Antonius, Epistulae

The Epistle of the Blessed Antonius. First of all, I ask you by the Lord, I think of those souls upon whom the grace of God has come for calling to His own preaching by His own words, that they have three forms, whether of fathers or of mothers, for those who are from the promised one of the chosen and with them of all good. From the very beginning of their creation, the word of God came to them and they did not delay, but went forth prepared with it,

Just as our first father Abraham, when God saw the inquiry of his established covenant, appeared to him and said: "Come out from your land and from your kindred, and from your father's house, and come to the land which I will show you." And he was not at all hesitant, but became prepared for that calling, for this form was made from the beginning for this entrance. And as it is now likewise in souls, if they endure and act thus, they will easily acquire these virtues, for their hearts are prepared to approach the soul of God. This is the first entrance of theirs. But the second entrances are those who have heard the scripture, which testified concerning all the torments that are to be for sinners and concerning all the promises to them, which are advanced.

And from them, with diligent attention to the written covenant {of testimonies} {they awakened their own}, they desired to enter into that calling, just as David testifies and says: "The covenant of the Lord is pure and turns souls," and in another place he says: "The revelation of your words may enlighten me and make the simple wise"; and there is much else which I am not able to say in full. The third introduction is this: some were fervent at first and were entrenched in the works of sin; and, who knows, upon such as these the merciful God imposes labors with reproach, until they come to know through this labor, and repent, and turn, and come to that preaching, repent with all their heart, and also attain those virtues, just as those about whom I spoke earlier. These, then, are the three introductions of souls that come to repentance, until they attain the grace and calling of the Son of God.

But I think that those who entered with all their heart and set themselves to endure all the struggles of the present until they prevail, so that first the Holy Spirit establishes them and purifies them in everything so that they may taste the work of repentance; and sets for them the boundary of the form of repentance in the flesh and in their souls, until it raises them to the form of conversion toward their own creator God; and gives them compulsion in soul and flesh, so that both may be holy and likewise both may become dwelling in form, the flesh by much fasting and vigil <...> and by swiftness and service which is performed by the flesh; and compels this by all fruit-bearing of the flesh. And the spirit of repentance becomes their teacher in these things, and tests them in these things, so that enmity may not turn them aside.

Then the leader of the spirits begins to see with the eyes of their soul, so that they may give them their own repentance, that it may be pure; and the mind gives them the fervor of their own heart, and begins to teach with that spirit to purify the flesh and with the repentance of the soul; and that mind is taught by that spirit, and leads us, to the action of that spirit and the flesh, and makes them pure, and gives discernment to their flesh from the fruit of that which is mixed with all the natures of the flesh from which the passage of the root was made; and brings each nature of the flesh to that first-born state; it has nothing foreign from that enemy of the spirit. And those flesh become under the authority of the mind, and are taught by that spirit, according to the word of the apostle Paul: "I will keep my flesh in check and enslave it";

Because the mind has purified itself from foods and drinks and sleep, and once and for all from all of those, from its own stirrings, until it also separated itself from that co-naturality of nature by its own purity. And I think that there are three stirrings in it. For there is that natural stirring of the flesh which is co-natural to it, but it cannot be activated without the will of the soul, except unknowingly. But there is also another stirring in the flesh, from the growth of the flesh by many foods and drinks and by the heating of the blood, which from the nourishments fights the flesh, because that contrary stirring is aroused from the mixture; for this reason the Apostle says: "Do not get drunk with wine, by which there is lewdness"; then the Lord commands the disciples in the Gospel: "Beware lest your hearts be weighed down by foods and drinks," and especially by mixture.

But those who seek the measure of purity, they also say, as it were, "I have preserved my flesh and enslaved it." The third stirring is from evil spirits, for they are tested by envy and desire to overturn those who have set their hand to the purification of themselves. Now if the soul endures by itself the torments within these three forms which the soul teaches the mind, it purifies both from that sickness which is in these three forms; if the mind endures by itself the torments within those with which the soul torments it, then those evil spirits enter into that union with the flesh and fight with that stirring, until the soul becomes weary and seeks from whence its help will come, and it turns, and makes an end of those torments of the soul, and revives.

Then they believed that his peace is this: standing with God, and that this is his tranquility. I said this concerning repentance with flesh and soul, and how their purification is necessary. And when the mind brings forth such forms of struggle, then it prays from its soul, and begins to boil over those wise (?) afflictions that came upon it from its own wills. Then there was the communion of soul and mind from those commandments of preservation which it gave to it, and it teaches it to heal every sickness of the soul and each one of them, to boil over that confused mixture which came into those fleshly natures and those others which were from itself in that soul without the flesh, from head to foot, its own will, which it had mixed within them.

He sets a limit for the eyes, to see rightly and purely, so that no alien thing may thereafter be present in them. And after that, for the ears, to hear peacefully, and he no longer desires evil speech, nor to hear the blasphemy of men, but he desires the governance of all and compassion toward all creatures, for in these he was once sick. Then again he teaches his own tongue its purity, for that sickness had been magnified in him, and he spoke of that by which he was sick, and he gives to the tongue that which was its function; this sickness, then, was magnified in him especially by these letters which are the tongue. For the Apostle James bears witness and says: "He who thinks himself wise and does not restrain his own tongue, deceives himself, and his wisdom is vain"; then again in another place he says: "The tongue is a small member and greatly exalts, which defiles the whole body," and many other things, which I am not able now to tell all.

If the mind is able to draw the soul away from that first purification, then it awakens the words and gives them to the tongue, so that it may have no contradiction or desire of the heart. And that saying of Solomon is fulfilled, which says: "My words are spoken by God; there is in them no perversion nor contradiction." Then again, in another place, it says: "The tongue of the wise is a healer," and there are many other words. And then again, the movements of the hands, if at some time they are moved, in which there is no need of the will of that mind—now, O soul, that soul now determines the strength of these as purity through prayer and mercy, so that they may act within these. And upon these, that saying concerning prayers is fulfilled: "The stretching out of my hands is a sacrifice of sorrow," and that "the hands of the poor enrich.

Then again, the food of the belly purifies, and its drink, even if it partook of gluttony in these (whenever the soul by its will was mixed with them) by desire and gluttony for foods and drinks, which the devils have slandered (?), concerning which the Holy Spirit says through David: "With the proud eye and the gluttonous heart, I would not eat with him." If again they seek this purity as well, then again the soul sets a limit of purity for them, by a measure sufficient according to the strength of the flesh, so that it may no longer have the taste of desire in it; and upon this the saying of Paul is fulfilled, which is spoken: "Whether you eat, whether you drink, or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God." Then again, from the thoughts of lust stirred up by the belly, the mind is taught by the soul and gives discernment among those stirrings in three forms, and they are believed in purity,

Because the soul helps it and gives it strength; and it calms those stirrings by the power of the soul, and brings peace to the whole body, quelling that agitation. And this is the word spoken by Paul: "Kill these earthly members: lust, impurity, passion, evil desire," and what follows them. Then again, if the feet never had a living movement toward God, the mind that was once under the authority of the soul hinders them from moving according to the soul's will, so that they might go to serve the more excellent works, so that the whole body might change and come under the authority of the soul. And I think that this now has brought some portion of that spiritual body, such as is to be brought at the resurrection of the righteous.

This I said concerning those diseases of the soul which came from the mixture with that bodily nature, stirred up within them, which was the teacher of those evil souls by the work of the letters within them. But I also say that the soul itself had something of its own, something else apart from the bodily. Now let us examine those which are these. For pride is a disease of its own apart from the body; delusion is likewise a disease of its own apart from the body; and again boldness, and hatred, and envy, wrath, and faint-heartedness, impatience, and other mutual opposites of these. But if one gives oneself wholly to God with all one's heart, then the merciful God gives him a spirit of repentance, and shows him each of those infirmities, that he may repent of them; and the lying ones hinder him and test him in them, and do not let him repent.

But if it endures and repents to that teacher of its soul, then the Creator takes pity on it for the sake of its labor, by that bodily labor of the repentant one, by great fasting, and by vigil, and by many exercises in the word of God, and by most abundant prayer, and by the removal of worldly and human affairs, and by humility, and by poverty of soul; and in all these it endures: then the merciful God beholds its endurance in trials, takes pity on it, and helps it. Amen.