Life of Syncletica 68–97
Pseudonymous: Transmitted among the works of Athanasius and ascribed to him in the manuscripts, but not by him: it describes a monastic movement of the fifth or sixth century.
Greek text: PG 28 (Greek text: Migne, PG 28 (1857), from library-scan OCR (public domain)).English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 68
68PG 28:1528a–1528b
Οὐ δεῖ ἐπὶ συμφορᾷ ἀνθρώπου ἐπιχαίρειν, κᾶν πάνυ ἁμαρτωλὸς ὑπάρχῃ. Τινὲς μὲν γὰρ, Θεασάμενοι μαστιζόμενον ἢ φυλακιζόμενον, ἀμαθῶς τὴν κοσμικὴν ἐκείνην παροιμίαν ἔφασαν, τὴν λέγουσαν, ὡς Ὁ στρώσας κακῶς ταλαιπωρήσει ἐν τῷ δείπνῳ. Σὺ οὖν, ἡ καλῶς στρώσασα ἑαυτῇ τὰ πράγματα, θαρρεῖς ἀναπαυθῆναι ὲν τῷ βίῳ; Καὶ τί ποιήσομεν τὸν λέγοντα ὡς, Ἔν συνάντημα τῷ δικαίῳ καὶ τῷ ἁμαρτωλῷ ; Ἠ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα ἡμῶν διαγωγὴ μία ἐστὶ, κᾶν διάφορον πολιτείαν ἔχωμεν.
Ou dei epi symphorą anthrōpou epichairein, kan pany hamartōlos hyparchę̄. Tines men gar, Theasamenoi mastizomenon ē phylakizomenon, amathōs tēn kosmikēn ekeinēn paroimian ephasan, tēn legousan, hōs Ho strōsas kakōs talaipōrēsei en tǭ deipnǭ. Sy oun, hē kalōs strōsasa heautę̄ ta pragmata, tharreis anapauthēnai en tǭ biǭ? Kai ti poiēsomen ton legonta hōs, En synantēma tǭ dikaiǭ kai tǭ hamartōlǭ ? Ē gar entautha hēmōn diagōgē mia esti, kan diaphoron politeian echōmen.
“One must not rejoice at a person’s misfortune, even if he is a great sinner. For some, seeing someone flogged or imprisoned, have ignorantly quoted that worldly proverb which says: ‘He who made his bed badly will suffer at dinner.’ Do you, then, who have made your affairs well for yourself, feel confident of resting in this life? And what shall we make of the one who says: ‘One event happens to the righteous and the sinner’? For here our way of life is one, even if our conduct is different.”
Eccl 9:2 (quotation, high confidence) · Prov 24:17 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: One should not gloat over others’ misfortunes, since in this life the same things befall righteous and sinner.
- The proverb is unidentified.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; split word): '0 στρώσας → Ὁ στρώσας; ὴ μῶν διαγωγὴ → ἡμῶν διαγωγὴ.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 68 (PG 28:1528a–1528b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/68). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/68
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 69
69PG 28:1528b
Οὐ δεῖ μισεῖν τοὺς ἐχθρούς. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος τῇ ίδίᾳ φωνῇ τοῦτο ἡμῖν προσέταξε. Φησὶ γὰρ, ὡς Μὴ μόνον τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ἀγαπᾶτε· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ οἱ τελῶναι ποιοῦσι. Τὸ γὰρ καλὸν οὐ δεῖται τέχνης καὶ ἀγῶνος πρὸς θήραν· ἑαυτῷ γὰρ ἐφέλκεται τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας· τὸ δὲ φαῦλον τῆς Θείας διδασκαλίας χρῄζει πρὸς ἀπάλειψιν, καὶ κόπου πολλοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἀνέτων καὶ ἀμερίμνων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία οὐρανῶν, ἀλλά βιαστῶν.
Ou dei misein tous echthrous. Kai gar ho Kyrios tę̄ idią phōnę̄ touto hēmin prosetaxe. Phēsi gar, hōs Mē monon tous agapōntas agapate; touto gar kai hoi hamartōloi kai hoi telōnai poiousi. To gar kalon ou deitai technēs kai agōnos pros thēran; heautǭ gar ephelketai tous agapōntas; to de phaulon tēs Theias didaskalias chrę̄zei pros apaleipsin, kai kopou pollou. Ou gar anetōn kai amerimnōn estin hē basileia ouranōn, alla biastōn.
“One must not hate one’s enemies. For the Lord commanded this to us with his own voice. For he says: ‘Do not love only those who love you; for sinners and tax collectors do this too.’ For the good needs no art and struggle to be hunted, for it draws those who love it to itself; but the bad needs divine teaching to be wiped away, and much toil. For the kingdom of heaven belongs not to the easy and carefree but to the violent.”
Matt 5:44 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 5:46 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 11:12 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Christ commands love of enemies; loving the lovable needs no effort, but overcoming evil requires divine teaching and toil.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; split word): υύ δεῖ μισεῖν → Οὐ δεῖ μισεῖν; τοῦτο τὰρ καὶ οι ἁμαρτωλοί καὶ οὶ τελῶναι → τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ οἱ ἁμαρτωλοὶ καὶ οἱ τελῶναι; Θή ραν → θήραν; ἀπάλε ιψιν → ἀπάλειψιν; καλ ἀμερίμνων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία 05ρανῶν → καὶ ἀμερίμνων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία οὐρανῶν.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 69 (PG 28:1528b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/69). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/69
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 70
70PG 28:1528c
Ὠσπερ οὖν οὐ δεῖ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς μισεῖν, οὕτως οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀμελεῖς καὶ ῥᾳθύμους φεύγειν καὶ μυκτηρίζειν. Τινὲς μὲν οὖν τὸ γραφικὸν ἐκεῖνο ῥητὸν ἑαυτοῖς προσφέρουσιν, ὡς Μετὰ ὁσίου ὅσιος ἔσῃ, καὶ μετὰ στρεβλοῦ συνδιαστρέψεις. Διά τοῦτο, φησὶν, ἀποφεύγομεν τοὺς ἁμαρτωλοὺς, πρὸς τὸ παρʼ αὐτῶν μὴ διαστραφῆναι. Ἀγνοίᾳ dar]; οἱ τοιοῦτοι τὰ ἐναντία πράττουσι. Προστάττει γὰρ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον οὐ μετὰ τῶν στρεβλῶν συνδιαστραφῆναι, ἀλλὰ τῆς στρεβλῆς αὐτοὺς ἐπανορθώσασθαι. Συνδιαστρέψεις γὰρ, τουτέστι, συνελκύσεις αὑτὸν πρὸς σεαυτὸν, ὲκ τῶν ἀριστερῶν ἐπὶ τὰ δεξιά.
Ōsper oun ou dei tous echthrous misein, houtōs oude tous ameleis kai rhąthymous pheugein kai myktērizein. Tines men oun to graphikon ekeino rhēton heautois prospherousin, hōs Meta hosiou hosios esę̄, kai meta streblou syndiastrepseis. Dia touto, phēsin, apopheugomen tous hamartōlous, pros to parʼ autōn mē diastraphēnai. Agnoią dar]? hoi toioutoi ta enantia prattousi. Prostattei gar to Pneuma to hagion ou meta tōn streblōn syndiastraphēnai, alla tēs streblēs autous epanorthōsasthai. Syndiastrepseis gar, toutesti, synelkyseis hauton pros seauton, ek tōn aristerōn epi ta dexia.
“As one must not hate enemies, so one must not flee and sneer at the negligent and lazy. Some apply to themselves that saying of Scripture: ‘With the holy you will be holy, and with the perverse you will be perverted.’ ‘For this reason,’ they say, ‘we flee sinners, so as not to be perverted by them.’ Through ignorance such people do the opposite. For the Holy Spirit commands not that one be perverted with the perverse but that one correct them from their perversity. For ‘you will twist along with’ means: you will draw him along to yourself, from the left to the right.”
Ps 18:26 (17:27 LXX) (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Ps 18:26 does not mean one should avoid sinners for fear of corruption, but that one should draw the crooked to the right.
- The interpretation of Ps 18:26 (LXX 17:27) plays on the Greek verb συνδιαστρέφω (“twist together”).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; stray hyphen): γραφικδν → γραφικὸν; συν-διαστρέψεις. Διά → συνδιαστρέψεις. Διά; τὸ Πνεῦμα τὺ ἅγιον οὗ - μετὰ → τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον οὐ μετὰ; στρε· ὀλῆς → στρεβλῆς; Συι-διαστρέψεις → Συνδιαστρέψεις.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 70 (PG 28:1528c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/70). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/70
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 71
71PG 28:1528c–1529b
Τρεῖς γνωμῶν ἰδέαι κατά τὸν τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον τυγχάνουσιν· ὧν ἡ μὲν πρώτη ἐστὶ τῆς ἀκροτάτης κακίας, ἡ δὲ δευτέρα μέσης τινὸς καταστάσεως· ὥσπερ γὰρ πρὸς τὰς ἀμφοτέρας σκοπεῖ τῶν ὁποτέρων μετέχουσα σ ἡ δὲ τρίτη, εἰς μέγεθος Θεωρίας ἀχθεῖσα, οὺ μόνον ἑαυτὴν συσφίγγει, ἁλλά γε καὶ τὰς τελευταίας πειρᾶται χειραγωγεῖν. Οἱ μὲν οὖν κακοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, τοῖς χείροσι μιγνύμενοι, ἐπεὶ πλείω τῶν δεινῶν ποιοῦνται τὴν αὔξησιν· οἱ δέ γε μέσοι ἀποφεύγειν τοὺς ἀκολάστους πειρῶνται, αὐτὸ τοῦτο δεδοικότες, μὴ πάλιν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν καθελκυσθῶσι· νήπιοι γὰρ ἔτι τῶν ἀρετῶν τυγχάνουσιν· οἱ δὲ τρίτοι, ἀνδρείαν τὴν γνώμην ἔχοντες καὶ κραταιὸν τὸ φρόνημα, συνδιάγουσι τοῖς φαύλοις καὶ συνδιαιτῶνται, σῶσαι αὐτοὺς βουλόμενοι. Καὶ γοῦν ὑπὸ τῶν ἔξωθεν ὀνειδίζονται· καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν θεωρούντων δὲ αὐτοὺς συνδιάγοντας τοῖς ἀμελεστέροις χλευάζονται· καὶ γάρ αὐτοὺς ὡς ὁμοίους αὐτῶν διαβάλλουσιν. υἱ δὲ ώς ἐπαίνους τὰ παρά τῶν ἀνθ ρώπων ἀκούοντες, ἀδεῶς τὸ θεῖον ἔργον ἐκτελοῦσι. Χαίρετε γὰρ, φησι, καί ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅταν πᾶν ψεῦδος εἴπωσι καθʼ ὑμῶν οι ἅνθρωποι. Δεσποτικὴ μὲν οὖν τούτων ἡ πρᾶξιςο καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος μετά τελωνῶν καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν ἤσθιε · μᾶλλον δὲ φιλάδελφος ἠ τούτων γνώμη ἢπερ φίλαυτος2 Ὠσπερ γάρ ἐμπρησμοὺς οἰκιῶν ὁρῶντες τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας, καὶ τῶν ἰδίων καταφρονήσαντες, τάξ ἀλλότρια καὶ ἀπολλύμενα σώζειν διισχυρίζονταιο καὶ περιφλεγόμενοι ἐκ τῶν καυστικῶν ὕβρεων, ἀνέχονται. Οί δέ γε μέσοι ἐὰν ἴδωσι τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας φλεγόμενον, ἀποφεύγουσι, δεδοικότες μὴ καὶ είς αὐτοὺς τὸ πῦρ διανεμηθῇ. Ui δέ γε τρίτοι, χαλεπῶν γειτόνων δίκην ἐπέχοντες, τοὺς καιομένους ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐξάπτουσιν, ὔλας αὐτοὺς πρὸς ἀπώλειαν, τὴν οἰκείαν κακίαν προσφέροντες. Ὠσπερ γὰρ πισσηρῷ διαλαβόντες πλοίῳ, ἀντὶ ὓδατος κεδρίαν ἐπιβάλλουσιν. Ui δέ γε ἐναντίοι τούτοις, oi ἀγαθοὶ, τά οἰκεῖα κτήματα δεύτερα ἔθεντο τῆς ἐκείνων σωτηρίας. Ταῦτα τῆς άληθινῆς ἀγάπης τά τεκμήρια· οὗτοι τῆς εἰλικρινοῦς ἀγάπης οἱ φύλακες.
Treis gnōmōn ideai kata ton tōn anthrōpōn bion tynchanousin; hōn hē men prōtē esti tēs akrotatēs kakias, hē de deutera mesēs tinos katastaseōs; hōsper gar pros tas amphoteras skopei tōn hopoterōn metechousa s hē de tritē, eis megethos Theōrias achtheisa, ou monon heautēn sysphingei, halla ge kai tas teleutaias peiratai cheiragōgein. Hoi men oun kakoi tōn anthrōpōn, tois cheirosi mignymenoi, epei pleiō tōn deinōn poiountai tēn auxēsin; hoi de ge mesoi apopheugein tous akolastous peirōntai, auto touto dedoikotes, mē palin hypʼ autōn kathelkysthōsi; nēpioi gar eti tōn aretōn tynchanousin; hoi de tritoi, andreian tēn gnōmēn echontes kai krataion to phronēma, syndiagousi tois phaulois kai syndiaitōntai, sōsai autous boulomenoi. Kai goun hypo tōn exōthen oneidizontai; kai hypo tōn theōrountōn de autous syndiagontas tois amelesterois chleuazontai; kai gar autous hōs homoious autōn diaballousin. hui de ōs epainous ta para tōn anth rōpōn akouontes, adeōs to theion ergon ektelousi. Chairete gar, phēsi, kai agalliasthe, hotan pan pseudos eipōsi kathʼ hymōn oi hanthrōpoi. Despotikē men oun toutōn hē praxiso kai gar ho Kyrios meta telōnōn kai hamartōlōn ēsthie ; mallon de philadelphos ē toutōn gnōmē ēper philautos2 Ōsper gar emprēsmous oikiōn horōntes tous hamartanontas, kai tōn idiōn kataphronēsantes, tax allotria kai apollymena sōzein diischyrizontaio kai periphlegomenoi ek tōn kaustikōn hybreōn, anechontai. Oi de ge mesoi ean idōsi ton adelphon hypo tēs hamartias phlegomenon, apopheugousi, dedoikotes mē kai eis autous to pyr dianemēthę̄. Ui de ge tritoi, chalepōn geitonōn dikēn epechontes, tous kaiomenous epi pleion exaptousin, ylas autous pros apōleian, tēn oikeian kakian prospherontes. Ōsper gar pissērǭ dialabontes ploiǭ, anti hydatos kedrian epiballousin. Ui de ge enantioi toutois, oi agathoi, ta oikeia ktēmata deutera ethento tēs ekeinōn sōtērias. Tauta tēs alēthinēs agapēs ta tekmēria; houtoi tēs eilikrinous agapēs hoi phylakes.
“There are three kinds of disposition in human life. The first belongs to the utmost wickedness, the second to a middle state, for it looks toward both, sharing in each; the third, brought to greatness of contemplation, not only holds itself together but also tries to lead the last by the hand. The wicked among people, mixing with the worse, increase their evils; the middling try to flee the licentious, fearing precisely this, that they may be dragged down again by them, for they are still infants in the virtues; but the third, having a courageous disposition and a strong mind, live and spend their time with the bad, wishing to save them. And they are reproached by outsiders, and mocked by those who see them spending time with the more negligent; for they slander them as being like them. But these, hearing what people say as if it were praise, fearlessly carry out the divine work. ‘For rejoice,’ it says, ‘and be glad, when men say all kinds of falsehood against you.’ Their conduct is the Master’s own; for the Lord ate with tax collectors and sinners; and their disposition is rather brother-loving than self-loving. For, seeing sinners like houses on fire, and neglecting their own things, they strive to save what belongs to others and is perishing; and, scorched by burning insults, they endure. But the middling, if they see their brother burning with sin, flee, fearing that the fire may spread to them. And the first, like bad neighbors, kindle those who are burning still more, adding their own wickedness as fuel for their destruction. As if they had taken hold of a pitch-covered ship, they throw on cedar oil instead of water. But the good, opposite to these, have counted their own possessions second to the salvation of those others. These are the proofs of true love; these are the guardians of sincere love.”
Matt 5:11 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 9:10 (allusion, high confidence) · Jude 1:23 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Of three kinds of people, the wicked worsen sinners, the middling avoid them for fear of contagion, and the perfect live among them to save them, like Christ eating with sinners, enduring insults out of love.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR: 7&9 for γὰρ; joined words; leaked chapter numeral): πρὸςτάς → πρὸς τὰς; ἡδὲ τρίτη → ἡ δὲ τρίτη; Ol μὲν οὖν κακοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώο πων → Οἱ μὲν οὖν κακοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων; ot δέ γε μέσοι ἀποφεύγειν → οἱ δέ γε μέσοι ἀποφεύγειν; καθελκυσβὦσι → καθελκυσθῶσι; Χαίρετε 7&9 → Χαίρετε γὰρ; καὶ 7&9 ὁ Κύριος → καὶ γὰρ ὁ Κύριος; καυστιῖιῶν → καυστικῶν; οἰ φύλακες. ι 7‘2. → οἱ φύλακες..
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 71 (PG 28:1528c–1529b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/71). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/71
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 72
72PG 28:1529b–1529c
Ὥσπερ δὲ τά δεινά ἓν διʼ ἐνὸς ἤρτηται· τῇ γὰρ φιλαργυρίᾳ ἀκολουθεῖ φθόνος, δόλος, ἐπιορκία, θυμὸς, μνησικακία· οὕτω τά ἐναντία τούτων τῆς ἀγάπης ἔχεται · πραΰτης δὴ λέγω καὶ μακροθυμία, καὶ ἀνεξικακία, καὶ τὸ τέλειον ἀγαθὸν, ἠ ἀκτημοσύνη. Οὐκ ἐνδέχεται γάρ τινα ταύτης ’τῆς ἀρετῆς, λέγω δὴ τῆς ἀγάπης, ἐφικέσθαι, εἰ μὴ ἐκ τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης· οὐ γὰρ πρὸς ἕνα ἄνθρωπον ὁ Κύριος τὴν ἀγάπην ἐνετείλατο, ἀλλά πρὸς ἅπαντας. Οὐκοῦν οὐ δέον ἔχοντας παριδεῖν τοὺς χρῄζοντας. ’Υποκλέπτεται (οι) γάρ τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ πᾶσιν ἐξαρκεῖν ἀδύνατον ἀνθρώπῳ · Θεοῦ δὲ τοῦτο ἔργον.
Hōsper de ta deina hen diʼ enos ērtētai; tę̄ gar philargyrią akolouthei phthonos, dolos, epiorkia, thymos, mnēsikakia; houtō ta enantia toutōn tēs agapēs echetai ; praÿtēs dē legō kai makrothymia, kai anexikakia, kai to teleion agathon, ē aktēmosynē. Ouk endechetai gar tina tautēs ’tēs aretēs, legō dē tēs agapēs, ephikesthai, ei mē ek tēs aktēmosynēs; ou gar pros hena anthrōpon ho Kyrios tēn agapēn eneteilato, alla pros hapantas. Oukoun ou deon echontas paridein tous chrę̄zontas. ’Ypokleptetai (oi) gar to tēs agapēs. To men gar pasin exarkein adynaton anthrōpǭ ; Theou de touto ergon.
“As evils hang one upon another (for envy, deceit, perjury, anger and remembrance of wrongs follow love of money), so their opposites hold to love: I mean meekness, long-suffering, forbearance, and the perfect good, poverty. For no one can attain this virtue, I mean love, except through poverty; for the Lord commanded love not toward one person but toward all. So it is not right for those who have to overlook those in need; for what belongs to love is stolen away. To suffice for all is impossible for a human being; this is the work of God.”
1 Cor 13:4 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: As vices follow from greed, the virtues follow from love, which cannot be attained without poverty, since love extends to all.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR): καλ ἀνεξικακία → καὶ ἀνεξικακία; υύκ ἐνδέχεται → Οὐκ ἐνδέχεται; ἀκτηι μοσύνης· οὐ 7&9 → ἀκτημοσύνης· οὐ γὰρ; πρδς ἅπαντας → πρὸς ἅπαντας; ἐξαρκ.ίν άδόνατον → ἐξαρκεῖν ἀδύνατον.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 72 (PG 28:1529b–1529c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/72). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/72
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae-72) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 73
73PG 28:1529c–1529d
Τί οὖν, φησὶν, ὁ μὴ ἔχων, περί ἐλεημοσύνης ἀγωνίζῃ, καὶ αὕτη σοι πρόφασις τοῦ κτήσασθαι γίνεο ταις Κοσμικοῑς τοῦτο προστέτακται. Οὐ γάρ τοσοῦτον πρὸς τὸ τραφῆναι τὸν πένητα ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη ὥρισται, ὅσον διὰ τῆν ἀγάπην. Ὁ γὰρ τὸν πλούσιον διοικῶν Θεὸς καὶ τὸν πένητα τρέφει. Περιττῶς οὖν ἠ ἐλεημοσύνη προσετάγη; Μὴ γένοιτο ιάλλά ἀρχὴ τῆς ἀγάιιὲηςετοῑὶς μὴ. εἰδόσι γίνεται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ύπογραμμὸς ἦν η τῆς ἀκροβυστίας περιτομὴ τῆς καρδίας, οὔτως ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη τῆς ἀγάπης διδάσκαλος κατέστη. Οἷς οὖν ἡ ἀγάπη ἐκ χάριτος ἐδόθη περιττὴ ή ἐλεημοσύνη.
Ti oun, phēsin, ho mē echōn, peri eleēmosynēs agōnizę̄, kai hautē soi prophasis tou ktēsasthai gineo tais Kosmikois touto prostetaktai. Ou gar tosouton pros to traphēnai ton penēta hē eleēmosynē hōristai, hoson dia tēn agapēn. Ho gar ton plousion dioikōn Theos kai ton penēta trephei. Perittōs oun ē eleēmosynē prosetagē? Mē genoito ialla archē tēs agaiieēsetoiis mē. eidosi ginetai. Hōsper gar ypogrammos ēn ē tēs akrobystias peritomē tēs kardias, outōs hē eleēmosynē tēs agapēs didaskalos katestē. Hois oun hē agapē ek charitos edothē perittē ē eleēmosynē.
“Why, then, it says, do you who have nothing strive over almsgiving, and does this become for you a pretext for acquiring? This has been commanded to those in the world. For almsgiving was appointed not so much for the feeding of the poor as for the sake of love. For God, who governs the rich, also feeds the poor. Was almsgiving, then, commanded needlessly? Far from it; but it becomes the beginning of love for those who do not know it. For as the circumcision of the foreskin was an outline of the circumcision of the heart, so almsgiving was made the teacher of love. For those, then, to whom love has been given by grace, almsgiving is superfluous.”
Rom 2:29 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Almsgiving, commanded to those in the world, is a training in love, as circumcision foreshadowed circumcision of the heart; those who have nothing should not seek property in order to give alms.
- Part of the text is garbled (“ἀρχὴ τῆς ἀγάιιὲηςετοῑὶς μὴ. εἰδόσι”); translated by the evident sense.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; joined words): τὸν πένηταή ἐλεημοσύνη → τὸν πένητα ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη; Ὀ 7&9 τὸν πλούσιον διοι· κῶν → Ὁ γὰρ τὸν πλούσιον διοικῶν.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 73 (PG 28:1529c–1529d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/73). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/73
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 74
74PG 28:1529d–1532a
Οὐ διαβάλλουσα τὸν ἔλεον ταῦτα λεγω · ἀλλά τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης τὸ καθαρὸν δεικνύουσα. Μὴ γινέ- ” σθω οὖν κώλυσις τὸ ἔλαττον τοῦ μείζονος. Ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὸ μικρὸν κατώρθωσας· πάντα γὰρ ὑφʼ ἓν δέδωκας· πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον λοιπὸν ἀνάνευσον, τὴν ἀγάπην. Σταυροφόρος γάρ τυγχάνεις. Σὺ τὴν ἐλευθέραν φωνὴν ὀφείλεις εἰπεῖν, τὸ, ἰδοὺ πάντα ἀφήκαμεν, καί ῆκολουθήσαμέν σοι. Σὺ τὴν εὐπαρρησίαστον γλῶτταν τῶν ἀποστόλων μιμήσασθαι κατηξιώθης. Φησὶ γὰρ Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης, ὡς Χρυσίου· καὶ ἀργύριον οὐχ ὑπάρχει μοι. Διπλῆ μὲν ή γλῶττα, ἀλλὰ μονότροπος ή πίστις.
Ou diaballousa ton eleon tauta legō ; alla tēs aktēmosynēs to katharon deiknyousa. Mē gine- ” sthō oun kōlysis to elatton tou meizonos. En oligǭ to mikron katōrthōsas; panta gar hyphʼ hen dedōkas; pros to meizon loipon ananeuson, tēn agapēn. Staurophoros gar tynchaneis. Sy tēn eleutheran phōnēn opheileis eipein, to, idou panta aphēkamen, kai ēkolouthēsamen soi. Sy tēn euparrēsiaston glōttan tōn apostolōn mimēsasthai katēxiōthēs. Phēsi gar Petros kai Iōannēs, hōs Chrysiou; kai argyrion ouch hyparchei moi. Diplē men ē glōtta, alla monotropos ē pistis.
“I do not say these things to disparage mercy, but to show the purity of poverty. Let not the lesser be a hindrance to the greater. In a little you have accomplished the small thing, for you gave everything at once; now look up to the greater, love. For you are a cross-bearer. You ought to speak the free word: ‘See, we have left everything and followed you.’ You have been counted worthy to imitate the bold tongue of the apostles. For Peter and John say: ‘Gold and silver I do not have.’ Double the tongue, but single the faith.”
Matt 16:24 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 19:27 (quotation, high confidence) · Acts 3:6 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Having given everything away, the ascetic should aim at love, like the apostles who left all and had no silver or gold.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); OCR: 7&9 for γὰρ; doubled period): μείζονος.. → μείζονος.; ἰδεὺ πάντα → ἰδοὺ πάντα; Φησὶ 7&9 Πέτρος → Φησὶ γὰρ Πέτρος; novdτροπος → μονότροπος.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 74 (PG 28:1529d–1532a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/74). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/74
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 75
75PG 28:1532a–1532b
Καὶ ὲν τοῖς κοσμικοῖς δὲ μὴ ἀπλῶς οὕτως ἐλεημοσύνη γινέσθω. Φησὶ γὰρ, ὡς Ἔλαιον (impensior? μὴ λιπανάτω τὴν κεφαλήν μου. Προσήκει οὖν τὸν ἐλεοῦντα Ἀβραμιαῖον ἔχειν τὸ φρόνημα, καί ὡς ἐκεῖνος τὸ δίκαιον δικαίως πράττειν. Φιλοξενῶν γὰρ ὁ δίκαιος μετά τῆς ἑστίας καὶ τὴν γνώμην παρέθηκεν. Ἔστη γάρ, φησὶν, ὑπηρετῶν, μὴ βουληθεὶς τοὺς οἰκέτας συμμεριστὰς τοῦ κέρδους γενέσθαι. Ἀληθῶς οἱ τοιοῦτοι μισθὸν τῆς έλεημοσύνης ἕξουσι, η κᾶν ἐν δευτέρῳ τάγματι τυγχάνωσιν. Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος, δημιουργήσας τὴν οἰκουμένην, διπλῆν ὲν αὐτῇ τῶν οἰκητόρων ἔθετο τὴν τάξιν. Τοῖς μὲν γάρ σεμνῶς βιοῦσι διὰ τὴν παιδοποιίαν τὸν γάμον ἔταξε· τοῖς δὲ διὰ καθαρότητα βίου τὴν ἁγνείαν προσέταξεν, ἰσαγγέλους αὐτοὺς ποιῶν καὶ τοῖς μὲν νόμους καὶ ἑκδικήσεις καὶ διδασκαλίας παρέδωκε τούτοις δέ φησινʼ Ἐμοί ἐκδίκησις, ἐγὼ ἀνταποδώσω, λέγει Κύριος. Ἐκεῖ φησιν ο Ἐρπῖίσῃ τὴν γῆν · καὶ ὦδε μὴ μεριμνῆσαι τῆς αὔριον κελεύει. Ἑκείνοις νόμον ἔδωκεν ο ἡμῖν δὲ διὰ χάριτος absorbet τὰς ἐντολὰς ἐγνώρισεν.
Kai en tois kosmikois de mē aplōs houtōs eleēmosynē ginesthō. Phēsi gar, hōs Elaion (impensior? mē lipanatō tēn kephalēn mou. Prosēkei oun ton eleounta Abramiaion echein to phronēma, kai hōs ekeinos to dikaion dikaiōs prattein. Philoxenōn gar ho dikaios meta tēs hestias kai tēn gnōmēn parethēken. Estē gar, phēsin, hypēretōn, mē boulētheis tous oiketas symmeristas tou kerdous genesthai. Alēthōs hoi toioutoi misthon tēs eleēmosynēs hexousi, ē kan en deuterǭ tagmati tynchanōsin. Ho gar Kyrios, dēmiourgēsas tēn oikoumenēn, diplēn en autę̄ tōn oikētorōn etheto tēn taxin. Tois men gar semnōs biousi dia tēn paidopoiian ton gamon etaxe; tois de dia katharotēta biou tēn hagneian prosetaxen, isangelous autous poiōn kai tois men nomous kai hekdikēseis kai didaskalias paredōke toutois de phēsinʼ Emoi ekdikēsis, egō antapodōsō, legei Kyrios. Ekei phēsin o Erpiisę̄ tēn gēn ; kai ōde mē merimnēsai tēs aurion keleuei. Hekeinois nomon edōken o hēmin de dia charitos absorbet tas entolas egnōrisen.
“And among those in the world too, let almsgiving not be done just anyhow. For it says: ‘Let not the oil of the sinner anoint my head.’ One who shows mercy, then, should have the mind of Abraham, and like him do what is just justly. For the righteous man, showing hospitality, set his heart before his guests together with the meal. For ‘he stood,’ it says, ‘serving,’ not wishing his servants to share in the gain. Truly such people will have the reward of almsgiving, even if they are in the second rank. For the Lord, having made the world, set a twofold order of its inhabitants. For those who live honorably for the begetting of children he appointed marriage; for others, for purity of life, he commanded chastity, making them equal to the angels. To the first he gave laws and punishments and teachings; but to these he says: ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ There he says, ‘Work the earth’; and here he bids them not to be anxious about tomorrow. To those he gave a law; to us he made known the commandments through grace.”
Ps 141:5 (140:5 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 18:8 (quotation, high confidence) · Luke 20:36 (allusion, high confidence) · Rom 12:19 (quotation, high confidence) · Gen 3:23 (allusion, low confidence) · Matt 6:34 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Alms should be given with Abraham’s heart; God set two orders, the married, under laws, and the virgins, living like angels under grace.
- Ps 141:5 (LXX 140:5) is quoted from the Greek (“oil of the sinner”); the word is garbled in the scan. Abraham’s standing to serve is Gen 18:8. The two orders, married and virgin, are the writer’s, given as written.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; joined words; leaked chapter numeral): κοσμικοῖςδὲ → κοσμικοῖς δὲ; Προσηκει → Προσήκει; Φιλοξενῶν 7&9 ὁ δίκπίοςν → Φιλοξενῶν γὰρ ὁ δίκαιος; Ἐστη 7&9, φησὶν → Ἔστη γάρ, φησὶν; ζο γάρ Κύριος → Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος; τδν γάμον 1:90:ἐταξε → τὸν γάμον ἔταξε; ίσαγγέλους → ἰσαγγέλους; ἀντακοδώσω → ἀνταποδώσω; ιιεριμνῆσαι → μεριμνῆσαι; ἐγνώρισεν. .6. → ἐγνώρισεν..
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 75 (PG 28:1532a–1532b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/75). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/75
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 76
76PG 28:1532b–1532c
Σταυρὸς ἡμῖν ἐστι τὸ τρόπαιον τῆς νίκης. Τὸ γὰρ ἐπάγγελμα ήμῶν οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ ἁποταγὴ βίου, μελέτη θανάτου. Ὠσπερ οὖν οἱ νεκροὶ οὐκ ἐνεργοῦσι τῷ σώματι, οὕτω καὶ ἡμεῖς. Ὅσα γὰρ ἦν διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐπιτελέσαι. πεποιήκαμεν ὅτε ἦμεν νήπιοι. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὡς Ἐμοὶ κόσμος ἐσταύρωται, κάγὼ τῷ κόσμῳ. Τῇ ψυχῇ ζῶμεν ο αὐτῇ τὰς ἀρετὰς ἐπιδείξωμεν· κατὰ διάνοιαν ἐλεήσωμεν ’Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ ἐλεήμονες τῇ ψυχῇ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ λέγει, ὅτι ὁ ἐπιθυμήσας κάλλους, καὶ δίχα τῆς πρά· ξεως, ἀμάρτυρον τὴν ἁμαρτίαν είργάσατοο οὕτως ἐνταῦθα ή ἐλεημοσύνη εἴρηται, τῆς γνώμης τὴν πρᾶξιν τελούσης, κᾶν τὸ ἀργύριον ἄπεστι, τῇ μείζονι ἀξίᾳ τετιμήμεθα.
Stauros hēmin esti to tropaion tēs nikēs. To gar epangelma ēmōn ouden allo estin ē hapotagē biou, meletē thanatou. Ōsper oun hoi nekroi ouk energousi tǭ sōmati, houtō kai hēmeis. Hosa gar ēn diʼ autou epitelesai. pepoiēkamen hote ēmen nēpioi. Phēsi gar ho Apostolos, hōs Emoi kosmos estaurōtai, kagō tǭ kosmǭ. Tę̄ psychę̄ zōmen o autę̄ tas aretas epideixōmen; kata dianoian eleēsōmen ’Makarioi gar hoi eleēmones tę̄ psychę̄. Hōsper gar ekei legei, hoti ho epithymēsas kallous, kai dicha tēs pra; xeōs, amartyron tēn hamartian eirgasatoo houtōs entautha ē eleēmosynē eirētai, tēs gnōmēs tēn praxin telousēs, kan to argyrion apesti, tę̄ meizoni axią tetimēmetha.
“The cross is our trophy of victory. For our profession is nothing else than renunciation of life, meditation on death. As the dead, then, do not act with the body, so neither do we. For whatever could be accomplished through it we did when we were children. For the apostle says: ‘The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.’ Let us live in the soul; let us show the virtues in it; let us show mercy in mind: ‘Blessed are the merciful’ in soul. For as there he says that one who desired beauty, even without the act, has committed sin without witness, so here almsgiving is spoken of with the intention completing the act; even if silver is absent, we are honored with the greater worth.”
Gal 6:14 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 5:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 5:28 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 13:11 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The ascetic life is a dying to the world; mercy is shown in the soul, so that, as lust in the heart is sin, merciful intent without money counts as alms.
- “There” refers to Matt 5:28.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); OCR: 7&9 for γὰρ; split word): Σταυρδς → Σταυρὸς; Tb γὰρ ἐπάγγελμα → Τὸ γὰρ ἐπάγγελμα; Φησὶ 7&9 ὁ Ἀπόστολος → Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἀπόστολος; Μακάριοι 7&9 οἱ → Μακάριοι γὰρ οἱ; Ὥσπερ 7&9 ἐκεῖ → Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖ; τετιμή μεθα → τετιμήμεθα.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 76 (PG 28:1532b–1532c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/76). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/76
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 77
77PG 28:1532d
Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ κατὰ τὸν κόσμον δεσπόται διαφόρους οἰκετῶν ὑπηρεσίας κέκτηνται· καὶ τοὺς μὲν ὲν τοῖς χωρίοις ἐκπέμπουσι πρὸς τὸ τὰς γαίας ἐργάζεσθαι, καὶ τὴν τοῦ γένους διαδοχὴν φυλάττειν· Ἄλλους δὲ, ἐὰν ἐπιεικεῖς καὶ περικαλλεῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν γενομένους θεάσωνται, ὲν τοῖς ἰδίοις οῖκοις μεθιστῶσι πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν ὑπηρεσίαν · οὕτως καὶ ὁ Κύριος τοὺς μὲν τὸν σεμνὸν γάμον ἑλομένους, ἐν τῷ τοῦ κόσμου χωρίῳ ἔθετο· τοὺς δὲ τούτων βελτίονας, ὅσοι μάλιστα δεξιᾶς τετυχήκασι προαιρέσεως, ἑαυτῷ παρέστησεν είς λειτουργίαν. Οὗτοι πάντων τῶν γηΐνων πραγμάτων τυγχάνουσιν ἀλλότριοι· τῆς γὰρ Δεσποτικῆς τραπέζης ἠξίωνται. Οὐ μεριμνῶσι περὶ duplicetur Χριστὸν γὰρ ἐνδέδυνται.
Hōsper gar hoi kata ton kosmon despotai diaphorous oiketōn hypēresias kektēntai; kai tous men en tois chōriois ekpempousi pros to tas gaias ergazesthai, kai tēn tou genous diadochēn phylattein; Allous de, ean epieikeis kai perikalleis ex autōn genomenous theasōntai, en tois idiois oikois methistōsi pros tēn heautōn hypēresian ; houtōs kai ho Kyrios tous men ton semnon gamon helomenous, en tǭ tou kosmou chōriǭ etheto; tous de toutōn beltionas, hosoi malista dexias tetychēkasi proaireseōs, heautǭ parestēsen eis leitourgian. Houtoi pantōn tōn gēïnōn pragmatōn tynchanousin allotrioi; tēs gar Despotikēs trapezēs ēxiōntai. Ou merimnōsi peri duplicetur Christon gar endedyntai.
“For as masters in the world have various services of servants, and send some out to the farms to work the land and keep up the succession of the family; but others, if they see that some born of them are well-behaved and handsome, they move into their own houses for their own service; so too the Lord placed those who chose honorable marriage in the farm of the world, but those better than these, especially those who made the right choice, he set beside himself for service. These are strangers to all earthly affairs; for they have been counted worthy of the Master’s table. They are not anxious about clothing; for they have put on Christ.”
Heb 13:4 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 6:25 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gal 3:27 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: As masters keep some servants on the farm and bring the finest into the house, God leaves the married in the world and takes virgins into his own service.
- A word is garbled (“duplicetur”); “clothing” is supplied from the following “they have put on Christ.”
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (probable); OCR: 7&9 for γὰρ; stray period): Ὠσπερ 7&9 οί κατά → Ὥσπερ γὰρ οἱ κατὰ; ἐκπέμπουσι. πρὸς → ἐκπέμπουσι πρὸς; ’καλ τὴν → καὶ τὴν; E55; δὲ → Ἄλλους δὲ; ἔθετοο → ἔθετο·; Χριστὸν 7&9 ὲνδέδυνται → Χριστὸν γὰρ ἐνδέδυνται.
Topics: Marriage
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 77 (PG 28:1532d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/77). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/77
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 78
78PG 28:1533a–1533b
Τῶν οῦν ἀμφοτέρων ταγμάτων εἷς ἐστι δεσπότης ὁ Κύριος. Ὠσπερ γὰρ ὲκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ σίτου ἐστὶ καὶ τὸ ἄχυρον καὶ τὸ σπέρμα, οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσι καὶ οἱ κατὰ τὸν κόσμον σεμνῶς βιοῦντες, καὶ οἱ τὸν μονήρη ἐπανῃρημένοι βίον. Καὶ γοῦν τῶν ἀμφοτέρων χρεία ἐστί · τῶν μὲν φύλλων πρὸς χρείαν καὶ φυλακὴν τοῦ σπέρματος, τοῦ δὲ καρποῦ ἀναγκαία ή κτῆσις · γένεσις γὰρ τοῦ παντὸς τυγχάνει. Ὥσπερ γὰρ οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ κατὰ ταυτὸ καὶ βοτάνην εἶναι καὶ σπέρμα, οὕτως ἀδύνατον, τῆς κοσμικῆς δόξης ἡμῖν περικειμένης, καρπὸν οὐράνιον ποιῆσαι. Τῶν δὲ φύλλων ἀπορρυέντων, καὶ τῆς καλάμης ξηρανθείσης, ἐπιτήδειος ό στάχυς πρὸς θερισμόν ἐστι. Καὶ ἡμεῖς οῦν, ἀποβαλοῦσαι τὴν ὲκ γῆς φαντασίαν ἀντὶ τῶν φύλλων, καὶ ξηράνασαι ἑαυτῶν τὸ σῶμα ὡς τὴν καλάμην, ὑψώσασαι δὲ ἑαυτῶν τὸν λογισμὸν, δυνησόμεθα σπέρμα σωτηρίας γεννῆσαι.
Tōn oun amphoterōn tagmatōn heis esti despotēs ho Kyrios. Ōsper gar ek tou autou sitou esti kai to achyron kai to sperma, houtōs ek tou autou Theou eisi kai hoi kata ton kosmon semnōs biountes, kai hoi ton monērē epanę̄rēmenoi bion. Kai goun tōn amphoterōn chreia esti ; tōn men phyllōn pros chreian kai phylakēn tou spermatos, tou de karpou anankaia ē ktēsis ; genesis gar tou pantos tynchanei. Hōsper gar ouk enchōrei kata tauto kai botanēn einai kai sperma, houtōs adynaton, tēs kosmikēs doxēs hēmin perikeimenēs, karpon ouranion poiēsai. Tōn de phyllōn aporryentōn, kai tēs kalamēs xērantheisēs, epitēdeios o stachys pros therismon esti. Kai hēmeis oun, apobalousai tēn ek gēs phantasian anti tōn phyllōn, kai xēranasai heautōn to sōma hōs tēn kalamēn, hypsōsasai de heautōn ton logismon, dynēsometha sperma sōtērias gennēsai.
“Of both orders, then, there is one Master, the Lord. For as both the chaff and the seed come from the same wheat, so both those who live honorably in the world and those who have chosen the solitary life come from the same God. And there is need of both: the leaves for use and protection of the seed, and the possession of the fruit is necessary, for it is the origin of the whole. For as it is not possible to be at once green blade and seed, so it is impossible, while worldly glory surrounds us, to produce heavenly fruit. When the leaves have fallen and the stalk has dried, the ear is ready for harvest. So we too, casting off earthly imagination in place of the leaves, and drying our body like the stalk, and lifting up our mind, will be able to produce the seed of salvation.”
Mark 4:28 (allusion, medium confidence) · John 12:24 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The married and the virgins have one Lord, like chaff and grain from one wheat; but heavenly fruit ripens only when worldly glory falls away like leaves.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; stray mark): τὺ ἄχυρον → τὸ ἄχυρον; ’ρσπερ γὰρ → Ὥσπερ γὰρ; ἀποὸαλοῦσαι → ἀποβαλοῦσαι; δυ·νησόμεθα → δυνησόμεθα.
Topics: Marriage
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 78 (PG 28:1533a–1533b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/78). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/78
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 79
79PG 28:1533b
Ἐπικίνδυνον τὸν μὴ διὰ πρακτικοῦ βίου ἀχθέντα, διδάσκειν ἐπιχειρεῖν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἂν, εί τις οἰκίαν ἔχων σαθρὰν, ξένους ὑποδεξάμενος, βλάψει τῇ πτώσει τοῦ οἰκήματος ’ οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι, μὴ πρότερον ἑαυτοὺς ἀσφαλῶς οἰκοδομήσαντες, καὶ τοὺς προσελθόντας σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀπώλεσαν. Τοῖς μὲν γὰρ λόγοις προεκαλέσαντο είς σωτηρίαν, τῇ δὲ τοῦ τρόπου κακίᾳ τοὺς συλλεγέντας μᾶλλον ἠδίκησαν. Ἢ μὲν γὰρ ψιλὴ τῶν λόγων ἓκθεσις ἔοικε γραφαῖς διὰ χρωμάτων εὐαποπτώτων συνιστάσαις, ἅστινας σμικρότατος χρόνος διέλυσεν ἀνέμων ῥιπαῖς καὶ ὑετῶν σταγόσι· τὴν δὲ ἔμπρακτον διδασκαλίαν οὐδʼ ὁ πᾶς αἰὼν διαλῦσαι δυνηθείη. Τὰ γάρ στερεὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ὲκκολάπτων ὁ λόγος, αἰώνιον ἄγαλμα Χριστοῦ τοῖς πιστοῖς δωρεῖται.
Epikindynon ton mē dia praktikou biou achthenta, didaskein epicheirein. Hōsper gar an, ei tis oikian echōn sathran, xenous hypodexamenos, blapsei tę̄ ptōsei tou oikēmatos ’ houtō kai houtoi, mē proteron heautous asphalōs oikodomēsantes, kai tous proselthontas syn autois apōlesan. Tois men gar logois proekalesanto eis sōtērian, tę̄ de tou tropou kakią tous syllegentas mallon ēdikēsan. Ē men gar psilē tōn logōn hekthesis eoike graphais dia chrōmatōn euapoptōtōn synistasais, hastinas smikrotatos chronos dielysen anemōn rhipais kai hyetōn stagosi; tēn de emprakton didaskalian oudʼ ho pas aiōn dialysai dynētheiē. Ta gar sterea tēs psychēs ekkolaptōn ho logos, aiōnion agalma Christou tois pistois dōreitai.
“It is dangerous for one who has not been led through the practical life to try to teach. For as someone who has a rotten house, if he receives guests, will harm them by the fall of the building, so these too, not having first built themselves up securely, have destroyed with themselves those who came to them. For they invited them to salvation with words but rather harmed those gathered by the wickedness of their way of life. For the bare setting out of words is like paintings made with colors that easily flake off, which the shortest time dissolves with gusts of wind and drops of rain; but teaching in deed not even all of time could dissolve. For the word, carving the solid parts of the soul, gives the faithful an eternal image of Christ.”
Matt 7:26 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: One should not teach without having practiced; words without deeds are like flaking paint, but teaching by example carves Christ’s image in the soul.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; stray period): κακίᾳ. τοὺς → κακίᾳ τοὺς; σταγόσι ο τὴν → σταγόσι· τὴν.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 79 (PG 28:1533b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/79). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/79
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 80
80PG 28:1533b–1536a
Δέον οῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς μὴ ἐπιπόλαιον τῆς ψυχῆς ποιεῖσθαι τὴν θεραπείαν, ἀλλʼ ὃλην αὐτὴν διʼ ὅλου κοσμεῖν, μάλιστα τοῦ βάθους μὴ ἀμελούσας. Τριχῶν ἐποιησάμεθα τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν συναφέλωμεν καὶ τοὺς ὲν τῇ κεφαλῇ σκώληκας· μονάσαντες γὰρ οὗτοι, ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἡμᾶς όδυνήσουσι. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τρίχωμα ἡμῶν ἦν ὁ κατὰ τὸν βίον κόσμος, τιμαί, δόξαι, χρημάτων κτῆσις, λαμπραὶ ἐσθῆτος στολαὶ, λουτρῶν χρήσεις, βρωμάτων ἀπολαύσεις. Ταῦτα ἐδόξαμεν ἀποβάλλειν· ἀλλὰ τοὺς ψυχοφθόρους σκώληκας μᾶλλον ἐξώσωμεν. Τίνες δέ εἰσιν οῦτοι; καταλαλιὰ, ἐπιορκία, φιλαργυρία. Ἡ οὖν κεφαλὴ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή· καὶ ἕως μεν ὲν ταῖς ὕλαις τῶν κοσμικῶν πραγμάτων ἐσκέποντο τὰ θηρία, ἐδόκουν λανθάνειν ο νῦν δὲ, γυμνωθέντα, πᾶσίν ἐστιν ἔκδηλα· διὰ τοῦτο ὲν παρθένῳ ἢ ἐν μοναχῷ προφανῆ τυγχάνει καὶ τὰ εὐτελέστερα ἁμαρτήματα· ὥσπερ γὰρ ὲν καθαρῷ οἰκήματι καταφανὲς πᾶσι γίνεται τὸ όφθὲν θηρίον, κᾶν βραχύτατον τυγχάνῃ · ὲν δὲ τοῖς κοσμικοῖς ὥσπερ ὲν ἀκαθάρτοις σπηλαίοις ὲμφωλεύοντα τὰ μέγιστα τῶν ἰοβόλων λανθάνει, ὑπὸ τῆς συνεχοῦς ὕλης καλυπτόμενα. Δέον οῦν ἐφʼ ἡμῶν καθαίρειν τὸν οἶκον διηνεκῶς, καὶ περιβλέπεσθαι μή τι τῶν ψυχοφθόρων ζωῦφίων παρεισδύῃ ὲν τοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς ταμείοις καὶ θυμιᾷν δὲ τοὺς τόπους τῷ θείῳ θυμιάματι τῆς προσευχῆς. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ ίοβόλα ζῶα τὰ δριμύτερα τῶν φαρμάκων ἀπελαύνει, οῦτω λογισμὸν ῥυπαρὸν εύχὴ μετὰ νηστείας ἐκδιώκει.
Deon oun kai hēmas mē epipolaion tēs psychēs poieisthai tēn therapeian, allʼ holēn autēn diʼ holou kosmein, malista tou bathous mē amelousas. Trichōn epoiēsametha tēn aphairesin synaphelōmen kai tous en tę̄ kephalę̄ skōlēkas; monasantes gar houtoi, epi pleion hēmas odynēsousi. To men gar trichōma hēmōn ēn ho kata ton bion kosmos, timai, doxai, chrēmatōn ktēsis, lamprai esthētos stolai, loutrōn chrēseis, brōmatōn apolauseis. Tauta edoxamen apoballein; alla tous psychophthorous skōlēkas mallon exōsōmen. Tines de eisin outoi? katalalia, epiorkia, philargyria. Hē oun kephalē hēmōn estin hē psychē; kai heōs men en tais hylais tōn kosmikōn pragmatōn eskeponto ta thēria, edokoun lanthanein o nyn de, gymnōthenta, pasin estin ekdēla; dia touto en parthenǭ ē en monachǭ prophanē tynchanei kai ta eutelestera hamartēmata; hōsper gar en katharǭ oikēmati kataphanes pasi ginetai to ophthen thērion, kan brachytaton tynchanę̄ ; en de tois kosmikois hōsper en akathartois spēlaiois emphōleuonta ta megista tōn iobolōn lanthanei, hypo tēs synechous hylēs kalyptomena. Deon oun ephʼ hēmōn kathairein ton oikon diēnekōs, kai periblepesthai mē ti tōn psychophthorōn zōyphiōn pareisdyę̄ en tois tēs psychēs tameiois kai thymiąn de tous topous tǭ theiǭ thymiamati tēs proseuchēs. Hōsper gar ta iobola zōa ta drimytera tōn pharmakōn apelaunei, outō logismon rhyparon euchē meta nēsteias ekdiōkei.
“We too, then, must not make the care of the soul superficial, but adorn it whole and throughout, above all not neglecting its depth. We have removed our hair; let us remove with it the worms in the head too; for if these remain, they will pain us still more. Our hair was the adornment of this life: honors, glories, possession of money, splendid robes of clothing, the use of baths, the enjoyment of foods. These we have thrown away; but let us rather drive out the soul-destroying worms. What are these? Slander, perjury, love of money. Our head, then, is the soul; and as long as the beasts were covered in the material of worldly affairs, they seemed to be hidden; but now, laid bare, they are plain to all. For this reason in a virgin or a monk even the lesser sins are conspicuous; for as in a clean house a beast that is seen becomes plain to all, even if it is very small, while in worldly people, as in unclean caves, the greatest venomous creatures lie hidden in their lairs, covered by the constant material. We must, then, clean our house continually, and look about lest any soul-destroying creature slip into the chambers of the soul, and fumigate the places with the divine incense of prayer. For as the stronger drugs drive away venomous creatures, so prayer with fasting drives out a filthy thought.”
Mark 9:29 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Having cut off their hair, ascetics must also remove the lice of slander, perjury and greed; in a clean life even small sins show, so the soul must be cleaned constantly by prayer and fasting.
- A leaked running head (“ινιτ. PP. Ι. v, 8, Ξθ.”) inside the text is removed by a logged correction.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR, split word; leaked running head inside a word; missing space; split word): 'H οῦν κεφαλὴ ἡμῶν ἐστινὴ ψυχήʼ → Ἡ οὖν κεφαλὴ ἡμῶν ἐστιν ἡ ψυχή·; ὲσκέ· ποντο → ἐσκέποντο; τά· ινιτ. PP. Ι. v, 8, Ξθ. πους → τόπους; προσευχης.Ὦσπερ → προσευχῆς. Ὥσπερ; ἀπελαύυ νει → ἀπελαύνει.
Topics: Prayer, Fasting, Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 80 (PG 28:1533b–1536a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/80). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/80
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 81
81PG 28:1536a–1536b
Ἐν δὲ τῶν ψυχοφθόρων ἐστὶ θηρίων καὶ τὸ ύποσυρῆναι παρά τῶν λεγόντων εἶναι εἱμαρμένην, ἥνπερ καὶ γένεσιν καλοῦσι. Κέντρον δέ ἐστι καὶ τοῦτο τοῦ διαβόλου δεινότατον. Καὶ ταῖς μὲν σπουδαίαις ψυχαῖς πολλάκις κατά νοῦν μόνον φαντασίαν λοιμικὴν κινῆσαν, ἀφίπταται· τῶν δὲ ἀμελεστέρων καί δεσπόζει. Οὐδεὶς γάρ τῶν κατʼ ἀρετὴν βιούντων ἐμπιστεύει ἢ παραδέχεται τὸ φρενοβλαβὲς καὶ μάταιον τοῦτο φρόνημα· Θεὸν γὰρ ἀρχὴν πάντων τίθεται τῶν γενομένων καί γινομένων ἀγαθῶν · καὶ δευτέραν τὴν οἰκείαν γνώμην ἡγεμόνα καὶ κριτὴν καθίστησιν ἀρετῆς τε καὶ κακίας. ’Ὀσοι δὲ ἐξ ἀβουλίας τὰ ὲκ ῥᾳθυμίας πεπόνθασιν, εὐθὺς ἐκείνῳ τῷ δαιμονίῳ προσέρχονται. Ὠσπερ γὰρ παῖδες λειποτακτοῦντες καὶ μὴ φέροντες τὴν τῶν γονέων πρὸς ὠφέλειαν παίδευσιν, ἀποφοιτῶντες, τοὺς ἐρήμους καταλαμβάνουσι τόπους, καὶ ἀγρίοις καὶ μαρμαρὼδεσι συνάπτονται δαίμοσιν· αἰδούμενοι γάρ τὴν γνώμην τὴν αίτίαν τιθέναι τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς πραττομένων, συκοφαντοῦσι τά μὴ παρόντα.
En de tōn psychophthorōn esti thēriōn kai to yposyrēnai para tōn legontōn einai heimarmenēn, hēnper kai genesin kalousi. Kentron de esti kai touto tou diabolou deinotaton. Kai tais men spoudaiais psychais pollakis kata noun monon phantasian loimikēn kinēsan, aphiptatai; tōn de amelesterōn kai despozei. Oudeis gar tōn katʼ aretēn biountōn empisteuei ē paradechetai to phrenoblabes kai mataion touto phronēma; Theon gar archēn pantōn tithetai tōn genomenōn kai ginomenōn agathōn ; kai deuteran tēn oikeian gnōmēn hēgemona kai kritēn kathistēsin aretēs te kai kakias. ’Osoi de ex aboulias ta ek rhąthymias peponthasin, euthys ekeinǭ tǭ daimoniǭ proserchontai. Ōsper gar paides leipotaktountes kai mē pherontes tēn tōn goneōn pros ōpheleian paideusin, apophoitōntes, tous erēmous katalambanousi topous, kai agriois kai marmarōdesi synaptontai daimosin; aidoumenoi gar tēn gnōmēn tēn aitian tithenai tōn parʼ autois prattomenōn, sykophantousi ta mē paronta.
“One of the soul-destroying beasts is also being drawn away by those who say there is fate, which they also call ‘genesis.’ This too is a most terrible goad of the devil. In zealous souls it often stirs up a pestilent imagination in the mind only and flies off; but over the more negligent it even rules. For none of those who live by virtue trusts or receives this mad and vain opinion; for he sets God as the beginning of all good things that have come to be and come to be, and makes his own will, second, the guide and judge of virtue and vice. But those who through folly have suffered the effects of laziness go at once to that demon. For as children who desert their post and do not bear their parents’ discipline for their good run away, take to deserted places, and join wild and glittering demons, so they, ashamed to put the blame for their deeds on their own will, slander what does not exist.”
Notes and citation
Summary: Belief in astral fate (genesis) is a demonic snare; the virtuous ascribe good to God and choice to their own will, while the lazy blame fate to excuse themselves.
- “Genesis” is the term for astrological destiny at birth.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; joined words; leaked chapter numeral; split word; stray comma): ψυχοφθὸρων → ψυχοφθόρων; καὶτοῦτο → καὶ τοῦτο; ἀφίπταταιο → ἀφίπταται·; ὲμπι· στεύει → ἐμπιστεύει; τὸ φ ρενοβλαβὲς → τὸ φρενοβλαβὲς; γενομέ‹ νων → γενομένων; παρʼ, αὐτοῖς → παρʼ αὐτοῖς; μὴ παρόντα. ΒΞ. → μὴ παρόντα..
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 81 (PG 28:1536a–1536b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/81). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/81
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae-81) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 82
82PG 28:1536b–1536c
Ἐτι γε μὴν καὶ τοῦ θείου ἑαυτοὺς ἀπωσάμενοι, ὲκ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτοῖς φάσκουσι τά καθʼ ἡδονὴν προσγίνεσθαι. Πορνεύοντες γάρ καὶ κλέπτοντες, φιλαργυρίαν τε νοσοῦντες καὶ δολοφροσύνην, αἰδούμενοι τάς σφῶν αὐτῶν πράξεις, ἐξέκλιναν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας. Τὸ γὰρ τέλος αὐτῶν τοῦ σκοποῦ ἡ ὀλεθροφόρος αὐτοῖς ἐστιν ἀπόγνωσις. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ ὲκ τούτων τῶν λογισμῶν ἀναιρεῖσθαι παρʼ αὐτῶν τὸν θεὸν, καὶ προσέτι τὴν κρίσιν. Φασὶ γὰρ, ὡς Εἰ τοῦτό μοι κέκριται, πορνεύειν ἢ πλεονεκτεῖν, περιττὴ ἡ κρίσις. Ἡ μὲν γάρ δικαία τιμωρία ἑκουσίων ἐστὶ πταισμάτων ο ή δὲ ὡς ἐκ τινος ἀρχῆς ἀκουσία πρᾶξις ἀναίτιον ποιεῖται τὸν δράσαντα· καὶ ἐκ τούτου ἀναιρεῖται μὲν ἡ κρίσις.
Eti ge mēn kai tou theiou heautous apōsamenoi, ek tēs geneseōs autois phaskousi ta kathʼ hēdonēn prosginesthai. Porneuontes gar kai kleptontes, philargyrian te nosountes kai dolophrosynēn, aidoumenoi tas sphōn autōn praxeis, exeklinan apo tēs alētheias. To gar telos autōn tou skopou hē olethrophoros autois estin apognōsis. Anankē gar ek toutōn tōn logismōn anaireisthai parʼ autōn ton theon, kai proseti tēn krisin. Phasi gar, hōs Ei touto moi kekritai, porneuein ē pleonektein, perittē hē krisis. Hē men gar dikaia timōria hekousiōn esti ptaismatōn o ē de hōs ek tinos archēs akousia praxis anaition poieitai ton drasanta; kai ek toutou anaireitai men hē krisis.
“Moreover, having thrust themselves away from the divine, they say that the things of pleasure come to them from genesis. For committing fornication and stealing, and sick with love of money and guile, ashamed of their own deeds, they have turned away from the truth. For the end of their aim is a destructive despair. For from these thoughts they must abolish God and, moreover, the judgment. For they say: ‘If it is decreed for me to commit fornication or to be greedy, the judgment is superfluous.’ For just punishment belongs to voluntary faults; but an involuntary act, as if from some first cause, makes the doer blameless; and from this the judgment is abolished.”
Rom 1:25 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Fatalists blame their sins on the stars, which ends in despair and abolishes God’s judgment, since only voluntary sins are punishable.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR (Latin letters); joined words; split word): Τὸ γά ρ τέλος → Τὸ γὰρ τέλος; ήόλεθροφόρος → ἡ ὀλεθροφόρος; dinei. γὰρ, ὼς Ei τοῦτό μοι κέκριται, πορο νεύεινῆ → Φασὶ γὰρ, ὡς Εἰ τοῦτό μοι κέκριται, πορνεύειν ἢ.
Topics: Ethics, Eschatology
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 82 (PG 28:1536b–1536c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/82). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/82
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 83
83PG 28:1536c–1537a
Πῶς δὲ καὶ τὸ θεῖον ’παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἐκβάλλεται, ἀκουστέον. Φήσουσι γάρ αὐτὸ ἢ πρῶτον, ἦ δεύτερον, ἦ ἀεὶ συνὸν τῇ αὐτῶν ματαιότητι. Εἰ μὲν οὖν πρωτεύειν εἴπωσι τὸν Θεὸν, ἀνάγκη ἀκολουθήσει πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι· καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐν πᾶσιν ο οὐκοῦν αὐτὸς τῆς εἱμαρμένης κύριος. Εἰ δὲ πλεονέκτης, ἣ πορνοκόπος ὲκ τῆς γενέσεως, αναγκαῖον διὰ μέσου τῆς γενέσεως τὸν Θεὸν αἴτιον τῆς κακίας ὑπάρχειν· ὅπερ ἄτοπον. Εἰ δὲ δεύτερον αὐτὸ πάλιν φήσουσιν, είκὸς αὐτὸ ὑπόδουλον γενέσθαι τῷ πρώτῳ· καὶ ὅπερ βούλεται τὸ ἡγούμενον, τούτῳ ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθήσει τὸ ἑπόμενον · καὶ πάλιν τῶν κακῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς αίτιος ὁ Θεός· ὅπερ ἀθέμιτον. Εἰ δὲ καὶ σὐναῖδιον αὐτὸ ἐθέλουσιν εἶναι, πάντως μάχην πρὸς ἑαυτά κινήσουσιν ἐναντίας ἔχοντα φύσεις. Ἐκ τούτων οὖν τῶν λογισμῶν, ὼς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ ἀνῄρηται αὐτῶν ἡ ματαία ὑπόνοια. Περὶ τούτων εἴρηκεν ἠ Γραφή, ὥς φησιν· Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· οὐκ ἔστι Θεός · καὶ, Εἰς τὸ ὕψος ἐλάλησαν ἀνομίαν.
Pōs de kai to theion ’parʼ autois ekballetai, akousteon. Phēsousi gar auto ē prōton, ē deuteron, ē aei synon tę̄ autōn mataiotēti. Ei men oun prōteuein eipōsi ton Theon, anankē akolouthēsei panta diʼ autou gegenēsthai; kai gar autos en pasin o oukoun autos tēs heimarmenēs kyrios. Ei de pleonektēs, hē pornokopos ek tēs geneseōs, anankaion dia mesou tēs geneseōs ton Theon aition tēs kakias hyparchein; hoper atopon. Ei de deuteron auto palin phēsousin, eikos auto hypodoulon genesthai tǭ prōtǭ; kai hoper bouletai to hēgoumenon, toutǭ anankaiōs akolouthēsei to hepomenon ; kai palin tōn kakōn parʼ autois aitios ho Theos; hoper athemiton. Ei de kai synaidion auto ethelousin einai, pantōs machēn pros heauta kinēsousin enantias echonta physeis. Ek toutōn oun tōn logismōn, ōs en kephalaiǭ anę̄rētai autōn hē mataia hyponoia. Peri toutōn eirēken ē Graphē, hōs phēsin; Eipen aphrōn en kardią autou; ouk esti Theos ; kai, Eis to hypsos elalēsan anomian.
“How the divine is also cast out by them must be heard. For they will say that it is either first, or second, or always coexisting with their vanity. If they say that God is first, it will necessarily follow that all things have come to be through him, for he is in all; so he is lord of fate. And if one is greedy or a fornicator by genesis, God must, through genesis as a middle term, be the cause of the wickedness, which is absurd. If again they say it is second, it is likely to have become subject to the first; and whatever the leader wills, the follower will necessarily follow; and again with them God is the cause of evils, which is unlawful. And if they want it to be co-eternal, they will certainly stir up war between two things of opposite natures. By these considerations, then, their vain supposition has been destroyed in sum. Of these Scripture has spoken, as it says: ‘The fool said in his heart, There is no God’; and: ‘They spoke lawlessness on high.’”
Ps 14:1 (13:1 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 73:8 (72:8 LXX) (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Whether God is placed before, after or alongside fate, the fatalist view makes God the author of evil or sets two principles at war; Scripture calls such people fools.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); joined words; split word): El μὲν οὖν upwτεύειν → Εἰ μὲν οὖν πρωτεύειν; οὐκ· οῦν → οὐκοῦν; El δὲ πλεονέκτης → Εἰ δὲ πλεονέκτης; El δὲ δεύτερον → Εἰ δὲ δεύτερον; γενέσθαιτῷ → γενέσθαι τῷ; ἡματαία → ἡ ματαία; Γραεξὴ. ὥς φησιν ο Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν κ(ιρδ·’ῃ αὐτοῦ · οὐκ ίῦὗτ ἐστι → Γραφή, ὥς φησιν· Εἶπεν ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· οὐκ ἔστι.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 83 (PG 28:1536c–1537a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/83). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/83
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 84
84PG 28:1537a–1537b
Καί προφασίζονται δὲ ἑαυτοῖς προφάσεις ἐν ἁμαρτίαις. Ἀκρωτηριάζουσι γὰρ τὰς Γραφάς, τυφλώττοντες, ἐξ αὐτῶν τὴν κακοφροσύνην αὐτῶν πληροφορεῖν βουλόμενοι. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν ἐκ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἰὸν ἐξεμεῖν πειρώμενοι, ἐκβιάζονται · φησὶ γὰρ, ὼς Τοῦ δὲ Χριστοῦ ἠ γένεσις οὔτως τὴν γέννησιν γὰρ αὑτοῦ γένεσιν ἡ θεία me ὠνόμασεν. Ἔτι γε μὴν καὶ τὸ πρὸς ἀνθρώπους αὐτὸν οἰκονομικῶς γενέσθαι ἀκολούθως γένεσις ὠνόμασται. Εἰ δὲ καὶ περί τοῦ ’ἀστέρος τι ψευδολογοῦσι, κάκεῖ πάλιν τὴν ἔνδοξον αὑτοῦ παρουσίαν μανθανέτωσαν. Εἷς ἡμῖν ἀστὴρ φωτεινότατος κῆρυξ γέγονε τῆς ἀληθείας· ἡ δὲ ἐκείνων ματαία γνώμη πολλοὺς παρεισφέρει εἰς θήραν ἀνθρωπίνης γενέσεως. Καὶ ἐκ τούτου δέδεικται, ῶς πανταχοῦ ἑαυτῇ ἀντίκειται ἡ κακία. Καὶ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν δὲ εἰς μαρτυρίαν τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀνοίας καλοῦσι. Φάσκουσι γὰρ αὑτὸν εἰρηκέναι τό· Κύριος ὁ ποιῶν εἰρήνην, καὶ κτίζων κακά. Ἠ μὲν οὖν εἰρήνη παρὰ πᾶσιν ὡμολόγηται ῶς Θεοῦ ἔργον τυγχάνουσα ο ἡ δέ κακία παρʼ αὐτοῖς μὲν ἀληθῶς πολιτεύεται, κακία τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπάρχουσα ο παρὰ δὲ ἡμῖν ἡ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γενηθεῖσα κακία ὠφελιμωτάτη ἐστί. Πρὸς γὰρ σωτηρίαν ψυχῆς καὶ παιδείαν σωμάτων γίνονται λιμοὶ καὶ ἀνομβρίαι, νόσοι τε καὶ πενίαι, καὶ ἄλλαι τινὲς περιστάσεις. Τὰ γὰρ σωτήρια φάρμακα, ἃ ἐκεῖνοι κακίαν ψυχῆς καὶ κακὰ οὐκ ἀληθῶς ὑπενόησαν, ταῦτα πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν ἡμῖν παρὰ τοῦ κρείττονος προσφέρεται ° Τίς γάρ ἐστιν υίὸς ὃν οὐ παιδεύει ό πατήρ; Ἔτι δὲ καί τὸ, Οὐκ ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ, πάλιν ὁμοίως προσφέρουσιν εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν καταστροφήν · ὀδοὺς γὰρ μὴ ἔχοντες, ἐξιχνιάσαι βούλονται. Ὁδὸν οὐκ ἔχει πλεονεξία, γαστριμαργία, πορνεία· ἀνυπόστατα γὰρ ταῦτα, καθʼ ἑαυτὰ μὴ ὄντα. Ταῦτα γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ὁδοὺς εἰώθεσαν λέγειν. Ὁδοὺς δὲ ἡμῖν ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει τὰς κοινὰς πᾶσι, τήν τε ζωὴν καὶ τὸν θάνατον. Ἀληθῶς γὰρ πορεῖαί εἰσι τῆς τε ἐνταῦθα εἰσαγωγῆς καὶ τῆς ἐκ τῶν αἰσθητῶν τούτων μεταναστασεως.
Kai prophasizontai de heautois prophaseis en hamartiais. Akrōtēriazousi gar tas Graphas, typhlōttontes, ex autōn tēn kakophrosynēn autōn plērophorein boulomenoi. Kai prōton men ek tou Euangeliou ton heautōn ion exemein peirōmenoi, ekbiazontai ; phēsi gar, ōs Tou de Christou ē genesis outōs tēn gennēsin gar hautou genesin hē theia me ōnomasen. Eti ge mēn kai to pros anthrōpous auton oikonomikōs genesthai akolouthōs genesis ōnomastai. Ei de kai peri tou ’asteros ti pseudologousi, kakei palin tēn endoxon hautou parousian manthanetōsan. Heis hēmin astēr phōteinotatos kēryx gegone tēs alētheias; hē de ekeinōn mataia gnōmē pollous pareispherei eis thēran anthrōpinēs geneseōs. Kai ek toutou dedeiktai, ōs pantachou heautę̄ antikeitai hē kakia. Kai ton Hēsaïan de eis martyrian tēs heautōn anoias kalousi. Phaskousi gar hauton eirēkenai to; Kyrios ho poiōn eirēnēn, kai ktizōn kaka. Ē men oun eirēnē para pasin hōmologētai ōs Theou ergon tynchanousa o hē de kakia parʼ autois men alēthōs politeuetai, kakia tēs psychēs hyparchousa o para de hēmin hē ek tou Theou genētheisa kakia ōphelimōtatē esti. Pros gar sōtērian psychēs kai paideian sōmatōn ginontai limoi kai anombriai, nosoi te kai peniai, kai allai tines peristaseis. Ta gar sōtēria pharmaka, ha ekeinoi kakian psychēs kai kaka ouk alēthōs hypenoēsan, tauta pros epistrophēn hēmin para tou kreittonos prospheretai ° Tis gar estin uios hon ou paideuei o patēr? Eti de kai to, Ouk en anthrōpǭ hai hodoi autou, palin homoiōs prospherousin eis tēn idian katastrophēn ; odous gar mē echontes, exichniasai boulontai. Hodon ouk echei pleonexia, gastrimargia, porneia; anypostata gar tauta, kathʼ heauta mē onta. Tauta gar ekeinoi hodous eiōthesan legein. Hodous de hēmin hē Graphē legei tas koinas pasi, tēn te zōēn kai ton thanaton. Alēthōs gar poreiai eisi tēs te entautha eisagōgēs kai tēs ek tōn aisthētōn toutōn metanastaseōs.
“And they make excuses for themselves in sins. For, being blind, they mutilate the Scriptures, wishing to confirm their wickedness from them. And first they try to vomit their venom from the Gospel, forcing it; for it says: ‘Now the genesis of Christ was thus.’ For divine Scripture named his birth ‘genesis.’ And moreover his coming to men by the dispensation is consequently named genesis. And if they tell lies about the star too, let them learn there again his glorious coming. One most shining star became for us the herald of truth; but their vain opinion brings in many for the hunting of human genesis. And from this it is shown that wickedness everywhere contradicts itself. They also call Isaiah to witness to their folly. For they say that he said: ‘The Lord who makes peace and creates evils.’ Peace, then, is agreed by all to be the work of God; but wickedness among them truly has its citizenship, being wickedness of soul; whereas with us the ‘evil’ that comes from God is most profitable. For famines and droughts, diseases and poverty, and other circumstances come for the salvation of the soul and the discipline of bodies. For the saving medicines, which they wrongly supposed to be wickedness of soul and evils, are brought to us by the One above for conversion: ‘For what son is there whom the father does not discipline?’ And again they likewise bring forward to their own overthrow the saying: ‘His ways are not in man.’ For having no ways, they want to trace them out. Greed, gluttony, fornication have no way; for they are without substance, not existing by themselves. For these are what they were accustomed to call ‘ways.’ But Scripture calls ways those common to all, life and death. For truly they are journeys, both of entry here and of departure from these things of sense.”
Matt 1:18 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 2:2 (allusion, high confidence) · Isa 45:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Heb 12:7 (quotation, high confidence) · Jer 10:23 (quotation, high confidence) · Deut 30:15 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Fatalists twist Scripture: Matthew’s “genesis” of Christ means birth, the star announced Christ, Isaiah’s “evils” are corrective hardships from God, and “ways” are life and death, not vices.
- “His ways are not in man” is Jer 10:23 in a Greek form. A word for “Scripture” is garbled (“me”).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); joined words): ἀλησ θείαςʼ ἡδὲ → ἀληθείας· ἡ δὲ; ἀντίκειταιὴ κακία → ἀντίκειται ἡ κακία; παρὰ . δὲ ἡμῖν ὴ ἐκ → παρὰ δὲ ἡμῖν ἡ ἐκ; άλλαιτινὲς → ἄλλαι τινὲς; κακὰούκ άληθῶς → κακὰ οὐκ ἀληθῶς; al ὁδοί αὺτοῦ → αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ; ὐδὸν ούκ ἔχει → Ὁδὸν οὐκ ἔχει; πορνείαο → πορνεία·.
Topics: Scripture and canon, Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 84 (PG 28:1537a–1537b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/84). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/84
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 85
85PG 28:1537b–1540b
Πάντα οὗν ποιοῦσιν οἱ κακοδαίμονες, ῶστε τοῦ αύτεξουσίου ἑαυτοὺς ἀπώσασθαι ο καὶ ταύτην σπουδὴν τίθενται τοῦ ἁντικαταλλάξαι τῆς ἐλευθερίας τὴν δουλείαν. Καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο τῆς κακίας ἔργον, τὸ πάντοτε τοῖς χείροσιν ἑαυτὴν συγκαθέλκειν ο ἑαυτῶν γὰρ γίνονται μάρτυρες, ῶς τῇ κακία ἑαυτοὺς πεπρακότες. Καὶ τοῦτο οὖν τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ ἀπατηλὸν τέχνασμα · τὰς γὰρ ἀμελεῖς ψυχάς διὰ τῆς κακοδοξίας κάτω κεκυφέναι παρασκευάζει, μὴ συγχωρῶν αὑτὰς ἀνανῆψαι πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ναῦς ἐκτὸς πηδαλίων πλέουσα ἀεὶ χειμάζεται, οὕτω τούτοις πάντοτε ὁ κίνδυνος ἐπιπνεῖ· ούδὲ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν σωτήριον λιμένα ὁρμῆσαι δύνανται, τὸν κυβερνῶντα Κύριον καταλιπόντες. Καὶ τὰς μὲν ἐκδεδομένας αὐτῷ ψυχὰς οὕτως πλανᾷ. Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ τὰς σπουδαίας παρυσιζάνειδιά τούτων 6 ἐχθρὸς, τον ἀγα· (λιν αὐτῶν δῴμον Eni/3,1: Κατʼ ἔνεικαν ῒάρ ἐμβάλλει. ὡς καὶ τὸ εὖ πράττειν παρα τῆς mw", σεως τῶν άστρων γίνεται. Τοῦτον δὲ τὸν λογισμὸν ο ἐναντίκ πῳσάγει τοῖς ἐκ σοφίας κοσμικῆς ἐπὶ τὸν μονήρη βίον τραπεῖσι · φρόνιμος γὰρ ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς τυγχάνων ὁ διάβολος, πρὸς τὰς φύσεις τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰς παγίδας ὑποτίθησι. Τοῖς μὲν γάρ διὰ τῆς ἀπογνώσεως ἐνδελεχεῖ ο τινας δὲ διά τῆς κενοδοξίας καθέλκει, καὶ ἐτέρους διὰ τῆς φιλοχρηματίας κατορύττει. Ὠσπερ γάρ θανατηφόρος ἰατρὸς προσάγει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ δηλητήρια· καί τον μὲν ἐκ τοῦ ἧπατος ἀναιρεῖ, προσάγων αὖτῷ τὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τοξικόν· ἄλλον δὲ καρδιότρωτον ποιεῖ, τὸν θυμὸν αὑτοῦ πρὸς ὀργὴν ἐξάπτων · τινῶν δὲ καὶ τὴν ἠγεμονικὴν ἀμβλύνει δύναμιν, ἦ ἀγνοίᾳ αὐτοὺς περιβάλλων, ἦ διὰ περιεργίας αὐτοὺς στρεβλῶν.
Panta houn poiousin hoi kakodaimones, ōste tou autexousiou heautous apōsasthai o kai tautēn spoudēn tithentai tou hantikatallaxai tēs eleutherias tēn douleian. Kai gar touto tēs kakias ergon, to pantote tois cheirosin heautēn synkathelkein o heautōn gar ginontai martyres, ōs tę̄ kakia heautous peprakotes. Kai touto oun tou diabolou to apatēlon technasma ; tas gar ameleis psychas dia tēs kakodoxias katō kekyphenai paraskeuazei, mē synchōrōn hautas ananēpsai pros epignōsin tēs alētheias. Hōsper gar naus ektos pēdaliōn pleousa aei cheimazetai, houtō toutois pantote ho kindynos epipnei; oude gar pros ton sōtērion limena hormēsai dynantai, ton kybernōnta Kyrion katalipontes. Kai tas men ekdedomenas autǭ psychas houtōs planą. Pollakis de kai tas spoudaias parysizaneidia toutōn 6 echthros, ton aga; (lin autōn dǭmon Eni/3,1: Katʼ eneikan ïar emballei. hōs kai to eu prattein para tēs mw", seōs tōn astrōn ginetai. Touton de ton logismon o enantik pǭsagei tois ek sophias kosmikēs epi ton monērē bion trapeisi ; phronimos gar en tois kakois tynchanōn ho diabolos, pros tas physeis tōn anthrōpōn tas pagidas hypotithēsi. Tois men gar dia tēs apognōseōs endelechei o tinas de dia tēs kenodoxias kathelkei, kai eterous dia tēs philochrēmatias katoryttei. Ōsper gar thanatēphoros iatros prosagei tois anthrōpois ta dēlētēria; kai ton men ek tou hēpatos anairei, prosagōn autǭ to tēs epithymias toxikon; allon de kardiotrōton poiei, ton thymon hautou pros orgēn exaptōn ; tinōn de kai tēn ēgemonikēn amblynei dynamin, ē agnoią autous periballōn, ē dia periergias autous streblōn.
“The wretched ones, then, do everything to thrust themselves away from free will; and they make it their effort to exchange freedom for slavery. For this is the work of wickedness, always to drag itself down with the worse; for they become their own witnesses that they have sold themselves to wickedness. This, then, is the deceitful contrivance of the devil: he makes negligent souls stoop down through false opinion, not allowing them to come to their senses for the knowledge of the truth. For as a ship sailing without rudders is always storm-tossed, so danger always blows upon these; for they cannot make for the saving harbor, having abandoned the Lord who steers. So he leads astray the souls given over to him. Often too the enemy [tries to] sit beside even the zealous through these things, [to overturn] their good course. For he casts in the thought that even doing well comes from the motion of the stars. This thought he brings especially to those who have turned from worldly wisdom to the solitary life; for the devil, being wise in evils, sets his snares according to people’s natures. Some he presses continually through despair; some he drags down through vainglory; and others he buries through love of money. For like a murderous doctor he applies poisons to people: one he kills through the liver, applying the poison of desire; another he wounds in the heart, kindling his temper to anger; and in some he blunts the ruling power, either throwing them into ignorance or twisting them through curiosity.”
2 Tim 2:26 (allusion, medium confidence) · 2 Tim 3:7 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Fatalism destroys free will and lets the devil steer souls; he tempts even the zealous, especially former philosophers, to credit their virtue to the stars, and suits his poisons to each person’s nature.
- Several lines in the middle of this section are badly garbled in the scan (“παρυσιζάνειδιά τούτων 6 ἐχθρὸς, τον ἀγα· (λιν αὐτῶν δῴμον Eni/3,1: Κατʼ ἔνεικαν ῒάρ”); the bracketed words are supplied by sense. The liver as seat of desire and the heart of anger follow ancient physiology.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; split word): τοῦ διαὸόλου → τοῦ διαβόλου; ἑκδεδομέ· νας αύτῷ → ἐκδεδομένας αὐτῷ; 6 6d66).6; → ὁ διάβολος; ἀπογνώ- 63:»; ἐνδελεχεῖ → ἀπογνώσεως ἐνδελεχεῖ; θανατηςόμ ἰατρὸς προσάγει τάς άνθρὼποις → θανατηφόρος ἰατρὸς προσάγει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις; τινιῖιν δὲ → τινῶν δὲ; πριβάλλων → περιβάλλων.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 85 (PG 28:1537b–1540b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/85). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/85
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae-85) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 86
86PG 28:1540b–1540d
Τινὲς οὖν ὲκ ζητήσεων οὐκ ὀρθῶν παρέτρεψε. Περὶ γάρ Θεοῦ καί τῆς αὖτοῦ οὐσίας διαλαβεῖν θελήσαντες, ἐναυάγησαν. Τὸν γάρ πρακτικὸν βίον ἀκοπρὸς θεωρίαν ὥρμησαν, λούθως μὴ ἡνιοχήσαντες. καὶ ἰλιγγιάσαντες πεπτώκασι. Τοῦ γὰρ πρώτου ὡς πρὸς τὴν τάξιν μὴ ἐπιλαβόμενοι, τοῦ δεύτερον ἠστόχησαν. Ὠσπερ γὰρ οἱ τῷ ἄλφα στοιχείῳ ἐντυγχάνοντες, πρῶτον αὑτοῦ τὸ σχῆμα ὁρῶσι, καὶ δεύτερον τὸ ὄνομα διδάσκονται, καὶ οὕτως τὸν ἀριθμὸν μανθάνουσι, καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον τοὺς τόνους παραλαμβάνουσιν. Εἰ οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ πρώτου στοιχείου τοσαύτη χρεία τριβῆς καὶ τέχνης, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τοῦ Δημιουργοῦ ὀφείλει πόνος καὶ χρόνος προηγεῖσθαι εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἀξιουμένου Θεωρίαν τῆς ἀνεκφράστου δόξης; ἀλλὰ μή τις γαυριάτω πρὸς κατάληψιν τῶν θείων ἐκ τῶν ἔξωθεν μαθημάτων ὁρμώμενος. Φρεναπατᾷ γὰρ ἑαυτὸν ὁ τοιοῦτος, ὑπὸ τοῦ δαίμονος φανταζόμενος. Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Ὑμνῳδός· Ἐκ τοῦ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον. Καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ ἐν τῷ Εὑαγγελίῳ· Ἀφετε τὰ παιδία ἐλθεῖν πρός με· τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησιν· Ἐὰν μὴ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν. Ταῦτα ἐπαιδεύθης διὰ τὸν κόσμον μωρὸς γενοῦ διὰ τὸν Θεόν· ἔκκοψον τὰ παλαιὰ, ἴνα νέα φυτεύσῃςο τοὺς σαθροὺς θεμελίους κάθελε. ἴνα τὴν ἀδαμάντινον τοῦ Κυρίου βάσιν ἐπιθῇς · ἵνα καὶ σὺ ὠς Ἀπόστολος ἐπὶ τὴν στερεὰν πέτραν οἱκοδομηθῇς.
Tines oun ek zētēseōn ouk orthōn paretrepse. Peri gar Theou kai tēs autou ousias dialabein thelēsantes, enauagēsan. Ton gar praktikon bion akopros theōrian hōrmēsan, louthōs mē hēniochēsantes. kai ilingiasantes peptōkasi. Tou gar prōtou hōs pros tēn taxin mē epilabomenoi, tou deuteron ēstochēsan. Ōsper gar hoi tǭ alpha stoicheiǭ entynchanontes, prōton hautou to schēma horōsi, kai deuteron to onoma didaskontai, kai houtōs ton arithmon manthanousi, kai to teleutaion tous tonous paralambanousin. Ei oun epi tou prōtou stoicheiou tosautē chreia tribēs kai technēs, posǭ mallon epi tou Dēmiourgou opheilei ponos kai chronos proēgeisthai eis tēn tou axioumenou Theōrian tēs anekphrastou doxēs? alla mē tis gauriatō pros katalēpsin tōn theiōn ek tōn exōthen mathēmatōn hormōmenos. Phrenapatą gar heauton ho toioutos, hypo tou daimonos phantazomenos. Phēsi gar ho Hymnǭdos; Ek tou stomatos nēpiōn kai thēlazontōn katērtisō ainon. Kai ho Kyrios de en tǭ Heuangeliǭ; Aphete ta paidia elthein pros me; tōn gar toioutōn estin hē basileia tōn ouranōn. Kai allachou phēsin; Ean mē genēsthe hōs ta paidia, ou mē eiselthēte eis tēn basileian tōn ouranōn. Tauta epaideuthēs dia ton kosmon mōros genou dia ton Theon; ekkopson ta palaia, ina nea phyteusę̄so tous sathrous themelious kathele. ina tēn adamantinon tou Kyriou basin epithę̄s ; hina kai sy ōs Apostolos epi tēn sterean petran hoikodomēthę̄s.
“Some, then, have gone astray through wrong inquiries. For wishing to discuss God and his essence, they suffered shipwreck. For they rushed to contemplation without having guided the practical life in due order, and growing dizzy they fell. For not having taken hold of the first in order, they missed the second. For as those who meet the letter alpha first see its shape, and second are taught its name, and so learn its number, and last take in the accents. If, then, for the first letter so much practice and skill are needed, how much more must labor and time go before the contemplation of the inexpressible glory of the Creator for one counted worthy of it? But let no one be proud, setting out from outside learning toward the grasp of divine things. For such a one deceives himself, deluded by the demon. For the psalmist says: ‘Out of the mouth of infants and nursing babes you have perfected praise.’ And the Lord in the Gospel: ‘Let the children come to me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.’ And elsewhere he says: ‘Unless you become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.’ You were educated in these things for the world; become a fool for God; cut down the old so that you may plant the new; pull down the rotten foundations so that you may lay the adamantine base of the Lord; so that you too, like the apostle, may be built upon the solid rock.”
1 Tim 1:19 (allusion, medium confidence) · Ps 8:2 (8:3 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 19:14 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 18:3 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 3:18 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 16:18 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Some were shipwrecked by speculating about God’s essence before mastering the practical life; worldly learning must be humbled, becoming like a child and a fool for God.
- The passage on learning the letter alpha is partly scrambled in the scan (“ἀκοπρὸς θεωρίαν ὥρμησαν, λούθως”); the order is restored in translation.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); OCR: 6 for ὁ): παρέτρειξε → παρέτρεψε; δρῶσι, καὶ δεύτερον τὸ δνομα → ὁρῶσι, καὶ δεύτερον τὸ ὄνομα; El οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ πρώτου → Εἰ οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ πρώτου; τριδῆς καὶ τέχνης. → τριβῆς καὶ τέχνης,; ἁνεκιρράστου → ἀνεκφράστου; ἐαυτὸν 6 τοιοῦτος. → ἑαυτὸν ὁ τοιοῦτος,; Φησὶ γὰρ 6 ’Υμνῳδόςο → Φησὶ γὰρ ὁ Ὑμνῳδός·; Καὶ 6 Κύριος δὲ → Καὶ ὁ Κύριος δὲ; πριίςμέ · τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οἰψανῶοκ → πρός με· τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.; εὑ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εὶς τὴν,Βασιλείαν τῶν· οὐρανὼν → οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν; τὰεπαλαιὰ. → τὰ παλαιὰ,; ὲπ) τὴν → ἐπὶ τὴν.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 86 (PG 28:1540b–1540d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/86). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/86
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 87
87PG 28:1540d–1541a
Οὐ δεῖ οὖν φιλόνεικον εἶναι ο διὰ. τὴν πολυλογίαν μὴ πολλὰ άσχοληθῇς. Καὶ γάρ διά τῆς ἀκαίρου φλυαρίας δύναται βλάπτειν ὁ διάβολος. Πολλὰς γὰρ ἔχει παγίδας, καὶ δεινός ἐστι θηρευτής · καὶ τοῖς μὲν βραχυτάτοις στρουθίοις μικρά τίθησι σκάνδαλα · τοῖς δὲ μεγάλοις ὀρνέοις ἰσχυροὺς εὐτρεπίζει τοὺς βρόχους. Βαρὺς καὶ θανατηφόρος ἐστὶ βρόχος τὸ πιστεύειν εἶναι γένεσιν. Φευκταῖος ὁ πρὸς τοῦτο λογισμός. Ἀλλὰ πείθει σε διά πραγμάτων καὶ προρρήσεων; Στοχαστικὸς ὁ τρόπος· ἀβέβαιος ἡ γνώμη. Οὐδὲ γάρ ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθεῖ τά παρʼ αὐτῶν λεγόμενα· ὥσπερ γὰρ τοῖς ἰδιώταις καὶ τοῖς ναυτίλοις ὲκ τῆς τῶν νεφῶν ίδιότητός ἐστί τις ἀμυδρά γνῶσις ἀνέμων ἢ ὑετῶνο οὕτω τούτοις ἐκ δαιμόνων ἡ σαθρά πρόγνωσις. Καὶ γοῦν τινα καὶ αὐτοὶ λέγουσι στοχαστικῶς, ὡς καὶ οἱ ἐγγαστρίμυθοι· καὶ τοῦτο δʼ ἃν αὐτῶν μᾶλλον διασκεδάσαι δυνηθείη τὴν φαύλην διάνοιαν · εἰ γὰρ ὲκ δαιμόνων αί στοχαστικαὶ αὗται ψευδολογίαι συνέστησαν, ματαία τῶν ψηφιζόντων ἡ τέχνη.
Ou dei oun philoneikon einai o dia. tēn polylogian mē polla ascholēthę̄s. Kai gar dia tēs akairou phlyarias dynatai blaptein ho diabolos. Pollas gar echei pagidas, kai deinos esti thēreutēs ; kai tois men brachytatois strouthiois mikra tithēsi skandala ; tois de megalois orneois ischyrous eutrepizei tous brochous. Barys kai thanatēphoros esti brochos to pisteuein einai genesin. Pheuktaios ho pros touto logismos. Alla peithei se dia pragmatōn kai prorrēseōn? Stochastikos ho tropos; abebaios hē gnōmē. Oude gar anankaiōs akolouthei ta parʼ autōn legomena; hōsper gar tois idiōtais kai tois nautilois ek tēs tōn nephōn idiotētos esti tis amydra gnōsis anemōn ē hyetōno houtō toutois ek daimonōn hē sathra prognōsis. Kai goun tina kai autoi legousi stochastikōs, hōs kai hoi engastrimythoi; kai touto dʼ han autōn mallon diaskedasai dynētheiē tēn phaulēn dianoian ; ei gar ek daimonōn ai stochastikai hautai pseudologiai synestēsan, mataia tōn psēphizontōn hē technē.
“One must not, then, be contentious; do not busy yourself much with much talk. For the devil can harm even through untimely chatter. For he has many snares and is a terrible hunter; for the smallest sparrows he sets small traps, but for the great birds he prepares strong nooses. A heavy and deadly noose is believing that there is ‘genesis.’ The thought toward it must be fled. But does he persuade you by events and predictions? The method is conjectural; the opinion unstable. For what they say does not necessarily follow; for as ordinary people and sailors have a dim knowledge of winds or rain from the character of the clouds, so these have a rotten foreknowledge from demons. Indeed they too say some things by conjecture, as do the ventriloquists; and this might rather scatter their bad thinking: for if these conjectural lies arise from demons, the art of the reckoners is vain.”
Ps 124:7 (123:7 LXX) (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Avoid idle disputes; the astrologers’ predictions are conjectures like a sailor’s weather lore, or come from demons like the sayings of ventriloquists, so their art is vain.
- “Ventriloquists” are mediums believed to speak through a spirit.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); OCR, split word; OCR: 6 for ὁ): ἀκαίῳυ → ἀκαίρου; βλάπτειν 6 διάὸολος → βλάπτειν ὁ διάβολος; τὸ πιο στεύειν → τὸ πιστεύειν; Φευκταῖος 6 πρὸς → Φευκταῖος ὁ πρὸς; 7:99pm?)σεωνς Στοχαστικὸς 6 τρόπος· ἁθὲθαιος → προρρήσεων; Στοχαστικὸς ὁ τρόπος· ἀβέβαιος; δζδὲ γάρ → Οὐδὲ γάρ; λεγό ig-eva' → λεγόμενα·; ἐγγαστρίμυοον → ἐγγαστρίμυθοι·.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 87 (PG 28:1540d–1541a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/87). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/87
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 88
88PG 28:1541a–1541c
Εί δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἑνδελεχεῖ περὶ αὐτῶν δικαιολογούμενος ὁ ἐχθρὸς, ὲκ τούτου αὑτὸν ὲλέγξεις, ὲκ τοῦ άλλοτε ἄλλοις λογισμοῖς τῇ ψυχῇ πολεμεῖν. Τὸ γὰρ ἄστατον sessim;- ἒεδ ἐξ ἆδὲσῖιῖον ἀπωλείαις-ἐγγύῖ Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῇ πρώτῃ αὑτοῦ κακίᾳ ὲπαρκείται ὁ διάβολος · ἀλλά γε καὶ αὐτοματισμὸν ὑποβάλλει τῇ ψυχῇ · καὶ ἄνθος φύσεως τὸν ἡγεμόνα ἡμῶν νοῦν ὑπογρᾶφει· καὶ ὅτι, διαλυομένου τοῦ σώματος, συμφθείρεται καὶ ἡ ψυχή. Ταῦτα δὲ ἡμῖν πάντα ὑποβάλλει πρὸς τὸ ἀμελείᾳ τὴν ψυχὴν διαφθεῖραι. Ἀλλά προσγινομένων τούτων τῶν σκιωδῶν φαντασμάτων, μὴ ὡς ἀληθέσιν αὑτοίς συνθώμεθα. Ταῦτα γὰρ αὐτῶν τὴν κακίαν δείκνυσιν, ἄλλοτε ἄλλως προσερχόμενα, καὶ ῥιπῇ ὀφθαλμοῦ ἀφιπτάμενα. Καὶ γοῦν οἶδά τινα Θεοῦ δοῦλον κατʼ ἀρετὴν βιοῦντα, ὅστις, καθεζόμενος ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ, ἐπετήρει τῶν λογισμῶν τὰς παρεισαγωγάς, καὶ ἐμέτρει ποῖος πρῶτος, καὶ ποῖος δεύτερος, καὶ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν πόσον χρόνον κατεῖχε· καὶ εἰ ὑστέρησεν ἢ προέφθασεν τῆς παρελθούσης ἡμέρας · οὕτως ἀκριβῶς ἠπίστατο τήν τε τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριν καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν καρτερίαν τε καὶ δύναμιν, ἔτι γε μὴν καὶ τὴν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ καθαίρεσιν.
Ei de epi pleion hendelechei peri autōn dikaiologoumenos ho echthros, ek toutou hauton elenxeis, ek tou allote allois logismois tę̄ psychę̄ polemein. To gar astaton sessim?- eed ex adesiiion apōleiais-engui Oude gar tę̄ prōtę̄ hautou kakią eparkeitai ho diabolos ; alla ge kai automatismon hypoballei tę̄ psychę̄ ; kai anthos physeōs ton hēgemona hēmōn noun hypographei; kai hoti, dialyomenou tou sōmatos, symphtheiretai kai hē psychē. Tauta de hēmin panta hypoballei pros to ameleią tēn psychēn diaphtheirai. Alla prosginomenōn toutōn tōn skiōdōn phantasmatōn, mē hōs alēthesin hautois synthōmetha. Tauta gar autōn tēn kakian deiknysin, allote allōs proserchomena, kai rhipę̄ ophthalmou aphiptamena. Kai goun oida tina Theou doulon katʼ aretēn biounta, hostis, kathezomenos en tǭ kelliǭ, epetērei tōn logismōn tas pareisagōgas, kai emetrei poios prōtos, kai poios deuteros, kai hekastos autōn poson chronon kateiche; kai ei hysterēsen ē proephthasen tēs parelthousēs hēmeras ; houtōs akribōs ēpistato tēn te tou Theou charin kai tēn oikeian karterian te kai dynamin, eti ge mēn kai tēn tou echthrou kathairesin.
“And if the enemy persists further, arguing for them, you will refute him from this, that he fights the soul at different times with different thoughts. For his instability shows his falsehood and brings destruction near. For the devil is not content with his first wickedness, but he also suggests chance to the soul, and describes our ruling mind as a flower of nature, and says that, when the body is dissolved, the soul perishes with it. All these he suggests to us so as to corrupt the soul by negligence. But when these shadowy imaginations come, let us not assent to them as true. For they show their wickedness by coming now one way, now another, and flying off in the blink of an eye. Indeed I know a certain servant of God, living by virtue, who, sitting in his cell, watched the entrances of the thoughts, and measured which was first and which second, and how long each held him, and whether it came later or earlier than the previous day; so exactly did he know both the grace of God and his own endurance and strength, and moreover the overthrow of the enemy.”
1 Cor 15:52 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The devil’s shifting suggestions, fate, chance, the mortality of the soul, betray their falsehood; a servant of God carefully observed the sequence and duration of his thoughts.
- The second sentence is garbled in the scan (“Τὸ γὰρ ἄστατον sessim;- ἒεδ ἐξ ἆδὲσῖιῖον ἀπωλείαις-ἐγγύῖ”); translated by the probable sense.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); split word; stray comma; stray hyphen): δικαιολογού μενοςὸ ἐχθρὸς → δικαιολογούμενος ὁ ἐχθρὸς; ἄλλοις,λογισμοῖς → ἄλλοις λογισμοῖς; ὁ διάσολος → ὁ διάβολος; δεύτε- 90; → δεύτερος; xui. εί ὑστέρησεν → καὶ εἰ ὑστέρησεν; ἡμέ ρας → ἡμέρας; τὴνν οἰκείαν → τὴν οἰκείαν; δύναμιν- ἔτι → δύναμιν, ἔτι.
Topics: Ethics, Eschatology
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 88 (PG 28:1541a–1541c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/88). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/88
BibTeX · RIS · CSL-JSON (whole work; this passage's key: sophiascriptura-ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae-88) · Report an error
Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 89
89PG 28:1541c–1541d
Δέον οὖν ἡμᾶς τούτους τοὺς κανόνας ὑποδεξαμένας φυλάττειν. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ ἐμπορευόμενοι τὰς προσκαίρους πραγματείας καθʼ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ζυγοστατοῦσι τά κέρδη ο καὶ ἀσμένως μὲν τὰ πλείονα ὑποδέχονται, πρὸς δὲ τὰς ζημίας ἀπεχθάνονται · πολὺ πλέον τούτων ἀγρυπνεῖν προσήκει τοὺς τὸν ἀληθινὸν θησαυρὸν ἐμπορευομένους· καὶ τῶν μὲν πλειόνων ἀγαθῶν ἐφίεσθαι · εί δὲ καὶ μικρά τις κλοπὴ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ γένοιτο, βαρέως μὲν φέρειν διὰ τὸ κρίνεσθαι, ἀλλʼ οὐ μὴν ἀπογινώσκειν ἑαυτοὺς, καὶ πάντα ῥίπτειν διὰ τὸ ἀκούσιον πταῖσμα. Ἔχεις τὰ ἐνενήκοντα ὲννέα πρόβατα, ζήτει καὶ τὸ ἀπολωλός. Μὴ λυπηθῇς διὰ τὸ ἓν, μὴ ἁποφύγῃς τὸν Δεσπότην. καὶ ό αίμοβόρος διάβολος πᾶσάν σου τὴν ἀγέλην τῶν πράξεων αἰχμαλωτίσας ἀπολέσει. Μὴ οὖν λειποτακτήσῃς διὰ τὸ ἕνʼ ἀγαθὸς γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Δεσπότης· φησὶ γὰρ διὰ τοῦ Ψαλμῳδοῦ, ὼς Ἐὰν πέσῃ, οὐ καταρραχθήσεται· ὅτι ὑποστηρίζει Κύριος χεῖρα αὑτοῦ.
Deon oun hēmas toutous tous kanonas hypodexamenas phylattein. Ei gar hoi emporeuomenoi tas proskairous pragmateias kathʼ hekastēn hēmeran zygostatousi ta kerdē o kai asmenōs men ta pleiona hypodechontai, pros de tas zēmias apechthanontai ; poly pleon toutōn agrypnein prosēkei tous ton alēthinon thēsauron emporeuomenous; kai tōn men pleionōn agathōn ephiesthai ; ei de kai mikra tis klopē tou echthrou genoito, bareōs men pherein dia to krinesthai, allʼ ou mēn apoginōskein heautous, kai panta rhiptein dia to akousion ptaisma. Echeis ta enenēkonta ennea probata, zētei kai to apolōlos. Mē lypēthę̄s dia to hen, mē hapophygę̄s ton Despotēn. kai o aimoboros diabolos pasan sou tēn agelēn tōn praxeōn aichmalōtisas apolesei. Mē oun leipotaktēsę̄s dia to henʼ agathos gar estin ho Despotēs; phēsi gar dia tou Psalmǭdou, ōs Ean pesę̄, ou katarrachthēsetai; hoti hypostērizei Kyrios cheira hautou.
“We, then, having received these rules, must keep them. For if those who trade in temporary goods weigh their gains every day, and gladly receive more and hate losses, much more must those who trade in the true treasure keep watch, and aim at more good things; and if some small theft by the enemy happens, bear it heavily because of the judgment, but not despair of themselves and throw everything away because of an involuntary fall. You have the ninety-nine sheep; seek the lost one too. Do not be grieved because of the one; do not flee the Master, and the bloodthirsty devil will capture and destroy your whole flock of deeds. Do not, then, desert your post because of the one; for the Master is good; for he says through the psalmist: ‘If he falls, he will not be dashed down; for the Lord upholds his hand.’”
Matt 6:20 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 18:12 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 37:24 (36:24 LXX) (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Like merchants weighing daily gains, ascetics should watch their progress, and when they fall not despair but seek the lost sheep, trusting the Lord who upholds.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (probable); OCR, split word): Δεον οῦν → Δέον οὖν; φυλάττειν.Εί γὰρ οί ἐμπορευόμενοι-τὰς → φυλάττειν. Εἰ γὰρ οἱ ἐμπορευόμενοι τὰς; ὑποδέο χονται → ὑποδέχονται; ὲμπορευομένους* καὶτῶν → ἐμπορευομένους· καὶ τῶν; ἀπογικὼσκειν → ἀπογινώσκειν; διὰ τὺ ἀκούσιον → διὰ τὸ ἀκούσιον; πρόόατα → πρόβατα; Μὴ ποηθῇς → Μὴ λυπηθῇς; καταρῤαχθήσεται · ὅτι ὐποστηρίζει → καταρραχθήσεται· ὅτι ὑποστηρίζει.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 89 (PG 28:1541c–1541d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/89). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/89
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 90
90PG 28:1541d–1544a
Ὅσα γὰρ ὲάν πράξωμεν ἢ κερδάνωμεν ἐνταῦθα, μικρά ἡγησώμεθα πρὸς τὸν μέλλοντα αίὼνιον πλοῦτον. Ἐν γὰρ τῇ γῇ ταύτῃ ὡς ὲν δευτέρᾳ μητρῴᾳ κοιλίᾳ τυγχάνομεν. Ὠσπερ γὰρ ὲν ἐκείνοις τοῖς μυχοῖς ού τοιαύτην ζωὴν εἴχομεν· οὔτε γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων στερεμνίων τροφῶν ἀπελαύομεν ὲν ἐκείνοις τοῖς χωρίοις ὡς νῦν· οὒτε μὴν οὓτως ἐνεργεῖν ἐδυνάμεθα ὡς ἐνταῦθα· καὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ φωτὸς καὶ πάσης αὐγῆς ἐκτὸς ὑπήρχομεν· ὥσπερ οὖν ἐν ἐκείνοις τοῖς ταμιείοις οὖσαι, πολλῶν τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἑλειπόμεθα · οὕτως καὶ ὲν τῷ νῦν κόσμῳ πλεονεκτούμεθα πρὸς τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν. Ἐλάβομεν πεῖραν τῶν ἐνταῦθα τροφῶν, τῶν θείων ὀρεχθὼμεν. Ἀπελαύσαμεν τοῦ ἐνταῦθα φωτὸς, τὸν ἣλιον τῆς δικαιοσύνης ποθήσωμεν. Τὴν ἀνω Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἡγησώμεθα ἑαυτῶν πόλιν τε καὶ μητέρα· πατέρα διττὸν Θεὸν καλέσωμεν ἑαυτῶν. Ζήσωμεν ἐνταῦθα σωφρόνως, ἵνα τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς τύχωμεν.
Hosa gar ean praxōmen ē kerdanōmen entautha, mikra hēgēsōmetha pros ton mellonta aiōnion plouton. En gar tę̄ gę̄ tautę̄ hōs en deuterą mētrǭą koilią tynchanomen. Ōsper gar en ekeinois tois mychois ou toiautēn zōēn eichomen; oute gar tōn toioutōn steremniōn trophōn apelauomen en ekeinois tois chōriois hōs nyn; oute mēn houtōs energein edynametha hōs entautha; kai gar tou hēliakou phōtos kai pasēs augēs ektos hypērchomen; hōsper oun en ekeinois tois tamieiois ousai, pollōn tōn entautha heleipometha ; houtōs kai en tǭ nyn kosmǭ pleonektoumetha pros tēn tōn ouranōn basileian. Elabomen peiran tōn entautha trophōn, tōn theiōn orechthōmen. Apelausamen tou entautha phōtos, ton hēlion tēs dikaiosynēs pothēsōmen. Tēn anō Ierousalēm hēgēsōmetha heautōn polin te kai mētera; patera ditton Theon kalesōmen heautōn. Zēsōmen entautha sōphronōs, hina tēs aiōniou zōēs tychōmen.
“For whatever we do or gain here, let us count it small compared with the eternal wealth to come. For on this earth we are as in a second mother’s womb. For as in those inner recesses we did not have such a life (we did not enjoy such solid foods in those places as now, nor could we act as here, for we were outside the light of the sun and every ray), so, as when we were in those chambers we lacked many things that are here, so in the present world we are at a disadvantage with respect to the kingdom of heaven. We have had experience of the foods here; let us long for the divine. We have enjoyed the light here; let us desire the sun of righteousness. Let us consider the Jerusalem above our city and mother; let us call God our double Father. Let us live here chastely, so that we may obtain eternal life.”
Mal 4:2 (3:20 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Gal 4:26 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: This life is like a second womb compared to the kingdom to come; having known earthly food and light, we should long for heavenly ones.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); OCR and leaked chapter numeral; OCR, split word; joined words): πράξωμενῆ → πράξωμεν ἢ; ἐνεργεῖο if-,ιναμεθα → ἐνεργεῖν ἐδυνάμεθα; καὶγὰρ τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ → καὶ γὰρ τοῦ ἡλιακοῦ; ἑνὲκείνοις → ἐν ἐκείνοις; οίιρανῶν → οὐρανῶν; Ἐλ.ἀ6ομεν → Ἐλάβομεν; διο καιοσύνης → δικαιοσύνης; μητέραο → μητέρα·; ζωῆ ν τύχωμεν. 9L → ζωῆς τύχωμεν..
Topics: Eschatology
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 90 (PG 28:1541d–1544a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/90). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/90
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 91
91PG 28:1544a–1544b
Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ ὲν μήτρᾳ βρέφη, τελειωθέντα ἐξ ἐλάττονος τροφῆς τε καὶ ζωῆς, διὰ τούτου καὶ πρὸς τὴν μείζονα φέρονται σωτηρίαν · οὕτως καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι ὲκ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου διαγωγῆς πρὸς τὴν ἀνω πορείαν ἀναχωροῦσι κατά τὸ γεγραμμένον· Ἐκ δυνάμεως εις δύναμιν. Οἵ γε ἁμαρτωλοὶ, ὥσπερ τὰ κατὰ γαστρὸς ἔμβρυα ὲν τῇ μήτρᾳ τελευτήσαντα, ἐκ σκότους σκότει παραδίδονται. Καὶ γὰρ ἐν τῇ γῇ νεκροῦνται τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων κεκαλυμμένοι· καὶ ἀπαχθέντες δὲ τοῦ βίου, εἰς ζοφώδεις καὶ ταρταρὼδεις τόπους καταφέρονται. Τρίτον τῷ βίῳ τικτόμεθα ο ὦν ἡ μὲν πρώτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐκ τῶν μητρῴων κόλπων πρόοδος, ὁπηνίκα εἰς γῆν ἀπαγώμεθα ὲκ γῆς · αἱ δὲ. λοιπαὶ δύο ὲκ γῆς ἡμᾶς εἰς οὐρανοὺς ανάγουσιν· ὧν ἡ μὲν μία ἐστὶν ὲκ χάριτος, ἡ διὰ τοῦ θείου λουτροῦ ἡμῖν προσερχομένη · καὶ γάρ ταύτην ἀληθῶς παλιγγενεσίαν καλοῦμεν ο ἡ δὲ τρίτη ἐκ τῆς μετανοίας ἡμῖν καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πόνων προσγίνεται. Ἐν ταύτῃ νῦν ἡμεῖς ἑστήκαμεν.
Hōsper gar ta en mētrą brephē, teleiōthenta ex elattonos trophēs te kai zōēs, dia toutou kai pros tēn meizona pherontai sōtērian ; houtōs kai hoi dikaioi ek tēs tou kosmou diagōgēs pros tēn anō poreian anachōrousi kata to gegrammenon; Ek dynameōs eis dynamin. Hoi ge hamartōloi, hōsper ta kata gastros embrya en tę̄ mētrą teleutēsanta, ek skotous skotei paradidontai. Kai gar en tę̄ gę̄ nekrountai tǭ plēthei tōn hamartēmatōn kekalymmenoi; kai apachthentes de tou biou, eis zophōdeis kai tartarōdeis topous katapherontai. Triton tǭ biǭ tiktometha o ōn hē men prōtē estin hē ek tōn mētrǭōn kolpōn proodos, hopēnika eis gēn apagōmetha ek gēs ; hai de. loipai dyo ek gēs hēmas eis ouranous anagousin; hōn hē men mia estin ek charitos, hē dia tou theiou loutrou hēmin proserchomenē ; kai gar tautēn alēthōs palingenesian kaloumen o hē de tritē ek tēs metanoias hēmin kai tōn agathōn ponōn prosginetai. En tautę̄ nyn hēmeis hestēkamen.
“For as infants in the womb, perfected from a lesser food and life, are carried through this to a greater salvation, so the righteous too, from their conduct in the world, depart to the journey upward, according to what is written: ‘From strength to strength.’ But sinners, like embryos that have died in the womb, are handed over from darkness to darkness. For on earth they are dead, covered by the multitude of their sins; and when led away from life they are carried down to gloomy and hellish places. Three times we are born in life. The first is the coming forth from our mothers’ bosoms, when we are led from earth to earth; the other two lead us from earth to heaven. One of these is from grace, coming to us through the divine bath; and we truly call this regeneration. The third comes to us from repentance and good labors. In this we now stand.”
Ps 84:7 (83:8 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · Titus 3:5 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 8:12 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The righteous pass from this life to a higher one as infants to birth, sinners to deeper darkness; there are three births: bodily, baptismal, and that of repentance.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR, split word): τελειωῗέντα → τελειωθέντα; οξ δίκαιοι → οἱ δίκαιοι; γεγραμμένων → γεγραμμένον·; τελευτήσαντα. ὲκ σκότους τκύτει → τελευτήσαντα, ἐκ σκότους σκότει; ἐν τῇ τῇ νεκροῦνται → ἐν τῇ γῇ νεκροῦνται; κεκαλυμμέο νοι → κεκαλυμμένοι; ἡ ὃιὲ τοῦ → ἡ διὰ τοῦ.
Topics: Baptism, Eschatology
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 91 (PG 28:1544a–1544b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/91). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/91
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 92
92PG 28:1544b–1545a
Ὀφείλομεν νῦν, τῷ ἀληθινῷ νυμφίῳ μνηστευθεῖσαι, εὐπρεπέστερον κοσμηθῆναι. Γινέσθω ἡμῖν οἰκοδομὴ ἡ θέα τοῦ κοσμικοῦ γάμου. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκεῖναι, πρὸς τὸν εὐάλωτον συναπτόμεναι ἄνδρα, τοσαύτην τίθενται σπουδὴν λουτρῶν τε καὶ μυραλοιφιῶν, καὶ ποικίλης κοσμήσεως (ὲκ γὰρ τούτων δοκοῦσιν ἑαυτὰς ἐρασμίους μᾶλλον παρασκευάζειν), καὶ εί τοσαύτη τοῖς κατά τὸ σῶμα πολιτευομενοις φαντασία ἐντέτηκται· πόσῳ μᾶλλον δέον ἡμᾶς ἐπαναβῆναι ὲκείνας τῇ γνώμῃ, τῷ οὐρανίῳ νυμφίῳ μνηστευθείσας, καὶ ἀπολοὺσασθαι μὲν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὸν ῥύπον τῇ ἑπιπόνῳ ἀσκήσει, ἀντικαταλλάξαι δὲ τῶν σωματικῶν ἐνδυμάτων τὰ πνευματικά. Ἐκεῖναι τὸ σῶμα τοῖς κοσμικοῖς καὶ γηῖνοις ἀνθεσι κοσμοῦσιν· ἡμεῖς τὴν ψυχὴν ταῖς ἀρεταῖς φαιδρύνωμεν καὶ ἀντὶ μὲν λίθων πολυτελῶν τῇ κεφαλῇ περιθῶμεν τὸν τρίπλοκον στέφανον, πίστιν, ἐλπίδα καὶ ἀγάπην · τῷ δὲ τραχήλῳ τὴν τιμίαν κόσμησιν περιθῶμεν, τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην ἀντὶ δὲ ζώνης τὴν σωφροσύνην περιζωσώμεθα· λαμπρὰ δὲ ἡμῖν περιβολὴ ἡ ἀκτημοσύνη γινέσθω · προσαγέσθω δὲ τῷ δείπνῳ τὰ μὴ φθειρόμενα ὄψα, εὐχαί τε καὶ ψαλμοί. Ἀλλʼ ὡς ὁ Ἀπόστολός φησι, μὴ μόνον τὴν γλῶτταν κίνει· ἀλλά γε καὶ τῷ πνεύματι νόει τά λεγόμενα. Πολλάκις γάρ τὸ μὲν στόμα φθέγγεται, ἡ δὲ καρδία περὶ λογισμοὺς ἀσχολεῖται. Προσέχειν δὲ δεῖ. μὴ, τοῖς θείοις γάμοις προσελθοῦσαι, πενίαν λαμπάδων, τουτέστιν ἀρετῶν, νοσήσωμεν. Μισήσει γάρ ἡμᾶς ὁ μνηστήρ, καὶ οὐδʼ ὅλως προσδέξεται, ὲάν μὴ τάς ὑποσχέσεις λάβῃ. Τίνες δέ εἰσιν αὗται; τοῦ μὲν σώματος ἥττω φροντίζειν, ἐπὶ πλείω δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀρδεύειν· αὗται γάρ εἰσιν αἱ πρὸς αὐτὸν συνθῆκαι.
Opheilomen nyn, tǭ alēthinǭ nymphiǭ mnēsteutheisai, euprepesteron kosmēthēnai. Ginesthō hēmin oikodomē hē thea tou kosmikou gamou. Ei gar ekeinai, pros ton eualōton synaptomenai andra, tosautēn tithentai spoudēn loutrōn te kai myraloiphiōn, kai poikilēs kosmēseōs (ek gar toutōn dokousin heautas erasmious mallon paraskeuazein), kai ei tosautē tois kata to sōma politeuomenois phantasia entetēktai; posǭ mallon deon hēmas epanabēnai ekeinas tę̄ gnōmę̄, tǭ ouraniǭ nymphiǭ mnēsteutheisas, kai apolousasthai men tōn hamartiōn ton rhypon tę̄ hepiponǭ askēsei, antikatallaxai de tōn sōmatikōn endymatōn ta pneumatika. Ekeinai to sōma tois kosmikois kai gēinois anthesi kosmousin; hēmeis tēn psychēn tais aretais phaidrynōmen kai anti men lithōn polytelōn tę̄ kephalę̄ perithōmen ton triplokon stephanon, pistin, elpida kai agapēn ; tǭ de trachēlǭ tēn timian kosmēsin perithōmen, tēn tapeinophrosynēn anti de zōnēs tēn sōphrosynēn perizōsōmetha; lampra de hēmin peribolē hē aktēmosynē ginesthō ; prosagesthō de tǭ deipnǭ ta mē phtheiromena opsa, euchai te kai psalmoi. Allʼ hōs ho Apostolos phēsi, mē monon tēn glōttan kinei; alla ge kai tǭ pneumati noei ta legomena. Pollakis gar to men stoma phthengetai, hē de kardia peri logismous ascholeitai. Prosechein de dei. mē, tois theiois gamois proselthousai, penian lampadōn, toutestin aretōn, nosēsōmen. Misēsei gar hēmas ho mnēstēr, kai oudʼ holōs prosdexetai, ean mē tas hyposcheseis labę̄. Tines de eisin hautai? tou men sōmatos hēttō phrontizein, epi pleiō de tēn psychēn ardeuein; hautai gar eisin hai pros auton synthēkai.
“We ought now, betrothed to the true Bridegroom, to be adorned more fittingly. Let the sight of worldly marriage be an edification for us. For if those women, joining a husband easily won, give so much effort to baths and anointings and varied adornment (for by these they think to make themselves more lovable), and if so much imagination is fixed in those who live according to the body, how much more must we, betrothed to the heavenly Bridegroom, rise above them in mind, wash off the filth of sins by laborious asceticism, and exchange bodily garments for spiritual ones? They adorn the body with worldly and earthly flowers; let us brighten the soul with the virtues; and instead of precious stones let us put on our head the threefold crown, faith, hope and love; and round our neck let us put the precious ornament, humility; instead of a girdle let us gird ourselves with chastity; let poverty be our splendid robe; and let there be brought to the banquet foods that do not perish, prayers and psalms. But, as the apostle says, do not only move the tongue, but understand with the spirit what is said. For often the mouth speaks while the heart is busy with thoughts. We must take care lest, coming to the divine wedding, we suffer a poverty of lamps, that is, of virtues. For the Bridegroom will hate us and not receive us at all if he does not receive the pledges. And what are these? To care less for the body and to water the soul more; for these are the covenants with him.”
1 Cor 13:13 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 14:15 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 25:3 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 25:12 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: As brides adorn themselves for husbands, virgins betrothed to Christ should adorn their souls with faith, hope, love, humility, chastity and poverty, and pray with understanding, lest they lack oil like the foolish virgins.
- “Betrothed” renders a garbled word (“1:905:1θοῦσαι”), probably μνηστευθεῖσαι.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); OCR (probable); OCR, split word; OCR: 6 for ὁ): 1:905:1θοῦσαι → μνηστευθεῖσαι; Γ ινέσθω ἡμῖν οἰκοδομὴ ήθέα → Γινέσθω ἡμῖν οἰκοδομὴ ἡ θέα; tor:an τίθενται → τοσαύτην τίθενται; ὲαπάς → ἑαυτὰς; ἐντέτεκταιο → ἐντέτηκται·; toi; κοσμικοῖς → τοῖς κοσμικοῖς; κοσμοῦοιν → κοσμοῦσιν; στὲο φανον → στέφανον; τραχήὶῳ → τραχήλῳ; περιζωσώμεθαο → περιζωσώμεθα·; περιὸολὴ → περιβολὴ; Ἀπόστολὰ → Ἀπόστολός; κίνειο → κίνει·; ἡμᾶς 6 μνηστήρ → ἡμᾶς ὁ μνηστήρ; aiant; → αὗται;.
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 92 (PG 28:1544b–1545a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/92). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/92
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 93
93PG 28:1545a–1545b
Ὥσπερ δὲ οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ δύο κάδους κατά τὸ αὐτὸ ἀνάγειν πεπληρωμένους ὓδατος· διὰ γάρ τοῦ στρεφομένου ἄξονος, ὁ μὲν εἷς κοῦφος κατάγεται, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος μεστὸς ἀνάγεται· οὕτως καὶ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν ἐστιν· ὅταν γὰρ τὴν πᾶσαν κηδεμονίαν τῇ ψυχῇ προσοίσωμεν, πληρωθεῖσα τῶν καλῶν ἀνάγεται, τῶν μεταρσίων ἐφιεμένη. Τὸ δὲ σῶμα ἡμῶν, διὰ τῆς ἀσκήσεως κοῦφον γενόμενον, οὐ βρίθει τὴν ἡγεμονοῦσαν δύναμιν. Καὶ τούτου μάρτυς ὁ Ἀπόστολος, φησὶ γάρ · Ὅσον ό ἔξωθεν ἡμῶν ἅνθρωπος φθείρεται, τοσοῦτον ό ἔνδον ἀνακαινοῦται.
Hōsper de ouk enchōrei dyo kadous kata to auto anagein peplērōmenous hydatos; dia gar tou strephomenou axonos, ho men heis kouphos katagetai, ho de heteros mestos anagetai; houtōs kai ephʼ hēmōn estin; hotan gar tēn pasan kēdemonian tę̄ psychę̄ prosoisōmen, plērōtheisa tōn kalōn anagetai, tōn metarsiōn ephiemenē. To de sōma hēmōn, dia tēs askēseōs kouphon genomenon, ou brithei tēn hēgemonousan dynamin. Kai toutou martys ho Apostolos, phēsi gar ; Hoson o exōthen hēmōn hanthrōpos phtheiretai, tosouton o endon anakainoutai.
“As it is not possible to raise two buckets full of water at the same time (for by the turning axle one goes down light and the other comes up full), so it is with us: when we give all our care to the soul, it rises filled with good things, aiming at things on high; and our body, made light through asceticism, does not weigh down the ruling power. And the apostle is witness of this, for he says: ‘For though our outer man is perishing, yet the inner is being renewed.’”
2 Cor 4:16 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Like two buckets on a windlass, as the body is lightened by asceticism the soul rises filled with good.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR: 6 for ὁ): ἀξωνος, 6 μὲν εἷς → ἄξονος, ὁ μὲν εἷς; 6 δὲ ἕτερος μεστὸς → ὁ δὲ ἕτερος μεστὸς; μάρτυς 6 Ἀπόστολος → μάρτυς ὁ Ἀπόστολος.
Topics: Fasting
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 93 (PG 28:1545a–1545b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/93). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/93
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 94
94PG 28:1545b
Ἐν μονῇ κοινοβίου τυγχάνεις; μὴ μεταλλάξῃς τὸν τόπον· βλαβήσῃ γὰρ μεγάλως· Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὄρνις ἐξανισταμένη τῶν ὠῶν, οὔρια ταῦτα καὶ ἄγονα παρασκευάζει· οὐτως παρθένος ἢ μοναχὸς ψυχροῦται καὶ νεκροῦται τῆς πίστεως, τόπον ἐκ τόπου μεταβαίνων.
En monę̄ koinobiou tynchaneis? mē metallaxę̄s ton topon; blabēsę̄ gar megalōs; Hōsper gar ornis exanistamenē tōn ōōn, ouria tauta kai agona paraskeuazei; outōs parthenos ē monachos psychroutai kai nekroutai tēs pisteōs, topon ek topou metabainōn.
“Are you in a community monastery? Do not change your place; for you will be greatly harmed. For as a bird that rises from its eggs makes them addled and barren, so a virgin or monk grows cold and dead in faith by passing from place to place.”
Notes and citation
Summary: A nun or monk in a community should not move from place to place, as a bird leaving its eggs makes them barren.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR, stray period; stray hyphen): Ἐὐ μονῇ κοινοϋίου → Ἐν μονῇ κοινοβίου; βλαὸήσῃ → βλαβήσῃ; ὅρνις. έξανισταμένη → ὄρνις ἐξανισταμένη; μοναχδς → μοναχὸς; μεταβαίνων- → μεταβαίνων..
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 94 (PG 28:1545b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/94). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/94
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 95
95PG 28:1545b
Μή σε δελεάσῃ ἡ τῶν κατά τὸν κόσμον πλουσίων τρυφὴ, ῶς τι χρήσιμον ἔχουσα. Ἡδονῆς ἕνεκεν τὴν ὀψαρτυτικὴν τιμῶσι τέχνην · νηστείᾳ καὶ αὐτὸς διά τῶν εὐτελῶν τὴν ἐκείνων εὐπορίαν τῶν τροφῶν ὑπερβάλλου. Φησὶ γὰρ, ὡς Ψυχὴ, ἐν πλησμονῇ οὖσα, κηρίοις ἐμπαίζει. Μὴ κορεσθῇς ἄρτου, καί οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις οἴνου.
Mē se deleasę̄ hē tōn kata ton kosmon plousiōn tryphē, ōs ti chrēsimon echousa. Hēdonēs heneken tēn opsartytikēn timōsi technēn ; nēsteią kai autos dia tōn eutelōn tēn ekeinōn euporian tōn trophōn hyperballou. Phēsi gar, hōs Psychē, en plēsmonę̄ ousa, kēriois empaizei. Mē koresthę̄s artou, kai ouk epithymēseis oinou.
“Let not the luxury of the rich in the world lure you, as though it had something useful. They honor the art of cookery for the sake of pleasure; but you, by fasting with cheap foods, surpass their abundance of food. For it says: ‘A soul that is full mocks at honeycombs.’ Do not be filled with bread, and you will not desire wine.”
Prov 27:7 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Do not envy the rich their fine food; fasting on plain fare surpasses their abundance.
- The last saying is unidentified as a Scripture quotation.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR): ὐπερδάλλου → ὑπερβάλλου; κορεσθῖκ → κορεσθῇς.
Topics: Fasting
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 95 (PG 28:1545b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/95). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/95
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 96
96PG 28:1545b
Τρία ἐστὶ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ τά πρῶτα κεφάλαια, ἐξ ὧν πᾶσα κακία κατάγεται· ἐπιθυμία, ἡδονὴ, λύπη. ’Ἑν ἐξ ένὸς ταῦτα ἤρτηται, καὶ ἒν ένὶ ἀκολουθεῖ· καὶ ἡδονῆς μὲν κρατῆσαι δυνατὸν μετρίως, ἐπιθυμίας δὲ ἀδύνατον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἡδονῆς διὰ τοῦ σώματος τελεῖται· τὸ δὲ ἀπὸ ψυχῆς ἄρχεται· ὴ δὲ λύπη ἐκ τῶν ἀμφοτέρων κατασκευάζεται. Μὴ συγχωρήσῃς οὖν τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐνεργῆσαι, καὶ τὰ λοιπά ἀποσκεδάσεις. Εἰ δὲ συγχωρήσῃς προκύψαι τὸ πρῶτον, διανεμηθήσεται πρὸς τὸ δεύτερον, κυκλικὴν ἀνταπόδοσιν ποιήσονται πρὸς έαυτά, καὶ οὐδαμῶς συγχωρήσει τῇ ψυχῇ ἀνασφῆλαι. Γέγραπται γὰρ, ὡς Μὴ δὸς ὕδατι διέξοδον.
Tria esti tou echthrou ta prōta kephalaia, ex hōn pasa kakia katagetai; epithymia, hēdonē, lypē. ’Hen ex enos tauta ērtētai, kai en eni akolouthei; kai hēdonēs men kratēsai dynaton metriōs, epithymias de adynaton. To men gar tēs hēdonēs dia tou sōmatos teleitai; to de apo psychēs archetai; ē de lypē ek tōn amphoterōn kataskeuazetai. Mē synchōrēsę̄s oun tēn epithymian energēsai, kai ta loipa aposkedaseis. Ei de synchōrēsę̄s prokypsai to prōton, dianemēthēsetai pros to deuteron, kyklikēn antapodosin poiēsontai pros eauta, kai oudamōs synchōrēsei tę̄ psychę̄ anasphēlai. Gegraptai gar, hōs Mē dos hydati diexodon.
“There are three first heads of the enemy, from which all wickedness is derived: desire, pleasure, grief. These hang one from another and follow one another; and it is possible to master pleasure in some measure, but impossible [to master] desire [once it has acted]. For pleasure is accomplished through the body, but desire begins from the soul; and grief is produced from both. Do not allow desire to act, then, and you will scatter the rest. But if you allow the first to peep out, it will spread to the second, and they will make a circular exchange among themselves, and will not allow the soul to recover at all. For it is written: ‘Do not give water an outlet.’”
Notes and citation
Summary: Desire, pleasure and grief are the devil’s three chief weapons; desire must be stopped at its first stirring, for once it acts the others follow in a circle.
- “Do not give water an outlet” is Sir 25:25. “Spread” renders a garbled word (“διανεmea.”).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR (Latin letters; probable); OCR, split word; stray numeral): 1ἤρτηται → ἤρτηται; διανεmea. πρὸς → διανεμηθήσεται πρὸς; ποιήά σονται → ποιήσονται.
Extrabiblical texts: Sir 25:25 (Sirach [in RC, EO, ETH canons]; quotation)
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 96 (PG 28:1545b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/96). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/96
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 97
97PG 28:1545b–1548a
Οὐ πᾶσι πάντα συμφέρει · ἕκαστος δὲ τῷ ἰδίῳ νοῒ πληροφορείσθω. Ὅτι πολλοῖς ἐν κοινοβίῳ συμφέρει, καὶ ἄλλοις κατʼ ίδίαν ἀναχωρεῖν ὠφέλιμον τυγχάνει. Ὥσπερ γάρ τῶν φυτῶν τά μὲν ἐν τοῖς διύγροις τόποις τυγχάνοντα εὐθαλέστερα γίνονται, τά δὲ ὲν τοῖς ξηροτέροις μονιμώτερα· οὕτω καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οι μὲν έν τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις τόποις εὖ πράττουσιν, οἱ δὲ έν τοῖς ταπεινοτέροις διασώζονται. Πολλοὶ οὖν ἐν πόλει, τὰ τῆς ἐρήμου φανταζόμενοι, ἐσώθησαν καὶ πολλοὶ, ὲν ὄρει ὄντες, τά τῶν δημοτῶν πράττοντες, ἀπώλοντο. Δυνατὸν μετά ὄντα μονάζειν τῇ γνώμῃ, καὶ μόνον ὄντα μετὰ ὄχλων τῇ διανοίᾳ συνδιάγειν.
Ou pasi panta sympherei ; hekastos de tǭ idiǭ noï plērophoreisthō. Hoti pollois en koinobiǭ sympherei, kai allois katʼ idian anachōrein ōphelimon tynchanei. Hōsper gar tōn phytōn ta men en tois diygrois topois tynchanonta euthalestera ginontai, ta de en tois xēroterois monimōtera; houtō kai tōn anthrōpōn oi men en tois hypsēloterois topois eu prattousin, hoi de en tois tapeinoterois diasōzontai. Polloi oun en polei, ta tēs erēmou phantazomenoi, esōthēsan kai polloi, en orei ontes, ta tōn dēmotōn prattontes, apōlonto. Dynaton meta onta monazein tę̄ gnōmę̄, kai monon onta meta ochlōn tę̄ dianoią syndiagein.
“Not everything profits everyone; let each be fully persuaded in his own mind. For many it is profitable to be in a community, and for others it is useful to withdraw alone. For as some plants flourish more in moist places and others are more lasting in drier ones, so among people some do well in higher places and others are kept safe in lower ones. Many, then, in a city, imagining the things of the desert, have been saved; and many, being on a mountain, doing the things of townsfolk, have perished. It is possible to be with many and alone in mind, and to be alone and live with crowds in one’s thoughts.”
Rom 14:5 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Some flourish in community, others in solitude; one can be a solitary in the city or worldly in the desert, for it is the mind that counts.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR; OCR (Latin letters); OCR, split word): κοινοδίῳ → κοινοβίῳ; κα“ι ἀλλοις → καὶ ἄλλοις; oi: δὲ → οἱ δὲ; δημοο τῶν → δημοτῶν.
Cite (SBL): Pseudo-Athanasius, Vit. Sync. 97 (PG 28:1545b–1548a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/97). (abbreviation not yet checked)
Permanent link: https://sophiascriptura.com/p/ps-athanasius-vita-syncleticae/97
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek text in Migne PG 28 (archive.org OCR, corrected where noted). No public-domain English translation exists; each batch was re-read against the Greek.