Gbe IRule of ipacbomlus at Sabenna Gbapter j. Bs tbe mtgbt of our Xorfc Jesus Cbrist we beotn to write tbe " Hsfeetifeon," tbat is to sa& tbe HMstors of tbe flfcoufes of Uabenna, wbo were followers of Hbba pacbomf us
IN my opinion, the things which I am now about to write are able to assist [us] greatly if we indeed follow after them, and they will, moreover, make the hearer more vigilant in respect of the contemplation of the things which have been said. And if we were to excuse ourselves through negligence from writing them down this act would bring danger upon him that made such an excuse, and therefore, although we can only advance from the beginning but a very little way with the living word, we will declare a few of the earlier things.
It was a custom with the God-loving brother, the holy man Abbd Pachomius, to gather together the brethren every even ing in a duly appointed place in the monastery that they might hear his doctrine, and once when they were all assembled ac cording to their wont in order to hear Rabbd, he commanded Theodore, a man who had lived in the monastery for twenty years, to speak to the brethren, and straightway he spake unto them concerning the things which were to be employed as helpers, but made no mention of not stumbling. And some of the aged sages who saw what had taken place did not wish to listen to him, and they said within themselves, "What he is "teaching us is for novices, and we [need not] listen unto " him," and they left the congregation of the brethren and de parting from that place went to their cells.
And when the brethren had been dismissed from the hearing
[of the sermon] Rabba" sent and called those who had departed
and who did not wish to hear Theodore, and when they had
come into the presence of the holy man he asked them, "Why
1 did ye leave us and depart to your cells?" And they said,
4 Because thou hast made a young man our teacher, and al-
4 though all the old men were standing [there], and other
4 brethren who were much older [than he], thou didst com-
' mand a young man to speak unto us." Now when Rabb£
had heard these things he groaned, and said, "Do ye know
"by what means wickedness first began to take hold in the
" world?" And they said unto him, " What were they?" And
he answered and said unto them, "By pride, and it began
"when that bright star which used to shine (or rise) in the
" morning fell [from heaven] (Isaiah xiv, 12), and was dashed
" in pieces on the earth. Or, have ye never heard that which
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" And they said unto him, " What were they? " And
he answered and said unto them, "By pride, and it began
"when that bright star which used to shine (or rise) in the
" morning fell [from heaven] (Isaiah xiv, 12), and was dashed
" in pieces on the earth. Or, have ye never heard that which
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44 is written, 'The man who is haughty in heart is an abomin- 44 'able thing before the Lord?' (Proverbs xvi, 5.) For whoso- " ever exalteth himself shall be abased, but he that abaseth 44 himself shall be exalted (St. Matthew, xxiii, 12). Therefore de- 44 liver ye yourselves from your false superiority, for do ye not *' know that the mother of the beginning of wickednesses is " pride? Ye did not only leave Theodore and depart from him, 44 but ye fled and departed from the Word of God, [and] ye fell '• away from the Holy Spirit. O ye truly wretched men, who " deserve sorrow of every kind, how is it that ye cannot under- 44 stand that it was Satan who was working in you, and that, 44 because of this, ye made yourselves to be remote from God? 44 Oh, what a great and wonderful thing it is that God humbled 44 Himself, and took upon Himself the form of a servant, and 44 put on his body and dwelt in him, and became obedient even 44 unto death for our sakes! And yet we who are by nature low 44 puff ourselves up with pride! He Who is high above all 4i things, and exceeding great, turned from the ordinary course 44 [of His greatness] and in humility fashioned the world, al- 44 though He was able to destroy everything which existeth by 44 a glance! And yet we who are nothing make ourselves proud, 44 being ignorant that in thus doing we are sinking ourselves 44 into the depths of the earth! Do ye not observe that I stand 44 and incline my ear to the teaching [of Theodore]? Verily I 44 say unto you, that I have been greatly helped by him. For I 44 did not ask him to address you because I thought lightly of 44 him, but because I expected to be helped myself by his words; 44 how very much more, then, is it right that ye should hearken 44 unto his words with a ready mind and absolute humility? 44 Verily I, who am your father in the Lord, am as one who 44knoweth not his right hand from his left, and therefore I 4 4 listen unto him with all my soul. Therefore before God I say 44 unto you that, if ye shew great repentance for this folly which 44 ye have committed, and if ye weep and mourn for yourselves 44 because thereof in such wise that ye be edified thereby, that 44 which hath happened shall be forgiven you, and if not, then 44 ye will go to perdition."
Gbapter ij. ©f S^lvanus tbe Hctor
Therefore before God I say 44 unto you that, if ye shew great repentance for this folly which 44 ye have committed, and if ye weep and mourn for yourselves 44 because thereof in such wise that ye be edified thereby, that 44 which hath happened shall be forgiven you, and if not, then 44 ye will go to perdition. "
Gbapter ij. ©f S^lvanus tbe Hctor
ONCE there was a man among the brethren whose name was Sylvanus, who for a period of twenty years had worn the garb of a monk ; now he was originally an actor, and at the beginning of his life as a monk he was ex ceedingly anxious about his soul, but after a short time had elapsed he began to be so negligent about his redemption, that he wanted to make merry and to enjoy himself, and besides
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this he used to sing fearlessly among the brethren snatches or the lewd and ribald songs which he used to hear in the theatre. Then Abba Pachomius, the holy man, called this brother be fore the brethren, and commanded him to strip off the garb of a monk, and having received such apparel as was worn in the world, to go forth from among the brethren and from the monastery. And that brother fell down at the feet of Pacho mius and entreated him, saying, "O father, if thou wilt for- "give me this once, and wilt not cast me forth, thou hast it "from me that from this time forward I will repent of those " things wherein I have hitherto shown negligence, in such a "manner that thou shalt be able to see the change which '* hath taken place in my soul."
And the holy man answered and said unto him, "Dost thou 4 ' know how much I have borne from thee, and how many *' times I have admonished thee, and how many times I have " beaten thee? I am a man who hath no wish to stretch out " my hands in a matter of this kind, because when, of neces- ** sity, I was obliged to act thus in respect of thee, [my] soul " suffered far more by the mention of association with passion " than thou didst, although the stripes were laid upon thee. I " beat thee for the sake of thy salvation in God, so that by that " means I might be able to correct thee of thy folly; but since, " even though I admonished thee, thou didst not change [thy " course of life], and didst not follow after spiritual excellence, " even though I entreated thee so to do, and since even when " beaten thou wast not afraid, how is it possible for me to for- " give thee any more?"
But when Sylvanus multiplied his entreaties, and begged for his forgiveness long and earnestly, and promised that he would amend his life henceforward, Rabba demanded a surety from him that after he was forgiven he would no more continue his evil behaviour; and when the venerable man Petronius had made himself a surety for him concerning the things which Sylvanus had promised the blessed man forgave him. Then Sylvanus, having been held worthy of forgiveness, contended with all his soul, and to such good purpose, that he became the pattern of all excellence of the fear of God, both among all the younger and all the elder brethren. Now the virtue which surpassed all the other virtues which he possessed was that of absolute humility, and tears flowed from his eyes so unceas ingly that even when he was eating with the brethren he was not able to restrain his weeping, and his tears were mingled with his food. And when the brethren told him that he should not behave thus before the face of strangers (i.e., visitors), or before any people, he took an oath, saying, "I have sought
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" many times to restrain [my] tears for this reason, but I have " never been able [to do so]." Then the brethren said, " Is it not "possible for him that repenteth to seek to be alone? And " would it not be better for him to act thus when he was pray- " ing with the brethren than when he was eating at the table " with them? And is it not possible for the soul to weep con- " tinually with tears other than those which are visible?" [Then turning to him, they said,] "We wish to know what thou hast " to say on the matter. For thou art so overwhelmed with [thy] " tears that many of us who see thee in this state are ashamed " to eat and take our fill."
And is it not possible for the soul to weep con- " tinually with tears other than those which are visible? " [Then turning to him, they said,] "We wish to know what thou hast " to say on the matter. For thou art so overwhelmed with [thy] " tears that many of us who see thee in this state are ashamed " to eat and take our fill. "
Then Sylvanus said unto those who had asked him [those questions], "Do ye not wish me to weep when I see holy men " waiting upon me, men, the dust of whose feet I am unworthy " [to sweep away]? Is it not proper that I should weep over " myself? I weep then, O my brethren, because a man from the " theatre is ministered unto by such holy men as these, and I " am afraid lest I be smitten even as were Dathan and Abiram. "And I weep especially because, being in ignorance, I cared " so little at the beginning about the redemption (or salvation) " of my soul, that I came in danger of being expelled by the "brethren from the monastery, and I was obliged to give " surety [for my better behaviour], and to take awful oaths that " I would never again treat my life with contempt. For this " reason I am not ashamed [to weep], and I have turned away " from such things; for I know my sins and that if I was ob- " liged to deliver up my soul I should find no happiness [in " heaven]."
And as this man strove nobly in this manner Rabba himself bore testimony before all the brethren, and spake thus: "Be-
* hold, I bear testimony before God that, from the time when ' this monastery came into existence, among all the brethren ' who have lived with me therein, there hath been none who ' hath resembled completely the example [which I have con-
* ceived in my mind] with the exception of one." Now when the brethren heard these things some of them thought that the one man of whom he spake was Theodore, and others thought he was Petronius, and others thought he was Arsenius, and at length Theodore asked the holy man of which monk he had spoken wrhen he said this thing; but Rabba did not wish to say. But because Theodore and the other great fathers continued to entreat him [to tell them], for they wished to learn who he was, Rabba answered and said, "If I knew that vainglory " would come to him of whom I am about to speak, and that " he would be greatly praised, I would not shew [you] who he "is; but, because I know that the more he is praised, the
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But because Theodore and the other great fathers continued to entreat him [to tell them], for they wished to learn who he was, Rabba answered and said, "If I knew that vainglory " would come to him of whom I am about to speak, and that " he would be greatly praised, I would not shew [you] who he "is; but, because I know that the more he is praised, the
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"more humble he will become, and the more he will think "scorn of himself, and because [I wish] you to emulate his " example, I will, before you all, fearlessly ascribe blessing to " him. Thou, O Theodore, and all those, who like thee, strive " in the fight, have bound the Calumniator with fetters like a " kid of the goats, and have placed him under your feet, and "daily ye trample upon him as ye trample upon dust; but if " ye are the least unmindful of yourselves, the Calumniator, " who hath been cast under your feet, will rise up again, and " will set himself against you like an armed man. But this " young man Sylvanus, who but a short time since was about "to be expelled from the monastery, hath, by his strenuous- " ness, so completely subjugated the Calumniator, and slain " him, that he will never again be able to approach him, for he " hath vanquished him utterly by his exceedingly great humility. "Ye have humbled yourselves as if ye possessed works of "righteousness, and the addition which ye would make to "your spiritual excellence is reduced, for ye rely upon the " things which have already been performed by you; but this "young man, however much he striveth, never sheweth him- " self to the gaze [of his fellows], and he thinketh with all his " mind and soul that he is a useless and contemptible being. " And tears are always nigh unto him because he is always be- " Httling himself, and because he saith that he is unworthy of " the things which are visible. Ye, in your knowledge, and in "your patient endurance, and in your strivings against the " Calumniator, which cannot be measured, are better than he " is, but he hath surpassed you in humility, because he, in this " manner, cutteth off for the Calumniator nothing but humi- " lity, and the power of action which ariseth from the whole "soul." Now therefore when Sylvanus had striven in this manner for eight years, he completed his fight, and laid down his life in such wise that his servant, a mighty man of God, testified concerning his departure, and said that an endless throng of holy angels, with great rejoicing and singing, re ceived his soul as a choice sacrifice, and that they offered it up unto God like the marvellous incense which is found among the children of men.
Cbapter iij* ®f a certain Sinner wbo
AND it came to pass once that Abba Pachomius went to another monastery to visit the brethren who were there, and as he was on his journey he met the funeral of a certain brother of the monastery who was dead, and [the monks] were going to the funeral and were singing as they went ; and there were also among them the parents of the man
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who had died. Now the brethren saw from a distance the holy man coming towards them, and they set down the bier upon the ground so that he might come and pray over him. And when the blessed man had come, and had said a prayer, he commanded the brethren not to sing any more psalms and hymns over him; and he also commanded them to bring the garments of him that had died, and they brought them, and in the presence of them all he ordered the men to burn them; then, when they had been burned he commanded that the dead body should be taken and buried without any further singing. Then the brethren, and the parents, and kinsfolk of him that was dead threw themselves down at his feet and entreated him to permit them to sing over him, but he remained unmoved; and the parents of the dead man said unto Abba Pachomius, "What hast thou done, O father? This is a new thing, and " thou art sending away our son in an unlawful fashion. It be- " fitteth not thy holiness to display such a want of compassion "unto this dead man, and moreover, this savage cruelty is "like to bring about sorrow. Even an enemy who seeth the " dead body of his adversary knoweth how to shew pity many "times over, although his disposition be unutterable and im- " movable. We have seen a new sight with you, O Christians, " the like of which hath never been seen, even among the bar- " barians. Through this want of compassion [on thy part] "thou hast made to cling to the family [of the dead man] " a disgrace which shall never be blotted out. Would that we "had never seen thee this day! For then our house, which "hath ever possessed an untarnished name, would not have " inherited disgrace. Would that our poor son had never come " into thy savage hands ! For then he would not have bequeath- " ed unto us this everlasting sorrow. We beseech thee now, " since thou hast caused even his clothes to be burned, to allow " a Psalm to be said over him."
For then our house, which "hath ever possessed an untarnished name, would not have " inherited disgrace. Would that our poor son had never come " into thy savage hands ! For then he would not have bequeath- " ed unto us this everlasting sorrow. We beseech thee now, " since thou hast caused even his clothes to be burned, to allow " a Psalm to be said over him. "
Then Abba Pachomius answered and said unto them, "O " my brethren, in very truth I have more compassion upon him " that lieth here than ye have, and because, like a father, I am " shewing exceedingly great care on his behalf, I have com- " manded these things to be done. Ye would take care of the "body which is visible, but I strive for his soul [which is in- " visible]; for if ye sing Psalms over him he will receive the "greater torments, and a reckoning will be demanded from "him because of the Psalms which have been sung, for he " departeth not with the power of the Psalms upon him. If "then ye wish to make an addition to his everlasting suffer- " ings, sing Psalms; but I tell you, of a truth, that if ye do "indeed sing Psalms over him, he will certainly suffer more
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" pain because of them, and he will curse you. And because I " know what will benefit his soul I take no care for his dead "body whatsoever; for if I permit ye to sing Psalms, I shall " be found to be in the sight of God as one who [striveth to] " please the children of men, because for the sake of gratify - " ing men I have treated with contempt that which will benefit " the soul which is about to be punished in judgement. For be- 4 'cause God is a fountain of grace He seeketh excuses upon 4 'which He can lay hold in order to pour out upon us the " abundant streams of His grace; if then, we, who have been " held to be worthy by God to become acquainted with the art " of divine healing, do not apply the binding up which is suit- " able to the wound, we shall, like those who despise [God], " hear that which is written, 'Those who despised [God] saw, " 'and marvelled at the wonderful thing, and were destroyed. ' " For this reason then, that is to say, that we may lighten his " punishment, I entreat you to bury the dead man without any " singing of Psalms; for the good God knoweth that in return " for this slight which hath come upon him, we are giving him " rest and are calling him to life. Had he listened unto me on ' the several occasions on which I admonished him, he would " never have come to this pass."
Had he listened unto me on ' the several occasions on which I admonished him, he would " never have come to this pass. "
And when the blessed man had said these things they car ried him to the mountain without the singing of Psalms, and he was buried. And the holy man passed several days in that monastery in admonishing and teaching each one of the breth ren the fear of God, and the way to strive rightly against the Calumniator, and against his arts, and wiles, and guile, and how in a short time, by the might of the Lord, we shall be able to bring to naught beforehand the things which are cared for by him.
Cbapter i\>, <W tbe ff uneral of a certain tools /IDan wbo fcie&
NOW whilst Abb& Pachomius was still there he heard that a certain brother from the monastery of Beth RA- ya" was sick, [and it was said to him], " He wisheth to "see thee and to be blessed by thee before he dieth." And when the man of God heard these things he rose up, and de parted on the journey, but when he was about two miles from the monastery, the holy man heard a holy voice in the air, and he lifted up his eyes and saw the soul of the sick brother with the holy angels, singing hymns, and being borne aloft to a blessed and divine life; now the brethren who were accom panying him neither heard nor saw anything. And when the holy man had stood there and gazed for a long time towards
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the East, they said unto him, "Why standest thou [here], O " father? Let us hurry on so that we may reach him whilst he " is still alive." And he said unto them, " We shall not reach " him there, for I have just seen him ascending- to everlasting " life; depart ye then, O my children, to your monastery." And when those brethren entreated him [to tell them] in what [form] he had seen the soul of the brother who had died, he said unto them, " In a certain form" ; and when they had heard this they departed to their monastery. And they [enquired], and ascer tained exactly from the brethren who were in the monastery, concerning the hour whereof Rabba had spoken to them, and then they recognized that the things which had been said unto them about the brother who had died were true.
Gbapter\>. ©f tbe tbmgs wbicb Hbba pacbomins bearfc saifc in tbe Htr b£ tbe Devils as be was tour* negfng in tbe Desert to bis Aonasterg
And they [enquired], and ascer tained exactly from the brethren who were in the monastery, concerning the hour whereof Rabba had spoken to them, and then they recognized that the things which had been said unto them about the brother who had died were true. Gbapter\>. ©f tbe tbmgs wbicb Hbba pacbomins bearfc saifc in tbe Htr b£ tbe Devils as be was tour* negfng in tbe Desert to bis Aonasterg
NOW when the holy old man was journeying to his monastery, and was by the side of the desert which is called " Ammon," certain legions of devils rose up against him, and thronged him, both on his right hand and on his left, and others ran in front of him, saying, " Behold the blessed man of God"; and they acted in this wise because they were plotting to sow the seeds of vainglory in him. Now he knew the evil character of their cunning, and as they cried out these things he cried out to God, and made confession of his sins; then, having brought to naught the evil cunning of these wicked devils, he answered and said unto them, "Ye " are not able to persuade me to [indulge in] vainglory. Oye " wicked ones, well do I know mine iniquities, and well do I " know that it is right for me to weep concerning them con- " tinually, and concerning the punishment which is for ever. I " have no need of fluent words and cunning error from you, " for your work is the destruction of souls. I am not to be "carried away therefore by your praisings, for I know well " your cunning minds, O evil ones." And though the holy man Pachomius spake these words unto them, their audacious acts did not cease, for they clung round and about the blessed man until he drew nigh unto his monastery.
Cbapter x>j. ©f tbe tbings wbicb Hbba pacbomius fcifc wben be arrived at bis /I&onasten?
AND when the brethren went forth to meet the holy man and to salute him, a certain young man also went out with them to salute Abba Pachomius, and he began to make a complaint to him, saying, " Verily, O father, from the "time when thou didst depart to visit the brethren until this
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©f tbe tbings wbicb Hbba pacbomius fcifc wben be arrived at bis /I&onasten? AND when the brethren went forth to meet the holy man and to salute him, a certain young man also went out with them to salute Abba Pachomius, and he began to make a complaint to him, saying, " Verily, O father, from the "time when thou didst depart to visit the brethren until this
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11 present they have not cooked either vegetables or crushed " peas"; and the old man answered and said unto him readily and pleasantly, " My son, grievenot, for from this time forward " I will make them to cook these things for thee." And having gone round about through the monastery AbbA Pachomius went to the place where the food was [kept], and he found him that did the cooking plaiting a mat of palm leaves, and he said unto him, " How long is it since thou hast cooked vegetables "for the brethren?" and he answered, "Two months." And Rabbd said unto him, " Hast thou acted thus in spite of the " command and ordinances of the holy fathers which enjoin "that vegetables shall be cooked for the brethren every " Saturday and every Sunday?" And the cook answered and said unto him, "Truly, O father, I wanted to cook some " vegetables on each of these days, but because I saw that "when they were cooked they were not eaten (for all the " brethren, so to speak, were restraining themselves, and " were not eating cooked food), except by the young men who "usually ate them, and when I saw that when they were " not eaten they were thrown away, [I cooked] no more so " that all the expense and all the trouble might be avoided. " Now we pour into the cooked food of the brethren forty boxes " of oil daily. And when I saw that the food was not eaten I " did not cook it, for I did not consider it to be right that we " should throw away and waste such costly things. And more- " over, because I could not sit idle I began to plait a mat " with the brethren, for I thought that one man would be suffi- " cient in the kitchen to prepare the less important meals for " brethren, that is to say, chopped garlic, and mountain herbs " [mixed with] vinegarandolivebil,andherbs from the garden." And when the holy man had heard these things he said unto the cook, "How many mats have ye made? Ye who "belong to the kitchen must have been continually at this "work"; and the cook said, "Five hundred." And Abb3 Pachomius said unto him, ' * Bring them here, for I wish to count " them"; and having brought the mats he ordered them to be thrown into the fire. Then, when they had all been consumed, Abba Pachomius said unto them, " Why have ye forsaken the " ordinance which hath been given unto you for the govern- " ment of the brethren through [your] Satanic minds? I have "destroyed pitilessly the labour of your hands, and have " burned it in the fire, so that ye may learn what it is for a man "to treat lightly the laws of the fathers, which have been " given for the benefit of souls. How great is the help which " ye have removed from the brethren through your not having "cooked food for them! Have ye forgotten that a man hath
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" power over a desire for food, and that he who restraineth "himself from such and such a food, for God's sake, shall 44 obtain from God wages which are not small? while he who "hath not received authority, and who denieth himself by "force or necessity will seek for wages in return for this in "vain? And do ye not know that, if cooked meat be placed " upon the table, and the brethren eat it not because they re- " strain themselves therefrom for God's sake, they shall receive "abundant wages? But if cooked meats be not given unto " them, because they have not seen them abstinence and self- " denial can never be reckoned unto them. For the sake of " eighty boxes of oil, for such is the excuse [which ye have " made], ye have cut off all the preparation of all the brethren; " I would rather that all the world should be wasted than that " one small spiritual virtue should be cut off from [their] soul[s]. " I therefore truly wish to have food in abundance cooked "daily and set before the brethren, so that in practising ab- " stinence every day, and in restraining themselves from " partaking of what hath been given to them, they may make " an addition daily to their spiritual excellence. For if a man 4 should happen to fall sick, and did not desire to go to the 4 hospital, if he should come to the common table in order to * partake of the vegetables which are usually given to the 4 brethren, and should not find any there, what would happen to me? Would not a brother be offended in not finding at 4 the common table that of which he was in need? And do ye 4 not know that young men especially [cannot] continue in 4 spiritual excellence unless they enjoy some small gratifica- 4 tion or a little consolation from their food?"
Gbapter \>i j.©f tbe 1Rex>elation wbicb Hbbapacbomius receivefc from (3ofc concerning certain Iberetics wbo bappenefc to visit bint
Would not a brother be offended in not finding at 4 the common table that of which he was in need? And do ye 4 not know that young men especially [cannot] continue in 4 spiritual excellence unless they enjoy some small gratifica- 4 tion or a little consolation from their food? "
Gbapter \>i j. ©f tbe 1Rex>elation wbicb Hbbapacbomius receivefc from (3ofc concerning certain Iberetics wbo bappenefc to visit bint
AND it came to pass that when the old man had said these things to the brethren, the doorkeeper came to him, and said, "Certain travellers, who are men of 44 importance, have come hither, and they wish to meet thee"; and he said, " Call them hither," and when they had entered into the monastery he saluted them with the brethren. And after they had seen all the brotherhood, and had gone round about among all the cells of the brethren they wanted to hold converse with him by themselves. Now when they had taken their seats in a secluded chamber, there came unto the old man a strong smell of uncleanness, but he knew not whence came such uncleanness, though he thought that it must arise from them because he was speaking with them face to face ;
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and he was not able to learn the cause of the same by the supplication which [he made] to God, for he perceived that their speech was fruitful [of thought], and that their minds were familiar with the Scriptures, but he was not acquainted with their intellectual uncleanness. Then, after he had spoken unto them many things out of the Divine Books, and the season of the ninth hour had drawn nigh meanwhile, they rose up that they might come to their own place, and Rabb£ en treated them to partake of some food there, but they did not accept [his petition, saying,] that they were in duty bound to arrive home before sunset ; so they prayed, and they saluted us, and then they departed
And Rabb£, in order to learn the cause of the uncleanness of those men, went into his cell, and prayed to God, and he knew straightway that it was the doctrine of wickedness which arose from their souls that sent forth such an unclean smell. Thereupon he went forth from his cell immediately and pur sued those men, and having overtaken them, he said unto them, " I beg of you to allow me to ask you one question" ; and they said unto him, "Speak." And he said unto them, " Do ye call " that which is written in the works of Origen heresy?" And when they had heard this question they denied and said that they did not. Then the holy man said unto them, " Behold, I " take you to witness before God, that every man who readeth "and accepteth the work of Origen, shall certainly arrive in "the fire of Sheol, and his inheritance shall be everlasting " darkness. That which I know from God I have made you to " be witnesses of, and I am therefore not to be condemned by "God on this account, and ye yourselves know about it. " Behold, I have made you to hear the truth. And if ye believe "me, and if ye wish truly to gratify God, take all the "writings of Origen and cast them into the fire; and never "seek to read them again." And when Abbd Pachomius had said these things he left them.
Cbapter \>fij. ©f tbe iRevelation wbicb be receives about tbe settlement of tbe Bretbren
AND when Abbd Pachomius had gone into the mon astery, he found the brethren gathered together for prayer, and he drew nigh unto them, and said all the prayers ; but when the brethren went forth to eat he remained in that chamber by himself, in order that he might recite to the end therein the prayers of the congregation according to cus tom. And he shut the door and prayed unto God that he might have information about the settlements which were to come subsequently to the brethren. Then having prolonged
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And he shut the door and prayed unto God that he might have information about the settlements which were to come subsequently to the brethren. Then having prolonged
293
tTbe ftarabise of tbe fbols tf atbers
[his] prayer from the tenth hour until the time when the brethren beat [the boards to summon the brethren] to the ser vice of the night, for he was praying until midnight, there suddenly appeared unto him a vision which made known to him concerning the settlements of the brethren subsequently, and shewed him that they would live rightly in Christ, and the increase which was about to take place in the religious houses. And he saw a congregation of brethren which was endless, and the men were making their way along a deep and gloomy valley, and many of them came with the intention of going up out of that valley, but were unable to do so, and many of them met each other face to face, but because of the great density of the darkness, they did not recognize each other; and many fell down through exhaustion, and others were crying out with the doleful voice of lamentation. Now a very few of them, with the greatest difficulty, and with much toil, were able to go up out of that valley, and immediately they had done so the light met them ; and when they had come to the light, they gave thanks unto God mightily. Then did the blessed man know the things which were going to happen to the brethren in later times, and the absolute supineness which was to exist in those times, and the blindness of error, and the removal ot the shepherds which was about to happen to them, and he knew that the wicked were to have dominion over the good, whom they were to vanquish through their great numbers, and that those who were to come afterwards would be mere imitations ot monks. Now we set down in writing the memorial of these things lest the wicked shall be governors over the brethren, and those who are without knowledge shall have authority over the monasteries, and shall strive for the mastery, and the good shall be persecuted by the wicked, and they shall not have freedom of speech in the monasteries, and the divine things which have been said shall be turned to the things of men.
Now therefore, when the blessed man knew these things, he cried out to God with tears, and said, "O Lord God, Who ' dost maintain the universe, if it is indeed to be thus why 'didst Thou permit these monasteries to come into being? ' And if in those times those who are to be governors over the ' brethren be wicked men, what is to become of those who are ' to be governed by them ? For when the blind leadeth the ' blind both fall into the ditch. I have toiled absolutely in vain ! ' Remember, O Lord, my works, and those of these brethren, ' who submit to be governed with alltheirsouls. Remember that ' Thou didst promise me, saying, 'Until the end of the world I 4 'will allow this spiritual seed to exist.' Thou knowest, O my ' Lord, that from the time when I put on the garb of the
294
ftacbomius anb tbe IDision
"monks, I have never satisfied myself with whatsoever " groweth upon the earth, not even with water."
Cbapter i£. Hnotber IRevelation on tbis matter wbicb Ibrou^bt] Consolation
' Thou knowest, O my ' Lord, that from the time when I put on the garb of the
294
ftacbomius anb tbe IDision
"monks, I have never satisfied myself with whatsoever " groweth upon the earth, not even with water. "
Cbapter i£. Hnotber IRevelation on tbis matter wbicb Ibrou^bt] Consolation
AND it came to pass that when he had said these things, Abba Pachomius heard a voice saying, "Thou " boastest thyself, O Pachomius. Thou art a man. " Ask mercy for thyself, because everything standeth by com- " passion." Now when the blessed man heard these things, he straightway threw himself on his face upon the ground, and he asked God for mercy, saying, "O Lord, Who dost sustain " the universe, send Thy mercies to me, and take Thou them "never away from me, for I know that without Thy mercy "nothing can possibly exist." And having said these words straightway there stood by his side two angels of God, and there was with them a Young Man, Who had a face which is unspeakable, and an appearance which cannot be described, and on His head was a crown of thorns. Then the angels made Pachomius to stand up, and they said unto him, " Because thou hast asked God to send thee His mercy, be- " hold, this is His mercy, the Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, the 'Only One, His Son, Whom He sent into the world, and " Whom ye crucified; and ye set a crown of thorns upon His kk head." And Pachomius said unto the Young Man, "I entreat " Thee, O my Lord, and Thy holy nature, [to remember] that " I did not crucify Thee." Then the Young Man relaxed His face a little in a smile, and said unto him, *4 I know that thou "didst not crucify Me, but thy fathers did; be of good ' ' courage, however, for the root of thy seed shall never come "to an end, and thy seed shall be preserved upon the earth " even unto the end of the world. And the seeds which shall "burst into life in those times, through the abundance of "darkness shall be found to be more excellent than those of " this present time, and they shall be more completely subject " to rule; for at this present, because thou art unto them as a " light which is before the eyes, they lead lives of great excel- " lence and according to rule, and they lean upon thy light. " But those who shall come after them, and who shall live in "a region of darkness, if with a good intent and from the " mind voluntarily they run towards the truth, even though no " man direcleth them, they shall from out of the darkness draw " nigh unto the truth; verily, I say unto thee, that they shall " be free and shall be with those who now lead a blameless "life of the highest character, and they shall be held to be " worthy of forgiveness."
295
tTbe jbarabise of tbe 1bol$ tfatbets
"
295
tTbe jbarabise of tbe 1bol$ tfatbets
Then having said these things straightway the Young Man went [up into] the heavens, and the heavens were opened, and the air shone so brightly that it is impossible for us to describe with human words the splendour of that light. And when Rabba had marvelled at the things which he had heard, straightway they beat [the board to summon] the brethren to the service of the night.
Cbapter & ®t tbe Worfcs of Doctrine wbicb Hbba pacbomius spafee to tbe Bretbren wben tbes were gatberet) togetber
NOW when the brethren had come to the congregation of the night, and the service for the night also was ended, they sat down to hearken unto his words; and he opened his mouth, and said unto them, " O my brethren, so " long as ye have breath in your bodies strive for your redemp- " tion; and before there cometh the hour wherein we shall have " to weep for our souls let us cultivate spiritual excellence with " a ready mind. And I say unto you that, if ye knew what good " things were in heaven, and the glory which is laid up for the " saints, and how those who have fallen are punished by God, " and the tortures which are laid up for those who have been " neglectful, and especially for those who having known the " truth have not, as was right, guided themselves thereby, in- " stead of inheriting the blessedness which is reserved for the " saints, [ye would do so]. Flee ye then from the punishments " which are in [these] tortures! And consider the graves, and "consider the resurrection of the children of men, who are "nothing! Why then doth man, who is dust, vaunt himself "with vainglory? Why then doth he, who is altogether " stinkingness, exalt himself? Let us weep for ourselves whilst "we still have the time, so that when our departure cometh " nigh we may not be found asking God for more time wherein " to repent. A wretched thing is that soul, and greatly to be " blamed, which hath left the world, but which had not dedi- " cated itself to God, and which had not lived worthily of its " promise. Let us not then, O my brethren, allow this world, " which is a small and a contemptible thing, and which resem- " bleth a fleeting shadow, to steal away from us blessed and " immortal life.
" Verily I fear lest your fathers in the flesh, who lived in the " world, and who were carried away by the anxious cares and " afflictions of the world, and who imagined about you that ye " were nigh unto the Lord, whereby ye received a pledge that "ye would enter into a life of blessedness, will be more worthy " than ye are of assistance in the world which is to come. And
296
Doctrine of pacbomius
14 at that time they will be found condemning you, and saying 44 that which is written, * How hath he disgraced you, and put 44 'you greatly to shame: the fire hath blazed out upon you, and 44 'your branches have been destroyed, and therefore have ye 44 4 become a thing of spoil (or prey), over which the lions roar 44 4and send out their voices.' Therefore, O my beloved, be ye 44 like unto those who are good, and let the crown of your head 44 be exalted. The cities which are towards the south, how are 44 they to be taken? There is none who will open unto you. 44 For the sinner shall be carried off because he seeth not the 44 glory of the Lord. Behold, ye have heard. Therefore, O my 44 brethren, let us strive with all our souls, and let us set death 4 'before our eyes, and fasten our gaze upon the terrible tor- 44 tures [of Sheol], so that by means of them the mind may ar- 44 rive at the understanding, which beareth away the soul from 44 care; and when it weepeth [the mind] maketh it to be a spec- 44tator, and with earthly things it enricheth it without wan- 44dering to God. And not this only, for when it doeth these 44 things in humility, it persuadeth it to action which is free 44 from every kind of worldly mind, and to contempt instead of 4 ' vainglory.
44 Let the soul then, O my brethren, practise philosophy each
44 day in respect of this solid body [of ours], and when we come
44 to our beds in the evening let it say unto each one of the
44 members of the body, 4O legs, how much power have ye to
44 4 stand up, and to move yourselves before ye die and become
44 'things without motion? Will ye not stand up with good will
4* 'for your Lord?' And let it say unto the other members, 4O
" 4 hands, there cometh an hour when ye shall be dissolved and
44 4 motionless, and when ye shall never be clasped in each other
44 4 again, and when ye shall not have any movement whatso-
44 4ever; why then before ye fall into that hour and are cut off
44 4do ye not stretch yourselves out to the Lord?' And unto the
44 whole body shall the soul speak thus : 4O body, before we are
44 4 separated and are removed far away from each other, and
44 'before I descend into Sheol, and receive everlasting fetters
44 ' under darkness, and before thou art changed into the primal
44 4 matter of which thou art made, and art cast out upon the
44 4 earth to become filthiness and corruption, and to decay,
44 4rise up boldly to worship the Lord without dislike, and take
4 my intelligence, by means of tears, and make known to thy
4 lordship thy free will servitude; and bear me on that with a
4 good will I may give thanks unto God before thou art
4 crushed under the weight of other things, and dost seek to
'lie down, and to take thy rest, and dost condemn me to
4 everlasting torment. For there are times when that heavy
297
tTbe iparafcise of tbe 1bol^ ff atbere
" 'sleep is about to confuse thee. And if thou wilt hearken " 'unto me, we shall enjoy happiness together in the inheri- " 'tance of blessing, but if thou wilt not hearken unto me, " 'then woe is me that I have ever been fettered by thee, for " 'on thy account I, the wretched thing, shall be condemned.' " Now, if ye a6t thus daily, and if ye consecrate yourselves, "verily ye shall become real temples of God, and since God " dwelleth in you the cunning and wiles of Satan shall not be "able to do you injury; for instead of having a myriad of "teachers, the word of God shall dwell in you, and it shall "teach you more [than they], and it shall make you exceed- " ingly wise by its own knowledge; and it is unable to speak " all the things which belong to human speech, but these the " Spirit, holy, and divine, and pure, and spotless shall teach "you, even as the Apostle saith (Romans viii, 26), 'For we " 'know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the " 'Spirit itself prayeth for us with groanings which cannot be " ' uttered,' etc. And there are many other helpful things which " it would be possible for us to say unto you by God's grace, " yet because our mind doth not urge us to these same things " we must dire6l our discourse to other matters."
Gbapter jj. ©f bow, not even in tbe ttnte ot famine, was Hbba pacbomius infcucefc to tafee Wbeat tor no* tbina tor tbe use of bis /!Donaster$
And there are many other helpful things which " it would be possible for us to say unto you by God's grace, " yet because our mind doth not urge us to these same things " we must dire6l our discourse to other matters. "
Gbapter jj. ©f bow, not even in tbe ttnte ot famine, was Hbba pacbomius infcucefc to tafee Wbeat tor no* tbina tor tbe use of bis /! Donaster$
WHEN a famine took place in the days of Pachomius, and the brethren had no wheat, that is to say, when, so to speak, no wheat could be found in all Egypt, the holy old man sent to call one of the brethren that he might go round about in the cities and villages and seek for wheat to buy; and he gave him a sum of money for the purchase of the wheat, that is to say, one hundred dinars. And having gone round about in very many places, the man who had been en trusted with this work came to a city which is called Armutin, and by the Providence of God he found there a certain gov ernor of the state, who was an exceedingly reverent man and a fearer of God, and who had heard of the rule of the holy man Pachomius and of the brethren; now this governor was in charge of the wheat which belonged to the community, and the brother approached him, and entreated him to sell him wheat to the value of one hundred dinars. Then the governor said unto him, "Of a truth, O my brother, if I had wheat of "my own, or even some [belonging to] my own children, I " would take it and give it to you, for I have heard concern ing your godly and spiritual rule of life; but hearken unto ' ' what I am going to say unto thee. The wheat which hath
298
of pacbomfus
"been placed under my charge belongeth to the community, " and as it will not be required this year by the prefect, if thou " wishest to take it I have the power over the wheat of the " community, and I will keep it back until the time cometh for "it to be laid up in the granary; and if thou knowest that thou " wilt be able to return it by that time, take as much of it as " thou wishest."
Then the brother said unto him, "I do not wish thee to ac~l " thus for me, for I am unable to return so large a quantity as " that which I wish to take; but if thou wilt sell me wheat to "the value of one hundred dinars, at the price which thou " wishest [good and well], but if thou art not in any way able "to keep back the wheat which belongeth to the community "until the time [for storing it] in the granary, thou adlest " rightly [in refusing me]." And the governor said unto him, "Yea, I have power to keep back the wheat, and not only " wheat to the value of one hundred dinars but, if thou wishest, " another like quantity. If thou wilt take the wheat thou wilt " do me an a6l of grace, only pray for me." And when the brother said, "We have only this amount of money," the go vernor hearkened, and said, "Have no care about this matter, "for whensoever ye are able to bring me the price of the " wheat do so, at the rate of [thirteen] ardebs a dinar , and in 1 ' no other place in Egypt wilt thou obtain more than five ardebs " a dinar." And the brother journeyed by water to the monas tery with great joy [bringing the wheat with him].
And when Rabba heard that a boat full of wheat was about
to arrive, and the manner in which it had been bought, he sent
immediately to the boat and said, "Ye shall not bring one grain
' of the wheat into the monastery, neither shall he who hath
' bought the wheat come into my presence until he hath re-
' turned it to its place; he who hath acted thus hath committed
' great wickedness. And not only this hath he done, but he
4 hath also taken wheat to the value of one hundred darics
' more than [the hundred dinars which I gave him], and I
' never ordered him to do this; but in carrying out his own
* desires he wished to have a superabundance, and having be- ' come inflamed by love of gain he hath brought us into sub- 'jeclion and laid us under condemnation. And moreover, he ' did not approach the generosity of the seller of the wheat ' satisfactorily, for he acted in a greedy manner, and he hath ' brought more wheat than he needed, and on his own respon- ' sibility he undertook to pay back that which we could never ' return. And not this only, for supposing that from some human ' cause an accident had happened, and the boat had sunk in
* the river, what could we have done [to make good the loss]?
TTbe iparafcise of tbe 1bol$ jf atbers
And not this only, for supposing that from some human ' cause an accident had happened, and the boat had sunk in
* the river, what could we have done [to make good the loss]? TTbe iparafcise of tbe 1bol$ jf atbers
" Should we not all have become slaves? Therefore let him sell " all the wheat which he hath brought to the laity who are in " this district at the rate at which he hath taken it from him " that entrusted it to him, that is to say, at thirteen ardebs a " dinar, and after he hath sold them, let him take the gold and ' ' carry it to him that gave him credit. And with the one hun- " dred dinars which are mine, let him buy wheat at the rate at " which it is sold everywhere and bring it [to me]." And the brother did even as Rabba said unto him, and he brought the wheat which he bought at a rate of five and a half ardebs a dinar. And from that time Rabba did not allow that brother to go outside the monastery on business for the brethren, and having made him to remain inside he appointed other brethren to render service of the kind.
Cbapter £ij . ©f bow wben tbe Mot?? of tbe JBretbren was solfc IRabba was unwilling even tbat tbe$sbonlt> accept tbe fnll price of tbe same
And from that time Rabba did not allow that brother to go outside the monastery on business for the brethren, and having made him to remain inside he appointed other brethren to render service of the kind. Cbapter £ij . ©f bow wben tbe Mot?? of tbe JBretbren was solfc IRabba was unwilling even tbat tbe$sbonlt> accept tbe fnll price of tbe same
AND that same brother [who hath been mentioned above] took away from the shoemaker to sell a large number of shoes (or sandals) and other kinds of ob jects, and having received as their price a larger sum of money than the shoemaker had mentioned brought to him the oboli; and when the shoemaker had received the oboli, he reckoned up the price of the leather and of the labour of his hands, and the value of the work of the days wherein he had made the various kinds of [leather] objects, and found that it amounted to fifty oboli, whilst the money [which he had received] was three times that amount. Then straightway the shoemaker went to Rabba, and said unto him, "Verily, O father, this " brother will never prosper by such acts as these, for he still " hath in him a worldly mind." And when Rabba said, "What "is this matter in which he hath behaved so badly?" the shoe maker answered and said, "I gave him sandals and other " kinds of [leather] things to sell, and I said unto him, ' Their " 'prices are so much,' but he hath sold them for a great deal " more, and he hath brought unto me a price which is three "times as large as that which I mentioned to him." When Rabba had heard these things, he called the brother and said unto him, "Why hast thou done thus?" And the brother said unto him, "Father, I told to the people who bought the san- " dais and the other things the price which this shoemaker " told me to take, but they said to me, * Brother, if these things " 'had been stolen they would be worth a far higher price than " 'what thou askest'; and I, feeling ashamed, said to them, " 'They have not been stolen, and I have been commanded to
300
ZTbe Hpostate /Ifconfe
" And the brother said unto him, "Father, I told to the people who bought the san- " dais and the other things the price which this shoemaker " told me to take, but they said to me, * Brother, if these things " 'had been stolen they would be worth a far higher price than " 'what thou askest'; and I, feeling ashamed, said to them, " 'They have not been stolen, and I have been commanded to
300
ZTbe Hpostate /Ifconfe
44 'sell them at the price which I have named; but whatsoever 44 'ye wish to give [me] for them, that give'; and they gave me 44 what it pleased them to give me, and I never counted the 4 4 oboli which were given unto me by them." When Rabba" had heard [these things] he said, "Thou hast sinned greatly in 44 loving excess, but run quickly, and give back the excess in 44 price to those who gave it to thee, and come and repent be- 44 cause of this offence, and sit in the monastery and perform 44 the work of thy hands, for it is not good that thou, O my 44 son, shouldst do again work of this kind"; and the brother did even as the old man had said unto him. Then Rabba" ap pointed the holy man Zakkai, a good man, who overcame all the praises of the children of men by the manifestation of good deeds, and he administered all the affairs of the monastery.
Gbapter £iij. ©f a certain ascetic Brotber wbo was in tbe /lDonaster& anfc wbo fcesirefc a crown ot /IDart^r- fcom unseasonably
AND there was also [there] among those who were very famous a certain brother who cultivated the ascetic life by himself, and when he heard of the divine rule of our holy Father Pachomius he entreated him to receive him in the monastery; and when Rabba had received him, and he had passed a little [time] with the brethren, he desired greatly to bear witness (i.e., to become a martyr), al though the world was in a state of peace, and the Church was flourishing and was, by the grace of God, at peace, and the blessed Constantine, who had put on Christ, was at that time reigning. And this brother was continually entrea ing the blessed man Pachomius, and saying, 44Pray forme, O cather, 44 that I may become a martyr"; but Rabba admonished him that he should not permit this thought to enter his mind again, and said unto him, 44 Brother, endure the strife of the monks 44 mightily and blamelessly, and make straight thy life in the 4 'way which will please Christ, and thou shalt have com- 4' panionship with the martyrs in heaven."
As, however, the brother made his desire for this thing
stronger each day, and he was wearying the holy man there
with, Rabba", wishing to drive away this kind of desire from
him, said unto him, 4'I will pray [for thee], but if thou seekest
4 for this thing thou wilt be vanquished. And put armour on
' thy soul, lest, when the hour cometh wherein thou hast to
4 bear witness, thou shalt deny Christ. Verily thou wilt cer-
4 tainly commit sin, because of thine own will thou drawest
4 nigh unto temptation, although our Lord Jesus commanded
And put armour on
' thy soul, lest, when the hour cometh wherein thou hast to
4 bear witness, thou shalt deny Christ. Verily thou wilt cer-
4 tainly commit sin, because of thine own will thou drawest
4 nigh unto temptation, although our Lord Jesus commanded
4 us, saying, 4 Pray that ye fall not into temptation'" (St. Mat-
301
ZTbe parafctee of tbe fbols jf atbers
thew xxvi, 41; St. Mark xiv, 38; St. Luke xxii, 40, 46). And having said these things unto him, he admonished him to take good heed unto himself, and not to meditate upon martyrdom.
And it came to pass that two years later certain of the brethren were sent by Rabba to a village which was further to the south to collect wreaths [to make] mats for the monas tery; now this village was nigh unto the barbarians who are called "Blemmyes." And whilst the brethren wrere there, and were on an island where there were large numbers of reeds, the blessed man Pachomius sent the brother who was wishing to suffer martyrdom to carry a little money to them for their expenses, and he commanded him to take good heed to him self. And he said unto him, "The words which are written, 44 'Behold, now is the acceptable time (2 Corinthians vi, 2) 44 4 behold, now is the day of redemption,' have a mystical sig- 14 nification [for thee], and ye shall not commit an offence 44 against any man, so that there may be no blemish in our 44 ministration "; so the brother took an ass to carry the money and departed to the brethren.
Now when he had arrived at the place which is opposite the desert, the barbarians came down [to the river] to draw water, and they came upon the brother, and made him to come down from off the ass, and they bound his hands, and took the ass and that which was thereon, and they led him up to a neighbouring mountain where there were other barba rians. Now when the barbarians saw that they came with an ass, they began to make a mock of him, and to say, 44 O monk, 4 4 come and worship our gods, " and they slew some beasts, and poured out libations to their gods, and they brought the monk and urged the monk to pour out libations with them. And when he did not want to do this they rose up in wrath and came towards him with their drawn swords in their hands in a threatening manner, and said, 44If he be unwilling to sacrifice 44 to our gods and to pour out libations to them, we will kill 44 him." Then seeing the drawn swords and the savage dis position of the people, straightway the brother took wine and poured out a libation to their gods, and because he was afraid of dying the death of the body he slew his immortal soul by denying God, the Lord of all; now when he had done these things the Blemmyes sent him away.
Then having descended from the mountain, when he had come to himself he knew his iniquity, that is to say, the wickedness which he had committed, and he rent his garments, and having beaten himself upon his face severely he came to the monastery; and the blessed man knew what had hap pened to him, and he went forth to meet him in sore affliction.
302
Ube Hpostate /Iftonfe
And when the brother saw that he was coming to him, he threw himself on his face upon the ground, and shedding tears cried out and said, "I have sinned against God and against 44 thee, O father, and I would neither listen to thy promise nor " to thine admonition, and had I but hearkened unto thee, 4< I should not have had to bear what I have suffered." And having said these words, Rabba said unto him, " Rise up, O "wretched man, thou hast snatched thyself away from the "good things which were awaiting thee, for in very truth " there was laid up for thee a crown which thou hast cast "away from thee; thou wast ready to be reckoned with the " holy martyrs, but thou hast cut thyself off from their blessed " companionship. Our Lord Jesus Christ was near with His " holy angels, and He wished to lay the crown upon thy head. " Through thy momentary turning back thou hast refused (or "denied) this, and in being afraid of that death which thou "wast about to endure, a death which thou didst not seek, "thou hast fallen away from God and destroyed thine ever- " lasting life. Where are the words which [thou didst speak] * * before this [happened]? Where is thy desire for martyrdom ? " And the brother said, "I have sinned in all these [respecls], ' ' O father, and I am no longer able to lift up my face to hea- " ven. I am lost, O father, I have no position wherefrom I may " contemplate what I shall do, O father, I never expected that " the matter would happen thus."
Where is thy desire for martyrdom ? " And the brother said, "I have sinned in all these [respecls], ' ' O father, and I am no longer able to lift up my face to hea- " ven. I am lost, O father, I have no position wherefrom I may " contemplate what I shall do, O father, I never expected that " the matter would happen thus. "
Then having said these words with tears, Rabbd spake unto him, saying, "Thou, O wretched man, hast made thyself al- 4 together an alien to the Lord, but the Lord is good, and He 4 never keepeth His anger for a testimony, for He is a lover 4 of mercy, and He is able to sink our sins in the depths of 4 the sea. As far as are the heavens from the earth so far hath 4 He put away our iniquity and sins. For He desireth not the 4 death of the sinner, but his repentance, and He wisheth not 4 that a man who hath fallen should remain in his fallen con- 4 dition, but that he should rise up; and He desireth not that he 4 who hath turned back should keep afar off from Him, but that 4 he should return quickly to Him. Therefore despair not, for 4 there is still a hope of [thy] redemption. For it is said, 4If 4 4thou cuttest down a tree it shall renew itself (Job xiv, 7). If 4 then thou wishest to obey me in everything which I shall say 4 unto thee, thou shalt obtain forgiveness from God." And with tears the brother said, "From this time forward I will obey " thee in everything, O father. "Then Rabba commanded him to seclude himself in a cell alone, and never to hold con verse with any man until death, and to eat one meal daily, of bread and salt only, and to drink water only for the whole
parafcfse of tbe 1bols ffatbers
period of his life, and to plait two palm-leaf mats daily, and to keep vigil as long- as possible, and never to cease from crying-. So that his brother departed, even as the blessed man had com manded him, and he carried out everything which he had told him to do. And he held converse with no man except Rabb& and Theodore, and with a few of the other great sages; and he passed ten years in striving in this manner, and died in the grace of the Lord, and Rabbd bore witness nobly concerning his tranquil state.
Cbapter £i\\ ©f tbe pbantom wbicb tbes saw IKUobt wben tbes were goina tbrou^b tbe
And he held converse with no man except Rabb& and Theodore, and with a few of the other great sages; and he passed ten years in striving in this manner, and died in the grace of the Lord, and Rabbd bore witness nobly concerning his tranquil state. Cbapter £i\\ ©f tbe pbantom wbicb tbes saw IKUobt wben tbes were goina tbrou^b tbe
AND it came to pass once when Rabba, and Theodore whom he loved, were walking through the monastery by night, that they saw suddenly a great phantom, which was full of the deepest deceit; now that which appeared was in the form of a woman, and its beauty was of so inde scribable a character that no man was able to tell the beauty, or the form, or the appearance, which belonged to that phan tom, and even Theodore, who looked at that phantom, was exceedingly perturbed, and his face changed colour. And when the blessed man saw that he was afraid, he said unto him, " Be of good cheer in the Lord, O Theodore, and fear not," and the holy man, having said these things unto him, com manded him to pray with him, that the phantom which was striking wonder into them might be driven away. And as they were praying the phantom came nearer and nearer and took a solid form, and when it, and the company of devils which ran before it, drew nigh, for their prayer did not drive it back, it came forward and said unto them, "Why do ye labour in 44 vain? Ye are unable at this present to do anything whatso- " ever against me, for I have received power from God, Who " sustaineth the universe, to tempt whomsoever I please; and " I have abundance of time in which to do this, for this I have " asked from God."
Then Pachomius asked her, saying, "Whence comest thou? "And whom dost thou wish to tempt?" And the phantom answered and said, "I am the daughter of the Calumniator, "whose great power cannot be described, and unto me the " whole company of the devils is subject. It was I who brought " down the holy stars to the earth, and it was I who snatched "Judas from the Apostolic power. I have received authority " [or power] to make war against thee, O Pachomius, for I am " not able to endure the reproach of the devils, and no man " hath made me as weak as thou. Thou hast made me to be "trampled under foot by youths, and by old men, and by
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"young men, and thou hast gathered together against me a ' congregation such as thou hast, and hast set for them [as] a 4 wall which shall never fall the fear of God, so that my mini-
* sters are not able to approach with boldness and freedom
* unto anyone of you. Now all these things have happened
* unto me because of the Word of God Who was made man, ' for it is He Who hath given you power to trample upon all
* our might, and to hold us in derision."
Now all these things have happened
* unto me because of the Word of God Who was made man, ' for it is He Who hath given you power to trample upon all
* our might, and to hold us in derision. "
And when the holy man Pachomius asked her, "Hast thou "come to tempt me alone according- to what thou sayest?" she said unto him, "I have come to tempt thee, and all those " who are like thee." Pachomius said unto her, "So then thou " wilt tempt Theodore also?" And she said, "I have received " power over thee, and over Theodore, but I am never able "to come nigh unto thee." And when Pachomius had said unto her, "Why?" she said unto them, " If I were to make "war with you [two], you would have an occasion for help " and not for injury, and especially would it be so in thy case, " O Pachomius, who with the eyes of thy body art worthy to " be a spectator of the glory of God; but ye will not live for " ever for those for whom at present ye make yourselves a wall* " through your prayers, and whom ye help; and the time will "come after your death when I shall have dominion over "those whom thou now protedlest against me, for ye have "made me to be trodden under foot by this multitude of "monks."
Then Rabbd said unto her, "How knowest thou that those " who shall come after us will not serve the Lord more truly " than do we, and that they will not be able to confirm and " strengthen those who come after us in the fear of God more " than do we?" And the phantom said unto him, "I do know " this." And Rabba said unto her, "Thou liest by thy wicked "head, because thou hast no knowledge whatsoever before- " hand of the things which are going to take place, for unto " God alone belongeth fore-knowledge; thou art then the chief " of falsehood." And the phantom answered and said unto him, "True, 1 have no knowledge whatsoever of anything by [the "faculty] of fore-knowledge, even as thou sayest, for it be- ' ' longeth to God alone to know what is going to happen before- " hand, but I told thee that I had knowledge because [I judged] " by analogy." And the blessed man said unto her, "How canst " thou judge by analogy?" And she said unto him, "By the " things which have already taken place I am able to judge of ' * what will take place in the future." Then Rabbd said unto her, " How?" And she said unto him, "I know that the beginning " of every matter is in love and knowledge, and it receiveth
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ipatabise of tbe 1bols jf atbers