On Avoiding Human Praise and Cultivating Scripture

courage

to suffer with, and to suffer in soul. Chapter 4. Let those who make the appearance of virtue shine in their training cast away this thought, to come to the praise of men, and let them set it aside before the encounter. When you abstain from wine, and oil, and superfluous things for a period of time, then the thoughts count the time for you with praise, suggesting that you are enduring pains for the sake of those training the body. It is fitting, then, that you should answer back to those who look on you with ill intent and have assessed your merits, with whatever stands against the reversal of their foolishness. Which of the brothers, being praised inwardly for his pains against demons, sang: 'Let them turn away immediately, being ashamed, those saying to me: Well done! Well done!' (Matt 25:21). Let not the thought bring a many-year cycle upon you in your life of solitude, so that they might not hang your pains upon the years, nor might you be depicted as boasting in the endurance of the desert; but let it be remembered as the endurance of a worthless slave.

Because of old age, someone was forcing a certain venerable desert-dweller, a long-enduring one, to take him. And he to him said: 'Stop, he says, the violence, for the evildoer has not yet been sent away.' And while this man was seeking from me the word of instruction, he said: 'First, seek the fear that comes from experience, and then you will find within the experienced word, the man teaching knowledge.' And the same, being questioned also about fear, answered thus: 'He having the care of the memory of death, is led also into the fear of judgment.' Become a companion to the fear of the Divine Scriptures at every moment; for by the company of these Scriptures, you will guide the conversation of thoughts. The one treasuring the Divine Scriptures by meditation in the heart, easily casts out the thoughts from this. While listening to the Divine Scriptures in nocturnal readings during vigils, let us not kill the ears with sleep, nor betray the soul to the captivity of thoughts, but let us nourish the heart with the essence of the Scriptures, so that by the moistening of care we may divide the opposite neglect.

Chapter 10. Some, I say, through reputation, and not through care of the soul, are loved by the pious, so that they may acquire for themselves a world only; but he who is burning through love by the memory of heavenly things, casts out the approval of earthly things from the intention...

Greek

ἐν τῇ ἡσυχίᾳ δείκνυται μόνον τοῦ στόματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν ἀνδραγαθίᾳ, καὶ τῇ τῶν ὕβρεων, καὶ ἀδικιῶν εὐσταθείᾳ· ἐντεῦθεν γὰρ αἱ δειναὶ μάστιγες τοῦ διαβόλου περιτινάσσονται ἐν ταῖς συντυχίαις. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΘʹ. Μὴ στόμα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ καρδία τηρείσθω, τοτὲ γὰρ ἀμαυροῦται τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ὄμμα τῷ τῆς ἀρεσκείας ὄμματι, τοῦ νοῦ παυσομένου. Ἔστω σου πηρὸς ὁ νοῦς περὶ τὰ αἴσχιστα, Κύριος γὰρ σοφοῖ τοὺς τοιούτους τυφλοὺς, διορατικὸς δὲ περὶ τὰ κάλλιστα, ἵνα ἐκτυφλώττῃ περὶ τὰ κάκιστα. Νόει δέ μοι, πορνείας εἶναι δύο ἐν διαιρέσει ἐζυγωμένας, τὴν τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος· ὅταν λογισμὸς πορνείας τῷ πνεύματί σου μίγνυται, τότε ἐκτυπώματι πλάνης ἡ ψυχή σου συγγίνεται. Προσώπῳ θηλείας σχηματίζεται δαίμων, ἵνα φαρμάξῃ τὴν ψυχὴν μετ' αὐτοῦ συμμιγῆναι· μορφῆς γλύμμα φορεῖ ἄσαρκος δαίμων ἵνα λογισμῷ ἀκολάστῳ τὴν ψυχὴν ἐκπορνεύσῃ. Μὴ οὖν συγκαλύπτου εἰδωλείῳ ἀνυπάρκτῳ, ἵνα μὴ καὶ τῇ σαρκὶ τὸ ὅμοιον δράσῃς, πνεύματι πορνείας ἐπλανήθησαν οἱ τοιοῦτοι οἱ τὰς ἔνδον μοιχείας τῶν πνευμάτων τῳ σταυρῷ μὴ σοβοῦντες. Αἴκιζε τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἀσιτίᾳ βρωμάτων, ἵνα μὴ πορνείᾳ, ἀλλὰ πείνῃ λαλῶσιν· εὐχῆς ἀγρυπνίᾳ στῆσον δάκρυον, ἵνα βοήθειαν λάβῃς του παρόντος πολέμου. Ἐν καιρῷ τοῦ τῆς πορνείας πολέμου τὰς κλήσεις τῶν ἑστιατόρων παραίτησαι, καὶ τὸν μὲν ξένον ἐπιστάντα ὑπηρετῶν ἀναπαύσεις, σεαυτὸν δὲ περικεκαλυμμένως, ἀσιτίᾳ περιφράξεις. ∆ιπλοῦς ἔστω σοι τῶν ἀμφοτέρων ἔργων ὁ μισθὸς ἑνὶ ἑκάστῳ τὸ πρακτικὸν δι' ἀρετὴν ἀπονέμοντι· μὴ ἕνεκεν γαστρὸς συνέσθιε τῷ ἀδελφῷ, ἀλλ' ἕνεκεν Χριστοῦ συναυλίζου τῇ ἀγάπῃ. Κόρος σιτίων λογισμοὺς σιτίζει, καὶ μέθυσος ὕπνον φαντασίας ποτίζει. Τέθνηκε μετὰ τὸν φάραγγα τῆς τρυφῆς ἡδονὴ καὶ πνεῖ ἐν τῷ τάφῳ τὰ τῆς γαστρὸς λαγνεύματα. Οἱ πόνοι τῆς κληρουχίας τελευτῶσιν εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν, οἱ δὲ τρόποι τῆς τρυφῆς τελευτῶσιν εἰς κατάκαυσιν. Ὁ τῆς σαρκὸς τὸ ἄνθος τῇ ἀσκήσει μαραίνων καθ' ἡμέραν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ μελετᾷ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ τελευτήν. Καρδίας λογιστεία τὸ σῶμα συμμετρείτω, ἵνα μὴ τούτου πληγέντος, καὶ αὕτη κοπιάσῃ· ἀρκείσθω σὰρξ τὰ φυσικὰ περικόπτειν· ἡ σωματική σου γυμνασία ἐν τοῖς ἤθεσιν οἰκονομείσθω, ἵνα μάθῃς καρδίᾳ πονεῖν, καὶ ψυχῇ συμπονεῖν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. Κʹ. Οἱ τοῦ προσώπου τὴν ὠχρείαν ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει λάμποντες τὸν παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔπαινον καὶ πρὶν 79.1120 ἐλθεῖν ῥιπτέτωσαν, τοῦτον τοῦ λογισμοῦ, καὶ πρὸ τῆς συντυχίας ἔνδον ἐμβάλλοντος. Ὅταν χρονίσῃς ἀπεχόμενος οἴνου, καὶ 9 ἐλαίου, καὶ τῶν περιττῶν, τότε οἱ λογισμοὶ τοὺς χρόνους σοι μετ' ἐγκωμίων ψηφίζουσιν ὑπενδοῦναί σε τοῖς πόνοις διὰ τὸ σῶμα γυμνάζουσι. Εἰκότως οὖν τοῖς κακογνώμοσιν ἀντιφθέγξῃ διαψηφισταῖς, ὅσα πρὸς ἀνατροπὴν τῆς ἐκείνων σκαιωρίας ἀντίκεινται. Τίς τῶν ἀδελφῶν τοὺς πόνους κατὰ δαιμόνων, ὑπὸ τῶν ἔνδον ἐπαινούμενος ἔψαλλεν. «Ἀποστραφήτωσαν παραυτίκα αἰσχυνόμενοι οἱ λέγοντές μοι· Εὖγε! εὖγε!» Μὴ τὸν λογισμὸν ἀνάσχῃ πολυετῆ σοι κύκλον ἐν τῷ μονήρει βίῳ φερόντων, ἵνα μή σου τοὺς πόνους τοῖς χρόνοις κρεμάσωσι, μηδὲ ἐν τῇ ὑπομονῇ τῆς ἐρημίας καυχήσει ζωγρηθῇς· ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ ὑπομονῇ τῆς εὐτελίας τοῦ δοῦλος ἀχρεῖος εἶναι μνήσθητι. ∆ιὰ γῆρας βαθύ τινα τῶν καρτερικῶν μονηρεμίτην πρεσβύτην ἐκ τῆς ἐρημίας αἵρειν ἐβιάζετό τις. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· Παῦσαι, φησὶ, βίας, οὔπω γὰρ τῆς ἐξορίας ὁ κακοῦργος ἀνακέκλημαι. Ζητοῦντος δέ μου τοῦτον τῆς διδασκαλίας λόγον μαθεῖν, ἔφη· Ζήτει, πρῶτον ἐμπόνως τὸν ἔμφυτον φόβον, καὶ τότε ἔνδον εὑρήσεις τὸν ἔμπειρον λόγον, τὸν διδάσκοντα ἄνθρωπον γνῶσιν. Ὁ δ' αὐτὸς ἐπερωθεὶς καὶ περὶ φόβου, οὕτως ἀπεκρίνατο· Ὁ μέριμναν ἔχων τοῦ θανάτου τὴν μνήμην, ὁδηγεῖται καὶ εἰς τὸν τῆς κρίσεως φόβον. Φόβῳ τῶν θείων Γραφῶν καθ' ἑκάστην συνόμιλος γίνου· τῇ γὰρ τούτων συνουσίᾳ λογισμῶν ἐξοίσεις ὁμιλίας. Ὁ μελέτῃ τὰς θείας Γραφὰς θησαυρίζων ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἐκ ταύτης ῥᾳδίως ἐκβάλλει. Ἀναγνώσει νυκτερινῇ ἐν ταῖς ἀγρυπνίαις τῶν θείων ἀκροώμενοι, μὴ τὰς ἀκοὰς τῷ ὕπνῳ νεκρώσωμεν, μηδὲ τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν αἰχμαλωσίᾳ τὴν ψυχὴν προδώσωμεν, ἀλλὰ τῷ κέντρῳ τῶν Γραφῶν τὴν καρδίαν κατανύξωμεν, ὅπως τῇ τῆς ἐπιμελείας κατανύξει τὴν ἀντίζυγον ἀμέλειαν διχοτμήσωμεν. ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΑʹ. Τινὲς διὰ φήμην, καὶ οὐκ ἐπιμέλειαν ψυχῆς, τοῖς εὐλαβέσι φιλιοῦνται, ἵνα ἑαυτοῖς κόσμον περιποιήσωσιν ἀπόνως· ὁ δὲ διὰ μνήμην τῶν ἐπουρανίων, δι' ἀγάπην πυρούμενος, τὴν ἀρέσκειαν τῶν ἐπιγείων ἐκ τῆς ἐννοίας

About this text

A spiritual guide on true virtue, purity, and the dangers of pride, written for a seeker on the path to divine wisdom.

Original English Translation of Evagrius Ponticus’s Tractatus ad Eulogium — new OET from PG 40 Greek.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG 40 (Khazarzar) (Greek)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.