The Sayings of the Desert Fathers

When the holy Abba Anthony lived in the desert he was beset by accidie, and attacked by many sinful thoughts. He said to God, 'Lord, I want to be saved but these thoughts do not leave me alone; what shall I do in my…

Anthony the Great (¶1)

When the same Abba Anthony thought about the depth of the judgements of God, he asked, 'Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age?

Anthony the Great (¶2)

Someone asked Abba Anthony, 'What must one do in order to please God?' The old man replied, 'Pay attention to what I tell you: whoever you may be, always have God before your eyes; whatever you do, do it according to…

Anthony the Great (¶3)

Abba Anthony said to Abba Poemen, 'This is the great work of a man: always to take the blame for his own sins before God and to expect temptation to his last breath.'

Anthony the Great (¶4)

He also said, 'Whoever has not experienced temptation cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.' He even added, 'Without temptations no-one can be saved.'

Anthony the Great (¶5)

Abba Pambo asked Abba Anthony, 'What ought I to do?' and the old man said to him, 'Do not trust in your own righteousness, do not worry about the past, but control your tongue and your stomach.'

Anthony the Great (¶6)

Abba Anthony said, 'I saw the snares that the enemy spreads out over the world and I said groaning, "What can get through from such snares?" Then I heard a voice saying to me, "Humility." ' Anthony the Great

Anthony the Great (¶7)

He also said, 'Some have afflicted their bodies by asceticism, but they lack discernment, and so they are far from God.'

Anthony the Great (¶8)

He also said, 'Our life and our death is with our neighbour. If we gain our brother, we have gained God, but if we scandalise our brother, we have sinned against Christ.' 10 .

Anthony the Great (¶9)

He said also, 'He who wishes to live in solitude in the desert is delivered from three conflicts: hearing, speech, and sight; there is only one conflict for him and that is with fornication.'

Anthony the Great (¶11)

Some brothers came to find Abba Anthony to tell him about the visions they were having, and to find out from him if they were true or if they came from the demons. They had a donkey which died on the way.

Anthony the Great (¶12)

A hunter in the desert saw Abba Anthony enjoying himself with the brethren and he was shocked. Wanting to show him that it was necessary sometimes to meet the needs of the brethren, the old man said to him, 'Put an…

Anthony the Great (¶13)

Abba Anthony heard of a very young monk who had performed a miracle on the road. Seeing the old men walking with difficulty along the road, he ordered the wild asses to come and carry them until they reached Abba…

Anthony the Great (¶14)

The brothers praised a monk before Abba Anthony. When the monk came to see him, Anthony wanted to know how he would bear insults; and seeing that he could not bear them at all, he said to him, 'You are like a village…

Anthony the Great (¶15)

A brother said to Abba Anthony, 'Pray for me.' The old man said to him, 'I will have no mercy upon you, nor will God have any, if you yourself do not make an effort and if you do not pray to God.' '

Anthony the Great (¶16)

One day some old men came to see Abba Anthony. In the midst of them was Abba Joseph. Wanting to test them, the old man suggested a text from the Scriptures, and, beginning with the youngest, he asked them what it meant.

Anthony the Great (¶17)

Some brothers were coming from Scetis to see Abba Anthony. When they were getting into a boat to go there, they found an old man who also wanted to go there. The brothers did not know him.

Anthony the Great (¶18)

The brethren came to the Abba Anthony and said to him, 'Speak a word; how are we to be saved?' The old man said to them, 'You have heard the Scriptures.

Anthony the Great (¶19)

A brother renounced the world and gave his goods to the poor, but he kept back a little for his personal expenses. He went to see Abba Anthony.

Anthony the Great (¶20)

It happened one day that one of the brethren in the monastery of Abba Elias was tempted. Cast out of the monastery, he went over the mountain to Abba Anthony.

Anthony the Great (¶21)

Abba Anthony said, 'I believe that the body possesses a natural movement, to which it is adapted, but which it cannot follow without the consent of the soul; it only signifies in the body a movement without passion.

Anthony the Great (¶22)

He also said, 'God does not allow the same warfare and temptations to this generation as he did formerly, for men are weaker now and cannot bear so much.'

Anthony the Great (¶23)

It was revealed to Abba Anthony in his desert that there was one who was his equal in the city. He was a doctor by profession and whatever he had beyond his needs he gave to the poor, and every day he sang the Sanctus…

Anthony the Great (¶24)

Abba Anthony said, 'A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is not mad, they will attack him saying, "You are mad, you are not like us."' Anthony the Great

Anthony the Great (¶25)

The brethren came to Abba Anthony and laid before him a passage from Leviticus. The old man went out into the desert, secretly followed by Abba Ammonas, who knew that this was his custom.

Anthony the Great (¶26)

Three Fathers used to go and visit blessed Anthony every year and two of them used to discuss their thoughts and the salvation of their souls with him, but the third always remained silent and did not ask him anything.

Anthony the Great (¶27)

They said that a certain old man asked God to let him see the Fathers and he saw them all except Abba Anthony. So he asked his guide, 'Where is Abba Anthony?' He told him in reply that in the place where God is, there…

Anthony the Great (¶28)

A brother in a monastery was falsely accused of fornication and he arose and went to Abba Anthony. The brethren also came from the monastery to correct him and bring him back.

Anthony the Great (¶29)

Some say of Saint Anthony that he was 'Spirit-borne', that is, carried along by the Holy Spirit, but he would never speak of this to men.

Anthony the Great (¶30)

One day Abba Anthony received a letter from the Emperor Constantius, asking him to come to Constantinople and he wondered whether he ought to go.

Anthony the Great (¶31)

Abba Anthony said, 'I no longer fear God, but I love Him. For love casts out fear.' (John 4.18)

Anthony the Great (¶32)

He also said, 'Always have the fear of God before your eyes. Remember him who gives death and life. Hate the world and all that is in it. Hate all peace that comes from the flesh.

Anthony the Great (¶33)

Abba Anthony once went to visit Abba Amoun in Mount Nitria and when they met, Abba Amoun said, 'By your prayers, the number of the brethren increases, and some of them want to build more cells where they may live in…

Anthony the Great (¶34)

Abba Anthony said, 'Whoever hammers a lump of iron, first decides what he is going to make of it, a scythe, a sword, or an axe. Even so we ought to make up our minds what kind of virtue we want to forge or we labour in…

Anthony the Great (¶35)

He also said, 'Obedience with abstinence gives men power over wild beasts.'

Anthony the Great (¶36)

He also said, 'Nine monks fell away after many labours and were obsessed with spiritual pride, for they put their trust in their Arsenius own works and being deceived they did not give due heed to the commandment that…

Anthony the Great (¶37)

And he said this, 'If he is able to, a monk ought to tell his elders confidently how many steps he takes and how many drops of water he drinks in his cell, in case he is in error about it.' ARSENIUS Arsenius was born in…

Anthony the Great (¶38)

While still living in the palace, Abba Arsenius prayed to God in these words, 'Lord, lead me in the way of salvation.' And a voice came saying to him, 'Arsenius, flee from men and you will be saved.'

Arsenius (¶1)

Having withdrawn to the solitary life he made the same prayer again and he heard a voice saying to him, 'Arsenius, flee, be silent, pray always, for these are the source of sinlessness.'

Arsenius (¶2)

It happened that when Abba Arsenius was sitting in his cell that he was harassed by demons. His servants, on their return, stood outside his cell and heard him praying to God in these words, 'O God, do not leave me.

Arsenius (¶3)

It was said of him that, just as none in the palace had worn more splendid garments than he when he lived there, so no-one in the Church wore such poor clothing.

Arsenius (¶4)

Someone said to blessed Arsenius, 'How is it that we, with all our education and our wide knowledge get no-where, while these Egyptian peasants acquire so many virtues?' Abba Arsenius said to him, 'We indeed get nothing…

Arsenius (¶5)

One day Abba Arsenius consulted an old Egyptian monk about his own thoughts. Someone noticed this and said to him, 'Abba Arsenius, how is it that you with such a good Latin and Greek education, ask this peasant about…

Arsenius (¶6)

Blessed Archbishop Theophilus, accompanied by a magistrate, came one day to find Abba Arsenius. He questioned the old man, to hear a word from him.

Arsenius (¶7)

Another time the archbishop, intending to come to see him, sent someone to see if the old man would receive him. Arsenius told him, 'If you come, I shall receive you; but if I receive you, I receive everyone and…

Arsenius (¶8)

A brother questioned Abba Arsenius to hear a word of him and the old man said to him, 'Strive with all your might to bring your interior activity into accord with God, and you will overcome exterior passions.'

Arsenius (¶9)

He also said, 'If we seek God, he will shew himself to us, and if we keep him, he will remain close to us.'

Arsenius (¶10)

Someone said to Abba Arsenius, 'My thoughts trouble me, saying, "You can neither fast nor work; at least go and visit the sick, for that is also charity." ' But the old man, recognising the suggestions of the demons,…

Arsenius (¶11)

Abba Arsenius used to say that a monk travelling abroad should not get involved in anything; thus he will remain in peace. Arsenius 11

Arsenius (¶12)

Abba Mark said to Abba Arsenius, 'Why do you avoid us?' The old man said to him, 'God knows that I love you, but I cannot live with God and with men.

Arsenius (¶13)

Abba Daniel said of Abba Arsenius that he used to pass the whole night without sleeping, and in the early morning when nature compelled him to go to sleep, he would say to sleep, 'Come here, wicked servant.' Then,…

Arsenius (¶14)

Abba Arsenius used to say that one hour's sleep is enough for a monk if he is a good fighter.

Arsenius (¶15)

The old man used to tell how one day someone handed round a few dried figs in Scetis. Because they were not worth anything, no-one took any to Abba Arsenius in order not to offend him.

Arsenius (¶16)

Abba Daniel used to say, 'He lived with us many a long year and every year we used to take him only one basket of bread and when we went to find him the next year we would eat some of that bread.'

Arsenius (¶17)

It was said of the same Abba Arsenius that he only changed the water for his palm-leaves once a year; the rest of the time he simply added to it.

Arsenius (¶18)

Abba Daniel used to tell how when Abba Arsenius learned that all the varieties of fruit were ripe he would say, 'Bring me some.' He would taste a very little of each, just once, giving thanks to God. 12

Arsenius (¶19)

Once at Scetis Abba Arsenius was ill and he was without even a scrap of linen. As he had nothing with which to buy any, he received some through another's charity and he said, 'I give you thanks, Lord, for having…

Arsenius (¶20)

It was said of him that his cell was thirty-two miles away and that he did not readily leave it: that in fact others did his errands. When Scetis was destroyed he left weeping and said, 'The world has lost Rome and the…

Arsenius (¶21)

Abba Mark asked Abba Arsenius, 'Is it good to have nothing extra in the cell? I know a brother who had some vegetables and he has pulled them up.' Abba Arsenius replied, 'Undoubtedly that is good but it must be done…

Arsenius (¶22)

Abba Daniel, the disciple of Abba Arsenius, related this: 'One day I found myself close to Abba Alexander and he was full of sorrow. He lay down and stared up into the air because of his sorrow.

Arsenius (¶23)

Another time Abba Arsenius said to Abba Alexander, 'When you have cut your palm-leaves, come and eat with me, but if visitors come, eat with them.' Now Abba Alexander worked slowly and carefully.

Arsenius (¶24)

One day Abba Arsenius came to a place where there were reeds blowing in the wind. The old man said to the brothers, 'What is this movement?' They said, 'Some reeds.' Then the old man said to them, 'When one who is…

Arsenius (¶25)

Abba Daniel said that some brothers proposing to go to the Thebaid to find some flax said, 'Let us also take the opportunity to see Abba Arsenius.' So Abba Alexander came to tell the old man, 'Some brothers who have…

Arsenius (¶26)

A brother came to the cell of Abba Arsenius at Scetis. Waiting outside the door he saw the old man entirely like a flame. (The brother was worthy of this sight.) When he knocked, the old man came out and saw the brother…

Arsenius (¶27)

When Abba Arsenius was living at Canopus, a very rich and God-fearing virgin of senatorial rank came from Rome to see him. When the Archbishop Theophilus met her, she asked him to persuade the old man to receive her.

Arsenius (¶28)

Abba David related this about Abba Arsenius. One day a magistrate came, bringing him the will of a senator, a member of his family who had left him a very large inheritance. Arsenius took it and was about to destroy it.

Arsenius (¶29)

It was also said of him that on Saturday evenings, preparing for the glory of Sunday, he would turn his back on the sun and stretch out his hands in prayer towards the heavens, till once again the sun shone on his face.

Arsenius (¶30)

It was said of Abba Arsenius and Abba Theodore of Pherme that, more than any of the others, they hated the esteem of other Arsenius 15 men.

Arsenius (¶31)

In the days when Abba Arsenius was living in Lower Egypt he was continually interrupted there and so he judged it right to leave his cell.

Arsenius (¶32)

Abba David said, 'Abba Arsenius told us the following, as though it referred to someone else, but in fact it referred to himself. An old man was sitting in his cell and a voice came to him which said, "Come, and I will…

Arsenius (¶33)

The same abba told of some Fathers who came one day from Alexandria to see Abba Arsenius. Amongst them was the aged Timothy, Archbishop of Alexandria, surnamed the Poor and he refused to see them, for fear others would…

Arsenius (¶34)

The same abba said, 'One day Abba Arsenius called me and said, "Be a comfort to your Father, so that when he goes to the Lord, he may pray for you that the Lord may be good to you in your turn."'

Arsenius (¶35)

It was said of Abba Arsenius that once when he was ill at Scetis, the priest came to take him to church and put him on a bed Arsenius with a small pillow under his head.

Arsenius (¶36)

A Father went to see Abba Arsenius. When he knocked at the door the old man opened it, thinking that it was his servant. But when he saw that it was someone else he fell on his face to the ground.

Arsenius (¶37)

It was told of a brother who came to see Abba Arsenius at Scetis that, when he came to the church, he asked the clergy if he could visit Abba Arsenius.

Arsenius (¶38)

Abba Daniel said 'At the point of death, Abba Arsenius sent us this message, "Do not trouble to make offerings for me, for truly I have made an offering for myself and I shall find it again."'

Arsenius (¶39)

When Abba Arsenius was at the point of death, his disciples were troubled. He said to them, 'The time has not yet come; when it comes, I will tell you.

Arsenius (¶40)

It was said of him that he had a hollow in his chest channelled out by the tears which fell from his eyes all his life while he sat at his manual work.

Arsenius (¶41)

Abba Daniel used to say this about him: 'He never wanted to reply to a question concerning the Scriptures, though he could well have done so had he wished, just as he never readily wrote a Arsenius 19 letter.

Arsenius (¶42)

Abba Daniel used to tell this also about Abba Arsenius: 'One day he called my Fathers, Abba Alexander and Abba Zoilus, and by way of humiliating himself, said to them, "Since the demons attack me and I do not know if…

Arsenius (¶43)

Some old men came one day to Abba Arsenius and insisted on seeing him. He received them. Then they asked him to say a word to them about those who live in solitude without seeing anyone.

Arsenius (¶44)

Abba Peter, the disciple of Abba Lot, said, 'One day when I was in Abba Agathon's cell, a brother came in and said to him, "I want to live with the brethren; tell me how to dwell with them." The old man answered him,…

Agathon (¶1)

Abba Agathon said, "Under no circumstances should the monk let his conscience accuse him of anything.'

Agathon (¶2)

He also said, 'Unless he keeps the commandments of God, a man cannot make progress, not even in a single virtue.'

Agathon (¶3)

He also said, 'I have never gone to sleep with a grievance against anyone, and, as far as I could, I have never let anyone go to sleep with a grievance against me.'

Agathon (¶4)

It was said concerning Abba Agathon that some monks came to find him having heard tell of his great discernment. Wanting to Agathon see if he would lose his temper they said to him 'Aren't you that Agathon who is said…

Agathon (¶5)

It was said of Abba Agathon that he spent a long time building a cell with his disciples. At last when it was finished, they came to live there.

Agathon (¶6)

It was said of him that he often went away taking nothing but his knife for making wicker-baskets.

Agathon (¶7)

Someone asked Abba Agathon, 'Which is better, bodily asceticism or interior vigilance?' The old man replied, 'Man is like a tree, bodily asceticism is the foliage, interior vigilance the fruit.

Agathon (¶8)

The brethren also asked him, 'Amongst all good works, which is the virtue which requires the greatest effort?' He answered, 'For- 22 give me, but I think there is no labour greater than that of prayer to God.

Agathon (¶9)

Abba Agathon was wise in spirit and active in body. He provided everything he needed for himself, in manual work, food, and clothing.

Agathon (¶10)

The same Abba Agathon was walking with his disciples. One of them, finding a small green pea on the road, said to the old man, 'Father, may I take it?' The old man, looking at him with astonishment, said, 'Was it you…

Agathon (¶11)

A brother came to find Abba Agathon and said to him, 'Let me live with you.' On his way he had found a piece of nitre on the road and had brought it with him. 'Where did you find that nitre?' asked the old man.

Agathon (¶12)

A brother asked the old man, 'I have received a command, but there is danger of temptation in the place connected with it. Because of the command I wish to do it, but I am afraid of such danger.' The old man said to…

Agathon (¶13)

A meeting had been held at Scetis about some matter, and a decision was taken about it. When Agathon came in later, he said to them, 'You have not decided this matter rightly.' 'Who are you,' they retorted, 'to talk…

Agathon (¶14)

It was said of Abba Agathon that for three years he lived with a stone in his mouth, until he had learnt to keep silence. Agathon

Agathon (¶15)

It was said of him and of Abba Amoun that, when they had anything to sell, they would name the price just once and silently accept what was given them in peace.

Agathon (¶16)

The same Abba Agathon said, 'I have never offered agapes; but the fact of giving and receiving has been for me an agape, for I consider the good of my brother to be a sacrificial offering.'

Agathon (¶17)

Whenever his thoughts urged him to pass judgement on something which he saw, he would say to himself, 'Agathon, it is not your business to do that.' Thus his spirit was always recollected.

Agathon (¶18)

The same abba said, 'A man who is angry, even if he were to raise the dead, is not acceptable to God.'

Agathon (¶19)

At one time Abba Agathon had two disciples each leading the anchoretic life according to his own measure. One day he asked the first, 'How do you live in the cell?' He replied, 'I fast until the evening, then I eat two…

Agathon (¶20)

A brother asked Abba Agathon about fornication. He answered, 'Go, cast your weakness before God and you shall find rest.'

Agathon (¶21)

Abba Agathon and another old man were ill. While they were lying in their cell, the brother who was reading Genesis to them came to the chapter where Jacob said, 'Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and thou dost take…

Agathon (¶22)

Abba Agathon said, 'If someone were very specially dear to me, but I realized that he was leading me to do something less good, I should put him from me.'

Agathon (¶23)

He also said, 'A man ought at all times to be aware of the judgements of God.'

Agathon (¶24)

One day when the brethren were conversing about charity, Abba Joseph said, 'Do we really know what charity is?' Then he told how when a brother came to see Abba Agathon, he greeted him and did not let him go until he…

Agathon (¶25)

Abba Agathon said, 'If I could meet a leper, give him my body and take his, I should be very happy.' That indeed is perfect charity.

Agathon (¶26)

It was also said of him that, coming to the town one day to sell his wares, he encountered a sick traveller lying in the public place without anyone to look after him.

Agathon (¶27)

Abba Daniel said, 'Before Abba Arsenius came to live with my Fathers, they dwelt with Abba Agathon. Now Abba Agathon loved Abba Alexander because he was both ascetic and discreet.

Agathon (¶28)

It was said of Abba Agathon that he forced himself to fulfill all the commandments. When he sailed in a vessel he was the first to handle the oars and when the brethren came to see him he laid the table with his own…

Agathon (¶29)

Going to town one day to sell some small articles, Abba Agathon met a cripple on the roadside, paralysed in his legs, who asked him where he was going.

Agathon (¶30)

A brother asked Abba Ammonas, 'Give me a word,' and the old man replied, 'Go, make your thoughts like those of the evildoers who are in prison.

Ammonas (¶1)

It was said of Abba Ammonas that he had killed a basilisk. Going into the desert one day to draw water from the lake and seeing a basilisk, he threw himself face to the ground saying: 'Lord, either I die or he does,'…

Ammonas (¶2)

Abba Ammonas said, 'I have spent fourteen years in Scetis asking God night and day to grant me the victory over anger.'

Ammonas (¶3)

One of the Fathers telling about the Cells, said there was once a hard-working old man there who wore a mat. He went to find Abba Ammonas, who, when he saw him wearing the mat, said to him, 'This is no use to you.' But…

Ammonas (¶4)

Some brethren found life difficult where they were living. Wanting to leave, they came to find Abba Ammonas. He was out on the river. Seeing them walking along the bank of the river, he asked the sailors to put him…

Ammonas (¶5)

One day when Abba Ammonas went to cross the river, he found the ferry-boat ready to go and sat down in it. Then another Ammonas boat came to the place and transported the men who were there.

Ammonas (¶6)

Abba Ammonas was going to pay a visit to Abba Anthony, one day, and he lost his way. So sitting down, he fell asleep for a little while.

Ammonas (¶7)

Abba Anthony predicted that this Abba Ammonas would make progress in the fear of God. He led him outside his cell, and showing him a stone, said to him, 'Hurt this stone, and beat it.' He did so.

Ammonas (¶8)

It was said of him that some people came to him to be judged, and Abba Ammonas feigned madness. A woman standing near him said to her neighbour, 'The old man is mad.' Abba Ammonas heard it, caller her, and said, 'How…

Ammonas (¶9)

Abba Ammonas came one day to eat in a place where there was a monk of evil repute. Now it happened that a woman came and entered the cell of the brother of evil reputation.

Ammonas (¶10)

Abba Ammonas was asked, 'What is the "narrow and hard way?" ' (Matt. 7.14) He replied, 'The "narrow and hard way" is this, to control your thoughts, and to strip yourself of your own will, for the sake of God.

Ammonas (¶11)

Three old men, of whom one had a bad reputation, came one day to Abba Achilles. The first asked him, 'Father, make me a fishing-net.' 'I will not make you one,' he replied.

Achilles (¶1)

Abba Bitimius said, 'One day when I was going down to Scetis, someone gave me some fruit to take to the old men. So I knocked on the door of Abba Achilles' cell, to give him some.

Achilles (¶2)

Abba Achilles came one day to Abba Isaiah's cell at Scetis, and found him in the act of eating something. He had mixed it with salt and water on a plate.

Achilles (¶3)

An old man who came to see Abba Achilles found him spitting blood out of his mouth. He asked him, 'What is the matter, Father?' The old man answered, 'The word of a brother grieved me, I struggled not to tell him so and…

Achilles (¶4)

Abba Ammoes said, 'With Abba Bitimius, we went to see Abba Achilles. We heard him meditating on this saying, "Do not fear, Jacob, to go down into Egypt." (Gen. 46.3) For a long time he remained making this meditation.

Achilles (¶5)

Another time, a great old man came to the Thebaid to see Abba Achilles and said to him, 'Father, you are a temptation to me.' He said to him, 'Come, even you, old man, you are still tempted because of me?' In his…

Achilles (¶6)

It was said of Abba Ammoes that when he went to church, he did not allow his disciple to walk beside him but only at a certain distance; and if the latter came to ask him about his thoughts, he would move away from him…

Ammoes (¶1)

At first, Abba Ammoes said to Abba Isaiah, 'What do you think of me now?' He said to him, 'You are an angel, Father.' Later on he said to him, 'And now, what do you think of me?' He replied, 'You are like Satan.

Ammoes (¶2)

It was said of Abba Ammoes that, illness having kept him in bed for many long years, he never allowed himself to think about his cell or look to see what it contained.

Ammoes (¶3)

Abba Poemen said that a brother came to find Abba Ammoes to ask him for a word. He remained with him for seven days Amoun of Nitria without the old man answering him.

Ammoes (¶4)

It was said of Abba Ammoes that he had fifty measures of wheat for his use and had put them out in the sun. Before they were properly dried off, he saw something in that place which seemed to him to be harmful so he…

Ammoes (¶5)

Abba Amoun of Nitria came to see Abba Anthony and said to him, 'Since my rule is stricter than yours how is it that your name is better known amongst men than mine is?' Abba Anthony answered, 'It is because I love God…

Amoun of Nitria (¶1)

It was said of Abba Amoun that a very small quantity of wheat every two months was sufficient for him. Now he went to find Abba Poemen and said to him, 'When I go to my neighbour's cell, or when he comes to mine for…

Amoun of Nitria (¶2)

A brother came to Scetis to see Abba Amoun and said to him, 'My Father is sending me out on an errand but I am afraid of fornication.' The old man answered, 'Whatever the hour when the temptation comes upon you, say,…

Amoun of Nitria (¶3)

Abba John said of Abba Anoub and Abba Poemen and the rest of their brethren who come from the same womb and were made monks in Scetis, that when the barbarians came and laid waste that district for the first time, they…

Anoub (¶1)

Abba Anoub said, 'Since the day when the name of Christ was invoked upon me, no lie has come out of my mouth.' ABRAHAM

Anoub (¶2)

It was said of an old man that for fifty years he had neither eaten bread nor drunk wine readily. He even said, 'I have destroyed fornication, avarice and vain-glory in myself.' Learning that he had said this, Abba…

Abraham (¶1)

A brother questioned Abba Abraham, saying, 'If I find myself eating often, what will come of it?' The old man replied in this way, 'What are you saying, brother? Do you eat so much?

Abraham (¶2)

Abba Abraham told of a man of Scetis who was a scribe and did not eat bread. A brother came to beg him to copy a book. The old man whose spirit was engaged in contemplation, wrote, omitting some phrases and with no…

Abraham (¶3)

Abba Abraham went to see Abba Ares. They were sitting together when a brother came to the old man and said to him, 'Tell me what I must do to be saved.' He replied, 'Go, and for the whole of this year eat only bread and…

Abba Alonius said, 'If a man does not say in his heart, in the world there is only myself and God, he will not gain peace.'

Alonius (¶1)

He also said, 'If I had not destroyed myself completely, I should not have been able to rebuild and shape myself again.'

Alonius (¶2)

He also said, 'If only a man desired it for a single day from morning till night, he would be able to come to the measure of God.'

Alonius (¶3)

One day Abba Agathon questioned Abba Alonius saying, 'How can I control my tongue so as to tell no more lies?' And Abba Alonius said to him, 'If you do not lie, you prepare many sins for yourself.' 'How is that?' said…

Alonius (¶4)

They used to say of a bishop of Oxyrrynchus, named Abba Apphy, that when he was a monk he submitted himself to a very severe way of life.

There was in the Cells an old man called Apollo. If someone came to find him about doing a piece of work, he would set out joyfully, saying, 'I am going to work with Christ today, for the salvation of my soul, for that…

Apollo (¶1)

It was said of a certain Abba Apollo of Scetis, that he had been a shepherd and was very uncouth. He had seen a pregnant woman in the field one day and being urged by the devil, he had said, 'I should like to see how…

Apollo (¶2)

With regard to receiving the brethren, the same abba said that one should bow before the brethren who come, because it is not before them, but before God that we prostrate ourselves.

Apollo (¶3)

Abba Andrew said, 'These three things are appropriate for a monk: exile, poverty, and endurance in silence.' AIO They said there was a certain old man in the Thebaid, Abba Antionus, who did many good works while he was…

A magistrate came one day to Pelusia to levy the poll-tax on the monks, as on the secular population. All the brothers assembled together about this proposal and went to Abba Ammonathas.

One of the old men said, 'When Saint Basil came to the monastery one day, he said to the abbot, after the customary exhortation, "Have you a brother here who is obedient?" The other replied, "They are all your servants,…

Abba Doulas, the disciple of Abba Bessarion said, 'One day when we were walking beside the sea I was thirsty and I said to Abba Bessarion, "Father, I am very thirsty." He said a prayer and said to me, "Drink some of the…

Bessarion (¶1)

Another time when Abba Bessarion had occasion to do so, he said a prayer and crossed the river Chrysoroas on foot and then continued his way.

Bessarion (¶2)

On another day, while we were going to see an old man, the sun was setting. So Abba Bessarion said this prayer, 'I pray you, Bessarion Lord, that the sun may stand still till we reach your servant,' and that is what…

Bessarion (¶3)

On another day, when I came to his cell I found him standing at prayer with his hands raised towards heaven. For fourteen days he remained thus. Then he called me and told me to follow him. We went into the desert.

Bessarion (¶4)

One day a man possessed with a devil came to Scetis, and they prayed over him, but the devil did not leave him, for it was obstinate. The priests said, 'What can we do against this devil?

Bessarion (¶5)

Abba Bessarion said, 'For fourteen days and nights, I have stood upright in the midst of thorn-bushes, without sleeping.'

Bessarion (¶6)

A brother who had sinned was turned out of the church by the priest; Abba Bessarion got up and went with him, saying, 'I, too, am a sinner.'

Bessarion (¶7)

The same Abba Bessarion said, 'For fourteen years I have never lain down, but have always slept sitting or standing.'

Bessarion (¶8)

The same abba said, 'When you are at peace, without having to struggle, humiliate yourself for fear of being led astray by joy which is inappropriate; we magnify ourselves and we are delivered to warfare.

Bessarion (¶9)

A brother who shared a lodging with other brothers asked Abba Bessarion, 'What should I do?' The old man replied, 'Keep silence and do not compare yourself with others.'

Bessarion (¶10)

Abba Bessarion, at the point of death, said, 'The monk ought to be as the Cherubim and the Seraphim: all eye.'

Bessarion (¶11)

Abba Bessarion's disciples related that his life had been like that of a bird of the air, or a fish, or an animal living on earth, passing all the time of his life without trouble or disquiet.

Bessarion (¶12)

Abba Benjamin said, 'When we returned to Scetis, once the harvest was over, in payment they brought each of us a plaster vessel containing a pint of oil from Alexandria.

Benjamin (¶1)

Abba Benjamin, priest of the Cells, said, 'One day at Scetis we went to an old man, intending to take him a little oil but he said to us, "Look at the little vessel you brought me three years ago; it has remained there…

Benjamin (¶2)

The same abba said, 'We went to another old man who detained us for a meal and he offered us oil of horse-radish. We said to him, "Father, give us rather a little good oil." At these words he crossed himself and said,…

Benjamin (¶3)

As he was dying, Abba Benjamin said to his sons, 'If you observe the following, you can be saved, "Be joyful at all times, pray without ceasing and give thanks for all things." '

Benjamin (¶4)

He also said, 'Walk in the royal way, measuring the landmarks without meanness.' BIARE

Benjamin (¶5)

Someone questioned Abba Biare in these words, 'What shall I do to be saved?' He replied, 'Go, reduce your appetite and your manual work, dwell without care in your cell and you will be saved.' GAMMA GREGORY THE…

Abba Gregory said, 'These three things God requires of all the baptized: right faith in the heart, truth on the tongue, temperance in the body.'

Gregory the Theologian (¶1)

He also said, 'The whole life of a man is but one single day for those who are working hard with longing.' GELASIUS Gelasius trained as an ascetic in Egypt. He became abbot of Nilopolis in the mid fifth century.

Gregory the Theologian (¶2)

It was said of Abba Gelasius that he had a leather Bible worth eighteen pieces of silver. In fact it contained the whole of the Old and New Testaments.

Gelasius (¶1)

A cell surrounded by a plot of land had been left to Abba Gelasius by an old man, also a monk, who had his dwelling near Nilopolis. Now a peasant farmer under Batacus, who was then living at Nilopolis in Palestine, went…

Gelasius (¶2)

Many of his disciples used to relate the following also: One day someone had brought them a fish and when it was cooked, the cook took it to the cellarer. An urgent reason obliged him to leave the store-room.

Gelasius (¶3)

Not only his disciples, but many of those who met him, often told this about Abba Gelasius. At the time of the ecumenical synod at Chalcedon, Theodosius who had taken the initiative in the schism of Dioscorus in…

Gelasius (¶4)

It was said of him that in his youth he had led a life of poverty as an anchorite. At that time in the same region there were many other men who, with him, had embraced the same life.

Gelasius (¶5)

It was said of Abba Gelasius that he was often assailed by the thought of going to the desert. One day he said to his disciple, 'Do me the favour, brother, of bearing with whatever I may do, and say nothing to me for…

Gelasius (¶6)

Abba Gerontius of Petra said that many, tempted by the pleasures of the body, commit fornication, not in their body but in their spirit, and while preserving their bodily virginity, commit prostitution in their soul.

Gerontius (¶1)

Daniel being left his tunic, hair-shirt and sandals said, And I unworthy wear them that I may receive a blessing.'

Gerontius (¶449)

It was said concerning Abba Daniel, that when the barbarians invaded Scetis and the Fathers fled away, the old man said, 'If God does not care for me, why still live?' Then he passed through the midst of the barbarians…

Daniel (¶1)

A brother asked Abba Daniel, 'Give me a commandment and I will keep it.' He replied, 'Never put your hand in the dish with a woman, and never eat with her; thus you will escape a little the demon of fornication.'

Daniel (¶2)

Abba Daniel said, 'At Babylon the daughter of an important person was possessed by a devil. A monk for whom her father had 52 The Sayings of the Desert Fathers a great affection said to him, "No-one can heal your…

Daniel (¶3)

Abba Daniel also said, 'The body prospers in the measure in which the soul is weakened, and the soul prospers in the measure in which the body is weakened.'

Daniel (¶4)

One day Abba Daniel and Abba Ammoes went on a journey together. Abba Ammoes said, 'When shall we, too, settle down, in a cell, Father?' Abba Daniel replied, 'Who shall separate us henceforth from God?

Daniel (¶5)

Abba Daniel said that when Abba Arsenius was at Scetis, there was a monk there who used to steal the possessions of the old men. Abba Arsenius took him into his cell in order to convert him and to give the old men some…

Daniel (¶6)

This is what Abba Daniel, the Pharanite, said, 'Our Father Abba Arsenius told us of an inhabitant of Scetis, of notable life and of simple faith; through his naivete he was deceived and said, "The bread which we receive…

Daniel (¶7)

The same Abba Daniel told of another great old man who dwelt in lower Egypt, who in his simplicity, said that Melchizedek was the son of God.

Daniel (¶8)

It was said of Abba Dioscorus the Nachiaste, that he ate bread of barley and lentils. Every year he made a resulution about a particular thing, saying, 'I will not meet anyone this year'; or else, 'I will not speak'; or…

Doulas (¶1)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen in this way, 'My thoughts trouble me, making me put my sins aside, and concern myself with my brother's faults.' The old man told him the following story about Abba Dioscorus, 'In his…

Doulas (¶2)

Abba Dioscorus said, 'If we wear our heavenly robe, we shall not be found naked, but if we are found not wearing this garment, what shall we do, brothers?

Doulas (¶3)

Abba Doulas said, 'If the enemy induces us to give up our inner peace, we must not listen to him, for nothing is equal to this peace and the privation of food. The one and the other join together to fight the enemy.

Doulas (¶1)

He also said, 'Detach yourself from the love of the multitude lest your enemy question your spirit and trouble your inner peace.' EPSILON EPIPHAN1US, BISHOP OF CYPRUS Epiphanius was a Palestinian who learned his…

Doulas (¶2)

The holy Bishop Epiphanius related that some crows, flying all around the temple of Serapis, in the presence of blessed Athanasius, cried without interruption, 'Caw, caw.' Then some pagans, standing in front of blessed…

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶1)

The same related that there was a charioteer in Alexandria, whose mother was called Mary. In an equestrian fight he had a fall. Then getting up again he surpassed the men who had overthrown him and carried off the…

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶2)

The blessed Epiphanius, Bishop of Cyprus, was told this by the abbot of a monastery which he had in Palestine, 'By your prayers we do not neglect our appointed round of psalmody, but we are very careful to recite Terce,…

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶3)

One day Saint Epiphanius sent someone to Abba Hilarion with this request, 'Come, and let us see one another before we depart from the body.' When he came, they rejoiced in each other's company.

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶4)

The same old man said, 'Melchizedek, the image of Christ, blessed Abraham, the father of the Jews; how much more does truth itself, which is the Christ, bless and sanctify all those who believe in it.'

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶5)

The same old man said, 'The Canaanite woman cries out, and she is heard; (Matt. 15) the woman with the issue of blood is silent, and she is called blessed; (Luke 8) the pharisee speaks, and he is condemned;(Matt.

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶6)

The same old man said, 'David the prophet prayed late at night; waking in the middle of the night, he prayed before the day; at the dawn of day he stood before the Lord; in the small hours he prayed, in the evening and…

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶7)

He also said, 'The acquisition of Christian books is necessary for those who can use them. For the mere sight of these books renders us less inclined to sin, and incites us to believe more firmly in righteousness.'

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶8)

He also said, 'Reading the Scriptures is a great safeguard against sin.'

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶9)

He also said, 'It is a great treachery to salvation to know nothing of the divine law.'

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶10)

He also said, 'Ignorance of the Scriptures is a precipice and a deep abyss.'

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶11)

The same abba said, 'The righteous sin through their mouths, but the ungodly sin in their whole bodies. This is why David sings; "Set, O Lord, a watch before my mouth and keep the door of my lips." (Ps.

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶12)

Someone asked him, 'Why are there ten commandments in the Law and nine Beatitudes?' He replied, 'The Decalogue corresponds with the number of the plagues of Egypt, while the figure of the Beatitudes is three times the…

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶13)

Someone else asked him, 'Is one righteous man enough to appease God?' He replied, 'Yes, for he himself has written: "Find a man who lives according to righteousness, and I will pardon the whole people."' (Jer. 5.1)

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶14)

The same abba said, 'God remits the debts of sinners who are penitent, for example, the sinful woman and the publican, but of the righteous man he even asks interest.

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶15)

He also said, 'God sells righteousness at a very low price to those who wish to buy it: a little piece of bread, a cloak of no value, a cup of cold water, a mite.'

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶16)

He added, 'A man who receives something from another because of his poverty or his needs has therein his reward, and because he is ashamed, when he repays it he does so in secret.

Epiphanius of Cyprus (¶17)

While yet a child, Abba Ephrem had a dream and then a vision. A branch of vine came out of his tongue, grew bigger and filled everything under heaven. It was laden with beautiful fruit.

Ephrem (¶1)

Another time, one of the saints had a vision. According to the commandment of God, a band of angels descended from heaven, holding in their hands a kephalis (that is to say, a piece of papyrus covered with writing), and…

Ephrem (¶2)

Another time, when Ephrem was on the road, a prostitute tried by her flatteries, if not to lead him to shameful intercourse, at least to make him angry, for no-one had every seen him angry.

Ephrem (¶3)

Two Fathers asked God to reveal to them how far they had advanced. A voice came which said, 'In a certain village in Egypt there is a man called Eucharistus and his wife who is called Mary.

A certain Eulogius, a disciple of blessed John the bishop, a priest and great ascetic, used to fast two days together and often Euprepius extended his fast to the whole week, eating only bread and salt.

Abba Euprepius said, 'Knowing that God is faithful and mighty, have faith in him and you will share what is his. If you are depressed, you do not believe.

Euprepius (¶1)

The same old man helped some thieves when they were stealing. When they had taken away what was inside his cell, Abba Euprepius saw that they had left his stick and he was sorry.

Euprepius (¶2)

Abba Euprepius said, 'Bodily things are compounded of matter. He who loves the world loves occasions of falling. Therefore if we happen to lose something, we must accept this with joy and gratitude, realising that we…

Euprepius (¶3)

A brother questioned Abba Euprepius about his life. And the old man said, 'Eat straw, wear straw, sleep on straw: that is to say, depise everything and acquire for yourself a heart of iron.'

Euprepius (¶4)

A brother asked the same old man, 'How does the fear of God dwell in the soul?' The old man said, 'If a man is possessed of humility and poverty, and if he does not judge others, the fear of God will come to him.'

Euprepius (¶5)

He also said, 'May fear, humility, lack of food and compunction be with you.'

Euprepius (¶6)

In his early days, Abba Euprepius went to see an old man and said to him, 'Abba, give me a word so that I may be saved.' The other replied, 'If you wish to be saved, when you go to see someone, do not begin to speak…

Euprepius (¶7)

It was said of Abba Helladius that he spent twenty years in the Cells, without ever raising his eyes to see the roof of the church.

Helladius (¶1)

Of the same Abba Helladius, it was said that he was accustomed to eat bread and salt, and that when Easter came, he would Evagrius 63 say, 'The brothers eat bread and salt; as for me, I must make a little effort because…

Helladius (¶2)

Abba Evagrius said, 'Sit in your cell, collecting your thoughts. Remember the day of your death. See then what the death of your body will be; let your spirit be heavy, take pains, condemn the vanity of the world, so as…

Evagrius (¶1)

He also said, 'Restrain yourself from affection towards many people, for fear lest your spirit be distracted, so that your interior peace may not be disturbed.'

Evagrius (¶2)

He also said, 'It is a great thing to pray without distraction but to chant psalms without distraction is even greater.'

Evagrius (¶3)

He also said, 'Always keep your death in mind and do not forget the eternal judgement, then there will be no fault in your soul'

Evagrius (¶4)

He also said, 'Take away temptations and no-one will be saved.'

Evagrius (¶5)

He also said that one of the Fathers used to say, 'Eat a little without irregularity; if charity is joined to this, it leads the monk rapidly to the threshhold of apatheia.'

Evagrius (¶6)

One day at the Cells, there was an assembly about some matter or other and Abba Evagrius held forth. Then the priest said to him, 'Abba, we know that if you were living in your own country you would probably be a bishop…

Evagrius (¶7)

Abba Eudemon said this about Abba Paphnutius the Father of Scetis: 'I went down there while I was still young, and he would not let me stay, saying to me, "I do not allow the face of a woman to dwell in Scetis, because…

Abba Zeno, the disciple of blessed Silvanus said, 'Do not live in a famous place, do not settle close to a man with a great name, and do not lay foundations for building yourself a cell one day.'

Zeno (¶1)

It was said of Abba Zeno, that from the outset he never wished to receive anything from anyone at all. Those who brought him something came away hurt that he had not accepted anything.

Zeno (¶2)

An Egyptian brother came to see Abba Zeno in Syria, and accused himself to the old man about his temptations. Filled with admiration, Zeno said, 'The Egyptians hide the virtues they possess and ceaselessly accuse…

Zeno (¶3)

Some brothers came to see him and asked him, 'What does this saying in the book of Job mean: "Heaven is not pure in his presence?" ' (Job 15.15) The old man replied, 'The brothers have passed over their sins and…

Zeno (¶4)

It was said of Abba Zeno, that when he was living in Scetis, he came out of his cell by night, going in the direction of the marshes. He spent three days and three nights wandering at random.

Zeno (¶5)

Another time, the same Abba Zeno was walking in Palestine and he was tired. He sat down near a cucumber plant to eat and he said to himself, 'Take a cucumber and eat it.

Zeno (¶6)

Abba Zeno said, 'If a man wants God to hear his prayer quickly, then before he prays for anything else, even his own soul, when he stands and stretches out his hands towards God, he must pray with all his heart for his…

Zeno (¶7)

In a village there was said to be a man who fasted to such a degree that he was called 'the Faster'. Abba Zeno had heard of him, and he sent for him. The other came gladly. They prayed and sat down.

Zeno (¶8)

Abba Macarius said to Abba Zacharias, 'Tell me, what is the work of a monk?' He said to him, 'How is it that you are asking me, Father?' Abba Macarius said, 'Zacharias, my child, you inspire me with confidence.

Zacharias (¶1)

Going to draw water one day, Abba Moses found Abba Zacharias praying beside the well and the spirit of God rested above him.

Zacharias (¶2)

One day Abba Moses said to brother Zacharias, 'Tell me what I ought to do?' At these words the latter threw himself on the ground at the old man's feet and said, 'Are you asking me, Father?' The old man said to him,…

Zacharias (¶3)

While he was sitting one day in Scetis, Abba Zacharias had a vision. He went to tell his father, Carion, about it. The old man, who was an ascetic, did not understand this matter.

Zacharias (¶4)

Abba Poemen said that Abba Moses asked Abba Zacharias, who was at the point of death, 'What do you see?' He said, 'Is it not better to hold my peace, Father?' And he said, 'Yes, it is better to hold your peace, my…

Zacharias (¶5)

Abba Isaiah said, 'Nothing is so useful to the beginner as insults. The beginner who bears insults is like a tree that is watered every day.'

Isaiah (¶1)

He also said to those who were making a good beginning by putting themselves under the direction of the holy Fathers, 'As with purple dye, the first colouring is never lost.' And, 'Just as young shoots are easily…

Isaiah (¶2)

He also said, 'A beginner who goes from one monastery to another is like an animal who jumps this way and that, for fear of the halter.'

Isaiah (¶3)

He also said that when there was an agape and the brethren were eating in the church and talking to one another, the priest of Pelusia reprimanded them in these words, 'Brethren, be quiet.

Isaiah (¶4)

It was said of Abba Isaiah that one day he took a branch and went to the threshing-floor to thresh and said to the owner, 'Give me some wheat.' The latter replied, 'Have you brought in the harvest, Father?' He said,…

Isaiah (¶5)

The same Abba Isaiah called one of the brethren, washed his feet, put a handful of lentils into the pot and brought them to him as soon as they had boiled.

Isaiah (¶6)

He also said, 'When God wishes to take pity on a soul and it rebels, not bearing anything and doing its own will, he then allows it to suffer that which it does not want, in order that it may seek him again.'

Isaiah (¶7)

He also said, 'When someone wishes to render evil for evil, he can injure his brother's soul even by a single nod of the head.'

Isaiah (¶8)

The same Abba Isaiah, when someone asked him what avarice was, replied, 'Not to believe that God cares for you, to despair of the promises of God and to love boasting.'

Isaiah (¶9)

He was also asked what calumny is and he replied, 'It is ignorance of the glory of God, and hatred of one's neighbour.'

Isaiah (¶10)

He was also asked what anger is and he replied, "Quarrelling, lying and ignorance.' ELIAS

Isaiah (¶11)

Abba Elias said, 'For my part: I fear three things: the moment when my soul will leave my body, and when I shall appear before God, and when the sentence will be given against me.' Elias 71

Elias (¶1)

The old men said of Abba Agathon to Abba Elias, in Egypt, 'He is a good abba.' The old man answered them, 'In comparison with his own generation, he is good.' They said to him, 'And what is he in comparison with the…

Elias (¶2)

Abba Elias, the minister, said, 'What can sin do where there is penitence? And of what use is love where there is pride?'

Elias (¶3)

Abba Elias said, 'I saw someone who was carrying a skin of wine on his arm, and, in order to make the demons blush, for it was a fantasy, I said to the brother, "Of your charity take off your cloak." He took off his…

Elias (¶4)

He also said, 'Men turn their minds either to their sins, or to Jesus, or to men.'

Elias (¶5)

He also said, 'If the spirit does not sing with the body, labour is in vain. Whoever loves tribulation will obtain joy and peace later on.'

Elias (¶6)

He also said, 'An old man was living in a temple and the demons came to say to him, "Leave this place which belongs to us," and the old man said, "No place belongs to you." Then they began to scatter his palm leaves…

Elias (¶7)

A brother who followed the life of stillness in the monastery of the cave of Abba Saba came to Abba Elias and said to him, 'Abba, give me a way of life.' The old man said to the brother, 'In the days of our predecessors…

Elias (¶8)

A brother who was attacked by the devil unburdened himself to Abba Heraclides. He told him the following in order to comfort him: 'An old man had a disciple who for many years had obeyed him in everything.

Abba Theodore of Pherme had acquired three good books. He came to Abba Macarius and said to him, 'I have three excellent books from which I derive profit; the brethren also make use of them and derive profit from them.

Theodore of Pherme (¶1)

A brother lived in the Cells and in his solitude he was troubled. He went to tell Abba Theodore of Pherme about it. The old man said to him, 'Go, be more humble in your aspirations, place yourself under obedience and…

Theodore of Pherme (¶2)

A brother came to Abba Theodore and spent three days begging him to say a word to him without getting any reply. So he went away grieved.

Theodore of Pherme (¶3)

He also said, 'If you are friendly with someone who happens to fall into the temptation of fornication, offer him your hand, if you can, and deliver him from it.

Theodore of Pherme (¶4)

It was said of Abba Theodore of Pherme that the three things he held to be fundamental were: poverty, asceticism, flight from men.

Theodore of Pherme (¶5)

One day Abba Theodore was entertaining himself with the brethren. While they were eating, they drank their cups with respect, but in silence, without even saying 'pardon'.

Theodore of Pherme (¶6)

A brother questioned him saying, 'Abba, would you approve of my not eating bread for several days?' The old man said to him, 'You do well, and I have done the same.' The brother said, 'I mean to take my chick-peas to…

Theodore of Pherme (¶7)

One of the old men came to Abba Theodore and said to him, 'Look how such and such a brother has returned to the world.' The old man said to him, 'Does that surprise you?

Theodore of Pherme (¶8)

A brother came to Abba Theodore and began to converse with him about things which he had never yet put into practice. So the old man said to him, 'You have not yet found a ship nor put your cargo aboard it and before…

Theodore of Pherme (¶9)

The same abba came one day to see Abba John, a eunuch from birth, and during their conversation he said to him, "When I was at Scetis, the works of the soul were our work, and we considered manual work to be…

Theodore of Pherme (¶10)

A brother questioned him saying, 'What is the work of the soul which we now consider to be subordinate, and what is that which was subordinate and which we now consider to be our chief work?' The old man said,…

Theodore of Pherme (¶11)

Abba Theodore of Pherme said, 'The man who remains standing when he repents, has not kept the commandment.'

Theodore of Pherme (¶12)

He also said, 'There is no other virtue than that of not being scornful.' 76

Theodore of Pherme (¶13)

He also said, 'The man who has learnt the sweetness of the cell flees from his neighbour but not as though he despised him.'

Theodore of Pherme (¶14)

He also said, 'If I do not cut myself off from these feelings of compassion, they will not let me be a monk.'

Theodore of Pherme (¶15)

He also said, 'In these days many take their rest before God gives it them.'

Theodore of Pherme (¶16)

He also said, 'Do not sleep in a place where there is a woman.'

Theodore of Pherme (¶17)

A brother said to Abba Theodore, 'I wish to fulfil the commandments.' The old man told him that Abba Theonas had said to him, 'I want to fill my spirit with God.' Taking some flour to the bakery, he had made loaves…

Theodore of Pherme (¶18)

Once when Abba Joseph was ill, he sent someone to say to Abba Theodore, 'Come here, that I may see you before I leave the body.' It was the middle of the week and he did not go, but sent to say to him, 'If you wait…

Theodore of Pherme (¶19)

A brother said to Abba Theodore, 'Speak a word to me, for I am perishing,' and sorrowfully he said to him. 'I am myself in danger, so what can I say to you?'

Theodore of Pherme (¶20)

A brother came to see Abba Theodore to learn weaving from him. He took a rope with him. The old man said to him, 'Go, and come back early tomorrow.' Getting up, the old man steeped the rope and prepared what was…

Theodore of Pherme (¶21)

Abba Theodore's disciple said, 'Someone came today to sell some onions and he filled a basin with them for me. The old man said, 'Fill one with wheat and give it to him.' There were two heaps of wheat, one of good…

Theodore of Pherme (¶22)

One day Abba Theodore went to draw water with a brother. The brother going ahead, saw a dragon in the lake. The old man said to him, 'Go, and walk on his head.' But he was afraid and did not go. So the old man went.

Theodore of Pherme (¶23)

Abba Theodore was asked, 'If there was a sudden catastrophe, would you be frightened, abba?' The old man replied, 'Even if the heavens and the earth were to collide, Theodore would not be frightened.' He had prayed God…

Theodore of Pherme (¶24)

It was said about him that, though he was made a deacon at Scetis, he refused to exercise the office and fled to many places from it. Each time the old men brought him back to Scetis, saying, 'Do not leave your…

Theodore of Pherme (¶25)

It was said of him, that when Scetis was laid waste, he went to live in Pherme. When he grew old he was ill. So he was brought food. Whatever the first one brought him, he gave to the second, and so on; what he received…

Theodore of Pherme (¶26)

It was said of Abba Theodore that when he settled down at Scetis, a demon came to him wanting to enter his cell, but he bound him to the outside of his cell. Once more another demon tried to enter, and he bound him too.

Theodore of Pherme (¶27)

One of the Fathers told this about Abba Theodore of Pherme: 'One evening I came to him and found him wearing a torn habit, his chest bare and his cowl hanging in front of it.

Theodore of Pherme (¶28)

Three thieves came to him one day and while the first two held him, the third took away his property. When he had taken the books, he wanted to take the habit as well.

Theodore of Pherme (¶29)

Abba Theodore of Enaton said, 'When I was young, I lived in the desert. One day I went to the bakery to make two loaves, and there I found a brother also wanting to make bread, but there was no-one to help him.

Theodore of Enaton (¶1)

It was said of Abba Theodore and Abba Lucius of Enaton that they spent fifty years mocking their temptations by saying, 'After this winter, we will leave here.' When the summer came, they said, 'After this summer, we…

Theodore of Enaton (¶2)

Abba Theodore of Enaton said, 'If God reproaches us for carelessness in our prayers and infidelities in our psalmody, we cannot be saved.' THEODORE OF SCETIS

Theodore of Enaton (¶3)

Abba Theodore of Scetis said, 'A thought comes to me which troubles me and does not leave me free; but not being able to lead me to act, it simply stops me progressing in virtue; but a vigilant man would cut it off and…

Abba Abraham of Iberia asked Abba Theodore of Eleutheropolis, 'Father, which is right? Ought I to seek glory for myself, 8o or ignominy?' The old man said, 'As far as I am concerned, I prefer to seek glory rather than…

Theodore of Eleutheropolis (¶1)

Abba Theodore said, 'Privation of food mortifies the body of the monk.' Another old man said, 'Vigils mortify it still more.'

Theodore of Eleutheropolis (¶2)

Abba Theodore also said, 'If you are temperate, do not judge the fornicator, for you would then transgress the law just as much. And he who said, "Do not commit formication," also said, "Do not judge." '* THEONAS

Theodore of Eleutheropolis (¶3)

Abba Theonas said, 'When we turn our spirit from the contemplation of God, we become the slaves of carnal passions.' THEOPHILUS THE ARCHBISHOP Theophilus, Archbishop of Alexandria, was much opposed to Origenism and…

One day blessed Theophilus the archbishop came to the mountain of Nitria and the abba of the mountain came to meet him. The archbishop said to him, 'Father, in this way of life which you follow, what do you find to be…

Theophilus the Archbishop (¶1)

The same Abba Theophilus, the archbishop, came to Scetis one day. The brethren who were assembled said to Abba Pambo, 'Say something to the archbishop, so that he may be edified.' The old man said to them, 'If he is not…

Theophilus the Archbishop (¶2)

Theophilus the archbishop summoned some Fathers to go to Alexandria one day, to pray and to destroy the heathen temples there. As they were eating with him, they were brought some veal for food and they ate it without…

Theophilus the Archbishop (¶3)

The same Abba Theophilus said, 'What fear, what trembling, what uneasiness will there be for us when our soul is separated from the body.

Theophilus the Archbishop (¶4)

The same Abba Theophilus, the archbishop, at the point of death, said, 'You are blessed, Abba Arsenius, because you have always had this hour in mind.' THEODORA Theodora was one of the great women ascetics of the…

Theophilus the Archbishop (¶5)

Amma Theodora asked Archbishop Theophilus about some words of the apostle saying, 'What does this mean, "Knowing how to profit by circumstances"?' (Col.

Amma Theodora (¶1)

Amma Theodora said, 'Let us strive to enter by the narrow gate. Just as the trees, if they have not stood before the winter's storms cannot bear fruit, so it is with us; this present age is a storm and it is only…

Amma Theodora (¶8)

She also said, 'It is good to live in peace, for the wise man practises perpetual prayer. It is truly a great thing for a virgin or a monk to live in peace, especially for the younger ones.

Amma Theodora (¶3)

The same Amma Theodora said, 'A devout man happened to be insulted by someone, and he said to him, "I could say as much to you, but the commandment of God keeps my mouth shut."' Again she said this, 'A Christian…

Amma Theodora (¶4)

The same amma said that a teacher ought to be a stranger to the desire for domination, vain-glory, and pride; one should not be able to fool him by flattery, nor blind him by gifts, nor conquer him by the stomach, nor…

Amma Theodora (¶5)

She also said that neither asceticism, nor vigils nor any kind of suffering are able to save, only true humility can do that. There was an anchorite who was able to banish the demons; and he asked them, 'What makes you…

Amma Theodora (¶6)

Amma Theodora also said, 'There was a monk, who, because of the great number of his temptations said, "I will go away from here." As he was putting on his sandals, he saw another man who was also putting on his sandals…

Amma Theodora (¶7)

The same amma was asked about the conversations one hears; 'If one is habitually listening to secular speech, how can one yet live for God alone, as you suggest?' She said, 'Just as when you are sitting at table and…

Amma Theodora (¶8)

Another monk suffered bodily irritation and was infested with vermin. Now originally he had been rich. So the demons said to him, 'How can you bear to live like this, covered with vermin?' But this monk, because of the…

Amma Theodora (¶9)

Another of the old men questioned Amma Theodora saying, 'At the resurrection of the dead, how shall we rise?' She said, 'As pledge, example, and as prototype we have him who died for us and is risen, Christ our God.'*…

Amma Theodora (¶10)

It was said of Abba John the Dwarf that he withdrew and lived in the desert at Scetis with an old man of Thebes. His abba, taking a piece of dry wood, planted it and said to him, 'Water it every day with a bottle of…

Dwarf (¶1)

It was said of Abba John the Dwarf, that one day he said to his elder brother, 'I should like to be free of all care, like the angels, who do not work, but ceaselessly offer worship to God.' So he took off his cloak and…

Dwarf (¶2)

Abba John the Dwarf said, 'If a king wanted to take possession of his enemy's city, he would begin by cutting off the water and the food and so his enemies, dying of hunger, would submit to him.

Dwarf (¶3)

He also said, 'He who gorges himself and talks with a boy has already in his thought committed fornication with him.'

Dwarf (¶4)

He also said, 'Going up the road again towards Scetis with some ropes, I saw the camel driver talking and he made me angry; so, leaving my goods, I took to flight.'

Dwarf (¶5)

On another occasion in summertime, he heard a brother talking angrily to his neighbour, saying, 'Ah! you too?' So leaving the harvest, he took to flight.

Dwarf (¶6)

Some old men were entertaining themselves at Scetis by having a meal together; amongst them was Abba John. A venerable priest got up to offer drink, but nobody accepted any from him, except John the Dwarf.

Dwarf (¶7)

One day when he was sitting in front of the church, the brethren were consulting him about their thoughts. One of the old men who saw it became a prey to jealousy and said to him, 'John, your vessel is full of poison.'…

Dwarf (¶8)

The brethren used to tell how the brethren were sitting one day at an agape and one brother at table began to laugh. When he saw that, Abba John began to weep, saying, 'What does this brother have in his heart, that he…

Dwarf (¶9)

Some brethren came one day to test him to see whether he would let his thoughts get dissipated and speak of the things of this world. They said to him, 'We give thanks to God that this year there has been much rain and…

Dwarf (¶10)

It was said of him that one day he was weaving rope for two baskets, but he made it into one without noticing, until it had reached the wall, because his spirit was occupied in contemplation.

Dwarf (¶11)

Abba John said, 'I am like a man sitting under a great tree, who sees wild beasts and snakes coming against him in great numbers. When he cannot withstand them any longer, he runs to climb the tree and is saved.

Dwarf (¶12)

Abba Poemen said of Abba John the Dwarf that he had prayed God to take his passions away from him so that he might become free from care.

Dwarf (¶13)

Abba John said, 'Here is what one of the old men in ecstasy said: "Three monks were standing at the edge of the sea, and a voice came to them from the other side saying, 'Take wings of fire and come here to me.' The…

Dwarf (¶14)

A brother questioned Abba John saying, 'How is it that my soul, bruised with wounds, does not blush to speak against my neighbour?' The old man told him a parable relating to slander, 'There was a poor man who had a…

Dwarf (¶15)

The old man also said this to a certain brother about the soul which wishes to be converted, 'There was in a city a courtesan who had many lovers.

Dwarf (¶16)

One day when Abba John was going up to Scetis with some other brothers, their guide lost his way for it was night-time. So the brothers said to Abba John, 'What shall we do, abba, in order not to die wandering about,…

Dwarf (¶17)

There was an old man at Scetis, very austere of body, but not very clear in his thoughts. He went to see Abba John to ask him about forgetfulness.

Dwarf (¶18)

A brother questioned Abba John, saying, 'What ought I to do? A brother often comes to fetch me for work, and since I am ill and weak, I get tired out working; what should I do, in order to keep the commandment?' The old…

Dwarf (¶19)

Abba John said, 'Who sold Joseph?' A brother replied saying, 'It was his brethren.' The old man said to him, 'No, it was his humility which sold him, because he could have said, "I am their brother" and have objected,…

Dwarf (¶20)

Abba John said, 'We have put the light burden on one side, that is to say, self-accusation, and we have loaded ourselves with a heavy one, that is to say, self-justification.'

Dwarf (¶21)

He also said, 'Humility and the fear of God are above all virtues.'

Dwarf (¶22)

The same abba was sitting in church one day and he gave a sigh, unaware that there was someone behind him. When he noticed it he lay prostrate before him, saying, 'Forgive me, abba, for I have not yet made a beginning.'

Dwarf (¶23)

The same abba said to his disciple, 'Let us honour one only, and everyone will honour us; for if we despise one, that is God, everyone will despise us, and we will be lost.' John the Dwarf

Dwarf (¶24)

It was said of Abba John that when he went to church at Scetis, he heard some brethren arguing, so he returned to his cell. He went round it three times and then went in.

Dwarf (¶25)

One day a brother came to Abba John's cell. It was late and he was in a hurry to leave. While they were speaking of the virtues, dawn came without their noticing it.

Dwarf (¶26)

Abba John gave this advice, 'Watching means to sit in the cell and be always mindful of God. This is what is meant by, "I was on the watch and God came to me." ' (Matt. 25, 36)

Dwarf (¶27)

He also said, 'Who is as strong as the lion? And yet, because of his greed he falls into the net, and all his strength is brought low.'

Dwarf (¶28)

He also said that the Fathers of Scetis ate bread and salt and said, 'We do not regard bread and salt as indispensable.' So they were strong for the work of God.

Dwarf (¶29)

One day a brother came to Abba John to take away some baskets. He came out and said to him, 'What do you want, brother?' He said, 'Baskets, abba.' Going inside to bring them to him, he forgot them, and sat down to…

Dwarf (¶30)

A camel-driver came one day to pick up some goods and take them elsewhere. Going inside to bring him what he had woven, Abba John forgot about it because his spirit was fixed in God.

Dwarf (¶31)

The same abba was very fervent. Now someone who came to see him praised his work, and he remained silent, for he was weaving a rope. Once again the visitor began to speak and once again he kept silence.

Dwarf (¶32)

An old man came to Abba John's cell and found him asleep, with an angel standing above him, fanning him. Seeing this, he withdrew. When Abba John got up, he said to his disciple, 'Did anyone come in while I was asleep?'…

Dwarf (¶33)

Abba John said, 'I think it best that a man should have a little bit of all the virtues. Therefore, get up early every day and acquire the beginning of every virtue and every commandment of God.

Dwarf (¶34)

It was said of the same Abba John that when he returned from the harvest or when he had been with some of the old men, he gave himself to prayer, meditation and psalmody until his thoughts were re-established in their…

Dwarf (¶35)

One of the Fathers said of him, 'Who is this John, who by his humility has all Scetis hanging from his little finger?'

Dwarf (¶36)

One of the Fathers asked Abba John the Dwarf, 'What is a monk?' He said, 'He is toil. The monk toils at all he does. That is what a monk is.'

Dwarf (¶37)

Abba John the Dwarf said, 'There was a spiritual old man who lived a secluded life. He was held in high estimation in the city and enjoyed a great reputation.

Dwarf (¶38)

Abba John the Dwarf said, 'A house is not built by beginning at the top and working down. You must begin with the foundations in order to reach the top.' They said to him, 'What does this saying mean?' He said, 'The…

Dwarf (¶39)

What follows was said about Abba John. The parents of a young girl died, and she was left an orphan; she was called Paesia. She decided to make her house a hospice, for the use of the Fathers of Scetis.

Dwarf (¶40)

The old man said that there were three philosophers who were friends. The first died and left his son to the care of one of the others.

Dwarf (¶41)

Abba John said to his brother, 'Even if we are entirely despised in the eyes of men, let us rejoice that we are honoured in the sight of God.'

Dwarf (¶42)

Abba Poemen said that Abba John said that the saints are like a group of trees, each bearing different fruit, but watered from the same source.

Dwarf (¶43)

Abba John said, 'If a man has in his soul the tools of God, he will be able to stay in his cell, even if he has none of the tools of this world.

Dwarf (¶44)

The old man also said, 'You know that the first blow the devil gave to Job was through his possessions; and he saw that he had not grieved him nor separated him from God.

Dwarf (¶45)

One day Abba John was sitting down in Scetis, and the brethren came to him to ask him about their thoughts. One of the elders said, 'John, you are like a courtesan who shows her beauty to increase the number of her…

Dwarf (¶46)

They said that when he was given his wages for all the work he had done in the harvest, he took it to Scetis, saying, 'My widows and my orphans are in Scetis.'* JOHN THE CENOBITE

Dwarf (¶47)

A brother lived in a cenobium and he was a very vigorous ascetic. Some brothers who had heard about him in Scetis, came to see him. They entered the place where he was working.

It was said of Abba Isidore, priest of Scetis, that when anyone had a brother who was sick, or careless or irritable, and wanted to send him away, he said, 'Bring him here to me.' Then he took charge of him and by his…

A Priest (¶1)

A brother asked him, 'Why are the demons so frightened of you?' The old man said to him, 'Because I have practised asceticism * 41-7 are additions from J.-C. Guy's text (pp. 23-4).

A Priest (¶2)

He also said that for forty years he had been tempted to sin in thought but that he had never consented either to covetousness or to anger.

A Priest (¶3)

He also said, 'When I was younger and remained in my cell I set no limit to prayer; the night was for me as much the time of prayer as the day.'

A Priest (¶4)

Abba Poemen used to say this about Abba Isidore: every night he plaited a bundle of palms, and the brethren pleaded with him saying, 'Rest a little, for you are getting old.' But he said to them, 'Even if Isidore were…

A Priest (¶5)

The same abba said concerning Abba Isidore that his thoughts said to him, 'You are a great man.' He said to them, 'Am I to be compared with Abba Anthony; am I become like Abba Pambo, or like the other Fathers who…

A Priest (¶6)

Abba Isidore said, 'One day I went to the market place to sell some small goods; when I saw anger approaching me, I left the things and fled.'

A Priest (¶7)

Abba Isidore went one day to see Abba Theophilus, archbishop of Alexandria and when he returned to Scetis the brethren asked him, 'What is going on in the city?' But he said to them, 'Truly, brothers, I did not see the…

A Priest (¶8)

The same Abba Isidore said, 'It is the wisdom of the saints to recognize the will of God. Indeed, in obeying the truth, man sur- 98 passes everything else, for he is the image and likeness of God.

A Priest (¶9)

Abba Poemen also said about Abba Isidore that wherever he addressed the brothers in church he said only one thing, 'Forgive your brother, so that you also may be forgiven.'* ISIDORE OF PELUSIA

A Priest (¶10)

Abba Isidore of Pelusia said, 'To live without speaking is better than to speak without living. For the former who lives rightly does good even by his silence but the latter does no good even when he speaks.

John of Pelusia (¶1)

The same abba said, 'Prize the virtues and do not be the slave of glory; for the former are immortal, while the latter soon fades.'

John of Pelusia (¶2)

He also said, 'Many desire virtue, but fear to go forward in the way that leads to it, while others consider that virtue does not even exist.

John of Pelusia (¶3)

He also said, 'Vice takes men away from God and separates them from one another. So we must turn from it quickly and pursue virtue, which leads to God and unites us with another.

John of Pelusia (¶4)

He also said, 'The heights of humility are great and so are the depths of boasting; I advise you to attend to the first and not to fall into the second.' * 10 is an addition from J.-C. Guy's text (pp. 24-5).

John of Pelusia (¶5)

He also said, 'The desire for possessions is dangerous and terrible, knowing no satiety; it drives the soul which it controls to the heights of evil. Therefore let us drive it away vigorously from the beginning.

John of Pelusia (¶6)

One day they came to make Abba Isaac a priest. Hearing this, he ran away to Egypt. He went into a field and hid himself in the midst of the hay. So the clergy went after him in pursuit.

Cells (¶1)

Abba Isaac said, 'When I was younger, I lived with Abba Cronius. He would never tell me to do any work, although he was old and tremulous; but he himself got up and offered food to me and to everyone.

Cells (¶2)

Abba Isaac and Abba Abraham lived together. When he came home one day, Abba Abraham found Abba Isaac in tears. He asked him, 'Why are you weeping?' The old man replied, 'Why should we not weep? For where have we to go?

Cells (¶3)

Abba Isaac said, 'I knew a brother who wanted to eat an ear of wheat while he was harvesting in a field. He said to the foreman of the field, "Will you allow me to eat an ear of wheat?" The latter was astonished at…

Cells (¶4)

He also said to the brethren, 'Do not bring young boys here. Four churches in Scetis are deserted because of boys.'

Cells (¶5)

It was said of Abba Isaac that he ate the ashes from the incense offering with his bread.

Cells (¶6)

Abba Isaac said to the brethren, 'Our Fathers and Abba Pambo wore old garments woven from palm fronds and mended all over; now you are foppishly dressed.

Cells (¶7)

One of the Fathers related how, in the time of Abba Isaac, a brother came into the church of the Cells one day, wearing a little hood.

Cells (¶8)

Abba Isaac said, 'I have never allowed a thought against my brother who has grieved me to enter my cell; I have seen to it that no brother should return to his cell with a thought against me.' Joseph of Panephysis 101

Cells (¶9)

Abba Isaac had a serious illness which lasted for a long time. The brother made him a little broth out of flour into which he put some fruit.

Cells (¶10)

Concerning Abba Isaac it was said that when he was at the point of death the old men gathered round him saying, 'What shall we do without you?' He said to them, 'See how I have walked before you; if you want to follow…

Cells (¶11)

Abba Isaac said that Abba Pambo used to say, 'The monk's garment should be such that he could throw it out of his cell for three days and no-one would take it.' JOSEPH OF PANEPHYSIS Abba Joseph lived as a solitary in…

Cells (¶12)

Abba Poemen said to Abba Joseph, 'Tell me how to become a monk.' He said, 'If you want to find rest here below, and hereafter, in all circumstances say, Who am I? and do not judge anyone.'

Cells (¶2)

The same abba asked Abba Joseph another question saying, 'What should I do when the passions attack me? Should I resist them, or let them enter?' The old man said to him, 'Let them enter and fight against them.' So he…

Cells (¶3)

A brother asked Abba Joseph, saying, 'What should I do, for I do not have the strength to bear evil, nor to work for charity's sake?' The old man said to him, 'If you cannot do any of these Joseph of Panephysis 103…

Cells (¶4)

One of the brethren related this, 'One day I went to lower Heracliopolis to see Abba Joseph. Now in the monastery there was a very good mulberry tree.

Cells (¶5)

Abba Joseph said to Abba Lot, 'You cannot be a monk unless you become like a consuming fire.'

Cells (¶6)

Abba Lot went to see Abba Joseph and said to him, 'Abba, as far as I can I say my little office, I fast a little, I pray and meditate, I live in peace and as far as I can, I purify my thoughts.

Cells (¶7)

A brother asked Abba Joseph this, 'I want to leave the monastery, and live as a solitary.' The old man said to him, 'Go wherever you find your soul is most at peace, and stay there, without blame.' The brother said to…

Cells (¶8)

One of the old men joined one of his companions and went with him to visit Abba Joseph. He said to him, 'Tell your disciple to saddle the ass.' The other replied, 'Call him, and he will do whatever you want.' 'What is…

Cells (¶9)

Some brothers happened one day to meet at Abba Joseph's cell. While they were sitting there, questioning him, he became cheerful and, filled with happiness he said to them, 'I am a king today, for I reign over the…

Cells (¶10)

It was said of Abba Joseph of Panephysis that when he was at the point of death, while some old men were seated round him, he looked towards the window and saw the devil sitting close to it.

Cells (¶11)

Abba James said, 'It is better to receive hospitality than to offer it.'

James (¶1)

He warned anyone who receives praise to think of his sins and realize that he does not deserve what has been said of him.

James (¶2)

He also said, 'Just as a lamp lights up a dark room, so the fear of God, when it penetrates the heart of a man illuminates him, teaching him all the virtues and commandments of God.'

James (¶3)

He also said, 'We do not need words only, for, at the present time, there are many words among men, but we need works, for this is what is required, not words which do not bear fruit.' HIERAX

James (¶4)

A brother questioned Abba Hierax saying, 'Give me a word. How can I be saved?' The old man said to him, 'Sit in your cell, and if you are hungry, eat, if you are thirsty, drink; only do not speak evil of anyone, and you…

Hierax (¶1)

He also said, 'I have never uttered, or wished to hear, a worldly remark.' JOHN THE EUNUCH

Hierax (¶2)

In his youth Abba John the Eunuch questioned an old man, 'How have you been able to carry out the work of God in peace? For we cannot do it, not even with labour.' The old man said, 'We were able to do it, because we…

John the Eunuch (¶1)

Abba John said, 'Our Father, Abba Anthony, said he had never put his own personal advantage before the good of a brother.'

John the Eunuch (¶2)

Abba John the Cilician, hegumen of Rhaithou, said to the brethren, 'My sons, in the same way that we have fled from the world, let us equally flee from the desires of the flesh.'

John the Eunuch (¶3)

He also said, 'Let us imitate our Fathers: they lived in this place with much austerity and peace.'

John the Eunuch (¶4)

He also said, 'My sons, let us not make this place dirty, since our Fathers cleansed it from the demons.'

John the Eunuch (¶5)

And he said, 'This is a place for asceticism, not for worldly business.' JOHN OF THE CELLS

John the Eunuch (¶6)

Abba John of the Cells told us this story: 'There was in Egypt a very rich and beautiful courtesan, to whom noble and powerful people came. Now one day she happened to be near the church and she wanted to go in.

Abba John of the Thebaid said, 'First of all the monk must gain humility; for it is the first commandment of the Lord who said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." ' (Matt.

It was said of Abba Isidore the Priest that one day a brother came to invite him to a meal. But the old man refused to go, saying, 'Adam was deceived by food and had to live outside Paradise.' The brother said to him,…

A Priest (¶1)

Abba Isidore said, 'If you truly desire the kingdom of heaven, despise riches and respond to divine favours.'

A Priest (¶2)

He also said, 'It is impossible for you to live according to God if you love pleasures and money.'

A Priest (¶3)

He also said, 'If you fast regularly, do not be inflated with pride, but if you think highly of yourself because of it, then you John the Persian 107 had better eat meat.

A Priest (¶4)

He also said, 'Disciples must love as their fathers those who are truly their masters and fear them as their leaders; they should not lose their fear because of love, nor because of fear should love be obscured.'

A Priest (¶5)

He also said, 'If you desire salvation, do everything that leads you to it.'

A Priest (¶6)

It was said of Abba Isidore that when a brother went to see him, he would escape to the furthest corner of his cell. The brethren said to him, 'Abba, what are you doing?' He said, 'Even the wild animals, when they flee…

A Priest (¶7)

A demoniac boy came one day to be healed, and some brothers from an Egyptian monastery arrived. As one old man was coming out to meet them he saw a brother sinning with the boy, but he did not accuse him; he said, 'If…

John the Persian (¶1)

One of the Fathers related of Abba John the Persian that his great charity had brought him to a profound innocence. He dwelt in Arabia of Egypt.

John the Persian (¶2)

It was said of Abba John the Persian that when some evildoers came to him, he took a basin and wanted to wash their feet. But they were filled with confusion, and began to do penance.

John the Persian (¶3)

Someone said to Abba John the Persian, 'We have borne great afflictions for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. Shall we inherit it?' The old man said, 'As for me, I am confident I shall obtain the inheritance of…

John the Persian (¶4)

It was said of young John the Theban, a disciple of Abba Ammoes, that he spent twelve years serving the old man when he was ill. He stayed sitting with him on his mat.

It was said of Abba John, the disciple of Abba Paul, that his obedience was very great. Now there were some tombs thereabouts where a hyena lived.

One day Abba Isaac went to a monastery. He saw a brother committing a sin and he condemned him. When he returned to the desert, an angel of the Lord came and stood in front of the door of 110 his cell, and said, 'I will…

Copres (¶1)

It was said of Abba Apollo that he had a disciple, named Isaac, perfectly trained in all good works and he had the gift of ceaseless prayer at the time of the eucharist.

Copres (¶2)

Abba Joseph the Theban said, 'Three works are approved in the eyes of the Lord; when a man is ill and temptations fall upon him, if he welcomes them with gratitude; secondly, when someone carries out all his works…

From Palestine, Abba Hilarion went to the mountain to Abba Anthony. Abba Anthony said to him, 'You are welcome, torch which awakens the day.' Abba Hilarion said, 'Peace to you, pillar of light, giving light to the…

The holy Fathers were making predictions about the last generation. They said, 'What have we ourselves done?' One of them, the great Abba Ischyrion replied, 'We ourselves have fulfilled the commandments of God.' The…

Abba Cassian related the following: 'The holy Germanus and I went to Egypt, to visit an old man. Because he offered us hospitality we asked him, "Why do you not keep the rule of fasting, when you receive visiting…

John Cassian (¶1)

The same abba said, 'There was an old man who was served by a holy virgin and men said he was not pure. The old man heard what was said.

John Cassian (¶2)

He also said, 'We went to see another old man who made us eat. Then when we had had enough, he pressed us to take some more food. When I said to him I could not take any more, he replied, "This is the sixth time I have…

John Cassian (¶3)

The same Father related this: 'Abba John, abbot of a great monastery, went to Abba Paesius who had been living for forty years very far off in the desert.

John Cassian (¶4)

The brothers surrounded the same Abba John who was at the point of death and ready to depart eagerly and joyously to God. They asked him to leave them a concise and salutary saying as their inheritance, which would…

John Cassian (¶5)

He related with regard to another old man living in the desert, that he had asked God to grant him never to become sleepy during a spiritual conference, but, if someone uttered slanderous or useless words, to be able to…

John Cassian (¶6)

He also said, 'There was a distinguished official who had renounced everything and distributed his goods to the poor. He kept a little bit for his personal use because he did not want to accept the humiliation that…

John Cassian (¶7)

He also said, 'There was a monk living in a cave in the desert. His relations according to the flesh let him know, "Your father is very ill, at the point of death: come and receive his inheritance." He Cronius replied…

John Cassian (¶8)

A brother said to Abba Cronius, 'Speak a work to me.' He said to him, 'When Elisha came to the Shunamite, he did not find her busy with anyone else.

A.D. 386. (¶1)

A brother asked Abba Cronius, 'What should I do to correct the forgetfulness which enslaves my spirit, and prevents me from perceiving anything until I am led into sin?' The old man said, 'When the strange people took…

A.D. 386. (¶2)

A brother asked Abba Cronius, how can a man become humble. The old man said to him, 'Through the fear of God.' The brother said, 'And by what work does he come to the fear of God?' The old man said, 'In my opinion, he…

A.D. 386. (¶3)

Abba Cronius said, 'If Moses had not led his sheep to Mount Sinai, he would not have seen the fire in the bush.' The brother questioned the old man, 'What does the bush symbolize?' He said to him, 'The bush signifies…

A.D. 386. (¶4)

Abba Cronius said that Abba Joseph of Pelusia told him the following story, 'When I was living in Sinai, there was a brother who was good, ascetic and handsome.

A.D. 386. (¶5)

Abba Carion said, 'I have laboured much harder than my son Zacharias and yet I have not attained to his measure in humility and silence.'

Carton (¶1)

There was a monk in Scetis called Abba Carion. He had two children which he left with his wife when he withdrew from the world. Later, there was a famine in Egypt, and his wife came to Scetis, destitute of everything,…

Carton (¶2)

Abba Carion said, 'A monk who lives with a boy, falls, if he is not stable; but even if he is stable and does not fall, he still does not make progress.' COPRES

Carton (¶3)

Abba Poemen said of Abba Copres that he was so holy that when he was ill and in bed, he still gave thanks and restrained his own will.

Copres (¶1)

Abba Copres said, 'Blessed is he who bears affliction with thankfulness.'

Copres (¶2)

One day, the inhabitants of Scetis assembled together to discuss Melchizedek and they forgot to invite Abba Copres. Later on they called him and asked him about this matter.

Copres (¶3)

Abba Cyrus of Alexandria was asked about the temptation of fornication, and he replied, 'If you do not think about it, you have no hope, for if you are not thinking about it, you are doing it.

Some of the monks who are called Euchites went to Enaton to see Abba Lucius. The old man asked them, 'What is your manual work?' They said, 'We do not touch manual work but as the Apostle says, we pray without ceasing.'…

One of the old men came to Abba Lot's dwelling, near to the little marsh of Arsinoe and he asked for a cell, which Abba Lot gave him. Now the old man was ill and Abba Lot took care of him.

Lot (¶1)

It was related of a brother who had committed a fault that when he went to Abba Lot, he was troubled and hesitated, going in and coming out, unable to sit down.

Lot (¶2)

One day Abba Longinus questioned Abba Lucius about three thoughts saying first, 'I want to go into exile.' The old man said to him, 'If you cannot control your tongue, you will not be an exile anywhere.

Longinus (¶1)

Abba Longinus said, 'If ever you are ill, say to your body, "Be ill and die; if you ask me for food outside the agreed time, I will not bring you even your daily food any more."' Longinus

Longinus (¶2)

A woman had an illness they call cancer of the breast; she had heard of Abba Longinus and wanted to meet him. Now he lived at the ninth milestone from Alexandria.

Longinus (¶3)

Another time, they brought him one possessed by a demon. He said to those who were escorting him: 'I can do nothing for you; but go instead to Abba Zeno.' So Abba Zeno began to put pressure onto the demon to cast it…

Longinus (¶4)

Abba Longinus said to Abba Acacius: 'A woman knows she has conceived when she no longer loses any blood. So it is with the soul, she knows she has conceived the Holy Spirit when the passions stop coming out of her.

Longinus (¶5)

Abba Macarius said this about himself: 'When I was young and was living in a cell in Egypt, they took me to make me a cleric in the village. Because I did not wish to receive this dignity, I fled to another place.

Anthony the Great (¶1)

When Abba Macarius dwelt in the great desert, he was the only one living as an anchorite, but lower down there was another desert where several brothers dwelt.

Anthony the Great (¶3)

One day Abba Macarius the Great came to Abba Anthony's dwelling on the mountain. When he knocked on the door, Anthony came out to him and said to him, 'Who are you?' He replied, 'I am Macarius.' Then Anthony went inside…

Anthony the Great (¶4)

Concerning the devastation of Scetis, Abba Macarius said to the brethern, 'When you see a cell built close to the marsh, know that the devastation of Scetis is near; when you see trees, know that it is at the doors; and…

Anthony the Great (¶5)

Again, wishing to comfort the brethren, he said, 'A mother came here with her little child, possessed with a devil, who said to his mother, "Get up, woman, let us go away from here." She replied, "I cannot walk any…

Anthony the Great (¶6)

Abba Sisoes said, 'When I was at Scetis with Macarius, we went up, seven of us, to bring in the harvest. Now a widow cried out behind us and would not stop weeping.

Anthony the Great (¶7)

Abba Peter said this about the holy Macarius: 'One day he came to the cell of an anchorite who happened to be ill, and he asked him if he would take something to eat, though his cell was stripped bare.

Anthony the Great (¶8)

He also said that when Abba Macarius received all the brethren in simplicity, some of them asked him why he mixed with them like this.

Anthony the Great (¶9)

They said about Abba Macarius that when he visited the brethren he laid this rule upon himself, 'If there is wine, drink some for the brethren's sake, but for each cup of wine, spend a day without drinking water.' So…

Anthony the Great (¶10)

When Abba Macarius was returning from the marsh to his cell one day carrying some palm-leaves, he met the devil on the road with a scythe.

Anthony the Great (¶11)

Some Fathers questioned Abba Macarius the Egyptian, 'Why is it that whether you eat, or whether you fast, your body is always emaciated?' The old man said to them, 'The little bit of wood that is used to poke the…

Anthony the Great (¶12)

One day Abba Macarius went up from Scetis to Terenuthis and went into the temple to sleep. N o w there were some old coffins of the pagans there. Taking one, he put it under his head as a pillow.

Anthony the Great (¶13)

It was said of Abba Macarius the Egyptian that one day when he was going up from Scetis with a load of baskets, he sat down, overcome with weariness and began to say to himself, 'My God, you know very well that I cannot…

Anthony the Great (¶14)

A man of Egypt had a paralytic son. He brought him to the cell of Abba Macarius, and put him down at the door weeping and went a good distance away.

Anthony the Great (¶15)

Abba Macarius the Great said to the brothers at Scetis, when he dismissed the assembly, 'Flee, my brothers.' One of the old men asked him, 'Where could we flee to beyond this desert?' He put his finger on his lips and…

Anthony the Great (¶16)

The same Abba Macarius said, 'If you reprove someone, you yourself get carried away by anger and you are satisfying your own passion; do not lose yourself, therefore, in order to save another.'

Anthony the Great (¶17)

The same Abba Macarius while he was in Egypt discovered a man who owned a beast of burden engaged in plundering Macarius' goods. So he came up to the thief as if he was a stranger and he helped him to load the animal.

Anthony the Great (¶18)

Abba Macarius was asked, 'How should one pray?' The old man said, 'There is no need at all to make long discourses; it is enough to stretch out one's hands and say, "Lord, as you will, and as you know, have mercy." And…

Anthony the Great (¶19)

Abba Macarius said, 'If slander has become to you the same as praise, poverty as riches, deprivation as abundance, you will not die. Indeed it is impossible for anyone who firmly believes, who labours with devotion, to…

Anthony the Great (¶20)

It was said that two brothers at Scetis had fallen into sin and that Abba Macarius of Alexandria had excommunicated them. Some brethren came and told Abba Macarius the Great of Egypt about it.

Anthony the Great (¶21)

Abba Moses said to Abba Macarius at Scetis, 'I should like to live in quiet prayer and the brethren do not let me.' Abba Macarius said to him, 'I see that you are a sensitive man and incapable of sending a brother away.

Anthony the Great (¶22)

A brother came to see Abba Macarius the Egyptian, and said to him, 'Abba, give me a word, that I may be saved.' So the old man said, 'Go to the cemetery and abuse the dead.' The brother went there, abused them and threw…

Anthony the Great (¶23)

One day when Abba Macarius was going down to Egypt with some brethren, he heard a boy saying to his mother, 'Mother, there is a rich man who likes me, but I detest him; and on the other hand, there is a poor man who…

Anthony the Great (¶24)

Abba Poemen asked him weeping, 'Give me a word that I may be saved.' But the old man replied, 'What you are looking for has disappeared now from among monks.'

Anthony the Great (¶25)

One day Abba Macarius went to see Abba Anthony. He spoke to him and then returned to Scetis. The Fathers came to meet him, and as they were speaking, the old man said to them, 'I said to Abba Anthony that we do not have…

Anthony the Great (¶26)

Abba Isaiah questioned Abba Macarius saying, 'Give me a word.' The old man said to him, 'Flee from men,' Abba Isaiah said to him, 'What does it mean to flee from men?' The old man said, 'It means to sit in your cell and…

Anthony the Great (¶27)

Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, said, 'I asked my Father to say a word to me and he replied, "Do no evil to anyone, and do not judge anyone. Observe this and you will be saved."'

Anthony the Great (¶28)

Abba Macarius said, 'Do not sleep in the cell of a brother who has a bad reputation.'

Anthony the Great (¶29)

The brethren came one day to Abba Macarius at Scetis and they found nothing in this cell except stagnant water. So they said to him, 'Abba, come up to the village, and we will get some clean water for you.' The old man…

Anthony the Great (¶30)

They said of Abba Macarius that if a brother came to see him with fear, like someone coming to see a great and holy old man, he did not say anything to him.

Anthony the Great (¶31)

They said of Abba Macarius the Great that he became, as it is written, a god upon earth, because, just as God protects the world, so Abba Macarius would cover the faults which he saw, as though he did not see them; and…

Anthony the Great (¶32)

Abba Bitimius related that Abba Macarius said this: 'When I was living at Scetis, two young strangers came down there. One had a beard, the other was beginning to grow one.

Anthony the Great (¶33)

One day the old men of the mountain sent a delegation to Scetis to Abba Macarius with these words, 'Deign to visit us so that we may see you before you go to the Lord, otherwise all the people will be grieved.' So he…

Anthony the Great (¶34)

Another time a demon approached Abba Macarius with a knife and wanted to cut his foot. But, because of his humility he could not do so, and he said to him, 'All that you have, we have also; you are distinguished from us…

Anthony the Great (¶35)

Abba Macarius said, 'If we keep remembering the wrongs which men have done us, we destroy the power of the remembrance of God. But if we remind ourselves of the evil deeds of the demons, we shall be invulnerable.'

Anthony the Great (¶36)

Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, repeated this saying of the old man, 'When I was small with other children, I used to eat bilberries and they used to go and steal the little figs.

Anthony the Great (¶37)

Abba Macarius said, 'Walking in the desert one day, I found the skull of a dead man, lying on the ground. As I was moving it with my stick, the skull spoke to me.

Anthony the Great (¶38)

They said of Abba Macarius the Egyptian that one day he went up from Scetis to the mountain of Nitria. As he approached the place he told his disciple to go on ahead.

Anthony the Great (¶39)

They said of Abba Macarius that a thief went into his cell when he was away. Marcarius came back to his cell and found the thief loading his things onto a camel.

Anthony the Great (¶40)

Abba Aio questioned Abba Macarius, and said: 'Give me a word.' Abba Macarius said to him: 'Flee from men, stay in your cell, weep for your sins, do not take pleasure in the conversation of men, and you will be saved.'…

Anthony the Great (¶41)

It happened that Abba Moses was struggling with the temptation of fornication. Unable to stay any longer in the cell, he went and told Abba Isidore. The old man exhorted him to return to his cell.

Moses (¶1)

A brother at Scetis committed a fault. A council was called to which Abba Moses was invited, but he refused to go to it. Then the priest sent someone to say to him, 'Come, for everyone is waiting Moses for you.' So he…

Moses (¶2)

Another day when a council was being held in Scetis, the Fathers treated Moses with contempt in order to test him, saying, 'Why does this black man come among us?' When he heard this he kept silence.

Moses (¶3)

It was said of Abba Moses that he was ordained and the ephod was placed upon him. The archbishop said to him, 'See, Abba Moses, now you are entirely white.' The old man said to him, 'It is true of the outside, lord and…

Moses (¶4)

Once the order was given at Scetis, 'Fast this week.' Now it happened that some brothers came from Egypt to visit Abba Moses and he cooked something for them.

Moses (¶5)

A brother came to Scetis to visit Abba Moses and asked him for a word. The old man said to him, 'Go, sit in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.'

Moses (¶6)

Abba Moses said, 'The man who flees and lives in solitude is like a bunch of grapes ripened by the sun, but he who remains amongst men is like an unripe grape.'

Moses (¶7)

The magistrate heard about Abba Moses one day and he went to Scetis to see him. They told the old man. He got up and fled to the marsh.

Moses (¶8)

At Scetis Abba Moses used to say, 'If we keep the commandments of our Fathers, I will answer for it on God's behalf that the barbarians will not come here.

Moses (¶9)

One day, when the brethren were sitting beside him, he said to them, 'Look, the barbarians are coming to Scetis today; get up and flee.' They said to him, 'Abba, won't you flee too?' He said to them, 'As for me, I have…

Moses (¶10)

A brother questioned Abba Moses saying, 'I see something in front of me and I am not able to grasp it.' The old man said to him, Moses 'If you do not become dead like those who are in the tomb, you will not be able to…

Moses (¶11)

Abba Poemen said that a brother asked Abba Moses how someone could consider himself as dead towards his neighbour. The old man said to him, 'If a man does not think in his heart that he is already three days dead and in…

Moses (¶12)

It was said of Abba Moses at Scetis that when he had arranged to go to Petra, he grew tired in the course of the journey and said to himself, 'How can I find the water I need there?' Then a voice said to him, 'Go, and…

Moses (¶13)

The monk must die to his neighbour and never judge him at all, in any way whatever.

Anonymous (¶1)

The monk must die to everything before leaving the body, in order not to harm anyone.

Anonymous (¶2)

If the monk does not think in his heart that he is a sinner, God will not hear him. The brother said, 'What does that mean, to think in his heart that he is a sinner?' Then the old man said, 'When someone is occupied…

Anonymous (¶3)

If a man's deeds are not in harmony with his prayer, he labours in vain. The brother said, 'What is this harmony between practice The Sayings of the Desert Fathers and prayer?' The old man said, 'We should no longer do…

Anonymous (¶4)

The old man was asked, 'What is the good of the fasts and watchings which a man imposes on himself?' and he replied, 'They make the soul humble.

Anonymous (¶5)

The old man was asked, 'What should a man do in all the temptations and evil thoughts that come upon him?' The old man said to him, 'He should weep and implore the goodness of God to come to his aid, and he will obtain…

Anonymous (¶6)

A brother asked the old man, 'Here is a man who beats his servant because of a fault he has committed; what will the servant say?' The old man said, 'If the servant is good, he should say, "Forgive me, I have sinned." '…

Anonymous (¶7)

Abba Matoes said, 'I prefer a light and steady activity, to one that is painful at the beginning but is soon broken off.'

Matoes (¶1)

He also said, 'The nearer a man draws to God, the more he sees himself a sinner. It was when Isaiah the prophet saw God, that he declared himself "a man of unclean lips."' (Is. 6.5)

Matoes (¶2)

He also said, 'When I was young, I would say to myself: perhaps one day I shall do something good; but now that I am old, I see that there is nothing good about me.'

Matoes (¶3)

He also said, 'Satan does not know by what passion the soul can be overcome. He sows, but without knowing if he will reap, sometimes thoughts of fornication, sometimes thoughts of slander, and similarly for the other…

Matoes (¶4)

A brother went to Abba Matoes and said to him, 'How is it that the monks of Scetis did more than the Scriptures required in loving their enemies more than themselves?' Abba Matoes said to him, 'As for me I have not yet…

Matoes (¶5)

A brother questioned Abba Matoes, 'What ought I to do when a brother comes to see me and it is a fast day, or in the morning? This worries me.' The old man said to him, 'If you don't fuss about it and simply eat with…

Matoes (¶6)

Abba James said that he went to Abba Matoes' cell and when he left he said to him, 'I want to go to the Cells.' He said to me: 'Greet Abba John for me.' So going to Abba John's cell I said to him, 'Abba Matoes greets…

Matoes (¶7)

Abba Matoes said, 'A brother came to me and said, "Slander is worse than fornication." I said to him, "That is a hard saying." He said to me, "What do you mean?" I said to him, "Slander is bad, but it is soon healed,…

Matoes (¶8)

One day Abba Matoes went to Rhaithou, in the region of Magdolos. A brother went with him, and the bishop seized the old man and made him a priest.

Matoes (¶9)

Abba Matoes said that three old men went to Abba Paphnutius, he who is called Cephalus, to ask a word of him. The old man said to them, 'What do you want me to say to you?

Matoes (¶10)

A brother questioned Abba Matoes saying, 'Give me a word.' He said to him, 'Go, and pray God to put compunction in your heart, and give you humility; be aware of your faults; do not judge others but put yourself below…

Matoes (¶11)

A brother said to Abba Matoes, 'Give me a word.' He said to him, 'Restrain the spirit of controversy in yourself in everything, and weep, have compunction, for the time is drawing near.'

Matoes (¶12)

A brother questioned Abba Matoes saying, 'What am I to do? My tongue makes me suffer, and every time I go among men, I cannot control it, but I condemn them in all the good they are doing and reproach them with it.

Matoes (¶13)

It was said of Abba Silvanus that at Scetis he had a disciple called Mark, whose obedience was great. He was a scribe. The old man loved him because of his obedience.

Silvanus (¶1)

They said this of Abba Silvanus that, as he was walking to Scetis one day with the old men, and wishing to demonstrate his disciple Mark's obedience, and show the reason for his affection for him, he said to him, seeing…

Silvanus (¶2)

Abba Mark's mother came down to see him one day with great pomp. The old man went out to meet her. She said to him, 'Abba, tell my son to come out so that I may see him.' So the old man went back and said to him, 'Go…

Silvanus (¶3)

On another occasion Mark decided to leave Scetis and go to Mount Sinai and live there. His mother sent his abba a message, begging him with tears to send her son out to see her. So the old man made him go.

Silvanus (¶4)

It was said of Abba Silvanus that when he wished to go away to Syria, his disciple Mark said to him. 'Father, I do not want to leave this place, nor to let you go away, abba.

Silvanus (¶5)

While travelling through a certain region, Abba Milesius saw a monk whom someone had seized under the pretext that he had committed a murder. The old man went and questioned the brothers.

Milesius (¶1)

Another time, when he was living with two disciples on the borders of Persia, two of the king's sons, brothers by blood, went to hunt according to their custom.

Milesius (¶2)

A brother questioned Abba Motius, saying, 'If I go to dwell somewhere, how do you want me to live?' The old man said to him, 'If you live somewhere, do not seek to be known for anything special; do not say, for example,…

Motius (¶1)

Concerning Abba Motius, his disciple, Abba Isaac, told this (both of them became bishops): 'This old man was the first to build a monastery at Heracliopolis and when he left he went to another place and did the same…

Motius (¶2)

They said of Abba Megethius, that if he left his cell and it occurred to him to leave the place where he was living he would go without returning to his cell.

Megethius (¶1)

They said of Abba Megethius that he was very humble, for he was brought up by the Egyptians and in contact with many old men, including Abba Sisoes and Abba Poemen. He lived on the river bank at Sinai.

Megethius (¶2)

Some of the Fathers questioned Abba Megethius, saying, 'If some cooked food remains over for the next day, do you recommend the brethren to eat it?' The old man said to them, 'If this food is bad, it is not right to…

Megethius (¶3)

He also said, 'Orginally, when we met together we spoke of edifying things, encouraging one another and we were "like the angels"; we ascended up to the heavens.

Megethius (¶4)

Abba Mius of Belos said, 'Obedience responds to obedience. When someone obeys God, God obeys his request.'

Mius (¶1)

Concerning an old man who was at Scetis he said that he had been a slave and he had become a true reader of hearts. Every year he went to Alexandria, taking his wages to his masters.

Mius (¶2)

A soldier asked Abba Mius if God accepted repentance. After the old man had taught him many things he said, 'Tell me, my dear, if your cloak is torn, do you throw it away?' He replied, 'No , I mend it and use it again.'…

Mius (¶3)

It was said of Abba Mark the Egyptian that he lived for thirty years without going out of his cell. The priest used to take holy communion to him.

Abba Macarius of Alexandria went one day with some brethren to cut reeds. The first day the brethren said to him, 'Come and eat with us, Father.' So he went to eat with them. The next day they invited him again to eat.

An Elder (¶1)

Abba Macarius went one day to Abba Pachomius of Tabennisi. Pachomius asked him, 'When brothers do not submit to the rule, is it right to correct them?' Abba Macarius said to him, 'Correct and judge justly those who are…

An Elder (¶2)

For four months Abba Macarius visited a brother every day, and he did not once find him distracted from prayer. Filled with wonder he said, 'He is an angel on earth.' INU NILUS

An Elder (¶3)

Abba Nilus said, 'Everything you do in revenge against a brother who has harmed you will come back to your mind at the time of prayer.'

Nilus (¶1)

He also said, 'Prayer is the seed of gentleness and the absence of anger.'

Nilus (¶2)

He also said, 'Prayer is a remedy against grief and depression.'

Nilus (¶3)

He also said, 'Go, sell all that belongs to you and give it to the poor and taking up the cross, deny yourself; in this way you will be able to pray without distraction.'

Nilus (¶4)

He also said, 'Whatever you have endured out of love of wisdom will bear fruit for you at the time of prayer.'

Nilus (¶5)

He also said, 'If you want to pray properly, do not let yourself be upset or you will run in vain.'

Nilus (¶6)

He also said, 'Do not be always wanting everything to turn out as you think it should, but rather as God pleases, then you will be undisturbed and thankful in your prayer.'

Nilus (¶7)

He also said, 'Happy is the monk who thinks he is the outcast of all.'

Nilus (¶8)

He also said, 'The monk who loves interior peace will remain invulnerable to the shafts of the enemy, but he who mixes with crowds constantly receives blows.'

Nilus (¶9)

He also said, 'The servant who neglects his master's work should expect a beating.' NISTERUS

Nilus (¶10)

Abba Nisterus the Great was walking in the desert with a brother. They saw a dragon and they ran away. The brother said to him, 'Were you frightened too, Father?' The old man said to him, 'I am not afraid, my child, but…

Nisterus (¶1)

A brother questioned an old man saying, 'What good work should I do so that I may live?' The old man said, 'God knows what is good. I have heard it said that one of the Fathers asked Abba Nisterus the Great, the friend…

Nisterus (¶2)

Abba Joseph said to Abba Nisterus, 'What should I do about my tongue, for I cannot control it?' The old man said to him, 'When you speak, do you find peace?' He replied 'No.' The old man said, 'If you do not find peace,…

Nisterus (¶3)

A brother saw Abba Nisterus wearing two tunics and he questioned him saying, 'If a poor man came to ask you for a tunic, Nisterus the Cenobite 155 which would you give him?' He replied, 'The better one.' 'And if someone…

Nisterus (¶4)

Abba Nisterus said that a monk ought to ask himself every night and every morning, 'What have we done that is as God wills and what have we left undone of that which he does not will?' 'He must do this throughout his…

Nisterus (¶5)

They said of Abba Nisterus when he lived at Rhaithou that for three weeks of the year he would weave baskets, making six each week.* NISTERUS THE CENOBITE

Nisterus (¶6)

Abba Poemen said of Abba Nisterus that he was like the serpent of brass which Moses made for the healing of the people: he possessed all virtue and without speaking, he healed everyone.

John the Cenobite (¶1)

Abba Poemen asked Abba Nisterus how he had managed to gain this virtue: whenever a troublesome matter came up in the monastery, he did not say anything and he never intervened.

John the Cenobite (¶2)

A brother asked one of the Fathers saying: 'How does the devil present temptations to the saints?' The old man said to him, 'There was one of the Fathers, named Nicon, who lived on Mount Sinai.

It was related of Abba Netras, the disciple of Abba Silvanus, that when he dwelt in his cell on Mount Sinai, he treated himself prudently, with regard to the needs of his body; but when he became bishop of Pharan, he…

Abba Nicetas said of two brothers that they met with the intention of living together. The first thought within himself, 'If my brother wants something, I will do it,' and the second thought the same, 'I will do the…

A brother asked Abba Xoius, this question, 'If I happen to eat three loaves, is that a lot?' The old man said to him, 'Brother, have you come to the threshing-floor to beat grain?' So he said, 'If I drink three cups of…

Xoius. (¶1)

One of the Fathers said of Abba Xoius the Theban that one day he went to the mountain of Sinai and when he set out from there, a brother met him, groaning and saying, 'Abba, we are in distress through lack of rain.' The…

Xoius. (¶2)

Abba Xanthias said, 'The thief was on the cross and he was justified by a single word; and Judas who was counted in the number of the apostles lost all his labour in one single night and descended from heaven to hell.

Xanthias (¶1)

Abba Xanthias went up from Scetis to Terenuthis one day. In the place where he rested he was offered a little wine, because of the demands of the journey.

Xanthias (¶2)

The same abba said, 'A dog is better than I am, for he has love and he does not judge.' OMICRON OLYMPIUS

Xanthias (¶3)

Abba Olympius said this, 'One of the pagan priests came down from Scetis one day and came to my cell and slept there. Having reflected on the monks' way of life, he said to me, "Since you live like this, do you not…

Olympius (¶1)

Abba Olympius of the Cells was tempted to fornication. His thoughts said to him, 'Go, and take a wife.' He got up, found some 160 Orsisius mud, made a woman and said to himself, 'Here is your wife, now you must work…

Olympius (¶2)

Abba Orsisius said, 'If an unbaked brick is put in the foundations near to the river, it does not last for a single day, but baked, it lasts like stone.

Orsisius (¶1)

He has also said, 'I think that if a man does not guard his heart well, he will forget and neglect everything he has heard, and thus the enemy, finding room in him, will overthrow him.

Orsisius (¶2)

While he was still young, Abba Poemen went one day to an old man to ask him about three thoughts. Having reached the old man, he forgot one of the three and went back to his cell.

Anonymous (¶1)

Once Paesius, the brother of Abba Poemen, made friends with someone outside his cell. Now Abba Poemen did not want that. So he got up and fled to Abba Ammonas and said to him, 'Paesius, my brother, holds converse with…

Anonymous (¶2)

One day the priests of the district came to the monasteries where Abba Poemen was. Abba Anoub came and said to him, 'Let us invite the priests in today.' But he stood for a long time without giving him any reply, and,…

Anonymous (¶3)

Before Abba Poemen's group came there, there was an old man in Egypt who enjoyed considerable fame and repute. But when Abba Poemen's group went up to Scetis, men left the old man to go to see Abba Poemen.

Anonymous (¶4)

One day the magistrate of that district wanted to see Abba Poemen but the old man did not want to see him. So, he seized his sister's son and threw him into prison, under the pretext that he was a criminal saying, 'If…

Anonymous (¶5)

One day a brother sinned in a monastery. Now there was an anchorite in the district who had not gone out for a long time. The abba of the monastery went to see him and to give him the news that the brother had sinned.

Anonymous (¶6)

Many old men came to see Abba Poemen and one day it happened that a member of Abba Poemen's family came, who had a child whose face, through the power of the devil, was turned backwards.

Anonymous (¶7)

A brother from Abba Poemen's neighbourhood left to go to another country one day. There he met an anchorite. The latter was very charitable and many came to see him. The brother told him about Abba Poemen.

Anonymous (¶8)

One day the chief magistrate of the district seized one of the men of Abba Poemen's village, and everyone came to beg the old 168 man to go and have him released.

Anonymous (¶9)

They said that one day Abba Poemen and his brethren were making ropes and the work was delayed because they had nothing with which to buy flax. One of their friends told a friendly merchant about this.

Anonymous (¶10)

A priest of Pelusia heard it said of some brethren that they often went to the city, took baths and were careless in their behaviour. He went to the synaxis, and took the habit away from them.

Anonymous (¶11)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'I have committed a great sin and I want to do penance for three years.' The old man said to him, 'That is a lot.' The brother said, 'For one year?' The old man said again, 'That…

Anonymous (¶12)

He also said, 'The distinctive mark of the monk is made clear through temptations.'

Anonymous (¶13)

He also said, 'Just as the king's body-guard stands always on guard at his side, so the soul should always be on guard against the demon of fornication.'

Anonymous (¶14)

Abba Anoub asked Abba Poemen about the impure thoughts which the heart of man brings forth and about vain desires. Abba Poemen said to him, 'Is the axe any use without someone to cut with it? (Is.

Anonymous (¶15)

Abba Poemen also said, 'If Nabuzardan, the head-cook, had not come, the temple of the Lord would not have been burned: (2 Kings 24.8f.) that is to say: if slackness and greed did not come into the soul, the spirit would…

Anonymous (¶16)

It was said of Abba Poemen that if he was invited to eat against his will, he wept but he went, so as not to refuse to obey his brother and cause him pain.

Anonymous (¶17)

Abba Poemen also said, 'Do not live in a place where you see that some are jealous of you, for you will not make progress.'

Anonymous (¶18)

Some brothers told Abba Poemen of a brother who did not drink wine. He said, 'Wine is not for monks.'

Anonymous (¶19)

Abba Isaiah questioned Abba Poemen on the subject of impure thoughts. Abba Poemen said to him, 'It is like having a chest full of clothes, if one leaves them in disorder they are spoiled in the course of time.

Anonymous (¶20)

Abba Joseph put the same question and Abba Poemen said to him, 'If someone shuts a snake and a scorpion up in a bottle, in time they will be completely destroyed.

Anonymous (¶21)

A brother came to see Abba Poemen and said to him, 'I sow my field and give away in charity what I reap from it.' The old man said to him, 'That is good,' and he departed with fervour and intensified his charity.

Anonymous (¶22)

Abba Poemen said, 'If a man has sinned and denies it, saying: "I have not sinned," do not reprimand him; for that will discourage him.

Anonymous (¶23)

He also said, 'Experience is a good thing; it is that which tests a man.'

Anonymous (¶24)

He also said, 'A man who teaches without doing what he teaches is like a spring which cleanses and gives drink to everyone, but it not able to purify itself.' Poemen (called the Shepherd) 171

Anonymous (¶25)

Going into Egypt one day, Abba Poemen saw a woman who was sitting in a tomb and weeping bitterly. He said, 'If all the delights of the world were to come, they could not drive sorrow away from the soul of this woman.

Anonymous (¶26)

He also said, 'A man may seem to be silent, but if his heart is condemning others he is babbling ceaselessly. But there may be another who talks from morning till night and yet he is truly silent; that is, he says…

Anonymous (¶27)

A brother came to see Abba Poemen and said to him, 'Abba, I have many thoughts and they put me in danger.' The old man led him outside and said to him, 'Expand your chest and do not breathe in.' He said, 'I cannot do…

Anonymous (¶28)

Abba Poemen said, 'If three men meet, of whom the first fully preserves interior peace, and the second gives thanks to God in illness, and the third serves with a pure mind, these three are doing the same work.'

Anonymous (¶29)

He also said, 'It is written: "As the hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for Thee, O God." (Ps. 42.1) For truly harts in the desert devour many reptiles and when their venom burns them, they try to come to…

Anonymous (¶30)

Abba Joseph asked Abba Poemen, 'How should one fast?' Abba Poemen said to him, 'For my part, I think it better that one should eat every day, but only a little, so as not to be satisfied.' Abba Joseph said to him, 'When…

Anonymous (¶31)

It was said of Abba Poemen that every time he prepared to go to the synaxis, he sat alone and examined his thoughts for about an hour and then he set off.

Anonymous (¶32)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'An inheritance has been left me, what ought I to do?' The old man said to him, 'Go, come back in three days and I will tell you.' So he returned as it had been decided.

Anonymous (¶33)

Another brother questioned him in these words: 'What does, "See that none of you repays evil for evil" mean?' (1 Thess. 5.15) The old man said to him, 'Passions work in four stages - first, in the heart; secondly, in…

Anonymous (¶34)

Abba Poemen said, 'Vigilance, self-knowledge and discernment; these are the guides of the soul.'

Anonymous (¶35)

He also said, 'To throw yourself before God, not to measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will; these are the instruments for the work of the soul.'

Anonymous (¶36)

He also said, 'The victory over all the afflictions that befall you, is, to keep silence.'

Anonymous (¶37)

He also said, 'All bodily comfort is an abomination to the Lord.'

Anonymous (¶38)

He also said, 'Compunction has two sides: it is a good work and a good protection.'

Anonymous (¶39)

He also said, 'If a thought about bodily needs overtakes you, put the matter right at once; and if it comes a second time, put it right again, but the third time, if it presents itself, do not pay any attention to it,…

Anonymous (¶40)

He also said that a brother questioned Abba Adonias saying, 'What does it mean to become nothing?' The old man said, 'It means to place oneself beneath irrational beings and to know what they are without blame.'

Anonymous (¶41)

He also said, 'If man remembered that it is written: "By your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned," (Matt. 12.37) he would choose to remain silent.'

Anonymous (¶42)

He also said, 'The beginning of evil is heedlessness.'

Anonymous (¶43)

He also said that Abba Isidore, the priest of Scetis, spoke to the people one day saying, 'Brothers, is it not in order to endure affliction that we have come to this place? But now there is no affliction for us here.

Anonymous (¶44)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'If I see something, do you want me to tell you about it?' The old man said to him, 'It is written: "If one gives answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame." (Prov.

Anonymous (¶45)

A brother asked Abba Poemen saying, 'Can a man put his trust in one single work?' The old man said to him that Abba John the Dwarf said, 'I would rather have a bit of all the virtues.'

Anonymous (¶46)

The old man said that a brother asked Abba Pambo if it is good to praise one's neighbour and that the old man said to him, 'It is better to be silent.'

Anonymous (¶47)

Abba Poemen said, 'Even if a man were to make a new heaven and earth, he could not live free of care.'

Anonymous (¶48)

He also said, 'As the breath which comes out of his nostrils, so does a man need humility and the fear of God.'

Anonymous (¶49)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'What should I do?' The old man said to him, 'When Abraham entered the promised land he bought a sepulchre for himself and by means of this tomb, he inherited the land.' The brother said to…

Anonymous (¶50)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'If I give my brother a little bread or something else, the demons tarnish these gifts saying it was 174 The Sayings of the Desert Fathers only done to please men.' The old man said to…

Anonymous (¶51)

Abba Poemen said that Abba Ammonas said, 'A man can spend his whole time carrying an axe without succeeding in cutting down the tree; while another, with experience of tree-felling brings the tree down with a few blows.

Anonymous (¶52)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'How should a man behave?' The old man said to him, 'Look at Daniel: no-one found anything in him to complain about except for his prayers to the Lord his God.'

Anonymous (¶53)

Abba Poemen said, 'The will of man is a brass wall between him and God and a stone of stumbling. When a man renounces it, he is also saying to himself, "By my God, I can leap over the wall." (Ps.

Anonymous (¶54)

He also said, 'As the old men were sitting at a meal one day, Abba Alonius got up to serve and when they saw that, they praised him. But he answered absolutely nothing.

Anonymous (¶55)

He also said, 'Men speak to perfection but they do precious little about it.'

Anonymous (¶56)

Abba Poemen said, 'Just a smoke drives the bees away and also takes the sweetness out of their work, so bodily ease drives the fear of God from the soul and dissipates all its activity.'

Anonymous (¶57)

A brother came to see Abba Poemen in the second week of Lent and told him about his thoughts; he obtained peace, and said Poemen (called the Shepherd) to him, 'I nearly did not come here today.' The old man asked him…

Anonymous (¶58)

Abba Poemen said, 'You must flee from sensual things. Indeed, every time a man comes near to a struggle with sensuality, he is like a man standing on the edge of a very deep lake and the enemy easily throws him in…

Anonymous (¶59)

He also said, 'Poverty, hardship, austerity and fasting, such are the instruments of the solitary life. It is written, "When these three men are together, Noah, Job, and Daniel, there am I, says the Lord." (of. Ezek.

Anonymous (¶60)

Abba Joseph said, 'While we were sitting with Abba Poemen he mentioned Agathon as "abba", and we said to him, "He is very young, why do you call him 'abba?' " Abba Poemen said, "Because his speech makes him worthy to be…

Anonymous (¶61)

A brother came to Abba Poemen one day and said to him, 'What should I do, Father, for I am tempted to fornication? I went to Abba Ibiston and he said to me, "You must not let it stay with you."' Abba Poemen said to him,…

Anonymous (¶62)

Abba Poemen said, 'Teach your mouth to say that which you have in your heart.'

Anonymous (¶63)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'If I see my brother committing a sin, is it right to conceal it?' The old man said to him, 'At the very moment when we hide our brother's fault, God hides our own and at the…

Anonymous (¶64)

He said that someone asked Abba Paesius, 'What should I do about my soul, because it is insensitive and does not fear God?' He said to him, 'Go, and join a man who fears God, and live near him; he will teach you, too,…

Anonymous (¶65)

He also said, 'If a monk can overcome two things, he can become free from the world.' The brother asked him what these two things were and he said, 'Bodily ease and vain-glory.'

Anonymous (¶66)

Abraham, the disciple of Abba Agathon, questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'How do the demons fight against me?' Abba Poemen said to him, 'The demons fight against you?

Anonymous (¶67)

Abba Poemen said, 'God has given this way of life to Israel: to abstain from everything which is contrary to nature, that is to say, anger, fits of passion, jealousy, hatred and slandering the brethren; in short,…

Anonymous (¶68)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'Give me a word.' And he said to him, 'The Fathers put compunction as the beginning of every action.' The brother said again, 'Give me another word.' The old man replied, 'As far…

Anonymous (¶69)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'If I see a brother whom I have heard is a sinner, I do not want to take him into my cell, but when I see a good brother I am happy to be with him.' The old man said, 'If you do…

Anonymous (¶70)

Abba Poemen said, 'The reason why we are so greatly tempted is because we do not guard our name and status, as Scripture says. Do we not see that the Saviour gave peace to the Canaanite woman, accepting her as she was?

Anonymous (¶71)

One day Abba Poemen went with Abba Anoub to the district of Diolcos. Arriving at the cemetery, they saw a woman in great sorrow, weeping bitterly. Standing there they watched her.

Anonymous (¶72)

Abba Poemen said, 'Do not judge yourself, but live with someone who knows how to behave himself properly.'

Anonymous (¶73)

He said that when a brother went to see Abba John the Dwarf, he offered him that charity of which the apostle speaks, 'Charity suffers long and is kind.' (1. Cor. 13.4)

Anonymous (¶74)

He said of Abba Pambo that Abba Anthony used to say of him, 'Through fearing God, he caused the spirit of God to dwell in him.'

Anonymous (¶75)

One of the Fathers related this about Abba Poemen and his brethren: 'When they were living in Egypt, their mother wanted to see them and was not able to do so.

Anonymous (¶76)

A brother asked Abba Poemen saying, 'High things, what are they?' The old man said to him, 'Righteousness.'

Anonymous (¶77)

Some heretics came to Abba Poemen one day and began to speak evil of the archbishop of Alexandria suggesting that he had received the laying on of hands from priests.

Anonymous (¶78)

Abba Poemen said that a brother who lived with some other brothers asked Abba Bessarion, 'What ought I to do?' The old man said to him, 'Keep silence and do not always be comparing yourself with others.'

Anonymous (¶79)

He also said, 'Do not give your heart to that which does not satisfy your heart.'

Anonymous (¶80)

He also said, 'If you take little account of yourself, you will have peace, wherever you live.'

Anonymous (¶81)

He also said that Abba Sisoes said, 'There is a kind of shame that contains a culpable lack of fear.'

Anonymous (¶82)

He also said, 'When self-will and ease become habitual, they overthrow a man.'

Anonymous (¶83)

He also said, 'If you are silent, you will have peace wherever you live.' Poemen (called the Shepherd)

Anonymous (¶84)

He also said concerning Abba Pior that every day he made a new beginning.

Anonymous (¶85)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'If a brother is involved in a sin and is converted, will God forgive him?' The old man said to him, 'Will not God, who has commanded men to act thus, do as much himself and even more?

Anonymous (¶86)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, 'Is it good to pray?' The old man said that Abba Anthony said, This word comes from the mouth of the Lord, who said, "Comfort, comfort my people." ' (Is. 40.1)

Anonymous (¶87)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'Can a man keep all his thoughts in control, and not surrender one to the enemy?' And the old man said to him, 'There are some who receive ten and give one.'

Anonymous (¶88)

The same brother put the same question to Abba Sisoes who said to him, 'It is true that there are some who give nothing to the enemy.'

Anonymous (¶89)

There was a great hesychast in the mountain of Athlibeos. Some thieves fell upon him and the old man began to cry out. When they heard this the neighbours seized the robbers and took them to the magistrate who threw…

Anonymous (¶90)

Abba Poemen said, 'A monk does not complain of his lot, a monk does not return evil for evil, a monk is not angry.'

Anonymous (¶91)

Some old men came to see Abba Poemen and said to him, 'When we see brothers who are dozing at the synaxis, shall we rouse them so that they will be watchful?' He said to them, 'For my part 180 The Sayings of the Desert…

Anonymous (¶92)

It was said of a brother that he had to fight against blasphemy and he was ashamed to admit it. He went where he heard some great old men lived to see them, in order to open his heart to them but when he got there, he…

Anonymous (¶93)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'I see that wherever I go I find support.' The old man said to him, 'Even those who hold a sword in their hands have God who takes pity on them in the present time.

Anonymous (¶94)

Abba Poemen said, 'If a man accuses himself, he is protected on all sides.'

Anonymous (¶95)

He said that Abba Ammonas said, 'A man may remain for a hundred years in his cell without learning how to live in the cell.'

Anonymous (¶96)

Abba Poemen said, 'If a man has attained to that which the Apostle speaks of "to the pure, everything is pure," (Titus 1.15) he sees himself less than all creatures.' The brother said, 'How can I deem myself less then a…

Anonymous (¶97)

A brother put the same question to Abba Anoub, telling him what Abba Poemen had said. Abba Anoub said to him, 'If a man really affirms this saying, when he sees his brother's faults he sees that his integrity exceeds…

Anonymous (¶98)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'If I fall into a shameful sin, my conscience devours and accuses me saying: "Why have you fallen?" ' The old man said to him, 'At the moment when a man goes astray, if he says, I have…

Anonymous (¶99)

A brother asked Abba Poemen saying, 'Why do the demons persuade my soul to look up to him who is superior to me and make me despise him who is my inferior?' The old man replied, 'About that, the Apostle has this to say:…

Anonymous (¶100)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'Why should I not be free to do without manifesting my thoughts to the old men?' The old man replied, 'Abba John the Dwarf said, "The enemy rejoices over nothing so much as over those who do…

Anonymous (¶101)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'My heart becomes lukewarm when a little suffering comes my way.' The old man said to him, 'Do we not admire Joseph, a young man of seventeen, for enduring his temptation to the end?

Anonymous (¶102)

Abba Poemen said, 'Life in the monastery demands three things: the first is humility, the next is obedience, and the third which sets them in motion and is like a goad is the work of the monastery.'

Anonymous (¶103)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'In the time of my affliction I looked for something from one of the old men which would be useful to me and he gave it me as a free gift.

Anonymous (¶104)

It was said of Abba Poemen that he never wished to speak after another old man, but that he preferred to praise him in everything he had said.

Anonymous (¶105)

Abba Poemen said, 'Many of our Fathers have become very courageous in asceticism, but in fineness of perception there are very few.'

Anonymous (¶106)

One day Abba Isaac was sitting beside Abba Poemen when they heard a cock crow. Abba Isaac said to him, 'Is it possible to hear that here, abba?' He replied, 'Isaac, why do you make me talk?

Anonymous (¶107)

It was said that if one of the brethren came to see Abba Poemen the latter used to send him first to Abba Anoub, because he was older than he.

Anonymous (¶108)

A secular man of devout life came to see Abba Poemen. Now it happened that there were other brethren with the old man, asking to hear a word from him.

Anonymous (¶109)

A brother settled outside his village and did not return there for many years. He said to the brethren, 'See how many years it is since I went back to the village, while you often go up there.' This was told to Abba…

Anonymous (¶110)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'Give me a word,' and he said to him, 'As long as the pot is on the fire, no fly nor any other animal can get near it, but as soon as it is cold, these creatures get inside.

Anonymous (¶111)

Abba Joseph said of Abba Poemen that he said, 'This saying which is written in the Gospel: "Let him who has no sword, sell his mantle and buy one," (Luke 22.36) means this: let him who is at ease give it up and take the…

Anonymous (¶112)

Some Fathers questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'If we see a brother in the act of committing a sin, do you think that we ought to reprove him?' The old man said to them, 'For my part, if I have to go out and I see someone…

Anonymous (¶113)

Abba Poemen said, 'It is written: "Give witness of that which your eyes have seen" (cf. Proverbs 25.8); but I say to you even if you have touched with your hands, do not give witness.

Anonymous (¶114)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'What shall I do, for fornication and anger war against me?' The old man said, 'In this connection David said: "I will pierce the lion and I will slay the bear" (cf 1 Sam.

Anonymous (¶115)

He also said, ' "Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15.13) In truth if someone hears an evil saying, that is, one which harms him, and in his turn, he wants to repeat…

Anonymous (¶116)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'What is a hypocrite?' The old man said to him, 'A hypocrite is he who teaches his neighbour something he makes no effort to do himself.

Anonymous (¶117)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'What does it mean to be angry with your brother without a cause?' He said, 'If your brother hurts you by his arrogance and you are angry with him because of it, that is getting…

Anonymous (¶118)

A brother asked Abba Poemen what he should do about his sins. The old man said to him, 'He who wishes to purify his faults purifies them with tears and he who wishes to acquire virtues, acquires them with tears; for…

Anonymous (¶119)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'What does it mean to repent of a fault?' The old man said, 'Not to commit it again in future.

Anonymous (¶120)

He also said, 'The wickedness of men is hidden behind their backs.'

Anonymous (¶121)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen, 'What ought I to do about all the turmoils that trouble me?' The old man said to him, 'In all our afflictions let us weep in the presence of the goodness of God, until he shows mercy on…

Anonymous (¶122)

The brother asked him, 'What ought I to do about the sterile affections that I have?' He said to him, 'There are men who tire themselves to death involving themselves in the friendships of this world.

Anonymous (¶123)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'Can a man be dead?' He replied, 'He who is inclined to sin starts to die, but he who applies himself to good will live and will put it into practice.'

Anonymous (¶124)

Abba Poemen said that blessed Abba Anthony used to say, 'The greatest thing a man can do is to throw his faults before the Lord and to expect temptation to his last breath.'

Anonymous (¶125)

Abba Poemen was asked for whom this saying is suitable, 'Do not be anxious about tomorrow.' (Matt. 6.34) The old man said, 'It is said for the man who is tempted and has not much strength, so that he should not be…

Anonymous (¶126)

He also said, 'Instructing one's neighbour is for the man who is whole and without passions; for what is the use of building the house of another, while destroying one's own?'

Anonymous (¶127)

He also said, 'What is the good of giving oneself to a trade without seeking to learn it?'

Anonymous (¶128)

He also said, 'Everything that goes to excess comes from the demons.'

Anonymous (¶129)

He also said, 'When a man prepares to build a house, he gathers together all he needs to be able to construct it, and he collects different sorts of materials.

Anonymous (¶130)

Some Fathers asked Abba Poemen, 'How could Abba Nisterus bear so well with his discipline?' Abba Poemen said to them, 'If I had been in his place, I would even have put a pillow under his head.' Abba Anoub said, 'And…

Anonymous (¶131)

Abba Poemen said, 'Because of our need to eat and to sleep, we do not see the simple things.'

Anonymous (¶132)

He also said, 'Many become powerful, but few eminent.'

Anonymous (¶133)

He also said, groaning, 'All the virtues come to this house except one and without that virtue it is hard for a man to stand.' Then they asked him what virtue was, and he said, 'For a man to blame himself.'

Anonymous (¶134)

Abba Poemen often said, 'We do not need anything except a vigilant spirit.'

Anonymous (¶135)

One of the Fathers asked Abba Poemen, 'Who is he who says, "I am a companion of all who fear Thee," ' (Ps. 119.63) and the old man said, 'It is the Holy Spirit who says that.'

Anonymous (¶136)

Abba Poemen said that a brother asked Abba Simon, 'If I come out of my cell and find my brother amusing himself, I amuse myself with him and if I find him in the act of laughing, I laugh with him.

Anonymous (¶137)

Abba Daniel said, 'We went one day to Abba Poemen and ate together. After we had eaten he said to us, "Go, rest a little, brothers." The brothers went to take a little rest but I wanted to speak to him privately to I…

Anonymous (¶138)

Abba Poemen said, 'If you have visions or hear voices do not tell your neighbour about it, for it is a delusion in the battle.'

Anonymous (¶139)

He also said, 'The first time flee; the second time, flee; and the third, become like a sword.'

Anonymous (¶140)

Abba Poemen said to Abba Isaac, 'Let go of a small part of your righteousness and in a few days you will be at peace.'

Anonymous (¶141)

A brother came to see Abba Poemen and while several of them were sitting round, he praised a brother for hating evil. Abba Poemen said to the one who had spoken, 'What does it mean to hate evil?' The brother was…

Anonymous (¶142)

A brother went to see Abba Poemen and said to him, 'What ought I to do?' The old man said to him, 'Go and join one who says "What do I want?" and you will have peace.'

Anonymous (¶143)

Abba Joseph related that Abba Isaac said, 'I was sitting with Abba Poemen one day and I saw him in ecstasy and I was on terms of great freedom of speech with him, I prostrated myself before him and begged him, saying,…

Anonymous (¶144)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'What can I do about this weight which is crushing me?' The old man said to him, 'In ships, small or large, there are tow-ropes which are lashed round the centre when the wind is…

Anonymous (¶145)

A brother asked Abba Poeman about the harm which he was suffering through his thoughts. The old man said to him, 'In this matter it is like a man who has fire on his left and a cup of water on his right.

Anonymous (¶146)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'Is it better to speak or to be silent?' The old man said to him, 'The man who speaks for God's sake does well; but he who is silent for God's sake also does well.'

Anonymous (¶147)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'How can a man avoid speaking ill of his neighbour?' The old man said to him, 'We and our brothers are two images; when a man is watchful about himself, and has to reproach himself, in his…

Anonymous (¶148)

A brother asked Abba Poemen about accidie. The old man said to him, 'Accidie is there every time one begins something, and there is no worse passion, but if a man recognizes it for what it is, he will gain peace.'

Anonymous (¶149)

Abba Poemen said, 'In Abba Pambo we see three bodily activities; abstinence from food until the evening every day, silence, and much manual work.'

Anonymous (¶150)

He said that Abba Theonas said, 'Even if a man acquires a virtue, God does not grant him grace for himself alone.' He knew that he was not faithful in his own labour, but that if he went to his companion, God would be…

Anonymous (¶151)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'I want to go to the monastery, and dwell there.' The old man said to him, 'If you want to go the the monastery, you must be careful about every encounter and everything you do, or you…

Anonymous (¶152)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'What ought I to do?' He said, 'It is written, "I confess my iniquity, I am sorry for my sin."'(Ps. 38.18)

Anonymous (¶153)

Abba Poemen said, 'Fornication and slander, are two thoughts that should never be talked about or pondered in the heart; for if you want to understand them in the heart, it does no good: but if you fight shy of them,…

Anonymous (¶154)

Abba Poemen's brethren said to him, 'Let us leave this place, for the monasteries here worry us and we are losing our souls; even Poemen (called the Shepherd) the little children who cry do not let us have interior…

Anonymous (¶155)

Abba Bitimius asked Abba Poemen, 'If someone has a grievance against me, and I ask his pardon but cannot convince him, what is to be done?' The old man said to him, 'Take two other brothers with you and ask his pardon.

Anonymous (¶156)

Abba Poemen said, 'To instruct your neighbour is the same thing as reproving him.'

Anonymous (¶157)

He also said, 'Do not do your own will; you need rather to humble yourself before your brother.'

Anonymous (¶158)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen saying, 'I have found a place where peace is not disturbed by the brethren; do you advise me to live there?' The old man said to him, 'The place for you is where you will not harm your…

Anonymous (¶159)

Abba Poemen said, 'These three things are the most helpful of all: fear of the Lord; prayer; and doing good to one's neighbour.'

Anonymous (¶160)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'My body is getting sick, and yet my passions are not getting weaker.' The old man said to him, 'The passions are like thorns.'

Anonymous (¶161)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'What ought I to do?' T h e old man said to him, 'When God is watching over us, what have we got to worry about?' The brother said to him, 'Our sins.' Then the old man said, 'Let us enter…

Anonymous (¶162)

A brother going to market asked Abba Poemen, 'How do you advise me to behave?' The old man said to him, 'Make friends with anyone who tries to bully you and sell your produce in peace.'

Anonymous (¶163)

Abba Poemen said, 'Teach your mouth to say what is in your heart.' 190

Anonymous (¶164)

Abba Poemen was asked about impurities and he replied, 'If we are active and very watchful, we shall not find impurities in ourselves.'

Anonymous (¶165)

Abba Poemen said, 'Since Abba Moses and the third generation in Scetis, the brothers do not make progress any more.'

Anonymous (¶166)

He also said, 'A man who stays in his place in life will not be troubled.'

Anonymous (¶167)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, "How should I live in the cell?' He said to him, 'Living in your cell clearly means manual work, eating only once a day, silence, meditation; but really making progress in the cell, means to…

Anonymous (¶168)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'If a brother has a little money which belongs to me, do you advise me to ask him for it?' The old man said to him, 'Ask him for it once.' The brother said to him, 'And then what should I…

Anonymous (¶169)

It happened that several Fathers went to the home of a friend of Christ; among them was Abba Poemen. During the meal, meat was served and everyone ate some except Abba Poemen.

Anonymous (¶170)

Abba Poemen said, 'I say this about myself: I am thrown into the place where Satan is thrown.'

Anonymous (¶171)

He also said to Abba Anoub, 'Turn away your eyes lest they behold vanity; (cf. Ps. 11937) for licence causes souls to perish.' Poemen (called the Shepherd) 191

Anonymous (¶172)

One day when Abba Poemen was sitting down, Paesius fought with his brother till the blood ran from their heads. The old man said absolutely nothing to them.

Anonymous (¶173)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'Some brothers live with me; do you want me to be in charge of them?' The old man said to him, 'No, just work first and foremost, and if they want to live like you, they will see to it…

Anonymous (¶174)

Abba Poemen said 'If a brother comes to visit you and you realise that you have not profited by his visit, search your heart, and discover what you were thinking about before he came, and then you will understand why…

Anonymous (¶175)

He also said, 'A man who lives with a boy, and is incited by him to no matter what passions of the old man, and yet keeps him with him, that man is like someone who has a field which is eaten up with maggots.'

Anonymous (¶176)

He also said, 'Wickedness does not do away with wickedness; but if someone does you wrong, do good to him, so that by your action you destroy his wickedness.'

Anonymous (¶177)

He also said, 'David, when he was fighting with the lion, seized it by the throat and killed it immediately. If we take ourselves by the throat and by the belly, with the help of God, we shall overcome the invisible…

Anonymous (¶178)

A brother asked Abba Poemen this question, 'What shall I do, because trouble comes to me and I am overwhelmed by it?' The 192 old man said, 'Violence makes both small and great to be overthrown.'

Anonymous (¶179)

It was said of Abba Poemen that he dwelt at Scetis with his two brothers, and the younger one was a nuisance to them. So he said to the other brother, 'This lad is making us powerless, let us get up and go away from…

Anonymous (¶180)

The begumen of a monastery asked Abba Poemen, 'How can I acquire the fear of God?' Abba Poemen said to him, 'How can we acquire the fear of God when our belly is full of cheese and preserved foods?'

Anonymous (¶181)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'Abba, there were two men, one a monk and the other a secular. One evening the monk decided to put off the habit the next morning and the secular decided to become a monk.

Anonymous (¶182)

Abba John, who had been exiled by the Emperor Marcian, said, 'We went to Syria one day to see Abba Poemen and we wanted to ask him about purity of heart.

Anonymous (¶183)

Abba Isaac came to see Abba Poemen and found him washing his feet. As he enjoyed freedom of speech with him he said, 'How is it that others practice austerity and treat their bodies hardly?' Abba Poemen said to him, 'We…

Anonymous (¶184)

He also said, 'There are three things which I am not able to do without: food, clothing and sleep; but I can restrict them to some extent.'

Anonymous (¶185)

A brother said to Abba Poemen, 'I eat a lot of vegetables.' The old man said, 'That does not help you; rather eat bread and a few vegetables, and do not go back to your relations for what you need.'

Anonymous (¶186)

It was said of Abba Poemen that if some old men were sitting with him, speaking of the ancients, and Abba Sisoes was mentioned, he would say, 'Keep silence about Abba Sisoes, for that which concerns him goes beyond what…

Anonymous (¶187)

He also said, 'Teach your heart to guard that which your tongue teaches.'

Anonymous (¶188)

A brother questioned Abba Poemen, saying, 'I am losing my soul through living near my abba; should I go on living with him?' The old man knew that he was finding this harmful and he was surprised that he even asked if…

Anonymous (¶189)

Abba Poemen said that Abba Paphnutius was great and he had recourse to short prayers. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Anonymous (¶190)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'How should I behave in the place where I live?' The old man said, 'Have the mentality of an exile in the place where you live, do not desire to be listened to and you will have peace.'

Anonymous (¶191)

He also said, 'This voice cries out to a man to his last breath, "Be converted today."'

Anonymous (¶192)

He also said, 'David wrote to Joab, "Continue the battle and you will take the city and sack it." Now the city is the enemy.'

Anonymous (¶193)

He also said, 'Joab said to the people, "Be courageous and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our God." (I Chron. 1913) Now we ourselves are these men.'

Anonymous (¶194)

He also said, 'If Moses had not led his sheep to Midian he would not have seem him who was in the bush.' (cf. Exodus

Anonymous (¶195)

A brother came to Abba Poemen and asked, 'How did you come here?' and he told him, 'If I were to die in Scetis with my brothers, I would be willing, and here we are.'

Anonymous (¶196)

He also said, 'If a man understands something and does not practise it, how can he teach it to his neighbour?'

Anonymous (¶197)

He also said, 'A man who lives with a companion ought to be like a stone pillar; hurt him, and he does not get angry, praise him, and he is not puffed up.'

Anonymous (¶198)

He also said, 'A man knows nothing about the powers that are outside him; but if they enter into him, he must fight them and drive them out.'

Anonymous (¶199)

He also said, 'Not understanding what has happened prevents us from going on to something better.'

Anonymous (¶200)

He also said, 'Do not lay open your conscience to anyone whom you do not trust in your heart.'

Anonymous (¶201)

Abba Poemen said, 'If I am in a place where there are enemies, I become a soldier.'

Anonymous (¶202)

Abba Poemen heard of someone who had gone all week without eating and then had lost his temper. The old man said, 'He could do without food for six days, but he could not cast out anger.' Pambo 195

Anonymous (¶203)

Abba Poemen said, 'I will tell you why we have so much difficulty; it is because we do not care about our brother whom Scripture tells us to receive. Moreover we do not remember the woman of Canaan (cf. Matt.

Anonymous (¶204)

Abba Poemen said, 'If the soul keeps far away from all discourse in words, from all disorder and human disturbance, the Spirit of God will come in to her and she who was barren will be fruitful.'

Anonymous (¶205)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'How should those who are in the monastery behave?' The old man said to him, 'Whoever lives in the monastery should see all the brethren as one; he should guard his eyes and his lips; and…

Anonymous (¶206)

Abba Poemen said this about the son of Shemai, 'His mistake was to justify himself; whoever does that destroys himself.'

Anonymous (¶207)

A brother asked Abba Poemen, 'What can I do about my sins?' and the old man said to him, 'Weep interiorly, for both deliverance from faults and the acquisition of virtues are gained through compunction.'

Anonymous (¶208)

He also said,' Weeping is the way that Scripture and our Fathers have handed on to us.'* PAMBO Pambo, born about A.D. 303, was one of the first to join Amoun in Nitria.

Anonymous (¶209)

There was a monk named Pambo and they said of him that he spent three years saying to God, 'Do not glorify me on earth.' But *188-209 are additions from J.C.-Guy's text (pp. 29-31).

Pambo (¶1)

Two brethren came to see Abba Pambo one day and the first asked him, 'Abba, I fast for two days, then I eat two loaves; am I saving my soul, or am I going the wrong way?' The second said, 'Abba, every day I get two…

Pambo (¶2)

Four monks of Scetis, clothed in skins, came one day to see the great Pambo. Each one revealed the virtue of his neighbour. The first fasted a great deal; the second was poor; the third had acquired great charity; and…

Pambo (¶3)

Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria, of holy memory, begged Abba Pambo to come down from the desert to Alexandria. He went down, and seeing an actress he began to weep.

Pambo (¶4)

Abba Pambo said, 'By the grace of God, since I left the world, I have not said one word of which I repented afterwards.'

Pambo (¶5)

He also said, 'The monk should wear a garment of such a kind that he could throw it out of his cell and no-one would steal it from him for three days.'

Pambo (¶6)

Once it happened that Abba Pambo made the journey to Egypt with some brothers. Meeting some lay people who were sitting down, he said to them, 'Stand up, greet the monks, so that you may be blessed, for they speak with…

Pambo (¶7)

They said of Abba Pambo that as he was dying, at the very hour of his death, he said to the holy men who were standing near him, 'Since I came to this place of the desert and built my cell and dwelt here, I do not…

Pambo (¶8)

He was greater than many others in that if he was asked to interpret part of the Scriptures or a spiritual saying, he would not reply immediately, but he would say he did not know that saying.

Pambo (¶9)

Abba Pambo said, 'If you have a heart, you can be saved.'

Pambo (¶10)

The priest of Nitria asked him how the brethren ought to live. He replied, 'With much labour, guarding their consciences towards their neighbour.'

Pambo (¶11)

They said of Abba Pambo that he was like Moses, who received the image of the glory of Adam when his face shone. His face shone like lightening and he was like a king sitting on his throne.

Pambo (¶12)

They said of Abba Pambo that his face never smiled. So one day, wishing to make him laugh, the demons stuck wing feathers on to a lump of wood and brought it in making an uproar and saying, 'Go, go.' When he saw them…

Pambo (¶13)

Abba Theodore of Pherme asked Abba Pambo, 'Give me a word.' With much difficulty he said to him, 'Theodore, go and have pity on all, for through pity, one finds freedom of speech before God.' PISTUS

Pambo (¶14)

Abba Pistus related that which follows: 'We were seven anchorities who went to see Abba Sisoes who lived at Clysma, begging him to give us word. He said to us, "Forgive me, for I am a very simple man.

Pistus (¶1)

Abba Pior used to walk a hundred paces while he was eating. Someone asked him why he ate like that, and he said, 'I do not want to make eating an occupation, but something accessory.' To another who also asked him the…

Pistus (¶2)

There was at that time a meeting at Scetis about a brother who had sinned. The Fathers spoke, but Abba Pior kept silence. Later, he got up and went out; he took a sack, filled it with sand and carried it on his…

Pistus (¶3)

Abba Pityrion, the disciple of Abba Anthony said, 'If anyone wants to drive out the demons, he must first subdue the passions; for he will banish the demon of the passion which he has mastered.

A brother asked Abba Pistamon, 'What should I do? I get worried when I sell my manual work.' The old man replied, 'Abba Sisoes and all the others used to sell their manual work; that is not dangerous in itself.

In the Cells they said of Abba Peter the Pionite that he did not drink wine. When he grew old, the brothers prepared a little wine diluted with water for him, and asked him to accept it.

Pionite (¶1)

A brother said to Abba Peter, the disciple of Abba Lot, 'When I am in my cell, my soul is at peace, but if a brother comes to see Peter the Pionite 201 me and speaks to me of external things, my soul is disturbed.' Abba…

Pionite (¶2)

Abba Peter and Abba Epimachus were said to have been companions at Rhaithou. While they were eating with the community, they were asked to go to the table of the senior brethren.

Pionite (¶3)

Abba Peter said, 'We must not be puffed up when the Lord does something through our mediation, but we must rather thank 202 him for having made us worthy to be called by him.' He used to say it is good to think about…

Pionite (¶4)

Abba Paphnutius said, 'When I was walking along the road, I happened to lose my way and found myself near a village and I saw some people who were talking about evil things. So I stood still, praying for my sins.

Paphnutius (¶1)

It was said of Abba Paphnutius that he did not readily drink wine. One day he found himself on the road facing a band of robbers who were drinking wine.

Paphnutius (¶2)

Abba Poemen said that Abba Paphnutius used to say, 'During the whole lifetime of the old men, I used to go to see them twice Paphnutius 203 a month, although it was a distance of twelve miles.

Paphnutius (¶3)

There was at Scetis with Paphnutius a brother who had to fight against fornication and he said, 'Even if I take ten wives, I shall not satisfy my desire.' The old man encouraged him, saying, 'No, my child, this warfare…

Paphnutius (¶4)

There was a brother who lived in the desert of the Thebaid and the thought crossed his mind, 'Why do you live here in this useless way?

Paphnutius (¶5)

Amma Sarah sent someone to say to Abba Paphnutius, 'Have you really done the work of God by letting your brother be despised?' and Abba Paphnutius said, 'Paphnutius is here with the 204 The Sayings of the Desert Fathers…

Paphnutius (¶6)

One of the Fathers used to tell of a certain Abba Paul, from Lower Egypt, who lived in the Thebaid. He used to take various kinds of snakes in his hands and cut them through the middle.

Abba Paul the Barber and his brother Timothy lived in Scetis. They often used to argue. So Abba Paul said, 'How long shall we go on like this?' Abba Timothy said to him, 'I suggest you take my side of the argument and…

Paul the Barber (¶1)

The same Abbas Paul and Timothy, the Barbers, were troubled by the brethren at Scetis. Timothy said to his brother, 'Why do we follow this trade?

Paul the Barber (¶2)

Abba Paul the Great, the Galatian, said, 'The monk who possesses in his cell some small things which he needs and who comes out to busy himself with them, is the plaything of the demons.

Anthony the Great (¶1)

Abba Paul said, 'I am in the slough, sinking in up to my neck and I weep in the presence of God, saying, "Have mercy on me." '

Anthony the Great (¶2)

It was said of Abba Paul that he spent the whole of Lent eating only one measure of lentils, drinking one small jug of water, and working at one single basket, weaving it and unweaving it, living alone until the feast.

Anthony the Great (¶3)

Abba Paul said: 'Keep close to Jesus.'* PAUL THE SIMPLE

Anthony the Great (¶4)

Blessed Abba Paul the Simple, the disciple of Abba Anthony, told the Fathers that which follows: One day he went to a monastery to visit it and to make himself useful to the brethren.

Peter, priest of Dios, when he prayed with others, ought to have stood in front, because he was a priest but because of his humility he stood behind saying, 'This is what is written in the life of Saint Anthony.' He did…

There was a monk from Rome who lived at Scetis near the church. He had a slave to serve him. The priest, knowing his bad health and the comfort in which he used to live, sent him what he needed of whatever anyone…

An Abba Of Rome (¶1)

The same monk used to say that there was a certain old man who had a good disciple. Through narrowmindedness he drove him outside with his sheepskin. The brother remained sitting outside.

An Abba Of Rome (¶2)

A brother asked Abba Rufus, 'What is interior peace, and what use is it?' The old man said, 'Interior peace means to remain sitting in one's cell with fear and knowledge of God, holding far off the remembrance of wrongs…

Rufus (¶1)

Abba Rufus said, 'He who remains sitting at the feet of his spiritual father receives a greater reward than he who lives alone in the desert.' He added that one of the Fathers said, 'I have seen four orders in heaven:…

Rufus (¶2)

When Abba Romanus was at the point of death, his disciples gathered round him and said, 'How ought we to conduct ourselves?' The old man said to them, 'I do not think I have ever told one of you to do something, without…

A brother whom another brother had wronged came to see Abba Sisoes and said to him, 'My brother has hurt me and I want to avenge myself.' The old man pleaded with him saying, 'No, my child, leave vengeance to God.' He…

Sisoes (¶1)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes saying, 'What should I do? When I go to the church, often there is an agape there after the service and they make me stay for it?' The old man said to him, 'It is a difficult question.' Then…

Sisoes (¶2)

Abba Sisoes' disciple said to him, 'Father, you are growing old. Let us now go back nearer to inhabited country.' The old man said to him, 'Let us go where there are no women.' His disciple said to him, 'Where is there…

Sisoes (¶3)

Abba Sisoes' disciple often said to him, 'Abba, get up, and let us eat.' And he would say to him, 'Have we not eaten, my child?' He would reply, 'No, Father.' The the old man would say, 'If we have not eaten, bring the…

Sisoes (¶4)

Abba Sisoes expressed himself freely one day, saying, 'Have confidence: for thirty years I have not prayed to God about my faults, but I have made this prayer to him: "Lord Jesus, save me from my tongue," and until now…

Sisoes (¶5)

A brother said to Abba Sisoes, 'How is it that the passions do not leave me?' The old man said, 'Their tools are inside you; give them their pay and they will go.'

Sisoes (¶6)

Abba Sisoes was living for a time on the mountain of Abba Anthony, and his disciple was a long time coming, so he did not see anyone for ten months.

Sisoes (¶7)

There was a liturgy on the mountain of Abba Anthony and they had a small bottle of wine there. One of the old men took a jug and a cup and offered some to Abba Sisoes. He drank some.

Sisoes (¶8)

One of the brethren went to see Abba Sisoes on Abba Anthony's mountain. While they were talking, he said to Abba Sisoes, 'Have you already reached Abba Anthony's stature, Father?' The old man said to him, 'If I had one…

Sisoes (¶9)

One of the inhabitants of the Thebaid came to see Abba Sisoes one day because he wanted to become a monk. The old man asked him if he had any relations in the world.

Sisoes (¶10)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes, 'Did Satan pursue them like this in the early days?' The old man said to him, 'He does this more at the present time, because his time is nearly finished and he is enraged.'

Sisoes (¶11)

Abraham, Abba Sisoes' disciple, was tempted one day by the devil and the old man saw that he had given way. Standing up, he stretched his hands towards heaven, saying, 'God, whether you will, or whether you will not, I…

Sisoes (¶12)

A brother said to Abba Sisoes, 'I am aware that the remembrance of God stays with me.' The old man said to him, 'It is no great thing to be with God in your thoughts, but it is a great thing to see yourself as inferior…

Sisoes (¶13)

It was said of Abba Sisoes that when he was at the point of death, while the Fathers were sitting beside him, his face shone like Sisoes the sun.

Sisoes (¶14)

Abba Adelphius, bishop of Nilopolis, went to find Abba Sisoes on the mountain of Abba Anthony. When they were ready to leave, before setting out on their road Abba Sisoes made them eat before morning.

Sisoes (¶15)

Some brothers went to see Abba Sisoes to hear a word from him. But he did not speak to them saying, 'Excuse me.' Seeing his little baskets, the visitors asked his disciple Abraham, 'What do you do with these little…

Sisoes (¶16)

Abba Ammoun of Rhaithou asked Abba Sisoes, 'When I read the Scriptures, my mind is wholly concentrated on the words so that I may have something to say if I am asked.' The old man said to him, 'That is not necessary; it…

Sisoes (¶17)

A secular who had a son came to see Abba Sisoes on Abba Anthony's mountain. On the way, it happened that his son died. He was not troubled by this but brought him with confidence to the old man and bowed down with his…

Sisoes (¶18)

Three old men came to see Abba Sisoes, having heard about him. The first said to him, 'Father, how shall I save myself from the river of fire?' He did not answer him.

Sisoes (¶19)

They asked Abba Sisoes, 'If a brother sins, surely he must do penance for a year?' He replied, 'That is a hard saying.' The visitors said, 'For six months?' He replied, 'That is a great deal.' They said, 'For forty…

Sisoes (¶20)

When Abba Sisoes went to Clysma one day, some seculars came to see him. Though they talked a great deal, he did not answer them by so much as a word. Later, one of them said, 'Why do you bother the old man?

Sisoes (¶21)

Abba Joseph asked Abba Sisoes, 'For how long must a man cut away the passions?' The old man said to him, 'Do you want to know how long?' Abba Joseph answered, 'Yes.' The the old man said to him, 'So long as a passion…

Sisoes (¶22)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes of Petra how to live and the old man said to him, 'Daniel said: do not eat the bread of desires.' (cf. Dan. 10.3)

Sisoes (¶23)

It was said of Abba Sisoes that when he was sitting in the cell he would always close the door.

Sisoes (¶24)

One day some Arians came to see Abba Sisoes on Abba Anthony's mountain and they began to speak against the orthodox faith. The old man gave them no answer but he called his disciple and said to him, 'Abraham, bring me…

Sisoes (¶25)

Abba Ammoun of Rhaithou came to Clysma one day to meet Abba Sisoes. Seeing that Abba Sisoes was grieved because he had left the desert, Abba Ammoun said to him, 'Abba, why grieve about 218 it?

Sisoes (¶26)

Abba Sisoes was sitting in his cell one day. His disciple knocked on the door and the old man shouted out to him saying, 'Go away, Abraham, do not come in. From now on I have no time for the things of this world.'

Sisoes (¶27)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes, 'Why did you leave Scetis, where you lived with Abba Or and come to live here?' The old man said, 'At the time when Scetis became crowded, I heard that Anthony was dead and I got up and came…

Sisoes (¶28)

He also said, 'When there is someone who takes care of you, you are not to give him orders.'

Sisoes (¶29)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes, 'If we are walking along the road and the guide leads us astray, ought we to tell him so?' The old man answered, 'No.' Then the brother said, 'Should we let him lead us astray then?' The old…

Sisoes (¶30)

One day the Saracens came and robbed the old man and his brother. As he was setting off into the desert to find something to eat, the old man found some camel dung and having broken it up, he found some grains of barley…

Sisoes (¶31)

They said Abba Sisoes the Theban dwelt at Calamon of Arsinoe. Another old man was ill there in the other lavra and when he heard of it, Abba Sisoes was very sorry.

Sisoes (¶32)

One of the Fathers related of Abba Sisoes of Calamon that, wishing to overcome sleep one day, he hung himself over the precipice of Petra.

Sisoes (¶33)

One of the Fathers asked Abba Sisoes, 'If I am sitting in the desert and a barbarian comes to kill me and if I am stronger than he, shall I kill him?' The old man said to him, 'No, leave him to God.

Sisoes (¶34)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes the Theban, 'Give me a word,' and he said, 'What shall I say to you? I read the New Testament, and I turn to the old.'

Sisoes (¶35)

The same brother asked Abba Sisoes of Petra about the saying which Abba Sisoes the Theban had said to him and the old man said, 'I go to sleep in sin and I awaken in sin.'

Sisoes (¶36)

They said of Abba Sisoes the Theban that when the assembly was dismissed he used to flee to his cell and they used to say of him, 'He is possessed by a devil.' But he was really doing the work of God.

Sisoes (¶37)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes, 'What shall I do, abba, for I have fallen?' The old man said to him, 'Get up again.' The brother said, 'I have got up again, but I have fallen again.' The old man said, 'Get up again and…

Sisoes (¶38)

A brother asked an old man, 'What shall I do, for I am troubled about manual work? I love making ropes and I cannot make them.' The old man said that Abba Sisoes used to say, 'You should not do work which gives you…

Sisoes (¶39)

Abba Sisoes said, 'Seek God, and do not seek where he dwells.'

Sisoes (¶40)

He also said, 'Shame and lack of fear often lead to sin.'

Sisoes (¶41)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes, 'What am I to do?' He said to him: 'What you need is a great deal of silence and humility. For it is written: "Blessed are those who wait for him" (Is.

Sisoes (¶42)

Abba Sisoes said, 'Let yourself be despised, cast your own will behind your back, and you will be free from care and at peace.'

Sisoes (¶43)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes, 'What shall I do about the passions?' The old man said, 'Each man is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.' (James 1.14)

Sisoes (¶44)

A brother asked Abba Sisoes to give him a word. He said, 'Why do you make me speak without need? Whatever you see, do that.'

Sisoes (¶45)

One day Abba Abraham, Abba Sisoes' disciple, went away on an errand. During his absence the old man did not wish to be served by anyone else.

Sisoes (¶46)

They said of Abba Sisoes that once when he was sitting down, he cried with a loud voice, 'O misery!' His disciple said to him, 'What is the matter, father?' The old man said to him, 'I seek a man to speak to and I do…

Sisoes (¶47)

One day Abba Sisoes left Abba Anthony's mountain to go to the outer mountain of the Thebaid and there he stayed. Now there were some Meletians there who lived at Calamon of Arsinoe.

Sisoes (¶48)

This is what they relate about Abba Sisoes when he became ill. The old men were sitting beside him and he spoke to some of them. They said to him, 'What do you see, abba?' He said to them, 'I see beings coming towards…

Sisoes (¶49)

They said of Abba Sisoes that when he came to Clysma he fell ill. While he was sitting with his disciple in his cell, someone knocked on the door.

Sisoes (¶50)

Abba Sisoes, the Theban, said to his disciple, 'Tell me what you see in me and then I will tell you what I see in you.' His disciple said to him, 'You are a good man, but a little hard.' The old man said to him, 'You…

Sisoes (¶51)

They said of Abba Sisoes the Theban that he did not eat bread. At the Paschal Feast the brothers bowed to him and invited him to eat with them.

Sisoes (¶52)

If anyone asked Abba Sisoes about Abba Pambo, he would say, 'Pambo was very great in his works.' 222

Sisoes (¶53)

Abba Sisoes said to a brother, 'How are you getting on?' and he replied, 'I am wasting my time, father.' The old man said, 'If I happen to waste a day, I am grateful for it.'* SILVANUS Silvanus, a Palestinian by birth,…

Sisoes (¶54)

Abba Silvanus and his disciple Zacharias went to a certain monastery one day. They were given something to eat a little before taking the road and when they got outside his disciple found some water beside the path and…

Silvanus (¶1)

As Abba Silvanus was sitting with the brethren one day he was rapt in ecstasy and fell with his face to the ground. After a long time he got up and wept.

Silvanus (¶2)

Another time his disciple Zacharias entered and found him in ecstasy with his hands stretched towards heaven. Closing the door, he went away. Coming at the sixth and the ninth hours he found him in the same state.

Silvanus (¶3)

One day while Abba Silvanus was living on the mountain of Sinai his disciple Zacharias went away on an errand and said to the old man, 'Open the well and water the garden.' The old man went out with his face hidden in…

Silvanus (¶4)

A brother went to see Abba Silvanus on the mountain of Sinai. When he saw the brothers working hard he said to the old man, 'Do not labour for the food which perishes.

Silvanus (¶5)

One day someone asked Abba Silvanus, 'How have you lived, father, in order to become so wise?' He replied, 'I have never let a thought that would bring the anger of God upon me enter my heart.'

Silvanus (¶6)

It was said of Abba Silvanus that he stayed in his cell in secret. He had some small dried peas with which he made a hundred 224 necklaces to earn his food. Someone came from Egypt with an ass laden with loaves.

Silvanus (¶7)

They said of Abba Silvanus that his disciple Zacharias went out without him and, taking some brothers with him, moved the garden fence back to make it larger.

Silvanus (¶8)

Abba Silvanus said, 'I am a slave, and my master says to me: "Do your work, and I will feed you; but do not try to find out whence I shall feed you.

Silvanus (¶9)

He also said, 'Unhappy is the man whose reputation is greater than his work.'

Silvanus (¶10)

Abba Moses asked Abba Silvanus, 'Can a man lay a new foundation every day?' The old man said, 'If he works hard, he can lay a new foundation at every moment.'

Silvanus (¶11)

The Fathers used to say that someone met Abba Silvanus one day and saw his face and body shining like an angel and he fell with his face to the ground. He said that others also had obtained this grace. SIMON

Silvanus (¶12)

A magistrate came to see Abba Simon one day. When he heard of it, he put on his apron and went out to attend to a palm-tree. When the visitors arrived they called out to him, 'Old man, where Sarmatas is the anchorite?'…

Simon (¶1)

Another time, another magistrate came to visit him. The clergy went on ahead and said to the old man, 'Abba, get ready, for this magistrate has heard of you and is coming for your blessing.' So he said, 'Yes, I will…

Simon (¶2)

Abba Sarmatas said, 'I prefer a sinful man who knows he has sinned and repents, to a man who has not sinned and considers himself to be righteous.'

Sarmatas (¶1)

They said of Abba Sarmatas that on Abba Poemen's advice, he was often alone for forty days. He completed this time as though he had done nothing special.

Sarmatas (¶2)

A brother asked Abba Sarmatas, 'My thoughts say to me: "Do not work, but eat, drink and sleep."' The old man said to him, 'When you are hungry, eat; when you are thirsty, drink; when you are drowsy, sleep.' Fortunately…

Sarmatas (¶3)

The same brother asked Abba Sarmatas again, 'My thoughts say to me: "Come out and go and see the brethren." ' The old man said, 'Do not listen to them about this, but say: "I listened to you before, but I do not want to…

Sarmatas (¶4)

Abba Sarmatas also said, 'If a man does not flee from everything possible, he makes sin inevitable.'* SERAPION

Sarmatas (¶5)

One day Abba Serapion passed through an Egyptian village and there he saw a courtesan who stayed in her own cell. The old man said to her, 'Expect me this evening, for I should like to come and spend the night with…

Serapion (¶1)

A brother said to Abba Serapion, 'Give me a word.' The old man said to him, 'What shall I say to you? You have taken the living of the widows and orphans and put it on your shelves.' For he saw them full of books.

Serapion (¶2)

Abba Serapion said, 'When the soldiers of the emperor are standing at attention, they cannot look to the right or left; it is the same for the man who stands before God and looks towards him in fear at all times; he…

Serapion (¶3)

A brother went to find Abba Serapion. According to his custom, the old man invited him to say a prayer. But the other, calling himself a sinner and unworthy of the monastic habit, did not obey.

Serapion (¶4)

They said of Abba Serinus that he used to work hard and always ate two small loaves. Abba Job, his companion and himself a great ascetic, went to see him and said, 'I am careful about what I do in the cell, but when I…

Serinus (¶1)

Abba Serinus said, 'I have spent my time in harvesting, sewing and weaving, and in all these employments if the hand of God had not sustained me, I should not have been fed.' SPYRIDON

Serinus (¶2)

It was said of Spyridon that he took care of his flock of sheep with such great holiness that he was judged worthy to be a shepherd of men too.

Spyridon (¶1)

It was also said of him that he had a young daughter who shared her father's devotion and whose name was Irene. One of their acquaintances entrusted her with an ornament of great price.

Spyridon (¶2)

It was related of Amma Sarah that for thirteen years she waged warfare against the demon of fornication. She never prayed that the warfare should cease but she said, 'O God, give me strength.' 230

Amma Sarah (¶1)

Once the same spirit of fornication attacked her more insistently, reminding her of the vanities of the world. But she gave herself up to the fear of God and to asceticism and went up onto her little terrace to pray.

Amma Sarah (¶2)

It was said concerning her that for sixty years she lived beside a river and never lifted her eyes to look at it.

Amma Sarah (¶3)

Another time, two old men, great anchorites, came to the district of Pelusia to visit her. When they arrived one said to the other, 'Let us humiliate this old woman.' So they said to her, 'Be careful not to become…

Amma Sarah (¶4)

Amma Sarah said, 'If I prayed God that all men should approve of my conduct, I should find myself a penitent at the door of each one, but I shall rather pray that my heart may be pure towards all.'

Amma Sarah (¶5)

She also said, 'I put out my foot to ascend the ladder, and I place death before my eyes before going up it.'

Amma Sarah (¶6)

She also said, 'It is good to give alms for men's sake. Even if it is only done to please men, through it one can begin to seek to please God.'

Amma Sarah (¶7)

Some monks of Scetis came one day to visit Amma Sarah. She offered them a small basket of fruit. They left the good fruit and ate the bad. So she said to them, 'You are true monks of Scetis.'

Amma Sarah (¶8)

She also said to the brothers, 'It is I who am a man, you who are women.'* SYNCLETICA

Amma Sarah (¶9)

Amma Syncletica said, 'In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advanc* 9 is an addition from J.-C. Guy's text (p. 34).

Amma Syncletica (¶1)

She also said, 'We who have chosen this way of life must obtain perfect temperance. It is true that among seculars, also, temperance has the freedom of the city, but intemperance cohabits with it, because they sin with…

Amma Syncletica (¶2)

She also said, 'Just as the most bitter medicine drives out poisonous creatures so prayer joined to fasting drives evil thoughts away.'

Amma Syncletica (¶3)

She also said, 'Do not let yourself be seduced by the delights of the riches of the world, as though they contained something useful on account of vain pleasure.

Amma Syncletica (¶4)

Blessed Syncletica was asked if poverty is a perfect good. She said, 'For those who are capable of it, it is a perfect good. Those who can sustain it receive suffering in the body but rest in the soul, for just as one…

Amma Syncletica (¶5)

She also said, 'If you find yourself in a monastery do not go to another place, for that will harm you a great deal. Just as the bird who abandons the eggs she was sitting on prevents them from hatching, so the monk or…

Amma Syncletica (¶6)

She also said, 'Many are the wiles of the devil. If he is not able to disturb the soul by means of poverty, he suggests riches as an attraction.

Amma Syncletica (¶7)

She also said, 'If illness weighs us down, let us not be sorrowful as though, because of the illness and the prostration of our bodies we could not sing, for all these things are for our good, for the purification of…

Amma Syncletica (¶8)

She also said, 'When you have to fast, do not pretend illness. For those who do not fast often fall into real sicknesses. If you have begun to act well, do not turn back through constraint of the enemy, for through your…

Amma Syncletica (¶9)

She also said, 'Those who have endured the labours and dangers of the sea and then amass material riches, even when they have gained much desire to gain yet more and they consider what they have at present as nothing…

Amma Syncletica (¶10)

She also said, 'Imitate the publican, and you will not be condemned with the Pharisee. Choose the meekness of Moses and you will find your heart which is a rock changed into a spring of water.'

Amma Syncletica (¶11)

She also said, 'It is dangerous for anyone to teach who has not first been trained in the "practical" life. For if someone who owns a ruined house receives guests there, he does them harm because of the dilapidation of…

Amma Syncletica (¶12)

She also said, 'It is good not to get angry, but if this should happen, the Apostle does not allow you a whole day for this passion, for he says: "Let not the sun go down." (Eph.

Amma Syncletica (¶13)

She also said, 'Those who are great athletes must contend against stronger enemies.'

Amma Syncletica (¶14)

She also said, 'There is an asceticism which is determined by the enemy and his disciples practice it. So how are we to distinguish between the divine and royal asceticism and the demonic tyranny?

Amma Syncletica (¶15)

She also said, 'As long as we are in the monastery, obedience is preferable to asceticism. The one teaches pride, the other humility.'

Amma Syncletica (¶16)

She also said, 'We must direct our souls with discernment. As long as we are in the monastery, we must not seek our own will, nor follow our personal opinion, but obey our fathers in the faith.'

Amma Syncletica (¶17)

She also said, 'It is written, "Be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." (Matt. 10.16) Being like serpents means not ignoring attacks and wiles of the devil. Like is quickly known to like.

Amma Syncletica (¶18)

Amma Syncletica said, 'There are many who live in the mountains and behave as if they were in the town, and they are wasting their time.

Amma Syncletica (¶19)

She also said, 'In the world, if we commit an offence, even an involuntary one, we are thrown into prison; let us likewise cast ourselves into prison because of our sins, so that voluntary remembrance may anticipate the…

Amma Syncletica (¶20)

She also said, 'Just as a treasure that is exposed loses its value, so a virtue which is known vanishes; just as wax melts when it is near fire, so the soul is destroyed by praise and loses all the results of its…

Amma Syncletica (¶21)

She also said, 'Just as it is impossible to be at the same moment both a plant and a seed, so it is impossible for us to be surrounded by worldly honour and at the same time to bear heavenly fruit.'

Amma Syncletica (¶22)

She also said, 'My children, we all want to be saved, but because of our habit of negligence, we swerve away from salvation.'

Amma Syncletica (¶23)

She also said, 'We must arm ourselves in every way against the demons. For they attack us from outside, and they also stir us up from within; and the soul is then like a ship when great waves break over it, and at the…

Amma Syncletica (¶24)

She also said, 'Here below we are not exempt from temptations. For Scripture says, "Let him who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Cor. 10.12) We sail on in darkness.

Amma Syncletica (¶25)

She also said, 'Just as one cannot build a ship unless one has some nails, so it is impossible to be saved without humility.'

Amma Syncletica (¶26)

She also said, 'There is grief that is useful, and there is grief that is destructive. The first sort consists in weeping over one's own faults and weeping over the weakness of one's neighbours, in order not to destroy…

Amma Syncletica (¶27)

It was said of Abba Tithoes that when he stood up to pray, if he did not quickly lower his hand, his spirit was rapt to heaven. So if it happened that some brothers were praying with him, he hastened to lower his hands…

Tithoes (¶1)

Abba Tithoes used to say, 'Pilgrimage means that a man should control his own tongue.'

Tithoes (¶2)

A brother asked Abba Tithoes, 'How should I guard my heart?' The old man said to him, 'How can we guard our hearts when our mouths and our stomachs are open?'

Tithoes (¶3)

Abba Matoes used to say of Abba Tithoes, 'No-one can ever speak against him, for like pure gold in the balance, so is Abba Tithoes.'

Tithoes (¶4)

Abba Tithoes was sitting at Clysma one day, thinking and pondering and he said to his disciple, 'Water the palm-trees, my son.' 236 Timothy The latter said to him, 'But we are at Clysma, abba.' The old man said, 'What…

Tithoes (¶5)

One day when Abba Tithoes was sitting down, a brother happened to be beside him. Not realizing this, he began to groan, without thinking that the brother was beside him for he was in ecstasy.

Tithoes (¶6)

A brother asked Abba Tithoes, 'Which way leads to humility?' The old man said, 'The way of humility is this: self-control, prayer, and thinking yourself inferior to all creatures.' TIMOTHY

Tithoes (¶7)

Abba Timothy the priest said to Abba Poemen, 'There is a woman who commits fornication in Egypt and she gives her wages away in alms.' Abba Poemen said, 'She will not go on committing fornication, for the fruit of faith…

Abba Hyperechius said, 'As the lion is terrible to wild asses, so is the experienced monk to desires.'

Hyperechius (¶1)

He also said, 'Fasting is a check against sin for the monk. He who discards it is like a rampaging stallion.' (cf. Jer. 5.8)

Hyperechius (¶2)

He also said, 'He who does not control his tongue when he is angry, will not control his passions either.'

Hyperechius (¶3)

He also said, 'It is better to eat meat and drink wine and not to eat the flesh of one's brethren through slander.'

Hyperechius (¶4)

He also said, 'It was through whispering that the serpent drove Eve out of Paradise, so he who speaks against his neighbour will be like the serpent, for he corrupts the soul of him who listens to him and he does not…

Hyperechius (¶5)

He also said, 'A monk's treasure is voluntary poverty. Lay up treasure in heaven, brother, for there are the ages of quiet and bliss without end.' 238 Hyperechius

Hyperechius (¶6)

He also said, 'Let your thoughts be ever in the kingdom of heaven and soon you will possess it as an heritage.'

Hyperechius (¶7)

He also said, 'Obedience is the best ornament of the monk. He who has acquired it will be heard by God, and he will stand beside the crucified with confidence, for the crucified Lord became obedient unto death.' (cf.

Hyperechius (¶8)

Abba Phocas of the monastery of Abba Theognius of Jerusalem used to say, 'When I used to live in Scetis, there was an Abba James in the Cells, a young man, whose father according to the flesh was at the same time his…

Phocas (¶1)

Abba Phocas also said, 'When he came to Scetis, Abba James was strongly attacked by the demon of fornication. As the warfare pressed harder, he came to see me and told me about it, saying to me, "Tomorrow, I am going to…

Phocas (¶2)

Some brothers who had some seculars with them, went to see Abba Felix and they begged him to say a word to them. But the old man kept silence.

There was one of the saints named Philagrius who dwelt in the desert of Jerusalem and worked laboriously to earn his own bread. While he was standing in the market place to sell his manual work, someone dropped a purse…

Abba Phortas said, 'If God wants me to live, he knows how to deal with me; but if he does not wish it, what is the good of living?' Though he was bedridden, he did not accept anything from anyone.

It was said of Abba Chomas that at the point of death he said to his sons, 'Do not dwell with heretics, and do not have anything to do with rulers, then your hands will not be opened to gather together, but open to…

They said that Abba Chaeremon's cave was forty miles from the church and ten miles from the marsh and water. So when he took his manual work to his cave, he took with him two goatskin bottles, one beside the other, and…

Abba Psenthaisius, Abba Surus and Abba Psoius used to agree in saying this, 'Whenever we listened to the words of our Father, Abba Pachomius, we were greatly helped and spurred on with zeal for good works; we saw how,…

It was said of Abba Or and Abba Theodore that as they were building a cell out of clay, they said to one another, 'If God should visit us now, what should we do?' Then, weeping, they left the clay there and each of them…

Or (¶1)

They said of Abba Or that he never lied, nor swore, nor hurt anyone, nor spoke without necessity.

Or (¶2)

Abba Or said to his disciple Paul, 'Be careful never to let an irrelevant word come into this cell.'

Or (¶3)

Paul, Abba Or's disciple, went to buy some reeds one day. He ascertained that others had been before him and had paid deposits. But Abba Or never paid deposits for anything at all, but paid the 246 Or full price at the…

Or (¶4)

Abba Or said, 'If you see that I am thinking adversely about someone, know that he is thinking in the same way about me.'

Or (¶5)

In Abba Or's neighbourhood there was a villager named Longinas, who gave a great deal away in alms. He asked one of the Fathers who came to see him to take him to Abba Or.

Or (¶6)

Abba Sisoes asked Abba Or, 'Give me a word,' and he said to him, 'Do you trust me?' He replied that he did. Then he said to him, 'Go, and what you have seen me do, do also.' Abba Sisoes said to him, 'Father, what have I…

Or (¶7)

It was said of Abba Or and Abba Theodore, that they laid good foundations, and at all times gave thanks to God.

Or (¶8)

Abba Or said, 'The crown of the monk is humility.'

Or (¶9)

He also said, 'He who is honoured and praised beyond his merits, will suffer much condemnation, but he who is held as of no account among men will receive glory in heaven.'

Or (¶10)

He gave this counsel, 'Whenever you want to subdue your high and proud thoughts, examine your conscience carefully: Have you kept all the commandments?

Or (¶11)

This was what he taught: In all temptation, do not complain about anyone else, but say about yourself, 'These things happen to me because of my sins.'

Or (¶12)

He used to say this, 'Do not speak in your heart against your brother like this: "I am a man of more sober and austere life than he is," but put yourself in subjection to the grace of Christ, in the spirit of poverty…

Or (¶13)

He propounded this saying, 'If you are fleeing, flee from men; or the world and the men in it will make you do many foolish things.'

Or (¶14)

He also said, 'If you have spoken evil of your brother, and you are stricken with remorse, go and kneel down before him and say: "I have spoken badly of you; let this be my surety that I will not spread this slander any…

Or (¶15)

Also SISTER M. M O N I C A W A G N E R , Saint Basil, Ascetical Works, Washington, 1962. BARSANUFIUS and JOHN. Correspondence of Barsanufius and John, edited by NIKODEMUS, Venice, 1816. French translation L.

Or (¶1925)

French translation of the Vita Prima of Pachomius, A.-J. FESTUGIERE, Les Moines d'Orient, vol. 4. Paris, 1965. PALLADIUS The Lausiac History. Edited by C U T H B E R T BUTLER, Cam- bridge, 1898-1904.

Or (¶1934)

126, 130, 141,189, 193 Books, 34, 42, 58 Brother, 3, 13, 23, 32, 41, 75, 86, 100, 101, 147, 152, 165, 175, 176, 177, 179, 188, 189, 190, 194, 226 92, 93. 94, 109, 110, 135. 138, 175.

Or (¶125)

76, 83, 90, 92, 101, 104, 111. 121, 139. 140, 219 Compunction, 4, 17, 46, 55, 62, 64, 90, 106, 108, 145, 165, 166, 167, 171, 172, 173, 176, 177, 195, 201, 205, 206, 209, 222, 227, 237 Courtesan.

Or (¶75)

219. 231, 232, 238, 241 Father (abba), 16, 17, 31, 55, 69, 70, 103, 105, 111, 184, 195, 210, 245; natural father, 117, 130, 156, 166, 2 0 1 , 241 Faults, 141, 175; of one's own, 64, 66, 122, 132, 142, 145, 184, 185, 193,

Or (¶175)

235; of others, 55, 92, 134, 181, 184 Fear, 8, 77,98, 227; of God,8,19, 27 , 62, 87, 90, g2, 104, 130, 161, 162, l173, 174, 176, 177, 195, 201.

Or (¶213)

189, 209, 210,242. Heresy, 74, 217, 225 Heretic, 21, 178, 221, 244 Hermit, 108. See Anchorite; Solitary Hesychast, 179 Holy, 108, 118, 151, 197 Holy Spirit, 7, 19, 59, 68, 87, 123, 162, 186, 210 Honour, 90, 95, 234, 242…

Or (¶175)

235. 237. 240, 247 Hunger, 92, 174 Husband, 60, 88, 128, 177 Idols, 122, 136 111, 12, 14, 16, 23, 37, 75, 77, 83, 110, 114, 118, 121, 122, 129, 157, 198, 219, 221, 231, 232 Illness, 30, 123, 171, 209, 219, 232…

Or (¶234)

140. 244 Martyr, 49, 196 Martyrdom, 136 Mat, 26, 72, 101, 135 Meat, 5, 81, 107, 190, 238 Meditation, 29, 92, 190 Men, 11, 71, 161, 196 Mercy, 121, 131, 142, 162, 180, 185, 202, 205, 216 Mind, 71, 153, 171 Monastery, 6,…

Or (¶134)

96, 97, 100. 101, 102, 103, 114. 117, 118, 125, 126, 133, 137, 141,

Or (¶94)

154. 155. 157, 158. 169.170.

Or (¶147)

176. 177. 179. 182. 183. 192'

Or (¶175)

197, 203. 204, 210. 214. 230.

Or (¶196)

237. 238. 247 Mortify, 80, 129, 177, 215 Mother, 128, 132, 146, 148, 177, 178, Mountain, 15, 18, 127, 136, 213, 214, 215, 218, 221, 234, 237 Murder, 36, 147 Mystery, 53, 98, 160 Naked, 5, 8, 42, 55, 88, 92, 125…

Or (¶231)

239 Obey, 72, 97, 169, 227, 234 Offering, 18, 23, 125, 133, 144 Orthodox, 217, 240, 241 Pagan, 56, 130, 245; priest, 136, 137, Palm, 11, 12, 27, 29, 71, 87, 97, 100, 128, 129, 224, 236, 247 Passion, 6, 20, 33, 86, 115,…

Or (¶234)

153. 155, 179, 189. 207, 209. General Index 236; in need, 7, 9, 27, 29, 48, 53, 54, 66,67, 77, 79,88, 135, 141, 142, 147, 158, 168, 202, 212, 213, 229, 230, 241, 242; pray always, 9, 14, 36, 44,

Or (¶135)

58. 83, 110. 120, 121, 132, 152; pray for, 4, 14, 16,67, 123. 136, 151, 156, 196, 224, 226, 237 Prayers, 5, 32, 57, 79, 127, 144, 153, 154, 160, 174, 193; to give oneself to prayer, 22, 41, 92, 97, 190, 231,

Or (¶57)

237; say a prayer, 52, 94, 108,

Or (¶235)

135, 144, 208, 226, 227 Pride, 8, 16, 52, 71, 106, 107, 234 Priest, 40, 41, 53, 54, 86, 96, 138, 139, 144, 147, 150, 151, 164, 168, 178, 189, 196, 197, 199, 207, 208, 237 Prostitute, 59, 88, 89, 93, 105, 226, Psalmody,…

Or (¶131)

156, 168, 175. 176. 179. 183. 185, 188, 219, 220, 226; as verb,

Or (¶155)

58, 95, 97, 107, 110, 142. 165, 170, 176, 191, 199, 202, 216, 217, 225, 231 Sinner, 42, 58, 63, 96, 141, 143, 151, 176, 206, 227, 232, 245, 247 Sins, 31, 55, 71, 104, 133, 138, 142, 147, 180, 189, 195, 199, 202, 206,

Or (¶42)

234 Slander, 88, 125, 131, 143, 144, 188, 238, 248 Solitary, 9, 20, 72, 103, 175, 234 Solitude, 3, 19, 36, 74, 122, 127, 140, '45 Sorrow, 171, 177 Soul, 6, 7, 8, 36, 52, 81, 83, 84, 89, 92,…

Or (¶219)

97. 98- 100, 125, 127, 134. 161, 164, 168, 171, 172, 174, 179, 180, 181, 187, 190, 193, 203, 204, 214, 226, 231, 235; sinful, 1, 2, 83, 87, 106, 122, 142, 160, 169, 170, 188, 223, 247 Truth, 45, 57, 97, 103, 225, 240…

Or (¶92)

75. 90. 91, 92, 98. 104, 155, 167, 173, 184, 185, 186, 195, 196, Weep, 8, 18, 43, 50, 55, 71, 87, 90, 94, 102, 126, 133, 136, 138, 142, 145, 147, 184, 187, 195, 196, 199, 205, 222, 235 Woman, 14, 27, 33, 41, 51, 52, 57,…

Or (¶72)