Macarius AP

Concerning Abba Macarius the Great. He said about himself once, Abba Macarius saying: When I was a young child sitting in a cell in Egypt, they compelled me and made me a cleric for the village, and I did not wish to accept the task. I fled to another place, and a worldly man came to me who feared God; he took my hand and served me. But it happened through a temptation of a virgin who fell in the village, and they said to her, "Who is it that did this to you?" She said, "The anchorite." And when they came out, they compelled me and brought me to the village, and they brought some potsherds with oil in them and some palm branches, and they were circling around me in the village, mocking me according to custom, saying.

that this monk had fled from them and they had come against me to make me go to the other villages. An old man came and said to them, “Until when will you kill the old monk?” But the one who served as deacon for me used to follow me, and they would make many plots against him, saying, “Behold the anchorite, the one who bore witness concerning him that he did something.” And his parents said, “We will not let him go until he gives the disturbance to the one who has sinned.” I said to the one who served as deacon for me, and he caused me disturbance, and when I went to do for them what was not in my power, I gave them to him, saying, “Give them to her, give them to my wife to eat.” And I said in my thought, “Macarius, behold, you have found a wife for yourself; they need you to do a little more work so that you may sin.” And I worked at weaving and ropes, sending them to her. But when the time came for the wretched one to give birth, she suffered much pain in her giving birth. They said to her, “What is this?” And she said, “I do not know the place, for I took the anchorite by force and I lied to the people.

to him. This is not a work of his, but my place of the old man made him go to the village. When the one who served as deacon for me came out, he was rejoicing and saying, “The virgin was not able to bear until she confessed, saying, ‘This is not the work of the anchorite, but I have spoken falsehood against him. Behold, the whole village wants to come with honor to give repentance to you.’” When I heard these things, so that the men would not give me trouble, I rose and fled and came to this place of the desert, which is the beginning of the work I came here for. Some old men asked Abba Macarius the Egyptian, “If you eat or if you fast, your body itself is honored.” The old man said to them, “The fire that burns the wicks in the lamp—the fire consumes them. Likewise, if a man purifies his heart within, the fear of God consumes his bones.” Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, said, “The old man said, ‘I was a child in the monastery among some bad and some good ones. They went to cut reeds, and one fell behind them. I took it and ate it. If I had remembered, I would have sat and wept.’” Abba Poemen gave many acts of repentance to Abba Macarius, saying, “Say a word to me.” And when the old man answered, he said to him, “The thing you seek has now become known among the monks.

They said about Abba Macarius the Egyptian that if he happened to argue with some brothers who were eating, they would prepare a portion for him, so that if there was wine, he would take a small cup of it and make that day without water. But the brothers, for the sake of rest, would give him wine. The old man would receive it with joy, so that he might humble himself alone. His disciple, however, knowing the matter, would say to them, "For God's sake, do not give him wine, for he will not refrain from punishing himself in the desert." And when the brothers learned of the matter, they would not give it to him. Once, Abba Macarius was coming from the desert, carrying some palm leaves, and the devil met him on the road with a scythe, seeking to strike him, but he could not. He said to him, "O wicked one, you have no power over me, Macarius.

against you. Behold, it is what you do, I drink it, and I also fast, but I do not eat at all, and I also keep vigil, but I do not sleep at all. It is only you who are strong against me in this. Abba Macarius said to him, "What is this?" And he said, "It is your humility. Because of your humility, I have no power against you." And he spread out his hands, and the demon became visible. It was said about Abba Macarius that when Agathonicus, the eparch of Antioch, heard about him, that he had performed great healings and miracles through our Lord Jesus Christ, he sent for him his daughter, who had an unclean spirit with her, so that he might pray over her. And through the grace of God that was in him, when he prayed over her, she was healed immediately, and he sent her away in peace to her parents. When her father and mother saw the healing that Christ had performed for their daughter through the prayers and supplications of the holy old man Abba Macarius, they gave thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ. Abba Pijimi said, "The disciple of Abba Macarius spoke before him, saying, 'The old man said to me once, "If I sit

In my place of dwelling in Scetis, two foreign brothers came down to me, one of whom was a monk, and the other had just begun the monastic life. And they came to me saying, "We have heard about Abba Macarius." I said to them, "What is it that you want with him?" They said to me, "We have heard about his deeds and about Scetis, and we have come so that we might see him." And I said to them, "I am he." Then they made repentance to me, saying, "We wish to stay in this place." I, however, saw that they were strangers and as if from a wealthy background. I said to them, "You are not able to sit in this place." The elder said, "If we cannot find the strength to sit, we will go to another place." I said to myself, "Why should I drive them away so that they become scandalized?" I said to them, "Come, let me build a cell for you, if you are able." They said, "Show us the place itself, and we will build it." I gave them a cleaver, an adze, a saw, and a basket. I showed them the rock of the place of the cave that is honored, and I said to them, "Hew out this place for yourselves, and bring some wood from the marsh, cover it, and in this manner sit.

They thought, "Because of the hardship, they will flee from us." And they asked, "What work shall we do in this place?" I said to them, "I will weave." And I took some palm leaves from the basket and showed them the beginning of the weaving and the method of plaiting. I said to them, "Make the straps for the sandals, and they will bring bread for you." Then I went away. They, however, with patience, did all the work I had assigned to them, and they did not return to me for three years. And I myself also thought, "What is the use of doing these things, since they did not come to me because of a thought?" Those who are in the desert come to me, but these do not come to me, nor do they go to the place of another, except to the church alone, where they receive the offering alone, and they keep silence. And I prayed to God and fasted for a week so that he might inform me about what they were doing. And when I was ready, I went to them to see how they were sitting. And when I knocked, one opened for me and greeted me in silence. And when we had prayed, we sat down. The elder wept, the younger went out, and the elder sat in silence, working on the weaving, without saying a word. And when he knocked,

Immediately, the little one came in and he wept, and he made a small basket, and he wept again, and he placed the mat and three loaves, and he stood still, keeping silent. But I said, "Now you, let us eat." And we rose and ate, and they brought the rest and we drank. When evening came, they said, "Will you sleep?" I said, "No, but I will return to this place." And they placed a wall for me on the other side, and they returned to one place, and they took their tools and a measure of lime, and they placed them before me, and I prayed to God that he might reveal to me the work of the craft. The hour opened, and a light came like the day. But they did not see the light, for they thought they were sleeping. The great one moved the little one, and they rose, and they bound them, and they stretched their hands upward to the sky. But I saw them, but they did not see me, and I saw the demons coming upon the little one like flies, some coming upon his eyes and his mouth, and I saw an angel of the Lord having a sword in his hand, which he turned around him, chasing the demons. For they did not dare to approach the great one.

First, however, it will happen that they were placed down again. And I did likewise, as they had done. And the elder spoke this same word to me: "Do you wish that we recite the 'I am' Psalm?" And I said, "Yes." And the little one recited the 9th Psalm with 6 strophes, each with an alleluia. And with each strophe, a flame of fire came forth from his mouth and went up to the sky. And I recited a few apostles, and as I spoke, I said, "Pray for me." And they gave repentance, keeping silent. And I realized that the elder was perfect, but the little one was still contending with the enemy. After these things, when a few days had passed, the elder and the little one returned on the third day. Now, if some elders gathered around Abba Macarius, he would send them away to the door, saying, "Come, see the martyrdom of the little strangers." It was said about Abba Macarius the Egyptian that he once came up from Scetis to the mountain of Pernouj, and when he arrived at the place, he said to his disciple, "Wait a little," and in the

He began to recite the beginning, and he encountered a Greek, a priest of Apollo, who was carrying a large bundle of wood from the furnace, and he was running. And when the brother recited against him, he called out, saying, "Ha! You demon, you have run where?" And when he turned around, he was coming toward him, and he gave him some blows, leaving him as if dead. (-ib-) And when he got up from the wood, he ran again. And when he had gone a little further, Apa Macarius rebuked him, saying to him, "Stop, stop, you wretch!" And when he was amazed, he came to him, saying, "Is it not good that you saw him in your heart, that you honored God for me?" The old man said to him, "I saw you, but you were not high; you were high in the air." He, however, said to him, "I also ate my heart over my greeting, and I realized that you are a great god." Another monk, who was evil, encountered me, and he insulted me. I, however, gave him some blows to the death. And the old man realized that he was his disciple. And when the priest threatened to break his legs, he said, "I will not let you go; you have killed a monk." And they went to the top of the place where the brother was lying, and they brought him to the church of

The mountain, and when they saw the priest, they marveled and gave him praise. They made the monk rise, and a multitude of the Greeks became Christians because of him. Apa Macarius said, "The evil word of the good ones causes them to become like this; likewise, the good word of the evil ones causes them to be saved." He himself also went up once through a ravine where a god had gone into a bath and slept. There were some bodies of the Greeks there, dead, and he took one and placed it under his head like a pillow so that he might rest a little. Then the demons, when they saw his heart strong like that of a lion, became envious that he might sleep. They called out a name like stones, saying, "Who is this? Come with us to give you knowledge." And other demons answered him from below, from among the dead, "There is a stranger above me; I have no power to come." The old man, however, did not sleep, but he was steadfast, running against them, saying, "Rise up yourself, O demon of darkness, if you have power." And this

...so that he might be first. He encountered a Greek, a priest of Apollo, who was carrying a large load of wood from the field, and he was stumbling. And when the brother called out to him, he was shouting, saying, "Woe to you, demon! You have stumbled where?" And when he turned around, he was coming toward him. He gave him some blows, left him in great pain (—12—). And when he arose from the wood, he stumbled again. And when he had gone a little further, Abba Macarius rebuked him, saying to him, "Woe, woe to you, wretch!" And when he was amazed, he came to him, saying, "Why did you not do good, that you saw him in your heart, that you honored God for me?" The old man said to him, "I saw you high, not low, for you were high among the Greeks." He, however, said to him, "I also ate my heart over my greeting, and I realized that you are a great man of God." Another monk, however, who was evil, when he encountered me, he insulted me, but I gave him some blows unto death. And the old man realized that he was his disciple. And when the priest seized his hands, he was saying, "I will not let you go; you have wronged a monk." And they went to the top of the place where the brother was lying. They brought him to the church of...

...so that he might be first. He encountered a Greek, a priest of Apollo, who was carrying a large load of wood from the field, and he was stumbling. And when the brother called out to him, he was shouting, saying, "Woe The mountain, and when they saw the priest, they marveled and gave him help. They raised up the monk, and a multitude of the Greeks became Christians because of him. Apa Macarius said, "The evil word, the other virtues that are good, it causes them to be despised. Likewise, the good word, the other virtues that are evil, it causes them to be loved." He himself also went up once by way of a road where God had gone into a tomb and slept. There were some bodies of the Greeks there, dead, and he took one and placed it under his head like a pillow so that he might rest himself a little. Then the demons, when they saw his heart strong like that of a lion, became envious to make him stumble. They called out a name like stones, saying, "Who is this? Come with us to give us knowledge." And they answered the demons, saying from the dead, "There is a stranger above me; I have no power to come." The old man did not stumble, but he was steadfast, attacking them, saying, "Rise up yourself also from the darkness if you have the power." And this

...so that he might be first. He encountered a Greek, a priest of Apollo, who was carrying a large load of wood from the field, and he was stumbling. And when the brother called out to him, he was shouting, saying, "Woe When the demons heard him, they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "You have prevailed over us!" and they fled in shame. A brother once came to Abba Macarius the Great and said to him, "My father, say a word to me, for I have been troubled in many ways." The old man said to him, "Go, honor the dead, and they will rise up for you." When the brother had gone, he honored them, and then he returned and told the old man. The old man said to him, "Did they say anything to you?" He said, "No." The old man said to him, "Go, give glory to them, saying, 'You are apostles, saints, and true ones.'" And he went before the old man, saying, "I have given glory to them." And the old man said to him, "Did they respond to you at all?" He said, "No." The old man said to him, "Do you see how much honor you paid them, and they said nothing to you, and how much glory you gave them, and they did not respond at all? In the same way, you also, if you wish to be saved, go, become dead, and do not be concerned with the honor of men or with their esteem, as the dead are. Then you will be able to be saved." It was also said about him that if a brother came to him in fear, as before a saint and a great old man, he would say nothing to him.

...the one. But if one of the brothers should say to him while he is mocking him, "Father, are you a camel that you carry wood and give it out?" they are not guarding you, the guards. But if one should speak with him in these words, he speaks with them in joy, the one whom they will ask about him. Abba Gidgōi said, "Once I was on the road with Abba Macarius, and I went up with him to the mountain to bind the bundles of reeds. Behind us there was a widow, and she would not let go of her hand from weeping." The old man also called upon the Lord of the hour, and he said to him, "What is it that happens to this old woman that she weeps continually?" He said to him (the 18th), "There is a deposit of someone with her husband, and he died, and he did not tell her that he had left it with her. And the Lord wished to test the deposit with her children for some work." The old man said to him, "Tell her so that she may come to us to this place, and we will give her the warmth there." And when she came, the old man said to her, "Why do you weep continually?" She said to him, "My husband took a deposit from someone, and he did not tell me that he had left it with her." The old man said to her, "Come, show me where you left it." And he took the brothers with him and went out.

...with her. And when they came to the place, the old man said to her, "Go to your house." And when they had prayed, the old man called the murderer, saying, "My place, where you put the deposit for strangers, is yours." But he answered and said, "It is in my house, under the bed." The old man said to him, "Then you will sleep until the day of the resurrection." When the brothers saw, they fell at his feet in fear. The old man said to them, "It was not because of me that this happened, but because of the widow and the orphans. God did this work. This is the great thing: that God desires the soul to be sinless." And when they came, they told the widow, "Your deposit is yours." And when she took it, she gave it to her husband, and he made his children free. And those who heard gave glory to God. Abba Macarius the Great left the church because of shame, saying to the brothers, "Flee, brothers." An old man said to him, "Shall we flee to the desert?" And when he put his finger on his mouth, he said, "This is the flight: the putting of the hand on the mouth." Abba Paphnutius, the disciple of Abba Macarius, said,

I gave attention to the old man, saying, "My father, say a word to me." He said to me, "Do not do evil to anyone, and do not bring anyone to judgment, and you will be saved." Abba Moses said to Abba Macarius, "I wish to bind the brothers (—) do not leave me." Abba Macarius said to him, "I see your nature is weak, and you have no strength to restrain a brother. But if you wish to bind, let the truth listen to me, even to the rock, and you will bind." And when he did thus, he was comforted. Abba Macarius said, "If you receive a rebuke from someone and anger moves you, you have fulfilled a passion. For you do not save anyone, but destroy only yourself." He also said, "Truly, he who despises the fellowship of men has cast himself away from the fellowship of God. For it is written, 'Woe to you if all men say to you, "Well done."'" He also said, "I think thus: if you act according to the pleasures of men, they themselves will find a way to your condemnation.

Beware, however, if you should fall short of the truth, even if you suffer a little. But the conscience will not blind them according to God. I heard that the elders of the mountain of Pernouj sent a message to Abba Macarius the Great in Scetis once, giving him honor, saying to him, "So that the whole people may not come to you, we are making you come to us, so that we may see you before you go to the Lord." When he went up to the mountain, the whole people gathered to him. The elders gave him honor, saying, "Speak a word to the brothers." But he wept and said, "Let us weep for ourselves, brothers, and let our eyes bring forth tears down to the ground before we go to the place where our tears will reach our body there." And when they all wept, they bowed their heads down, saying, "Pray for us, our father." I heard that Abba Macarius the Egyptian came once to Scetis to the mountain of Pernouj to offer the offering to Abba Pamo, and the elders said to him, "Speak a word to the brothers, O our father." But he said, "I have not yet become a monk, but I saw a monk. For I was sitting once in Scetis, and the thought said to me, 'Go to the desert.'

And know that you will see something there. And I struggled with my thought for twenty years, saying to myself, "Perhaps it is from the demons." And when the thought ceased in its manner, I went into the desert and found a lake of water there, and an island in the middle. And the wild beasts of the desert came to drink from it, and I saw two men in the middle, naked. And my body was afraid of my thoughts, for they were spirits. But when they saw that I was afraid, they spoke to me, saying, "Do not be afraid; we too are men." And I said to them, "You are from where, and why have you come to this desert?" They said, "We are from Abit; a persecution took place, and we came to this place twenty years ago. One is an Egyptian, the other a Phaiat." And they also asked, saying, "How is the world?" and "Does the water come at its proper time?" and "Is the manner of the world's harvest gathered in it?" I said to them, "By the grace of God and your prayers." And I asked, "How is it possible for me to become a monk?" They said to me, "If you do not let anyone distract you from the things of this world, it is possible.

He was not able to become a monk. And I said to them, "I am a worthless thing; I am not able to do as you do." But they said to me, "If you are not able to do as we do, sit in your cell and weep for your sins." I asked them, however, "If thirst comes, you are not troubled, and if heat comes, your bodies are not burned." But they said to me, "God has arranged it, and thirst does not trouble us, nor does the sun burn us." Because of this, I said to you, "I did not become a monk until now, but I saw monks who left me behind, the brothers." (22) It was said about Abba Macarius the Great that he became like a god upon the earth, in the manner that is written: just as God covers the world, in that way Abba Macarius became, covering the sins that he saw, as if he did not see them, and those he heard, as if he did not hear them. Some elders asked Abba Macarius, saying, "How should one pray?" The elder said to them, "It is not fitting to use many words, but to stretch your hands up to God and say, 'Lord, as you wish and as it pleases you, show me the way.' If it is a tribulation, you should say, 'Lord,'

Help me, and he who knows how to do good will do this for us according to his compassion and his love of humanity. Abba Cichoi said concerning Abba Macarius, "A brother once came to him and saw the power of God walking with him." The old man said within himself, "O the weeping of a man over his sins, that it might bring him to great virtues." And he said to the brother as well, "Believe me, that if you find what is with you, you will not be afraid at the end of anything in the world." Abba Macarius and Abba Pamo were walking on the mountain once. Abba Pamo took the hands of Abba Macarius and kissed them, saying, "There is power for me from these small hands." Abba Macarius said to him, "Come to a quiet place, my brother Pamo; your word has not come in vain." It was said concerning Abba Macarius the Great that he dwelt in a desert once, and the brothers would give a loaf of bread within the monastery, and he himself

inside according to the days. And when the brothers saw him, they said to the Apa, "Apart from this stranger brother, I do not bring his strength inside daily, we will not leave him to be with us." And when the Apa himself went to his cell, wishing to speak to him, he stood outside his cell (—24—) and listened to him according to the custom of a hundred times, as he would stand for his prayer and give the threefold repentance. And afterward, the Apa sent out, saying, "Bring me a strength of Abba Macarius." And when they brought it to him, he opened it, he scattered it down into the jar of wine, and after a great while, a smoke went up to the jar, and he stood up to draw the jar, and he saw the strength, that nothing had touched it, it was lying in the fire. And the Apa said to the brothers, "The handiwork is nothing but practice." They said concerning a brother that he fell into a temptation once in Scetis, and he went to Abba Macarius the Roman, and told him about the temptation. And the old man wrapped him in a cloth of an ascetic practice, that he might repent and not open his mouth until a time when the brother would go to him, being troubled about the temptation, and

He would move his limbs, and he would not complete the commandment of the elder Apa Macarius. And after he was troubled by the battle, he arose and went to the place of the other Apa Macarius the Roman, and informed him about the transgression he had committed, and about the elder Apa Macarius the Roman not completing it. And the old man was moved in his heart, and gave him many counsels, saying, "Go, my son, he who has power over you, do it, bind yourself so that you do not do the sin again, and this is his repentance forever." And the brother said to him, "What shall I do, for I am troubled about the elder of the commandment of Apa Macarius?" The old man said to him, "The elder of this commandment does not concern you, but it has fallen upon Apa Macarius." When Apa Macarius the Roman heard that the old man had said to the brother that the elder had fallen upon Apa Macarius, he arose and fled into the desert, having prepared himself to meet a man until he should complete the commandment according to the elder of the time he had set for himself.

of the brother, and he sat for many days in the cell until his body would take on the forms of the limbs. And Apa Macarius the Egyptian also heard, and the old man fled to the cell because of the matter. The younger one who had gone to the cell arose, seeking him until he found him. And when he saw him, he said to him, "O Kalogeros, I indeed spoke the word concerning a gift of strength for the brother, but you, when you heard, like a beautiful virgin, you fled inward to the inner cell. Arise, then, my father, that I may set you in your place." But he said to him, "Forgive me, according to the word that came from your mouth, that the word would be fulfilled for me, apart from my completing the fast of the day from the oil that I gave to the brother. I will not forgive." And when he saw him persevering in steadfastness, he set his heart that it was not thus, but "Arise, come out with me, and I will show you what is fitting for you to do." And when his heart was moved in this way, he arose and came out with him, and he spoke with him according to his custom. He said to him, "Well, do this one thing: eat once in the week. This is not the oil that was given to him, but before the word takes place.

Now this is the discipline of Apa Macarius the Egyptian: he eats once a week. Apa Macarius said, "He who will fill himself with bread and water gives the key of his house to the demons for one hour..." And afterwards, when he had returned to himself, he heard him weeping and crying out, saying, "Jesus, Jesus, if your ears are not stopped, I cry out to you day and night so that you may do me mercy and incline your heart toward me because of my sins, nor will I myself cease to cry out to you." (28) They said concerning Apa Macarius the Great that he was walking in the mountain once and saw a skull of a dead man lying on the mountain. He moved the skull, and it answered him. The old man said to it, "How is it that you speak to me?" The skull said to him, "I am a Greek from the time of the nations; I was cast aside to speak with you." The old man said to it, "And who am I?" The skull said to him, "You are Apa Macarius the Spirit-bearer." The old man said to it, "Are you in rest until you are in suffering?" The skull

...to him, "Are you in the torments?" The old man said to him, "What kind of torment is this?" The Cranium said to him, "As the sky is high above the earth, so also there is another river of fire above my head, roaring, and below us it is placed under our heels, and we stand in its midst, and we cannot see each other's faces, but our backs are joined together." (29) At that time, a great shame befalls us because of a small relief that comes to us. The old man said to him, "What is the relief?" The Cranium said to him, "In the blink of an eye we see each other's faces." When the old man heard these things, he cried out and wept, saying, "If this is the relief of the torment, then woe to the woman who gives birth and to the man who has a beautiful child, and they did not bring them into the world." The old man said to him, "Is there a torment worse than yours?" The Cranium said to him, "There is, for the one below us, his fire, his fire is black, and it is more pitiless than this one." The old man said to him, "Is there a man upon it?" The Cranium said to him, "There are some within it." The Cranium also said, "As for us, however...

...to him, "Are you in the torments?" The old man said to him, "What kind of torment is this?" The Cranium said to him, "As the sky is high above the earth, so also there is another river of fire above my head, roaring, and those who do not know God have been cast into this torment, but those who know him have been cast behind them, below the monk." They said concerning Abba Macarius the Great that he spent twenty-three years in a cave where there was a dead man, and after the twenty-three years, when he wished to leave the place, the dead man stood at the door saying, "I will not let you go, my father." And the old man said to him, "Why?" The dead man said to him, "You have not entered this cave where I am in great sufferings and afflictions, and when you entered this place and came to be because of you, they gave me rest. I am afraid lest if I let you go, they will cast me back into them again." As long as the dead man stood at the door of the cave, a voice came, "Let the man of God go out, for they have found a few truths of yours on the earth; because of them, God will not be merciful to the heart of his servant? Is it not so that he spent twenty-three years in this cave so that mercy might come to you through him?" They said concerning Abba Macarius that he was in the desert carrying jars, and as one who had gone to fetch water, he brought them and poured them in, wishing to bind them, and a demon came from above him in the form of a monk, angry and fierce, and said to him, "Macarius, do not bind the jars until you give me my portion." And the old man said to him, "Come, take what you wish for yourself.

And the demon said to him, "Break off for me a piece of bread, and give me a piece of bread for yourself as well." And the old man broke off a piece and placed a large piece on the fire, and said to the demon, "Take whichever you wish for yourself in this blessing." And the demon said to him, "No, you have endured the suffering; take whichever side you wish for yourself first." The old man took the small piece of bread, and immediately the demon cried out, "O violence! From you, Macarius, I have conquered many, but you have conquered me." And the old man said to him, "Who are you then?" And the demon said to him, "I am the demon of the desert." And when the old man gave a prayer, the demon vanished. It was also said about him that when Abba Macarius prayed once in his cell, a voice came to him saying, "Macarius, you have not yet reached...

The old woman was cooking in the village. When the old man arose first, he took his staff and set out on the road. When he arrived at the village, an angel walked with him, taking the path before him to the house. When he knocked at the door, they opened for him. When they knew that it was Abba Macarius, they bowed down to him on the ground and received him with joy. The old man said to them, "Because of you I endured this hardship of this journey from the desert. I have come to you. Tell me, then, what work do you do?" They, wishing to hide, said to him, "Why do you ask about work from us who are poor?" When the old man gave repentance, he said to them, "Do not hide from me, for it is God who sent me." When they were afraid, they revealed to him, saying, "Forgive us, our father. We are strangers to one another in this city, according to the world, according to a certain custom. But we took two brothers as fleshly ones. Behold, for fifteen years now we have lived in this house, and we do not know that we have done any evil against one another, or that one has said an idle word of companionship, but we have lived all our times in peace and with a single mind. It came into our minds to put away our husbands and to enter into the life of virginity. And we refused our husbands many times because of this matter, but they did not consent to let us go.

he had not revealed to the bishop, but we made a covenant with God that until our death we would not speak a worldly word from our mouths, but we would remember God and his saints at all times, and take care of prayers and fasts in a continuous manner and with charity. When Abba Macarius heard these things, he said, "In truth, it is not a name of monk or worldly or virgin or woman for a husband, but a straight intention which God seeks, and he gives his Holy Spirit to them all." And when the old man found them, he turned to his cell, weeping in his hands, saying, "Not even like these worldly ones did I make peace with my brother." It was said about Abba Macarius the Great that he dwelt in the inner desert alone, living as an anchorite. Within it there was another desert where some other brothers were, and the old man once set out on a journey. He saw Satan coming in the form of a man of great size, appearing as if he had a stole of many colors on him, and according to color there was a large basket on him. And Abba Macarius said to him, "Old man, where are you going?" And he said, "I am going to give remembrance to the brothers." And Abba Macarius said to him, "What are you doing with these baskets?" And he said to him, "They are delicacies I am carrying to the brothers." Abba Macarius said to him, "And all these?

The devil answered and said to the old man, "If this one does not want it, I will give him another. If that other does not want it, I will give him another. In any case, one of them will want it." And after he said these things, he went away. The old man sat down, giving his attention to the path until evening. And when the old man saw him, he said to him, "Come." He said to him, "He has returned. Come." And Abba Macarius said to him, "Why?" And he said to him, "They have all become wild against me.

The brothers, and none of them could resist me. And Abba Macarius answered and said, "Is there none of your brothers here with you?" And he answered and said, "There is one of my brothers who lives there, and he listens to me, and when he sees me, he turns around like a wheel." And the old man said to him, "And who is he?" He said to him, "Theopemptos is his name." And when he said these things, he went away. Then Abba Macarius arose and went into the desert within it. And when the brothers heard, they took some palm branches and came out before him. Each one prepared himself, thinking that he would rest with him in his house. But the old man, when he inquired, said, "The brother who is called Theopemptos, he is in this mountain." And when he found him, he embraced his cell. Theopemptos received him with joy and gladness. The old man set out on the road with him and said to him, "The inquiries of your mind, my brother." He said to him, "Pray for me, I am weary." The old man said to him, "Do you think I am with you?" He said, "Truly, I am weary, for it is difficult to say." The old man said to him, "Truly, I am in this age of years, I practice asceticism, and...

all of them, none could resist me, I, under the old man, the spiritual one of fornication, causing me toil. The opponent answered and said to him, "Give me the male, my father, I also." The old man, having given him place to speak, said some other thoughts that were given to him until he confessed. Then the old man said to him, "How do you fast?" He said, "Until the ninth hour." And the old man said to him, "Fast until evening, and practice asceticism, and be an apostle in the Gospel and the rest of the Scriptures, and if a thought comes to you, do not look down, but look up to all of them, and God will help you." And when the old man gave the blessing to the brother, he went to his own desert, and the old man, following him with his eyes, also saw that demon there, and said to him, "Where are you going?" He said to him, "I wish to give the thought to the brothers." But when he was hindered, the saint said to him, "What are the inquiries of the brothers?" He said to him, "Badly." And the old man said to him, "Why?" He said to him, "They all became wild against me, and the great evil that happened is that the other companion of the house...

there, those who hear me do not know how he fled, for he himself is not mindful of me, but he became wilder than all of them (—39—). And I swore not to stay there for a time. And these things he cut off, he withdrew, he left the old man, and the holy one withdrew into his cell. Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever, amen. Lord, have mercy on your servant, the soldier.