Various stories about managing against the prodigal wars rising against us

1 (Lat. 1). Abba Anthony said: I think that the body has a natural movement, innate to it; but it does not act when the soul does not want, and there is only one movement in the body without lust. There is another movement that comes from nutrition and heating the body with food and drink. The heat in the blood that comes from them produces excitement in the body. That is why the Apostle Paul said: do not get drunk with wine, for there is fornication in it (Luke 21:34). Among ascetics there is also another movement, which comes from the cunning and envy of demons. So you need to know that movements in the body are of three kinds: one natural, another from indiscriminate eating, and the third from demons.

2 (2). Abba Gerontius of Petra said: many, tempted by carnal lusts, without copulating physically, committed fornication in thought, and while keeping the body virgin, committed fornication in the soul. Therefore, beloved, it is good to fulfill the words of Scripture: guard your heart with all care (Proverbs 4:23).

3. Abba John Kolov said: he who delights and speaks with the boy has already committed adultery with him in his thoughts.

4 (3). Abba Cassian said - this is what Abba Moses told us: it is good not to hide your thoughts, but to reveal them to spiritual and prudent elders, and not to those who have grown old from time alone. For many, looking at old age and revealing their thoughts, instead of healing, due to the inexperience of those listening, fell into despair. (Lat. 4). So there was one brother from among the most zealous. Being greatly outraged by the demon of fornication, he came to one old man and revealed his thoughts to him. He listened, but, being inexperienced, indignantly called his brother vile and unworthy of the image of a monk, since he had such thoughts. Hearing this, the brother fell into despair, left his cell and went into the world. By God's dispensation, Abba Apollos met with him. Seeing him indignant and greatly saddened, Abba asked him, what is the reason for your sadness, my son? At first, out of great despondency, he did not answer. Then, having been begged a lot by the elder, he opened the matter to him, saying: I am outraged by the thoughts of fornication, I went to such and such an elder, revealed them to him, and according to his word, I had no hope of salvation; So I, in despair, am now leaving for the world. Having heard this, Father Apollos, like a wise doctor, encouraged and admonished him for a long time, saying: do not imagine this strange, my son, and do not despair! And at this age and gray hair I am very indignant at such thoughts. So, do not lose your spirit at this kindling, which is healed not so much by human diligence as by God’s mercy - just do me a favor now and return to your cell. My brother did just that. Having left him, Abba Apollos went to the cell of the old man who had rejected his brother, and standing near his cell, he prayed to God with tears, saying: Lord, who brings temptations to the good, turn the brother’s struggle against this old man, so that through experience he may learn in his old age his what he could not learn for many years - so that he could sympathize with those who were struggling. When the Abba finished his prayer, he saw an Ethiopian standing near his cell and shooting arrows at the old man. Having been wounded by them, the elder immediately began to sway back and forth, as if in ecstasy, and, unable to bear it, left his cell and went into the world the same way that the young brother had walked. Abba Apollos, knowing about what had happened, met him and approached him and said: where are you going, and what is the reason for the confusion that overwhelms you? Ashamed that everything that happened to him was known to the saint, he said nothing out of shame. Then Abba Apollos said to him: return to your cell - henceforth know your weakness, and consider yourself hitherto either unrecognized by the devil, or even despicable, when you are not worthy of the fight against him sent against zealous monks. What am I saying - struggle? You couldn't bear the attack even for one day. This happened because you, having taken in a young man who had a fight with a common enemy, instead of strengthening him in the fight, plunged him into despair, without thinking about that wise commandment that says: deliver those who are led to death and redeem those who are killed, do not spare (Proverbs 24:11), nor about the parable of our Savior God, who says: broken reeds cannot be broken, and the flax of the heart cannot be quenched: until the end of judgment will lead to victory (Matthew 12:20). For no one can endure the wiles of the enemy, nor even quench the flames, if the grace of God does not protect human weakness. So, in order for this saving look to take place on us, let us ask God through common prayers to avert the blow directed at you: He makes you sick, and again raises... and His hand will be healed... Humbles and exalts, kills and gives life , brings him down to hell and raises him up (Job. 5, 18; 1 Samuel 2, 7. 6). Having said this and prayed, Apollos immediately delivered the old man from the necessary battle, giving him the advice to ask God to give him the language of teaching understand when it is proper to speak a word by opening your mouth (Isaiah 50:4; Eph. 6:19).

5 (5). When they asked Abba Cyrus of Alexandria about a lustful thought, he answered like this: if you don’t have a thought, then you are without hope, for if you don’t have thoughts, then you have an affair. This means: whoever does not struggle with sin in his mind and does not resist it, commits it physically, and he who commits such deeds (out of his insensibility) is not indignant with his thoughts. (Lat. 6). At the same time, the elder asked his brother: “Don’t you have the habit of talking to a woman?” “No,” answered the brother, but my mind is occupied by ancient and modern painters: images of women serve as outrageous monuments for me. - The elder told him: do not be afraid of the dead, but fear the sympathy and sinful actions of the living, and practice more in prayer.

6 (7). Abba Matoi said: my brother came to me and told me that slander is worse than fornication. To this the Abba remarked: Your word is cruel! - His brother asked him: what do you think about this matter? The elder answered: although slander is bad, it is soon cured. The slanderer often repents and says: I did something bad. But fornication is a natural death.

7 (8). Like the king's armor-bearer, he always stands ready before the king; so the soul must always be ready against the demon of fornication.

8. He also said: a person should in no way give strength to two thoughts - fornication and slander of one’s neighbor; he should in no way talk about them or think about them in his heart. Freed from them, he receives peace and great benefits.

9 (9). One day a brother came to Abba Pimen and said: what should I do, father? - I suffer from fornication. And now I went to Abba Ivistion, - he told me: do not let her stay in you for a long time. Abba Pimen answered his brother: Abba Ivistion’s deeds are high - he is in heaven, along with the Angels, - and does not know that you and I are in fornication! But I will tell you from myself: if a person controls his belly and tongue, then he can control himself.

10. The brother asked Abba Pimen in case of a lustful thought. The elder tells him: God’s help, which embraces man, is great, but we cannot see it with our own eyes.

11. Another brother asked Abba Pimen: what should I do? - I am overcome by lustful desires, and I fly into a frenzy. The elder said to him, and David said: I killed the lion, and strangled the bear; this means: I cut off fury, and suppressed fornication through labor.

12. It is impossible for you to live according to God when you are voluptuous and money-loving.

13 (10). They told about mother Sarah: for thirteen years she was in a strong struggle with the demon of fornication - and she never asked to get rid of this struggle, but only cried out: My God, help me!

14 (11). They also talked about her: this spirit of fornication strongly attacked her, presenting her with the vain objects of the world; She, without weakening in the fear of God and deeds, at one time entered her secluded temple to pray. Here the spirit of fornication presented itself to her in a bodily form and said: You have defeated me, Sarah! It was not I who defeated you, she answered, but the Lord Christ.

15 (12). One brother was indignant at the thought of fornication: the battle was like fire, burning day and night in his heart. He endured and did not give in to his thoughts. And after a long time the battle passed, without being able to overcome it, due to patience, and immediately peace settled in his heart.

16 (13). Another brother had a struggle with fornication, and got up at night and came to the elder and revealed his thoughts to him. The elder calmed him down, and he, having received the benefit, returned to his cell. But again the abuse arose against him, and he again went to the elder. And he did this several times. The elder did not sadden him, but spoke for his benefit, and said this: do not give in to him, but it is better to come to me if the demon bothers you, and expose him (open your thoughts). Thus convicted, he will pass by. For nothing grieves the demon of fornication more than the discovery of his deeds, and nothing pleases him so much as the concealment of his thoughts. Thus, the brother came to this elder eleven times, denouncing his thoughts. Finally the brother says to the old man: show love - say a word to me! The elder tells him: dare, child! If God had allowed my thought to come upon you, you would not have endured it, but you would have fallen much deeper. And since the elder said this out of humility, the brother’s temptation stopped.

17 (14). Another brother was tempted to commit fornication, and with effort endured the feat for fourteen years, taking care that his very thought did not agree with lust. Finally, he came to the church and opened the case before all the people. Then a command was given, and everyone labored for him throughout the week, praying to God, and the fighting stopped.

18 (15). One hermit elder said about the thought of fornication: don’t you want to be saved while lying on your bed? Go - do it, go - work! Go - seek and you will find! Watch, push, and it will be opened to you (Matthew 7, 7.8). There are capable fighters in the world for every battle, who, despite many wounds from their opponents, receive a crown for patience and courage. But often one, receiving wounds from two, retains courage in the face of blows and defeats those who beat him. Do you see what courage they show for the sake of carnal reward? Stand still and take courage, and God will defeat the enemy for you.

19 (16). Another elder said this about the same thought: behave like someone walking through a marketplace, past an inn, and smelling the smell of boiled food or something fried. Whoever wants to, enters the tavern and eats. And whoever doesn’t want to, when passing by, only feels the smell and leaves. So protect yourself from the stench, get up and pray, saying: Son of God, help me! Do the same with other thoughts: for we are not eradicators of thoughts, but opponents.

20 (17). Another elder said about the same thought: we suffer from it from our carelessness. If we were sure that God dwells in us, we would not make ourselves into someone else’s vessel (Sch. 1 Cor. 6:15). For our Lord Christ, who dwells in us and is inherent in us, sees our life. Therefore, we, who wear it and contemplate it, should not be careless: but we must purify ourselves, just as He is pure. Let us stand on the stone, and let the evil one be crushed; Do not be afraid, and he will not harm you; sing in the stronghold, saying, He that trusteth in the Lord is like Mount Zion; he shall not move in the living age in Jerusalem. (Ps. 124:1).

21 (18). The brother asked the elder: when a monk falls into sin, he grieves, as if he suffered harm instead of success, and works until he rises, while the one who comes from the world, as the one who lays the beginning (of virtue), succeeds (and thus the latter is higher than the first)? The elder said to him in response: a monk who falls into temptation is like a fallen temple; if he completely rises up in his thoughts and wants to restore the fallen temple, then he finds many materials for this, such as: foundation, stones, rubble, and can do it faster than someone who has not dug and laid the foundation, and does not have the necessary, but driven by the hope that he can accomplish his task. Thus, if someone who has worked in monastic work falls into temptation and converts, he already has what is necessary: ​​care, psalmody, handicrafts, and so on, which constitute the foundation ( monastic life). And as long as a newcomer to monasticism continues to study this, the monk will already reach his previous state.

22 (19). One brother, being outraged by prodigal lust, came to the great elder and asked him: show love, pray for me, for prodigal lust outrages me. - The elder prayed to God for him. - Another time his brother comes to him and says the same word. - In the same way, the elder did not stop praying to God for him, saying: Lord, reveal to me the condition of my brother, and where does the devil come from on him? For I prayed to You, but until now he has not received peace. Then the Lord revealed to him about his brother. He saw him sitting, and the spirit of fornication was near him and mocked him; An Angel, sent to his aid, stood before him and was angry with his brother because he had not given himself up to God, but, enjoying his thoughts, had betrayed his entire mind to the action of the devil. “In this way, the elder recognized his brother’s guilt and said to him: you yourself are guilty, being carried away by your thoughts,” and he taught him how to resist his thoughts. - And the brother, healed by his instructions and prayer, found peace.

23 (20). Once upon a time, a disciple of a great old man struggled with lust. The elder, seeing him suffering, said: Do you want me to pray to God to make your struggle easier? “No,” said the student, “for although I suffer, I find fruit for myself in the suffering itself.” Therefore, it is better to ask God in your prayers that He will grant me patience to endure temptation. To this the Abba says to him: now I have learned that you have prosperity and are superior to me.

24 (21). They said about one old man: he came to the monastery with his son, who was still eating milk and did not know what a woman was. When this son reached manhood, the demons presented him with female images at night. He revealed this to his father. - The old man marveled. - One day it happened that a son was with his father in Egypt; When he saw the women there, he said to his father: these are the same ones who came to my monastery at night. The elder answered him: these are rural monks, my son, they have a different appearance, and another - the hermits. At the same time, the elder wondered how the demons in the monastery could show him female images? And they immediately returned to their cell.

25 (22). There was a lonely ascetic in the monastery. The enemy brought to his memory one woman, very beautiful, and greatly outraged him. By God's providence, another brother from Egypt came to the monastery; Between conversations he said that so-and-so’s wife had died. And this was the same woman with whom my brother was indignant. Hearing about this, the brother took his tunic at night and went to Egypt; opened the coffin of the deceased, wiped her rotting corpse with a tunic, and returned with it to his cell; He placed this stench near himself, and, fighting with his thoughts, said: here is the object for which you have a lust - it is in front of you, be satisfied! Thus he tormented himself with the stench until his struggle was over.

26 (23). Someone came to the monastery to take the monastic form, taking with him his son, who had just been weaned from milk. When he reached adolescence, demons began to tempt him (for fornication). He says to his father: I will go into the world, for I cannot withstand the struggle. His father held him and persuaded him. But the young man again says to him: I can’t do it anymore, father, let me go out from here. The father says to him: listen to me again, my son: take forty shares of bread and young branches (for weaving) for forty days, go into the inner desert and stay there for forty days, and the will of the Lord will be done on you. He obeyed his father, went to the desert shown, stayed there for twenty days in labor, weaved baskets, eating dry bread. And then he sees evil spirits, approaching him: before him appeared an Ethiopian woman so stinking that it was impossible to endure her stench. He began to chase her. And the demon says to him: I (usually) appear pleasant in the hearts of men; but, for your obedience and work, God did not allow me to deceive you, and revealed my stench to you. He got up and, thanking God, went to his father and said to him: now I don’t want to leave here, father, - I saw the evil spirits and its stench. This was revealed to the father himself, and he said to the young man: if you had stayed forty days and completely kept my commandment, you would have seen a greater vision.

27 (24). One old man was in the distant desert. He had a relative who had been wanting to see him for several years. Having carefully found out where the elder was, she went towards the desert, saw those walking there with camels, and entered the desert with them. She was drawn there by the devil. Approaching the old man’s door, she declared herself to be his relative and stayed with him. There was then another hermit who lived in the lower part of the desert. He poured water into a vessel, and during his meal this vessel began to spin. At the inspiration of God, he said to himself: I will go into the desert and announce this to the old man; and getting up, he went. When evening came, he lay down on the way to the temple of idols, and at night he heard demons talking: that night we drew one hermit monk into fornication. Hearing this, he was saddened, went to this old man, found him crushed, and said to him: what should I do, Abba? I pour myself a vessel of water, and during the meal it spins? The elder says to him: did you come to ask me about the fact that the vessel is spinning? What will I do? - I fell into fornication this night. “I found out about it,” he answered. - How do you know? the elder asked him. “I,” answered the brother, slept in an idol’s temple, and heard demons talking about you there. Then the elder said: I will go into the world. But his brother convinced him, saying: no, father, stay in this place, and send the woman away from here - this meeting came from the devil. After listening to him, he remained, intensifying his exploits with tears, until he returned to his previous state.

28 (25). Carelessness (about external things), silence and intimate exercise give rise to purity.

29 (26). A brother asked one elder: if a person, through the action of the devil, happens to fall into temptation, is there any benefit for those tempted through him? - To this the elder told him the following. There was one eminent deacon in the Egyptian monastery. A certain official citizen, persecuted by the archon, came to Cenobia with his entire household. The deacon, through the action of the devil, fell with his wife, and brought shame upon everyone. He went to one old man he loved and told him the matter. The elder had one dark, hidden place inside his cell. The deacon began to beg him, saying: bury me here alive and do not reveal this to anyone. He entered this darkness and brought true repentance. After a while the water stopped in the river. While performing the common prayer, it was revealed to one of the saints: if the deacon, hidden by such and such an elder, does not come out and pray, then the water will not flow. Those who heard were amazed and came up and took the deacon out of the place where he was. He prayed, and the water flowed. And those who were previously tempted received much greater benefit from his repentance, and glorified God.

30 (27). Two brothers went to auction to sell household items. When they separated from each other, one of them fell into fornication. When another brother arrived, he said to him: “Let’s go to our cell, brother!” “I won’t go,” he answered. - Why? asked my brother. “Because,” he answered, “when you left me, I fell into sin.” Wanting to acquire it (Matthew 12:15), the brother began to say to him: the same thing happened to me, when I left you; But let’s go, repent diligently, and God will forgive us. And they approached and told the elders about what had happened to them. The elders gave them a commandment - to repent. And one of them repented for the other, as if he himself had sinned. God, seeing such a feat of his love, a few days later revealed to one elder that for the great love of his brother who had not sinned, He forgave the sinner. This truly means: to lay down your life for your brother! (John 15:13).

31 (28). A brother once came to an old man and said to him: My brother is leaving me, going here and there, and I lament this. The elder begged him, saying: Be patient with him, and God, seeing the work of your patience, will call him to you; for it is inconvenient to bring anyone to oneself by cruel measures, and Satan does not cast out Satan (Matthew 12:26). But it is better to attract him with goodness; for our God also converts people by calling. And the elder told him the following: in Thebaid there were two brothers, one of them, being carried away by a demon into fornication, said to the other: I will go into the world. But this one began to cry, saying: I will not allow you to leave, my brother, and destroy your feat and virginity. - He did not agree and said: I will not stay, but I will go, - or go with me, - and I will return with you again; or let me go, and I will remain in peace. The brother went to one great old man. The elder said: go with him and God, for the sake of your feat, will not allow him to fall. They got up and went out into the world. When they entered into one all, God, seeing his feat, took away the fight from his brother, so that he said to his companion: let's go, brother, again into the desert; Think: I have sinned, what good does this do to me? And they returned to their cell without harm.

32. Someone asked the elder: what should I do with prodigal lust? “As much as you have the strength,” the elder told him, protect yourself from this thought; for he who has fallen from it is in despair of salvation. Like a ship, struggling with waves, storms and winds, if it loses its helm, although it is in danger, it still floats; even if the mast breaks, or something else, there is still good hope when the saving boat is intact: so the monk, if through carelessness he falls into some other passions, still has hope of defeating them through repentance; and if one day, having fallen into the sin of fornication, he suffers shipwreck, then he is in a desperate situation, since his ship begins to sink.

33 (30). The brother asked the elder: what should I do, father? The shameful thought is killing me. The elder tells him: when the mother wants to wean her child from milk, she applies bitter sea onions to her nipples. The baby, as usual, falls to the breast to suck milk, but because of bitterness he turns away from it. So you, if you want, put your bitterness into thought. The brother asked: what kind of bitterness is this that I should be given? “Remembering death and torment in the future life,” said the elder.

34 (31). Another brother asked the elder about the same thought. The elder tells him: I have never been outraged by this subject. The brother was tempted, went to another elder, and said to him: this is what one elder told me, and I was tempted, because he said something that was above nature. The man of God didn’t just tell you this; go, bring him repentance, and he will reveal to you the power of his word. The brother stood up, went to the elder, and, bowing to the ground, said: forgive me, I acted unreasonably that I left you embarrassed; I ask you, explain to me how it was that you were never outraged by fornication? From that time, the elder tells him, when I became a monk, I have never been satisfied with bread, water, or sleep; the anxiety that comes from here, disturbing me, does not allow me to feel the temptation that you spoke about. The brother came out having benefited.

35 (32). The brother asked one of the fathers: why is it that my thoughts are constantly inclined towards fornication, does not give me peace for a single hour, and my soul is indignant? His father told him: if demons sow thoughts in you, do not indulge in them; for it is their nature to constantly seduce. And although they never leave this, they cannot force you: your will is to listen to them or not to listen. Do you know what the Midianites did: they adorned their daughters and made them appear to the Israelites; but they did not force anyone, but only those who wanted to fall with them, and others, indignant at this, threatened and killed them (Num. ch. 25). This is what you should do with your thoughts. The brother answered the elder: what should I do? I am weak and passion overcomes me. Watch them, he said, and when they begin to speak to you, do not answer them; but get up, pray and fall before God, saying: Son of God, have mercy on me! The brother said to him: I care about this, Abba, but there is no contrition in my heart, because I do not know the power of this word. “Just take care,” the elder told him, which Abba Pimen and many of the fathers said: the spellcaster does not know the power of his words, but the snake hears, understands the power of his words and obeys. So we, although we do not know what power our words have, but the demons hear and retreat in fear.

36 (33). The elders said: a prodigal thought is like paper made of papyrus. If it arises in us, and we, without surrendering to it, tear it away from ourselves, it is easily crushed. If, when it arises in us, we surrender and enjoy it, then, having transformed, it becomes iron and is crushed with difficulty. - So, you need to know about this thought that those who surrender to it have no hope of salvation, but those who do not surrender will have a crown.

37 (34). Two brothers, overcome by lust, went and took women with them. Afterwards they began to say to each other: what good is it for us that we, having left the rank of angels, fell into this uncleanness, and then we will have to go into fire and torment? Let's go back to the desert. Having arrived there, they asked the fathers to order repentance for them, confessing to them what they had done. The elders imprisoned them for a year, and both were given bread and water equally. The brothers were identical in appearance. When the time for repentance was fulfilled, they came out of prison, and the fathers saw one of them sad and completely pale, and the other with a cheerful and bright face, and marveled at this, for the brothers took food equally. Therefore, they asked the sad brother: what thoughts were you busy in your cell? “I thought,” he answered, about the evil that I had done, and about the torment into which I must go, and out of fear my bone stuck to my flesh (Psalm 101:6). They also asked another: what were you thinking about in your cell? He answered: I thanked God for having plucked me from the uncleanness of this world and from future torment, and returned me to this angelic life - and remembering God, I rejoiced. The elders said: the repentance of both is equal before God.

38 (35). There was one old man in the Skete, and how he fell into severe illness, then his brothers began to serve him. The elder, seeing that they were working for him, said: I will go to Egypt so as not to trouble the brethren. But Abba Pimen told him: do not go away, otherwise you will fall into fornication. He, saddened, said: My body is already dead, and you are telling me this? So he went to Egypt. - Hearing about this, the residents made him many offerings. One virgin, by faith, came to serve the old man, and the old man, after some time recovering, fell with her. She conceived in her womb and gave birth to a son. Residents asked her: why is this? “From the old man,” she said. But they didn't believe her. The elder himself said: this is my sin, but save the one born. They saved it. When the baby was already weaned, one day, when there was a holiday, the elder came to the Skete, bringing the baby on his shoulders, and entered the church with him among the people. Those present, seeing him, began to cry, and he said to the brothers: look at this child - this is the son of disobedience! Be careful, brothers, too, for I did this in my old age, and pray for me! - And having gone to his cell, he laid the foundation for his previous work.

39 (36). One brother was greatly tempted by the demon of fornication, for four demons, having transformed into the form beautiful women, for twenty days they intensified to involve him in a shameful confusion. But since he fought courageously and remained invincible, God, seeing his feat, granted him the fact that henceforth he no longer had carnal lust.

40 (37). There was one hermit in the lower countries of Egypt, and he was famous, for he stayed in a solitary cell, in a deserted place. And so, according to the action of Satan, one dishonest woman, having heard about him, said to the young men: what will you give me? - I will depose your ascetic. They appointed her a well-known reward, and she, going out in the evening, approached his cell, as if she had gotten lost. When she knocked on the door, the elder came out, and seeing her, he was embarrassed and said: how did you appear here? “I came here lost,” she said with tears. Taking pity on her, the elder led her into his courtyard, and when he entered his cell, he locked it. And then the accursed woman screamed, saying: Abba, animals are eating me here! He was again indignant, but at the same time fearing the judgment of God, and said: where did this anger come against me? And opening the door, he let her inside. Then the devil began to shoot arrows at him, inciting his lust for her. But he, seeing the attack of the enemy, said to himself: the machinations of the enemy are darkness, but the son of God is light. And, getting up, he lit a candle. But again inflamed by lust, he said: those who do such things go into torment (Gal. 5:19.21); so test yourself here, can you bear it? Eternal flame? And he put his finger on the candle, burned it, and did not feel pain due to the strong softening of the flesh. Continuing to do this until the morning, he burned all his fingers. The harlot, seeing what he was doing, was petrified with fear. In the morning, the young men came to the ascetic and asked: did the woman come here yesterday? “Yes,” he answered, “here she is sleeping in her cell.” - Entering the cell, they saw her dead, and said to him: Abba, she died. Then he opened his hands and showed them, saying: this is what this daughter of the devil did to me! She destroyed my fingers. And having told them what had happened, he said: Scripture says: do not repay evil for evil (Peter 3:9), he created a prayer and raised it up. Having left, the harlot spent the rest of her life in purity.

41 (38). One brother suffered from fornication. He happened to enter a village in Egypt, where he saw the daughter of a pagan priest, fell in love with her, and said to her father: give me her as a wife. “I can’t give it to you,” he answered, unless I ask my God. And going to the demon, the priest said to him: here is one monk who came to me and wants to take my daughter - should I marry her to him? The demon answered: ask him, will he deny his God, baptism and monastic vow? - The priest came and said to the monk: will you deny God, baptism and the monastic vow? “He agreed,” and at the same time he saw, as it were, a dove coming out of his mouth and flying upward. - The priest went to the demon and said: so he agreed to all three conditions. Then the devil answered him: do not give him your daughter as a wife, for God has not abandoned him, but is still helping him. - The priest came and said to his brother: I cannot give you my daughter, for God is still helping you and has not abandoned you. Hearing this, the brother said to himself: God showed me such mercy - and I, the accursed one, rejected Him, and baptism, and the monastic vow, - and the good God even now helps me! And having come to his senses, he came to his senses, went into the desert to the great old man and told him the matter. The elder said to him: sit with me in the cave, fast for three weeks continuously, and I will pray to God for you. The elder worked for his brother and called on God, saying: Lord, I ask You, grant me this soul and accept its repentance! And God heard his prayer. When the first week was completed, the elder came to his brother and asked him: have you seen anything? “So,” the brother answered, I saw a dove above, in the heights of heaven, standing over my head. - The elder told him: pay attention to yourself and strongly call on God. - In the second week, the elder again comes to his brother and asks him: did you see anything? “I saw,” my brother answered, a dove descending on my head. The elder commanded him: watch and pray. After the third week, the elder again comes to his brother and asks him: have you seen anything else? “I saw,” he answered, a dove: it descended and stood right over my head; I stretched out my hand to take it, and it stood up and entered my mouth. “Then the elder thanked God and said to his brother: God has accepted your repentance; henceforth, pay attention to yourself.” The brother answered him: from now on I will remain with you, Abba, until my death.

42 (39). One of the Thebes elders said: I was the son of an idol priest, and when I was still small, I sat in the temple and repeatedly saw my father entering the temple and making sacrifices to the idol. One day I secretly came up behind him, and saw Satan sitting and all the army standing before him. And then one of his princes approached and bowed to him. Satan says to him: where did you come from? “I was,” he answered, in such and such a village, I stirred up battles and a great rebellion there, and having caused bloodshed, I came to tell you. Satan asked him: What time did you do this? “In thirty days,” he answered. Satan ordered to punish him, saying: in so much time you did only this! Another one bows to him. Satan asks him: where did you come from? “I was at sea, I aroused a disturbance in it, sank ships and, having killed many people, I came to tell you. Satan asked him: What time did you do this? “In twenty days,” answered the demon. Satan ordered to punish this one too, saying: Why did you do only this for so many days? And then the third one came up and bowed to him. Satan asks: where did you come from? - He answered: in such and such a city there was a marriage, I stirred up quarrels, and having caused great bloodshed, even between the bride and groom, I came to tell you. Satan asked him: How many days did you do this? “At ten,” he answered. Satan ordered this one to be punished for his slowness. Another one came up and bowed to him. Satan asks: where did you come from? “I was,” he answered, in the desert; “for forty years now I have been at war against one monk, and this very night I reduced him to fornication.” Having heard this, Satan stood up, kissed him, took the crown that he himself wore, put it on his head, sat him on the throne with him, and said to him: you have done a great deed! After this, the elder added: seeing this, I said to myself: the monastic rank is so high! When the Lord was pleased to grant me salvation, I left (the world) and became a monk.

43 (40). They said about one of the fathers: he was from the world and burned with lust for his wife. He told his fathers about this. Knowing that he was hardworking and did much more than what was assigned to him, they imposed such labor and fasting on him that his body became weak and he could not get up. According to God's providence, one wanderer from the fathers came to visit the Skete; approaching his cell, he saw that it was dissolved, and went further, wondering why no one came out to meet him? But he returned and knocked, saying: maybe your brother is sick! Having knocked, he entered the cell, saw his brother in great exhaustion and said to him: what is the matter with you, father? He told him about himself: I am of the world, and the enemy is now inciting me against my wife; I revealed this to the fathers; They imposed various labors and fasting on me, and while I was doing them, I became weak, and the warfare increased. Hearing this, the elder was saddened and said to him: although the fathers, as strong men, imposed such labors and fasting on you well, if you want to listen to my humility, leave it and take a little food in your own time, and while performing all possible service to God, lift it up. Lord, your sorrow (Ps. 54:23), for with your labors you cannot overcome this lust. Our body is like clothing: if you take care of it, it remains intact, but if you don’t take care of it, it indulges in decay. After listening to him, the father did so, and after a few days the abuse receded from him.

44 (41). There was one ancient ascetic, successful in piety, who lived in a mountain in the countries of Antinous. We heard from monks we knew that many benefited from his words, as well as from his deeds. In such a state, the enemy envied him, like all virtuous people, and puts into him the thought, under the guise of the same piety, that others should not work or serve for you, but you yourself should serve others; So at least serve yourself - sell your baskets in the city, buy what you need, and then return again to your hermitage. The devil inspired this in him out of envy of his silence, a prayer exercise for God and benefit to many. The enemy tried to lie in wait for him everywhere and catch him, and he, trusting in this seemingly good thought, left his monastery. Having once been famous, but inexperienced in many of the cunning of an attacker, known and famous among the ascetics who saw him, after a long time he met a woman, through inattention to himself, was seduced by her, and came, accompanied by an enemy, to one secluded place, fell with her by the river. Thinking that the enemy rejoiced at his fall, he was close to despair, since he offended the Spirit of God, and the Angels, and the holy fathers, many of whom were victorious in the cities of the enemy. So, not being like any of them, he grieved greatly and, without thinking about correcting his fall from grace, wanted, to the complete joy of the enemy, to throw himself into the waves of the river. But his body was exhausted from intense spiritual grief, and only the merciful God finally helped him so that he would not perish, to the complete joy of the enemy. Subsequently, having come to his senses, he decided to show much greater labor with suffering and beg God with crying and sorrow - and went back to his monastery. Having closed the door, he cried as one mourns for the dead, begged God, stayed awake with fasting and exhausted his body, but had not yet received evidence of his repentance. When the brothers repeatedly came to him for their own benefit and knocked on the door, he told them that he could not open it. I gave, he said, my word so that whole year to sincerely repent and asked them to pray for him. He did not know how to excuse himself so that those listening would not be tempted, for they considered him an honest and very great monk. And thus he spent a whole year in intense fasting and sincere repentance. Before the day of Easter, on the night of the Resurrection of Christ, when the holiday was approaching, he took a new lamp and made it, put it in a new vessel, and, covering the vessel, began to pray in the evening, saying: Generous and merciful God, who also desires to be saved by thieves and come to the mind of truth! I resort to You, the Father of believers; God! Have mercy on me, who have fallen many times to the delight of the enemy. And now I am dead, obeying his will. But you, Master, have mercy on the wicked and unmerciful, and teach to have mercy on your neighbor - have mercy on my humility! For nothing is impossible with You. My soul, like dust, crumbled in hell (Psalm 140:7), show mercy to me, for you are good to your creation, and you will resurrect non-existent bodies on the day of resurrection. Hear me, Lord, for my spirit has disappeared (Psalm 142:7) and my accursed soul, and my body, which I have defiled, has also dried up. I can no longer live, being overwhelmed by Your fear, and I do not dare to hope for remission of my sin for the sake of repentance, having the deep guilt of this hopelessness. Revive me, the broken one! Command this lamp to be kindled by Thy fire, so that in this way I, trusting in the mercy of Thy condescension, may keep Thy commandments during the rest of the life that Thou grants me, and may not fall away from Thy fear, but serve Thee with greater zeal than before. Having said this with bitter tears on the night of the Resurrection, he stood up to see if the lamp had been lit? And when I opened it I saw that it didn’t light up. Falling again on his face, he again called on the Lord, saying: I know, Lord, that the struggle was in order to receive a crown for me - and I could not stand on my feet, on the contrary, I became guilty of the torment of the wicked for carnal pleasure. So have mercy on me, Lord! For here I again confess my vileness before Your goodness, before Your Angels and all the righteous, and if there were no temptation, I would confess it before people. Have mercy on my soul, so that I may teach others. Yes, Lord, revive me! Having prayed in this way three times, he was heard. And having risen, he saw the lamp burning brightly, rejoiced in hope in God, was strengthened by the joy of his heart, marveled at the grace of God that it had confirmed him, and said: I thank you, Lord, that you have had mercy on me, unworthy of this life and world, with this great and new sign ! You spare, O Lover of Mankind, Your souls! - Thus, when he continued his confession and thanked God, the day dawned, and he rejoiced in the Lord, forgetting about bodily food. And he kept this fire of the lamp all his days, adding oil and adjusting it from above so that it would not go out. Thus, the Spirit of God again dwelt in him - and he, humble in wisdom, became known to everyone by his confession and thanksgiving to God. And when the time came to betray his soul, a few days before his death he saw a revelation.

45. The elder said: observe the following until your death, and you will be saved: so as not to eat with a woman and not have friendship with her; so as not to sleep on the same bed with youths, if you yourself are young, nor with your brother, or with your abbot, and do this out of fear, and not out of contempt; so as not to draw attention to yourself when you put on clothes. If there is a need, take even up to three glasses (of wine), and do not break your rule for the sake of friendship. Do not remain in the place where you have sinned before God. Do not neglect your service, lest you fall into the hands of your enemies. Encourage yourself to study the psalms, for it will keep you from being captured by the enemy. Love all suffering, and your passions will be humbled. Remember that you should not value yourself in any matter. Try to mourn your sins. Take care of yourself from lies, for they drive away the fear of God from you. Open your thoughts to your fathers, so that the protection of God will protect you. Force yourself to do handicrafts. - And the fear of God will take root in you.

The word “patericon” translated from Greek means “book of the fathers” or “book about the fathers.” In Byzantine ascetic literature, this was the name given to collections of short stories about ascetics of a monastery. Earlier than others, apparently, even in the era of ancient Bulgarian writing, the “Alphabetical Patericon” was translated into the Slavic language, which is an extract from the so-called “Great Limonar” (“limonar” - from the Greek “meadow”), the work of the 2nd half of the 5th century, not preserved in the original. “The ABC Patericon” contains the lives and moralizing conversations of famous elders of the first centuries of Christianity, arranged in alphabetical order of names. The translation of the “Alphabetical Patericon” from the Greek synodal manuscript of the 11th-12th centuries into modern Russian was carried out by the Athos Russian Panteleimon Monastery in the 1880s and was then published under the title “Ancient Patericon, set out in chapters.”

The Chronicle presents the third edition of the Ancient Patericon, published in Moscow in 1899. The bookplate and owner's notes indicate that this specimen belonged to the last Russian autocrat - Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. According to the recollections of the maid of honor A.A. Vyrubova, there were several hundred volumes of religious and philosophical publications in the Empress’s library, and it was constantly replenished. The Empress always knew about new books from newspapers and magazines.” In the study by V.A. Durov “The Book in the Romanov Family” (Moscow, 2000) are given characteristic features design of religious works belonging to Alexandra Feodorovna: “Traditionally, Russian books in the library of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna were bound in red saoyan, French books in blue, German books in green, English books, according to some sources, in purple, according to others, in blue. The binding was decorated with a gold-embossed diamond-shaped grid running from the top cover to the bottom, in the segments of which images of crosses of various shapes alternated in some editions with the initials of the Empress, in others with the abbreviations “РХ” or “ХВ”. The books are equipped with a moiré doublure with a wide gold-embossed hem and a gold edge.”

The presented copy fully corresponds to this description: the edition is bound in dark burgundy morocco with gold embossing Orthodox crosses and the abbreviations “HB” throughout the field. On title page pencil owner's inscription: “AF. June 1903. Peterhof." The text contains numerous pencil marks. On page 418, in the chapter “Conversations of the elders with each other about thoughts,” opposite the question: “Do I want to endure torment for the sake of God?” and the answer placed next: “If anyone supports his neighbor during temptation, he is equal to the Angel in the cave for the three youths,” it is written in pencil: “We echo what is combined with each other. What’s mine is mine.”
It is known that Nicholas II and his relatives spent family evenings, as a rule, all together reading aloud (in most cases, the emperor himself read) fiction or religious-spiritual literature, with an indispensable discussion of what they read. Probably, the markings in the text are an echo of one of these joint conversations.
Much has been said about the deep religiosity of the royal family. Some historians believe that it was she who accelerated the death of the dynasty, for, as one of them writes, “the drama of the last monarch is largely explained by the fact that a pious Christian could hardly be a successful ruler in modern times.”

The “Ancient Patericon” with notes from Empress Alexandra Feodorovna is undoubtedly a rare and significant historical document.

Ancient Patericon, presented in chapters. Translation from Greek. 3rd edition of the Athos Russian Panteleimon Monastery. Moscow, typopolitography by I. Efimov, 1899.428, II, p. Bound in dark burgundy morocco with gold-embossed Orthodox crosses and the letters “ХВ” (“Christ is Risen”). Doublures with gold ornamented frames. Grayish-white moiré endpapers. Triple gold edge. 23.7x16 cm. On the front flyleaf there is a label, stamp and bookplate of the library of Empress Alexandra Feodorovna (the Younger). On the title page. and in the text there are multiple owner's notes in pencil.

1. Abba Anthony, penetrating into the depths of God’s destinies, asked, saying: “Lord! Why do some people live a little and then die; and others live to a ripe old age? Why are some poor while others live rich? Why do the wicked get rich and the godly poor? Then a voice came to him saying: “Antony! pay attention to yourself! These are the judgments of God, and it is of no use to you to know them.”

2. Abba Anthony said to Abba Pimen: this is what a person does, to lay his sin on his head, before God, and to expect temptations until his last breath.

3. Abba Anthony also said: I saw all the snares of the devil spread over the earth, and, sighing, he said: who will go around them? And I heard a voice saying: humility.

4. One day the elders came to Abba Anthony, and Abba Joseph was with him. The elder, wanting to test them, proposed a saying from Scripture, and began to ask the younger ones: what does this saying mean? And each spoke according to his own strength. But the elder said to everyone: you haven’t found it yet. Finally he says to Abba Joseph: “What do you say, what does this word mean?” Joseph answered: “I don’t know.” Abba Anthony says: “Abba Joseph truly found the way, because he said: I don’t know.”

5. Once upon a time, demons approached Abba Arseny in his cell and confused him. The servants came to him, and standing outside the cell, they heard him calling out to God and saying: “God! Don't leave me; I have not done anything good before You, but grant me, according to Your goodness, to make a beginning.”

6. They said about him: how no one in the royal court wore better clothes than him; so no one wore worse clothes to church than he did.

7. When Abba Arseny at one time asked a certain Egyptian elder about his thoughts, then another, seeing him, said: “Abba Arseny! How can you, who are so knowledgeable about the teachings of Rome and Greece, ask this ignorant person about your thoughts?” Arseny told him: “I know Roman and Greek teaching; but I have not yet learned the alphabet of this (that is, the ignorant).

8. The elders said: once a few figs were given to the Skete, and they, as worthless, were not sent to Abba Arseny, so that he would not take this as an insult. The elder, having heard, did not go to the general meeting to pray, saying: you separated me so as not to give me the blessing that God sent to the brethren, and which I was not worthy to receive. Everyone heard and benefited from the elder’s humility. After that, the presbyter went and brought him figs and joyfully brought him to the general meeting for prayer.

9. They also said about him that no one could comprehend his way of life. When Abba Arseny lived in the lower parts of Egypt, and when they disturbed him there, he decided to leave his cell. Having taken nothing from it, he came to his disciples Alexander and Zoilus of Paran. Alexandru said: “Get up and swim.” He did just that. And Zoilou said: “Come with me to the river, and we will find a ship sailing to Alexandria, and then you, too, sail to your brother.” And so they parted from each other. The elder came to the borders of Alexandria and fell ill with a serious illness. His disciples said to each other: “Did any of us upset the elder, and therefore he moved away from us?” And they found nothing in themselves; because they never disobeyed him. Having recovered, the elder said: “I’m going to the fathers; and thus, having sailed, he came to Petra, where his servants were also.” Here, near the river, a certain Ethiopian girl approached and touched his mantle. The elder scolded her for this. The young woman told him: “If you are a monk, then go up the mountain.” And the elder, amazed by this word, said to himself: “Arseny! If you are a monk, then go to the mountain.” Meanwhile, Alexander and Zoilus met with him. And when they fell at his feet, the old man also fell down, and they wept together. The elder said: “Didn’t you hear that I was sick?” They answered him: “We heard.” And the elder says: “Why didn’t you come and visit me?” Abba Alexander answers him: “Because your separation from us was unpleasant for us, and many were tempted, saying: if they had not disobeyed the elder, he would not have departed from them.” The elder says to them: and I learned this; but on the other hand, people will again begin to say: “The dove, having found no rest for its feet, will return to Noah in the ark” (Gen. 8:9). With this word they were strengthened and remained with him until his death. When his death approached, his disciples became dismayed. And he says to them: “The hour has not yet come; when it comes, I'll tell you. But I will sue you at the judgment seat of Christ if you give my body to anyone.” They said to him: “What will we do when we don’t know how to bury you?” To this the elder said: “Don’t you know how to tie a rope to my leg and drag me up the mountain?” When the time approached to give up his spirit, the brothers, seeing him crying, said to him: “Are you really afraid, father?” He answered them: “True fear has been with me since the very time when I became a monk.” And thus he rested. His usual word was: Arseny! Why did you leave the cell? Speaking, I often repented, but never silently. Abba Pimen, hearing that he had died, shed tears and said: “Blessed are you, Abba Arseny, who mourned yourself in this world! For whoever does not weep for himself here will weep there forever.” So, either here voluntarily, or there because of torment, we need to cry.

10. Abba Daniel also related about him that he never wanted to talk about any question from Scripture, although he could if he wanted to. It took me a while to write a letter. When, on time, he came to church, he stood behind a pillar so that no one could see his face, and so as not to look at others. His appearance was angelic, like the appearance of Jacob, he was all gray, his body was slender, but he was dry. He had a large beard, extending to his stomach. The eyelashes of his eyes fell out from crying. He was tall; but from old age he became hunchbacked. Died ninety-five years old. He lived at the court of the divine memory of Theodosius the Great for forty years, being the second father of the most divine Arcadius and Honorius. He also spent forty years in Skete; ten - in the town of Troy above Babylon, opposite Memphis, and three years in the Alexandrian Canopus. For two recent years he came again to Troy and rested there, ending his course in peace and the fear of God. “For he is a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24).

11. Abba John said that Abba Anuvius and Abba Pimen and their other brothers came to a place called Terenuf until they saw where it was better for them to stay, and they stayed there for several days in the temple. The elder Abba Anuvius said to Abba Pimen: “Make love for both you and your brothers, let everyone in their cells calm down, and let us not come together with each other this week.” Avva Pimen answered: “We will do as you want.” And they did so. And there in the temple there was a stone statue. The elder Abba Anuvius got up in the morning and threw stones at the statue’s face, and in the evening he said to it: “Forgive me,” and by doing this, he completed a week. On the Sabbath day they came together. Abba Pimen said to Abba Anuvius: “I saw you, Abba, this week throwing stones at the face of the statue and asking its forgiveness: does a faithful man do this?” The elder replied: “I did this for you. When you saw me throwing stones at the statue’s face, did it say anything or get angry?” Avva Pimen answered: “No!” - “And again: when he repented, did she touch her and say: I will not forgive?” “No,” answered Abba Pimen. - “Here we are, seven brothers! If you want us to live with each other, then we will be like this statue, which, if insulted, is not embarrassed. If you don’t want to be like that, then here are the four gates in this temple: let everyone go, wherever he wants!” And the brothers fell to the ground, saying to Abba Anuvius: “We will do as you want, father, and listen to what you tell us.” But Abba Pimen said: “We spent all our time together, acting according to the word of the elder, which he said.” He told us. He made one of us the steward, and whatever he offered us, we ate - and it was impossible for any of us to say: bring us something else, or to say: I don’t want to eat this. And we spent. All our time is in peace and quiet.”

12. They said about Abba Ammo that some came to him to sue. The elder, hearing this, pretended to be stupid. And then one woman said to another who was standing near her: “This old man is playing the fool.” The elder heard her and, calling her, said to her: “How much labor have I spent in the deserts to acquire this foolishness, and should I really lose it now for you?”

13. They told about the Bishop of Oxyrhynchus, named Apphius: when he was a monk, he led a strict life; when he became a bishop, he wanted to have the same severity in the world, but he could not. And he prostrated himself before God, saying: “Has grace departed from me for the sake of bishopric?” And it was revealed to him: “No! But then you were in the desert; and since there was not a single person there, God helped you; and now you are in peace, and people are helping you.”

14. Abba Daniel said: In Babylon, a certain nobleman had a daughter possessed by a demon. Her father loved a certain monk. And this one says to him: “No one can heal your daughter except the hermits whom I know; and if you ask them, they will not want to do this out of humility. And we will do this: when they come to the market, you will act as if you want to buy something from them. When they come to receive money for the vessels, we will tell them to say a prayer, and I believe that she will heal.” And when they went to the market, they found one disciple of the elders sitting to sell their vessels, and they took him with the baskets, as if he should receive money for them. When the monk entered the house, the demoniac came and slapped the monk in the face. But the monk, according to the commandment, also turned another cheek. The demon, struck by this, cried out, saying: “O compelling force! The commandment of Jesus casts me out,” and the demon immediately left, and the woman was healed. When the elders came, they announced to them what had happened, and they glorified God and said: “The pride of the devil is usually brought down by Christ’s humility.”

15. The elder said: the beginning of salvation is knowing oneself.

16. When Abba Zechariah was in the Skete, he had a vision. He announced this to Abba Karion. This elder was a practical man, and he didn’t know anything like that. He severely punished Zechariah, saying that your vision is from demons. The thought did not leave Zechariah. He came to Abba Pimen at night and revealed everything to him, and how his insides were burning (Slic. Jer. 20:9). The elder, seeing that the vision was from God, sent him to some other elder and said to him: “If he tells you anything, do it.” Zechariah went. The elder, before asking him about anything, warned him and told him everything, including that the vision was from God. “But go,” he said, “be obedient to your father.”

17. Abba Moses said to Abba Zechariah: “Tell me, what should I do?” Zechariah, hearing, threw himself to the ground at his feet, saying: “Should you, father, ask me?” The elder answers him: “Believe me, my son Zechariah, I saw the Holy Spirit descending on you, and this made me ask you.” Then Zacharias, having removed the doll from his head, laid it at his feet, and, straightening it, said: “If a person is not crushed in this way, he cannot be a monk.”

18. Abba Pimen said: when Abba Moses asked brother Zechariah before his death, saying: what do you see? He answered him: isn’t it better, father, to remain silent? So, Moses said to him, “Be silent, my son!” And at the hour of his death, Abba Isidore, who was there, looked up at the sky and said: Rejoice, rejoice, my son, Zechariah; because the gates have been opened for you heavenly kingdom!    

19. Abba Isaiah said: love of human glory gives rise to lies, but rejection of it in humility produces greater fear of God in the heart. And so do not want to be a friend of the glorious ones of the world, so that the glory of God does not diminish from you.

20. He also said: when you celebrate the liturgies, if you perform them as unworthy - in humility, then they will be acceptable before God. If something arrogant arises in your heart and remains, or if you remember someone else who is sleeping and careless, and condemn him, then know that your work is in vain.

21. He also said: about humility, that it does not have the tongue to speak of someone as careless, or to contradict someone who troubles him; does not have eyes to see the shortcomings of another, or to notice someone; He has no ears to hear, which is not good for his soul; does not deal with anyone but his own sins; but the humble man is peace-loving with all people according to the commandment of God, and not according to any other passion. And if someone fasts for six days, or devotes himself to great labors, alienating humility, then all his labors are in vain.

23. He also said: submitting oneself before God with consciousness and obeying the commandments in humility gives birth to love, and love gives birth to dispassion.

24. Abba Isaiah was asked: what is humility? And he said: humility is to present oneself as more sinful than all people and to humiliate oneself as not doing anything good before God. The deeds of humility are as follows: to remain silent, not to measure oneself with others, not to argue, submitting to everyone, to cast one’s gaze downward, to have death before one’s eyes, not to lie, not to idle talk, not to contradict the highest, not to want to show off one’s word, to endure insult, hate idleness, force yourself in every activity, live soberly, cut off your will, do not irritate anyone, do not envy anyone.

25. He also said: use your strength not to have your own judgment, so that you can practice crying; take care with all your strength not to argue about faith and not to dogmatize, but follow the Catholic Church. For no one can comprehend anything from the Divine.

26. He also said: he who acquires humility brings reproach on himself from his brother when he says: I have sinned. But he who despises his brother in vain thinks of himself that he is wise and has never offended anyone. He who has the fear of God takes care of the virtues so that not one of them becomes lacking from him.

27. He also said, “Let not your tongue speak, but your deeds.” let your word be humble in comparison with your deed, do not speak without consciousness, do not teach without humility, so that the earth may receive your radiance.

28. He also said: wisdom does not consist in speaking, nor in knowing the time when one should speak; in knowledge be silent and in knowledge speak; judge before speaking and answer what is due; be ignorant of knowledge, so that you may avoid many toils; stimulate labor within yourself; exposing yourself in knowledge, do not boast of your knowledge, for no one knows anything; the end of everything: to blame oneself, to be lower than one’s neighbor and to cleave to the Divine.

29. Blessed Archbishop Theophilus once came to Mount Nitria. The Abba of the mountain also came to him. The archbishop says to him: “What have you found, father, that is better on this path?” The elder answers him: “Constantly blame and condemn yourself.” The Archbishop tells him: “There really is no other way but this.”

30. Abba Theodore had consolation with the brethren. And when they ate, the brothers took the cups in silence, and did not say: forgive me! Abba Theodore said: “The monks have lost their nobility to say: forgive me!”

31. They talked about this to Abba Theodore: having been a deacon in the Skete, he did not want to accept the deacon's ministry, and hid in different places. The elders brought him again, saying: “Do not abandon your diaconal ministry.” Abba Theodore answers them: “Allow me, and I will pray to God if He opens for me to take the place of my ministry.” Praying to God, he said: “If it is Your will that I should take my place, then reveal it to me.” And a pillar of fire appeared to him from earth to heaven, and there was a voice: “If you can be like this pillar, then go and serve.” Hearing this, Theodore decided never to accept the diaconate. When he came to church, the brethren repented before him, saying: “If you don’t want to serve, at least hold the cup.” But he did not accept this either, saying: “If you do not leave me, then I will leave this place.” After this they left him.

32. John Kolov said: the gate to God is humility; and our fathers, through many sorrows, rejoicing, went up to the city of God.

33. He also said: humility and fear of God are higher than all virtues.

34. Abba John of Thebes said: a monk, first of all, must maintain humility, for it is the first commandment of the Savior, who says: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for of them is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

35. The brother asked Abba Isaac: “How does a person achieve humility?” The elder answers him: “Through the fear of God.” The brother says to him: “And through what means does a person reach the fear of God?” The elder answers: “In my opinion, through the fact that everyone humiliates himself in every task, and that he indulges in bodily labor as much as he has strength, until his very departure from here and the judgment of God, he will calm down.”

36. Once upon a time the fathers of Scete were discussing Melchizedek, and they forgot to call Abba Kopri. Afterwards they called him and asked him about Melchizedek. Kopriy, striking his lips three times, said: “Woe to you, Kopriy! You have abandoned what God commanded you to do, and you are experiencing what He does not require of you.” And the brethren, hearing this, fled to their cells.

37. Abba Macarius spoke about himself, saying: when I was too young and lived in a cell in Egypt, they took me and made me a cleric at a church in the village. Not wanting to be a cleric, I ran away to another place. A pious layman came to me, took my handicrafts and served me. It happened through the temptation of the devil that one girl in the village fell. When she conceived in her womb, they asked her: “Who is the culprit of this?” She answered: “The hermit.” Then, leaving the village, they took me, hung me around my neck with the soot of blackened pots and ears from dishes, led me through the streets of the village, beat me and said: “This monk has dishonored our maiden; take it, take it! “And they beat me almost to death.” Having arrived, one old man said to them: “How long will it take you to beat this strange monk?” And the one serving me followed behind all in shame, for they reproached him and said to him: “This is the hermit about whom you testified! What is he doing? And the girl’s parents say: “We won’t let him go until he gives a guarantor who will feed her.” I told my servant, and he vouched for me. Arriving at my cell, I gave him the baskets I had and said: “Sell them and give them to my wife for food.” And he said in my thoughts: “Macarius! Now you’ve found yourself a wife: you need to work harder to feed her.” And I worked night and day, and sent it to her. When the time came to give birth, she remained in pain for many days and did not give birth. They say to her: “What does this mean?” She answered: “I know, I slandered the hermit and falsely accused him. It was not he who dealt with it, but such and such a young man.” The servant, coming to me, rejoiced and said: “The girl could not give birth until she confessed, saying: it was not the monk who had the affair, but she lied about him. And now the whole village wants to come here and repent before you.” Having heard about this, so as not to be disturbed by people, I got up and ran away to the Skete. That's the reason I came here.

38. Once upon a time, Abba Macarius, walking from the mountain to his cell, carried branches. And on the way he met the devil with a sickle. The devil wanted to push Macarius, but could not. And he says to him: “Great is your strength, Macarius; because I'm not strong against you. If you do something, then I do it too. You fast, but I don’t eat at all; you are awake, but I am not sleeping at all. There is one thing you can do to defeat me.” Abba Macarius says to him: “What is this?” The devil replied: “Humility. And therefore I am not strong against you."    

40. Abba Matoi went from Raifa to the countries of Gebal. His brother was with him. The bishop, having retained the elder, made him a presbyter. And while they were eating food together, the bishop said: “Forgive me, Abba! I know that you did not want this rank; but I dared to do this so that I could receive a blessing from you.” The elder said to him with humility: “Indeed, my thought wanted little, but I grieve more that I am parting with my brother; for I alone cannot bear to fulfill all the prayers.” The bishop said to the elder: “If you know that he is worthy, I will ordain him too.” Abba Matoi answered him: “Whether he is worthy, I don’t know; I only know that he is better than me.” The bishop also ordained his brother. But both of them died without approaching the altar to celebrate the Eucharist. The elder said: “I believe in God that I will not be subjected to great condemnation for the fact that after ordination I never performed the liturgy, for ordination should be accepted by blameless people.”

41. They talked about Abba Moses: when he was made a cleric, and the surplice was placed on him, the archbishop said to him: “Abba Moses! Now you’ve turned all white.” The elder tells him: “Oh, if only, sir, it would be the same from the inside as from the outside!” The bishop, wanting to test him, tells the clergy: “When Abba Moses ascends to the altar, drive him away and follow him so that you can hear what he will say.” The elder entered; the clerics began to revile him and drive him out, saying: “Get out, Ethiopian!” The elder, leaving, said to himself: “They did a good job for you, the old-skinned, black one: you are not a man, why do you walk among people?”

42. Abba Moses said: he who has humility humbles demons, and he who does not have humility is humbled by demons.

43. He also said: not only speak humbly, but also be humble in your mind; for it is impossible to rise in deeds according to God without humility.

44. Abba Pimen, having heard about Abba Nesteroi living in Konovia, wanted to see him, and asked his Abba to send him. Abba, not wanting to send him alone, did not send him. A few days later, the steward of the movie, having a thought, begged the abba to let him go to Abba Pimen, saying that he needed to reveal his thoughts to him. Abba let him go, saying: “Take brother Nesteroy with you; because the elder asked me for him, but not daring to let him go alone, I did not send him.” When the steward came to Elder Pimen, he expressed his thoughts to him, and he healed him. After this, the elder asks his brother, saying: “Abba Nesteroy! Where did you acquire this virtue, that when there is sorrow in the monastery, you do not speak and do not complain? And the brother, after many coercions from the elder, said: “Forgive me, Abba! When I ascended into the monastery, at the beginning I said to my thought: you and the donkey are one and the same; like a donkey being beaten, and he does not speak, like someone scolding him, and he does not answer; so do you, as the Psalmist says: “You have cattle, and I will take them out with You” (Psalm 72:22-23).

45. They said about Abba Olympius in the Skete that he was one of the slaves, and every year he went to Alexandria, paying wages to his masters. They greeted and bowed to him. The elder poured water into a vessel and brought it to wash his masters. But they told him: “Father! Don't burden us." The elder answered this: “Gentlemen! I acknowledge that I was your servant, and I thank you that you made me free to serve God; therefore I wash you, and you take my wages.” They disputed without accepting. Then the elder told them: “If you don’t want to accept, I will stay here to serve you.” And they, reverent for him, left him free to do what he wanted, saw him off with honor and with everything necessary in contentment, so that he would create a treat of love for them. On this occasion he became famous in the Skete.

46. ​​Abba Pimen said: humility, humility and the fear of God are always necessary for a person, like the breath coming from his nostrils.

47. Abba Pimen was asked by his brother: “What should I be like in the place where I live?” The elder answers him: “Have the wisdom of a stranger and, if you come somewhere, do not allow your word to have power over you, and you will calm down.”

48. He also said: to cast oneself before God, not to value oneself, to abandon one’s will—these are the works of the soul.

49. He also said: do not value yourself, but cleave to the one who lives well.

50. The brother asked Abba Pimen, saying: “Abba! What should I do when I’m in my cell?” The elder answers him: “As long as I am a man, being in the depths of the mud right up to my throat, I carry the burden on my neck and cry out to God: have mercy on me!”

51. He also said: the brother asked Abba Alonia: “What is humiliation?” The elder replied: “Be lower than the dumb and know that they are not subject to jurisdiction.”

52. He also said: once the elders were sitting at a meal, and Abba Aloniy began to serve them. The elders saw him and praised him. He didn’t answer anything to this. A certain elder said to him privately: “Why didn’t you answer the elders who praised you?” Abba Aloniy answers him: “If I had answered them, I would have found myself accepting the praise.”

53. He also said: if a person observes his rank, he will not be embarrassed.

54. Abba Joseph said: when they were sitting with Abba Pimen, he called Agathon Abba. We tell him: “Agathon is too young. Why do you call him Abba?” Abba Pimen replied: “His mouth did something to call him Abba.”

55. They talked about Abba Pimen: he never wanted to say more than the words of another elder, but rather praised what was said.

56. Once Abba Theophilus Archbishop came to Skete. The assembled brothers said to Abba Pamvo: “Say one word to the ruler, so that it will be edifying for this place.” The elder tells them: “If my silence does not bring any benefit, then my word does not bring any benefit.”

57. Brother Pistus related, saying: seven hermits went to a certain Abba Siso, living on the island of Klismat, and asked him to say a word to them. Abba said: “Forgive me! I'm a simple person. But I went to Abba Or and Abba Atru. Abba Or was sick for 18 years. I bowed to them so that they would say a word to me.” Abba Or said: “What do I have to tell you? Go and if you see something, do it.” God is the God of the one who wants to acquire more, if at the same time he forces himself to do everything. Abba Or and Abba Atr were not from the same country, but there was great peace between them until they died. Abba Atr had great obedience, and Abba Or had much humility. I lived with them for a few days, watching them, and saw the great miracle that Abba Atr performed. Someone brought them a small fish. Abba Atr intended to prepare it for the elder Abba Or. Having a knife, he cut the fish. Abba Or called him, saying: “Atr! Atr! Abba Atr left the knife in the middle of the fish,” and, without cutting the whole fish, he went to the old man. I was surprised at his obedience; Why didn’t he say, “Wait until I cut the fish?” I asked Abba Atra: “Where did you acquire such obedience?” Abba told me: “It is not mine, but the elder’s.” Then he took me, saying: “Come and see his obedience.” Atr cooked a small fish, spoiled it, and brought it to the old man, and the old man ate without saying anything. I asked him: “Is it good, old man?” He answered: “Very good.” After this, Atr brought him some very good fish, and said to him: “I ruined it, old man!” And he answered him: “Yes, yes, you spoiled it a little.” “Do you see,” Abba Atr said to me, “what kind of obedience the elder has?” And I moved away from them, and if I saw anything, I tried to preserve it according to my strength. When Abba Sisoes told this to the brothers, one of us begged him, saying: “Show us love, tell us one word!” Sisoes answered: “He who recognizes the futility of knowledge completes all Scripture.” Another of us asked him: “Father! What is wandering? Atr answered: “Be silent, and wherever you go, say: I have no business in any place. This is wandering."

58. The brother asked Abba Sisoes: “What is the path that leads to humility?” The elder answers him: “The path leading to humility is this: abstinence, prayer to God and trying to be lower than every person.”

59. A certain brother came to Abba Siso, to the mountain of Abba Anthony. And while they were talking, the brother said to Abba Siso: “Father! Have you not achieved the measure of Abba Anthony?” The elder answers: “How can I achieve this holy measure? If I had one of the thoughts of Abba Anthony, I would be all like fire. However, I know a person who, although with great difficulty, can carry his thoughts.”

60. Another brother asked him: “Did Satan really persecute the ancients like that?” Abba Sisoes tells him: “And now even more; for his time is near, and he is in confusion.”

61. Some others came to Abba Sisoes to hear a word from him, and he did not say anything to them, but only said: “Forgive me!” Having seen his coffers, they asked his disciple Abraham: “What are you doing with these coffers?” Abraham said, “We will scatter them here and there.” The elder, having heard, said: “Sisa feeds from here, now from here.” Having heard this, they received great benefit, and, edified by his humility, they departed with joy.

62. The brother asked Abba Sisoes: “I notice above me that the memory of God remains with me.” The elder answers him: “It doesn’t matter that you have thoughts with God; but what is important is to see yourself below every creature. For such humiliation and physical labor lead to humility.”

63. Blessed Syncletikia said: just as it is impossible to build a ship without nails, so it is impossible to be saved without humility.

64. Abba Iperechius said: the tree of life that rises in height is humility.

65. He also said: imitate the publican, so as not to be condemned with the Pharisee. Love the meekness of Moses, so that your pointed heart may turn into springs of water (Slic. Psalm 113:8).

66. Abba Sisoes said: a damp brick laid in a foundation near a river will not last a single hour, but a burnt brick remains like a stone. Likewise, a person who has carnal wisdom and is not inflamed like Joseph, is distressed when he soon receives power. For there are many temptations for those who live among people. Knowing your strengths, it is good to flee from the yoke of your superiors; Only those who are firm in faith are unshakable. If anyone wanted to talk about Saint Joseph, he would say that he was not an earthly man. How he was tempted, and in what country! There was not a trace of Godly reverence there, but the God of his fathers was with him and delivered him from all sorrow - and now he is with his fathers in the kingdom of heaven. And so we will strive, having known the measure of our strength; for even with this we can hardly escape the judgment of God.

67. A certain old hermit, while in the desert, said to himself that he had fulfilled virtues, and prayed to God, saying: “Lord! Show me what’s still missing, and I’ll do it.” God, intending to humble his thoughts, told him: “Go to the archimandrite and do what he tells you.” And God revealed to the archimandrite, saying: “Here is a certain hermit coming to you. Tell him to take the whip and herd the pigs.” The elder, having arrived, knocked on the door and entered the archimandrite, and after greeting each other, they sat down. The hermit says to him: “Tell me, what should I do to be saved?” The archimandrite says to him: “Will you do what I tell you?” “I will,” the hermit answers. Then the archimandrite said to him: “Take this whip, go and feed the pigs.” The hermit went and began to graze the pigs. Those who knew and heard about him, seeing that he was tending pigs, said: “See the great hermit about whom we heard; Here he has a demon and is tending pigs.” God, seeing his humility, that he so endured the insults of people, sent him back to his former place.

68. A man, possessed by a demon and emitting foam, hit a certain old hermit monk on the cheek. The elder gave him another cheek instead. The demon, unable to bear the burning sensation of humility, immediately retreated from him.

69. The elder said: do not speak in your heart against your brother: I am more sober than he and strive harder than he; but submit to the spirit of poverty and love by the unfeigned grace of Christ, so that you do not fall into the spirit of pride and destroy your work. For it is written: “Be careful to stand, lest you fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).

70. The elder said: the one who is revered and praised beyond his dignity receives more harm; and whoever is imperfectly honored by people is honored from above.

71. The brother asked the elder, saying: Do we do many penitential things well? The elder tells him: we see Joshua, when he fell on his face, God appeared to him.

72. The elder was asked: “Why do the demons rebel against us like this?” The elder replied: “Because we have rejected our weapons: dishonor, humility, non-covetousness and patience.”

73. The brother said to the elder: “If someone brings me exalting words from outside, do you want me to tell him not to bring them to me?” The elder tells him: “No!” The brother said: “Why?” “Because,” the elder answers him, “we cannot preserve this; so that in this case, having told your neighbor not to do this, you yourself would not later be found doing the same.” The brother says to him: “So what should one do?” The elder answers him: “If you want to remain silent, then this image itself is enough for your neighbor.”

74. The elder was asked: what is humility? The elder said: when your brother sins against you, you will forgive him before he repents before you.

75. The elder said: in every temptation, do not blame a person, but only yourself, saying: this happened to me because of my sins.

76. The elder said: I never transgressed my rank in order to ascend to heights, and being in humiliation, I was not embarrassed; for my whole concern is to ask God until He delivers me from the old man.

77. The brother asked the elder, saying: “What is humility?” The elder answers him: “So that you do good to those who do evil to you.” And the brother says: “And if someone does not achieve this measure, what will he do?” - “Let him run, choosing silence.”

78. A certain brother asked the elder, saying: Abba! Tell us about salvation. Although you talk about this, we do not hold back, because our land is bitter.

79. The brother asked the elder, saying: “What is the matter of wandering?” The elder answered him: “I know a brother who went on a journey, and he was in church; Then, by chance, he found love and sat down to eat with his brethren. And some said: Who else holds this? And they said to him: get up, get out! The brother got up and went. Others, saddened, went and called him. And after this someone asked him, saying: What happened in your heart when you left and came again? The brother says to them: I have decided in my heart that I am like a dog, which, when driven, goes away, but when called, comes.”

80. One day, some people, having with them a man possessed by a demon, came to Thebaid to a certain old man so that he would heal him. The elder, after many petitions, says to the demon: “Get out of God’s creation!” The demon said to the elder: “I’m going out; But I will ask you one word, and tell me: who are the goats in the Gospel, and who are the lambs?” The elder said: “I am the goats, but God knows the lambs.” And the demon, having heard it, cried out in a great voice: “Behold, I come according to your humility,” and went out at that hour.

81. A certain Egyptian monk lived on the outskirts of Constantinople under King Theodosius the Younger. Passing this way, the king, leaving everyone, comes and knocks on the monk’s door. The monk, opening the door, found out who it was; but accepted him as one of the warriors. When the king ascended, the monk said a prayer, and they sat down. The king began to ask him: “How do the fathers live in Egypt?” The elder said: “Everyone is praying for your kingdom,” and said to him, “taste some food.” And he wet the bread for him, poured in a little oil, gave him salt, and the king ate. The monk gave the king water, and he drank. The king said to him: “Do you know who I am?” The elder said: “God knows you.” Then the king says to him: “I am King Theodosius.” The elder immediately bowed to him. The king says to him: “Blessed are you who are carefree in life! I was truly born into royal dignity, but I have never eaten bread or drunk water like I did today, for I ate with complete pleasure.” And the king began to respect the monk from that time; but the old man got up, fled and came again to Egypt.

82. The elders said: when we have no war, then we must humble ourselves more; for God, knowing our weakness, protects us; and if we boast about this, then He takes away His protection from us, and we perish.

83. The devil appeared to one of the brothers, transformed into an “angel of light,” and said to him: “I am the Archangel Gabriel and I have been sent to you.” The brother said: “Look, were you sent to someone else? For I am not worthy to see an angel.” And the devil immediately became invisible.    

84. The elders said: “If an angel really appears to you, do not accept it; Humble yourself, saying: I, who live in sins, am not worthy to see an angel.”

85. They told about a certain old man: when he was sitting in his cell and asceticizing, he clearly saw the demons and looked at them with contempt. When the devil saw himself humiliated by the elder, he came and announced himself, saying: “I am Christ!” The elder, seeing him, closed his eyes. The devil said to him: “Why did you close your eyes? I am Christ! The elder said in response: “I don’t want to see Christ here.” And the devil, having heard this, became invisible.

87. They told about another old man that he fasted for seventy weeks and ate food once a week. He asked God for a certain word of Scripture, and God did not reveal it to him. The elder says to himself: “It was so much work, and I didn’t manage to do anything. I’ll go to my brother and ask him.” And when he locked the door to leave, an angel of the Lord was sent to him, saying: “The seventy weeks that you fasted did not bring you closer to God; but when you humbled yourself to go to your brother, I was sent to you to tell you the word.” And the angel, having revealed to him the word for which he was looking, departed from him.

88. They said about one of the fathers that for seven years he asked God for a certain gift, and it was given to him. After this, he went to one great elder and told him about the gift. The elder, having heard, was saddened, saying: “Great work!” And he said to him: “Go, complete the other seven years, praying to God that your gift may be taken away from you; for this is of no use to you.” He went and did so until it was taken away from him.

89. It was reported about one of the fathers that he said: if someone, with the fear of God and humility, entrusts his brother to do a task, then this word, coming from God, makes the brother obedient to fulfillment. And if someone wants to command a brother not out of fear of God, but out of his own strength, wanting to rule, then God, who sees the hidden things of the heart, will not allow him to hear or fulfill. For there is clearly something that happens according to God, and clearly something that happens according to human power. The work of God is humble, with consolation, but the work of power is with fear and confusion - it is from the evil one.

90. The elder said: I want humiliation with humility, rather than victory with arrogance.

91. The elder said: do not despise what is ahead of you; for you do not know whether the Spirit of God is in you or in him. I call the one who is coming to be the one who serves you.

92. The brother asked the elder, saying: “If I live with my brothers and see something indecent, do you want me to talk about it?” The elder tells him: “If there are elders or your peers, then in silence, you will better receive peace; for in this case you will make yourself humiliated and carefree.” The brother says to him: “What should I do, father, when the spirits confuse me?” The elder tells him: “If you find it difficult to bear, then remember them (the sinners), but always with humility; and if they do not listen to you, then leave your work before God, and He Himself will calm you down. For this means to cast oneself before God and abandon one’s will. Try not to be visible to you, so that your sadness is for God. But I see that it is best to remain silent, for this is humility.”

93. The brother asked the elder, saying: “What is the progress of man according to God?” The elder answers: “Man’s success is humility; for to the extent that he humbles himself, so much does he prosper.”

94. The elder said: if someone says: “forgive me” with humility, he burns the demons.

95. The elder said: if you acquire silence, then do not consider yourself to have committed virtue; but say: I am not worthy to speak.

96. The elder said: if the miller did not cover the eyes of the animal walking around the millstone, then it would turn around and eat his labor. So we too will receive the covering according to God’s dispensation, so that, without seeing, we may do good; but if we please ourselves, we will lose our reward. Therefore, we are left from day to day in unclean thoughts, and we only see what condemns us; and these impurities serve as a cover for small good. For when a person blames himself, then he does not destroy his work.

97. The elder said: I would rather learn than teach.

98. He also said: do not learn prematurely, otherwise you will be poor in understanding all the time of your life.

99. The elder was asked: “What is humility?” And he answered: “Humility is a great and divine thing. The path of humility is this: physical labor, and considering oneself a sinner below everyone else.” The brother asked: “What does it mean to consider yourself inferior to everyone?” The elder answered: “This means not paying attention to the sins of others, but always to your own, and to constantly pray to God.”

100. A certain monk accepted an insult from another. The one who received the insult bowed to the one who insulted him.

101. A brother asked a certain elder, saying: “Tell me one thing, so that I can preserve it and through it acquire all the virtues?” The elder said: “He who endures humiliation, reproach and harm can be saved.”

102. The elder said: do not have acquaintance with the abbot and do not go to him often; for this will make you bold and desire to rule over others.

103. The elder said: he who receives praise must reflect on his sins and think that he is unworthy of what is said about him.

104. One brother lived in Konovia and placed all the burdens of his brothers on himself, so much so that he even accused himself of fornication. Some of the brothers, not seeing his work, began to grumble against him, saying: “How much evil does he do, and still does not work?” Abba, knowing his work, said to the brethren: “I want only his mat, which he does with humility, rather than all that you do with pride.” And wanting to reason with them, he brought all their work, and one of his brother’s mats. Having lit a fire, the abba threw all the work into the fire, and they all burned up, except for the matting that his brother was making. The brothers, seeing this, were afraid, repented before their brother, and from that time on they had him as a father.

105. The elder was asked: “How do some say that we see visions of angels?” The elder answered: “Blessed is the one who always sees his sins.”

106. Brother was insulted by brother. The offender, having heard about this, came to the insulted person to ask for his forgiveness. This one did not open the door for him. After this, he went to a certain elder and told him the matter. The elder answered him: “See if you have something in your heart, blaming your brother for being guilty, but justifying yourself, and that is why it was not arranged from above so that the door would be opened for you. Besides this, do what I tell you: if he has sinned against you, then go and put it in your heart that you have sinned against him: by this you will justify your brother, and then God will admonish him to be reconciled with you.” At the same time, the elder told him the following incident, saying: certain two laymen were pious and, having agreed among themselves, went out and became monks: excited by zeal for the word of the Gospel, without knowing it, they castrated themselves, that is, for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The archbishop, hearing about this, excommunicated them. They, thinking that they had done well, were indignant at him, saying: “We became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, and he excommunicated us. Let’s go and bring a complaint against him to the Archbishop of Jerusalem.” And they went and told him everything. The archbishop tells them: “And I excommunicate you.” Then, again saddened, they went to the archbishop in Antioch and told him everything about themselves. Sey also excommunicated them. And they say to each other: “Let's go to Rome to the patriarch; he will protect us from all of them.” Having come to the great Archbishop of Rome, they told him what the archbishops had done to them. “We,” they say, “came to you because you are the head of all.” And this one said to them: “And I excommunicate you, and you are in excommunication.” After this, perplexed, one said to the other: “These please one another, because they come together at gatherings; let us go to Saint Epiphanius of God, Bishop of Cyprus; for he is a prophet and does not look on the face of man.” When they approached his city, it was revealed to him about them. And he sent them to meet them and said: “Do not enter this city.” Then they, having come to their senses, said: “Truly we have sinned. So why do we justify ourselves that they unjustly excommunicated us, when this prophet also excommunicates? For God revealed us to him. And they blamed themselves a lot for the work they did. Then God, the knower of the heart, knowing that they had truly accused themselves, revealed this to Epiphanius. Having sent for them, he brought them to himself and, having consoled them, accepted them into church communion, and wrote to the Archbishop of Alexandria like this: “Receive your children, for they have sincerely repented.” - The elder said: “This is the healing of a person, so that a person places his sin on himself and asks God.” The brother, having heard this, acted according to the elder’s word and went and knocked on his brother’s door. The same one, as soon as he felt him outside, was the first to repent before him and immediately opened the doors. They hugged each other from the bottom of their hearts, and they had great peace.

107. Two monks, brothers according to the flesh, lived together and the devil wanted to separate them from each other. At one time the younger one lit a lamp and placed it on the candlestick. The devil did what he knocked over the candlestick, and the brother beat him in anger younger brother. This one repented before him, saying: “Have patience with me, brother; I will kindle it again.” And then the power of the Lord came and tormented the demon until the morning. The demon, having come, announced what had happened to his boss. When the Hellenic priest heard what the demon told him, he departed and became a monk and from the very beginning maintained humility, saying: “Humility destroys all the power of the enemy, just as I myself heard them say: when we confuse the monks, and one of them turns and brings repentance, it destroys all our strength.”

108. Abba Longinus said: reverence with humility is always good. Here is a person who is affectionate, trying to appear affectionate; when he does this repeatedly, he incurs censure; and a respectful person who protects himself with humility always maintains honor.

109. He also said: humility has power over all power. One of the fathers related: two bishops lived not far from each other, and once had contempt for each other; for one was rich and strong, and the other was humble. And the strong one looked for an opportunity to do harm to another. Hearing about this, another said to his clergy: “We will defeat him by the grace of God.” They say to him: “Lord! Who can handle him? “Be patient,” he says, “children, and you will see the mercy of God.” And when the rich man had the feast of the holy martyrs, the humble one takes his clergy with him and says to them: “Follow me, and see, do what I will do, and we will defeat him.” The Clear said, “What are we going to do?” And they came to him when his prayer service was over and the city had gathered to him. The humble bishop falls at his feet with his clergy, saying: “Forgive us, lord, we are your servants.” He, amazed by what he had done, was humble and touched when God changed his heart, and he himself grabbed his feet, saying: “You will be a ruler and a father,” and from that time there was great love between them. And the humble one said to his clergy: “Didn’t I tell you, children, that we will overcome by the grace of Christ?” So do you: when you have enmity towards someone, do the same - and overcome by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

110. Abba Marcian said: if we strive for humility, then we have no need for teaching; for every disaster happens because of our arrogance. For if the “angel of Satan” was given to the apostle so that he would “be exalted but endure dirty tricks” (2 Cor. 12:7), then how much more to us who are exalted, this Satan is given to suffer evil until we humble ourselves.

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Selected features from the life of Christian ascetics, especially their wise sayings, leading "to life and piety"(), briefly and intelligibly for everyone, are presented in the so-called Patericon or stories and sayings of the fathers. These stories and sayings are rightly called pearls and valuable beads from the spiritual treasury of the God-bearing fathers. Here it is not an outside witness who is narrating, and it is not a scientific theologian who is giving instructions, but men who have spent their entire lives according to God, who have been purified and enlightened by their continuous labors, prayer, fasting and all kinds of exhaustion, speak about themselves and teach from their long-term experience and enlightenment from above - men who have achieved angelic life and contemplation.

Reading these deep, but also easily understandable legends and instructions from the fathers, brings indescribable pleasure and benefit to those who open their hearts to God and want to learn from His law. “Honeycombs of honey contain good words: their sweetness is the healing of the soul.” (). “The words of the wise are like the bones of an ox and like a nail driven in.” into the driver's rod (): this is how they hurt and encourage the most lazy and rude person to virtue. The ascetics themselves show how reading ascetic sayings is edifying for everyone.

“Abba Ammon,” says one Patericon, “once asked Elder Pimen: if you need to talk to your neighbor, what do you think - is it better to talk to him about the Holy Scriptures, or is it better about the sayings and thoughts of the elders? The elder told him in response, if one cannot remain silent, then it is better to talk about the sayings of the elders than about the Holy One. Scriptures. For talking about St. There is no shortage of danger in Scripture.”

We offer our readers the Patericon, translated from Greek from the Sinoidal manuscript No. 452 (according to the Matthaei catalog between typographical in quarto No. XLIII), on parchment, XI-XII centuries, on 182 sheets. The Patericon, which occupies this entire manuscript, was already known to the Patriarch Photius of Constantinople, who described it in his Library in chapters (cod. 198). The original Greek text of this Patericon has not been published, and is not even known from manuscripts. Only its Latin translation is known, made back in the 6th century by Pelagius and John, deacons of Rome; it was published by Rossweida (De vita et verbis Seniorum, Antwerpiae, 1628), and recently by Minem (Patrologiae cursus, Paris. 1849. T. LXXIII. p. 855 et sq.).

This translation, however, has some deviations from the Patericon described by Photius, as well as from our Greek manuscript. Also known, according to the Description of the Synoidal Manuscripts (Messrs. Gorsky and Novostruev, Moscow, 1859, part II. 2. p. 247 et seq.), is the Slavic translation of this Patericon, contained in the manuscript of the late XIV or early XV century, No. 153 ( according to cat. 1823 No. 3), l. 126 rev. – 248 vol., and in another, not yet included in the mentioned Description of the Synoidal Manuscripts, No. 265 (according to the catalogue, 1823). It is also found in the Chudovskaya parchment manuscript No. 104. XIV century. But in the Slavic translation there are significant additions taken from various other Patericons, and sometimes disrupting the connection and order of the articles of the Greek Patericon.

In list No. 265, in addition to additions in the contents of the chapters, the chapters themselves are arranged in a different order. Both designated translations, Latin and Slavic, were in our minds, and moreover, we often consulted Cotelier’s edition of “Monumenta Eclcesiae Graecae,” where in the Apophthegmata quite a few legends from the Photius Patericon are found in different places. Photius in his Patericon showed 22 chapters, but our Greek manuscript contains 23 chapters; this is because Photius omitted the 3rd chapter “on contrition.” But this chapter is also in the Latin translation of Min (p. 860. de compunctione), and in the Slavic manuscript No. 3 (fol. 144 vol. on tenderness). Since in our Greek manuscript No. 452, due to the loss of leaves, the last 5 chapters are missing, then to fill this we will use another Synoidal Greek manuscript, No. 163 (in Mattei No. 164), on parchment of the 12th or 13th century, containing that the same patericon, only with significant additions, and in places with abbreviations.

The Patericon described by Patriarch Photius, according to his remark, is an abbreviation and chapter-by-chapter summary of the so-called “Great Liminary” (Spiritual Meadow), which describes the life and deeds of Anthony the Great and subsequent ascetics (VI and V centuries). “This,” says the smartest and most learned Photius, of all books is the most useful for those who want to lead their lives in such a way as to inherit the kingdom of heaven. She has and promised clarity; however, in some respects it is more appropriate for men who are not looking for sayings, but who devote all their labor and diligence to ascetic deeds.”

In the list No. 163, placed at the beginning preface unknown compiler of this Patericon, in which he explains the benefit, purpose and plan of the selection he made from ascetic legends. This preface, which, apparently, Patriarch Photius also had before his eyes, we fully place behind this.

Preface by the compiler of the Patericon

This book describes valiant deeds, an image of a wonderful life and sayings of the holy and blessed fathers, so that those who wish to lead a heavenly life and follow the path leading to the kingdom of heaven can compete with them, learn from them, and imitate them. However, you need to know that the holy fathers, zealots and teachers of the blessed monastic life, once inflamed with Divine and heavenly love, and counting all worldly blessings and honors as nothing, tried most of all not to do anything for show. Out of abundance of humility, they themselves hid and concealed the largest part their exploits: this is how they made their way according to Christ. Therefore, no one could describe to us in detail their valiant life. But only a few brief sayings and deeds were described by the men who were especially involved in this matter, not in order to give them any honor, but in order to excite their descendants to competition.

At different times they wrote down in this way many sayings and deeds of the holy elders, in simple and unartificial language, in the form of a narrative, keeping in mind the sole benefit of many readers. Since the mixed and disorderly narration about many subjects rather complicates the reader’s understanding, when it is impossible to grasp in memory the contents of the book, randomly scattered in it, we have chosen a presentation by subject, or heads, which, due to its order and combination of sayings of the same content, can bring real and immediate benefit to those who wish. For the word spoken about it in one sense by many virtuous men does little to incline towards virtue. When, for example, Abba Anthony says: “Humility avoids all the snares of the devil;” and another Abba says: “Humility is a tree of life growing in height;” third: “Humility does not become angry and does not irritate another;” and another one says: “if someone says to someone with humility: forgive me, he will burn up the demons,” then from all this the mind of the reader receives complete conviction to seek humility with all diligence. The same is true in other chapters.

The order of all the chapters together and each separately helps a lot when starting to read the book. Since each chapter contains various words and actions of famous and unknown fathers: how many legends we found with the names of the fathers, we placed such legends first in each chapter, in alphabetical order of names, and only in subsequent nameless legends could we not adhere to this order. But the general connection of the chapters, not accidentally laid out somehow, also helps the reader to understand the content of the book.

After exhortations (towards perfection), the book begins with the most private virtues and those primarily needed by monks, which are: silence, contrition and abstinence. Then, little by little, ascending, as if on some ladder, he depicts a more perfect one, and finally moves on to generally useful virtues, embracing the above and leading to perfection, arranging community life, which are: obedience, humility and love; for what could be more important and useful than obedience, or higher than humility, and what could be more perfect than love? To this are added some great gifts: revelations and interpretations of Divine words, the gift of signs and wonders: these are the essence of gifts from God, and not human works.

Perhaps someone will not sin if he ranks among the Angels a person who completely withdraws from the company of people, or who constantly walks naked, or who eats grass. All this is proposed in this book for the purpose that we should seek in every possible way the indicated virtues, and so that we would know what kind of love our holy fathers had for God, and with what honors He Himself glorified those who sincerely cleave to Him (these are the above-mentioned gifts of God, rather than human virtues). ). The entire book concludes with memorable sayings of the holy fathers, capping the end and briefly depicting the duties of monks.