Ascetic Constitutions

^A For we must not hide the doctrine with which we have been endowed, as if behind a mound, through silence, and thus finally escape the punishment threatened against him who hid his talent in the earth. Marriage, for the most part, is for men the cause and occasion of that desire which revolves around worldly pleasures and cares. For there is no desire, among those implanted by nature in the body, that can be found to be more vehement and violent than that by which men desire women, or women men; and this is no wonder, since it tends by its own nature toward the procreation of children. Therefore, since marriage is a thing of such great moment, it must needs have instilled within it an equally more vehement impulse; and likewise, no cares among those that are wont to befall men are more burdensome than those that swarm in from wedlock, even as the Apostle says: *He who has taken a wife is anxious about the things of the world*, ^B being weighed down by the burden of cares. For he who lives alone looks after only himself and the needs of his own body: or perhaps he may even come to despise these, if he can but once easily induce his mind to do so; but he who undertakes the care of a wife and children is no longer the master of his own will, but of necessity serves their pleasures, and, being occupied with the care of his children, drinks dry an immense abyss of cares, which it would be more time-consuming to recount than the present moment permits.

2. Whoever, therefore, desires to be free from the bonds of the world avoids nuptials as if they were fetters; but having avoided these, he consecrates his life to God and professes chastity, ^C so that it is no longer permitted to him to recur to marriage, but, struggling against nature and its more vehement impulses, he will apply himself entirely to the contests for the sake of chastity. For whoever is of such a kind, having become a lover of God, and desiring to attain even in the smallest degree to His apathy, and wishing to taste of spiritual holiness, and of calmness and tranquility, and of gentleness, and of the joy and gladness that are born from these, labors in this, that he may lead his thoughts far away from every earthly and bodily affection that perturbs the soul: nay, even with a pure gaze of the mind, and one wrapped in no darkness, he contemplates divine things, and is insatiably bathed in the light that emanates from thence. When, however, he has exercised his soul to such a habit and ^D state, then at last he becomes, as far as is lawful, similar to God, and he is rendered most beloved and cherished by Him: as one who, having endured a great and arduous struggle, and, even though the admixture of matter remains, having been able—with a mind purged and set apart from the mixture of bodily affections—to come into communion with God.

^A Therefore, it is fitting and consistent that one who has ascended to such a state through the aforementioned exercise should not be dragged back down through the irritations of the flesh into communion with its passions, nor, by receiving the vapors rising from thence, allow the eye of the soul to be darkened as if by some profound mist; nor should the glance of the intellect, afflicted by the smoke of the passions as if by a biting and acrid humor, fall away from divine and spiritual contemplation. ^B

CHAPTER I. That prayer is to be preferred to all things.

1. Every act, beloved, and every word of our Savior Jesus Christ is a rule of piety and virtue. For this reason, he even took on human nature, depicting piety and virtue for us as in an image, so that each man and each woman, looking to this, might according to their ability emulate the archetype. ^C For this reason, he wears our body, that we too might imitate his way of living, as far as possible. Do not, therefore, when you hear of his word or deed, listen carelessly, simply, or heedlessly; but descend into the depth of the contemplations; become a participant in those things which have been mystically handed down. For Martha receives the Lord, but Mary sits at his feet; yet in both sisters there is a noble zeal—distinguish, however, the matters. For Martha was serving, preparing things necessary for the reception of his bodily need, while Mary, sitting at his feet, was listening to his words. ^D The one, therefore, was refreshing the visible, while the other was serving the invisible. For he who was present was truly both man and God, and the same Lord approved the zeal of both women. But Martha, pressed by labor, asked the Lord to become a mediator, that she might take her own sister as a helper for the service. "Tell her," she says, "to rise and serve with me." But the Lord said to her: "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is necessary. For Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." For we have not come for this purpose, that we should recline on couches and nourish the belly; rather, we are present that we might nourish you with the word of truth and the contemplation of mysteries. He did not therefore turn the one away from the work she had undertaken, but commended her.

^A See for me, therefore, the two states designated by the two women: the one, indeed, the lesser, choosing the more bodily ministry, though it is also most useful; the other, however, the better, since it ascends to the contemplation of mysteries and is more spiritual. Receive this, you who are a hearer, spiritually, and choose whichever you will. But if you wish to minister, minister in the name of Christ. For He Himself said: "Inasmuch as you did it to one of these my brethren, even the least, you did it unto me." For whether you receive guests, or refresh the poor, or have pity on those in pain, or extend a helping hand to those who are in need and calamity, or wait upon the sick, Christ receives all these things unto Himself. But if you wish to imitate Mary, who, having left behind the ministry of the body, ascended to the contemplation of spiritual visions, conduct this business legitimately. Leave behind the body, abandon agriculture and the preparation and arrangement of meals; sit at the feet of the Lord and listen to His words, that you may become a participant in the mysteries of the Godhead. For the contemplation of the teachings of Jesus transcends the ministry of the body.

2. Therefore, dearly beloved, take these examples as a model. Emulate whichever you wish, whether to be a minister of the needy or a lover of the doctrines of Christ. But if you can imitate both, you will bring back the fruit of salvation from both sides. The spiritual word, however, is the first, and all other things are secondary. For, He says, "Mary chose the good part." If, therefore, you also desire to be a mystic of Christ, sit at His feet, receive His Gospel, abandon all your worldly affairs, and live free from every care; indeed, forget even your own body, and so at last you will be able to commune with Him through contemplation, that you may imitate Mary and attain the supreme glory. But when you pray, take care not to ask for one thing in place of another, and provoke the Lord; do not ask for money, not for human glory, not for power, nor for any other of the fleeting things; but petition for the kingdom of God, and He will provide for you all things necessary for the body, just as the Lord Himself says: "Seek ye the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." ^D There is, however, dearly beloved, a twofold manner of prayer: one, indeed, is placed in glorification with humility; but the other, which is inferior to this, consists in petition. When, therefore, you pray, do not hasten immediately to petition; if you do otherwise, you bring upon yourself the charge that you are offering prayers to God compelled by necessity. When, therefore, you enter to pray, leave yourself behind, your wife, your children; forsake the earth, transcend the heaven, leave behind every

visible and invisible creature, and begin with the glorification of the Creator of all things. And when you offer Him glory, do not let your mind wander here and there, nor recount fables after the manner of the Greeks, but choose from the holy Scriptures and say: "I bless Thee, O Lord, who art long-suffering and patient, who ^A bearest me daily as I sin, and who hast granted to us all the opportunity for repentance." For this is why Thou art silent and endurest us, O Lord, that we might offer glory to Thee who orderest the salvation of our race: at one time by terrors, at another by admonitions, at another by the prophets, and finally by visiting us through the advent of Thy Christ. For Thou didst fashion us, and not we ourselves. Thou art our God. ^B

3. When, therefore, you have glorified Him from the Scriptures as you are able, and have sent up praise to God, then begin with humility and say: "Indeed, I am not worthy, O Lord, to speak before Thee, because I am truly a sinner." Even if you are not conscious of any evil in yourself, thus it behooves you to speak. For no one is without sin save God alone. For while we commit many sins, we do not even understand the greater part of them. For this reason the Apostle says: "I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this" (1 Cor. IV, 4); that is, I commit many sins, and I do not understand them. Whence also the Prophet says: "Who will understand his transgressions?" (Ps. XVII, 13). Therefore, you are not lying when you call yourself a sinner. For if you understand, even in this you sin by saying that you are not a sinner; but say rather: "I am a sinner more than all others, who violate that divine command which orders: 'When you have done all things, ^C say: We are unprofitable servants; for we have done what we ought to have done'" (Luc. XVII, 10). Thus you must always think: "I am unprofitable." And again, reflect within yourself upon this: "In humility regarding one another as superior to yourselves" (Phil. II, 3). Pray, therefore, to God with fear and humility. When, therefore, you offer words of humility, and say: "I give thanks to Thee, O Lord, because Thou hast been long-suffering toward my transgressions, and until now Thou hast left me unpunished; for indeed, I was long ago worthy to suffer ten thousand terrible things and to be cast out from Thy presence, but Thy patient kindness has suffered me with long-suffering; I give thanks to Thee, even if I am not capable of giving thanks worthy of Thy patience"; and when you have fulfilled the two parts of glorification and humility, then at last ask for what you ought to ask: not wealth, as I said before, not earthly ^D glory, not the health of the body. For He Himself fashioned you, and He cares for your salvation, and He knows what is beneficial for each person, whether to be healthy or to be sick.

But as you have been commanded, ask for the kingdom ^A of God. For as I said before, He will take care of your body's needs. For our King is of the greatest dignity and most august, and He takes it ill if anyone asks Him for some small thing, or if any of us asks for things that are not at all fitting for Him. Do not, therefore, bring upon yourself the indignation of God in your prayer, but ask for things worthy of the King, God. And when you ask for things worthy of God, do not desist until you receive. For, hinting at this, the Lord says in the Gospel: “Which of you will have a friend, and will go to him at midnight, and will say to him: Friend, lend me three loaves, because a friend of mine has arrived from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he from within shall answer: Do not be troublesome to me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give you. I say to you, even if he will not give him, rising because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him ^B as many as he needs.”

4. This example is set before us by the Lord so that He may teach us to be firm and persistent in faith. For He takes an example from man to man, so that you may learn never to despair; that when you ask and do not receive, you may not desist, however, until you receive, provided, as I said before, that you ask for those things that God wills: and do not say, “I am a sinner, and therefore I am not heard.” For so that you might not lose hope, for this reason He says: “And if he will not give him because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will give him as many as he needs.” Furthermore, if a month, or a year, or three years, ^C or four years, or several years pass, do not cease until you obtain, but ask with faith, always doing what is good. For it happens not rarely that someone in his youth may have cultivated chastity, then pleasure crept in, natural desires were aroused, prayer languished, wine was added to his youth, chastity perished, and the man became another instead of his former self. Thus do changes occur, because we do not resist the passions with a noble mind 81. It is necessary, therefore, to contribute everything from oneself, but to cry out to God, that He may assist him. For if anyone shall abandon himself through listlessness to the desires ^D

and deliver himself up to the enemies, to him God does not offer assistance, nor does He hear him; for he has already alienated himself from God through sin. For he who wishes to be helped by God does not neglect his own duty; and he who does not neglect his duty is never abandoned by divine assistance. It is necessary, therefore, not to be condemned by one's own conscience in any matter, and only then to invoke divine assistance; and one must invoke it not listlessly, nor with the mind wandering here and there. For such a person will not only not receive his request, but will even more greatly exasperate the Master. For if, when someone stands before a ruler and speaks, he stands with much fear, keeping his eye—both the external one and the internal one of his soul—fixed and not wandering, lest he should fall into some danger, how much more is it necessary to stand before God with fear and trembling, having the whole mind stretched out toward Him alone, and nowhere else? For He does not only see the outer man, as humans do, but He also beholds the inner one. ^B If, therefore, you stand before God as you ought, and contribute everything within your power from your side, do not depart until you receive your request. But if you are condemned by your conscience as being contemptuous, and if you stand in prayer with a wandering mind when you are able to stand without wandering, do not dare to stand before God, so that your prayer may not turn into sin. But if, having been weakened by sin, you cannot pray without distraction, use violence upon yourself as much as you are able, and persevere standing before God, having your mind fixed upon Him and gathering it in toward yourself, and God will grant forgiveness, because it is not out of contempt, but out of weakness, that you cannot stand before God as you ought. If thus you force yourself toward every good work, do not depart until you receive your request, but patiently knock at His door, asking for your request. For everyone who asks receives, He says, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. For what other thing could you wish to obtain ^C if not only salvation according to God?

5. Do you wish to learn, beloved, how the saints were patient and did not lose hope? Abraham, when he was younger, God called, and from the land of the Assyrians He brought him into Palestine, saying to him: "To you I will give this land, and to your seed after you; and as the stars of heaven, so shall your seed be, which shall not be numbered." And a long number of years had passed, and his nature had already grown dead, and death stood at the doors, yet he did not say: "Lord, You always promise me children, and You foretell that I shall be a father of all nations.” ^D

^A For the movements of nature were dead through old age, and Sarah, my wife, no longer experiences anything womanly because of her age; therefore, the promise is false. Since we are both old, what hope can we have?" He did not say these things, nor did he think them, but remained unshaken in faith; and while he grew old in age (88), hope grew young. And though his body was coming into feebleness and brought despair, faith invigorated both soul and body. God, he says, is the one who promised, the Master of nature, and it cannot happen otherwise. He is the one who makes even impossible things possible; He performs all things and transforms them as He wills. Imitate the faith of Abraham. When nature was enfeebled and its movements dead, then the promise of God lived. Receive these examples. Yet we pray for a year, and we give up; we fast for two years, and we cease. Let us not, therefore, become faint-hearted toward the promise of God. For He who promised him that He would multiply his seed, has also promised us that He will grant our petition when we ask. For He says: "Come to Me (89), all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." ^B For when you were far from Him, moved by mercy He called you who were laboring and laden with the heaviest (90) burden of sin, so that He might relieve you of the load and grant you rest for the future; and do you not have faith in Him? But indeed, even if we wish to be silent, we are convicted by our own conscience. For we do not deny Him faith because He cannot give us rest, but we refuse to take up His yoke—that good and light one—upon ourselves, and to enter into the kingdom of heaven through the narrow gate; rather, we choose to bear the burden of sins, and to walk the broad way through pleasures and passions, and to enter into destruction through the wide gate. But often, he says (91), I asked, and I did not receive. Assuredly, it is because you asked wrongly, or faithlessly, or with a wavering mind, or for things not profitable to you. And if you have often asked for profitable things, yet you did not persevere. For it is written: "In your patience possess your souls," and, "He who perseveres to the end shall be saved." ^C What then, he says, does God have need of our petition? Does He not know what we need? Why then is it necessary to ask? God indeed knows what we have need of, and He gives us all bodily things in abundance for our enjoyment; and being good, He rains on the just and the unjust, and makes His sun rise on the good and the evil. ^D

But as for faith, and the accomplishments of virtue, and the kingdom of heaven, you will not receive these unless you ask for them with labor and much perseverance. For it is necessary first to desire, and once having desired, to seek in truth with faith and patience, contributing all one has from oneself; ^A being judged in nothing by one's own conscience as having asked carelessly or sluggishly; and then to receive when the Lord wills. For He knows better than you what is for your benefit. And perhaps for this reason He delays giving, wise in His management of your persistent attendance upon Him; and so that you may know what a gift of God is, and keep what is given with fear. For whatever anyone acquires with much labor, he takes pains to preserve, so that, by losing it, he does not also lose his much labor, and, having treated the grace of God with contempt, become unworthy of eternal life. For what did it profit Solomon to receive the gift of wisdom quickly, and then to lose it?

7. Do not, then, be faint-hearted if you do not receive your request quickly. For if the good Master knew that, in receiving the grace quickly, you would not lose it, He would have been prepared to grant it to you even before you asked. But now, looking out for you, He does this. For if he who received the talent, and kept it whole, was condemned because he made no profit from it, how much more will he be condemned who has lost it? Knowing these things, then, whether we receive something sooner or later, let us continue giving thanks to the Lord; for all things that the Master does, He ordains ^B for our salvation; only let us not, having become faint-hearted, cease from our petition. For it is for this reason that the Lord told the parable about the widow, ^C who by her persistent attendance swayed the unjust judge, so that we too might receive our requests through perseverance. For from this, both our faith and our love towards God are demonstrated, when, even not receiving quickly, we remain giving thanks to Him. Let us therefore give thanks to Him always, that we may be deemed worthy to attain His eternal goods; for to Him belongs glory for ever and ever. Amen.

CHAPTER II.

1. First, then, one must take hold in every way of keeping thought, so as not to allow the soul to easily...

yield to the bodily impulses that drag it toward the contrary side, by setting over it the inspection of a watchful mind. ^A For the eye, indeed, is the vision of the body, but the mind, which is connatural with it, is the vision of the soul; yet not as one thing in another, but soul and mind are one and the same, the mind being a certain natural power of the rational part of the soul, and not adventitious. For when the soul, stirring up its own intellective capacity—which is naturally implanted in it by the holy Trinity its Creator—deliberates upon matters that are both pertinent to duty and honorable, then it escapes the assaults of the body. ^B Looking ahead and curbing its disordered movements, it maintains the calmness proper to it, and in a state of undistracted leisure, it engages in contemplations according to nature. This it does by gazing intently, as far as possible, with the eyes of the soul upon the holy and adorable Trinity, and by considering that divine majesty, inaccessible because of the magnitude of its splendor, the clarity of its blessedness, wisdom bounded by no limits, firmness, and tranquility void of all fluctuation, and a nature ignorant of and unmoved by passions. For to one to whom nothing from the unexpected can occur—as one who has stored within himself the knowledge of all things, both present and future, and who embraces the universe, and holds all things in his hand, and against whom nothing can resist or even look—to such a one, it is consonant that there should be perpetual calmness and tranquility. For sudden occurrences of unexpected things are wont to bring disturbance to the minds of men. Therefore, he whom no vice infests, but whom all virtue and every good thing accompanies, would surely, by right and merit, be able to enjoy an immutable and perpetual joy, since joy is the companion of virtue and goodness, just as the Prophet says: *The Lord shall rejoice in his works* (Ps. ciii, 31).

2. The soul, therefore, which keeps its intellective power in vigilance and occupied with the fitting activities, will abide in the aforementioned contemplations, and will exercise its own character toward rectitude, justice, honesty, and peace. But when it ceases to meditate and to clearly contemplate fitting things, then the vices of the body, rising up like rash and bold dogs ^D that have lost their master, bark loudly at the soul; and each of the passions, dragging its vital faculty to itself, attempts to tear it apart in various ways. For I believe the power of the soul is twofold, while itself existing as one and the same: the one part animating the body, but the other, which we also call rational, being a spectator of realities.

Now, whereas the vital power, because the soul is commingled with the body, bestows its gift naturally by reason of that commingling, and not out of deliberate choice—for just as it is impossible for the sun, having shone forth, not to illuminate that upon which it has cast its rays, so it is impossible for a soul not to bestow life upon the body in which it resides—the speculative power, however, has its motion in the will. If, therefore, it keeps its speculative and rational part constantly awake, as the Prophet says: *"Neither let him slumber who keeps thee"* (Ps. cxx, 3), it puts the base passions of the body to sleep in a twofold way: by being occupied in the contemplation of higher and kindred things, and by providing for the tranquility of the body, it curbs and restrains them. But if, embracing sloth, it keeps the speculative power motionless, the vital power, finding the body's passions idle and divided, without anyone to oversee or restrain it, drags the soul along toward its own native impulses and activities. So it is that the passions of the body are violent when our reason within us is idle, but obedient when it keeps order and governs. The body is not, therefore, to be blamed by those who wish to judge of it rightly. For it is necessary, in setting forth this counsel, to overthrow the perverse opinions of those who have formed wrong ideas about the body. For just as, my beloved, a horse is a good thing, and the more quick and spirited it is by nature, the more excellent it is accounted, yet being devoid of reason it has need of a charioteer and governor: when the charioteer has mounted, he will endeavor to make use of it according to its nature. ^{B C} If the charioteer properly manages the impulses of the beast, he has made use of it to his own advantage and has attained the goal he set before himself; he himself is kept safe, and the beast of burden is found to be most excellent in its use. But when the charioteer leads the colt badly, the colt itself often turns aside from the public road and falls into a trackless waste; and being carried off, it sometimes even throws down the rider, and through the negligence of the charioteer both are brought into danger. Conceive of the soul and the body in the same way. For the body has received natural impulses that are not inappropriate, but are altogether suitable and useful for something; yet it is devoid of ^D reason, so that it may be held in higher regard...

^A for the prerogatives of reason. For if the soul itself duly manages the impulses of the body, it keeps the body safe, and is itself without danger; but if it neglects its duty of governing, and, overcome by the sleep of sloth, abandons the governance of the body, then the body, as if deprived of reason, turns aside from the straight path, and drags the soul into the same ruin, not through any wickedness of its own, but through the soul's negligence. For if the passions of the body were such as could not be mastered by the soul, the body would reasonably be held responsible for the causes; but if it has become subject to many who have sought to master it, the body can by no means be blamed by those who attempt to accuse it as the architect of wickedness. Rather, the soul is to be blamed for its negligence if it has abandoned its dominion over the body, since it has no evil in itself by its own nature, but is established in evil by the deficiency of good. For vice is nothing else but the absence of virtue. ^B

CHAPTER III.

That one ought not to converse incautiously with women.

1. Regarding the moderation of thoughts, the governing of bodily passions, and the amplitude and tranquility of the inner man, as well as the contemplation and study of things pertaining to him, we have already spoken at sufficient length, as far as a man’s strength allows. But it is right not only to moderate one's thoughts, but also, as far as possible, to withdraw from the habitual association with things—especially those which, by their approach to us, call to our memory desires that disturb and confuse the mind, and create wars and conflicts in the soul. For the war which comes upon us against our will must necessarily be endured; but to provoke a voluntary war for oneself is most absurd. ^C In the former case, even if one is defeated, one might perhaps obtain forgiveness (though may this be far from the athletes of Christ!), but in the latter, if one is defeated, besides the fact that it is utterly ridiculous, one is also denied forgiveness. Therefore, it is worth the effort to flee as much as possible the conversations and associations of women, unless some inevitable necessity compels the meeting. And if necessity should force us to this, one must beware of them as of fire, and depart from them as quickly and swiftly as possible. Consider, moreover, what Wisdom itself says concerning this: "Will a man hide fire in his bosom, and his garments not be burnt? Or will a man walk upon coals of fire, and his feet not be burnt?" ^D

^A 2. But if anyone says that he is not at all harmed by frequent conversation and association with women, he is either not a participant of human male nature—and is a most anomalous creature ^B placed on the boundary of both sexes, such as they say those are who are born eunuchs, provided we even grant them this, that they are in no way affected or moved by female desire (for the desire of a eunuch, says the Wise Man, is to deflower a young maiden)—or, if he does participate in it, being overwhelmed by the passions, he does not perceive it, imitating those who are drunk or delirious, who, having suffered the most grievous things, imagine themselves to be without passion. But let us grant for the sake of argument the thing beyond argument: that there is someone not pricked by the male passion. Yet, even if he himself does not suffer, he would not easily persuade others that he does not suffer. Moreover, to cause scandal to the many with no virtue proposed ^B [as a result] is, I think, not without danger to the one who does it.

Then there is another thing to see: that even if the man does not receive harm in his thoughts, let him not yet dispute with us concerning the woman, as if she also exists apart from the passions of the body; but often she, being weak in her reason and having a passion prone to fall, has suffered something from him who has unwarily carried on the associations. And he himself is not wounded, yet often he has wounded, though he is not aware of it. And under the pretense of spiritual love, the woman, coming constantly to the ascetic, begins through her eyes to be filled with sin, and with lascivious glances to feed upon the appearance of her neighbor, and to corrupt ^C the inner virgin, whom the Bridegroom loves above all, with impure thoughts.

Therefore, so that nothing of the things we have spoken of may happen, it is necessary to take guard—if it is possible, completely; but if not, at least [to avoid] the frequent and prolonged conversations and associations with women—not as though hating the race (far be it!), nor as denying their kinship, but even standing by and helping to the extent of our ability all who share in human nature, and especially those who have undertaken struggles for the sake of purity, as those who are fellow competitors with us. But let us guard against the association, so that it may not become a reminder of the passion to which we have said farewell and to which we have sent a dismissal.

CHAPTER IV.

That it is necessary to measure abstinence by the strength of the body; and that bodily labor is a good and lawful thing.

1. It is, however, a consequence that one should also have mastery over the belly. ^D

^A For the discipline of the belly is the correction of the passions; the correction of the passions is the tranquility and peace of the soul; and peace of the soul is a most fruitful source of virtues. Temperance and moderation of the belly are best if each person measures them according to the strength of his body. For instance, sometimes even intense hardship has appeared painless and has seemed an ease rather than a labor, because of the toughness and unyielding nature of the bodily constitution and strength; but what is tolerable for these has become a cause of danger for others. For one might find as much difference between bodies as there is between bronze and iron and the brittle nature of twigs. Wherefore it is fitting that temperance be chosen in proportion to one’s existing strength. ^B For virtues which are nurtured in the soul alone will be ordained for all people equally in the same way—for instance, gentleness, considerateness, humility, goodness, brotherly love, sincerity, the pursuit of truth, compassion, lenity, and humanity. For we say that these are the peculiar virtues of the soul, since the body contributes nothing more to the acquisition and perfection of these than to be a council and court for the soul, where these things are deliberated upon. But abstinence shall be prescribed for each person with regard to the strength of his body, so that we may neither go less than our existing strength permits, nor extend ourselves beyond our strength. For this also, I think, we must heed, that we do not, by shattering our bodily strength through immoderate abstinence, render the body itself inert and invalid for good works. ^C For God did not intend for man, when He created him, to be inert and inactive, but instead to be active and ready for his duties; since He commanded Adam to work in paradise and to guard it (for even if there is a more sublime notion underlying these words, nevertheless the proper sense of the words is itself worthy of imitation and pursuit), and then, after he was cast out from there, He declared that he would eat his bread in the sweat of his face. That the things spoken to Adam were spoken to all those descended from him is evident from the fact itself. For while God sentenced him to death with these words, "You are earth, and to earth you shall return," all those who have originated from him have shared in the same, similar passion. Therefore, it is fitting to innovate nothing contrary to nature and the boundaries of the benefactor of nature, ^D but, by remaining within these, to keep the body active, nowhere allowing it to be slackened by excesses.

For this, in my judgment, is the best method of operation, to keep the prescribed limits. ^A

2. Furthermore, we can confirm our argument with many testimonies from divine Scripture. For divine Scripture commands us to work and to be physically active, and to support the weakness of others rather than needing the hand of another; but it never commands us to waste away and enervate our body with immoderate afflictions. And I shall provide for you as a most trustworthy witness for this matter the holy Paul, saying in one place: "We hear that some among you are walking in an undisciplined way, doing nothing at all." ^B And indeed, he termed such idleness disorder, saying: "For we were not undisciplined among you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread for free, but working in labor and toil, night and day." And what is even more than this: "For my needs and for those who are with me, these hands have ministered." And in another place again: "That working," he says, "they might eat their own bread." And again elsewhere: "To be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands." It is fitting for the ascetic to be free from all pride, and, walking the truly middle and royal road, to incline to neither side; neither embracing laxity ^C nor rendering the body useless through the excess of abstinence. For if it were a good thing for the body to be broken and to lie like a living corpse while breathing, God would have surely created us as such from the beginning. If He did not do so, He altogether brought about what He knew to be good; and if He created us as it was good to be, those who do not preserve what was well-made as much as is in them, are sinning.

3. Therefore, let the cultivator of piety consider whether through sloth some vice has lurked in his soul, whether vigilance and the intense straining of the mind toward God have been relaxed, and whether the sanctification of the Spirit and the illumination that comes to the soul from thence have been obscured. For if the goods we have mentioned are flourishing, the affections of the body will find no place to rebel, ^D while the soul is occupied with things above and giving the body no opportunity for the arousal of passions. For if, when we are often thinking of some matters of this life with an intense mind, both our sight and hearing remain inactive and sluggish, and the whole soul clings to that thought, leaving the senses abandoned and idle, much more so if divine love flourishes

in our soul, and we not only have no time for ^A thinking about the passions, but if they were to rise up even a little, they would quickly be suppressed by the greatness of the soul’s thought. For what is better, tell me, than to imitate fruit-bearing trees, which are themselves opulent and gladden others with their fruitfulness, rather than to resemble herbs that wither from the burning heat and drought, and to be, according to the prophet, like a half-cooked beet, which cannot serve even its own uses (and this, even though we have received from nature full power for our own healing), and to practice philosophy with only half—namely, with the soul, and not also with the body? For if we had been created without a body, it would be necessary for the soul alone to pursue what is best; but because man is double, it is fitting that the pursuit of virtue should also be double, brought to perfection by both the labors of the body and the exercises of the soul. Moreover, the labors of the body are not idleness, but work itself.

4. Yet we must also consider this: that we do not use the excuse of bodily need to drift into the service of pleasures. For if, while enduring perpetual fasting, we could perform the body’s duties, this would indeed be best; but since very few bodies are able to hold up under such a regimen ^B without failing, it is necessary both to fast in moderation and to provide the body with the most essential relief—yet in such a way that pleasure in taking food does not at all take the place of a guide, but rather that reason diligently defines the limits of necessity, and fittingly treats the infirmity like a skilled physician, without compassion. For whoever takes food with the soul thus disposed will seem in no way inferior to one who does not take it, as far as philosophy is concerned. Indeed, as regards intent and mind, he has preserved not only perpetual fasting but even total abstinence, and by providing for the body he earns the praise of an excellent stewardship. For a moderate diet and abstinence do not usually kindle desires or render the passions ungovernable; this arises from an abundance of food and from luxury. Regarding these matters, enough has been said, as what we have brought forward from the laws of nature and the testimonies of divine Scripture suffices to confirm what is now proposed for our consideration. But since it is worthwhile to establish what has been said not only with words and admonitions, but also to confirm ^C our opinion with effective examples, I shall now proceed to the life of our Savior which, spent in the flesh, he set forth as a form and model of virtue for all who wish to live piously; so that the rest, looking at those marks, may imprint ^D the likeness onto their own lives.

to imprint the idea in the lives of others, never distorting the archetype through a divergent or unequal imitation. For that the Savior set forth his own life as an image of the best way of life for all who are willing to obey him, hear him teaching this expressly: "For if anyone," he says, "serves me, let him follow me," ^A not signifying a following according to the flesh (for that was impossible for all, as it is known that the Lord is now in heaven according to his body), but a precise imitation of his way of life to the extent that it is possible.

5. How then did our Savior live, and how was he conversant? He did no sin. For how could righteousness have been defeated by sin? Or how could falsehood have prevailed over the truth? Or how could power have been wrestled down by weakness? Or how could that which is not have overcome that which is? For God is always existing, and holding no limit to his existence, nor accepting an end; but sin is never anything, ^B nor is it grasped in any proper substance. Rather, it exists more in those who see it than in those who are seen, having existence as a defection from the good, it is fashioned into a spiritual darkness by wicked deeds, being dissolved by the light of righteousness; for the light shines in the darkness, and it runs concurrently with the termination of transgressions. For when wicked deeds cease, the existence of sin also vanishes with them. For it shall be sought, he says, his sin, and it shall not be found; even if the punishment reserved for sinners for their sins happens to be stored up, and the torment for their iniquities is inescapable. ^C Therefore he committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. But he provided many examples of long-suffering, and forbearance, and kindliness, and gentleness and humanity, and mildness, and humility and prudence, and of virtue simply in its entirety, which are clearly set forth in the Gospels. Of long-suffering and forbearance, by bearing the plots of the Jews, which were always shrouding former wickednesses with the magnitude of subsequent injuries; and by rebuking them gently, only so much as to arrest their wickedness, but not to take revenge or attack them even in the slightest degree, but to strive to defeat their inhumanity with benefits, and the mounting intensity of their wickedness with the provision of good things; ^D and finally, the cross for those who were crucifying him.

^A And his gentleness and mildness were such that he received all with his customary kindness, and provided the freedom of conversation not only to men of probity, but already even to those to whom the most shameful practices were familiar and habitual. Thus, indeed, harlots and tax collectors approached him, not that they might increase the disease of lust or greed, but that they might wash away the disease of the soul. Nor were they more confounded by the consciousness of their own depravity than they were confident in the hope of a cure. For they found an experience even higher than their hope. And what are the examples of his philanthropy and compassion? ^B Now, indeed, he prepared a copious table on the spot for those in the desert who were fainting from hunger, receiving them in a twofold manner: both by the abundance of the necessities and by the surprising manner of their provision; and now, when he had pity on those who were lying prostrate because they were scattered and dispersed like sheep lacking a shepherd; and he both healed bodily infirmities and restored impaired and mangled limbs; and likewise, when he dissolved both the diseases of the soul, and the indissoluble bonds of sins, and the engagements of the violent contracts which we had entered into with the devil, the parent of sin. But what examples of humility did he exhibit? For he was willing not only to be clothed in flesh, but also, given the current status of his parents, to become the son of humble people in one respect, and to be thought so in another; to be the son of his mother in reality, but to be thought the son of him who was called his father. ^C And what of his prudence? When he lately refuted the Sadducees, who were attempting to mock the resurrection with the fabrication of the seven brothers who had died while married to one and the same wife; and again, when he put to shame the disciples of the Pharisees together with the Herodians, when they proposed that sharp and captious question: "Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?" and received a shrewd answer, capable of cutting off their folly on either side, by commanding them not to 'give', but to 'render'. "Render, therefore," he says, "to Caesar the things that are Caesar's"; for it was Caesar's coin, which bore his image and inscription.

6. And these are the foremost of his virtues, and beyond these there are others in infinite number; but what and how great are the gifts of his body? For the sake of demonstrating these, an example has been brought forward in the highest degree. ^D In his earliest age, being subject to his parents, he endured every bodily labor with a gentle and obedient spirit along with them. For when those people were indeed just and pious, but poor and not well-off in terms of necessities (and the manger is a witness to this).

it is likely that they were given over to constant bodily labors, and in this way procured for themselves the necessities of life. Jesus, however, being subject to them, as Scripture says, in every way manifested his obedience by enduring labors along with them. But as time progressed, when he revealed his divine and lordly benefits, and afterwards chose his disciples, he contemplated preaching the kingdom of heaven; he was by no means situated in a single corner, nor was he exempt from bodily exertion, nor did he need the ministry of others. Rather, now walking about and constantly traveling on foot, he served along with his disciples, as he himself said: "But I am in the midst of you as one who serves." And: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve." At another time he was washing the feet ^B of his disciples. At still another, he would spend long periods in teaching and would shift without hesitation from place to place for the sake of our salvation. It appears that he used a beast of burden only once, and that for only a short time, not to rest his body, but to seal the prophecy with his deeds. What, then, of the apostles? Did they not imitate the Master? Did they not occupy themselves with constant labors? Consider Paul: working incessantly, traveling intensely, sailing, facing dangers, tempest-tossed, driven into exile, scourged, stoned—in all these temptations he was sufficient through the zeal of his soul and the strength of his body. If he had weakened the power of his body through immoderation, he would not have been crowned for these things. It is excellent, therefore, for one who imitates the life of the Master and of his disciples and apostles to provide, through both ^C the virtues of the soul and bodily exercises, a body that is vigorous and serves the best actions. For it is the soul's part to make the choice of good things, which are thereafter completed as works of the body; and it is the body's part to execute what the soul has chosen. But if the body is weak for action, the virtuous work remains imperfect, hidden in the intention of the soul, like some sprout that withers in the bosom of the earth and does not reach the use of those for whom it was brought forth.

7. But, he says, our Lord endured prolonged fasting, and Moses no less, and Elijah the prophet. But notice this too, that our Lord did this only once, and Moses likewise, and Elijah; for all the rest of the time they governed their bodies in the proper order and rendered them efficient, always engaging in labors and toils. Thus did they brighten the virtues of the soul through the cooperation of the body, ^D making the practical life the seal and perfection of the spiritual life. This did Moses, this did Elijah, this also...

John ^A himself, who for a time made his stay in the desert according to an inscrutable counsel of God; and when the fulfillment of the economy was complete, he went forth to the inhabited country, preaching and baptizing—which pertains to action—and fulfilled his wrestling by his freedom of speech toward Herod. This, too, all the host of the saints did, and Jesus himself, persisting indeed in action: so that it might be plain and explored from every angle—both from the laws of nature and from the teaching of the divine Scriptures, and from the deeds of all the saints, and from the manner of life of our Savior himself, and from the rule of life of those who live piously—that it is better and more excellent if the body be firm and robust, than if it be dissolved and enervated; and likewise, if it be rendered ^B strenuous for good actions, than if it become lazy and idle through voluntary affliction.

CHAPTER V

That it behooves the ascetic to exercise himself in works that are fitting for him.

Furthermore, the ascetic ought to exercise himself in those works which are fitting for him: those, namely, which are alien to all tawdry gain, and to excessively long distraction of mind and shameful profit, and those which, for the most part, can be completed while we remain within doors, so that the work may be accomplished and quiet maintained. But if, on account of some ^C unavoidable necessity, it should be required that some work be performed even in the open air, not even this will be an impediment to philosophy. For he who is truly a philosopher, having his body as a place of school and gymnasium, and as a most secure seat for his soul, even if he happens to be in the marketplace, or in an assembly, or on a mountain, or in a field, or in the middle of a great crowd, he abides as if in a natural monastery: for he calls his mind inward to himself and philosophizes on the things which are fitting for him. For it is possible that even one who sits at home may nevertheless wander abroad in his thoughts; and he who is occupied in the marketplace, if he be vigilant, may be as if in solitude, when he is turned toward himself and God alone, and does not admit into his soul, through the senses, the tumults that rush in from sensible things. ^D

CHAPTER VI

That it does not behoove the ascetic to converse incautiously with all people.

1. Indeed, it does not behoove one to entrust himself to all people, or to open himself up, or to uncover himself incautiously. For many lie in wait for him who lives according to God; and often these are the very ones who are most closely related, often spying upon his life. Therefore, it is worthwhile not to associate rashly with those on the outside. For if, as the Evangelist says...

^A *Jesus did not entrust himself to them* (John 2, 24); if he who is pure, blameless, irreproachable, just, if he who was virtue itself, acted in this way, how can we, sinners prone to falling—whose paths are not always directed toward the goal, partly on account of natural infirmity and partly on account of him who maliciously and strongly wars against us—how, I ask, can it be that if we deliver ourselves up to prying men, we shall not draw upon ourselves wicked slanders and place stumbling blocks for ourselves? For malicious people often attempt to slander even those things which are done rightly, and they do not allow even the most trivial errors to go free of reproach.

2. It is necessary, therefore, to be cautious in associating with those on the outside. For they fall into another kind of vice, while they think naively and ignorantly about those who have withdrawn from the world. ^B For they suspect not that the purpose and judgment of those who have changed their way of life have been transformed, but that their very human nature has been fundamentally altered in them. Nor do they judge the ascetics as men who, although they handle the same emotions, nevertheless overcome them by the powers of the soul and their withdrawal from pleasures; but they imagine that the nature of their bodies is in no way subject to the emotions. Consequently, if a spiritual man loses his way even a little from the good, immediately all men—even those who were previously ^C the most fervent praisers and admirers—become bitter accusers, and are thereby proven not to have bestowed true praise beforehand. For just as when an athlete has slipped, his adversary immediately rises up, striking and throwing him down, so also those people, when they see one who lives in the exercise of virtue having wandered a little from the good, attack him with insults and slanders as if casting darts; they do not consider within themselves that they themselves are pierced every day by ten thousand arrows of the passions. But the combatants of piety, ^D even if they are besieged by the same passions, often receive little or no harm from them; and this is so, even though they endure a more vehement adversary than the others do. For while these people have declared themselves adversaries to him, and that wicked one considers it to be a great achievement if he gains a victory over them—and, conversely, if he is defeated, he thinks a deadly blow is inflicted upon him, as one who has been defeated perfectly and in every part of virtue—but the war for those who have devoted themselves to the world and the age...

^A has been deemed a war, partly because the majority of them run of their own accord to defeat, being lured toward sin by various pleasures and desires, and offering the enemy an effortless victory over themselves; and partly because even those who seem to resist sin a little, are easily drawn away from the struggle by various distractions, and, turning their backs [(77)] and being struck mercilessly, they bear many shameful marks of their defeat.

3. But if some, having overcome the momentum of worldly anxieties, have been able to stand with a face turned toward the battle of the wicked one, yet they have not sustained such struggles, but have fallen short by a far and infinite measure of the struggles of the ascetics [(78)]. For the one ^B is eager to secure his rights [(79)] and struggles contentiously in disputes about present matters; but the other even yields his rights to those contending with him, fulfilling the command: "From him who takes away your goods, do not ask them back" (Luke vi, 30). The former, once struck, strikes back, and once wronged, does wrong in return, and in this way assumes he maintains equality; but the latter endures until he has brought the one doing the wrong or striking [(80)] to a state of satiety. And the former is eager to master all the pleasures of the body, while the latter spends his time in a surfeit of pleasures. How then could the man of the world be considered an athlete when judged against the ascetic? But consider also another thing that is customary for those who attend to the present life to suffer, when they examine matters concerning the ascetics. For when the ascetic decides, after a long period of deprivation, that it is appropriate to support the body with food [(82)], as if he were bodiless and immaterial, they wish that he would either take no food at all, or the very least amount.

4. And if they see the ascetic not treating the body with absolute callousness, but at least satisfying the present necessity with some portion, they reproach and slander him, and term them gluttons and voracious, extending the disgrace and the intemperance of one to all; not considering that they themselves, who eat ^D twice—and some of them even three times—a day, consuming the thickest and richest of foods, stuffing themselves with an infinite bulk of meat, and pouring in an immeasurable quantity of wine, gape at the tables just like dogs let loose from their chains after long hunger. But the true ascetics use the driest food, and that which contains little [(83)] for the nourishment of strength, along with weakness.

^A once throughout the day; and those who have determined to live their lives in order, and who manage this moderately and knowingly, rightly supply to the body the things that are necessary when the time for eating comes, with a conscience that has free speech. For this reason, it is fitting that our freedom should not be judged by another's conscience. For if we partake with gratitude, why are we blasphemed for that for which we give thanks, choosing the poverty and the cheapness of food with as much cheerfulness as not even they [used] the most brilliant and all-varied preparation of a sumptuous table? If, however, any of the aforementioned men be known for prudence and piety, and hold our way of life in reverence, to share our table with him, if the need for this should have been considered, is not irrational.

CHAPTER VII

1. It is not necessary, even under the pretext of visiting the brothers and having many and frequent conversations, to make departures (for this also is some devilish contrivance, the enemy attempting through such a method to undo our stability and the ordered state of our life, and to cast us into pleasures and various instabilities of fleeting thoughts), but sitting in silence by themselves, to consider and correct the sins of the soul. For he who has just abandoned the world in his disposition has earned praise for his inclination toward good things; but he does not yet possess the perfection of virtues, nor has he even thought of how they are to be achieved; but he needs, after examining himself in silence, to discern the disordered impulses and movements ^B of the soul, and to struggle bravely against these, and to correct the disorders with better reasonings; for the order of the soul is the composition of virtue. He, therefore, who is always in travels and changes, and who is always fanning and scattering the attentive and concentrated state of his soul, and by little and little accustoming himself to look toward the pleasures of the body, how will he be able to discern himself, or to know the things that are not fitting, or to readjust them as is necessary, while still exciting his soul toward passionate dispositions?

2. Therefore, it is necessary for each to remain in silence for the most part, and to persist in his own dwelling, so that he may have this as a witness of the stability of his ways: not indeed to be entirely shut in, but to make the necessary departures with freedom, in those cases where the conscience reproaches him for nothing, and to visit the best and most useful brothers for the precision of their manner of life

^A. For often the weariness engendered in the soul is dissolved by departure, and by providing a little refreshment and breathing space, it makes a man more zealously disposed to approach the contests undertaken for the sake of piety. If anyone, because he does not depart from his cell, thinks highly of himself, let him know that he is puffed up over a vain thing. For not departing is not of itself a good thing, nor does departing at the right time make a man good or bad; rather, it is the firm and immovable judgment regarding the good, or conversely, the fickleness, that renders a person virtuous or evil. If, however, anyone has firmly established the good in his soul, and through long exercise has gained experience in the governance of his passions, and has tamed the bodily desires ^B and bridled the disorders of the soul, and is confident with the bridle of reason, and wishes to make departures more frequently and more often for the edification and visitation of the brothers, such a person reason will rather induce to depart, so that, by placing his lamp upon the lampstand, he may provide the light of the instruction of good things to all: provided that he is confident that he can, both by word and by deed, show himself to those he encounters as a kind of school of virtues; and if he has so fortified himself, as the Apostle has said: "Lest perhaps, when I have preached to others, I myself should become a castaway" (I Cor. IX, 27).

CHAPTER VIII. That confidence and freedom of speech should not be granted to unstable ascetics; and indeed that these should be avoided.

1. Furthermore, there are those who must be avoided, who are unstable, and who now approach one set of brothers and now another, and who with a restless and vehement impulse are always wandering around the monasteries, and under the pretext and name of spiritual love, fulfill the desires of the flesh: these possess in their souls no constancy, no stability, no discipline, no ornament of prudence; but rather whatever is curious and depraved, whatever is full of inconsistency and madness, deceit and hypocrisy, lying and fraudulent adulation. For these are uncontrolled in speech, intemperate in their belly, and in their soul always puffed up and ^C fluttering... ^D

having thoughts like the flight ^A of bats, nowhere looking toward what is straight, but flying in a crooked and easily turned course; revealing one thing besides their first intentions, and being carried toward another by the fickleness of their mind, contrary to every expectation, accomplishing much but advancing nothing.

2. Moreover, they are like those beasts of burden that are driven to the mills, which, while traveling much, are always found in the same place; and although the body is exhausted, it in no way exceeds the small space of the area. So too they, being constantly wallowed in the passions of the body, in no way progress toward spiritual height; but they run an endless circle, always being shaken together by the desires and pleasures of the body, and being carried from the same things to the same things again, and not being freed ^B from wicked servitude because of the wickedness of their own choice. These men, projecting the appearance of a sheep as a lure for those who look upon them, hide within a gluttonous, malicious, and deceitful fox, and they strive to turn many others to the same wickedness; as many as are devoid of the rudder of reason and easily yield to whoever leads them well or ill, deeming that to be good which anyone says either correctly or plausibly. And so they strive to drag these people down with them into their own pit, thinking their own distraction to be a sufficient defense, and that the company in wickedness is a diminution of their crimes. These men, therefore, must be avoided by every means, so that they may neither harm others ^C in the communication of this psychic plague, and so that they themselves, being restrained from every side, may at least late in the day turn toward the good, taking shame as their guide, and the turning away of worthy men as a warning for the abandonment of their wickedness. For this is what Paul also taught, speaking concerning those who do no work but are busybodies: "Note that man," he says, "and do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed." ^D

CHAPTER IX.

That an ascetic must by no means desire to enter the clergy or to be set over the brethren.

However, it is by no means appropriate for an ascetic to desire the clergy, or to be set over the brethren. For this is a diabolical malady, and the crime of love of power, which is the mark of that wickedness of the devil which is highest of all. For even he, being driven headlong by this passion, has fallen ^D into ruin.

^A And he who is gripped by this same passion is afflicted with the same disease as he. Furthermore, this passion makes those whom it has captured envious, contentious, accusatory, shameless, calumnious, sycophantic, scheming, and—contrary to what is fitting—it makes them groveling, servile, arrogant, and filled with countless disturbances. For a person of this kind is envious of those who are distinguished and slanders them; indeed, he will often even long for their death, so that, with those who are suitable for the work being missing, the votes might fall to him. He will flatter those with whom the choice and election lie, and on account of this he will have a servile soul; yet against his inferiors, if they resist, he behaves with pride and insolence. He will therefore devise traps, he will be subject to countless disturbances and suspicions, and he will dissolve the tranquility of his soul; ^B and the God of peace will be driven away, as having no place where He might rest. Having recognized the loss, therefore, let us flee the absurdity of this desire. But if God should at any time choose someone for such offices, He who is resourceful knows how He will also make him worthy; as for us, we ought to be conscious of ourselves, that we have never coveted any such thing, nor in any way held such a desire in our soul. For this is also a most grievous disease of the soul, and a falling away from what is good.

CHAPTER X

1. Vainglory is to be avoided as much as possible, which does not deter us from undertaking labors before the work (since this would be a lesser evil), ^C but after the labors, it strips us of the crowns. But this ambush-layer of our salvation is difficult to overcome, for she lays traps for us even in the very orbs of heaven, and she struggles to cast down and dislodge the virtues whose trunk reaches up to heaven. For when she sees the merchant of piety having filled the cargo ship of his mind with all manner of goods of virtue, then, having stirred up her own tempest, she struggles to overturn and sink the ship. For when she has led the mind of him who is sailing toward the kingdom above to look down to lower things and human glories, then she suddenly dissipates all the riches of the soul as if by a sudden blast, and having torn up the foundations of the virtues onto the earth ^D she tears down the labors that had reached as far as heaven; since she causes us to demand the reward for our exhausted labors from men, whereas we ought to have looked only to God, and to store up our good deeds with Him, and to receive the rewards worthily from Him alone. We, however, because we prefer to do good works for human glory rather than for God, [index: entries preserved]

^A seeking the empty reward of praise, do justly and righteously fall short of divine rewards; for we do not labor for God, but set ourselves to work for men. Having received from them the loss of rewards instead of rewards, what can we then demand from God, for whom we preferred to do no work? And that this is true, listen to the holy Gospel saying concerning those who do good things for the sake of men: *Amen I say to you, they have received their reward* (Matt. vi, 5).

2. Let us therefore flee from vainglory, the sweet plunderer of spiritual wealth, the pleasant enemy of our souls, the moth of virtues, which gladly pillages our good works, which anoints with honey the poison of its own deceit, ^B and extends the deadly cup to the minds of men, so that, I suppose, they may be insatiably filled with the passion. For human glory is sweet to the unlearned. Furthermore, it easily causes those who are captured by it to err from right judgment. For he who yearns for this not only destroys his own judgments, ^C but considers that to be precious which is admired by the first comer. For if, being wicked or foolish, they should admire evils, he who is being praised will surely do the very thing which he fancies his judges of his own pursuits count as good; so that vainglory is not only the destroyer of good actions, but also a guide to wicked ones. Therefore, it is fitting to look to right reason and to God, the guide of right reason, and to walk in that path ^D which God reveals; and if some should praise such a path, not to set great store by their praise, turning one’s eyes to the one who praises from above, but only to rejoice with them regarding their right judgment of good things; and if others should blame, by no means to draw back, but to pity those who are destitute of right judgment and who suffer the most terrible darkness of mind.

CHAPTER XI. De idoneo ad loquendum tempore.

These, then, are the principal duties, which were not explained according to the greatness of their own excellence, but according to the measure of our ability; but as for the virtues that follow, those which adorn common behavior, I think they are easy for all to perceive, such as the appropriateness of words and the useful utterance of speech. It would be useful, then, to speak of virtue opportunely

or by necessity that is pressing and urgent to speak words, or altogether for the edification of the hearers; but the rest of our speech should be rejected as superfluous and vain. ^A

CHAPTER XII

That an ascetic should not seek after facetiousness.

It is worth the effort to abstain from all facetiousness. For it often happens that those who occupy themselves with such things stray from right reason, as the mind pours itself out to provoke laughter and destroys the thought and power of prudence. Often, moreover, this evil, proceeding gradually, ends at last in verbal obscenity and extreme silliness, to such a degree that the vigilance of the soul and its diffusion into facetiousness can never cohere at the same time. But if there should be need at some time for the delight of words, so that sadness might be slightly remitted, let your speech be filled with spiritual charm, and seasoned with evangelical salt, so that it may bring the fragrance of some internal and wise counsel, and refresh the hearer doubly, both by the relaxation of the spirit and by the grace of prudence. ^B

CHAPTER XIII

Concerning meekness, and in what manner charity is constituted.

An ascetic ought to be as full as possible of meekness, since he is either already a participant in the spirit of meekness or desires to become a participant. It is appropriate, moreover, that the host of such a quality be similar to the one being received. But if there should also be need at some time for indignation against the sluggard—who is, of course, set under us—let the indignation be tempered by reason. For just as murderers use swords, so also do the sons of physicians use them. ^C But they, because they wield the sword from anger and cruelty, perform the most wicked of all crimes, as they destroy those of their own race; whereas the others, because they bring the sword to bear with reason, bring the greatest utility therefrom, since they rescue those in danger. In this manner, also, he who knows how to be indignant with reason greatly benefits the one with whom he has been indignant, by correcting his sloth or wickedness; but he who is overcome by the vice of anger accomplishes nothing sound. That an opportune indignation is also proper for those attending to meekness ^D is made plain by this: For Moses, who is testified to have been the meekest of all men,** when the ratio of the time seemed to demand it, became indignant, and proceeded to such a degree of agitation that he brought his indignation to an end by the slaughter of his kinsmen—this, on the one hand, when they were fashioning the calf, and that, on the other, when they were defiled by Beelphegor.

** Num. XII, 3.

^A Wherefore, the man who is truly gentle can also be moved to righteous indignation, without however destroying the dignity of gentleness. For to be unmoved in no way, or not to be indignant at the proper time, is a sluggishness of nature, not gentleness. And furthermore, patience is also wont, I know not how, to follow after mildness; for mildness is the mother of patience. ^B Moreover, in those who are truly gentle, and whose habits have not been worn down or spoiled by severity, there is also mingled benignity; for benignity is the very material of gentleness. These things, when mingled and joined together one with another, bring to pass that most excellent of virtues: charity.

Chapter XIV. De prudentia.

Chapter XV. De fide et spe.

CHAPTER XVI. On humility.

CHAPTER XVII. In how many ways evil thoughts arise in the mind.

that the examination of this part may be most perfect. There are, therefore, ^A two ways in which base thoughts harass the right understanding: either when the soul, through its own negligence, is led astray into things that are not fitting, and encounters irrational phantasms arising from other phantasms; or through the treachery of the devil, who attempts to present the absurdity of things to the mind, and to lead it away from the contemplation and consideration of praiseworthy things. For when the soul, having relaxed the density and intensity of its thought, gathers memories that occur to it from chance things, then the intellect, untaught and unwisely carried away toward the things remembered, and busied with them for too long, passes from errors into long errors, and often falls in ^B the end into the most base and shameful thoughts. It is necessary, however, to correct such carelessness and distraction of the soul by a denser and more focused application of the mind, and to lead the mind back, and constantly apply it to some present thing through the contemplation of good things.

2. But when the devil attempts to plot, and with great vehemence forcibly strikes the soul—which is quiet and at rest—as if launching certain fiery darts of thoughts of his own, and suddenly sets it on fire, and makes the memories of those things once cast in long-lasting and tenacious, ^C then we must avoid such plots with a certain vigilance and stronger attention, just as some athlete, by most diligent guardianship and agility of body, does not allow himself to be seized by his adversaries; and, for the rest, the cessation of the war and the averting of the darts must be attributed entirely to prayer and the invocation of help from above. For Paul taught us this, saying: *In all things taking the shield of faith, in which you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the most wicked one*. Therefore, even if he should suggest evil imaginations while praying, let not the soul cease from praying, nor think that those evil sowings of the enemy, and the imaginations of that versatile wonder-worker, are its own cultivation; but, reflecting that the phantasy of absurd thoughts occurs through ^D the insolence of the inventor of wickedness, let it rather intensify its commitment, and let it beg God to demolish that evil rampart of the memory of absurd thoughts.

^A So that it may proceed to God without hindrance, by the impulse of the mind, without delay, and with a swift inclination, never being cut off by the incursions of evil imaginations. But if such an assault of thoughts should be intensified because of the impudence of the adversary, it is not proper to despair, nor to leave the struggles half-finished; but one must persevere until such time as God, observing our steadfastness, causes the grace of the Spirit to shine forth, which both puts the attacker to flight and cleanses our mind, filling it with divine light, and providing the intellect with an untroubled calm to serve God with joy.

CHAPTER XVIII.

To those living as monastics in a cenobium.

1. As for the individual ascetic and he who has embraced the solitary life, we have already, as much as we were able, explained in the preceding pages how he can, by exercising his soul toward the good and regulating his body as is required, portray for us the perfect philosopher. But since the majority of ascetics live in communities, sharpening their minds toward virtue for one another and inciting themselves toward progress in the good through the comparison of their achievements, we thought it right to offer an exhortation to them also by our words. And it is necessary that, having first recognized what kind and how great is the good of which they are partakers, they should then receive our exhortation regarding this, so that they may demonstrate a readiness and zeal worthy of the excellence of this achievement. First, then, they return to the good which is according to nature, embracing community and common living. For I call that a most perfect community of life in which the private ownership of property is banished, disagreement of opinion is driven away, and every confusion, contentiousness, and strife are utterly rooted out. ^B And all things are common: souls, opinions, bodies, and whatever else the bodies are nourished and cared for by. Common is God, common is the trade of piety, common is salvation, common are the struggles, common the labors, common the crowns; where the many are one, and the one is not alone, but in the many.

2. What is equal to this way of life? What is more blessed? What is more accurate than this conjunction and unity? ^C What is more pleasing than this temperament of characters and souls? Men from diverse nations and [regions...] ^D

having set out, have been so harmoniously attuned into such exactness of sameness, that one soul is seen in many bodies, and many bodies are shown to be the organs of one mind. He who is infirm in body has many who, through their affection, are infirm with him; he who is sick and failing in soul has many to heal him and stand by him. They are each other’s servants, each other’s masters, and in their unconquerable freedom they show forth toward one another a most perfect slavery, which the necessity of some fortuitous circumstance did not bring about by force, but which the spontaneous choice of the will produced with joy; for love subjects free men one to another, and preserves their freedom in that spontaneity. Such did God wish us to be from the beginning, and for that reason did He create us. These men, with the sin of the first parent, Adam, hidden away, recall the ancient good. For division and dissension and war would not exist among men if sin had not divided ^B their nature. These are sincere imitators of the Savior and of the life He lived in the flesh. For just as He, having gathered a choir of disciples, made all things common, and offered Himself also as common to the apostles, so also these, obeying their leader—insofar as they rightly observe the rule of life—accurately imitate the manner of living of the apostles and of the Lord Himself. They emulate the life of the angels, carefully maintaining their fellowship by their example. There is no strife among angels, no contention, no controversy, but each possesses what belongs to all, and yet all store up the good things intact within themselves. For the wealth of the angels is not a circumscribed matter, requiring division whenever it must be distributed among many, but their possession is ^C immaterial, and their wealth is that of the mind.

3. And because these good things remain intact among individuals, they make all equally rich, since they provide them a personal possession that is subject to no controversy or contention. For the contemplation of the highest good, and the most manifest grasp of the virtues, is the treasury of the angels, on which it is permitted for all to look, with each one obtaining the knowledge and possession of these things in their entirety. Such are those who are in truth ascetics, not striving for earthly things, but contending for the heavenly, and even as individuals, through indivisible distributions, each stores up the same things entire within himself. For the possession of virtue and the wealth of right actions is a praiseworthy avarice, a robbery free from tears, ^D an insatiable greed that is crowned, and he who does not use force is held guilty. All are plundering, and yet no one is wronged, and for this reason peace distributes these riches. They seize beforehand the goods of the promised kingdom, those who by their excellent manner of life and communion are an accurate imitation of the life led there.

and ^A presenting their way of life. They have perfectly accomplished renunciation of property, having nothing of their own, but everything in common with one another. How great are the blessings the incarnation of the Savior has brought us, these men have clearly shown forth in the life of men; for the human nature that was broken and dissected into countless parts—insofar as it depended on them—they have again gathered together to itself and to God. For this is the sum of what was accomplished by the Savior in the flesh, that He might gather human nature to Himself and to itself, and by removing the evil division, recall it to its ancient union; just as an excellent physician binds together a body divided into many parts with saving medicines.

4. And I have recounted these things, not that I might glory in any way ^B and extol with words the righteous deeds of the cenobites (for I do not have such power of speech that I am able to adorn great things; rather, I am more likely to cast shadows upon them through my weakness in speaking), but that I might describe and show, as far as possible, the height and greatness of this achievement. For what can be compared on an equal footing with this good? Where there is one father who imitates the heavenly Father, there are many sons who strive to surpass one another in their goodwill toward their leader—sons, I say, who are of one mind not only with each other, covering the father with virtuous deeds, not attributing the cause of their union to nature, but having made a reason firmer than nature the leader and guardian of their concord, and holding themselves fast with the bond ^C of the Holy Spirit. What image of things on earth could serve to represent ^D the virtue of this achievement? But among the things on the earth, there is none; only the heavenly one remains. The heavenly Father is dispassionate; this one also is free from passion, drawing all men to himself by word. The sons of the heavenly Father are incorruptible; integrity has also adopted these. Charity binds together the things above; charity has also joined these to one another. Truly, even the devil himself despairs in the face of such a phalanx, finding himself unequal to so many combatants who campaign against him so composedly and in such close array, and who struggle with such charity, having formed a shield-wall among themselves and being hedged about by the Spirit, so that they offer not even the slightest entry for his arrows. Consider for me the concordant struggle of the seven Maccabees, and you will find among these men an even more fervent concord. Concerning them, the prophet David cried out in the odes, saying: "Behold now, what is good, or what is pleasant, except that brothers dwell in unity?"—by the "good" indicating the merit of their life, and by the "pleasant" the joy derived from concord and union. And—

those who cultivate this way of life accurately and diligently appear to me to emulate the highest virtue. ^A

Chapter XIX. That the ascetic must approach the ascetic life with a firm purpose, and concerning obedience.

And as for those who are gifted with a perceptive mind, our discourse has already prescribed the rule of life when we set forth the characteristics of this state above. But since it is worth the effort, for the sake of the simpler brothers, to explain the requirements of this institution more clearly, one by one, let us turn our attention to this now. It is necessary, therefore, in the first place, that he who approaches this kind of life should have a stable, firm, and immovable mind, and a purpose that the spirits of wickedness cannot invade or change, and that he should show the constancy of the martyrs in the firmness of his soul even unto death, so that he may both embrace the commandments of God and obey his masters. For this is the sum of this institution. For ^B just as God, who is the Father of all and wishes to be called so, demands the most perfect obedience from His servants, so also the spiritual father among men, adapting his own ordinances to the laws of God, requires an obedience free of disputation and contention. For if someone who devotes himself to any mechanical art, those, of course, that are useful for our present life, obeys the master craftsman in every way, and in nothing opposes his commands, and does not draw away from him even for a little while, but is at all times under the eyes of the teacher, and receives his food and drink and the rest of his living as prescribed by him; how much more should those who come to learn the discipline of piety and holiness, when once they have persuaded themselves that they can learn such knowledge from their superior, show themselves completely docile and entirely compliant in all things, and not demand a reason for what is commanded, but perform the work that has been enjoined? ^C Except that if they should be ignorant of anything that pertains to salvation, it will be permitted to ask and be taught modestly and with decent reverence. And the whole diligence of the person must be directed toward this: that the height of the soul not be brought low by the insurgence of pleasures; and that the soul not be [[Note: Page transition occurs here; the next column begins with "lowered by the uprising of pleasures. For how could it any longer..."]]

nce of pleasures; and that the soul not be humbled by the uprising of pleasures. For how could it any longer look up with a free gaze toward the kindred and intelligible light, the soul that is pinned down below by the pleasure of the flesh? Wherefore, before all things, it is necessary to practice temperance, which is a sure guardian of sobriety and a president that does not allow the mind to wander hither and thither. For just as water, constrained by pipes, is carried upward ^A by the pressing force when it has nowhere to disperse, so too the human mind, when constrained on all sides by temperance as if by a narrow conduit, will be raised up by its own nature to the desire for higher things, having nowhere to spill out. For it is not possible for the mind to ever stand still—the mind that has received from the Creator a nature to be always in motion—and if it is prevented from moving toward vain things, it cannot but necessarily strive straight toward the truth. We consider temperance to be defined not only by the abstaining from foods (for many even among the Greek philosophers achieved this), but before all else by the disciplined employment of the eyes. For what is the profit if, by abstaining from food, you devour the lust of adultery through your eyes, ^B or willingly listen with your ears to vain and diabolical voices? Abstinence is utterly useless unless you also abstain from pride, and arrogance, and vainglory, and every vicious affection. Or what profit is there in it if you abstain from food, but do not altogether abstain from wicked and vain thoughts? Wherefore the Apostle said: "I fear lest your minds should be corrupted." Let us therefore abstain from all these things, lest the Lord’s reproach justly come upon us also, as those who strain out the gnat but swallow the camel.

CAPTER XX

That conversation with worldly kinsmen is not to be sought after, nor are their affairs to be managed.

1. It is fitting to be as separated from kinsmen, friends, and parents, as we see the dead separated from the living. For he who in truth has stripped himself for the struggles of virtue, and has ^C renounced the whole world and all things in the world, and—to say it more fully—has crucified himself to the world, is dead to the world and to all who are in the world, whether they be parents, or brothers, or hold a third, or fourth, or most distant degree of kinship. If, therefore, those who begat them depart from the life of this world and transfer themselves to the way of life of their child, they are truly kinsmen, holding not the rank of parents, but that of brothers. For the Father is most true: first, the Father of all; and second, after Him, he who leads the way in the spiritual life. But if the kinsmen continue to embrace their former life, they are a part of the world from which we have been separated, ^D and are now in no part kinsmen...

to those who have put off the "earthly man" and stripped away all familiarity with them. But the person who diligently seeks the friendship of those addicted to the world, and studies to be in constant association with them, introduces their dispositions into his own soul through such frequent conversation. And thus, being refilled in his mind with worldly thinking, he falls away from his good resolve, and is separated from spiritual thinking; he has returned to his own "former vomit" in his soul, and is wounded by the enemy, who disturbs the spiritual life through fleshly kinship.

2. Let us therefore pray for the best for our kinsmen—I mean justice and piety, and those things which we ourselves have esteemed honorable. For this is what it is fitting for us to pray, and what is profitable for them to reap through us. But let us ourselves release our thoughts from the care and anxiety concerning them. For when the devil sees that we have stripped off every worldly care and are running, girt for the race, toward heaven, he presents to us the memory of our kinsmen, ^B and, driving us to concern ourselves with their affairs, is the author of our mind becoming anxious about worldly business; he makes us think about what the possessions of our kin are, whether they are sufficient or falling short, what gains come to them from their dealings, and how much their wealth is increasing; what losses arise from the adversities of life, and by how much their existing property is diminished. He makes us rejoice in their prosperous successes, while grieving at their misfortunes; to be enemies to their enemies—and this, even though we are commanded to have no enemy ^C (Matt. v, 44)—as well as to rejoice with friends who are often unworthy of spiritual kinship, and to be delighted by their unjust and fraudulent gains. In short, he reintroduces into our minds all the base pursuits of temporal things—which we had cast off when we introduced spiritual thoughts—and by again activating material and worldly thinking in the soul, he destroys the interior ascetic, making him carry about only the statue-like figure of a monk, nowhere animated by the virtues. Often, too, because of intense affection for kinsmen, the ascetic has even dared to commit sacrilege in order to remedy their indigence. For things set aside for the saints, who have dedicated themselves to God, are understood and judged to be sacred ^D and truly offerings consecrated to God. Therefore, whoever steals anything from these is one of those who dare to commit sacrilege.

3. Recognizing, therefore, the intolerable harm that arises from this concern for our kinsmen, let us flee this solicitude for them as if it were a diabolical weapon. For the Lord Himself forbade such attachment and intimacy; not permitting one of His disciples even to say farewell to his own relatives, and to another...

^A who wished to bury his father, He said: *No one who has put his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of heaven* (Luc. IX, 62). And to the one asking to bury his father, He said: *Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead* (ibid. 59-60). And yet both seemed to be making the most reasonable and just requests; but the Savior did not give His consent, nor did He permit the foster-children of the kingdom of heaven to separate themselves from Him for even a single moment, lest they should act or think something inferior to their high and heavenly calling, led by an inclination toward earthly and fleshly affections; for it is not permitted for those who set their minds on heavenly things to have any regard for those on earth, as those who have already departed ^B and become, in their minds, above the world. If, however, someone should say: "How then does the Law command us to take care of our own relatives, saying: *And do not despise the relatives of your seed* (Isa. LVIII, 7); and similarly the Apostle: *If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever* (I Tim. V, 8)," we will provide a brief answer: that the divine Apostle said this to those living in the world, to those who possessed material wealth and were able to relieve the poverty of their relatives. Similarly, the Law also says these things—and to speak more concisely—they concern the living, not the dead; for these indeed are free from any such debt.

4. You, however, are dead, and are crucified to the world. For having renounced material wealth, you have loved poverty; and having dedicated yourself to God, you have become God's treasure. As one dead, you are free from every contribution toward your relatives; as one who possesses nothing, you have nothing to give. And even as to your body itself, having offered it as a fruit-offering, and having no longer even power over it, as it is a thing consecrated to God, it is not permitted for you ^C to use it for human purposes; but you ought to associate only with those who are of the same character, since they too are entirely dedicated to God. How then will the words of the holy Scripture which we brought forward apply to you? Or how will you not sin, if you render void the covenant which you yourself have made with God concerning the fostering of piety?

CHAPTER XXI. That it is not permitted to break away from the spiritual brotherhood

1. Indeed, one must also be firmly persuaded of this, that he who has once entered into the bond and union of spiritual brotherhood is in no way able to break away and separate himself from those to whom he has been joined. For if men often, when they come together into a fellowship of this life of the earthly...

^A pacts, cannot separate without an agreement, and whoever does this will be liable to the established penalties, how much more so he who has entered into a compact of spiritual living, which possesses an indissoluble and eternal bond, could not be able to divide and cut himself off from those to whom he has been joined? Or if he does this, he subjects himself to the most severe penalties to be inflicted from heaven. For if a woman who has reached the fellowship of a husband, and has been joined to him by carnal union, if she is found to have plotted against him, is condemned to death, how much more does he who has been admitted to a spiritual society become liable for secession, with the Holy Spirit himself as witness and intermediary?

2. How therefore can the members of a body, tied together by the bond of nature, not be torn from the body, or if they are torn away, that which is torn away becomes dead? Similarly, an ascetic who is joined to a brotherhood, and held fast by the bond of the Spirit, ^B which is stronger than the bond of nature, could not have the authority to be severed from those to whom he has been joined. Or if he does this, he is dead in his soul, and deprived of the grace of the Spirit, as one who has violated the compact which he entered into with that Spirit as author. But if someone should say that some of the brethren are wicked (for he will not accuse all if they did not form the society with evil intent, so that all are evil by mutual consent), if anyone therefore should say that some brethren are wicked, ^C and that the good is incautiously destroyed by them, and that honesty is neglected, and that the discipline befitting ascetics is held in contempt, and that for this reason it is proper to be separated from such people, he has not devised a sufficient cause for leaving. For neither Peter, nor Andrew, nor John, on account of the wickedness of Judas, tore themselves away from the rest of the choir of the apostles, nor did any other of the apostles grasp this as an opportunity for withdrawal, nor was any one of them impeded in any way from obeying Christ on account of his wickedness; but obeying the teachings of the Lord, they emulated piety and virtue, ^D and were not influenced to imitate his perversity. Thus, he who says, "I am compelled on account of the evil ones to be separated from the spiritual fellowship," does not find a suitable excuse for his own inconstancy; but he is himself rocky ground, unable to nourish the teaching of the truth because of the instability of his own mind, but through the assault of a small temptation or the intemperance of his passions, he does not endure the honorable way of life, and the tender sprout of teaching immediately dries up in the heat of his passions. And such are the plausible causes, as they seem to him.

^A which are not sufficient for a defense before the judgment seat of Christ, though he devises them according to his own persuasion and easily beguiles himself. For there is nothing easier than to deceive oneself, since each person is a partial judge to himself and overly indulgent, judging what is pleasant to be beneficial.

3. Therefore, let him who is condemned by such a judgment of the truth, ^B as one who becomes an occasion of stumbling to many, or rather who is always inciting others to seek after similar transgressions by his own wicked example, and who has become heir to that "woe," be aware of this. It is better for him that a millstone be hung about his neck and that he be drowned in the depth of the sea. For when once a soul has become accustomed to apostasy, it is filled with much intemperance, avarice, and gluttony, with falsehood and every kind of malice; and lastly, it is carried down to the depths of wickedness, being experienced in the ultimate evils. He, therefore, who becomes a guide to such things, let him consider of how many souls' destruction he becomes guilty, he who cannot even provide an account for his own soul. For why does such a person not rather imitate the great Peter, and become an example of steadfast faith and of perseverance in good things for the rest, ^C so that, with the light of his attainments shining, even those who live in the darkness of wickedness might be led to something better? Furthermore, Noah the just did not say to God, "It is necessary for me to depart from the world, since all are wicked," but rather he persevered with an athletic and generous spirit, and in the abyss of wickedness he kept piety untroubled, and he in no way rebelled against the Master, but by patience and endurance he brought the cargo of piety safe and sound through the waves of impiety. And Lot, living in Sodom, ^D while moving amid such great impiety and lawlessness and disorder, preserved his virtue incorrupt, never once allowed to be taken captive, ensnared by evil plots; but among the murderers of guests, and those who were carried away by much wantonness and lust against the laws of nature, he preserved his own holiness unstained, and he urged the rest to it as best he could, teaching goodness and virtue by deeds before words. But you, pretexting the negligence of your brothers, whether real or fashioned by you, planning apostasy and contriving the rejection of the Holy Spirit, and of your own wickedness and the labors for

^A virtue which you ought to have undergone.

4. Therefore, let the one who has been reclaimed for the better by these examples acquiesce in the covenants made with the Spirit, by which he had bound himself at the very beginning of the cradles of his heavenly birth. For if it should happen that one finger suffers something painful in the hand, it does not immediately follow that another will stubbornly seek to be cut off; but rather, it will first flee the pain of amputation, and then it will remain firm and constant, so that it may provide to the body the service that was to be given by the part in danger, and so that the hand may not be entirely stripped of its natural branches and deprived of its own innate adornment. Therefore, I want you to transfer this example to the ascetic, and consider how much pain and disgrace it brings to souls endowed with keen perception through such a resection, and how he renders himself dead and void of life. ^B And that a teacher would not wish to lead his disciple into wickedness, so that a depraved training by the master might be the cause for the disciple of withdrawal and apostasy, let us consider it in this way, if you please. What is a father? What indeed is a master? Both are trainers. For one for his son, and the other for his disciple, is eager to pray for and desires the better things. For indeed this is natural for fathers, that they desire their children to be as excellent, prudent, honest, and modest as possible: so that the sons may be distinguished, and the fathers may become more renowned by the virtues of the sons redounding to them. Likewise, the masters of the palestra, whom they exercise, study to make them as vigorous and as skilled as possible, so that when they have waged a prosperous contest bravely and skillfully, they may become ^C splendid victors over their adversaries, and their lawful struggle might be the manifest praise of their masters. Whoever, therefore, has set his mind to teaching naturally wishes his disciples to arrive at the most perfect knowledge of his instructions. Since, therefore, parents are naturally disposed in this way, how would the doctor of holiness not desire that his disciple should be rendered excellent and most wise in spiritual wisdom? Especially when he knows that if his disciple turns out such, he will be famous among men, and will receive from Christ, ^D as His servants, or rather, to speak more correctly, brothers—since Christ also wished to use this word—the most brilliant crowns, having made them through his own diligence and care worthy of His fellowship.

5. But let us consider another point: that if a disciple should turn out badly on account of his instruction, an indelible shame will attach to the master at the time of judgment, according to the

^A ignominy before the public gathering of the whole world and the universal assembly of the heavenly host, and he will not only be shamed, but will also be punished. How then could it come about that the guide would not wish for his own pupil to become orderly and gentle? Moreover, the wickedness of a disciple is unprofitable to the master; for since both have resolved to spend their lives together, if the disciple happens to fall into any vice, he shares the fruits of it first with the master, just as venomous snakes first send their poison into those who foster them. Wherefore it is clear from every point of view, both from the nature of things and from the interest of the instructor, that he will pray and strive in every way to make the one being trained under him seemly and orderly. For if he were an instigator of vice and wickedness, he would certainly strive to lead those trained by him to that end; but if he is a teacher of virtue and justice, I do not believe he would choose to have his disciple reach an end contrary to his own efforts. ^B Therefore, every reasonable excuse is removed for anyone wishing to withdraw from a spiritual association. The cause for such a decision is proven to be his own lack of self-control regarding the passions, his negligence regarding labors, and the instability and weakness of his judgment. For he has not heard from the prophet David, "Blessed are they who keep judgment" (Ps. CV, 3); those who keep it, not those who destroy it. These are they who are likened to the foolish, who, upon the sand of mental inconstancy, have set the foundation of their spiritual edifice, which a few drops of temptation and a small torrent excited by the assaults of the wicked one, ^C having swept away the support, have dissolved and scattered.

CHAPTER XXII. On obedience more fully.

1. That the union must be preserved inviolable by one who has once joined himself to a spiritual society, we have explained as far as we were able. But now let us again take up the discourse on obedience, and what we touched upon briefly before, let us now explain more diligently, and let us demonstrate how great an obedience accurate doctrine demands from ascetics toward their superior. For I shall attempt to declare its measure from the Holy Scripture itself. The apostle Paul, writing to the Romans, commands (D) them to be subject to all the authorities that are above them, I mean worldly ones, not

spiritual ones; ^A and he made this clear by what follows, when he speaks of tributes and taxes, and affirms that he who resists authority in the slightest degree resists God himself. If, therefore, the divine law has assigned such great subjection to the rulers of this world, who have received their position according to human law, and this at a time when they were living in impiety, how much obedience does the ascetic owe to the ruler appointed by God, who has received his power from His laws? How, then, would he not resist the ordinance of God who resists him who is set over him? Especially since the Apostle explicitly commands us to obey our spiritual leaders in all things. Obey, he says, your leaders, and be subject to them. For they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account, so that they may do this with joy and not with groaning; for this is useless to you. Since, therefore, not to obey with precision is useless, it behooves us to pursue what is more profitable. For the term "useless," in my opinion, implies a great detriment, and a matter (B) requiring repentance and correction.

2. Moreover, it is fitting for us to imitate the obedience which the saints exhibited toward God, if we intend, by using this sufficient example for our purpose, to perform our obedience rightly. And let no one think that I, wishing to establish the obedience due to leaders, am bringing forward over-exalted examples, or that I dare to arrogantly compare the obedience to be rendered to men with the obedience due to God. For I have not devised this comparison of my own accord, but have been led to it by the divine Scriptures themselves. Observe, then, what the Lord says in the Gospels, when He lays down the law concerning the obedience to be rendered to His own servants: He who receives you, receives me; and again in another place: He who hears you, hears me; and he who rejects you, rejects me. And that what He said to the apostles, He ordained for all those who would lead after them, can be proven from many and indubitable testimonies of Holy Scripture and from very manifest evidence. Wherefore we, too, have spoken appropriately to the divine oracles when we said that we should set before ourselves the obedience of the saints toward God as an example for our own obedience toward our superiors. ^C How, then, did the saints show their obedience toward the Master? Consider for me Abraham, who is commanded to leave behind his home, his country, his wealth, his possessions, his kinsmen, and his friends; and, in addition to these, to pursue the opposites: a foreign land, an unknown place, ^D

the hardships, and the wanderings that accompany those who live in exile. Consider also the one who is promptly obedient and who abandons his domestic happiness and rest, and in its place embraces in a foreign land distress and wandering.

^B 3. Do you see the most perfect ascetic, and the one who for God’s sake despised all worldly prosperity? But let us proceed to what follows. He reaches Palestine, the place pointed out by God for his sojourn. But when a famine seized the land, he migrates to Egypt, and even when his wife is carried off there, he does not lose heart, nor does he complain against the dispensations of God, as if he were receiving such rewards for his obedience; but with a gentle spirit he bore even this—the most grievous injustice of all, not once, but when it happened again by the king of Gerar. For having once determined to obey God, he did not consider what God was ordaining for him, but how he himself might offer the most perfect and blameless obedience. ^C And for this reason, he finally receives his son Isaac, the prize and gift of long prayer and faith. But when he saw him advancing to the flower of his age and affording his parents good hope of succession and of the continuity of their line, then, after such great hopes, he is commanded by God to lead this very one up to a high mountain and to sacrifice him to the Giver. Having received this harsh word, and this terrifying service, and this command that was stronger than nature—not only to hear, but to carry out—how gently he bore it! How he did not lose his mind, how he did not collapse in spirit, but as if he were going to sacrifice some lamb, so with a quiet and undisturbed mind, having placed upon himself the yoke ^D of obedience, he went with his son, intending to fulfill what had been commanded, in no way prying into the judgment of God in this matter, nor complaining, but looking to his own duty, so that he might not in any respect infringe upon obedience. Thus did he win a splendid crown, having been established for the whole world as a pillar of faith and obedience. It was indeed possible to recount the obedience of the other saints who shone in the ancient history, so that an obedience void of contradiction might be formed in ascetics; but lest we make our discourse long, remitting each of those who wish to learn to the hearing of the Holy Scriptures, we ourselves shall turn our discourse to the disciples of the Savior, showing how they obeyed, and how they were subject. Jesus was saying to them still

^A while they were but novices in his discipline, and they were expecting that the Master would reign in the very near future. They assumed that they would labor not at all, nor would they encounter danger, nor would they toil; rather, they supposed they would reign with Christ and would share in that royal glory, and in the honor and service rendered to him. ^B Peter declared this when he rebuked Jesus, at the time he was speaking of His own passion. For, as the text says, Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying: "Be merciful to yourself, Lord; this shall not happen to you," showing by this that he did not in any way expect any adversity. The sons of Zebedee also showed this, who brought their mother to petition the Lord on their behalf, so that they might be honored with the seat at His right hand and at His left. For if they had not assumed that He would reign very soon, they would not have dared to ask this, understanding as they did that the seat at the right hand of the Father in heaven pertained to the Savior.

4. What then did He say to them when they were expecting these things? "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves." ^C And yet, having heard a thing most contrary to their own expectation, they did not answer: "We have come to you for other hopes, and do you command us things contrary to what we hoped? We expected rest and tranquility, and do you send us out into dangers? We hoped for honors, and do you inflict ignominies? We hoped for a kingdom, and do you command that we be driven out and be slaves to all?" None of these things did they say, although they had heard things greater and more grievous than those we have mentioned, such as: "They will deliver you up to tribulations, and they will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And you will be led before governors and kings for my sake." ^D Having therefore heard all these things contrary to their expectation, yet with unyielding neck of mind, they submitted to the yoke, and with a cheerful spirit they moved forward toward dangers, toward the public squares, toward insults, toward stonings, toward scourgings, toward ignominies, toward crosses, and toward various deaths. Indeed, they bore these things with such alacrity that they even rejoiced and kept the day as a splendid feast, at the time they were deemed worthy to become participants in the sufferings of Christ. "They rejoiced," the text says, "that they were deemed worthy to suffer dishonor for His name." This obedience is required of the one who is an ascetic according to God, to render it to his superior. For Christ chose disciples so that He might leave behind for men a certain form of this way of life, as has already been said by us before. For a superior is nothing other than he who [holds] the person...

of the Savior, and who has become a mediator between God and men, and who performs priestly service to God for the salvation of those who obey him.

5. We are instructed in this by Christ Himself, who after Himself appointed Peter as pastor of His Church. For, He says, "Peter, do you love me more than these? Feed my sheep." And He bestows the same authority upon all subsequent pastors and teachers. And the proof of this matter is that all might bind and loose just as he does. Therefore, just as sheep obey the pastor, moving in the direction in which the pastor leads, so also it behooves those who are ascetics according to God to obey their superiors, not scrutinizing the commands ^B when they are free from sin, but fulfilling what has been enjoined with every alacrity and zeal. For just as a carpenter or a builder uses each of the tools of his craft according to his own will, and the tool would not say that it will not fulfill the use for which the craftsman uses it, but yields to the hand of the one guiding it; so it behooves the ascetic, as a tool useful to the craftsman for the completion of a spiritual edifice, to obey in all things in which the superior determines that it is good and praiseworthy for him to serve, so that he might not, by not contributing his own work, corrupt the perfection of the spiritual task. And just as the tool does not select for itself what it is necessary to perform for the contribution of the art, so also it behooves the ascetic not to choose ^C works for himself, but to yield to the wisdom and governance of the craftsman the shaping of himself. For he who leads prudently knows how to examine accurately the characters, passions, and psychic impulses of each one, and to adjust the governance from himself to each accordingly. For this reason it behooves one in no way to oppose his decrees, but to be persuaded that it is the most difficult of all things for a man to know and heal himself, because self-love is innate in men, and everyone, by a certain propensity toward himself, steals away a true judgment. But to be known and healed by another is easy, since the vicious passion of self-love does not obstruct the true diagnosis in those who judge others. ^D For with this harmony established in an ascetic community, peace will easily dwell among them, and salvation will be achieved by all with love and concord.

CHAPTER XXIII

That the ascetic ought to undertake even the lowly tasks with much alacrity.

It also behooves the ascetic to choose and undertake even the more lowly of tasks with much alacrity and zeal, knowing that nothing

^A that is done for the sake of God is small, but rather it is great, and spiritual, and worthy of the heavens, and draws down upon us the rewards from thence. If, therefore, it should be necessary to follow the beasts of burden as they carry loads for the common needs, one must not resist, keeping in mind how readily the apostles obeyed the Lord when He commanded them to bring the foal, and considering that those for whose sake we undertake the care of the beasts are also brothers of the Savior; and the goodwill and zeal shown towards them is referred back to the Lord, who said: "Inasmuch as you did it to one of these my brethren, even the least, you did it unto me." And if He attributes to Himself that which is done for the least, much more will He claim as His own that which is done for the elect, provided only that one does not consider the service as a pretext for listlessness, but keeps himself secure in all vigilance, so that profit may come both to himself and to those who encounter him. ^B And if it should be necessary to perform tasks of a more menial sort, one ought to know that the Savior Himself served His disciples, and did not disdain to do the lowliest of works, and that it is a great thing for a man to become a follower of God, ascending through these humble things to the height of that imitation. For who indeed would any longer call humble that which God has touched in its operation?

CHAPTER XXIV.

1. It is not at all worthwhile for the ascetic to pursue honors. For if he seeks here the reward and recompense of his labors and of his righteous deeds, he is to be pitied for such a payment, in that he barters eternal things for temporal ones; ^C but if he has determined to struggle here, while receiving his crowns in heaven, he ought not only not to seek honors, but even to refuse and reject those that are offered, lest the honor here diminish the glory that is to be possessed there. For the present life is entirely situated in works and struggles; the future life, however, in crowns and rewards, just as that great Paul, when about to finish his life here and to depart to the things that are there, says: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me in that day," not here, but there. And again the Savior says: ^D "In this world you shall have tribulation." And again the same Apostle says: "Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom of heaven." If, therefore, you wish to reign in the future life, do not seek rest or honor here; but even if you are now afflicted on account of doctrine, namely for the sake of the truth, know that you shall reign afterwards. For the weight of the present

^A affliction on behalf of what is good is the reward that has been ordained. But if you do not suffer, do not expect the crowns that are from thence, as one who has not here laid down the struggles and labors appointed for those crowns.

2. Let the ascetic by no means seek ^B to be honored, nor to be preferred before others. For every one who exalts himself shall be humbled; and he who humbles himself shall be exalted. If the ascetic exalts himself, he has one who will humble him heavily and powerfully, and who is able to bring him down even to Hades; but if he humbles himself, he shall be elevated brilliantly and magnificently, God exalting the humbled one according to His own power. Wait, therefore, for Him who rightly exalts, O ascetic, and by no means lose heart at present things. For you are an athlete and a laborer of Christ, who have agreed to compete an entire day, and to endure the heat of the whole day. Why, not yet having fulfilled the measure of the day, do you seek rest? ^B Wait for the evening, the end of this life, that when the Master of the house comes, He may count out the rewards to you. For when evening had come, the Lord of the vineyard said to his steward: Call the laborers, and pay them their reward; not at midday, nor at the beginning of the hiring. Wait, therefore, for the end of life, and then you shall carry away the rewards worthily. But now occupy the last place, that then you may obtain the first.

CHAPTER XXV.

On frugality and simplicity in food.

The ascetic ought by no means to seek a variety of foods, nor to change his dishes under the pretext of temperance. For this is the subversion of common order and a cause of scandal, and he who sows such causes of disturbance in an ascetic community becomes an heir to the woe. But even if ^C this small salty condiment, adjudged by the holy Fathers to be used instead of any other seasoning, happens to be applied in the smallest amount to other foods, mixed into the rest of the meal made of water or vegetables, the ascetic must by no means, under the pretext and name of vain and voluntary piety, act as if he were refusing meat, seeking out more precious and delicate foods; rather, dipping a piece of bread without affectation into the juice of this tiny piece of salty condiment, let him eat it with all thanksgiving. For that smallest piece, cast into such a quantity of water or, if it happens, of legumes, is not an accusation of luxury, but of the most accurate and truly ^D

^A harsh kind of abstinence. It is therefore not necessary for the practitioner of holiness to keep watch over such things. For we do not abstain from such things as if Judaizing, but because we flee the satiety of delights.

CAPUT XXVI. That he who looks toward perfection cannot be harmed by going out.

1. If an ascetic should say that he suffers some detriment when he goes out or travels for the necessary business of the community, and for this reason refuses to go out, he does not yet know the integrity of obedience, nor has he understood that this virtue is by no means to be compared with such inertia and laziness. Let him therefore look to the examples of the saints, how they behaved, not contradicting or resisting in the slightest degree, even in the most difficult of commands; and so at last let him learn the perfection of obedience. If, however, there be any who truly does suffer harm from this, let him ask the brotherhood ^B to pray to God for him, and let him also himself ask of God with most certain hope that he may become an effective and useful instrument in all spiritual good works and in the bodily ministries pertaining to good deeds. And without a doubt, to him whose zeal and alacrity in seeking the good are acceptable, He will give power and strength, since He Himself has exhorted us to ask, and has said: "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you." For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. And again in another place: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all simply, and does not reproach, and it shall be given to him; but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering." And finally, in all matters where the mind wavers in perfect ^C obedience, or Satan hinders the alacrity of the soul by blunting or breaking it, let us employ this remedy: let us pray to God, namely, and ask that the facility for acting rightly be given to us, that our flesh be pierced with the fear of God, and that our mind be kept attentive and not in the least wandering, so that it may not be captured by carnal desires and pleasures. For through the wandering of the mind, worldly desires springing up in the soul create various irregularities in our thoughts, and make us sluggish toward good works.

2. Therefore, let no one refuse to contribute his own effort to the common and necessary ministries of the body: but let us ask God that we may receive from Him the power to assist others. For if ^D

refuse by the example of those who came before them, who will fulfill the needs? Moreover, it is also worthy to be taught this by example. For a soldier recently enrolled in some company does not try to change those who are in the army to his own habits, but he himself ^A conforms to the discipline and custom of the company. It is fitting, therefore, that even the one enrolled in a spiritual community should not wish to adapt them to his own way, but rather to make his own way conform to the customs and rules of that community.

CHAPTER XXVII.

For not even for a momentary instant of time should an ascetic be under his own authority, so as to have leisure for his own private business. For neither can an instrument move without the craftsman, nor can a member be separated for even a brief moment from the whole body, or move contrary to the will ^B of the inner craftsman and master of the whole body; nor does an ascetic have any right to do or perform anything contrary to the will of the superior. But if he says that because of bodily infirmity he is unable to carry out the commands, he shall submit the testing of his own infirmity to the superior. Otherwise, if he remembers the Scripture, he will urge himself toward the fulfillment of the things commanded, hearing the Scripture saying: "You have not yet resisted to the shedding of blood, struggling against sin" (Heb. XII, 4). And again elsewhere: "Therefore lift up your drooping hands and your weak knees" (Ibid. 12).

CHAPTER XXVIII.

And the superior himself, as a father caring for his own legitimate children, ^C shall examine the need of each, and bring to bear the suitable care and remedy according to what is available; and whatever member is truly infirm, whether in soul or body, he shall support with the love and benevolence worthy of a father.

CHAPTER XXIX.

It is proper for the brothers to have mutual love for one another, but not, however, in such a way that two or three, conspiring together, form certain sodalities. For this is not love, but sedition and division, and a proof of the wickedness ^D of those who thus come together. For if the

they loved the common good of order, they would have a common and equal love toward all; but if, by cutting themselves off and setting themselves apart, they become a system within a system, the gathering of such a friendship is wicked, and it brings together such people in a way that is altered from the common purpose, which is an innovation contrary to the established stability 48. It is fitting, therefore, that such associations should not be permitted, nor that, for the sake of preserving charity 49, one should enter into fellowship with a brother who wishes to act wickedly and to violate the laws of common order. But as long as all remain in the good, each one ought to be associated and joined with all the others. But if anyone, wishing to harm the thriving state of affairs, draws a brother away, this person must first be admonished in secret by the one who is sound, as if he were sick in his reasoning; but if he should not wish to be healed privately, other more prudent brothers must be added for his healing, according to the holy Gospel: *If he do not hear thee, take with thee one or two more*. But if he does not obey even them, the disease of his soul must be made known to the superior; but if he should not defer even to the superior, he is to be considered as a *heathen and a publican*, and as a sheep infected with a plague, he must be kept from the flock, lest he infect the others also with the disease. But if there be no one in danger of being harmed by the wicked example, then only will patience have place toward him, provided that the remedies we have mentioned previously have been applied, in the hope that he might at some time be brought to a better way of life. But patience is to be exercised in such a way that he is not indeed cut off, yet not so that he is not admonished or punished with the lawful penalties.

CAPUT XXX. That the ascetic ought not to seek a choice of clothing or footwear.

Furthermore, precious clothing or footwear is not to be sought by us, but the cheaper sort is to be chosen, so that in this matter also we may show humility, and not seem to be people who are refined and lovers of their own selves, and devoid of brotherly love. For he who desires the first place has fallen away from charity and humility.

CAPUT XXXI. That the superior ought to adapt his commands to the strength of the body: and concerning those who conceal their own strength.

Also, the superior must take care, lest by imposing duties heavier than the strength of the body can bear, he provoke the infirm to contradiction; but like a father, benevolent and lawful toward all equally, he should consider the physical strength of each one, and thus impose and distribute the commands. Furthermore, the weight

^A However, they shall face most severe judgment who hide the physical strength that exists in them, which has been given by God, and who act brazenly against their superiors and do not obey what is commanded. For if it brings a great and insupportable danger upon the superior to hide the talent of the word, and not to warn each one of the sword coming because of sin, he who has received from God physical strength for the benefit of the common good, and renders it idle and hides it, will bring upon himself a far greater danger.

CHAPTER XXXII.

That brothers ought not to be grieved when concession is granted to the weaker ones.

^B Yet the brothers must not be grieved or indignant when the superior assigns fitting tasks to the weaker ones, and deems them worthy of indulgence, as the necessity of the case suggests. Rather, it is right for the stronger ones to spare those who are weaker, as if they were members needing sparing, and in this way fulfill spiritual love. For neither does the foot in the body rise up against the hand, or force it to perform its own service, nor does the whole hand place the burden of its own task upon the smallest finger; but each of the members exercises the power which it received from nature, and in doing so, supports the weaker ones. If this order is kept in a spiritual community, it will be shown that we are truly the body of Christ, and members in part, ^C as we constantly keep the harmony of the connection and the union with one another, which is free from discord.

CHAPTER XXXIII.

That superiors ought not to grant leave to ascetics who desert their own community, nor receive them into the common life.

It is fitting, however, that those who oversee spiritual systems, while exercising mutual benevolence and taking care of one another, should not destroy each other’s efforts, nor simply and unreflectively receive brothers who desert from one another. For this is total confusion, and dissolution, and the overthrow of the spiritual work. For those brothers who are more prudent, held fast by the fear of God, remain steadfast in the good; but the more sluggish and indolent ones are trained and directed toward the good by ^D the sense of shame before men, and by the necessity imposed by men. If, therefore, the more indolent one perceives that it is permitted for him to escape with impunity the labors in the society once chosen, and to transfer to another residence, and to live unguardedly and intemperately, he will easily break away, and he shall be guilty of his own destruction, who promptly and hastily

^A receives him. And this evil, as it progresses, very often leads even those who are walking well to stray from the straight and just path; and the destruction of all will be reckoned to the one who provided the pretexts for these stumblings. Therefore, so that this may not happen, let us admonish the brothers who desert ^B and lead them back to where they came from, or, if they do not obey us, let us avoid them and turn away from them and refuse to associate with them, and let us charge all the brothers to do the same; so that either they themselves, [(53)] chastened by such an aversion, may return to their own fold and be pastured by the shepherd allotted to them, or, if they persist in ^C the rejection of the spiritual communion, the others at least, having seen how detestable they have become, may be corrected by the example and may flee from their imitation, shunning the disgrace.

2. But that these are not my own words, but clear words of the Spirit, I will set forth the very words of Paul, by which he punished those living intemperately, subjecting, among others, the drunkards and the revilers to penalties. For if any brother is a fornicator, [(55)] he says, or a reviler, or a drunkard, ^D with such an one not even to eat. And again elsewhere, concerning those who were doing nothing but were meddling, he said: Mark this one, and do not associate with him. [(56)] Now that the one who violates the covenants made with the Holy Spirit commits crimes worse than revilers and drunkards and those who spend their time in idleness is evident to everyone. Therefore, the argument consistently prompts us to exclude and debar the destroyers of the spiritual order from the congregation of those who preserve it. But then only is it fitting for the separation of a brother to remain without reproach, when it happens by the judgment of the superior for some administrative necessity.

CHAPTER XXXIV. That an ascetic living in a community ought not to possess anything earthly privately.

1. It is, however, appropriate for an ascetic who has embraced the communion we have described to be free from all private possession of earthly things. For if he does not do this, first of all he corrupts the exact and sincere communion with the private possession; and then he also shows himself to be very faithless, as one who distrusts God, as if He who has gathered them in His name will not nourish them, and as one who has not heard the prophet David saying: I was young, and

^A senui, et non vidi justum derelictum, nec semen ejus quærens panes, whether spiritual ones, which pertain to the mind, or sensible ones, by which the body is nourished. For if where two or three are gathered in the name of Christ, He is in their midst, much more will He be where there is a far larger and more numerous assembly. Therefore, nothing of the necessities will be lacking, with Christ being present among us, just as no lack of useful things befell the Israelites in the desert. Or even if there should be a lack, for the sake of our testing, it is better to be in need and to be with Christ than to possess all the riches of the world without His fellowship. But such possession does not stop the injury at this; rather, it carries it further. For he who is eager to possess anything of his own is studying nothing else but separation and apostasy. For he who does not look to this, what could he possibly desire to possess? Knowing that by the grace of Christ, His servants always remain in abundance of all necessities. It is therefore evident ^B that such a person is studying the cutting off and the mortification of his own soul, and is selling his own salvation for a few obols, and (allow me to speak a little more boldly) is becoming a second Judas, beginning from theft (for private possession is indeed theft), and ending in betrayal; for he too betrays the word of truth, just as that man betrayed the Lord. For when the rule of life includes not separating ourselves from the community to which we have been joined, nor acquiring any private possession, nor doing anything at all in secret, or that is an evil example to the brethren who are seeking to be saved; then if someone, having disregarded the fear of God and the statutes of the Holy Spirit, has thought ^C first of fraud (for fraud is private possession acquired in any way or from any source), and then of apostasy and separation; how has he not betrayed the word of truth, and become a second Judas, to the extent that he was able to betray the truth? We must therefore by all means avoid possessing anything privately, beyond those things which are provided in common to all. And not only by this method should we keep the mind unstained, but we must also purge the inner man from all filth; both from the impure and evil thoughts that befoul the inner habitation of the Spirit; and from deceit, and hypocrisy, and envy, and strife, which tear up love by the roots ^D and drive God from the soul of those who harbor such things. For if God

is love 87, he who has not love lacks divine grace.

2. Let everyone keep his own soul in all humility, holiness, and alacrity concerning good works, and let him shut his mind to present things and see to it that he does not wander in the present time from any will of God, or break the strength of this institution. For such a state of soul will liberate us from all aberration of mind, and will make us pursue all good things in fear and steady purpose, when, that is, we have once firmly induced into our mind before all else that God is good and the author of all good things, and not of any evil whatsoever, even if we taste of a remedy that is bitter indeed, but necessary for reformation. For since God is the physician of human souls, He tempers the strength of the drugs according to the nature of the maladies, so that He may purge the inner vice when there is need. Since, therefore, we clearly understand that these things are so, let us always give thanks, even if, while we are purged of neglects, we experience a sharper medicine. But to endure trial through temptations is the work of a very few men, and those like unto Abraham. These, then, are the things which divine grace has supplied to the humility of our mind for the exhortation of you who have embraced the common and social life. Than which kind of life (as the discourse has declared, and our mind knows) no other can be found among men that is more splendid, or more pleasant, or more sublime. But since we have also exhorted those who live a solitary life to the best of our ability, and one and the same purpose is common to both—namely, to please Christ—and a kinship intervenes between the precepts handed down to these and those, let us also read the discourse held to them. For perhaps from thence, too, something useful will be brought into this sermon, which can further illuminate and adorn this kind of life.