6 If anyone, besides "yes" and "no," should swear another oath, let him also be separated for one week. A
7 If anyone is aware that a brother has committed a fault, and by way of exposing him, reproaches him when he approaches, let him, as one who is likewise moved by no compassion and rejoices in the misfortunes of others, be separated for one week.
8 If anyone is aware that someone has sinned, and sees that he bears it indifferently and is not propitiating the Lord with contrition of heart and many tears, let him exhort and remind him to repent and to show the fruits of repentance. But if, these things being done, he neglects his own salvation, let such a one be separated from the community altogether. For "a little leaven leavens the whole lump," as the holy man said.
9 If anyone goes out without necessary business and wanders about inopportunely, let such a one be separated, so that his feet may rest at home, as it is written. B
10 If anyone is angered rashly, and does not immediately comfort the brother he has made sad, so that he may forgive him the sin he committed against him, let him also be separated for one week.
11 If anyone has been treated with contumely by a brother and, being entreated by the community, does not forgive the sin, being mindful of Him who said: "If anyone has a complaint against any: even as Christ forgave," let him also be likewise separated for one week. C
12 If anyone goes out from the monastery without having received a blessing, or being released by the archimandrite with prayer, let him be excommunicated.
13 If anyone possesses anything within the monastery, or outside the monastery, let him be deprived of the fellowship of the rest.
14 If anyone joins himself with someone and contemplates leaving the monastery for some other evil purpose, let him be excommunicated.
15 If any of the overseers of the sleeping quarters finds someone causing disturbances or talking in the dormitory, and does not cast him out of the assembly, let him lack the blessing himself. D
16 If anyone lacks the blessing for the sake of correction, and out of contempt does not apologize and receive the blessing, let him be separated.
17 If anyone places something at the table or for himself,
without being permitted by the archimandrite, let him be deprived of the blessing. A
18 If anyone performs work in any place without a head-covering, let him be deprived of the blessing.
19 If anyone, without permission granted by the archimandrite, speaks with some stranger who has arrived or with one of his own fellows (except for those whose duty it is), let him be without the blessing.
20 If anyone takes something from a brother and hides it, let him be deprived of the blessing.
21 If anyone, finding himself under no penalty, eats without having received the blessing, let him be separated from the others.
22 If anyone does not receive the blessing in his turn, let him be deprived of the blessing; but if he was unable to be present due to necessity, let him offer an apology.
23 If anyone is found at night lingering privately with someone else, or changing the place where he sleeps, against the will of the superiors, let him be deprived of the company of the others. B
24 If anyone forces himself into another task without permission, let him be deprived of the blessing.
25 If anyone exchanges something with someone else, or gives a gift without the will of the archimandrite, let him be without the blessing.
26 If anyone is found talking in the evening after the "Our Father," let him be separated from the others.
27 If anyone of those who are in good health sleeps outside the oratory, let him be set apart from the others.
28 If anyone drapes in nonsensical chatter while eating at the table, let him be made to rise for prayer.
29 If anyone is deprived of the blessing, and out of resentment acts against the one who is correcting him, or while arguing refuses to accept the discipline, let him be separated from the others. But if he says that he is being corrected unjustly, let him make the reason known to the archimandrite, and let him follow what is decided by him. C
30 If anyone is offended at someone, and while showing contempt does not reconcile before the service, unless he declares the reason to the archimandrite or to the master of the rooms, let him be separated from the others.
31 If anyone on the day of the oblation removes himself from communion against the will of the archimandrite, let him be without the blessing.
32 If anyone disputes contentiously concerning the Scriptures, let him be deprived of the blessing; but if, after being admonished, he persists, let him be separated from the company of the others as disobedient and insubordinate. D
33 If anyone washes his own garment or that of another against the will of the archimandrite, let him be deprived of the blessing.
34 If anyone is absent from the meals without having stated the reason, let him remain fasting.
A 35 If anyone loses something, and not having found it, does not report it to the archimandrite, let him be deprived of the blessing. 36 If two are found to have a habitual intimacy with each other, and having been warned do not separate, they shall be excommunicated until they are corrected. 37 If anyone in the evening does not reach the *Pater noster* without some cause, let him continue in prayer until all have fallen asleep. 38 If anyone, at the time of communion, having a complaint against a brother, does not give him peace, let him be excommunicated. 39 If anyone removes a brother from the order of ministry, except for those to whom this duty is entrusted, let him be deprived of the blessing. 40 If anyone knows of a brother who wishes to depart secretly from the monastery, and does not inform the archimandrite or those in charge, let him be excommunicated. B 41 If anyone rises from the table against the will of the archimandrite, let him continue in prayer until the time of the lamp-lighting. 42 If anyone after communion leaves the ministry before all have received the blessings, except for human necessity, let him eat alone by himself. 43 If anyone is the cause of someone being deprived of the blessing unseasonably, let him himself be deprived of the blessing. 44 If anyone is found talking through the cells, except for those who occupy them or the hesychasts, let him be deprived of the blessing. C 45 If anyone speaks facetiously or chatters in vain, let him be deprived of the blessing. 46 If anyone is found speaking ill of someone, or hearing some speaking ill, and does not rebuke them or report it to the archimandrite, let him be excommunicated together with them. 47 If anyone is found in the garden talking with someone, or reciting psalms, or sleeping, except for the laborers or the supervisors, let him be deprived of the blessing. 48 If anyone goes to the gatehouse without having been permitted by the supervisors, let him be deprived of the blessing; but if he goes to the guardhouse, let him be deprived of the fellowship of the others. 49 If anyone gives something outside or receives it, against the will of the archimandrite, let him be separated from the others. D 50 If anyone, in meeting a stranger, converses with any of those arriving, except to give the peace, except for those dwelling there...
of the appointed ones, let it be deprived of the blessing.
51 If anyone is bothersome to the archimandrite under the pretext of the duty to be performed by turns, except for the cellarer or the hebdomadary, let him be deprived of the blessing; so that the hebdomadary, who is in charge of each turn, and the steward, may diligently look after every need, lest they fall into the judgment of negligence.
52 If anyone comes at an unseasonable time to the kitchen or the storeroom, except for those appointed and those who look after good order, let him be deprived of the blessing.
53 If anyone, having been woken up by someone during the time of service or reading, takes it ill, let him be separated from the others.
B 54 If anyone without cause enters the infirmary after the morning visit, except for the hesychasts and those entrusted with care, let him be deprived of the blessing.
55 If anyone enters the infirmary and rests there against the will of the infirmarian, let him be deprived of the blessing; but if he is afflicted or ill, let him first make it known to the infirmarian.
56 If any of the sick changes the place where he sleeps against the will of the infirmarian, let him be separated from the communion of the others.
57 If any of those appointed to serve in the infirmary bestows anything upon a brother against the will of the infirmarian, let him be deprived of the blessing.
58 If any from among the sick is found exchanging anything against the will of the infirmarian, or of any of those serving, let him be deprived of the blessing.
59 If anyone is found writing to someone or receiving letters, except the archimandrite, let him be separated from the society of the others.
60 If anyone sends a gift to someone, or receives anything from anywhere, except through the archimandrite, let him be deprived of the blessing.
PENALTIES FOR CANONESSES
1 She who has sworn any oath whatsoever, let her be separated from the others for two weeks.
2 She who has maligned any of the elder sisters entrusted with regulating matters in the monastery, let her be deprived of the communion of the others for one week.
3 If any sister says something in secret against an absent sister with the intent to slander her, let her be deprived of the communion of the others for one week.
4 She who has insulted anyone with any insult whatsoever, let her be separated from the others for one week.
5 D Any woman found whispering, other than the elder sisters entrusted with service, let her be removed from the society of the others for one week.
A 6 Whoever, without compelling necessity, starts an untimely conversation and engages in idle talk, let her be separated from the others for one week. 7 Whoever speaks wittily or laughs indecorously, let her be separated for one week. 8 Whoever, while engaged in the work of her service and occupied with necessary business, happens to converse with her neighbor using either shouting or rash speech, let her be separated from the others for one week. 9 Whoever defends one who has been condemned for some error by those to whom, after prior examination, the administration and care of affairs has been entrusted, shall be separated along with the one she defends from the fellowship of the others for two weeks. 10 Whoever has conversed with any of those who come from outside, before she has been given permission by her to whom the care of all disciplinary authority has been entrusted, let her be separated from the others for one week. B 11 Whoever is found grumbling about the scarcity of necessary things or about the labor of the works, let her be deprived of the fellowship of the others for one week. 12 Whoever resists the precept of those to whom the care of matters has been entrusted, let her be separated from the others for one week. 13 Whoever performs the precept contemptuously, and not with quiet and silence, let her be deprived of the fellowship of the others for one week. 14 Whoever wishes to adorn herself, after one and a second admonition, let her be rebuked in the presence of the superior. C 15 Whoever, without the approval of those entrusted with the care, has gone to a mother or sister, let her be separated for one week. 16 Whoever moves her eyes in a wicked manner and causes annoyance to her neighbor, let her be separated from the others for one week. 17 Whoever, after the dismissal of the communal prayers, converses with some woman from outside, let her be separated for two weeks. 18 Whoever moves from one work to another without the command of those who have the care of affairs, let her be removed from the fellowship of the others for one week. 19 Whoever rejects the penance, or contradicts, or murmurs, not recognizing the benefit that will come to her own self from the correction, let her be separated from the others for two weeks. D
CHAPTERS OF THE CONSTITUTIONS
1 That prayer is to be preferred before all things. 2 Concerning the restraining and moderating of thoughts, and that the body is not evil, as some have supposed. 3 That one must not converse with women unguardedly.CHAPTERS OF THE CONSTITUTIONS
4 That abstinence should be measured by the strength of the body; and that bodily labor is honorable and legitimate. A 5 That it becomes the ascetic to be engaged in suitable works. 6 That the ascetic should not converse unguardedly with all men. 7 That it is not right to go out frequently and without cause. 8 That confidence and freedom of speech should not be given to unstable ascetics, but rather that such persons should be avoided. 9 That it is not fitting for an ascetic to desire admission to the clergy or to be set over others as a superior. 10 That it is not right to emulate good works out of vainglory. 11 Concerning the opportune time for speaking. 12 That it is not right for an ascetic to look toward jests. B 13 Concerning meekness, and in what manner charity is established. 14 Concerning prudence. 15 Concerning faith and hope. 16 Concerning humility. 17 In how many ways evil thoughts arise. 18 To those living in a common community. 19 That an ascetic must approach the ascetic life with a firm judgment, and concerning obedience. 20 That one should not seek conversations with relatives who are devoted to the world, nor concern oneself with their affairs. C 21 That one should not be cut off from the spiritual brotherhood. 22 Concerning obedience, more fully discussed. 23 That an ascetic should undertake even humble tasks with great alacrity. 24 That it is not fitting for an ascetic to seek honors and ranks. 25 Concerning lack of pretension and simplicity in diet. 26 That the one who looks toward perfection will not be harmed by going out. 27 That an ascetic should not have private business. 28 That it is fitting for a superior to manage the affairs of his subjects with fatherly kindness. D 29 That it is not fitting for an association of two or three brothers to exist within the ascetic system. 30 That it is not right for an ascetic to seek a choice of clothing. 31 That the superior should assign tasks in proportion to the strength of the body; and concerning those who conceal their own strength. 32 That the brothers should not be grieved when some relief is provided to the weaker. 33 That superiors should not give freedom of speech to ascetics who desert their own community, nor admit them to the common life.
34. That the ascetic living in a community should not privately possess any material things.
ADMONITION
We have noted that there is not one single unanimous opinion concerning the author of the *Ascetica*. Some attribute all the *Ascetica* to Basil the Great; others are content to attribute only a part of them to him, provided that all agree on one thing: that they make Basil the Great the author of the *Constitutiones Monasticae*. Regarding all of these, we have argued at sufficient length in the Preface (n. 27), where we have tried to show individually that if anything in the *Ascetica* should be held under suspicion, that suspicion ought to be applied primarily to the *Constitutiones Monasticae* (54).Scholium of Theodore the Studite on the particular Ascetica of Basil the Great.
The present work is the genuine offspring of Basil the Great, as both his characteristic grandiloquence and his style of diction clearly reveal. The resemblance of this work to the other *Ascetica*, whether in terms of its sentiments or its wording, is also so great that, even to a light reader, it seems not so much a different work as an explanation of the others. Who, then, unless he be blinded by a perverse mind, would deny these *Ascetica* to the holy Father? I know of some who have rashly argued that they are spurious, inspired, I believe, by a desire to appear perceptive, and also by the authority of some historian who wrote that they were numbered by some among the doubtful works, thus confirming by his own testimony the audacity of those who assert they are spurious. But it seems to follow that the same people must also consider as doubtful the Epistle to the Hebrews, the second Epistle of Peter, the Apocalypse of John, and other Catholic Epistles, since these are also doubted in the writings of certain of the Fathers. If this is impious, how will it not also be impious to deny the *Ascetica* to Basil, since the authority of the Church has settled the dispute concerning both these and the aforementioned apostolic works by receiving them both? If they say that the Theologian makes no mention of the *Ascetica*, they reveal that they have either read him only superficially or are lying willfully. For what else do the "written and unwritten rules of the monks," mentioned by Gregory, signify if not precisely these?A proof also comes from another consideration. "For what Basil says in the *Ascetica*—that he learned the Holy Scriptures from his parents—Gregory says, 'The first things were indeed swaddled and fashioned by his father.'" One may also find that the holy Theodosius made use of them along with others, as his *Life* shows. To whom else, then, were the monks of old, who had made inquiries, to turn for the details of our way of life? Or whose else was it, in such a position of authority, to legislate and to frame the whole subject of salvation and the practice concerning these things, such that there was almost no other way to walk faultlessly in the path according to God except through his instruction? Either they must provide other *Ascetica* of equal weight, as being those of Basil the Great—though even so, there would not be another Basil, since he possesses the same power of genius and the same style—or, even if they are unwilling, they will surely have to admit that these are of Basil the Great. It must be noted that the other *Ascetica* are general, whereas these are particular. For it was necessary that the lamp of the world, while illuminating the whole earth under the sun with the other rays of his teachings, should specially illuminate us with at least these two works.
MONASTIC CONSTITUTIONS
OF OUR HOLY FATHER BASIL, ARCHBISHOP OF CÆSAREA IN CAPPADOCIA, ASCETIC CONSTITUTIONS, TO THOSE WHO LIVE IN COMMUNITY OR ALONE.
PROOEMIUM.
A 1. Since you have raised your mind above worldly desires, pleasures, and cares, and have zealously endeavored to detach and separate your understanding in every way from carnal affections, you have often held conversations with us, enquiring how one ought to complete the struggle that has been undertaken, so as to never be caught by the carnal desires that creep through the body to the soul; and what is the first thing that must be most especially avoided, and what is the second; and which good things ought to be emulated, so that by such avoidance you may decline from performing inept works, and by such emulation you may perfect good ones. Afterward, however, you also asked that I should write down and set forth our counsel B concerning this matter to you. For this reason, we were led not to disregard your good zeal, but rather to support and strengthen with our own counsels the habits you already possess; not because we were about to bring forth a doctrine suitable for the argument of the matter, C but as those who do not hide what we have, but provide the account sufficient for the subject.