Spiritual Discipline and the Order of Virtues
Today is a feast and I drink wine, and tomorrow is Pentecost and I will eat meat, because there is no feast among monks, nor is there to fill a man's belly.
Passover is the Lord's passing over from evil, but Pentecost is the resurrection of the soul. The feast of God is the forgiveness of evils, but he who holds a grudge will receive grief. The Lord's Pentecost is the resurrection of love, but he who hates his brother will fall as a shameful corpse. The feast of God is true knowledge, but he who attends to false knowledge will end shamefully.
Fasting with a pure heart is better than a feast in the impurity of the soul. He who casts out evil thoughts from his heart is like one who fixes his infants to the rock.
A monk who is sleepy will fall into evils, but he who is watchful will be like a sparrow. Do not give yourself in watchfulness to empty narratives, and do not cast away spiritual words, for the Lord observes your soul and will by no means acquit you from every evil.
Much sleep thickens the mind, but watchfulness thins it. Much sleep brings temptations, but he who is watchful will flee them. Just as fire melts wax, so good watchfulness melts evil thoughts.
A man sleeping is better than a monk watching over vain thoughts. An angelic dream rejoices the heart, but a demonic dream disturbs it. Repentance and humility straightened the soul, but almsgiving and meekness established it.
Remember through all things your exodus and do not forget the eternal judgment, and there will not be deficiency in your soul. If a spirit of acedia rises upon you, do not leave your house, and do not turn away in time, for again you will benefit. For in whatever way if someone is white silver, so shall your heart be made bright. The spirit of acedia drives away tears, but the spirit of sorrow crushes prayer. Desiring wealth, he will care...
To many things, and enduring them, one suffers bitter griefs.
Let no scorpion linger in your lap, and no evil thought in your heart. Do not spare the killing of the offspring of serpents (Matt 3:7), and do not give birth to the thoughts of their hearts. Just as fire tests silver and gold, so trials test the heart of a monk. Remove from yourself pride, and make vanity a great distance from you. For he who fails in glory will be grieved, but he who succeeds will be proud. Do not give your heart to pride, and do not say before the face of God, 'I am capable,' lest the Lord abandon your soul, and evil demons humble it. For then your enemies will cause you to fly through the air, and terrible nights will receive you.
Knowledge guards the citizenship of the monk, but he who descends from knowledge will fall among robbers. From a spiritual rock a river flows, and a practical soul drinks from it. A pure soul is a vessel of election, but the unclean one will be filled with bitterness. Without milk a child will not be nourished, and without apatheia a heart will not be exalted. Before love comes apatheia, and before knowledge comes love. To knowledge wisdom is added, and from prudence apatheia is brought forth. The fear of the Lord generates prudence (Ps 118:7), and faith in Christ grants the fear of God. A burning arrow sets the soul on fire, but a practical man will extinguish it. Knowledge turns away from a cry and blasphemy, and wisdom flees from deceitful words. Honey is soft and wax is sweet, but the knowledge of God is sweeter than both.
Listen, monk, to the words of your father, and do not make his instructions void. Wherever he may send you, follow him and accompany him according to your understanding. For by this method you will escape evil thoughts, and evil demons will not be strong against you. If silver trusts you, you will not scatter it, and even if it works, you will give it back.
Greek
σήμερον ἑορτὴ καὶ πίομαι οἶνον, καὶ αὔριον πεντηκοστὴ καὶ φάγομαι κρέα, διότι οὐκ ἔστιν ἑορτὴ παρὰ μοναχοῖς οὐδὲ τὸ πλῆσαι ἄνθρωπον κοιλίαν αὐτοῦ. 40 Πάσχα κυρίου διάβασις ἀπὸ κακίας, πεντηκοστὴ δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀνάστασις ψυχῆς. 41 Ἑορτὴ θεοῦ ἀμνηστία κακῶν, τὸν δὲ μνησικακοῦντα λήψονται πένθη. 42 Πεντηκοστὴ κυρίου ἀνάστασις ἀγάπης, ὁ δὲ μισῶν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ πεσεῖται πτῶμα ἐξαίσιον. 43 Ἑορτὴ θεοῦ γνῶσις ἀληθής, ὁ δὲ προσέχων γνώσει ψευδεῖ τελευτήσει αἰσχρῶς. 44 Κρείσσων νηστεία μετὰ καθαρᾶς καρδίας ὑπὲρ ἑορτὴν ἐν ἀκαθαρσίᾳ ψυχῆς. 45 Ὁ διαφθείρων λογισμοὺς κακοὺς ἀπὸ καρδίας αὐτοῦ ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ ἐδαφίζοντι τὰ νήπια αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν πέτραν. 46 Μοναχὸς ὑπνώδης ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς κακά, ὁ δὲ ἀγρυπνῶν ὡς στρουθίον ἔσται. 47 Μὴ δῷς σεαυτὸν ἐν ἀγρυπνίᾳ διηγήμασι κενοῖς καὶ μὴ ἀπώσῃ λόγους πνευματικούς, ὅτι κύριος σκοπεύει σὴν ψυχὴν καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀθωώσῃ σε ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ. 48 Ὕπνος πολὺς παχύνει διάνοιαν, ἀγρυπνία δὲ ἀγαθὴ λεπτύνει αὐτήν. 49 Ὕπνος πολὺς ἐπάγει πειρασμούς, ὁ δὲ ἀγρυπνῶν ἐκφεύξεται αὐτούς. 50 Ὥσπερ πῦρ τήκει κηρόν, οὕτως ἀγρυπνία ἀγαθὴ λογισμοὺς πονηρούς. 51 Κρείσσων ἀνὴρ καθεύδων ἢ μοναχὸς ἀγρυπνῶν περὶ λογισμοὺς ματαίους. 52 Ἐνύπνιον ἀγγελικὸν εὐφραίνει καρδίαν, ἐνύπνιον δὲ δαιμονιῶδες ἐκταράσσει αὐτήν. 53 Μετάνοια καὶ ταπείνωσις ἀνώρθωσαν ψυχήν, ἐλεημοσύνη δὲ καὶ πραΰτης ἐστήριξαν αὐτήν. 54 Μέμνησο διὰ παντὸς σῆς ἐξόδου καὶ μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ κρίσεως αἰωνίας, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται πλημμέλεια ἐν ψυχῇ σου. 55 Ἐὰν πνεῦμα ἀκηδίας ἀναβῇ ἐπί σε, οἶκόν σου μὴ 2 ἀφῇς καὶ μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς ἐν καιρῷ πάλιν ἐπωφελεῖ. ὃν τρόπον γὰρ εἴ τις λευκάνοι ἄργυρον, οὕτως λαμπρυνθήσεται ἡ καρδία σου. 56 Πνεῦμα ἀκηδίας ἀπελαύνει δάκρυα, πνεῦμα δὲ λύπης συντρίβει προσευχήν. 57 Ἐπιθυμῶν χρημάτων μεριμνήσεις πολλά, καὶ ἀντεχόμενος αὐτῶν πενθήσεις πικρῶς. 58 Μὴ χρονιζέτω σκορπίος ἐν κόλπῳ σου καὶ λογισμὸς πονηρὸς ἐν καρδίᾳ σου. 59 Κτείνειν γεννήματα ὀφέων μὴ φείσῃ, 59 καὶ μὴ ὠδίνῃς λογισμοὺς καρδίας αὐτῶν. 60 Ὥσπερ ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον δοκιμάζει πῦρ, οὕτως καρδίαν μοναχοῦ πειρασμοί. 61 Περίελε σεαυτοῦ ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ κενοδοξίαν μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπό σου. ὁ γὰρ ἀποτυχὼν δόξης λυπηθήσεται, ὁ δὲ ἐπιτυχὼν ὑπερήφανος ἔσται. 62 Μὴ δῷς ὑπερηφανίᾳ σὴν καρδίαν καὶ μὴ εἴπῃς πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ· δυνατός εἰμι, ἵνα μὴ κύριος ἐγκαταλίπῃ σὴν ψυχήν, καὶ πονηροὶ δαίμονες ταπεινώσουσιν αὐτήν. τότε γάρ σε δι' ἀέρος πτοήσουσιν οἱ ἐχθροί, νύκτες δὲ φοβεραὶ διαδέξονταί σε. 63 Πολιτείαν μοναχοῦ διαφυλάττει γνῶσις, ὁ δὲ καταβαίνων ἀπὸ γνώσεως περιπεσεῖται λῃσταῖς. 64 Ἐκ πέτρας πνευματικῆς ἀπορρεῖ ποταμός, ψυχὴ δὲ πρακτικὴ πίεται ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. 65 Σκεῦος ἐκλογῆς ψυχὴ καθαρά, ἡ δὲ ἀκάθαρτος πλησθήσεται πικρίας. 66 Ἄνευ γάλακτος οὐ τραφήσεται παιδίον, καὶ χωρὶς ἀπαθείας οὐχ ὑψωθήσεται καρδία. 67 Πρὸ ἀγάπης ἡγεῖται ἀπάθεια πρὸ δὲ γνώσεως ἀγάπη. 68 Γνώσει προστίθεται σοφία, ἀπάθειαν δὲ τίκτει φρόνησις. 69 Φόβος κυρίου γεννᾷ φρόνησιν, πίστις δὲ Χριστοῦ δωρεῖται φόβον θεοῦ. 70 Βέλος πεπυρωμένον ἀνάπτει ψυχήν, ἀνὴρ δὲ πρακτικὸς κατασβέσει αὐτό. 71 Κραυγὴν καὶ βλασφημίαν ἀποστρέφεται γνῶσις, λόγους δὲ δολίους φεύγει σοφία. 72 Ἡδὺ μέλι καὶ γλυκὺ κηρίον, γνῶσις δὲ θεοῦ γλυκυτέρα ἀμφοτέρων. 73 Ἄκουε, μοναχέ, λόγους πατρός σου καὶ μὴ ἀκύρους ποίει νουθεσίας αὐτοῦ. Ἡνίκα ἂν ἀποστείλῃ σε, ἐπάγου αὐτὸν καὶ κατὰ διάνοιαν συνόδευε αὐτῷ. τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ τρόπῳ διαφεύξῃ λογισμοὺς κακούς, καὶ πονηροὶ δαίμονες οὐκ ἰσχύσουσι κατά σου. ἐὰν πιστεύσῃ σοι ἀργύριον, οὐ διασκορπιεῖς αὐτό, καὶ κἂν ἐπεργάσῃ, ἀποδώσεις
About this text
A monk's guide to spiritual discipline and the dangers of pride, with sharp insights on faith and self-control.
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.