Dorotheus of Gaza, Teachings and Letters

Epistle of his brother to him, who entreated that he send him the found words of our holy father Abba Dorotheus. I praise the diligence of your soul and I admire your eagerness for good works, and that blessed soul of yours, not a lover of glory, but a lover of humility, O beloved brother. For you seek this with pain of heart, and with all your heart you praise the works and words truly of the blessed and holy father of ours, given to us as a gift of God. For it is evident that you love God and care for that eternal life, for as the great Gregory says: praise of virtue is a guide to envy; but envy enslaves virtue, and virtue makes a man blessed. Therefore I rejoice and am glad over this your progress, for you have imitated that peaceful and humble-hearted one, who looked to that treasure Peter and the like, and made himself naked of love for this world, and gave himself to his divine fathers, until he too became able to say boldly to the Savior: Behold, we have left everything and followed you <Matt. 19:27>.

For this reason he completed a few days and filled many long times. He did not conduct himself in the visible desert, nor did he consider great authority over wild beasts, but he sought the desertification of the soul and yearned for the approach of those eternal mountains, that he might be enlightened by them wondrously. And that he might crush the soul-slaying serpents and dragons of his own head; which he soon attained, with the help of Christ, by the cutting off of his own will, through the martyrs, who became his guide and led him to the unerring path of the fathers; and by the abandonment of his own will, that blessed light burden and sweet yoke appeared sweet to him, through which he learned the good and righteous-leading path of humility, and he learned that word of the fathers both by word and deed, which they say: "Be merciful and peaceful," and by these he adorned himself with every virtue, for this reason he always kept that word of the elders in his own mouth. For, "He who has attained to the abandonment of his own will has attained to the place of rest." For he found what he worthily sought, that the root of all passions is the love of the flesh.

And it is dispersed in this sweet and bitter will of ours; for this reason he found this sharp medicine, that is, the abandonment of will, and by this he cut off at the roots those evil shoots of his, and he became a vigorous worker of immortality, and he endured that true life, and the treasure hidden in the field <Matt. 13> he sought well, and he found it, and by it he was enriched with that unending wealth. I wish that my tongue might reach and my mind contain, so that I might write down piece by piece the life of that saint, for the benefit of many, and as a model of virtue. How the blessed one trod that narrow and broad glorious path. It is called narrow because of the infallibility and unerringness of his mind, and how he walked upon the edge and preserved himself from falling on either side; for that great lover of God, Basil, teaches us this narrow path of life. But it is a broad path because he was not bound by love of this world, but was free for labors toward God, and above all that high humility, by which, as the great Antony says, he escaped all the snares of the devil. And upon him {the venerable Dorotheus} was truly fulfilled that scripture: "Your commandments are very broad" <Ps.

or this work, as if it were impossible for me to keep up with it, for I know that it is impossible for me to recount all the virtues of that blessed one, for he, like a wise bee, gathered flowers, and wherever he found something useful, he collected it without laziness and taught every virtue in his own time. For this reason, O wise one, although my mind is willing, my inability does not permit me to set my hand to this work, which your swift and virtue-loving soul commanded me; I do this with trust, for I was afraid of the weight of disobedience and of the harsh law of laziness, and for this reason I have presented this talent to you wise merchants, which is with my son, that is, the words, and which we have found of this blessed one, which he learned from his own fathers, and then left to his own disciples, like our Savior and God, which he made and taught.

And even if we were to recount all his words, we would be unable to find them; but these few which we have found, and these scattered in many places, and gathered by those who hastened with the will of God, even this small portion is not sufficient for your holiness: as it is written: "Give a wise man a pretext, and he will become wiser" (Prov. 9:9). But what kind of man was the blessed Dorotheus, with heartfelt diligence, for when he departed from the world by the grace of God, and attained the life of his own reason, for he had from the beginning a desire, from all the things of this world, to withdraw; and then that confession of his, and that non-judgmental attitude of his own conscience, and above all, that obedience of his, confirmed by faith and fulfilled by love. And towards those brothers, what humility and self-effacement he had, and sincerity and non-contentiousness, and the roots of non-judgmentalism were unshakable within him.

And his love was sweeter than honey, while in service he was swift and with a careful mind, vigilant and untroubled; and regarding the vessels of the monastery, he was industrious and pure, careful and not negligent, and a helper to all the brothers with discernment; and above all, humility and cheerfulness, patience and orderliness, and his vigilant and disciplining mind; but why should I speak individually of his virtues? — For I would be like the man who counts the drops of rain or the waves of the sea, if I were to seal this my word upon them. But I entrust these sweet words to you, that you may delight in them and know from what manner of life and blessed citizenship he came, by the providence of God, for the teaching and care of souls. The compassionate and child-loving father, who was truly worthy of shepherding souls; who was great in mindfulness, and even greater in forgiveness; who was great in wisdom, and even greater in caution; who was high in vision, and higher in humility; who was rich through God and poor in spirit; who was sweet in word and sweeter in encounters, that skilled healer for every ailment.

to the rich and the poor, the wise and the unlearned, to fathers and mothers, to elders and youths, to the afflicted and the joyful, to strangers and to his own, to laymen and monks, to princes and rulers, to slaves and freemen; that holy teaching given by God he taught, and that talent he magnified, and to all he became everything, and he converted many. And now the longed-for time has come to speak to you of these sweet words. But that holy one, however lofty he was in wisdom and powerful in speech, for the sake of God's commandment he assumed humility, and all his words he made simple and not profound. You who have striven, and for whose sake you desire and have found. But your words are adorned with wisdom, and you have resembled the life of that longed-for one of yours, and you would pray for my indolence. But it is fitting that I first speak of that blessed Dosithēs, who was the first disciple of the holy father Dorotheus, when he was in the monastery of Seridois and was fulfilling the labor of Christ-like obedience. The narrative of the blessed father Dosithēs, disciple of the holy abba Dorotheus.

Truly great and blessed was our father Abba Dorotheus, who came forth from the world and became a monk. He went to the monastery of Father Seridios, and there he found many and great ascetics, recluses; among whom were two great luminaries: the holy father Barsanuphius, and his disciple and fellow ascetic, Father John, who was called the Prophet, because of the grace of foreknowledge which he had from God. And to these two elders the holy Dorotheus entrusted himself with all diligence and by the intention of his father Seridios; and he was deemed worthy of the service of Father John. And then those holy elders resolved to build a house for the sick, so that the brethren would not be troubled when they fell ill or grew weak from old age. And they built a house of rest for the weak and the sick, by the will of God, and with the assistance of the brother of Father Dorotheus; for he had a brother, a layman who was God-fearing and a great benefactor to the monks, and they gave to Father Dorotheus also other spiritual brethren as co-workers, and they appointed him to labor for the brethren who were in weakness.

One day, by the providence of God, some friends of Abba Seridos came and brought with them a young man, very handsome and clothed in precious garments, and they said to Abba Seridos: "This young man wishes to become a monk with you." But Abba Seridos took Abba Dorotheus aside and said to him: "These men have brought this young man, and they say that he wishes to become a monk here, but I fear that he may be someone's servant and a fugitive for some reason; and we might be put to the test. For neither his appearance nor his countenance resembles that of a man who desires to become a monk." Now he was the beloved of some ruler, and he had been raised with much comfort and ease. And he had never heard the word of God or any spiritual discourse. One day, some men told him about Jerusalem and the other holy places, and his heart desired to go and venerate the Resurrection of Christ and His holy tomb, and he begged that ruler to send him there.

But he did not wish to grieve him, and he found his friend who was going to Jerusalem, and said to him: "Have love and take this youth with you, so that he may venerate the holy places, for he desires it." And he took it upon himself with joy and took him with him, and treated him with great honor and rest. And when they came to Jerusalem, and worshipped at the holy Sepulchre of the Lord, and at all those holy places, and came to Gethsemane, and there he saw the depiction of hell. And that youth stood and examined it, marveling; and he turned and saw standing at his right side a certain woman clothed in a purple garment, who was showing him each of the torments contained therein, and was explaining to him their power and teaching him words of the life of the soul and the fear of God. And when that youth heard this, he would marvel greatly, for as I said, he had not heard the word of God, nor did he even know that there is torment. He answered and said to her: "O Lady, if this is so, then who is delivered from these torments?" And she said to him: "Keep fast, and do not eat meat, and pray constantly to God, so that you may be granted to live." And when she had given these three commandments, she vanished from him.

The youth went out and sought her, thinking she was some woman, but he did not find her, for she was the all-holy Mary, the Mother of God. From that time the blessed Dositheus began fasting and prayer, and he did not eat meat, nor did he behave as before, according to his custom, but he was always sorrowful, grieving, weeping, and silent. And the men who were with him saw him and were amazed, and they begged him to tell them his heart’s thought, and when they learned his story, they said to him: "Lord, these deeds which you do are not those of a man who wishes to live in the world, and especially among the powerful; but if you wish to live thus, go to a monastery, so that you may fully save your soul." And he said to them: "Then have the love of God, and lead me where you know." There were among them some who were disciples of Father Seridion, as I said before, and they came to the monastery. And they brought the youth with them. But now let us return to the first word.

And as Father Seridon said to Father Dorotheus, "Have love, and go, and heed the youth's thought, pay attention to his heart." And Father Dorotheus went, and spoke to him, and conversed with him. And since he knew nothing of monastic speech, he only said this to him: "I desire salvation, and that my soul be delivered from torments." Then Father Dorotheus came to Father Seridon and said to him: "If you wish to receive that youth, do not be shy of him, for there is no guile in him, but God wills his salvation." Then Father Seridon said to him: "If it is so, then have love, and take him with you, that he may be saved, for I do not wish him to be with the brethren." But Father Dorotheus, out of his humility, said to him: "I am not able, that I might bear the burden of another, for I have not even borne my own." And Father Seridon insisted on that word, and strongly urged him, saying: "I bear your burden and his; why are you troubled?" Then Father Dorotheus said to him: "Then if you wish, command me, that I may ask the great Father Barsanuphius." And Father Seridon said to him: "Good, then let me ask him." And he went and told this matter to the great Father Barsanuphius.

Then Father Barsanuphius said to Father Dorotheus: "Receive that youth with you, for God desires his salvation through you." So Father Dorotheus received him with diligence; and he commanded him to serve the infirm, and he served all with diligence, and his name was Dositheus, which is interpreted as "given by God." And one day Father Dorotheus commanded him: "Fast until evening, and eat a loaf of bread to satiety, and tell me how much you eat." And he did so, and came and told Father Dorotheus: "I ate a loaf and a half. Now that loaf and a half weighed six hundred [units]," and Father Dorotheus said to him: "Eat a loaf and a quarter of another—and divide the other quarter in two, and eat that day by day." And he did so. And after some time had passed, then Father Dorotheus said to him: "Are you hungry, child?" And Dositheus answered and said to him: "Yes, Father, I am a little hungry." And after a few days, he said to him: "Have you become accustomed to that hunger?" He answered: "No, by your prayers, Father." Then again he said to him: "Remove the other half of that quarter." And he did so.

And after a few days, he said to him: "Take also that piece of bread, and eat only one loaf." And again, little by little, he made him leave off from that as well, and with such divine assistance he brought him from a weight of six hundred to a weight of forty, for there is also a custom in eating. This blessed Dositheus was quiet and diligent in every service, and he performed every service purely and zealously; he served the infirm well and faithfully, and all were at peace with him. But if he ever became angry and spoke a harsh word to some brother, he would immediately leave everything, go into the pantry, sit down, and weep. And other brothers would come and console him, but they could not help him; then they would go and tell Father Dorotheus: "Have mercy, Father, and see what is wrong with that brother, who is weeping bitterly." And Father Dorotheus would go in, find him sitting on the ground and weeping, and say to him: "What is it, Dositheus? Why are you weeping like this?" And he would answer: "Forgive me, Father, for I became angry and spoke a word in anger to a brother." Then Father Dorotheus would say to him: "Are you not ashamed to become so angry and to speak an angry word to your brother?

Do you not know that he is Christ, and you are troubling Christ?" But he only bowed his head and wept, and said nothing else. And when Father Dorotheus saw that he wept greatly, he said to him quietly: "Rise, may God forgive you; and from now on be careful, and God will help you." And as soon as he heard his word, he accepted it with faith, as if from God, and rose quickly and went to his own service. And when the brothers learned of his custom, whenever they saw him weeping, they would suspect that he had made some mistake, and they would tell the blessed Dorotheus: "Go into the storeroom; you have work there." And when he entered, he would find him sitting on the ground and weeping, and then he would know that he had spoken a harsh word to someone and would say: "What is it, Dositheus? Have you troubled Christ again? Have you been angered against a brother again? Are you not ashamed?" But he could not answer anything because of his bitter and great weeping. And when the blessed Dorotheus saw him thus, he would again say to him: "Rise, child, may God forgive you, and begin anew and be careful." And again he would rise and go joyfully to his own service.

give you peace." And he had such a custom of confession, that if he happened to be laying down a sick person in bed, and the holy Dorotheus came, he would say to him: "Forgive me, father, for my heart tells me that I am laying this one down well." But he said: "O wonderful! You have become a good servant, a splendid bed-maker, but are you a good monk? This thought comes from pride, my child, and you are wasting your labor and your service." And he never allowed him to do his own will, nor, if he had some vessel that he loved, would he accept it with joy, but when Father Dorotheus saw that he was naked, he gave him a garment and commanded: "Take this, my child, and arrange it well and put it on." And he took it and folded it. Then he said to him: "What did you do with that garment?" And he answered: "I have arranged it well, father, as you commanded.

Then he said to him: "Give it to someone weaker," and he gave it immediately with joy, and that blessed one never murmured, saying: "I alone toil and sew, and he gives it to others and leaves me thus naked, after my labor, and does not even let me have such a thought in my heart," but everything that the holy Dorotheus commanded him, he accepted as if he heard it from God Himself and not from men. A certain man gave a knife to the blessed Dositheus, and he brought it to the holy Dorotheus, and said to him: "A certain brother gave me this knife, and if you command, I will keep it, for it is very good and cuts well." And the elder looked at it and liked it, but the holy one never took a vessel that was dear to his heart. And he said to the blessed Dositheus: "Dositheus, do you wish to be a slave of this knife and not of Christ? And are you not ashamed that the demon of avarice, which is idolatry, possesses you for its sake?" But that blessed one looked only at the ground with bowed head and could not lift his eyes to look at the elder, and after these words, he gave him that knife, and said to him: "Take it and put it in the infirmary, so that the brothers may use it, but you shall not use it. Do not take it.

And thus the blessed Dositheus kept the word of the elder, that if anyone asked for something, he would not touch it with his hand to give it, but would only show it, and he would say: "Have love and take it yourself, brother," and all the brothers would use it, while he himself never touched it at all, nor did he murmur in his heart, saying: "All use it, and only I am not given any," but everything he heard, he did with joy; and thus he spent well that little time which he spent in the monastery, for he spent only five years and thus passed away, and went with joy to the Lord, because he did not do his own will, neither in great things nor in small things at all, but in everything he did the will of the elder with joy and sincerity. He fell ill with a severe and painful illness, during which he rested, for he was vomiting blood—that was his disease; and he heard from someone that a soft-boiled egg was suitable for that ailment. And he said to Father Dorotheus: "I have heard, Father, from someone, for some reason, that for this ailment of mine an egg is suitable, but I do not wish it, that you might give me some of it, because my conscience torments me about it." Father Dorotheus said to him: "Tell me only, do I know what it is?

Dositheus said, "Give me a word, so that I may not be tempted by it, for I love it very much, and I have set my heart on it." Then Father Dorotheus said to him, "Good child, as you wish, so I shall do." Then he said to him, "I have heard, Father, that a boiled egg is beneficial for this illness; but I entreat your holiness, if it is fitting, do not give it to me, because of my desire." And Father Dorotheus said to him, "Do not be troubled in your heart, since you do not wish it, I shall not give it to you, and may God accept your labor." But Father Dorotheus hastened to give him some other medicine instead of the egg, a benefit greater than the egg. See now, brothers, with what terrible weight he struggled to oppose his own will. He always had the remembrance of God. For the holy Dorotheus had given him a commandment, that he should always say this word: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me," and at the same time: "Son of God, help me." And when he became heavy, the holy Dorotheus said to him, "See, Dositheus, do not now destroy your prayer." He said to him, "I will pray, Father, by your holy grace.

But when he became more weighed down, Dorotheus again asked him: "How is your prayer, Dositheus?" The blessed Dositheus answered: "Yes, by your prayer, Father, it is well." Yet he was still in such a state of heaviness that on his own bed he could no longer move. Then Father Dorotheus asked him: "How is your prayer, Dositheus?" He answered and said to him: "Forgive me, Father, for I am no longer able to attend to prayer." The holy Dorotheus said to him: "Let go of prayer, child, and keep only the remembrance of God, and have God before your eyes." The blessed Dorotheus saw that he was greatly suffering, and he grieved for him, fearing that his mind might be harmed. When he was greatly distressed, he said to Father Dorotheus: "If it seems good to you, Father, tell Father Barsanuphius: 'Pray to God to take me from this life, for I can no longer endure more than this.'" And Dorotheus told the great Father Barsanuphius, and Father Barsanuphius sent word: "Endure, child, for the mercy of God is near." And after some days, he again said to Father Dorotheus: "If you wish, Father, tell the holy Barsanuphius: 'I can no longer; pray to God to take me.'

Then the holy Barsanuphius sent word to him: "Now, go in peace, child, and present yourself to the Holy Trinity, and be an intercessor for us." And then he gave up his holy spirit to the Lord. And the brothers of his monastery heard the word of that great elder, how he had said to him, "Present yourself to the Holy Trinity, and be an intercessor for us," and they were greatly astonished. And some said: "What kind of work was there with that brother, that he was deemed worthy of such a word from the elder?" For we saw him in no ascetic labor, since he did not keep even two [fasts] like the other brothers, nor did he keep vigil before the time of the [evening] meal. And we saw no other ascetic labor in him; but after the time of the meal he would rise, and many times after both canons he would come to church. And he ate bread daily; and if a little fish was left over from the weak, he would eat that too. And how was he deemed worthy of such a word from that holy and great elder? — And they did not know his great and unshakable obedience.

For even if the father Dorotheus said something in jest, he [Dositheus] received it as true and as greatly beneficial for his own soul. For example: at the beginning, according to his custom, he [Dorotheus] would speak in a loud voice; but one day the holy Dorotheus said to him, in jest, as it were: "Dositheus, you need to get some glue." And he accepted it as true, and did not reply with a word, such as "I don't want to" or "Why do you say I need glue?" For such was the power of his mind for the holy one, that he never at all doubted the word of the holy Dorotheus, but received everything in such a way as if it were heard from the mouth of God, unhesitatingly and without doubt. And as soon as the holy Dorotheus said to him: "Get some glue," he immediately went and made glue, brought it, and presented it to the elder, so that he might bless it. And the holy Dorotheus greatly marveled at his unquestioning obedience, and that good faith, and his simplicity. And Dorotheus said to him: "You are a fool, and you do not know what you are doing.

just as you shout like the donkeys that bray when they are {drunk and} enraged, for this reason I told you, take glue, because you speak loudly, like a donkey." But the blessed Dositheus then understood that he had spoken to me in jest, and he bent his knees and went away, and stood aside. Once the blessed Dositheus asked the holy Dorotheus some word of holy scripture; for by reason of his own sanctity he had begun to understand the scriptures; but the blessed Dorotheus did not wish to be troubled in this matter, but thought it better to be preserved in humility, and said to him: "I do not know that, but ask Father Seridos." But Father Dorotheus himself said to Father Seridos: "If Dositheus comes to you to ask about something from the scriptures, rebuke him severely." And Dositheus went to Father Seridos and asked that word, and immediately Father Seridos began to rebuke him, and said to him: "Do you dare to ask about that? Do you not care for your own duties? Why do you not sit in your cell in quiet and silence?" And he struck him twice on the cheek and sent him away.

And he went with Father Dorotheus, and showed him his cheek, reddened from the blow, and did not say to him, "Why did you not rebuke me? And why did you send me away like that?" And he did not murmur, but rejoiced in everything, and gave thanks and submitted and fulfilled. For he had great faith in the holy Dorotheus, so that when he asked him about some thought of his heart, and whatever he commanded him, he accepted with such confidence as if he had heard it from the mouth of God, and preserved it so unforgettably that in all his days he never asked his elder twice about the same thought. And, as I said earlier, many were greatly astonished at that saying of the holy Barsanuphius, when he said to him, "Go and prostrate yourself before the holy Trinity, and we will be your intercessors," and they would say, "What was his work? For we have not seen such a thing in him, neither great fasting, nor prayer, nor vigil, nor such asceticism." But for this reason God willed that his glory be revealed, which he had prepared for his obedience, and that grace which the holy Dorotheus had, for the life of the soul, by which he so quickly and unerringly saved him and sent him before God.

After his death, after some time, a certain great elder wished; that he might see the brothers of his monastery, who had formerly been enslaved, and he prayed to God for this, that all might be revealed to him; and he saw them all together in great glory, and among them he saw a certain youth, very beautiful, with great honor and a shining and very precious crown upon his head; and that elder could not understand who he was. And he asked that angel, who had led him there, saying: "Lord, I know all these fathers of our monastery, but tell me, if this crowned youth, who is he that stands among them?" And that angel said to him: "He is Dositheus, who labored in obedience for Christ and for love of his teacher, and abandoned all his own will." And when that elder returned from that vision, he came to the church, and told everything to the fathers. Then all those fathers with great wonder offered thanks to God. And now, brothers, see from what manner of life, to what measure he attained, and with little time and labor he received an unfading crown, and that glory from Christ. For he preserved obedience, and completely abandoned his own will for God.

whose is the power and glory, unto the ages of ages. Amen. The teachings of the holy father Dorotheus, each addressed to his own disciples, when he departed from the monastery of father Seridius and built his own monastery by the will of God, after the death of father John the Forerunner; and the complete silence of our holy father Barsanuphius.