fathers asked Abbot Macarius the Egyptian, saying, ‘How does it happen that whether you eat or whether you fast, your body is lean?’ And he said— [alt-version omitted]
A The old man answered them: ‘The wood that turns the burning brushwood is entirely consumed by the fire. So likewise, if a man purifies his mind in the fear of God, that very fear of God consumes his body.’
13. Abbot Macarius once went up into Terenuthis, and he entered a temple to sleep. There were old corpses of pagans there; and taking one, he placed it under his head as a bolster. The demons, therefore, seeing his boldness, envied him. And wishing to frighten him, they called out like a woman, saying: ‘So-and-so, come with us to the bath.’ But another demon from beneath him answered as if from the dead, saying: ‘I have a stranger upon me, and I cannot come.’ The old man was not frightened, but boldly struck the corpse, saying: ‘Arise, go into the darkness, if you can.’ Hearing this, the demons cried out with a loud voice, saying: ‘You have conquered us,’ and they fled in shame. B
14. It was said of Abbot Macarius the Egyptian, that as he was coming up from Scetis, and carrying baskets, he sat down, being weary; and he prayed in this manner: ‘God, You know that I have no strength left.’ And immediately he was carried to the river.
15. There was a man in Egypt who had a paralytic son. He brought him to the cell of Abbot Macarius, and having left him weeping at the door, he withdrew to a distance. The old man, therefore, looking down, saw the child and asked him: ‘Who brought you here?’ He answered: ‘My father threw me here and went away.’ The old man said to him: ‘Rise, follow him.’ And immediately he was healed, stood up, and followed his father. And so they went away to their home. C
16. Abbot Macarius the Great used to say to the brothers in Scetis, after he dismissed the church: ‘Flee, brothers.’ And one of the old men said to him: ‘Where can we flee to, beyond this desert?’ But he would place his finger upon his mouth, saying: ‘Flee this.’ Then he would enter his own cell, and having closed the door, he would sit.
17. The same Abbot Macarius said: ‘If, in rebuking someone, you move to anger, you satisfy your own passion. For you ought not, in order to save others, to destroy yourself.’
18. The same Abbot Macarius, when he was in Egypt, found a man having a beast of burden and plundering things that he possessed for his own use. He himself, standing by the thief like a stranger, helped to load the beast of burden with him; and with great composure he sent him away, saying: ‘We brought nothing into this world: it is certain that we can neither carry
A anything out of it. The Lord gave; as the Lord willed, so it has come to pass. Blessed be the Lord in all things.’
19. Some asked Abba Macarius, saying: ‘How ought we to pray?’ The elder said to them: ‘There is no need to use many words, but [rather] to extend one’s hands and say: “Lord, as Thou willest and as Thou knowest, have mercy.” If, however, a struggle of temptation bears down upon you, say: “Lord, help.” For He knows what is profitable, and He shows mercy toward us.’
20. Abba Macarius said: ‘If contempt is to you like praise, poverty like wealth, and want like abundance, you shall not die. For it is impossible that he who truly believes and works in piety should fall into the filth of passions and the deception of demons.’ B
21. It is related that there were two brothers in Scetis, and Abba Macarius the Politicus separated them. And some came and said to Abba Macarius the Great, the Egyptian: ‘The brothers are separated.’ But he said: ‘The brothers are not separated, but Macarius is separated,’ for he loved him. Abba Macarius heard that he had been separated by the elder, and he fled to the marsh. Macarius the Great went out, then, and found him being stung by mosquitoes. And he said to him: ‘You separated the brothers, and look, they were able to withdraw to the village. I separated you, and you, like a beautiful virgin, have fled here into an inner chamber. I, having called the brothers, learned from them and said: “None of these things has happened.” C See to it, then, brother, that you are not mocked by demons, for you have seen nothing; but do penance for your fault.’ He replied: ‘If you will, give me a penance.’ Then the elder, seeing his humility, said: ‘Go, and fast for three weeks, eating once in every week.’ For this was his own constant practice, to fast for weeks at a time.
22. Abba Moses said to Abba Macarius in Scetis: ‘I wish to live in quiet and silence, but the brothers do not let me.’ And Abba Macarius said to him: ‘I see that your nature is too soft, and you are not able to turn away a brother. But if you wish to live in quiet, go into the desert, into the rock, and there you shall live in quiet.’ And he did this, and took his rest.
23. A brother came to Macarius the Egyptian D and said to him: ‘Abba, tell me a word, how I may be saved.’ And the elder said: ‘Go to the cemetery and insult the dead.’ The brother went, therefore, and insulted them and pelted them with stones; and he came back and reported to the elder. And he said to him: ‘Did they say nothing to you?’
The brother replied: ‘No.’ The elder said to him: ‘Go back tomorrow, and praise them.’ The brother went away and praised them, calling them: ‘Apostles, saints, and righteous men.’ And he came to the elder and said to him: ‘I have praised them.’ And he said to him: ‘Did they answer you nothing?’ The brother said: ‘No.’ The elder said to him: ‘You know how much you insulted them, and they answered nothing; and how much you praised them, and they spoke no word to you. B So you too, if you wish to be saved, become dead; account neither the malice of men nor their praise, like the dead; and you can be saved.
24. As Abba Macarius was at one time traveling with the brethren through Egypt, he heard a small boy saying to his mother: ‘Mother, a certain rich man loves me, and I hate him; but a poor man hates me, and I love him.’ Upon hearing this speech, Abba Macarius was amazed. Then the brothers said to him: ‘What is this word, Father, that you are amazed at?’ And the elder said to them: ‘Truly our Lord is rich and He loves us, and we do not wish to listen to Him; but our enemy the devil is poor and he hates us, and we love his impurity.’
25. Abba Poemen implored the same man with many tears: ‘Tell me a word, how I may be saved.’ The elder answering said to him: ‘The thing that you seek, has now departed from the monks.’
26. Abba Macarius once visited Abba Antony. Having spoken with him, as he was returning into Scetis, while the fathers were coming to meet him in conversation, he said: ‘I told Abba Antony that we do not have an offering in our place.’ But the fathers began to discourse on other matters, and did not seek to learn any further the answer of the elder, nor did he himself speak further. This, therefore, one of the fathers said: C ‘If the fathers see that it escapes the brethren to ask about a matter that is useful to them, they compel themselves to bring forth the beginning of the word; but if they are not compelled by the brethren, they do not pursue the word, so that they may not be found speaking when not asked, and so that it may not be considered idle talk.’
27. Abba Esaias asked Abba Macarius, saying: ‘Give me a word.’ And the elder said to him: ‘Flee from men.’ Abba Esaias said to him: ‘What is it to flee from men?’ D And the elder said to him: ‘To sit in your cell and to weep for your sins.’
28. Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, reported this: ‘I asked my father to tell me a word.’ He said: ‘Do not harm anyone, and do not condemn anyone; keep these things and you will be saved.’
29. Abba Macarius said: ‘Do not sleep in the cell of a brother who has a bad reputation.’
A 30. Once, some brothers came to Abba Macarius in Scetis, and they found nothing in his cell but putrid water. And they said to him, “Abba, come up to the village, and we will give you rest.” The elder said to them, “Do you know, brothers, the bakery of such-and-such a man in the village?” And they said to him, “Yes.” The elder said to them, “I also know it. And do you know the property of such-and-such a man where the river beats?” They said to him, “Yes.” The elder said to them, “I also know it. So when I want, I have no need of you; rather, I bring it to myself.”
31. They used to say concerning Abba Macarius that if a brother came to him with fear, as to a holy and great elder, he would say nothing to him. But if any of the brothers spoke to him as if despising him, saying, “Abba, when you were a camel-driver and stealing nitre and selling it, did the guards not beat you?”—if anyone spoke these things to him, he would speak to him with joy, if he asked him B anything.
32. They said concerning Abba Macarius the Great that he became, as it is written, an earthly god; because just as God covers the world, so did Abba Macarius cover the faults he saw as if he did not see them, and what he heard as if he did not hear it.
33. Abba Vitimius narrated that Abba Macarius used to recount: “While I was sitting once in Scetis, two young foreign brothers came down there; one had a beard, and the other was showing the beginning of a beard. And they came to me saying, ‘Where is the cell of Abba Macarius?’ And I said, ‘What do you want with him?’ They said, ‘Having heard of him and of Scetis, we came to see him.’ I said to them, ‘I am he.’ And they bowed [in reverence], saying, ‘We wish to stay here.’ But I, seeing them delicate and as if from wealth, said to them, ‘You cannot sit here.’ The elder [one] says, C ‘If we cannot sit here, we will go elsewhere.’ I said to my own thought: ‘Why do I drive them away, and they get scandalized? The toil will make them flee by themselves.’ And I said to them, ‘Come, make a cell for yourselves if you can.’ And they said, ‘Show us a place, and we will do it.’ The elder gave them an axe and a basket full of bread and salt. The elder also showed them a hard rock, saying, ‘Hew here, and bring yourselves wood from the marsh, and having roofed it, sit.’ I believed, he says, that they would depart because of the toil. But they asked me what they should work at there. I said to them, ‘The rope,’ and I take palm leaves from the marsh and show them the beginning of the rope-making, and how one must sew; and I said, ‘Make baskets, and provide them to the guards, and they will bring you bread.’ Then I left. But they, with patience, everything... D
did what I said, and did not come to me for three years. But I was constantly struggling in my soul, reflecting: What is their work, that they have not come to inquire about a thought? Those who dwell far away come to me; and these, though close by, have not come, nor have they gone to others; except only to the church, in silence, to receive the offering. And I prayed to the Lord, having fasted for the week, that He might show me their work. A And rising after the week, I went away to them to see how they sit. And when I knocked, they opened and greeted me in silence; and having made a prayer, I sat down. The elder signed to the younger to go out, and he sat down to weave the rope, saying nothing. And at the ninth hour he knocked, and the younger came, and made a little porridge, and set the table, the elder having signed to him; and he placed upon it three rusks, and stood in silence. I said: Arise, let us eat. And rising, we ate. And he brought the vessel, and we drank. But when evening arrived, they say to me: Are you leaving? I replied: No, but I shall sleep here. B And they set a mat for me to one side, and for themselves in a corner to the other side. And they took off their girdles and their waist-cloths, and together they placed themselves on a mat in front of me. And when they had settled themselves, I prayed to God that He might reveal to me their work. And the roof was opened, and there came a light as of day; they, however, did not see the light. And as they supposed that I was sleeping, the elder nudged the younger in the side; and they arise, and put on their girdles, and stretch out their hands to heaven. And I was beholding them; but they were not beholding me. And I saw demons coming like flies upon the younger one; and some were seeking to sit in his mouth, others in his eyes. And I saw an angel of the Lord holding a sword of fire, and surrounding him and driving the demons away from him. C But to the elder they could not draw near. And as it was about morning-time, they lay down; and I made myself like one suddenly awakened, and they did likewise. But the elder said to me this word only: Do you wish that we recite twelve psalms? I say: Yes. And the younger chants five psalms of six verses each, and in alleluia. And at every verse, a lamp of fire went forth from his mouth, and ascended into heaven. In like manner also the elder, when he opened his mouth chanting, as it were a rope of fire went forth and reached up to heaven. And I also recited a little from my heart. Then, departing, I said: Pray for me. But they bowed in silence. I learned, therefore, that the elder was perfect, while the younger was still D being attacked by the enemy. But after a few days, the elder brother fell asleep, and on the third day the mi
minor. And when some of the fathers came to Abba Macarius, he led them into their cell, saying: A "Come, see the martyrdom of the little strangers."
34. The elders of the mountain once sent 264 to Abba Macarius in Scetis, beseeching him and saying: "Lest the whole multitude be wearied by coming to you, we pray that you come to us, so that we may see you before you depart to the Lord." When he had arrived at the mountain, all the people were gathered to him. And the elders asked him to speak a word to the brethren. Having heard this, he said: "Let us weep, brethren, and let our eyes pour forth tears, before we go to that place where our tears shall burn our bodies." And they all wept, and they fell upon their faces B and said: "Father, pray for us."
35. At another time, a demon once again attacked Abba Macarius with a small sword, wishing to cut off his foot; but because he could not do so on account of his humility, he said to him: "Whatever you have, we also have; only in humility do you surpass us, and prevail."
36. Abba Macarius said: "If we remember the evils inflicted upon us by men, we destroy the power of the remembrance of God; but if we remember the evils 265 brought about by the demons, we shall be invulnerable."
37. Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, said that the elder used to say: "When I was a boy, I was grazing calves with other boys, who went off to steal figs. And as they were running, one of them fell, and taking it, I ate it. And whenever the memory of that thing returns, C I sit and weep."
38. Abba Macarius said: "While walking one day through the desert, I found a skull of a dead man lying on the ground. And having moved it with my palm staff, the skull spoke to me. And I said to it: 'Who are you?' The skull answered me: 'I was a high priest of the idols and of the Greek Gentiles who lived in this place. But you are Macarius, a man filled with the Spirit. At whatever hour you are moved by mercy for those who are in torments, and you pray for them, they feel some little relief.' The elder says to it: 'What is this relief, and what is the torment?' It says to him: D 'As far as heaven is distant from the earth, so much is the fire beneath us, as we stand in the midst of fire from our feet to our heads. And it is not permitted for anyone to see face to face; but the face of each is fastened to the back of another. Therefore, when you pray for us, from one part one beholds the face of another. This is the relief.'"
'" A And the old man wept and said, "Woe to the day in which man was born!" And the old man said to it, "Is there any torment worse than this?" The skull says to him, "There is a greater torment beneath us." The old man says to him, "And who are those who dwell there?" The skull says to him, "We, as those who did not know God, obtain at least a little mercy; but those who knew God and denied Him are beneath us." And taking the skull, the old man buried it B (a).
39. They told regarding Abba Macarius the Egyptian, that one time he was ascending from Scetis to the Mount of Nitria; and as he drew near to the place, he said to his disciple, "Go on a little ahead." And while he was going on ahead, he met a certain priest of the Gentiles. And the brother, shouting to him, called out saying, "Hey, hey, daemon, where are you running?" But he, turning around, inflicted blows upon him and left him half-dead. And taking the wood he was carrying, he ran off. Having proceeded a little further, Abba Macarius met him running on his course, and said to him, "Be saved, be saved, you weary man." And he, filled with wonder, came to him and said, "What good have you seen in me, that you should greet me?" The old man says to him, "Because I saw you weary with toil, and you do not know that you labor in vain." He says to him, "I, too, was pricked at your greeting, and I learned that you are of the portion of God. But another bad monk, having met me, abused me; and I dealt him blows unto death." And the old man knew that it was his disciple. Then, grasping his feet, the priest said, C "I will not let you go unless you make me a monk." And they came up to where the monk was, and they took him up and brought him into the church of the mount; and seeing the priest with him, they were astonished, and they made him a monk; and many of the Gentiles became Christians through him. Abba Macarius therefore said that a bad word also makes even good men bad, and a good word makes even bad men good.
40. They told concerning Abba Macarius that, in his absence, a thief had entered his cell. When he had returned to the cell, he found the thief loading the camel with his possessions. Entering into the cell, he too began taking from the vessels, and together with him, he loaded the camel. So, the load having been placed on, the thief began striking the camel that it might stand up, but it would not stand up. Seeing this, Abba Macarius, having entered the cell, found a small hoe, and bringing it [there], D he placed it on the camel, saying, "Brother, this is what the camel is looking for." And the old man, kicking it with his foot, said, "Arise." And immediately it stood up and went a little distance because of his word. But it sat down again,
A and they finished filling all the vessels; and so he went away.
41. Abba Aio asked Abba Macarius, saying, "Speak a word to me." Abba Macarius says to him, "Flee from men, sit in your cell, and weep for your sins, and do not love the talk of men, and you shall be saved." B
IV. OTHER APOPHTHEGMATA OF SAINT MACARIUS EDITED BY JO. BAPT. COTELERIUS
1. Abba Peter, disciple of Abba Lot, says: I was once in the cell of Abba Agathon, to whom a brother came saying, "I wish to live with the brethren; tell me how to live with them." The old man B says to him, "Just as you were on the first day when you entered among them, so guard your pilgrimage all the days of your life, so that you may not use familiarity with them." Abba Macarius says to him, "For what does familiarity produce?" The old man says to him, "Familiarity is like a great heat, which, when it comes, everyone flees from its face, and it destroys the fruit of the trees." Abba Macarius says to him, "Is familiarity so grievous?" And Abba Agathon said, "There is no other passion more grievous than familiarity; for it is the mother of all the passions. It becomes a worker not to use familiarity, even when he is alone in his cell. For I know of a brother who had continued for a time living in his cell, who had a small bed, and he said that he would have emigrated from the cell, not having perceived that bed, if someone else had not reminded me of it. Such a person is truly a worker and a warrior." C
2. Abba Macarius said to Abba Zacharias, "Tell me the work of a monk." He says to him, "Are you asking me, Father?" And Abba Macarius says, "I am persuaded of you, child Zacharias; for there is someone pushing me to ask you." Zacharias uttered this sentiment: "As far as I am concerned, Father, he who forces himself in all things, this is the monk." D
3. Abba Theodore of Pherme acquired three good books; and he came to Abba Macarius, and says to him, "I have three good books, and I derive profit from them, and the brethren borrow them and