A beings, and to drive away faith. "How," he says, "can you believe, when you receive glory from one another, and do not seek the glory that is from the only God?" For the good must be chosen not for the sake of another thing, but rather for its own sake. For if this is not granted, that which moves us to the practice of the good will appear to be much more precious than the thing itself, which would be among the most absurd of things—to think and to speak of anything better than God. The *analabus* again, which is wrapped crosswise around their shoulders, is a symbol of faith in Christ, which receives the meek, and always curbs the obstacles, and provides them with work free from hindrance. And the girdle, tightening around their loins, repels all impurity, and proclaims this: "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." They also wear the *melote*, or sheepskin, being those who always B carry around in their body the dying of Jesus, and who muzzle all the irrational passions of the body, and prune away the vices of the soul by the participation of the good, and who love poverty, while fleeing greed as the mother of idolatry. And the rod is the tree of life, safe for all who take hold of it and lean upon it, as upon the Lord. And of these things, in summary, the habit is a symbol. But these are the words which the Fathers always speak to them: "Faith, O children, is confirmed by the fear of God, and this in turn by continence, and this is made unshakable by endurance and hope, from which impassibility is born, whose offspring is love; and love is the door to natural knowledge, which is succeeded by theology and the supreme beatitude." And concerning the holy habit and the teaching of the elders, let this much be said by us for the present. C But concerning both the practical and gnostic life—that is, the life which consists in action or in knowledge—let us now discourse, not as much as we have seen or heard, but as much as we have learned from them ought to be spoken to others. We have divided these concisely into one hundred chapters for matters pertaining to action, and six hundred and fifty for matters pertaining to knowledge, concealing some and putting others more obscurely, so that we may not give what is holy to the dogs, nor cast our pearls before swine; which, however, will be clear to those who have stepped into the same tracks as those men.
I. Christianity is a dogma of our Savior Jesus Christ, consisting of practical, physical, and theological D treatment. II. The kingdom of heaven is the imperturbability of the soul with a true knowledge of things. III. The kingdom of God is the knowledge of the holy Trinity, coextensive with the constitution of the mind, and surpassing its incorruptibility. IV. Whatever one loves, one also desires completely, and whatever one desires, one also strives to attain. And desire precedes every pleasure, for desire...
produces sense; because that which is devoid of sense is also free from passion.
V. A With anchorites or solitaries, demons wrestle naked; but against those who exercise virtue in coenobia or convents, they arm the more negligent of the brothers. Yet the latter war is much lighter than the former, because one cannot find on earth men more bitter than demons, or those who have admitted all their malice.
VI. Reading, vigil, and prayer steady a wandering mind; fasting, labor, and the retreat of solitude gradually extinguish a burning desire; while psalmody, long-suffering, and mercy calm an irascible anger—provided that these are applied at appropriate times and in due measure. For things done out of season or without measure endure but for a little while; and what lasts but a little while is more harmful than useful.
VII. B As often as our soul craves various foods, let it be restricted to bread and water, that it may learn to give thanks even for a dry morsel. For satiety desires manifold dishes, whereas hunger considers the satiety of bread to be blessedness.
VIII. A scarcity of water contributes much to temperance; let those three hundred Israelite soldiers who, under the leadership of Gideon, C defeated the Midianites, convince you of this.
IX. Just as it is contrary to the nature of things for life and death to occur simultaneously to the same person, so it is impossible for charity and money to coexist in any man. For charity is the destroyer not only of money, but even of our own temporal life.
X. He who flees all the pleasures of the world is a tower inaccessible to the demon of sadness. For sadness is the privation of pleasure, either present or expected. But we cannot repel this enemy if we have retained an affection for anything among earthly things. For he sets the snare D there and works sadness where he sees us most inclined.
XI. Anger and hatred indeed increase furor, while almsgiving and gentleness diminish even that which is present.
XII. Let not the sun go down upon our anger, lest demons, attacking us at night, terrify the soul and render the mind more cowardly for the battle on the following day. For terrible specters are wont to arise from the perturbation of an angry mind; and there is nothing that drives the mind to desertion like a soul disturbed by anger.
XIII. When that part of our soul by which we are irascible has been disturbed by finding an occasion, then the demons suggest retreat to us as a good thing, so that, by not resolving the causes of our sadness, we may not free ourselves from the tumult. But when the desiring part has been inflamed, then, on the contrary, they strive to make us lovers of men, and hard and
savage, so that, by desiring bodies, we may encounter bodies. We must not obey them, but rather do the opposite.
XIV. Do not give yourself over to the thought of anger by contending in your mind against the one who has grieved you, nor, again, by imagining for a long time the pleasure of fornication. For the former casts darkness upon the soul, while the latter provokes it to the actual experience of the vice; both dirty your mind, and when you have imagined such images at the time of prayer, failing to offer a pure prayer to God, you fall immediately under the attack A of the demon of acedia, who leaps upon those in such a state above all others, and like a dog, tears the soul to pieces like a young deer.
XV. It is the nature of anger to contend against demons and to struggle against any pleasure whatsoever. For this reason, the angels, suggesting to us spiritual pleasure and the happiness that comes from it, exhort us to turn our anger against the demons; they, on the other hand, dragging our anger toward worldly desires, force us to contend against men contrary to nature, so that the mind, darkened and fallen from knowledge, may become a traitor to the virtues.
XVI. Pay attention to yourself, that you never put any brother to flight when you are angered, for you will not escape the demon of sadness in your life, but he will be a constant stumbling block to you at the time of prayer.
XVII. Gifts extinguish the remembrance of injuries; let Jacob persuade you, who with gifts appeased Esau, who had come to meet him with four hundred men. But we, being poor, should supply the lack of gifts by the table.
XVIII. When we fall into the demon of acedia, then, having divided the soul, let us make one part the exhorter and the other the one being exhorted, sowing good hopes for ourselves and chanting the words of holy David B for comfort: "Why art thou sorrowful, O my soul, and why dost thou disquiet me? Hope in God, for I will confess to him, the salvation of my countenance, and my God" (Ps. XLI, 6, 7).
XIX. It is not right, at the time of temptations, to leave the cell by concocting specious excuses, but rather one must sit inside, endure, and bravely receive the assaults of all the demons—especially that of the demon of acedia, who, being more grievous than all others, makes the soul most proven. For to flee and avoid such struggles teaches the mind to be unskillful, lazy, cowardly, and a fugitive.
XX. It is difficult to avoid the thought of vainglory; for what you do to destroy it becomes the beginning of another vainglory for you. Not every thought C
A of ours is opposed by the demons, but some are also opposed by these vices, by which we are acquired.
XXI. He who has attained to knowledge and has culled the pleasure that springs from it, will no longer obey the demon of vainglory, for that demon offers him all the pleasures of the world. For what, I ask, could he promise that might have any value beneath spiritual contemplation? But as long as we are devoid of knowledge, let us zealously perform the active life, showing our purpose to God, that we are doing all things for the sake of attaining His knowledge.
XXII. Remember your former life and your ancient transgressions, B and by what means, having been enslaved to passions, you passed over to impassibility through the mercy of Christ, and how you again departed from the world, which had humbled you so many times in so many ways. Consider for me also this: who has kept you in the desert, and who has driven away the demons who were gnashing their teeth against you? For such thoughts as these instill humility and do not admit the demon of pride.
On the passions.
XXIII. Those things whose memories we hold with passion, we had previously received with perturbation; and conversely, those things we receive with agitation of soul, we shall also hold their memories moved by passion. Therefore, he who has overcome the tormenting demons will despise the things they use to torment; for the immaterial enemy is more troublesome than the material one.
XXIV. The passions of the soul take their occasion from men, while those of the body take theirs from the body; indeed, continence cuts off the passions of the body, while spiritual charity cuts off those of the soul.
XXV. C The demons who preside over the passions of the soul persevere until death; those who preside over the bodily passions depart more quickly. And while other demons are like the rising or setting sun, laying hold of only one part of the soul, the noonday demon is accustomed to encompass the whole soul and stifle the mind. Hence, monastic retreat is sweet after the emptying of the passions. For then, only the bare memories remain; and henceforth, the struggle prepares the monk not for combat, but for the contemplation of the struggle.
XXVI. One must pay attention to whether thought moves the passions, or the passions move the thought. For to some, the former has seemed acceptable, and to others, the latter. Passions are naturally accustomed to be moved by the senses; if charity and continence are present, they will not be stirred, but if they are absent, they will be. Moreover, anger requires more remedies than desire; D and for this reason, charity is considered great, because it is a bridle for anger. This, that holy Moses, when discoursing on natural things, symbolically named the 'serpent-fighter'.
'. A
XXVII. Against the impiety [or stench] that prevails in the demons, the soul is accustomed to be inflamed toward reasonings when, having perceived them approaching, it has been sprinkled with the vice of the one who disturbs it.
Monita
XXVIII. We cannot fulfill our usual rule at all times; rather, we must attend to the opportunity and endeavor to perform those commandments which are possible according to our strength. For the demons themselves are not ignorant of such opportune times. Hence, being moved against us, they prevent what can be done, and force us to do what cannot be done. For they hinder the sick from giving thanks to God in their pains and from bearing their attendants with patience; and in like manner, they urge the weak to practice abstinence, and those who are burdened by fatigue to keep standing while chanting the psalms. B
XXIX. As often as we are forced to dwell for a short time in cities or villages, then especially, by clinging more firmly to continence, we should associate with worldly people; lest our mind, by growing heavy and being deprived of its accustomed diligence on account of the present time, might do something contrary to its intention, and become a fugitive, being pelted by the demons.
XXX. When you are being tempted, do not pray before you have spoken some words with anger against the one troubling you. For since your soul is affected by thoughts as if by qualities, it will happen that your prayer will not be pure. But if you speak something against them with anger, you confuse and disperse the thoughts of your adversaries. For it is the nature of anger to accomplish this even regarding better thoughts. C
XXXI. If any monk wishes to make a trial of the fierce demons and to gain a habit of their craft, let him observe the thoughts, note their intensities and remissions, their complications and times, and which of the demons do this, and which demon follows another, and who does not follow whom; and let him ask from Christ the reasons and explanations for these things. For they are very angry at those who cultivate virtue more in a gnostic way, desiring to shoot at the upright in heart in the darkness 1. D
XXXII. By observing, you will find two of the demons to be most swift, almost outstripping the movement of our mind: the demon of fornication, and the one who snatches us toward blasphemy; but the latter is short-lived; the former, however, if it does not move the thoughts with passion, will not hinder us from the knowledge of God.
XXXIII. To separate the body from the soul belongs only to Him who bound them together; but to separate the soul from the body belongs to him who is held by the desire for virtue. For our Fathers call the solitary life a meditation on death and a flight from the body.
XXXIV. Let those who poorly nourish the flesh and make provision for it in their desires blame themselves, not it. For those who have acquired the impassibility of the soul through this body, and who in some measure apply themselves to the contemplation of beings, know the grace of the Creator. A
*Of the signs of impassibility.*
XXXV. When the mind begins to pray without distraction, then the whole war against the irascible part of the soul is waged, night and day.
XXXVI. An indication of imperturbability is a mind that begins to perceive its own luster, remains tranquil before the specters of sleep, and looks upon things calmly.
XXXVII. The mind is robust which represents to itself nothing of the matters of this world at the time of prayer. B
XXXVIII. The mind that has rightly cultivated the active life with the help of God, and has approached near to knowledge, perceives little or nothing of the irrational part of the soul, since knowledge snatches it up on high and separates it from sensible things.
XXXIX. A soul possesses impassibility, not when it is unaffected by things, but when it remains imperturbable even at the recollection of them.
XL. He who is perfect is not strictly called continent, nor is he who lacks passion called enduring; for endurance belongs to one who is afflicted, and continence to one who is troubled.
XLI. It is a great thing to pray without distraction; but it is greater still to chant without distraction. C
XLII. He who has established the virtues within himself, and is entirely mingled with them, no longer remembers law or commandments or punishment, but says and does whatever the excellent habit suggests.
*Practical Theorems.*
XLIII. Demonic songs stir up our desire and cast the soul into foul imaginations; on the contrary, psalms and hymns and spiritual songs always provoke the mind to the remembrance of virtue, cooling our fervent spirit and extinguishing desires.
XLIV. If it is the nature of wrestlers to be thrown and in turn to throw, and the demons wrestle with us, then those who wear us down are in turn worn down by us. "I will crush them," he says, "and they shall not be able to stand" (Ps. XVII, 39). And again: "They that pursue me and my enemies, they themselves were weakened and fell" (Ps. XXVI, 2). D
XLV. Rest is joined to wisdom, and labor to prudence. For it is not possible to obtain wisdom without war, nor is it possible to wage war successfully without prudence. To the latter it is entrusted to resist the ferocity of the demons' spirit, while it compels the faculties of the soul to act according to nature, and prepares the way of wisdom.
A XLVI. Temptation for a monk is a thought that rises through the passible part of the soul and darkens the intellect.
XLVII. Sin for a monk is the consent of the mind to an illicit pleasure.
XLVIII. Angels rejoice when vice is diminished; demons rejoice when virtue is. For the former are servants of mercy and love, while the latter are subjects of anger and hatred. The former, when they approach, fill us with spiritual contemplation; the latter, when they approach, cast the soul into shameful fantasies.
XLIX. The virtues do not actually restrain the onslaughts of the demons, but they keep us unharmed.
L. Practical life is a spiritual method that purifies the passible part of the soul.
LI. The actions of the commandments are not sufficient to heal the faculties of the soul perfectly, unless contemplations corresponding to them also follow for the intellect.
LII. It is not possible to resist all the thoughts implanted in us by angels, but it is possible to overturn all the thoughts suggested by demons. The former are followed by a peaceful state, the latter by a troubled one.
LIII. Love is the offspring of apatheia (dispassion). Apatheia is the flower of the practical life, and the practical life is established by the observance of the commandments. The guardian of these is the fear of God, which is the fruit of upright faith. Faith is an internal good, which naturally exists even in those who have not yet believed in God.
LIV. Just as the soul, working through the instrument of the body, becomes aware of its weak members, so too the intellect, exercising its own proper activity, recognizes its own faculties, and through that which hinders it, discovers the commandment that procures health for them.
LV. The intellect, when engaged in the war of the passions, will not perceive the reasons for the war; for it is like a man fighting at night. But having acquired apatheia, it will easily recognize the stratagems of the enemies.
LVI. The goal of the practical life is love, and the goal of knowledge is theology. The beginnings of both are faith and natural contemplation. Those who attack that part of the soul by which we are affected by passions are said to be opposed to the practical life; but those who harass the rational part are called enemies of all truth and adversaries of contemplation.
LVII. None of the things that cleanse bodies remain with those who have been cleansed; but the virtues both cleanse the soul and abide with it once it is cleansed.
LVIII. The rational soul acts according to nature when its desiring part longs for virtue,
its irascible part struggles for the same, and its rational part applies itself to the contemplation of created things. A
LIX. He who makes progress in the active life diminishes his passions, while he who makes progress in contemplation diminishes his ignorance; the passions will eventually suffer complete destruction, but as for ignorance, some say that one kind has an end, while the other does not.
LX. Things used as good or evil are those that produce virtues or vices. It belongs to prudence, therefore, to use them for either.
LXI. Furthermore, since the rational soul, according to our wise teacher, consists of three parts, if virtue occupies the rational part, it is called prudence, intelligence, and wisdom; if it occupies the concupiscible part, it is called temperance, B charity, and self-restraint; if the irascible part, fortitude and patience; and if it occupies the whole soul, justice. It is the work of prudence to lead the army against opposing powers, to defend the virtues, to contend against vices, and to manage intermediate things according to the occasion. It is the work of intelligence to arrange everything that contributes to our goal in a fitting manner, and of wisdom to contemplate the reasons of bodily and incorporeal things. C It concerns temperance to look without emotion upon the things that stir up within us images adverse to reason; and it concerns charity to present itself to every image of God such as it is to the prototype itself, even if demons attempt to defile them. It is the work of self-restraint to cast off with joy every pleasure of the throat. Not to fear the enemy and to endure hardships readily are the effects of patience and fortitude. Finally, justice pertains to bringing about a sort of concord and harmony among the parts D of the soul.
LXII. The fruits of seeds are the sheaves; the fruit of virtue is knowledge: and just as tears accompany the seeds, so joy accompanies the sheaves.
LXIII. A man will not lay aside the memories that produce passions if he has not taken care of desire and anger, consuming the former with fastings, vigils, and sleeping on the ground, and soothing the latter with equanimity, forgiveness of injuries, and almsgiving. For from these two passions almost all the demonic thoughts arise, which cast the mind into ruin and destruction. It is impossible, however, to overcome these passions unless one despises food, wealth, and glory in every respect, and furthermore, one’s own body, on account of those who frequently attempt to strike it. It is therefore absolutely necessary to imitate those who are in danger at sea and who throw their equipment overboard because of the violence of the winds and the rising waves. But here one must be strictly attentive, that we do not throw over the cargo just so that we may be seen by men: for
A we receive our reward, and a new shipwreck, more grievous than the former one, will befall us as the demon of vainglory breathes against us. For this reason our Lord, instructing the mind as a pilot in the Gospels, says: “Take heed that you do not perform your alms before men, to be seen by them; otherwise you have no reward from our Father who is in heaven.” And again: “When you pray,” he says, “you shall not be as the hypocrites are, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.” And again he says: “When you fast, do not be as the hypocrites are, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear to men to be fasting. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward.” But one must attend here to the Physician of souls, how through alms he heals the irascible power, and through prayer he cleanses the mind, and again through fasting he withers the desire; from which is constituted the “new man, who is renewed according to the image of him who created him,” B in whom, because of dispassion, “there is neither male nor female,” and because of the one faith and love, “neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian and Scythian, bond and free, but Christ is all and in all.”
LXIV. C Impure thoughts, as they linger in us because of the passions, drag the mind down to ruin and destruction. For just as the notion of bread lingers in one who is hungry, because of hunger, and the notion of water in one who is thirsty, because of thirst, so also the notions of money and possessions linger because of greed, and the notions of foods and the base thoughts born from foods linger because of the passions; but it will be made known that this is true likewise in the case of the thoughts of vainglory and other notions as well. It is not possible for a mind stifled by such notions to stand before God and to be crowned with the wreath of righteousness. For D distracted by these thoughts, that most wretched mind in the Gospels refused the feast of the knowledge of God. And again, he who was bound hand and foot, and cast into outer darkness, had a garment woven from these kinds of thoughts, which he who called him declared to be unworthy of such a marriage. Therefore the wedding garment is the dispassion of the rational soul, which has renounced worldly desires. But the reason why the notions of sensible things, as long as they endure, corrupt knowledge will be stated in the chapters on prayer.
A LXV. To a thought sent by demons three thoughts are opposed, which cut it off when it persists in the mind: that which is supplied by the angels, that which arises from our own will inclined toward the better, and that which human nature grants, according to which even the pagans are aroused to love their own children and honor their own parents. But to a good thought only two thoughts are opposed: the demonic thought, and that which proceeds from our own will inclining toward the worse. For no evil thought arises from nature. For we were not created evil from the beginning, since the Lord sowed good seed in His own field. For we do not necessarily have the power for whatever we are capable of receiving; since, because we are able not to be, we do not have the power of not being; indeed, faculties are qualities, but that which does not exist is not a quality. For if there was a time when evil did not exist, there will also be a time when it will not exist. For the seeds of virtue are indelible; and the rich man in the Gospels persuades me of this, being judged in Hades and pitying his brothers, since compassion is the most beautiful seed of virtue.
B LXVI. There are some among the unclean demons who always sit by those who are reading and attempt to snatch away their mind, frequently taking an occasion from the divine Scriptures themselves and leading them into evil thoughts; sometimes they even compel them, contrary to custom, to yawn and cast upon them a very heavy sleep, far different from the usual one. As some of the brethren imagined, it is according to an ineffable natural opposition; but I, having frequently observed it, have understood: they lay hold of the eyelids and the whole head, and make it cold with their own body; for the bodies of demons are exceedingly cold and similar to crystal; whence we also feel the head as if it were being pulled by a cupping-glass of physicians, along with a grinding sound. C They do this, that by drawing to themselves the heat innate in the skull, the eyelids, afterwards relaxed by the moisture and cold, may flow down over the pupils of the eyes. I have often, therefore, upon touching them, found the eyelids frozen like crystal, and the entire face looking deathly and horrific; yet natural sleep warms the bodies and makes the countenances of the healthy bright, as we learn from experience itself. But they, from a mouth not naturally composed but excessively distended, cause yawning, thinning themselves and occupying the interior of the mouth. However, I have not understood this until today, although I have suffered it very often; but I heard Saint Macarius speak to me about this, and he brought forward as a proof the custom of those who yawn, to protect their mouth with the sign of the cross, according to an ancient and secret tradition. D Moreover, we suffer all these things because we do not attend to our reading vigilantly, and are not mindful that we are reading the holy oracles of the living God.
[LXVII] Since there are also successions of demons—when the first fails in the battle and is unable to stir up its preferred passion—by observing these, we find it to be as follows: when thoughts of a certain passion become rare for a long time, and a sudden fervor and movement of it occurs, although we have given no occasion for it through negligence, then we know that a demon more troublesome than the former has succeeded it and has approached us, one who, keeping the place of the one that fled, has filled it up with his own malice. Indeed, this one also has a full knowledge of our soul, in that it is being assailed much more violently than usual, and has suddenly departed from the thoughts suggested yesterday and the day before, though no cause has entered from without. Let the mind therefore, seeing these things, flee to the Lord; having received the helmet of salvation, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having drawn the sword of the spirit, and having raised the shield of faith, let it look up to its own heaven with tears and say: "Lord Christ, O power of my salvation, incline your ear to me, hasten to deliver me. Be to me a God, a protector, and a place of refuge, to save me." B And above all, let it make the sword shine with fasts and vigils. For it will be oppressed for seven full days as it is being warred against and struck by the fiery darts of the Wicked One, and after the seventh day the demon will realize it is gradually becoming like its predecessor, and it will remain for a whole year, being wounded more often than wounding, until another comes to take its place; if indeed, for a time, like Job, we fall under them, and our houses are devastated by the lawless.
[LXVIII] Impure thoughts often admit material for their increase and are extended over many matters. For they cross great seas in the mind and do not refuse to travel long distances, on account of the great heat of the passion. But those that are in any way purified are more constricted than these, and cannot extend themselves over many matters, because of the weakness of the passion; whence they are moved more according to nature, and, according to the wise Solomon, wander outside for some time and gather stubble for the unlawful brickmaking, no longer receiving straw. Therefore, one must guard the heart with all watchfulness, C that it may be saved like a deer from snares, and like a bird from a trap. For it is easier to purify an impure soul than to recall to health one that has been purified and then wounded again, because the demon of sadness does not allow it, but always leaps into the pupils of the eyes, and at the time of prayer, presents the image of sin.
[LXIX] Christ raises up the rational nature, which has been put to death by vice, through the contemplation of all the ages;
A and the Father of this nature, having raised the soul that died by the death of Christ, restores it through the knowledge of Himself. And this is that which is said by the Apostle: "If we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him."
LXX. When the mind has put off the old man and has put on the one that is of grace, then it will discern, at the time of prayer, its own state to be similar to sapphire or the color of the sky, which the Scripture also calls the "place of God," having been seen by the elders on Mount Sinai.
LXXI. The mind will never see the place of God B within itself unless it becomes higher than all thoughts pertaining to worldly things; but it will not become higher if it does not cast out the passions which bind it to sensible things through thoughts. It will indeed lay aside the passions through the virtues, but it will lay aside the bare thoughts through spiritual contemplation; and this in turn, when that light has appeared to it, which at the time of prayer expresses the place of God.
THE PRACTICAL TREATISE OF EVAGRIUS THE MONK.
One Hundred Chapters.
XXIX. Our holy and most practical teacher used to say: A monk must always be as prepared as if he were to die the next day; C and yet, he must use his body as if he were to live with it for many years. For the former, he said, cuts off the thoughts of acedia and makes the monk more diligent, while the latter preserves the body in health and always maintains an equal measure of self-control.
XXXI. I have known the demon of vainglory, who is driven out by almost all other demons, yet who stands shamelessly at the falls of those who drive him out, and displays to the monk the greatness of his virtues.
XLIII. It is necessary also to recognize the differences of the demons D and to mark their times. We shall know them from the thoughts (and the thoughts from the things themselves): which of the demons are rare and heavier, which are constant and lighter, and which are those that suddenly leap in and snatch the mind toward blasphemy. It is necessary to know these things so that, when the thoughts begin to stir up their own materials, before we are cast far from our own state, we may speak something against them and denote the one who is present. For thus, both we ourselves shall easily make progress with God’s help, and we shall cause them, to our own wonder and to their chagrin, to fly away.
XLIV. As often as the demons do not prevail in the struggle waged against monks, they withdraw a little
A to wait and see which of the virtues has been neglected in the meantime, and suddenly attacking at that point, they plunder the wretched soul.
XLV. Wicked demons draw into their assistance demons that are more wicked than themselves; and although they disagree among themselves according to their dispositions, they agree solely upon the destruction of the soul.
XLVI. Let the demon who snatches the mind toward blasphemy against God and toward those forbidden imaginations—which I have not even dared to commit to writing—not trouble us, nor let him cut off our eagerness. For God is the knower of hearts, and He knows that not even when we were in the world were we ever seized by such madness. The goal of this demon is to cause us to cease from prayer, so that we might not stand before the Lord our God, nor dare to stretch forth our hands to Him, against whom we have entertained such thoughts.
XLVII. B A sign of the passions in the soul is either some word spoken or some movement of the body made; from this the enemies perceive whether we are harboring their thoughts within and are in labor with them, or whether, having cast them away, we are concerned for our salvation. Therefore, only God, who created us, knows this, and He does not require signs to understand what is hidden in the heart.
XLVIII. Demons contend against worldly people rather through things, but against monks for the most part through thoughts; for because of their solitude they are deprived of things. And by how much it is easier to sin in the mind than in outward action, by so much is the war waged according to the mind more difficult and troublesome than that which is composed through things. For the mind is a very mobile thing, and is with difficulty restrained from lawless phantasies.
XLIX. C We have not been commanded to labor, to watch, and to fast at every moment, but we have been ordained to pray without ceasing (1 Thess. v, 17); because those former things, which heal the passionate part of the soul, also require the assistance of our body at work—a body which, on account of its own weakness, is not sufficient for continuous labor—but prayer makes the mind strong and pure for the contest, being by nature able to pray, and without the aid of this body, to fight against the demons on behalf of all the powers of the soul.
Concerning what happens in sleep.
LIV. D When, in noctural dreams, the demons, fighting against the desiring part, themselves show us conversations with acquaintances, banquets with relatives, choruses of women, and all other such things as are productive of pleasure, and we run to meet them, we are sick in that part, and the passion prevails. But when, on the other hand, they disturb the irascible part, compelling us to travel along steep paths, and arming
A men, as well as venomous and carnivorous beasts, and we are terrified at these ways, and flee as we are pursued by beasts and men, then let us take care of that part, and while calling upon Christ in vigils, let us use the aforementioned remedies.
LV. Natural movements of the body in sleep, if they occur without images, indicate that the soul enjoys some measure of health; but the fixity of images is a sign of illness. Regard indefinite faces as symbols of an old affliction, and definite ones as symbols of a recent wound.
LVI. We shall perceive the signs of freedom from disturbances by day through our thoughts, and by night through our dreams. We shall call this freedom the health of the soul; its food, however, is knowledge, which alone is wont to join us with the holy powers; for the conjunction with incorporeal beings naturally follows from a similar disposition.
On the state which approaches freedom from passions.
LVII. There are two peaceful states of the soul: one that arises from natural seeds, and another that comes about through the withdrawal of demons. The first is followed by humility with compunction, tears, and a boundless love toward God, and an immeasurable zeal for work; the second, by vainglory with pride, enticing the monk through the removal of the other demons. He, therefore, who keeps the boundaries of the first state will recognize the incursions of the demons more quickly.
LVIII. The demon of vainglory is opposed to the demon of fornication, and it is impossible that both should attack the soul at the same time; for the one promises honors, while the other becomes the agent of ignominy. Therefore, whenever either of these presses you with his approach, fashion within yourself the thoughts of the opposite demon; and if you can, according to the saying, drive out a nail with another nail, you may know that you are standing near the boundaries of impassibility, for your mind has been strong enough to abolish the suggestions of demons with human thoughts. But to repel the temptation of vainglory through humility, or the vice of fornication through chastity, will be a sign of the deepest imperturbability. And strive to do this with all demons that are contrary to one another. For at the same time, you will also know to what disturbance you are more inclined. But ask for power from God to repel enemies in the second manner.
LIX. The more the soul progresses, the greater the adversaries that confront it. For I do not believe that the same demons always stay with it. Those who apply themselves more keenly to temptations know this most of all, seeing the freedom from affections that they enjoy being moved, or rather, disturbed, by those who succeed them.
LX. Perfect impassibility comes to the soul after the victory gained against all the demons that oppose the active life; but it is called imperfect with respect to the strength of the demon that is then attacking it.
A LXI. The mind will never make progress, nor will it migrate on that noble pilgrimage, nor find itself in the region of the incorporeal, unless it has first corrected its interior state. For domestic disorder is accustomed to turn it back toward those things from which it has emerged. B LXII. Both virtues and vices render the mind blind: the former, so that it might not look upon the vices; the latter, so that it might not, in turn, behold the virtues.
Sayings of the holy monks
XCI. It is also necessary to inquire into the paths of the monks who have proceeded correctly, and to be raised up toward them. For it is possible to find many things said and done by them in an excellent manner; among which one of them says that a drier and steady diet, joined with charity, brings the monk more quickly into the harbor of impassibility. B The same man freed a certain brother who was accustomed to be troubled at night by specters, after he had ordered him to serve the sick while fasting. For, he said when asked, there is no other thing by which such passions are so extinguished as by mercy.
XCII. A certain one of those who were then considered wise approached the just Antony and said, "How, Father, can you endure life, deprived of the consolation of books?" But he replied, "Philosopher, my book is the nature of created things, and it is present whenever I wish to read the reasons and words of God."
XCIII. The vessel of election, the Egyptian elder Macarius, asked me, "Why is it that, when we hold grudges against men, we destroy the soul's power of memory, yet when we hold grudges against demons, we remain unharmed?" And because I hesitated in my answer and asked to learn the reason, he said, "Because the former is against the nature of the mind, while the latter is of its nature." D
XCIV. At the very height of the burning noon, I went to the holy Father Macarius, and as I was burning with intense thirst, I asked for water to drink. But he said, "Be content with the shade. For many now who are traveling or sailing are deprived even of this." Then, as I was examining my thoughts about continence before him, he said, "Take heart, my son; for twenty whole years I have not been satiated with bread, nor water, nor sleep. For I ate my bread by weight, I drank water by measure, and by leaning myself against walls, I snatched a small portion of sleep."
XCV. The death of a father was announced to one of the monks, and he said to the one who announced it, "Cease your blasphemy; for my Father is immortal."
XCVI. A certain brother asked one of the elders if he should go home to eat with his mother and sisters, but he answered, "Do not eat with a woman."
XCVII. One of the brothers possessed only a Gospel; having sold this, he gave the money to feed the hungry, adding a memorable word: "I have sold the very Word that says to me, 'Sell your possessions and give...'"