Sayings of Joseph of Panephysis
16. Abbd Joseph said to Abbd Nestfr, "What shall I do "with my tongue, for I cannot conquer it?" Abbd Nestfr said unto him, "If thou talkest wilt thou have relief from this " [trouble]?" And he said unto him, " Nay." The old man said unto him, " If then thou hast no relief when thou talkest, why "dost thou talk?" Abbd Joseph said unto him, " What shall " I do? For I cannot stand against it." The old man said unto him, "Wilt thou have relief then?" and he said unto him, "Nay." The old man said unto him, " If thou canst not gain "relief by talking, then hold thy peace."
102. AbbA Joseph asked AbbA Poemen what was the proper way in which to fast, and Abbd Poemen said unto him, " I "prefer the man who eateth every day a very small quantity "of food, and who doth not satisfy his cravings for food." And Abbi Joseph said unto him, " When thou wast a young " man didst thou not fast two days at a time, O father? " Then the old man said unto him, " Yea, I did, and three days at a "time, and four days at a time, and even a week at a time; "and the old men, like men of might, have tried all these by " experience, but they have found that it is beneficial for a man "to eat an exceedingly small quantity of food each day, and " because of this they have delivered unto us an easy way to "the kingdom."
110. They used to say about Abbi Joseph that when he was about to die, and the old men were sitting about him, he looked at the window and saw Satan sitting there; and he cried out to his disciple and said, " Bring me a stick here, for " this devil thinketh that I have become old, and that I am "no longer able to stand up against him," and as soon as he grasped the stick in his hand, Satan, in the form of a dog, threw himself from the window, and the old man saw him taking to flight
238. a savage panther, and Abbi Paul6 saw in it a few little heaps of goods, and he said unto John, 4 4 Go to the sepulchre 44 and bring me some of the things from there"; and John said unto him, 4 4 My father, what shall I do with the panther?" And the old man laughed and said unto him, 44 If he cometh 44 against thee, tie him up and bring him here"; so John went there at eventide, and the panther came against him, and when he went to lay hold of him the animal fled from him. Then John pursued him, saying, 4 4 My father told me to fetter thee," and he seized him, and bound him with cords. Meanwhile the old man was very much troubled about John, and he was sitting waiting for him anxiously; and behold, he came dragging along the panther which was tied with ropes, and the old man saw and marvelled. Then the brother said unto him, 4 4 Father, be- 44 hold, I have taken prisoner the panther according as thou 44 didst command, and I have brought him here"; and the old man, wishing to remove from him the occasion for boasting,
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smote him, and said, "Thou hast brought a wandering dog!" and he untied the animal and let him depart.
239, Abbd Joseph used to say, "There are three things "which are held in honour before God: first, when a man is " sick, and he addeth to his toil, and receiveth it with thanks- ' ' giving; secondly, when a man maketh all his works to be "pure before God, and when he hath in them no human consideration; thirdly, when a man submitteth himself toautho- " rity, and obeyeth his father, and setteth aside his own will. " Such a man hath one crown the more, but I personally would "choose the sickness. "
262. Abb£ Joseph asked Abba* Sisoes, saying, "How many "times is it right for a man to cut off his passions?" The old said unto him, "Dost thou wish to learn when thou must cut "them off?" and Joseph said unto him, "Yes." Abb4 Sisoes
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said unto him, i 4 Whensoever passion cometh cut it off immediately."
303. Abb£ L6t went to Abbi Joseph, and said unto him, " Father, according to my strength I sing a few Psalms, and " I pray a little, and my fasting is little, and my prayers and "silent meditations [are few], and as far as lieth in my power "I cleanse my thoughts, what more can I do?" Then the old man stood up, and spread out his hands towards heaven, and
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his fingers were like unto ten lamps of fire, and he said unto him, 44 If thou wishest, let the whole of thee be like unto fire."
322. A certain father whose name was Eulogius, having led a life of great austerity and labour in Constantinople, obtained great fame and reputation ; and he came to Egypt in order that he might see something more excellent, and when he heard about Abbd Joseph he came to him, expecting to see a very much more laborious form of life than his own. And the old
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man received him with gladness, and said unto his disciple, " Make some distinction in the food which ye have to prepare, " and let it be suitable for strangers." Now when they had sat down to eat, those who were with Abbd Eulogius said, "Bring "a little salt, for the father will not eat this"; but AbbI Joseph ate, and drank, and held his peace. And Eulogius passed three days with him, but he never heard them singing the Psalms, and he never saw them praying, for every a<5t of worship which they performed was in secret ; and he went forth from them having profited in no wise. And by the Providence of God it happened that they lost their way, and they returned the same day, and they came and stood at the door of the old man's cell; and before they could knock at the door, Eulogius heard them singing the Psalms inside, and having waited for a long time, they knocked, and immediately those of the company of Joseph who were singing inside stopped. Now when Eulogius and those who were with him had gone inside the old man received them again with gladness, and because of the heat which they had endured, Abbd Joseph's monks gave Eulogius [some] water to drink; and this water was a mixture, part being sea water and part being river water, and when Eulogius had tasted it he was unable to drink it. Then he repented within himself, and he went in to Abb& Joseph and fell down at his feet, and entreated him to be allowed to learn his rule, for he wished so to do, and he said, "What doth this mean? When we were with you ye sang no "Psalms, but as soon as we have left you ye perform services "overmuch. And when I want to drink water I find it to be " salt." The old man said unto him, "It was brother Sylvanus "who did this, and he mixed the water without knowing"; and Eulogius entreated him [to tell him about it], for he wished to learn the truth. Thereupon Abbi Joseph said unto him, "That mixture of wine which we drink we drink for the sake "of the love of Christ, but the brethren always drink this "water." And Abb& Joseph taught him the difference [between their rules of life], and that he toiled in secret and not before the children of men; and he ate a meal at the same table with them, and he partook of whatsoever was set thereupon; and Eulogius learned that, even as the old man had said, Abbd Joseph performed his ascetic labours in secret, and having profited greatly he departed with gladness, giving thanks unto God.
373. A brother asked Abbd Joseph, saying, "What shall I "do? For I cannot be disgraced, and I cannot work, and I "have nothing [wherefrom] to give alms." The old man said unto him, " If thou canst not do these things, keep thy conscience from thy neighbour, and guard thyself carefully "against evil of every kind, and thou shalt live; for God de- "sireth that the soul shall be without sin."
425. One of the brethren said, " Whilst we were sitting and "talking about love, Abb£ Joseph said, 'Do we know what " 'love is?* And he said that Abb£ Agathon had a little knife, "and that a certain brother came to him and said, 'Father, '"the little knife which thou hast is pretty'; and Abbd Agathon "did not let him depart until he had taken it."
474. They used to say that when any man came to Abba Poemen he used to send him to Abba Job, his brother, saying to him, "He is older than I am"; and Job used to say to those who came, "Go unto my brother Poemen, for he possesseth " the grace of these gifts." Now if Abbd Joseph was sitting with him Abba Poemen would not speak before him.
551. On one occasion certain old men went to visit Abba Anthony, and Abbd Joseph was with them, and the old man wishing to try them spake a word from the Book, and began to question the youngest of them, saying, "What is the mean- "ing of this word?" And each of them said, "I have never "yet understood it," and last of all Abbi Anthony said unto Abbi Joseph, " And what dost thou say that this word meaneth?" Abbd Joseph saith, " I do not know." And Abba Anthony said unto him, "In truth, Abbd Joseph, thou hast found the way to say, i I do not know.' "
67. The brethren were on one occasion gathered together to Abbd Joseph, and as they were sitting and asking him questions about their thoughts he said unto them, by way of [affording] them consolation, "This day am I a king, for I have controlled my passions."
74. On one occasion a brother came to a father, and said unto him, "Abb£, I sow a field, and I reap the harvest there- "from, and I give alms also thereof"; and the old man said unto him, "Be strong, my son, for thou doest well." So the brother went away rejoicing in this desire. And Abba\ Job said
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unto Abba Poemen, 4 4 Since thou hast spoken unto that brother " in this fashion, [I know that] thou dost not fear God. " Then, after two days, Abbi Poemen sent and called that brother, and said unto him whilst Abba Joseph was listening, 44 What didst 4 4 thou say to me when thou earnest to me, for my mind was 4 4 occupied in another place?" The brother said unto him, "I 44 sow afield, and I reap the harvest therefrom, and I give alms 44 also thereof"; and Abbi Poemen said unto him, 44 1 thought 44 in my mind that it was thy brother, who is in the world, of 44 whom thou wast speaking when thou didst tell me that he did 44 these things ; but if it be thou thyself who doest them [I must 44 say] that it is not the work for monks." And when the brother heard these [words] he was grieved, and he said, 44 1 cannot do 44 without sowing, for I know not how to do any other work 44 but this." Now when that brother had departed, Abba Job expressed his contrition to Abb£ Poemen, and said unto him, 44 Forgive me." Then Abba Poemen said unto him, 44 1 also 44 knew that this work was not the works of monks, but, 44 according to the measure of his desire, I gave him that where- 44 with I knew he would be edified, and I knew that he would 44 thus abound in love; but now he hath departed in sorrow."
94. AbbA Joseph related that Abb& Poemen said, "The "meaning of the words which are written in the Gospel, "'Whosoever hath a garment, let him sell it, and buy a " 'sword' (St. Luke xxii, 36), is, 'Let him that hath a life of " 'ease relinquish it, and lay hold upon [a life of] toil.'"
100. Abb& Joseph used to say, "When we were sitting with " Abbd Poemen he made mention of Abba* Agathon, and we " said to him, ' He was a young man, why dost thou call him " 'Abbd?' Abba* Poemen said unto him, 'His mouth made him "'to be called AbbaV"
ZOI. One of the old men used to say, "Wheresoever the bee "goeth it maketh honey; and thus also it is with the monk, " for wheresoever he goeth he doeth the work of God."
163. Abbd Joseph asked Abbd Poemen about the wicked and vain thoughts which a man produceth, and the old man said unto him, "It is as if a man were to take a snake and a scor- "pion, and throw them in a vessel {or cloth), and close (or " wrap) them up tightly for a long time, when they would die " owing to the period [which they have been shut up]; even so "do the evil thoughts, which spring up in the mind through " the workings of devils, decay and become destroyed through "patient endurance."
210. Abba* Poemen asked AbbA Joseph, saying, "What am " I to do when passions rise up against me, wishing to make " me quake? Shall I stand up against them, and drive them "away, or shall I allow them to enter?" The old man said unto him, "Let them shake thee, and do thou strive with " them." But to another brother who had come from Thebes, and gone down to Scete, and asked the same old man the same question, he spake differently; and when he returned from Scete to Thebes, he said before all the brethren, "I went to " Abba* Joseph, and I asked him, saying, 'If passions draw " 'nigh unto me, shall I drive them away so that they may " 'not make me shake, or shall I permit them to enter into " 'me?' And he said unto me, 'Thou shalt not let them draw " 'nigh to thee in any way, but cut them off quickly.'" Now when Abbd Poemen, who happened to be there, heard that Abbd Joseph had spoken differently to that Theban, he rose up and went again to Abb^ Joseph, and said unto him, "Abbd,
* ' I have believed in thee as in God, and I have revealed unto "thee my thoughts, and behold, thou hast spoken unto that ' ' Theban in one way, and to me thou hast declared the opposite." The old man said unto him, "Dost thou not know "that I love thee?" And he answered and said unto him, "Yea, I do." The old man said unto him, "Didst thou not " say unto me, Tell me as if thou wast telling thyself? If, then, " thoughts enter into thee, and thou art mingled with them, ' * and thou givest and takest, and art not injured, they prove ' ' thee to be one who is tried and chosen especially. Now I " spake unto thee as I would unto myself. But there are others "whom the passions cannot even approach or touch, never- " theless it helpeth them to cut them off quickly."
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256. On one occasion the brethren saw that Abb£ Joseph was sad, and that he was greatly distressed, and they asked him to tell them about his sorrow, and what was the cause thereof, but he was unable to speak to them; and they began to say each man among them to his companion, " What are " the suffering and grief which possess the old man, for be- " hold, we have dwelt with him for many years, and we never "before saw him in such grief and suffering as this? Perhaps " we have in some way offended him." Then they threw themselves on their faces before the feet of the old man, saying, " Peradventure we have offended thee in some matter, O father, " [and if we have] forgive us for Jesus' sake. " And the old man made answer to them in a state of grief, saying, " Forgive ye " me, O my brethren, for I am not offended by you, but I am " grieved by myself, because I see that I am going backwards " rather than forwards, and that I am the cause of offence and " loss, not only to myself but also unto all the others. For I see
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" that at this present we are trafficking, and are losing in re- "spe<Sl of our souls very much more than we ever gained at " any time of the profit of the fear of our Lord, because shame* " lessness and fearlessness have gained dominion over us. For " in times past when the fathers were gathered together to each " other they were wont to form bands and ascend into the " heavens, but we are lax folk, and are dead in our sins. " Whensoever we draw nigh to each other we come to speak " that which is hateful about one another, and one by one we " are raised up that we may descend to the bottom of the deepest abyss. And we do not make to sink ourselves and each * ' other only, but also the fathers who come to us, and the ' 'strangers who gather together to us, and also the people "who are in the world who visit us as if we were solitary "monks, and as if we were holy men, and to these last we " become a cause of stumbling and loss.
"For thus also did Abbd Sylvanus and AbbA L6t say unto "me: 'Let us not abide here any longer.' And when I asked "them, 4 Why do ye depart from us?' they spake to me as "follows: 'Up to this day we have benefited by our abiding " 'with the fathers, but from the time of Abb£ Pambd, and Abbi " 'Agathon, and AbbA Petra, and Abb£ John, the command- " 'ments of the fathers have been held lightly, and we do not " 'observe the ordinances and the laws which our fathers laid " 'down for us. And by assemblies together we suffer loss over " 'and over again through the useless things which are spoken " 'among us. And when we sit down at table, instead of doing '"so in the fear of God, and with gratitude, and eating that " 'which God hath prepared for us with praise and thanksgiv- " 'ing, we occupy ourselves by conversing together and telling " 'insipid stories; and as we sit at table in this fashion we be- " 'come so much changed that we do not even hear what is " 'being read to us on account of the noise of the profitless talk " 'which we hold with each other. And besides this, after we " 'have risen up from eating, we converse together with empty " 'talk. What benefit is it to us to live in the desert, seeing " 'that we profit nothing thereby?' And Abbd L6t said, 'Many " 'times have I heard from brethren who are strangers, and " 'from the people who live in the world, and who come to " 'visit us, that we hold the commandments of the fathers " 'lightly, and they have said of us, " We should never have " ' "thought that they were monks!" ' And one of the brethren "who were strangers said, 'I have come to the fathers on " 'several occasions, and [I see that] year by year they cer- " ' tainly observe less and less the early rules and conduft ot " ' the fathers.' What now do ye wish? Will ye correft your
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u lax behaviour, and observe carefully the commandments ot " our fathers, or must I also depart from you?"
And it came to pass that when the brethren heard these things, they beat the board for assembling the monks, and the whole brotherhood gathered itself together, and Abbd Joseph spake unto them all the words which are [written] above. And when all thebrethren heard the words of Abb&Joseph, andlearned the reason of his pain and grief, and that he wished to depart from them, they cast themselves down upon their faces weeping, and they expressed their contrition to him, saying, "For- ' * give us, O father, for the sake of Jesus. We have made God " angry by our deeds, and we have caused thy holiness grief." Then each of the fathers said, " Would that thou hadst re- " buked us on the very first day wherein thou didst hear [about "us] from the fathers, and that they had not departed from "us! And would, too, that we had roused ourselves up from " our slumber and sluggishness! But what are we to do? For " the old men and the holy men do not teach us, and they do * ' not even take their proper places in our congregations, or " when we sit at meat. Very many of us wish to hear the his- " tories and commandments of the fathers read, either whilst " we are sitting at table or between one sitting and the next, "but we are never able to hear a word of their talk." And Abbd Elijah said, "Abba Abraham and Abbd John spake " much at table, and at the time of reading, and at the time of " the service; and they began to become excited against each " other, and the one said, * Father, such and such a man is ex- " * cited,' and the other said, ' Such and such a man makethus " * excited.' Now when Abb& Joseph saw that the whole brother- * ' hood was stirred up, he made supplication unto them, and be- " sought them, saying, i I beseech you, O my brethren, to cease " from your commotion, for God hath called us to peace, and I i ( therefore beg you to come and pray, and to make supplication 4 ' unto God that He may make to pass by us the legions and the " host of the enemy. For, behold, I see them standing up in " wrath and anger, with their swords drawn, and they wish to "destroy us all if God doth not stand up to help our wretchedness."
And when he had said these things he was able, with some difficulty, to quiet them, and Abb£ Joseph himself began to sing the words of the harpist David, saying, "Their swords " shall enter their own hearts, and their bows shall be broken, " and God shall make them like a wheel and as dust before the " wind. And God shall arise and all His enemies shall be scattered. O God, deliver me, O Lord, remain to help [me]" (Psalm xxxvii, 15; lxxxiii, 13; lxviii, 1; vii, 1). And when they
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had recited the Psalms of the spirit altogether, and had made an end of the service, they said, " O holy God, O holy mighty " One, O immortal holy One, have mercy upon us"; and they all knelt down in prayer. And as they were praying they heard the voices of the devils in the air, and the sounds of armour and of horses, and of many horsemen, and they also heard the voices of the devils who were saying to one another, " Ye shall " not have mercy upon them." And again they said, " Oluck- " less monks, why do ye stand up against us?" If we were to " do [what we could do] to you not one of you would be found " on the face of the earth! We will never be absent from you, " and we will never cease from you."
And after the filthy legion had been driven away by the secret power, and the wicked devils rested from their wickednesses, all the fathers rose up from the earth whereon they had been poured out in prayer, the earth having been adorned by their tears, and they all offered repentance unto AbbA Joseph, saying, "Forgive thou us, and pray for us that the Lord may " forgive us, for we have sinned and have provoked Him to " wrath." Then Abb^ Joseph said unto them: "Rouse yeyour- " selves, O my brethren, and take good heed unto your souls, "for, behold, ye have heard with your ears the sound of the "chariots of the Adversary, who threateneth us and seeketh " to destroy us. Let every man be reconciled to his neighbour, " and forgive ye every man from his heart the offence [which " he hath committed]. And bind ye yourselves with the love of "our Lord, with an urgent mind, and a pure heart, to the " Lord and to each other. And draw nigh unto God that He " may draw nigh unto you, and stand up against the Adver- " sary, who is Satan. If ye wilt observe the commandments of " the fathers, I will become a surety (or pledge) for you that " Satan shall not be able to injure you, and that the Barba- " rians shall not come hither; but if ye will not observe them, "believe me, O my beloved, this place shall be laid waste."
And they offered repentance each to the other, and they became reconciled to each other, and lived in love and in great peace; and they laid down ordinances among themselves on that day to the effe<Sfc that no man should henceforth condudl himself with negligence and without absence of fear; and that they should neither do nor say anything at the table which was alien [to their mode of life]; and that if any man be found hereafter despising and holding lightly the commandments of the fathers in such a way that he become an occasion of offence and a cause of loss, first to himself, and next to those who dwell with him, and then also to the strangers who come to us, he shall know that he is bringing a punishment upon him-
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self, and that he shall become an alien to all the brotherhood. And Abbd Joseph sent a brother to bring back Abb& Sylvanus and AbbH Lot, and when these fathers knew what had taken place among the brethren, and that they had laid down ordinances to keep the commandments of the fathers, they praised God, and they rose up, and came, and [when] they saw Abbd Joseph they saluted him and wept; and Abb& Joseph told them everything which had taken place, and they glorified God Who had not rejected those who feared Him. And as regardeth the canons and the ordinances which they had laid down among themselves, the brethren observed and performed them all the days of their life; and they died at a good old age, [after] living lives which were well-pleasing unto God.
266. A brother asked Abb£ Joseph, saying, "I want to go " out from the monastery, and live a solitary life"; the old man said unto him, "Where thou seest that thou wilt find rest for " thy soul, there dwell." And the brother said unto him, "I "am content to live in the monastery, and I am content to "live alone; what shall I do then?" The old man said unto him, "If thou art "content to live in the monastery, and art " [equally] content to lead a solitary life, do this: Weigh thy " thoughts as it were in a balance, and the thought which out- " balances the other, that fulfil."
406. One of the old men came to one of the fathers [and asked him] to go and visit Abba Joseph, and he said to him, " Tell thy disciple to go with us"; and the father said, " Call " him, and whatsoever thou commandest him, he will do." The old man said unto him, " What is his name?" and the Rabba of the disciple said, " I know not." The old man said unto him, " And how long hath he been with thee? Dost thou not "know his name?" And the father said, "Behold, he hath "been with me for two years"; then the old man answered and said, " If he hath been with thee for two years, and thou " hast not learnt his name, how can I learn it in one day?"
408. Abba Joseph related that Abb& Isaac said, " I was on " one occasion sitting with Abba Poemen, and I saw that he " was in a state of great stupefadlion, and because I possessed " some influence over him, I offered entreaty to him, saying, " 'Father, where is thy mind?' And after I had pressed him " greatly, he answered and said, ' My mind was in the place " 'of the Crucifixion, where the holy woman Mary, the God- " 'bearer, was standing and weeping by the Cross of our " 'Redeemer, and I was wishing that I might at all times " 'feel thus.'"
462. Abba Joseph said unto Abbd Lot, " Thou art unable to " become a monk, but thou mayest become wholly like a flame " which burneth and blazeth fiercely."
532. AbbA Joseph, the priest of Ascalon, told us the following story, saying: There was a certain merchant in Ascalon who borrowed from other people much money, and he hired a ship for himself and put out to sea; and a fierce storm rose up against him, and he lost everything which he had with him; but he himself was saved. And when he returned to the city those to whom he owed money seized him, and they took everything which he had in his house, and sold it, and shut him up in prison; but they left him his wife as an adl of charity, so that she might beg for him and feed him. And the woman went about from door to door, and she herself begged for bread for her husband; and one day as she was sitting and eating bread with her husband, one of the chief men of the
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city went in to give alms to the prisoners who were there, and he saw the woman and lusted for her, for she was beautiful. And he sent his servant to call her, and she came thinking that he wished to give her alms; but he took her aside, and said to her, "Why hast thou come here?" And she related unto him the whole matter. Then he said unto her, "If I pay " one-third of thy husband's debt wilt thou lie with me this " night?" And that chaste, free woman said unto him, " I have " heard that the holy Apostle said, ' A woman hath no power " 'over her body, but her husband.' I will first ask my hus- "band, and whatsoever he commandeth me that will I do." And having come she told her husband, and he was grieved; and he wept, and said unto her, "Go, and say unto him, 1 1 " 'have told my husband, and it hath not pleased him, and " 'I have hope in God that He will not forsake us.'" Now there was in the prison-house a certain thief who had been a highway robber, and he was shut up [in a room] inside beyond them, and at that moment he happened to be sitting at a window which faced them, and he heard everything which they were saying; and with tears he said unto himself, "Woe " is me! For although these people are in such great trouble, " they are not willing to deliver over their freedom, and accept " money, and go forth from this place, but they hold their " chastity to be more valuable than riches. What then shall I, " the wretched one, do? For the thought that there is a God " hath never entered my mind, and I never remember that my "evil deeds will be judged, and I have committed many "wickednesses, and many awful murders. And I know that " when the judge cometh here he will kill me without asking " a question, as is just." And he answered and said unto the woman and her husband, " Because I see that ye preserve the "purity of your bodies for Christ's sake, and that ye have "chosen to remain in great tribulation and not to destroy " your chastity, God hath put it into my heart to do unto you an " adfc of grace which ye deserve, and perhaps God will shew " me mercy through you on the day of judgement. Go ye to " the ndrthern side of the city wall, and dig there in a certain "place, and behold, ye shall find there a large earthen pot, " beneath which is a vessel full of gold. Take it, and pay your " debt, and may a great blessing abide with you so thatyoumay " live upon it; but I beseech you to pray for me continually, " that I may find mercy before God in the day of judgement."
And after three days the judge came to the city, and he ordered them to cut off the head of that thief without [asking any] questions, and after he had been slain, that noble woman said unto her husband, "Wilt thou command me to go and
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" see if that which the thief said is true?" And he said unto her, "Go." And she went at the time of evening, and by the indications which the thief had given her, she found the place, and having dug a little she found the money, even as he had told her, and she took it and went to her house, giving thanks unto God. And she brought it out little by little, and she gave it to the creditors, who thought that she brought it to them as the result of her begging, a little from here and a little from there; then when she had paid her husband's debt, he came forth from prison, thanking and glorifying God.
Then Abbi Joseph said unto us, " Behold these men, 0 my " brethren! Because they chose to live in afflidtion, and re- -fused to despise the command of God, God multiplied His " grace unto them without delay. For even if the woman had " hearkened unto that lascivious man he might not, perhaps,have " given her what he promised her; but because they preserved " their chastity which is pleasing to God, God rewarded her " with the whole amount of their debts, and brought them to " a greater state of prosperity than [that which they enjoyed] "at first. And, my beloved, I think thus concerning Adam " when he was in Paradise. Had he kept that little command, " honour greater than that which he had at first would have " come to him; but when he transgressed the command of his " Lord, he fell from and was driven out of the delight and "pleasure wherein he lived. May our Lord make us worthy "to keep His commandments! Amen."
606. The brethren said: — Abbd Pambd said, "If there be " three monks in one place, and one of them live in silence [it "is] well, and if another be sick and he give thanks in his " weakness, and if another minister to men and relieve them, " all three of them are in the same service." Reveal to us now the mind of this holy man.
And Abbd Pambd said, " If a man dwell in silence for God's " sake, and not for the sake of vainglory, or any other human "thing; and if another, who is sick, give thanks to God for " his sickness, and he endure him that ministereth unto him "with longsufFering, he becometh like unto him that is in " silence; and if he who ministereth unto men doeth it not for " a reward of this world, but for God's sake, and if he con- " straineth himself in everything, and doeth the will of those " who are ministered unto by him in love and gladness, he " thus becometh like unto him who shutteth himself up in " silence, and like unto him that is sick, and in this way the " work of all three is of equal merit. For Abb& Joseph and *' Abbd Poemen divided the perfedl ascetic life into three "classes, and therefore Abb£ Nastir said to that brother, 'If " 'thou condudl thyself according to any one of the three thou " 'shalt be perfedi.' And this is well known from that which "AbbA Anthony said, 'Many have afflidted themselves with " 'labours and tribulations, and because they had not in them " 'the power of discernment, they did not know the way ot ' ' 'truth.' And again he said, ' One man might live in a cell " 'for a hundred years, and yet not know how to dwell therein " '[rightly] for one day, because he humbleth not himself, and " 'accounteth not himself a sinner, and a feeble man, and igno- " 'rant, but he justifieth himself, and blameth others; never- " 'theless it is right that we should know that, even though " 'some are sick, and others relieve the wants of men and " 'minister unto them with an upright aim, those who lead a " 'life of silence lead a superior life, and follow a line of con- " 'dudl which is more excellent than all the rules of life which " 'are followed among brethren. And this life is superior in " 'the same way that the Spirit of God is more exalted than " 'the holy angels, according to what we have learned from " 'the history of the holy men AbbA Arsenius and Abbd Moses " 'the Ethiopian. For when one of the brethren went to the " 'blessed Arsenius [to enquire of him] concerning the love of " 'a silent life of contemplation, he neither set a table for him
Questions anb Hnswers on tbe Bscettc IRuIe
" ' nor gave him refreshment; then he went to the blessed Abb& ' ' 'Moses and he both welcomed him and gave him refresh- " 'ment. And when one of the great fathers heard [this], he " 'entreated our Lord to reveal to him this matter, saying, " '"How is it that one fleeth for Thy Name's sake, and an- " '"other welcometh and giveth refreshment for Thy Name's " '"sake?" And there appeared unto him on the river two " 'ships, in one of which were Abb& Arsenius, and the Spirit " 'of God Who was travelling along in silence, and in the " ' other was Abbd Moses, who was travelling with holy angels " 'that were feeding him upon honey, with the comb thereof. " 'And by this the fathers understood that the life of silent " 'contemplation was as greatly exalted above alms and mini- " 'strations as was the conduct of Matthew the Evangelist " 'above that of Zacchaeus the tax-gatherer.'"
649. The brethren said, 4 4 On one occasion, when the brethren were sitting down and asking questions about the 44 thoughts, one of them said, 4 It is not a great matter if a 4 4 4 man seeth thoughts afar off.' What did he want to say? 44 Explain to us the words of the old men." The old man said, 4 4 When the brethren drew nigh to the Fathers and asked 4 4 them questions [wishing] to learn concerning the mode of 44 action and thought in respect of the wars of the devils, the 44 Fathers did not persuade those among them who appeared 44 to possess subtlety of thought, and intelligence, and under- 44 standing, and to hate the passions, and to be fervent in the
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" spirit, to cast out from themselves straightway the thoughts 44 of the passions whensoever they stirred in them, and to make "them to depart foolishly, but they ordered them to tarry with 44 them, and to examine carefully how they arose, and then to " contend against them; for in proportion as they were trained "in the knowledge of strivings and contendings against the "passions and against devils they would benefit not them- " selves only, but many other people also. And in this wise "a<Sted also Evagrius, that man of understanding, and Abba* "Poemen, and others who were like unto them. Therefore " Abbd Joseph said to AbbA Poemen, * When the passions rise " 4 up in thee, give unto and receive from them, and understand " * carefully their crafty nature, and train thyself to contend " 4 against them.' Now there are certain weak and foolish breth- " ren whom in no way whatsoever doth it benefit to dally with "the rise of the thoughts of the passions which are in the " heart, on the contrary, it is far better for them, immediately " they perceive the motions of the passions, to cast them forth " from them by prayer, and with anger and hatred. Therefore, "when several of the Fathers were gathered together and " were discussing the conflicts of the thoughts, and whether it " was right to dally with them because of knowledge [concern- " ing them], or to suppress them by means of prayer through " fear [of them], one of the Fathers said, * Even to understand " * the thoughts afar off is a great and excellent work, but it " * is a far greater work, and one which maketh a man to ac- " 4 quire practice, for him to understand the thoughts, and to " * wage war against them. When he hath gained experience " 'of their crafty chara6ler, then he will suppress them and " 'make them to disappear by the power of prayer and hu- " * mility. Now the meaning of this question is this. When a " * man hath laboured in conflict and contest against the pas- " 4 sions for a long time in seclusion, by the grace of our Lord " 4 his heart becometh purified, and rest and peace reign in his " 4 soul, and he hath relief from tribulation, and he rejoiceth in " 4 God at all seasons, and the devils have no power henceforth " 'to stir up evil thoughts in his soul, because his heart is " 4 filled with divine thoughts, and the understanding of spiri- 44 4 tual things, and he is never without the mind which is in 4 4 4 God, and the remembrance of His fear and mercy. And 4 4 4 should the demons dare to stir up thoughts in him, they 4 4 4 will not [succeed] in rousing those which cause anguish 4 4 and which bring to naught spiritual excellences, but only 4 4 those which are of an ordinary nature, and which impede 4 4 the vision, even as Evagrius said.' "