Sayings of holy monks
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Chapter 1
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Ἀναγκαῖον δὲ καὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν προοδευσάντων ὀρθῶς διερωτᾷν μοναχῶν, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὰς κατορθοῦσθαι. Πολλὰ γὰρ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ὑπ αὐτῶν ῥηθέντα τε καὶ πραχθέντα καλῶς· ἐν οἷς καὶ τοῦτό φησί τις αὐτῶν, τὴν ξηροτέραν καὶ μὴ ἀνώμαλον δίαιταν ἀγάπῃ συζευχθεῖσαν, θᾶττον εἰσάγειν τὸν μοναχὸν εἰς τὸν τῆς ἀπαθείας λιμένα. Ὁ δ᾽ αὐτὸς ταρασσόμενόν τινα νύκτωρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν, τῶν φασμάτων ἀπήλλαξεν, ἀσθενοῦσι μετὰ νηστείας ὑπηρετῆσαι προστάξας. Οὐδενὶ γὰρ οὕτως, ἐρωτηθεὶς ἔφη, ὡς ἐλέῳ τὰ τοιαῦτα κατασβέννυται πάθη. Β΄.
Anankaion de kai tas hodous tōn proodeusantōn orthōs dierōtąn monachōn, kai pros autas katorthousthai. Polla gar estin heurein hyp autōn rhēthenta te kai prachthenta kalōs; en hois kai touto phēsi tis autōn, tēn xēroteran kai mē anōmalon diaitan agapę̄ syzeuchtheisan, thatton eisagein ton monachon eis ton tēs apatheias limena. Ho d᾽ autos tarassomenon tina nyktōr tōn adelphōn, tōn phasmatōn apēllaxen, asthenousi meta nēsteias hypēretēsai prostaxas. Oudeni gar houtōs, erōtētheis ephē, hōs eleǭ ta toiauta katasbennytai pathē. B΄.
It is necessary also to ask about the ways of the monks who have travelled rightly before us, and to set ourselves straight by them. For many things can be found that they have said and done well; among them one of them says this: that a rather dry and regular diet, joined to love, brings the monk more quickly into the harbour of dispassion. The same man freed one of the brothers who was troubled at night from his apparitions by ordering him to serve the sick while fasting. For when asked, he said: “Such passions are quenched by nothing so much as by mercy.”
Chapter 2
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Τῷ δικαίῳ ᾿Αντωνίῳ προσῆλθέ τις τῶν τότε σοφῶν, καὶ, Πῶς διακαρτερεῖς, εἶπεν, ὦ Πάτερ, τῆς ἐκ τῶν βιβλίων παραμυθίας ἐστερημένος; Ὁ δὲ φησι· Τὸ ἐμὸν βιβλίον, φιλόσοφε, ἡ φύσις τῶν γεγονότων ἐστὶ, καὶ πάρεστιν ὅτε βούλομαι τοὺς λόγους ἀναγινώσκειν τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ. Γ΄.
Tǭ dikaiǭ ᾿Antōniǭ prosēlthe tis tōn tote sophōn, kai, Pōs diakartereis, eipen, ō Pater, tēs ek tōn bibliōn paramythias esterēmenos? Ho de phēsi; To emon biblion, philosophe, hē physis tōn gegonotōn esti, kai parestin hote boulomai tous logous anaginōskein tous tou Theou. G΄.
One of the wise men of that time came to the righteous Antony and said: “Father, how do you endure being deprived of the consolation of books?” He said: “My book, philosopher, is the nature of created things, and it is there whenever I wish to read the words of God.”
Chapter 3
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Ἠρώτησέ με τὸ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς ὁ Αἰγύπτιος γέρων Μακάριος Τί δήποτε μνησικακοῦντες μὲν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, τὴν μνημονευτικὴν δύναμιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀφανίζομεν, δαίμοσι δὲ μνησικακοῦντες ἀβλαβεῖς διαμένομεν; Κἀμοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἀπόκρισιν ἀπορήσαντος, καὶ παρακαλοῦντος τὸν λόγον μαθεῖν, Διότι, φησὶν ἐκεῖνος, τὸ μὲν πρότερον παρὰ φύσιν, τὸ δὲ δεύτερον κατὰ φύσιν ἐστὶ τοῦ θυμοῦ. ῾ Δ΄. Παρέβαλον κατ αὐτὴν τὴν σταθερὰν μεσημβρίαν τῷ ἁγίῳ Πατρὶ Μακαρίῳ, καὶ λίαν ὑπὸ τῆς δίψης φλεγόμενος ᾔτουν ὕδωρ πιεῖν. Ὁ δὲ φησιν· ᾿Αρκέσθητι τῇ σκιᾷ· πολλοὶ γὰρ νῦν ὁδοιποροῦντες ἢ πλέοντες καὶ ταύτης ἐστέρηνται. Εἶτα λόγους μου πρὸς αὐτὸν περὶ ἐγκρατείας γυμνάζοντος, Θάρσει, φησὶν, ὦ τέκνον, ἐν ὅλοις ἔτεσιν εἴκοσι οὔτε ἄρτου, οὔτε ὕδατος, οὔτε ὕπνου κόρον εἴληφα. Τὸν μὲν γὰρ ἄρτον μου ἤσθιον σταθμῷ, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ἔπινον μέτρῳ, τοῖς τοίχοις δὲ ἐμαυτὸν παρακλίνων, μικρόν τι τοῦ ὕπνου μέρος ἀφήρπαζον. Ε΄. Ἐμηνύθη τινὶ τῶν μοναχῶν θάνατος τοῦ πατρὸς, ὁ δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἀπαγγείλαντα, Παῦσαι, φησὶ, βλασφημῶν· ὁ γὰρ ἐμὸς πατὴρ ἀθάνατός ἐστιν. Ἐπύθετό τις τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἑνὸς τῶν γερόντων, εἰ κελεύοι τῇ μητρὶ καὶ ταῖς ἀδελφαῖς συμφαγεῖν αὐτὸν παραβαλόντα τῷ οἴκῳ· ὁ δὲ, Μετὰ γυναικὸς, εἶπεν, οὐ βρώσῃ. Ζ Ἐκέκτητό τις τῶν ἀδελφῶν Εὐαγγέλιον μόνον, καὶ τοῦτο πωλήσας, ἔδωκεν εἰς τροφὴν τοῖς πεινῶσιν, ἄξιον μνήμης ἐπιφθεγξάμενος ῥῆμα· Αὐτὸν γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸν λόγον πεπώληκα τὸν λέγοντά μοι Πώλησών σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς. Η΄. Ἔστι δέ τις παρὰ τὴν ᾿Αλεξάνδρειαν νῆσος κατ᾿ αὐτὸ τὸ βόρειον μέρος τῆς λίμνης κειμένη τῆς καλουμένης Μαρίας, προσοικεῖ δὲ αὐτῇ μοναχὸς τῆς παρεμβολῆς τῶν Γνωστικῶν ὁ δοκιμώτατος, ὅστις ἀπεφήνατο πάντα τὰ πραττόμενα ὑπὸ τῶν μοναχῶν, πράττεσθαι δι αἰτίας πέντε, διὰ Θεὸν, διὰ φύσιν, διὰ ἔθος, διὰ ἀνάγκην, διὰ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν. Ὁ δ᾽ αὐτὸς ἔλεγε πάλιν, μίαν μὲν εἶναι τῇ φύσει τὴν ἀρετὴν, εἰδοποιεῖσθαι δὲ αὐτὴν ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσι τῆς ψυχῆς. Καὶ γὰρ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἡλιακὸν ἀσχημάτιστον μὲν ἔστι, φησὶ, ταῖς δὲ δι᾽ ὧν εἰσβάλλει θυρίσι συσχηματίζεσθαι πέφυκεν. ΄. Αλλος δὲ πάλιν τῶν μοναχῶν· Διὰ τοῦτο περιαιρῶ τὰς ἡδονὰς, εἶπεν, ἵνα τὰς τοῦ θυμοῦ περικόψω προφάσεις. Οἶδα γὰρ αὐτὸν ἀεὶ μαχόμενον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἡδονῶν, καὶ ἐκταράσσοντά μου τὸν νοῦν, καὶ τὴν γνῶσιν ἀποδιώκοντα. Ἔλεγε δέ τις τῶν γερόντων, ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη παραθήκας βρωμάτων ἢ χρημάτων τηρεῖν οὐκ ἐπίσταται. Ὁ δ᾽ αὐτὸς, Οὐκ οἶδα, φησὶν, εἰς τὸ αὐτὸ δὶς ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἀπατηθείς. Ρ
Ērōtēse me to skeuos tēs eklogēs ho Aigyptios gerōn Makarios Ti dēpote mnēsikakountes men tois anthrōpois, tēn mnēmoneutikēn dynamin tēs psychēs aphanizomen, daimosi de mnēsikakountes ablabeis diamenomen? Kamou pros tēn apokrisin aporēsantos, kai parakalountos ton logon mathein, Dioti, phēsin ekeinos, to men proteron para physin, to de deuteron kata physin esti tou thymou. ῾ D΄. Parebalon kat autēn tēn statheran mesēmbrian tǭ hagiǭ Patri Makariǭ, kai lian hypo tēs dipsēs phlegomenos ę̄toun hydōr piein. Ho de phēsin; ᾿Arkesthēti tę̄ skią; polloi gar nyn hodoiporountes ē pleontes kai tautēs esterēntai. Eita logous mou pros auton peri enkrateias gymnazontos, Tharsei, phēsin, ō teknon, en holois etesin eikosi oute artou, oute hydatos, oute hypnou koron eilēpha. Ton men gar arton mou ēsthion stathmǭ, to de hydōr epinon metrǭ, tois toichois de emauton paraklinōn, mikron ti tou hypnou meros aphērpazon. E΄. Emēnythē tini tōn monachōn thanatos tou patros, ho de pros ton apangeilanta, Pausai, phēsi, blasphēmōn; ho gar emos patēr athanatos estin. Epytheto tis tōn adelphōn henos tōn gerontōn, ei keleuoi tę̄ mētri kai tais adelphais symphagein auton parabalonta tǭ oikǭ; ho de, Meta gynaikos, eipen, ou brōsę̄. Z Ekektēto tis tōn adelphōn Euangelion monon, kai touto pōlēsas, edōken eis trophēn tois peinōsin, axion mnēmēs epiphthenxamenos rhēma; Auton gar, phēsi, ton logon pepōlēka ton legonta moi Pōlēsōn sou ta hyparchonta, kai dos ptōchois. Ē΄. Esti de tis para tēn ᾿Alexandreian nēsos kat᾿ auto to boreion meros tēs limnēs keimenē tēs kaloumenēs Marias, prosoikei de autę̄ monachos tēs parembolēs tōn Gnōstikōn ho dokimōtatos, hostis apephēnato panta ta prattomena hypo tōn monachōn, prattesthai di aitias pente, dia Theon, dia physin, dia ethos, dia anankēn, dia ta erga tōn cheirōn. Ho d᾽ autos elege palin, mian men einai tę̄ physei tēn aretēn, eidopoieisthai de autēn en tais dynamesi tēs psychēs. Kai gar to phōs to hēliakon aschēmatiston men esti, phēsi, tais de di᾽ hōn eisballei thyrisi syschēmatizesthai pephyken. ΄. Allos de palin tōn monachōn; Dia touto periairō tas hēdonas, eipen, hina tas tou thymou perikopsō prophaseis. Oida gar auton aei machomenon hyper tōn hēdonōn, kai ektarassonta mou ton noun, kai tēn gnōsin apodiōkonta. Elege de tis tōn gerontōn, hoti hē agapē parathēkas brōmatōn ē chrēmatōn tērein ouk epistatai. Ho d᾽ autos, Ouk oida, phēsin, eis to auto dis hypo daimonōn apatētheis. R
The vessel of election, the Egyptian elder Macarius, asked me: “Why is it that when we bear grudges against men we destroy the soul's power of memory, but when we bear grudges against demons we remain unharmed?” When I was at a loss for an answer and asked to learn the reason, he said: “Because the former is contrary to the nature of anger, the latter in accordance with it.” [4] I visited the holy father Macarius at the very height of noon and, burning with thirst, asked for water to drink. He said: “Be content with the shade; for many who are now travelling by road or by sea are deprived even of this.” Then, when I was exercising myself with him in talk about self-control, he said: “Take courage, child: for twenty whole years I have not taken my fill of bread, or of water, or of sleep. I ate my bread by weight and drank my water by measure, and leaning against the walls I snatched some small portion of sleep.” [5] The death of his father was announced to one of the monks; and he said to the one who reported it: “Stop blaspheming; for my father is immortal.” [6] One of the brothers asked one of the elders whether he would bid him eat with his mother and sisters when he visited his home; and he said: “You shall not eat with a woman.” [7] One of the brothers owned nothing but a Gospel book, and he sold it and gave the money for food to the hungry, saying a word worth remembering: “I have sold,” he said, “the very word that says to me: Sell your possessions and give to the poor.” [8] There is an island near Alexandria, lying at the northern part of the lake called Mareotis, and nearby lives the most approved monk of the camp of the knowers, who declared that everything that monks do is done for five reasons: for God, for nature, from custom, from necessity, and for the work of the hands. The same man also said that virtue is one by nature but takes its forms in the powers of the soul. “For the light of the sun,” he says, “is without shape, but naturally takes the shape of the windows through which it enters.” [9] Another of the monks said: “I cut away pleasures for this reason, that I may cut off the pretexts of anger. For I know that it always fights for pleasures, throws my mind into turmoil, and drives away knowledge.” One of the elders said that love does not know how to keep stores of food or money. The same man said: “I do not know of having been deceived twice in the same matter by the demons.”
Chapter 4
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Πάντας μὲν ἐπ᾽ ἴσης οὐ δυνατὸν τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἀγαπᾶν, πᾶσι δὲ δυνατὸν ἀπαθῶς συντυγχάνειν, μνησικακίας ὄντα καὶ μίσους ἐλεύθερον. Τοὺς ἱερεῖς ἀγαπητέον μετὰ τὸν Κύριον, τοὺς διὰ τῶν ἁγίων μυστηρίων καθαρίζοντας ἡμᾶς καὶ προσευχομένους ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, τοὺς δὲ γέροντας ἡμῶν τιμητέον ὡς τοὺς ἀγγέλους· αὐτοὶ γὰρ εἰσιν οἱ πρὸς τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἡμᾶς ἀλείφοντες, καὶ τὰ τῶν ἀγρίων θηρίων δήγματα θεραπεύοντες. ᾿Αλλὰ νῦν μὲν μοι τοσαῦτα λελέχθω πρὸς σὲ περὶ πρακτικῆς, ποθεινότατε ἀδελφὲ ᾿Ανατόλιε, ὅσα χάριτι τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐν τῷ σπόρῳ περκαζούσης ἡμῶν τῆς σταφυλῆς ἐπιραγολογούμενοι εὑρήκαμεν. Εἰ δὲ σταθερὸς ἡμῖν ἐπιλάμψει τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ ὁ βότρυς πέπειρος γένηται, τότε καὶ τὸν οἶνον πιόμεθα αὐτοῦ, τὸν εὐφραίνοντα καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου εὐχαῖς καὶ πρεσβείαις τοῦ δικαίου Γρηγορίου τοῦ φυτεύσαντός με, καὶ τῶν νῦν ὁσίων Πατέρων τῶν ποτιζόντων με, καὶ δυνάμει τῇ τοῦ αὐξάνοντός με Χριστοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν· ᾧ ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Αμήν.
Pantas men ep᾽ isēs ou dynaton tous adelphous agapan, pasi de dynaton apathōs syntynchanein, mnēsikakias onta kai misous eleutheron. Tous hiereis agapēteon meta ton Kyrion, tous dia tōn hagiōn mystēriōn katharizontas hēmas kai proseuchomenous hyper hēmōn, tous de gerontas hēmōn timēteon hōs tous angelous; autoi gar eisin hoi pros tous agōnas hēmas aleiphontes, kai ta tōn agriōn thēriōn dēgmata therapeuontes. ᾿Alla nyn men moi tosauta lelechthō pros se peri praktikēs, potheinotate adelphe ᾿Anatolie, hosa chariti tou hagiou Pneumatos en tǭ sporǭ perkazousēs hēmōn tēs staphylēs epiragologoumenoi heurēkamen. Ei de statheros hēmin epilampsei tēs dikaiosynēs ho hēlios, kai ho botrys pepeiros genētai, tote kai ton oinon piometha autou, ton euphrainonta kardian anthrōpou euchais kai presbeiais tou dikaiou Grēgoriou tou phyteusantos me, kai tōn nyn hosiōn Paterōn tōn potizontōn me, kai dynamei tę̄ tou auxanontos me Christou Iēsou tou Kyriou hēmōn; hǭ hē doxa kai to kratos, eis tous aiōnas tōn aiōnōn. Amēn.
It is not possible to love all the brothers equally, but it is possible to meet all without passion, being free of resentment and hatred. Priests are to be loved next after the Lord, who purify us through the holy mysteries and pray for us; and our elders are to be honoured like the angels, for it is they who anoint us for the contests and heal the bites of the wild beasts. But for now let this much be said by me to you about the practical life, dearest brother Anatolius, as much as by the grace of the Holy Spirit we have found by gleaning while our grape is ripening. But if the sun of righteousness shines steadily on us and the cluster becomes ripe, then we shall also drink its wine, which gladdens the heart of man, by the prayers and intercessions of the righteous Gregory who planted me, and of the holy fathers now present who water me, and by the power of Christ Jesus our Lord who gives me the increase; to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.