On the Solitaries

Again, the Martyrship of the Solitary Brethren of Mar Abraham of Nathpar. The Cause of the Practices of Solitude which he performed. To a man who desired from him … because I saw that you are eager to hasten on the path that leads to eternal life, that path which our Saviour Christ taught, or the true friends. You wished that I should first say a little about it before you, and then I would fulfil your request in deed, when God wills. Be seated, therefore, since I have been pleased with you, the good pleasure that you have loved excellence. Not only have you heard the words with your ears in a superficial manner, but you have also grasped what I said before you, and you have inscribed it in your writings. Behold, the understanding, when it is illuminated for your mind, these reflections are good which I have placed before you at the beginnings for this discourse, while first I state its cause: why it was that, when God saw fit that he should be first in this practice, and afterwards he became a model, leaving it so that they might increase in this practice and in their practices in that same practice. When he wished to be the first head of the … not of everyone, that which is near to this practice is the head of the second, which is of the zealous ones. By means of thought and actions, it is fitting for them to approach the head of the third, of what is fixed, as it is fitting for them to follow in it. The rest of the fourth and what they encounter are the spiritual exercises of the fifth. What then will they do for the head of the fifth?

…that they might fall and stumble like them, and stand like them, for the sake of the remembrance and zeal that is required of those who travel this path of solitary life. The cause of this practice is now set forth, with the help of your prayers, while I state not the whole reason for this practice, as I confessed a little above, but the first fruits of the living, not the perfected, from the beginning God made for you a watchful nature. Those, however, who are not rational were established for the sake of the gates, and they were not able to enjoy them, because they were not formed and taught. For with the exception of the nature of their species, not even the knowledge concerning them could be established firmly in a fleeting thing, since they are things that are fixed firmly. And I have shown the diligence of the creatures, the locusts, the swallows, and the rest of the other things that are to be seen. I have seen them each thing trembling, and because naturally they are not aware of it, and this is a wonder that can be told. For if knowledge concerning them had been given to you naturally, you would be able to enjoy them distinctly. But if a divine degree had chosen you in your freedom, because you alone are the degree of everything without nature and without teaching, because also your nature is without beginning and without nature, and prior to everything without end, and everything happens at all times without help and without teaching. And again, if their natural knowledge had been given to you, you would know nothing else but that which is sufficient, because they do not understand his ordinances, nor his wisdom which is spread out in many kinds of seeds and in divisions, so that something of knowledge might be revealed to you in many ways.

Now, in his wisdom that is beyond words, he first passes through the mortifications and the struggles. And the one who is nurtured knows by means of these ascetic practices. And concerning this, he established the world in this way, as if the teacher were instructing about his practice in the contest. For the transformation of the living beings in it, and the changes of each one, the simple one does not pass through. That one, however, whether the soul alone or the body, but both of them together, not the equality of the body and the soul. And each one, from its own nature of the living being, gives something singular to the soul, namely, with knowledge and rationality, it gives the love of good things. To the body, however, it gives many struggles toward the things that are to be overcome. So that from here, a battle without peace and a contest arise, and it becomes for the human being with his nature toward the acquisition of the good. As the blessed Paul says: "For one thing, indeed, I bear witness in the inner human being; another thing, however, I bear witness in the law of nature, which opposes the law of the mind, and it has overcome for me the law of sin that is in my members." For this contest without peace in the soul, the more abundant loves toward the good things, and likewise, so that the love of good things toward the body might not be without profit, in the completion of all this, they were not able, because of the struggles and mortifications, to perfect the final world, which is full of all good things. So that what they are there, without contest, becomes the service of the good. This is shown to us by the savior Christ, that not only did he teach us by his words, but also by his very actions he showed us in his person. And all the faithful are in the pattern. Those, therefore, who have learned about the mysteries of the world to come and about the good things in it, are filled with the hope that they will be with him in the good things.

not neglecting the struggles, but as a chosen offering he takes up the struggles, not by means of what is seen, but through his love he increases the struggles of the thoughts. He abandons the struggles that are visible, as one who has passed beyond the love of those that are future. Because of the beginning of the disturbances that come from the struggles that are visible, there is no body for bread and for the love of God. For they have no need to look at those that are visible, but at those that are future and invisible, which is the steadfastness of the great Shepherd, especially kindling the life. These suffice for the cause of this way of life. Now, this father of the school begins, who is above the ladder, for the first one, who is like him, is not able to be compared to this way of life. For in it there are many distances and battles that occur in the passions, and whoever wishes to travel on this road, this father says that not every person is able to travel on it, because not every person is able to endure the afflictions and the distances that occur in it. Whoever wishes to travel on it and is able to complete this which comes from the earth, that which all his ways are against nature, and whoever is against nature, his distances are known, but not even this one and the way alone of the kingdom of heaven leads, and not this wonder [...] God with the words of the wicked. [...] there are many paths and various roads. For it is Christ who, according to the power of each, chooses for him one path, and on it he travels. And the moon of this makes alive Christ, when he says in it [...] the parable of the seed. He fell on good ground and [...] fruits. Some are cast down and some are drunk and some are planted. And again, there are many birds in the house of the father.

and he shows the struggles, that the conduct of all the solitaries is not equal, nor their rewards. But because this conduct is above nature, like a man who stands before a king in silence, he requires vigilance and the raising up of the words of the king’s servants. Thus the man who is in this conduct [...] not only are sins in deeds, actions, and words broken for him, but also silent thoughts are vigilant. And that order requires that he have existence. And the difficulty of love is manifest in this path, that if a man is not vigilant and a guardian in silence, he cannot be purified. And because of this, not every man is fit to practice this, nor is every man to approach. Especially because of those [...] who, when they have left the world and approached this conduct, approach lightly as if to something contemptible. And when they think they are persevering, they are not persevering. And if a small trial or affliction comes upon them, they leave and flee. And they deny their former faith, as the word of the preacher Paul says. These I have said. Not when one stands, but to which man the time calls. But when one rules, that he approach not lightly and as if to something contemptible, but with knowledge and discernment. The beginning of the second: of those who approach, by what thought and [...] it is right for them to approach, whether a man or my lord the king, to which man who wishes to walk in this path.

because in it are mountains, cliffs, and ravines that save; and in the sections, to say: it is a narrow, constrained path full of dust, and afflictions; and again he casts it upon a tray full of water, that those who were in it, worms and grubs, take the water from the tray and leave it loose; because of this, the adviser, with knowledge and testing, enters it when he wishes to dive into it. And before everything, the study of the divine books becomes a choice, that he may examine the path and this; and he is able to show him the signs and tokens of trust; and from the books he can gather provisions that bring him to the completion of his path, and he loves from them the rational thoughts and the cutting-off of cares; and the hearing of words that are not excessive, which are useful to those who are instructed in their knowledge, that studies of the books produce boldness and boasting; and he knows that this is so, for he says: if a drug is searching, how does it act? What is the whole of dates, what will it do? These I have said to you in the section, that it does not do for many the cause of their boasting of the study of the books, but that these are those who die in the place where it is revealed how he did the exercise that was given to him. For the good foundation of his exercises is not straight; all his life he is struggling and laboring; and the effort of his life does not cease and is not pure; also his actions are not counted. But this thought, its fruit and its labor, is from.

and the gate of a father that no one can cross, a sea empty of ships or a raft; and again no one can enter a fierce battle and come out without a wound, while stripped, or even to throw a curse without permission. Thus no one can enter this invincible battle and come out with nothing. The books teach that those who are without sins, and what is righteousness, bring evil with them, and their evil deeds teach them, that when one is prepared for the opponent, then one is struck to begin arrows against him; then one can know what is his path and where it leads, whether to the right or to the left; then one knows the strength that shines in him; then one is renewed that he may become small like a serpent and return like a dove; and finally, from all these, then one learns that true faith is that which is rightly confessed in the holy Trinity of the venerated persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one power united to all that is greater than all. ... I said, or something. Not that I cut off hope from the help of divine grace, but I think something that I say: that if there is someone who, without the gift of learning, has become rich in good works before God, he also understands this: that if he who has the gift of learning becomes rich, he would have been something through teachings. But grace helps in all struggles, but I keep the order of the solitaries, and it happens that this one is tossed about in the world and in its changes... perpetually. When he looks at the labors and the depths that his limbs endure, when he ascends in his thought to the kings and lives among the angels, and sees all of them in one equal dust fallen therein.

Kings on account of their subjects; rulers on account of their souls; the rich on account of their wealth; the poor on account of their poverty. And how much is sufficient that one should ascend upon his heels and upon his distresses? And the youthfulness of him against all evils. He became rich and was exalted; he became poor and was diminished; he hungered and thirsted; he was sated and was distended; he was given authority and was deposed; he was lengthened and he blasphemed; his joys are not enduring; his wealth is a river that does not cease its flow; his sweetness and his blinking are a fountain; and his promises are not fulfilled; his clouds are not traversable; and his visions have no substance; his inhabitants are remote in his body; remote in the soul; the rich in possessions and the poor in labor; the strong while they conquer that they may be conquered; and the vigilant while they keep watch in their vigils; the rich strive that they may be subjugated; and the poor are dispersed that they may be enslaved. For this is a man who stands, and the treasures are [...] of one in that which is and is dissolved; and he turns his servants into a remote one of the depths; and he goes to the hour and fears; he goes to blindness and trembles. Because of him in the ways of the rivers; because of him to the sea that is dry; because of him he is killed by the strong; because of him he ascends mountains; because of him that one is the one of the dead even in the full. An hour does not know a brother. The great one, however, from all of them, that which is thought to be a bear from all of them, that one is more grievous. These I was encountering spiritually or my lord, as if you would pity the world from its desire. These I said as to the weak. Now then, my lord, and look at my house: the angels who are now burning from the censer; and in my ears to the crown which now is shining in the assembly. Lower your companion, divide the half of Christ, which now is delayed upon the border. Look at my inner parts: to them the heavenly ones are strangers, who now are wandering in the regions.

...the feet of the poor. And how much is enough that one should ascend upon his heels and upon the heels of his father? The father went and drowned, and behold his son runs after him. What more does your father have than his son, O fool? For behold, you are running in his footsteps. Come, my Lord, and see the lovers of God. These are rich while they are poor; those are poor while they are rich. These are crowned while they are in need; those are joyful while they are afflicted. And while they are persecuted, they rejoice. These are kings while they are in mourning; those are slain while they are victorious. Be with the one who sees your soul for all the ascetics, so that when they stumble against you, they will not leave you and you will groan. Be pressed in from all the bodily passions, so that the cares concerning them will not hinder you from the goal on your path. Be satisfied with bodily necessities, so that they do not become lords over your ways and lead you astray. Approach while you are in all these things, and approach with the trust of your creator. When you cast all your attention upon him, not when you are being healed, but establish your will manfully, like a man, while your two hands are supported upon the weapon of righteousness, the great and the small, in those that are narrow and in those that are joyful, in those that are glorious and in those that are... while your thoughts are not divided, so that whether it is possible or not, it is all the same, so that evil does not disturb you and you go out like a madman. And the doors are firmly shut, as it is written: "Do not approach it with a double heart." And that other saying: "If you approach the fear of God, you have delivered yourself to all the ascetics." While your foundation is set like a rock upon his humility, so that you may be amazed.

...what your father has? When you draw near as is fitting, you should be magnified. If then, O Lord, the dance: when you come and the ladder is placed, set your foot upon the first rung, and strengthen your intention like a man, and like a warrior and a champion, and like a shepherd and a reaper, when you take up the yoke of your Lord, and you carry your cross upon your shoulder, and you cast away from you the world and its perturbations, and you love your Lord for His glory, and you become a stranger to all that is seen, so that you may become an heir of the good things that are to come. And so that when you come to death in due course, you may be mingled with the ranks of the watchers, your companions; and while you are on earth, you are as one who is in heaven. From your short days, therefore, make your soul dead to all that is seen. And set before your eyes as a bridle for the passions of the soul. For this reason, all the saints and the children of God ran after her. And at every opportunity, the ways of your conduct were with her. When you do not cast yourself into great things, you do not complete small things, but begin with small things, so that great things may be attained. When your fast is by measure, and by distinction, when you know that it is not by the severity of the belly that God is pleased, but when it is by the cause of the heart. That is like the bridle of the passions of the perturbations. And because it is not possible that otherwise the fire of the thoughts be extinguished, but it seizes its perturbations, because just as it is not possible to subdue a wild horse without a bridle and a goad, so too it is not possible that the body do violence to the soul. But unless first its perturbations are subdued, when also along with the fast of the body you stand, you fast the fast of the soul. That is, when you fast from its pride and its arrogance.

...of the passions, the mother of many sins. For from it is born murderous envy and destructive deceit, and the rest of the other sins. As is the mystery of the fast after the resurrection, the time when there are no sins at all. While your service is in measure and in distinction, being. When you know that it is not by many and by the recitation of psalms that God is pleased, but by vigilant intention, which watches in it like a mirror. When not immediately and at that very hour you seek this intention. For it does not arrive except after long periods. And the great labors. But I have said this: that your intention should not be only in the service of the recitation of psalms, but when it is mingled with the zeal of God. Yet not entirely. For just as a person cannot walk on a steep path in a reckless manner when he has not set his mind on where he is going, so too a person can reach this divine threshold, which is like the rungs of a ladder, when he has not first placed before him a foundation. If that which reaches you is a stumbling block while you stand in service, and you are disturbed, whether your thought is disturbed or not, it is for you. And move yourself to prostrations or to joyful sounds. When you say, "I stand against your enemy." So that even from one fearfulness, but in another, it brings him near to God. And do not be constrained by your intention and say, "I did not serve." For as I said, God is not pleased only by the recitation of psalms. When you also know this: that the psalms are composed so that by the recitation of the great words that are in them, your intention may be awakened and you may turn to God. In every form of the Lord's Prayer, do not give place to the enemy.

...many thoughts in your mind, lest it bring you to a rupture of the mind, and a rupture of the mind will take you out of your labors. You are a sister, and you are distressed, but you shall be your sister in measure. If you are sitting in stillness, and many and various thoughts arise in you, do not say that this one is idle, and from here you will deliberate with your sister and go out of your cell. But hope for the end, and the door after weariness is joy. And after the distant ones, the living ones. His love is measured from everything to stillness. Beware, it brings you to purity of soul if you wish. For just as one cannot cross the sea without a ship or a boat, as I said, so one cannot reach purity of soul who has not gone into stillness in a hidden manner. And just as one cannot see his own face in water unless it is calm, so one cannot see his own soul and be cleansed of his passions without stillness. And just as one cannot enter a city that has great and strong walls unless he enters through its gates, so one cannot reach purity of soul unless he has cast out all his blemishes. And this very reading of purity of soul indicates the blemishes that are with all blemishes. And just as one cannot [...] his own face in a mirror that is clouded, unless it is polished, so one cannot reach the truth and radiance that are in God unless he first polishes from his soul all his blemishes. These things I was with the giver of all. My brothers, do not measure your conduct by the wisdom of the world that is with experience and the interpretation of the Psalms.

if it is not mixed with the divine vision and the pure contemplation of his greatness. For just as he who sows the winds reaps nothing, as the proverb says, so it is when one confuses her conduct with the world. The world, I say, is not the things that are not, but rather with the things that are, and also the world is. For the things that are outside are yours, in the body alone. The world, however, is within, in the mind and in the love of the self. Be a mediator who adorns with the world that [...] within. The suppression of evil passions, and with the sacrifices of the love of God. Again, I advise you, that you were full of the door of the cell of the man who is pure, the self by which it is raised. The head of the earth. And if war rises against them, you or your son: war will rise against you. Do not be troubled and disturbed. But rather, cover your second with patience, swallow it. No one of the saints of God can be perfect. When you bring to mind the tribulations of the fathers, the sufferings of the martyrs, the persecutions of the righteous, among whom some were stoned, and some were sawn, and some were killed, and some were flayed, and some were burned, and some were cast to the beasts without burial, and in various tortures, what do you say? There is no one among them who received his crown without patience. When you also remember Paul who cried out, that with all these things, patience, without which no one can live. Remember the confessors of God, that [...] was one of them who completed his sins in life, but in various tribulations. When with these you bring to mind those of the world, that no one among them attains the fulfillment of his desire without toil. Among them, by days, they fall [...

...the solitaries ascend because of zeal. They travel on difficult paths, because of transient wealth and vain glory, as it is said. How much more are those who pursue wealth, heavenly treasures, and imperishable delight. It is fitting for them to bear the trials and afflictions that come upon their faces... until it reaches them. When they are clothed in the garment of faith, by which they can extinguish all their burning passions of evil, and remember that zealous saying of Jesus Christ: "In your patience, you will save your souls." And again he said: "Whoever endures to the end, that one will live." While these things come to your mind, or rather, stand manfully and do not fear. Cast your hope upon the Lord, and he will deliver you. Cast yourself into prayer continually, without being cut off. And if one does not obey you by night, let God abandon your solitude, so that your patience may be known. Not only to him, but also to the demons. And if a great thought arises against you, know that if you do not seek it, it will be like a stranger. And if a battle of passions arises against you, go to known brothers and receive comfort. Do not separate yourself from the rest when they show you distractions. But move yourself to prayer and ask of God, and immediately they will leave and flee. However, do not leave your cell in your distractions, because just as the labor of a man throughout the year is undone by small drops of rain falling on it, so it is with one who abandons stillness for a time.

...in this battle, the little ones who follow after the rich man to reach the great and difficult wealth of the tempter. He abandons and flees. And in simplicity I was with you, faithfully. And you also are enriched with good things faithfully, and to the marketplaces of the mind, whose desire is that the weight of many distances be lightened for you. And through interruptions you are enriched. For today they are distant, and tomorrow near. And easily you are confirmed with the hidden power of God [...]. For if you pursue and fall like them to your standing, or if you stumble and fall, O my brother, do not stand in [...] hope. And it will turn for you to the world. But if you are enriched, it is from your friends: and he receives the penitent, while you do not err from that which is faithful to give life to Christ, who did not come to call the righteous to condemnation, but sinners to repentance. While you remember that parable about the vine, Assosota, when he shows upon the wounds of God how he receives sinners when they repent, and makes them partakers of good things. And again, the parable of the widow who was about to lose her ornament, like a solitary in her cell. And again, that abandonment is the loss of that which is not difficult for the strong, but for those who have done evil very badly. And again, remember Paul who cries out: "Faithful is the saying: Jesus Christ came into the world to give life to sinners." For before them, I am the first. For in me first Jesus Christ showed his whole spiritual journey. And again, that which is said by him of the Lord: "If seven times in a day your brother sins against you, and seven times in a day he returns to you and says to you, 'I have sinned,' forgive him." And bring testimonies that are not for those who sleep and for those of actions. First, for the goodness of David.

...and come to the new horns. And it is possible that one becomes a Simon, and becomes a Matthew, and becomes a Paul, a persecutor. These are the lives of the saints of God, who opened the door of repentance to sinners. When I remember that little turtle-dove whose sins were covered by her tears, and that chief of the Corinthians, who fell into a great and grievous sin, and was forgiven by a little repentance—indeed, his former rank was restored to him. And now I consider my word in brief: the whole Church lives, and was not darkened. But if from the violent and wrathful, and from the Jews who were crucified, while these are remembered, you, O my Lord, arise in the trust of the mercy of your servant. Since your mind is not divided, and you say, "I will not be forgiven," yet I am forgiven. To the first spark it does not reach, so that that division does not cast you into the abyss of despair. That is, in the sins which are worse than the former. But raise up in your thought the blessedness of David, who after he received forgiveness for his folly, openly sat in the midst of the people. What does he cry out and say? "Lord, do not hide from me in your anger, nor drive me away in your wrath." When that... upon the face of my sinfulness, that I have committed, O Lord, it is fitting... I am the one who is from the region. Since it is not permitted... to cover the old women and the martyrs. But from that which is not in anger and... it is covered and driven away. Again, in another psalm he says, "Until when, Lord, will you lead me astray forever?" These are of the dead. I am the one who has gone astray in the sins that I have committed, but I beseech that you not lead me astray forever. And again, in other psalms, he arranged for me and my companions were healed. And from before the follies, a good cry.

...while he hastens to show, [...] his persecutors, his sin, that which was abandoned. And again, O Lord, before you are all my desires, and my sighs are not hidden from you. Like that one who [...] was to say to me, "Forgive me my sins." He hastened to remember you without me, O Lord. If he rejoiced and was purified through the weakness of the righteous one and fell. And when I arose, I was strengthened upon the warmth of the Lord with all your heart, and it helps you that the demon may be cast out, that like his zeal, humility is required in this conduct. Concerning vigilance and humility, O Lord, I think that which is not required in many words, because the benefit of silence is known. But so that it may be known how much is fitting for this matter, I will speak few words about them. First, I will speak about the lacks that are with the one who shows and makes known, that with their silence they are known, how much vigilance and humility are required. When I do this, I begin my words with the words of a dog that speaks thus: "My son, if you are a little silent and a little patient, and you place your hand a little upon your cheek, then understanding will come upon you, and necessity will overtake you like a worthy man." In the beginning [...] you will be in the idleness that interprets these words to you [...] and they will be known to you. Therefore, because he who loves life is the righteous one or the Lord: when a little place gives will to the righteous one, then his own righteousness is fulfilled. Just as if you give a hand to the maimed, then he walks. Thus, if a little will shows [...] place gives to righteousness, then his own righteousness is fulfilled. For thus says the wise one.

If you are a little hesitant, and you give place to the day of judgment, that one who is the vessel. Now that vessel of his is full. This is the one that sleeps. And when that one vessel is satisfied with a little, then in the end it is cast away. Behold, that is when you place your hand a little upon your joy. Now then, he hastens to this one. Then the skill of your need will come upon you, which will overtake you. That is the one that is here. Through the constriction of the word, show the order of its drunkenness. And then you will be a hastener [or: you will hasten] from all the children. And if you stand, you are lost. The excellent companion speaks well. Now those who are excellent in idleness and in what? In demonstrations. And in the end, the conclusion of his word is with a foolish head. Foolish to [...] your being. That when I was able to be zealous and excellent in good things [...] see what this wise one says: Concerning what? Concerning death and concerning zeal, and hear what he says again in another place. [Concerning] his field, that of the one who passes through the glowing ember. And concerning his vineyard, that of the head of the one who is darkened by sickness. He ascended entirely and was filled with lord and thorns. And his face was covered with dust. Thus is the head of the one who plants a vineyard of righteousness. And in the abundance of his trust and not his zeal, he knows the forest, its many runnings. That without knowing, he comes upon that [...] of the likeness of moles that make him stand, or how much that they do not know how many [...] were delivered from the cities of the kings, their masters, from the enemy in their houses. How many houses of the wicked burned in fire. How many thousands drowned. From what? From lack of caution and from what? From ignorance and from lack of zeal. These and those like these, if you are awakened, you, or my lord, do not trust. Upon the salvation of your labors, pass over.

And you say, "For me, not every kind of vigilance is required." How then did he remember the blessedness of David, that righteous and just man, that with a little negligence that occurred to him in the matter of his eyes, he was stirred up and fell into a great sin? And he did not fear a voice or a tremor, and he became vigilant at all times, so that he might be delivered, O my Lord. Hear my words, and you will find life for yourself. I was setting up guards over the field of your thoughts, so that those things which are not by the will of God might not be reckoned. I set up guards over your mouth, so that you might not speak an evil word against your brothers. And over your eyes I was setting up guards, so that they might not look contemptibly. And over your hearing, so that your ears might not hear foolish sounds and your thoughts be disturbed. Your words, my Lord, weigh in the balance of life, so that you speak only when necessity compels and when it is necessary. If you keep these things, O my Lord, you will find life for yourself and for those who know you. And this little demonstration will be for your benefit. O my Lord, just as it is not right for a farmer to rely on his seed that is delivered without defect, but when [...] in the granaries, so too it is right for a man not to be confident in his wonders, but to hasten to [the time of his death]. For just as with seed, even if it has had rain and moisture, if the locust comes and eats it, and if it is delivered from [...] it can be uprooted [...] by hail and it strikes it, and if it is delivered from hail, [then] ... and there are words and they sweep it away. This applies to a man who is in [this] state of poverty. If an event occurs and he emerges from desire, his nature loves money. And if an event occurs and he is delivered from love of money, then demons approach.

And if he had not been watchful and vigilant, as one who stumbles and falls among the angels, the blessedness of the empty glory or the vainglory of the destroyer would have preceded him. For this reason, my lord: if there were no watchful and vigilant man, as one who stumbles and falls among the angels, I was constantly meditating in silence. Again, another king adds, that you should not read when you are weary, and you should not read like a reader, but like one who acts. Do not read and then fall asleep at the time when the Lord is present, lest the glory of the heights overcome you concerning [...]. [...] as the father who prays and [...] was diligent in prayer. And I was [...] to you. And remove from you sleep [...] I was vigilant by night and by day, and [...] does not cut you off. And I will show you the members of prayer. [...] the thorn of supplication and the sacrifice that is offered, you are with [...] of God, I will give to him [...] of the joyful earth [...] the thorn of glory [...] in the separation [...] But, my beloved, the pure ones [...] to all [...] with men in idleness and in sleep [...] God and with the great of the air and the father of the abyss and with the union [...] and ask, [...] his threefold, because he does not [...] and trust [...] in prayer, not when it is pure [...] from all [...] and from every blemish. And [...] his thorn purely [...] receive well. And [...] to the world, it is found in him [...] something for which it is fitting. [...] For the thorns of prayer [...] and a better life. Therefore, be diligent in her, my son, and labor in her [...] all your prayers.

that prayer which the Lord taught us. [...] prayer [...] inheritance and voices and their distinctions [...] in [...] you think that prayer is words? And not [...] words are learned. Hear, then, from the Lord: that the truths [...] prayer from teaching and from the intention of words is not learned and not perfected. For it is not to a human being that prayer is made, that words might be arranged before him. For with them is the spirit sent, the movements of prayer. He who is anointed prays with his whole spirit. And there is no place that is imagined for him who prays in perfection to God; nor is it in the utterance of the tongue. The Lord said that the hour comes when you will not worship the Father on this mountain nor in [...] complete. And again his place is not sought, that which he learned. For those who worship God, in spirit and in truth, and not that they worship. And when he taught you why he gave prayer, he said this: for God is in spirit and in life, and not that [...] Paul again, this prayer [...] and Lord spiritual [...] when he said, "How shall I pray?" [...] Lord, what then shall I do? [...] not in spirit, and pray also in the pasture [...] and spirit and mind when they are, that in them and not to the tongue that prays and speaks to God. And the discourse of the tongue [...] through the medium. For this prayer [...] from the tongue it is, and not in the tongue is it prayed [...] and deep from the lips and from the tongue. And within [...] from voices [...] door. And beyond from melody and wisdom [...] when a man this prayer prays, perfect [...] Gabriel [...] and without words [...] and if words from this prayer [...] prayer [...] Lord and silence.

far from that place which the angels [...] he had in the beginning [...] that here in language and [in the body] he sings: and he says in this [...] by night and by day. This is a spark, for [what] [...] they shone from this world: and in the evening and in the spirit he sings [...] it is spiritual. For a pattern [...] and from [...] he became a spiritual man. For until a man performs a service [...] in this [...] to the son and to the outside: in constant fasting and in constant singing of [...] and in constant blessings and in petitions: and in constant vigils and in the recitation of psalms: and in hard labor and in endurance and in [...] and in excess and in scarcity of food: and in the rest of the practices for his conduct, with the vigilance of all his senses, while filling himself with the whole remembrance of God, and fear and [...] from his name: in that faith, so that not even the movements of the stirrings of thoughts are hidden from his knowledge, and he humbles himself before every man, even considering that every man is better than him, just as he also sees a man who is a stranger and a robber, and a drunkard and a murderer, or a debaucher or a mocker or a blasphemer, or any of the other evil sins, and when he sees that one who is in these things, he humbles himself before him and considers him to be more worthy and more pleasing to God than himself, lowering the gaze of his reason [...] from all the humility of his [...] his approach [...] to his own, of that one who is thus [...] with his whole self [...] and he appeases him with difficulty, the excess of wrath over him, and he asks from God for [...] that which is for.

far from that place which the angels [...] he had in the beginning [...] that here in language and [in the body] he sings: and he says in this [...] by night and by day. This is a spark, for [what] [...] they shone from the multitude makes him think about the beginning of God: and many times he is silent, and not even one word is uttered. And when he has done these and those of the great ones with these: those of the one who is in truth with that which is of the word: and when all these are found, a person is able to pass through and to attain him in it. Then a person reaches the point of singing to God and praising him with that praise of the spiritual ones. [...] he is God. And in silence [...] and is praised [...] in that song and in that praise he is equal to it. For it is not the silence of the tongue that says nothing, but rather if a person is silent from the tongue while not [...] and praises [...] of knowledge and with joy: this one is vain in his silence. And evil thoughts and distractions and considerations [...] and corrupt him. Because he is silent from the heart [...] his tongue which at the beginning was hidden from the wheel. For by that word [...] in this fullness and the rolling yoke of the body. By that [...] the inner ruin of the spirit. For just as the tongue of the wicked one who does not yet seek the word is silent: [...] his tongue is placed inside his mouth, while the movement of the word is not in him. So also that tongue which is inside the mind becomes silent from all words and from all thoughts, and only the knowledge is placed and prepared to learn the wheel of spiritual speech. For there is the silence of the tongue and there is the silence of the whole body. And there is the silence of the soul [...] there is the silence of the mind. And there is the silence of the spirit. For the silence of the tongue is when a word is not known to be evil and harsh, or when a word that contains anger or murmuring for the sake of seeing is restrained, or a prayer for the sake of the mystery or for the sake of the full measure. For the silence of the body is [...]

When his silence is idle, all his senses are removed from the prayer of the wicked and from evil deeds, which are not fitting. [...] of the covenant of the idle from [...] silence of the soul, when evil thoughts and disturbing passions of sins do not stir in it. For the silence of the mind, when it is prolonged from fear and wisdom that diminish, that which is also concealed by thirst and nakedness of separation. That which makes those who ascend to evil deeds, and in it he gently leads to the meekness of his companions. The silence of the spirit, when the mind is sent away even from the violent movements of the spirit, and alone in it, in the substances of his Father, all his movements. And in these silences he truly silences. And he sets in order the first silence of its revelation. These are of the fish and the songs that come in silence and in speech. You have come, but to the upper one you have not arrived, because you are still far from them. Wait in that lower one, that you may become a song and a confession of the tongue. And in them sing and praise, not to [...] the hasty and in the fear of the one who is fitting to [...] the Lord, and praise him with voice and with tongue. And labor in that your service, until you, having come, arrive at love. For you are separated from God in a fitting manner, and you are worthy that you may receive [...] that love and the victory, which is given to you in your vision. And when you are adorned with words [...] those by which you are persuaded that, as if to loaves, to the petitions before God, not that you should be wearied by what is sought from you, but that you should be the one who stands before those words, while in the members they are shown in you. For in the end there is no profit for the idle.

... but that the words of error are embodied in you in deed and in word, that one in whom they are mingled may be thus. As also in the world this shall be seen in the head of God, and many [...] and [...] from the silence that is in you, again his own, when his own are upon the limbs of prayer. You are equal to glory from all your powers, God who holds all. The maker and the giver [...] of all that was [...] because your deeds are not spoken and your [...] are not measured, your powers are not exhausted, and the empty wealth of your mercy is not relied upon. You are great in your knowledge. You are glorious in your wisdom. You are high in your understanding. You are hidden in your [...] You are concealed in your essence. You are wondrous in your divinity. You are mighty in your greatness. You are strong in your power. You are swift in your commands. And there is none who loves and honors from the head. In all [...] because from the dust of the earth is their body, and by voice and by word you fashioned them. From the living is his power, and the angels [...] of creation made him. From the earth is the dust of his body, and the image of your essence you inscribed and you engraved the likeness of your image and your power. You adorned him with great goods. They have no measure, each one of which [...] victorious is their story from human speech and from bodily senses. And in all your dispensations you do not desire [...] in destruction but in life. You are wise in your wisdom, and you have made foolish our childhood by your knowledge. You are merciful to the righteous. You rejoice in the penitent. You desire the afflicted who have hidden their shame. You exalt sinners. You spare the guilty. You turn back the erring. You humble the proud.

... but that the words of error are embodied in you in deed and in word, that one in whom they are mingled may be thus. As also in the world this shall be seen in the head of God, and many [...] and [...] from the silence He makes a liar of the righteous, those who are far from the truth, and removes them from the mysteries and the sacraments. He is for them a great cause of [...] your bitterness, that they may be bound in it, so that from there they may find freedom. Concerning all those who are clothed in the resurrection of their lives, that world which is future and coming, when he says, “I am. Ask and it is given to you. Seek and [...] . Knock and it is opened to you.” I do not believe that I will hear your prayers, and I will answer your request and receive your thanksgiving. Nor do I cease. My questions are from those who question me. And I do not hold the knowledge of [...] in the presence of sinners who are penitent. For I fear that I might become a murderer of your death, each one of you, this request, that they ask with love and [...] seek with humility and find. Knock with mercy and with [...] and it will be opened to you. From the house of the church, from the mouth of her sins, and [...] from error and show the way in your garment of iniquity, in it. Do not [...] the likeness of the dead, nor the knowledge of the error of the evil one, that from the night he comes to you, and [...] at the door and enters your house, and takes from there the [...] of your own, until you send him away from you with a disturbance, a wise messenger, that he may be for you a guide and show the way that comes to you. He to whom is given that he may be a healer of pains, and a physician of diseases, and a comforter of sorrows. And when he comes to you with the worship of the fearful, do not receive him with the murderousness of the evil one, nor be deceived by his sins, nor follow his errors, nor die with his pains, nor live with his sorrows, nor separate yourself from his healings and his cures.

... but like a skilled and wise physician, you approach him, discerning the pains of all his limbs, and you know the remedy for all his diseases, and it is not difficult for you to prepare medicines for them. Thus you are found with him in strong desire, and in abundant weeping, and in living mercies. And you reveal to him from what he was freed and with what he came, and you make known to him the glorious wealth of your righteousness, which you have poured out upon him abundantly, though he was not worthy. So that the emptiness of the flesh may be filled, and the poverty of the body may be enriched, and you are found for him in the diligence of life, for in the great folly of the many, you care for all, and you do not abandon him to the beast in the den where he was worthy because of evil deeds. And you shine for him in the radiance of your mercy, for mercifully you have shone upon all, and you do not deprive him of the sustenance of the life of all. And you find and know truly that your questions are not hidden from your inquirers, nor are the gifts withheld from those who draw from your rich treasury, nor is it known in the face of your mercy when they wish to enter it. And in this manner you have taught and instructed wisely, so that there is no harsh questioning, no violent shouting, no severe rebuke, not untimely, nor boastful, nor divisive, as is fitting for its [...] For he who taught you these things in the discipline of prayer and in the teaching that is necessary for everyone who desires to repent from his sins, brings the erring to you, because you desire that the erring be converted to you. My lostness seeks you in vain, for you are the glorifier of my lostness.

... like a skilled and wise physician, you approach him, discerning the pains of all his limbs, and you know the remedy for all his diseases, and it is not difficult for you to prepare medicines for them. Thus you are the wayfarer on the path [...] the road of your love, a sinner, guilty and alive. For you are seen in your ways, the two paths. That he may come to your mercy, merciful one, and be comforted. Guard your steps on your way from the swift currents, my lords, which do not let the stray one fall from the trusty ropes that are upon you. The loosening of the mysteries, my lords, your truth puts on, like a merciful savior, and it encircles me from my right and from my left [...] He meets me there, the enemy in my house. And he turns my face from the discipline of your way. And he disturbs my ways with its snares. And the stumbling blocks of its error he makes to be my thoughts. Their darkness from the sowing of iniquity, for your servant, my lords. He mocks me, the evil and the foolish. Do not, my lord, let pains and demons rule over me, as if I had given myself over to sin. And let them seal my senses with vain thoughts. And let iniquity be added to my wrong, and a seal upon my seals. Wash me from my wrong with the pure waters of forgiveness [...] And cleanse me from my seals with the key of your life. And cast upon me the covering of your mercy, and let me be purified from my sins. And when I am purified from my sins by the hand of the dove of your grace, give to my thoughts a remedy and a soothing, words of your truth, a hand that has lied to you in place of the confession of my guilt. Let them be for your will, full of [...] like [...] my lord. And that you may receive the abundant love of your divinity. With you let the living, the immortal ones, be in a firm manner. And at all times let it be with you that which is for the Lord, the perpetual helper. And let there be for me no other hope apart from you. Because there is no other hope for the wretched. For in it [...] except your hope. Which will be hung for me in body and spirit, in the present and in the future.

... like a skilled and wise physician, you approach him, discerning the pains of all his limbs, and you know the remedy for all his diseases, and it is not difficult for you to prepare medicines for them. Thus you are the one who steers the ship of the soul and guides it, my Lord, lest it be dashed in the sea of the world, the waves of sins and the storms of errors. Through you, my soul is set at peace with my members, my Lord, because you are lord over death and also over life, as it pleases your will. Let your life be for me, and as is fitting, let not your absence cause my hand to tremble. And as your knowledge deems fit, that my movements and members not stray from your path, let not obstacles and hindrances be for me on the path of my discipline, your prayer, that my enemy not rejoice over me in the world. When one strays from your path, give me strength that I may walk in the straight path of your commandments of life. Let it be granted to me to receive the fullness of your grace, my journey set upon the paths of your holy laws, which are the [...] of your servant, I and the son of your maidservant, lords of lords, and drive away the evil one from your side. For he perceived the slackness of my Lord, he who was able to subdue the whole world from the beginning by the execution of the commandment over the trees, and he labored in it and enslaved it freely, the whole time of the first five thousand years, until the coming of the life-giving Messiah who freed him victorious, who broke his dominion and took his freedom from the rock, and shattered his yoke, the oppressors. And in this way he wishes to work. For he perceived that I am alive in my will, that I might loosen the bonds of my love for you, and deliver my soul with my members to the obedience of all that is evil, in this opportunity he also found a cause, and drove me into sin as in captivity. In my will, my sons, how many times did he rejoice and [...]

... like a skilled and wise physician, you approach him, discerning the pains of all his limbs, and you know the remedy for all his diseases, and it is not difficult for you to prepare medicines for them. Thus you are the one who also gave to the seven the occasion to boast, in that he is able especially, and not I, to weep and lament. I was from among the freeborn, from the doers, I performed service for a rebellious slave, and I bound the loosening of my life by my own will. Beneath the yoke of him who cast the assailant from the contest, and the mighty Jew, that one exalted himself because of his severity and his zeal and his humility. More fittingly, it is I who should resemble him who knows the mysteries, I have drunk the yoke of the Lord who is sovereign over all, and I have delivered my soul to service. The lowly servant made the crossings, that one who was hardened by the acquaintances, and was scorned by the fugitives, and was driven out by the vagabonds, and was hidden from the faithful, and was dispersed from the priests, and was separated from my companions. That one, because of his great shame, the first creation, was cast out from his glory and was stripped of his greatness, and was expelled from the glorious order of the angels among his kind. And by a hand that is one, he was made equal to the dwelling of dogs and of rebels, and was renewed from snakes and scorpions and creeping things, a seed like the word of the Saviour. By your will, O God of mercies, by your command, O King, king of kings. Where is the God of fear who does not pass away? Would that you had killed the fool by the bodies of the man of pride, and you had overthrown the accuser by the trembling of the son of his shame from his clothing by your divinity, and you had redeemed the captive by the king of the world, and you had turned back the captivity from his members. Simply, also for me, from the stumbling-blocks and the fetters of the yokes of my Lord, that when I will and when I do not will, you yoke me in every form of his commands.

... like a skilled and wise physician, you approach him, discerning the pains of all his limbs, and you know the remedy for all his diseases, and it is not difficult for you to prepare medicines for them. Thus you are the one who, under the yoke of your patience, makes his errors light and easy. O my Lord, you have heated his pot, and it has boiled over; the measure of his sin has been broken, for he was tripped up by the zeal of the wicked one, and the bonds that were forged by the truth of union with his sins have been dissolved, so that he fell and will not rise again, as if he were never to stand. Stretch out to me the hand of your mercies and set me up as a lifter of the fallen, so that my sins may be scattered like waves, and my transgressions may be calmed among the billows of the sea of sins. And I was not able to oppose them. My prayer is in your mercy, O physician of goodness, and let not the hopes of life perish there. Quiet the waves of the seas, still the billows of iniquity and transgression; seek out the needy and bring forth the hungry; make hope for the desperate, call to those who are not as if they were; entreat with you, my Lord. Do not let the edge of the flesh be blunted by the furnace of the passions of your brothers. Do not let the hem of the soul be torn by the loss of the spirit. Do not let the gate of the will be lifted up by the door of our nature. When your reason is troubled by the judgment of Gehenna and the harsh whirlpool of your affliction, do not ascend to the height of its desire when it is heated by the furnace. For your image is established; have mercy on your image, my Lord, and do not give your patience as a spoil to the evil ones. For your service and your praise, your song is called and established, and not for the service of sin and the work of the slanderer. He who wishes to destroy the body by the hand of sin, be vigilant over yourself and do not forget the Lord. And hear the cry of your servants who are oppressed by the harsh servitude of sin that rages. Thus are the sons of your grace who were with you from the beginning, my Lord God.

... what you have done with the fathers and with their seed from the beginning. Remember in your mind the graces and kindnesses that you have with them, and do not place in your hands evil with you. Work with me, and for you there will be profit, and your own will become branches of mercy. And not that evil is revealed of what is hidden, that which from the beginning killed man. You are the sower of death, and the abandoner of iniquity, and the remover of sin. There is no measure of the hidden under the yoke of iniquity, that which with its evil desires to work with him for the destruction of the body and of the soul. You, however, even call to those who are far from you by the honesty of their conduct and by their evil will. You call to life and you desire to make them live. When you say, "Come to me, the weary from toil. Do not desire your destruction when you have worked in the house of pride. Turn from the shame of vanity. Cease from the service of its provisions. Free yourselves from its servitude. Flee from the labor of its evil. And work with me in the life of righteousness that is pleasing and good for the eye. Evil, however, inherits laughter with its workers. I, however, distribute to you the kingdom of heaven to the worthy. And from now, as the greatness of its promise, I give it to you in the hope of the future. Until my intentions are fulfilled. O my Lord, be to me thus. My intentions are fulfilled on my side, these hopes in deeds. And be to me a wise physician in the remedies that are from the measure, and give to me the revelation from the labor of its noise, and bring me to my household, and make me work in the service of your good deeds, and live in the fullness of your mercies. Forgive my iniquity, my Lord, and the folly of my foolishness, as you said to me, that there may also be for me forgiveness for my sins.

... not now enter into the contest of the ranks. But separate yourself from his powers. For yours is the kingdom, the power, the authority, the rule, the might, and the glory forever and ever. Again, the martyrdom of my Lord Abraham, which is fitting for the time of the offering of his sins. Because your desire is that you should go to life: and a sign is set for you in the path of the guards of the judge and the oppressor and the abandoner. You wished that I should counsel you, that you might ask of me: where you should begin and in what manner you should lay the foundation of the order with the dead. Dig deep. Lay the foundation with your labors in the air of your soul, as the mouth of your wisdom [...] [...] Consider beforehand the departures of your revealer and how near. [...] in the measure of the one who is opposite you. And see your struggle with [the Messiah]. And look at your victory, how much it conquers. And your conduct, how much. [...] and your crown, how much, my son. And see the camps of the ranks opposite you, instead of the simple ones, the giants of the snows. And instead of the Goliath, the length of the world. Who judges the authority of the air of the spirit. Your mouth with your rank against them boldly, in the manner of the son of Jesse, when your loins are girded and you are prepared. When you are old. The beginning of righteousness, and a sign placed on your head, the crowns of the fragments. And you hold the fortress of fasting and the rock of prayer, with the hand of faith and the name of the Lord helps you against your enemies. And when you are victorious, do not be arrogant, lest you fall into their traps and their deceits. They are coals of demons. And when you are much purified, do not cease from their battle. And learn this from your own spirit. Many are oppressed and change their forms.

... not now enter into the contest of the ranks. But separate yourself from his powers. For yours is the kingdom, the power, the authority, the rule, the might, and the glory forever and ever. Again, the martyrdom of my ... appears in dreams. The charioteers of death. They are accustomed to leading astray. He is loosed in secret among the perfect and is not seen. He is adorned with angels [...] glory. Your own concern is like your service. He is compassionate toward you [...] bonds. And he nourishes you upon the yoke. And how can he be deceived from his own? But if he who holds the staff in his hand, even you, if you rely upon him, he will conquer for you in your interior. I say to you therefore, O my beloved, the time when you were driven from the world, and to the [...] you gave your soul, and from its company you turned back, and you set out for the word among the angels. You were prepared for life in the fellowship of the house of resurrection. Thus he shines like your nature, and he seeks as though he might find [...] a garment for your eyes, and also [...] and he brings to your chosen ones a bone of death. But not for ever and ever and ever. Set yourself in a living, holy, and acceptable state that is pleasing to God in rational service. [...] the fruits among all these waters [...] the word of the tooth. The blackness of your eyes. The sole of your feet. That you may not overturn the order of the hand of your death with the opposite. But be in strength and power, and humble and [...] that by your beautiful form you may be a cause of praise to your Lord, and you may attract many to your glory, and they will turn [...] at your sight, and [...] in the blood of God in the highest. For I am dust and ashes, and I am a worm and not a son of man. The face of the world and the grave of every man. Consider yourself as the likeness of others, like a sin that is not completed. A dead dog and a contemptible worm. Ask for alms like a beggar.

Strengthen the sinews of your heart like a bow. With spiritual arrows, like a stone. Seek your small victories as if you were a child. Say with your whole heart, like David, "I have sinned against the Lord who is able to grant forgiveness." [...] the night. Be humbled and mourn over your sins in his likeness. Meditate on his mercy day and night without ceasing. And the teachings of the fathers teach you everything. If a battle of demons stands before you, say, "I am the one who is being tested with me." Stand firm, O God, and all of them will be scattered, the enemy with his own. Do not give the Lord's desire to the world. Pray, O Lord, cleanse and purify me. And when I am cleansed, give praise to the one who saved me from them, and say, "They surrounded me like wolves and devoured me like a mountain of waves." And in the name of the Lord, I have finished your signs. Be overthrown and fall. And my helpers are many. And do not let my word perish. Pursue diligently and sharpen the arrows against all battles. And take up arms against all pains of the spirit of the Holy Spirit. And place [...] for you in the hymns in the holy books. And if the passions of nature [...] with you, make peace with God in the likeness of a sacrifice, saying, "You will bear me away from my enemy. And if he does not hasten, he will save you from being divided. And if he wages war against you, do not be afraid. But know that this is the end of hope. If I have sinned again. And if I have died [...] And if I have lost your sign. And if I have erred, I am purified. And say against the enemy, 'The enemy of my shame will not rejoice over me, for I have fallen again, but I stand and [...] in the darkness, O Lord, enlighten me.' For I will not suffer forever. And he will not forever bear his wrath. For the Lord said, 'I will not abandon you, and I will not let you go in the lands.'

And I have one who speaks timidly. [...] And again I am afraid: what has the enemy done to me? And when [...] I strengthened my heart and passed over my desires in haste, and I stood up from your fall, beware lest you fall again, for like many the sweetness of the sitting by which you set yourself up and escaped from [...] Thus many victories in which the enemy will satisfy you with a trap. Set your heart so that he does not deceive you with praises, and does not abandon you in the afflictions of your soul. Lest you become proud in your beauty like a Pharisee, but humble your soul like a tax collector, and strike yourself upon your breast in his likeness, saying, "My God, my life is for the sinner. My God, forgive me my debts. Lord, my need is from the violence of the great one who has set my limit. Show my weakness. My Creator, have mercy on me. My Lord, I remember your servant, and I am confident that you will not abandon me to perish. Lord, who created me in the darkness of the arena, and brought me out to the light by his grace, bring me out from the darkness of my errors to the light of your knowledge. Since I have come out from the world, do not again think of the filth of his deeds. Since I have denied his deceits, do not again be defiled by them. Since I have turned my face from him, do not again look at him. My Lord, show me your way of life, and lead me in your pure paths. My Lord, I love good more than all [...] And because of this I left my house and left my inheritance. I renounced the love of my relatives, and I abandoned everything, and I am eager to come to you. And my sins have met me and made me weep. The zealots from their envy made me weep. I have been dried up before the desires by the death of the wave. Lord, do not abandon me, but confirm me from heaven and make me peaceful, and save me from the sea of sins.

The debt of the time of the bees is heavy. I have not yet repaid anything. I will run after the spirit and repay you. Let me not be a wrongdoer to your love. I fell from the dust and you placed your hand on me and you sustain me. In this, my mind is occupied with your prayer. And I will go up to your mind, by the goodness and mercy of God who is in everything, that your interior and your worth are one. And be moved by his love, until the first ones in you are the mountain of his mercy. And let come upon your mind pains and changing sins that are in sinful passions. And suffer for them as one who has sinned for you. And ask forgiveness from the merciful [...] of God for them. And do not err, lest you be cast down to the weapons of the one who fights against his image, that is, God. And do not be arrogant, and think yourself to be the measure of others. For God does not conquer anything of each one, and a son of a woman cannot be stirred up, and you do not know what will happen to you in the end. Remember your sins, and weep and suffer. And approach in your thoughts to the pure one, the son of the dead Mary, and say to him that he should forgive you your sins and help you. And if the evil one seeks to raise you up in the hope of a snare: remember the taxes and the tolls that he left for them. And trust in him and believe and live, you, Lord Abraham. The discipline of repentance for [...] solitary brothers. Know, O brother: that a brother who wishes to travel on a narrow path: first he examines himself, and then he is turned to those with whom he will travel equally. Lest he remain with those who are not his companions on the path and be lacking. Thus also one who is set to travel on the path of asceticism: look at his standing. And according to the measure of his strength, he should measure himself and make a small beginning.

and the one who is weak begins, and mightily, he finishes. And from small things to great things he comes, and not by anticipating the end from the beginning. At the end he lets it go, or he persists in it because of evil things, and his labor becomes vain. Also those who rush into the ways: if from the first day they fill themselves and hasten their steps, for many days they become weary and cease. But if little by little they begin until they become accustomed to it, at the end even much walking does not tire them. Thus also whoever wishes to approach the labors of virtue: little by little he trains himself and comes to perfection. Do not think that the many paths of the fathers who preceded you are to be despised, and that you can master them all, and that your conduct will be perfect. But according to your weakness, choose one for yourself, and in it walk and live. For your Lord is the one who guides and leads you, not according to your labors, but according to your will. Like the height of the ladder: if a thought arises in you to add to your labors, do not hasten, but gather spirit. And if a thought gathers in you and provokes you, and passes you by confidently and as if it were from God, but if once or twice it comes to you and then not again, consider it a deception that seeks to trip you up, subtly. Thus also for all thoughts that are fixed upon him, do not make distinctions among them. Whoever has this conduct, let him be wakeful, simple, wise, foolish, perfect, a beginner in good things and last in evil things. Let them be wise to guide in their conduct, so that they do not err in the ways of demons. And let them be perfect so that no evil is thought about their brethren.

and do not keep it. Thus for your virtues: more than anything, choose humility for yourself. And it will be the foundation of all your beauties. Your worship will be pure, and your word will be humble. And you will be beloved of God and of the wretched. And the Spirit of God will dwell in you, and will come in His love and make a dwelling with you. And He will settle in you and abide in you. And you will see Him if your heart is pure. And He will sow in you the good seed of purity, the passing of which and the wonder of its greatness. If you are hindered from purifying yourself from your own self—the child of desires, and the thorn and thistles of evil passions—what is a sinner who cares for the soul and becomes weary? For the waters that are filled with thirst and are sealed, and are disturbed and purified and bear fruit, for the dark and bitter depths, which from the hardness of the rock produce heat and light. For the branches of gold and the blossoms that shine and bloom. For the body that is tended by the soul. For the dead that lives. For the strong that is healed by the weak wandering of the one who errs. For the sick that is cured. For the blind that sees. For the hungry that is satisfied. For the poor that rejoices. For the image of a king that is adorned and displayed. For a ruined house into which a king enters, dwells in it, and it is established and increased in it. May the Lord have mercy on repentance, O my brother, and enter your need into your city. Look to your Lord through the changes from evil to good. While there is space, while the time stands, while you have authority over your own self, do for yourself what is sufficient in your hands. And after everything, consider yourself a useless servant, so that you may not be able to do what you are obliged to do. Speak against yourself.

of laziness. I am idle for a long time, I am idle from completing my work. I am a sluggard for a long time, I am astonished at the company of my companion. I have a debt of a good deed, and when shall I repay it? My discipline is lazy, and when shall I complete my path? And how many provisions and supplies are needed for it? My Lord, truly, my house and my desire for me—when shall I bring it to him? I am required to run, but I am lost. I am heavy with earthly cares, and I am entangled in the bonds of the harsh world. My companion is awake, and I sleep; my companion offers, and I withhold. My companions weep, and I laugh; my companions groan, and I rejoice. My companions are silent, and I speak; my companions are at rest in their Lord, in his kingdom, and in his glory, and I am stirred up among those who have gone out from the company of those who have departed from them. And when you wish to delight in vain pleasure and your body is heavy upon you, consider all these things. And bring to your mind how many stand on their feet, how many are bent, how many are placed on their knees, how many are prostrate on the ground, how many are wearied by the burden of the body, how many are intoxicated with the love of God and have forgotten their own lives, how many murmur in their hearts to the Lord. And then the thought of these things will remove from you all heaviness and sloth. And you will offer a fervent prayer at many times. Again, remember how many are now awake in their worldly occupations: travelers on the roads, bearers of burdens, workers of crafts, shepherds, watchmen, those who are vigilant in their inner selves, those who guard their lords. And if all these are laboring on the face of the earth, how much more am I obliged to my Lord.

When you stand for prayer, do not begin it sluggishly. Go through your entire prayer loosely and quickly, and perform it. But when you stand, sign yourself with the cross, and collect your thoughts, and prepare and make ready, and look to the one to whom you pray, and begin. And compel yourself at the beginning of your prayer that your bowels be moved and pain occur, and that your entire prayer be of benefit. And when thoughts that disturb you go away, do not be compelled to make a place between one prostration and another. But if disturbance of thoughts comes upon you, increase the recitation of psalms, prayers, and supplications more than usual. And with every hand, you, the supplicant, drive away the enemy from you, whether by change of words or by something else. Understand what I say. And if again the intention of benefit falls to you, let it fill for you in place of murmuring, and do not let the gift of God be driven from you, and establish your completion. Prayer in which the intention of God is not mixed is a corpse of the flesh. Do not rejoice in the multitude of psalms when the covering is cast upon your heart. Better is one word with tears than to teach at a distance. In the labor of prayer, it is with zeal, simplicity, purity of intention, and behold, you are the life, the glory of God. Remove from yourself all troubles and evil machinations, and make yourself like a supplicant who is upon his mother and his goodness. And if war presses upon you in prayer, say your words: "Fight, receive your reward, weep for your judgment." Open a word to your heart in anger until it is purified. And your Lord who watches your vigilance, he makes your victory in lamentation and condemns your foolishness, and again is not found. And [...] to your weakness.

If the thoughts of the solitary press in upon you, seek the prostration of standing before your Lord. And if foul thoughts rise up against you, do not be troubled. Only do not surrender to them, nor accept them, nor give them a place in your mind. And at the hour of prayer, pass by like a traveler who turns aside to an inn and then departs. And take care lest your mind be distracted during the time of prayer by vain imaginings. And instead of the door, make the knocker alert, the bell that has been diminished with you. Before the judgments of fear and anything divine, tidings. And he who stands where he is does not lie: and what he says he does not know. How then does he think that his prayer is offered? Blind in mind with grief. He stands on his feet. He is idle from prayer and empty of the works of the world. And he reckons with many superfluous things. And he errs in all of them, and he is immersed in the clamor of those who are not near to them. And what does not profit him, as if dreams do not benefit those who see them. Awaken yourself. Your Lord speaks with you. Do not be distracted. The chosen ones, your companions, are gathered to you. Do not be cast down. The ranks of demons stand against you. Do not be shaken. Consider, then, my brother, that just as the holy angels rejoice when they praise God in their likeness, so do the demons grieve when they see you diligent in prayer. For by that in which they have blasphemed the praise of their Lord, they are hindered, so that they also hinder you from the praise of God, because they know that by it their snares are undone. And it is a weapon and a barrier against them, and their designs are shattered by praise.

And when he sees that they are not heard, at every hour his prayer is bitter, he is troubled that evil has come upon him through thoughts and anxieties about the dead. And they snatch him away, and they fashion before him specters and images and faces of men and women speaking with them, at times as friends and at times as enemies. Instead of the change of the bitter God into the merciful one among the wicked, and instead of prayer for all the enemies, as if by a sudden impulse, he runs to those who have oppressed you, so that your prayer becomes a cause of wrath. Beware, therefore, of their snares, and guard yourself from them, for they are intent upon your destruction while they err and lead astray. Begin now to walk the path of prayer with confidence, and do not stray to the right or to the left. And soon you will reach the place of peace, your spirit freed from grief and fear. And when your mind becomes accustomed and habituated, your prayer will draw near as that of Abel. And he who stands before you in vain, and you are strong over him at the time of prayer, and the words of your mouth become as the will of God. Again, of the same Mar Abraham: ... upon grace, at all times you were mindful of your salvation, that you might not be defiled. Look upon your evil, that you may not fall into error. Be steadfast in your conduct, that you may not be like one who is not. Do not strike yourself with a saw of pride; do not be shaken from confession; do not become accustomed to beginning; do not turn to the left for victory and be defeated. And know that the Lord is good for what he provides, and for the soul that seeks him, do not flee from labor. You have been stirred to be in that glory which is given through bitterness. Do not exchange it for trifles.

...his image, and he is troubled. The contests come to him prepared, the appointed time of your death is set. Do not engage in battle with them, lest you be swallowed up in the abyss from your own fault like a guilty one. If the spirit of a ruler rises against you, do not let it go. Crucify your flesh before the thoughts and desires of the world; do not let your spirit be caught in afflictions. Do not be humbled before the mighty, nor be disturbed by the weak. Do not be angry at your adversary, nor be envious of your companion and destroy him. For this is not the time for you to be trained, but rather to be tested. Your life is at stake, and from the judgment of the last things you will be known. Lest from your patience in the contest you be deprived of your strength, and from the judgment of your swiftness your trust be shaken, and you be accused. Many who began on the path of righteousness, because the foundations of their houses were not laid on rock, when the spirits of evil were stirred up against them and the storms of angels and demons came, at that hour they fell. And their fall was great. And when they labored over them, they left and went away, in the manner of a hired worker who, when he finds a warm place, flees from the work. And he is without wages. And like a prayer that has no answer, and like a loan that is not repaid. So then, how can you be strong, when you are weak? You are for your works in the basket of your reeds, and at the end of your life which is near, and in the remembrance of the judgment of the mighty of Gehenna, and the love of sin holds you guilty. And you are anxious. And it is upon your mind, that which is like arms and like a reaper who cuts upon it, and that which becomes a time of reaping and does not fail you. These things are considered.

Do not weary yourself with labors. Let the blow of your old age rule over you. Labor is a weapon and hairs in the battle against the evil one. Concerning those who labor, the Lord takes pity, and [...] there is no rest in his kingdom. And they rejoice in the success of their righteousness, and they are delighted by the just reward of their labors. The envious, however, are covered with shame. And when grace is placed, they are hidden. For many labors bring forth trust and hope towards Christ. And he also loves those who are far from him because of his name, and shows himself to them. And a distant heart does not forget God. Rather, he receives their repentance and settles them in joy. For the blessings of the hour of these labors. Set life before you, O Lord of the sign that is for God's sake, in the midst of the kingdom it will be done for you. And it will save you from sins, and from evil [...] it will deliver you. And it gives you health of soul, and it makes you worthy of the revelation of the face of the Son. The martyrdom of the brothers of the holy Mar Abraham, which is the death of the world, is a vision in the turning of your sign. And form the yoke of the kingdom in your desire, it will bring it in the benefits that are fitting for the wedding feast. Carry in your conduct the weight of hospitality, and labor in the evening, in the path of truth [...] Place gently the cup of separation, and clothe in affliction the shoots like a master. Carry the lock of the guests and the door, and do not be troubled. And offer thanksgiving that your laughter is of benefit. Carry your pains in joy, for your darkness is your song. And rejoice every hour in your thought. For your darkness is extinguished, and you are saved, and you are carried visibly on your shoulder, the cross that was for your victory.

Leave aside the dead, and go to the place of the living. Bear the yoke of your old age, and put to death the desire of your thought. Give completion to grace, and do not seek weariness for yourself. Bear radiance like Moses, and let your heart be emptied of iniquity. The light of its growth is from the Father; clothe your senses with your movements. Bear the truth within your heart, and show its secrets in your ways. The fire that consumes the Chaldeans shall be for you a victory. Bear the pain of humility, and wash away your sins in prayer. And a tear that moistens your cheek is fitting for the pain of affliction. Bear love like the doves, and know the weary in your purity. And the hand of the Church is for victory; it is a garment for you that you may not be submerged. Bear a sign like Elijah, and be patient in the faults of sinners. And the powers that were in the apostles are joined to you all your days. Bear the service of your masters, and say, "I am," while you are confessing. And the spirit that clothed Elisha is fitting for you, and you are alive. Bear the peace of David, and read in the books of grace. And the power of his strength for the mighty one, in the time of affliction, supports you. Bear the simplicity of thoughts. [...] of the sinners. And the mercy that is fitting for sinners is loosed from you, your loves. Bear while your limbs are rejoicing, and the prayer of repentance is in your adversary, and [...] that they helped the apostles in you, he is refreshed in the fullness. Again, the counsels of the virtue of the Lord Abraham of Nathpar: empty your heart and humble your thoughts. And send away the sin, do not be proud of the strength of your departure. Empty your thought of evil thought. And if you are oppressed and you are victorious, know that it is in the head that it afflicts you.

Rinse your heart from the thought of desire. And when you see your brother who has turned aside from you, stand before him. Beginning: cleanse your heart from the pride of baptism, and pray at all times, that your dwelling may be uprooted from its bitter root. Rinse your heart from the love of comforts, so that you do not give place to afflictions, and other harsh things that pass through you. Purify your heart from anger, so that bitterness does not rule over you, and the demons of one disturbance cast you at all times into distress. Purify your thought from the knowledge of the secret that he does, so that your mind is not occupied with it, and fill your path with stumbling blocks. Rinse your inner head from the rocks of boasting, lest you fall before the enemy at the gate, and a pit be dug for you. Elevate your mind from the desire for the flesh of women, so that you do not grind like millstones. And your afflictions are the light of your lamp. Awaken your soul, so that the world does not swallow you. For he does not make a wall over what falls into his hands. Learn to conquer your afflictions so that they do not enslave you. For if they conquer you, your dwelling is a narrow place in it. Lie with the righteous, so that nature may be driven from you. But if you conquer it, you are revealed from the vision of the spirit. Do not be ashamed if it is the spittle of the body. For this is the work of grace. You, however, how much you are troubled in your choice. Remember that in the beginning you were a slave to the yoke, subject through your mind to the cup, and ask for help in it. And do not be a wall of your return, that the Lord may bring you to his praise. Walk on the path of separation, so that your mind is not troubled. And from what is pure in the houses, take for yourself from it medicines. Guard your tongue from slander, and your mind from return.

Where humility begins, ask for the gift of prayer. Rest in silence its discipline, and teach it the life of fullness. And if one who is proud sets up a stumbling block, in anger he goes out from the truth. Do not be agitated by the vision of sacrifice, for sacrifice is a small thing that is offered. Offer yourself to that sweetness which no peace attains. Do not dwell with a jealous neighbor who has no fear, for the closeness to you separates you from God. Entrust your body to the one who gave you his body, and surrender yourself to the one who surrendered himself for the sake of redemption. Begin the world and it will go from you, for you know that it passes from you. That which is with you does not endure; why do you go after its business? Praise in everything and do not be diminished. And go out from it with the ancient head in the love of that intention. For he clothed himself in grace; do not fear from affliction. Do not mix a blemish with your truth, nor a lie with your faith. For the deed is not completed by praise alone; only glory ascends from it. Do not be a child until the end, but the word that you speak, complete it first in deed. For if your word is true and your actions are feet, what is seen and not wept over, that you loved darkness more than light? Do not let your bodily friend grieve you until the separation. He is heard for you, for he turns to dust. Leave them to weep and shed tears until the graves. Lament your inner friend with sighs, that even the Lord might be redeemed on the day of awakening from wrath. Do not let your mind be deceived by the sacrifice of helpers. For gold is left in the fire, and the penitent in the furnace of afflictions. But the son of the people, much is wasted upon his image.

so that it may not be corrupted by the stumbling block of counsel, and the signs with the discipline of its own, while its own is that of my Lord Abraham, the great pillar of truth. It is a light in which there is no darkness. Before all your passages, set truths; and before all your labors, set faith. For every person who does all his works in truths, the end of his works will be good. And everyone who performs his labors in faith, faith gives a hand to all holy labors. If someone says to you, "Truths, come to me," and there are no truths of deeds with him, he is a liar and there is no truth in him. And if someone says to you, "All who eat and drink to satiety, and wear fine garments, and practice the discipline of desire, and live with women, and minister to him the excess of holiness," he is a liar; do not believe him. For every person who is immersed in the fullness of the flesh and in the drinking of wine is a laborer of fornication. As also the scripture testifies, saying, "Everyone who sows in his flesh, from his flesh he reaps corruption." For there is nothing that is sown that does not grow, and nothing that is planted that is not born, and nothing that is formed that does not come forth, and nothing that is hidden that is not revealed, and nothing that is cast that is not found. For all the hiddenness of a person comes to light, and all the secrets of the senses come to revelation, and all their concealments before all the species are dispersed. And the wicked are ashamed in the works of their wickedness, and the righteous rejoice in the deeds of their righteousness. For see that these bodily works that are seen, which are of wickedness, corrupt this visible body. So also these evil hidden things that are not seen.

...so that it may not be corrupted by the stumbling block of counsel, and the signs with the discipline of its own, while its own is that of my Lord Abraham, the great pillar of truth. It is a light in which there is no darkness. It destroys that soul which is invisible. And if it says to you that everyone who dwells with his father and with his mother, and reads gold and silver in the coinage of the world and in the creatures of the ages, and in the error of fleeting wealth, he is a disciple of Christ, it is a liar—do not believe it. But if you do believe it, you will be deceived by its words, which are the words of the Messiah who said: "Everyone who does not separate from everything that is his, cannot become a disciple." And concerning one who does not leave his father and his mother, and his brothers and his sisters, and takes up his cross and comes after me, he is not to me. For no one can become a disciple of Christ unless he is lifted up in his victory and learns his craft, and takes up his cross and shares in his sufferings, and is exercised in the pattern of his death. Therefore, everyone who reads this world is a disciple of the world, and everyone who separates from this world is a disciple of Christ. Because of this, if the name of Christianity is called upon you, conduct yourself in ways that are fitting for you... and be guided. And do not, for the sake of your name, dishonor Christianity by your deeds. And if the name of virginity and holiness is called upon you, do deeds that are fitting for your name, and do not dishonor the name of virginity by your evil conduct. And if you are a son of the covenant, keep your covenant in a beautiful name; the covenant that you keep will keep you. If you are not careful with yourself, you will fall from your covenant. And the stone of the mountain will receive you because of this. If you wish to keep the holiness of truth, put on the armor of fasting, and be valiant in wakefulness, and be strengthened by the practice of vigils, and oppress yourself with hunger, and afflict the body with thirst, and dry up the moisture of your sleep.

...darkness. For in the body, which is fragile and weak, the crown of holiness shines. And in the flesh, the course of nature is constricted. And in the body, moist and fleshy, the fire of lust blazes. Therefore, if the crown of holiness is to be contested in you, a contest is prepared for you to enter, and you must struggle with the desire of your body, and with the hearing of your members, and you shall win the contest of the belly and the battle of the loins, and you shall draw near with the vision of the day and with the hour of the night. For there is no crown without a contest, and no victory without a battle, and no causes without races, and no reward without labor, and no life without toil, and no comfort without mourning, and no breaths without affliction. For everyone who leaves this world for the sake of Christ, he goes and inherits the world of his will. He is cast among the chosen. Everyone who leaves the kingdom of the earth, he goes and inherits the kingdom of heaven. Everyone who leaves a father of the body, he becomes a son to the Father in heaven. Everyone who leaves a mother of flesh, he becomes a son to the womb of holiness. Everyone who leaves brothers and sisters, he becomes a brother to the Messiah. Everyone who leaves a table of earth, he is seated and delights at the table of the kingdom. Everyone who leaves the treasury of the earth, he enters the treasury of light. Everyone who leaves earthly wealth, he acquires heavenly wealth. Everyone who leaves his city and his village, he goes and inherits the Jerusalem of heaven.

...everything, then, that leaves behind the fleeting things that die, the desires that fall, the beauty that fades, the youth that passes, the pleasure that ceases, the bloom that withers into old age, and the joy that changes into bitterness—goes to receive in exchange for them a world that does not pass away, a satiety that does not diminish, a beauty that does not fade, a youth that does not grow old, a childhood that does not change, a garment of glory and a crown of light, a standard of honor, a throne of the kingdom, which does not pass away and is never dissolved. But if you wish to be victorious in the contest of old age and to be crowned with the crown of virginity, let your entire battle be with yourself, and your entire struggle with the desire of your body. Restrain your soul from its enticements, and cut it off from its lusts. Do not go after its counsels, do not listen to its disturbances, do not follow its suggestions, do not trust its promises, and do not let yourself be deceived by the abundance of its words. For it speaks but does not act, and promises but does not fulfill, and vows but does not release, and makes covenants but breaks them, and leads you on with empty hope and deludes you with vain trust. It flees from fasting and is destroyed by vigil, and is healed by many prayers, but it is deceitful and boasts of the pains and illnesses of the body. It flees from the service of solitude and boasts of bodily labors. It fears confinement and flees from the struggle of the mind. It loves rest and leisure, and is pleased by evil thoughts. It clings to vanities and flies through the air.

...leaves behind the divine pasture, which raises her to the high height of heaven, and clings to evil passions. These cast her down into the lower depths. She flees from those who are perfected in her through fasting, and goes after those who sink her into the lower depths. She fears instruction and flees from discipline. She supports those who cover her, and loves those who praise her. She flees from the chaste and clings to the dissolute. She loves silence, and loves idle chatter. She flees from hearing the words of God, and desires to hear worldly tales. When she hears the words of the holy scriptures, she is pained and weeps; but when she hears the words of worldly tales, she is joyful and rejoices. When she stands in vigil, her strength is exhausted and her thought is destroyed; but when she goes to work, her thought is roused and strengthened. Against fasting she wrinkles her face. She loves spiritual pleasure and loves bodily pleasure. She fears spiritual labor that enriches her, and loves bodily labors that wear her out. She is awake to bodily things that kill her, and sleeps to spiritual things that give her life. When you give her rest, she is not satisfied; and when you give her desires, she does not say "enough." When her desire for many passions is removed, she asks you for trifles; and when you give her trifles, she asks you for great things. When she is relieved from afflictions, she asks you for a few passions. How many times have you cast her down below! And when she is raised up through you, she ascends above. Above, however, the bond of the mind, the polluted one, has cast her down so that she might ascend.

...leaves behind the divine pasture, which raises her to the high height of heaven, and clings to evil passions. These cast her down into the lower depths. She flees from those who are perfected in her through fasting, and is cast down beneath the desire of the body. For the pleasures of the body easily overcome her, and the pleasures of the spirit easily enter her. Such is the life of the soul that is clothed in the body. Because of this, do not listen to her, and if she is not pleasing to you, do not believe her, and if she does not lead you astray, many are her sayings and her interpretations. She hastens you towards bodily things, that you may quickly fall into sins, and she suspends you by empty hope concerning spiritual things. Concerning food and drink and sleep and rest, she urges you to pass quickly through them, and concerning vigil and fasting and prayer, she makes you delay and not pass through. And everything that is easy she presents, and everything that is difficult she hides. And everyone who believes her in everything she says is ensnared by her. And she sets up emptiness and vanity from all the works of the fear of God and righteousness. And again, make war with your body. Bind him with fetters, and subdue him with fasting, and crucify him on the cross, and take away his weapon from him, which is his food and drink and sleep and rest. And oppress him with hunger, and afflict him with thirst, and crucify him with vigil, and weary him with labors, and exhaust him with toil. And let him be satisfied with his hunger and his thirst and his labor and his toil, and his war will cease from you. For it is fitting for you that he be satisfied with bread, and not that he be satisfied with sins; and it is fitting for you that he seek water in his thirst, and not that he seek impurity. For if you gratify your body, he will oppress you; and if you honor him, he will diminish you; and if you please him, he will make you wretched; and if you release him from his bonds, he will bind you with evil passions.

...leaves behind the divine pasture, which raises her to the high height of heaven, and clings to evil passions. These cast her down into the lower depths. She flees from those who are perfected in her through fasting, a For he is the lord of the novices, and he follows his own pleasures insatiably. By day he seeks his food and drink, and by night his sleep and his pleasure, and the place of his eating and his drinking, his hour and his leisure. He wastes away in night and day, and it does not seem right to him to serve God. The whole world labors for the sake of the body, which is wretched, and for it he performs service. For its sake the earth, for its sake the sea is crossed, seed is sown and reaped for its sake, fruits and produce for its sake, animals and cattle for its sake, birds and fish for its sake. For its sake, indeed, evil deeds are done, war one with another. The cravings of the body are satisfied, and its desire is for plunder and spoils, murder and theft for its sake. They pass through sufferings, and it is not enough for it that the whole world performs service for it, but even the chosen ones of God, those who have left the broad world, those who have despised the desires of the earth, [...] they have risen from the table of the body and have denied themselves the foods of their pleasures. And in all their vain glory and their empty zeal and their foot-washing, they desire to be in his services, and they are idle from the [...] of God. And David says that they should not make the crossings of righteousness. Those, however, who know his tricks, despise his life and flee from his wiles, and serve God in truth. Therefore, be alert as one who is to overtake, and seek as one who is to find, and strive as one who is to conquer, so that you may approach as one who is to save your soul, and do battle as one who is to receive a crown. By his power and the temptations that are against you, he strengthens himself, and he arrays himself in all the weapons he has. If you become weak, he casts you down; and if you become strong, you conquer him. And if you become firm, you overcome him; he falls upon you and defeats you.

...leaves behind the divine pasture, which raises her to the high height of heaven, and clings to evil passions. These cast her down into the lower depths. She flees from those who are perfected in her through fasting, a If you nourish her, she will starve you. And if you rouse your spirit and strengthen your mind, you will conquer her and rule over him, and holy power will strengthen you. And if you take refuge in God, he will be your savior. And when you trust in him with all your heart and all your strength, and believe in him, he in his mercy will help you in everything you call upon him for. To him are praise, honor, thanksgiving, and worship, from the mouth of all rational beings forever and ever. It belongs to Mar Abraham. An exhortation and warning, with ascetic discipline, to the solitary brothers. Do not forget when the pains of the pure one come upon you, because his guests are the ways of the body and are harsh. And do not again stand in the breaking of hope, when you fall into sins. For you yourself are the blind one of repentance, and grace covers the deficiency. Do not be humiliated from its nearness, the quarter of the wild ass, because even the strong one is conquered in prayer. When he sins, the door is not opened for him. For this is the pain of the chief of priests of your thanksgiving, that from the living one of his victory all the troubles of the evil one are nullified. Do not be separated from your mind when your nature seeks its difficulty. A small thing fills you, and it does not leave you leisure. In every affliction that befalls you, cast yourself before God and be humbled. For there is not one border from which the sinner perishes. Do not lower your gaze from the height, and do not let the mind of the solitary one stray from your heart. And every man, a limit to [...] you, and to the reward of deeds. Do not abandon the holy calling that you have not been established in. And do not abandon the good teaching that you have learned. Be established in the hope of kings, and be strengthened by the reward of deeds.

...and flees from the fire of afflictions, and escapes from the weeping of the world. Remember the great ones of God, and the brother of the beloved of the Father, and the son of the promise of the apostles, and the son of the gift of the martyrs, and the son of the table of the confessors, and the son of the covenant of the saints, and the son of the ladder of the ascetics, and the son of the delight of the priests, and the son of the praises of the angels, and the son of the wings of the cherubim, and the son of the assembly of the seraphim, and the son of the gift of the Lord Messiah, and the melody of his bridal chamber of the Only One, and the son of the camps of the heavenly priests, and the son of the dwelling of the heavenly Jerusalem. While you ascend in your thought, do not fall into the works of darkness; and you are confirmed in your steadfastness, and impure thoughts do not trouble you. Consider why you were called, and behold, it is not so. Seek for yourself the empty air. Do not look to the wise of the flesh, who are estranged from you by the vanities of time. Look to the youths who grow old with you in the fear of the spirit, and direct your way. Do not be weary of hearing the words of poets and the songs of the righteous, the teachings of the philosophers. Flee to the scribes of the ascetics, and bind up your pains with the blessing of the soul. Why do your life's days go to waste before God? Always be vigilant in your conduct, so that repentance may be renewed in your heart. The measure of love is truth, and the knowledge of faith is the treasury. The soul that ascends from the living, why does it clothe itself in Christ? Voices to the earth and words to the hearing. And if the conduct of the living is sound, it is a house that builds upon the sand. The soul that keeps the covenant distinguishes the righteous from the humble, and the heart that runs from love is a seed that falls upon a rock. The fear of God does not dwell in a person who is driven by every spirit.

...and loved the victorious womb. Because he abandoned his life, he adorns his womb with all the good fruits of the discipline of the heart. And especially he is with the brothers who love humility. The portion of Mar Abraham. The love of this world is a stumbling block to God, a hindrance to the spirit and a disturbance to the vision. The lusts of the flesh are a snare. Do not let the sickness of nature take hold of you. Cover your womb with fasting and prayer, so that the remembrance of the Lord does not stray from your heart. Pray at all times, so that you do not fall into the snare of the enemy. Bear the beauty of the virtues, so that the sickness of ignorance does not take hold of you. Crush your soul with afflictions, so that the right hand of the Most High may hover over you. Shed bitter tears before the Judge, so that the bond of your sins may be loosened. Abandon the joy of time and worldly pleasures, so that you may be worthy of the knowledge of the saints. Speak so that the sons of man do not take you captive by their words, so that the evil demons may be far from you. Hasten your life of time to the hand of your Creator, so that the works of darkness may be far from you. Be enriched from the treasures of the world of truth, so that you may be refreshed at the table of Lazarus. Choose your standing for that one who sacrificed himself for you, so that you may lean on his mercy in the supplication on the last day. Be diligent in the books of grace, so that you may know the pasture in the narrow path that leads to the kingdom. Help those whom death is taking away. And be enriched by the treasures that are stored in heaven. Abandon praise and do not fear disgrace. For you are dead to the world of those who are not aware. Lengthen your vision from the burden of the world, so that your joy does not become your stumbling block. The deceits of the world, the work of the one who is not to be trusted, are falsehoods against God.

Because at all times he is a son of the fear of the Trinity. Flee from before you the thoughts of vainglory. Restrain your soul from desire, lest it lead you astray in the intoxication of love. Close the door of pleasure, that the door of pride may not be opened against you. Stop your ears from the slanderous rumors that are about the word of the Only-begotten, lest your tongue become a fountain of blasphemies. Keep away from the company of the freeborn, and live with the humble and trust in him. Do not suppose that there is a wise man, but rather learn from the one who has learned the work of unity. For this reason, this man of God will be reckoned to you. Humble yourself that you may be exalted. Be poor that you may be rich. Be hungry that you may be filled. Be thirsty that you may be satisfied. Be spent that you may be renewed. Be diminished that you may be praised. Be pressed that you may be expanded. Be stripped that you may be clothed. Be blind that you may see. Die that you may live. Be martyred that you may be glorified. Fast that you may be resplendent. Grieve that you may rejoice. Pray that you may be redeemed. Again, that you may be healed. Seek that you may find. Knock that it may be opened to you. Be still that you may attain. Labor that you may be enriched. Give that it may be given to you. Love that you may be loved. Bear your cross that you may be crowned in glory. Mortify your body and cool your members. Practice silence and flee from tumults. Cut off the staff and put on the spirit of humility. Abandon the desires of women, and be a virgin who is praiseworthy. Loosen the purse of money and stretch out your hand in the poverty of spirit to the needy. Weep over your soul in your life, that you may not ask for tears in the house of judgment and not be answered. Be light and constrained in your will, that you may not thirst like a rich man who has no [restraint] for the air. Let your soul be despised in your eyes. Be zealous that you may live in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Image You are the one who is raised above the world. Strive in beautiful actions, and you will become a praise-worthy man for your excellent pattern, a painter who is not skilled in his knowledge, or who does not resemble a yoke. He makes his work a mockery. You, however, whose likeness is the painter of all beauties, be adorned in the garments of excellence, so that your pretext does not scatter your painter and destroy the beauty of your form. Conceal your likeness and your form in the actions of your works, and show its beauty [...] hidden in the purity of your thoughts. Reveal it to the hidden in your wisdom, and strengthen its power in your truth. Launch forth fear with your tears, and groan over your possessions with your patience. Silence the talkative with your silence, and shame the disorderly with your fast. Awaken the sleeping with your vigil, and encourage sinners with your appearance. Shame the rich with your humility, and humble the wealthy with your poverty. Be a memorial to the world, and reveal the power of love. Banish anger from your heart, and clothe your soul in humility. Restrain your tongue from slander, and sing praises to the hidden one. Diminish your dwelling from gold, so that the spirit of the Lord may dwell in you. Advise yourself concerning your belly, so that its snares of envy may be cut off from you. Be merciful from the abundance of words that are without deeds, for there is no profit in them. Do not trust in voices without actions, because they are spurs to the anger of God. Do not sleep in shame, lest you be clothed in rags on the day of judgment. Subdue the desire of your body, so that the enemy does not rise up against you as before. Send the wine to its cellars, and do not be a beloved guest to it, lest your secrets be revealed in a place of blood and pains.

Do not give life to your desires, for at every time evil is in the balances. Do not open the door to bodily life, lest your city and your praise be captured by your enemy, and you not be seen in words while you are revealed by deeds, lest you be found wanting in the feast for which you have no portion. Sow for yourself good seed in the fields of speech, so that you may not be barren in a place where it is not possible to be cultivated with difficulty. Light your lamp when it is full of the oil of compassion and mercy, so that your helper may not be extinguished in the [...] of the veils of light. Block death from every side. Ask for mercy while you are alive, so that judgment may not be passed on you and you go and fall among prisoners. Strip yourself of bodily love for the daughter of Eve, and do not stand, for men are lost through her snare. Do not let your gaze go outside the boundaries of continence, lest your enemy [...] you through darkness and cast you down from your station. Do not let your mind stray outside the path of the cross, lest the sides gain power over you and take your treasures from you. Do not tremble at the way that goes to Jericho and leave the light. Complete, O image, your crucifiers are armies, and your wounds will not heal again. This is the teaching of Mar Abraham the teacher to the brothers who walk in his path of the head of peace. For it is a new commandment of the voice of the penitent. Place in your heart the truth of faith, for it is the way of life that leads you to the heavenly Jerusalem. Build for yourself a tower of good works; then you will arrive at the place of spiritual peace and tranquility.

Place for yourself a good treasure and its wealth of love. Sell yourself, clothe yourself in glorious, living garments of pride [...]. And an indestructible weapon. Place for yourself a [...]. Abundance in heavenly treasuries, and not to be overcome [...]. Your spiritual commerce. Guard in your mind the commandments of [...]. By the proclamation of the one who saves. And behold, you are not afraid of [...]. Of the knowledge of the Most High. Walk victoriously while you are led astray in the air. By the peace of Christ, and the pain of the body shall not rule over you on the day. Of the recompense of deeds. Do not be troubled by the desire of the body [...]. And drunkenness. Your soul and your body shall be the Lord's. And He will fill. Your small needs at the time. Do not at all mingle with [...]. And with the dead. Because of their great opposition [...]. But as is fitting in the mystery of the kataphasis, the whole turning. Is easy: and complete the fear of God in deeds like [...]. [Good]. Conduct yourself like the sun. And let your mind be. [Humble. And in...] full of your deeds, pleasing to God. [And in] word, ask for mercy like a sinner. For if not. [Victorious] are the humiliations of suffering and the tears of separation: to him is the turning. Of the freedom of the inner person: seek the one of deeds, the hidden ones. And the weakness of nature: and when sin is not perceived, how many times: To him the penitent person. Therefore, let not the mind of a man be exalted. By wonders. For they are not victories but the grace. And its dispensation, the son of life. When they fall in its victorious beginnings. He has provisions for a painful journey, that he may leave sins to the penitent. When they knock at his door. Do not go on the path of the many. Who go on it.

Do not go to the place of darkness. But go on that path which, even if it is narrow at its beginning, is joyful at its end. Do not enter a house that is honored for its walls and the beauty of its youths. But establish for yourself shelters from the storms of the seasons for the sake of God, through which even the clouds that rain upon the gate of life are received. And rejoice with me in the place of wonder. Take for yourself a way of humility. A high voice. A gentle speaker. Teaching [...]. A vision of asceticism. A solitary gaze. A divine laughter. A humble garment. A small old age. A perfect love. [...] writings. The service of the Psalms in the separation of the fervent [...]. The diligence of the purity of thoughts. These are fitting to be acquired [...] from the world and for the solitary dwellers. Do not give place [...] to the stranger. And not to the evil one. There are those who are freed. But [...] slanderers, with ease to strike, and with wantonness again to hear. To love the good and beautiful thing, even if it is spoken against a person who does not possess it. Not because of him, but because of the beauty of the beautiful one and the zeal for her. But to hate the evil thing with all one's might. And do not let it have even a small place. Even in truth itself, so that you do not think that you are pursuing the place of [...] Do not [...] the judgment of the just. And do not hold anger against enemies. For there is one who pursues and also follows. Do not approach the altar with a sacrifice, and do not take a censer upon the head. For the Lord does not desire the sorrow of these: that his commandment be broken, and that judgment receive forgiveness.

because thus he said[...] that you should not even let your virtues be like those of a certain living[...] he seeks the gate of the house of the magi. Before [...] he seeks forgiveness. For if the victor seeks contests upon his crosses, how much more do sinners seek to do [...] all his guilty ones. Do not hold a grudge in the heart, but turn a strong face upward. Lightly you will be weaned from your side, as if you cannot taste the poison of death in a moment, and it will not destroy you. Thus also anger cannot find rest in the soul, and it will not do harm. [Something] a sign is not for you. Nor in the world [...] do not be disturbed [...] in childhood. Nor [...] in voices. When the beginning of it from the life of time? How is it worn in one of these? Do not pass it by in your thought for a day you have not yet seen. For it is not known whether life is in it or not. Of Mar Abraham. [...] and lordship and fears with the strong ones of the brothers the guilty. He says, for my beloved, the enemy. And small [...] against [...] and against the hard and the afflicted are prepared [...] you shall be. For from him they are, and he does not approach. With the captivity of the captor, the sons of light therefore are not afraid of him. Because darkness flees from anything light. And if he is able over them [...] he conquers them by fasting in the manner of a redeemer. And if you desire [...] you will contend with them. Take their eyes [...] of the heavens. And if by persuasion he wishes to deceive you, do not set him up as a teacher.

And if he desires to contend in a manly manner, he shows himself to the evil ones and stands against them. And if he desires to enter upon them at the hour, they are stirred up and conquer him. And if by quietness he humbles himself, they give him [...] to the ascetics. And if he enters upon them like a gentle one, they do not taste him, so that they know that his bitterness [...] And if by the desire to show himself he is inflamed, they dwell with him alone and not with the sons of the show. Beloved brothers, the gate is open, the way is headlong, and the spring is great and gives drink to the thirsty. The table is set, the feast is prepared, the ox of fat is small, the cup of salvation is mixed, and the balsam is prepared, and the bride is near to the bridegroom. The apostles have sung, and the readers have prepared the glory. The chosen ones have prepared themselves. The light has shone, and it is great and beautiful. Garments not made by hands are prepared. The bowls are near. The graves are opened. The treasures are revealed. The dead rise, and the living fly to the way of the king who is glorified. The dead is straight. The censers are fragrant. The trumpets sound. The watchers of heaven run. The throne is prepared for the victor. The thunder is one, and the lightning does not lie. The sons of the sea and the mysteries, and the blood of [...] weeps and laments. They have sacrificed the light that is glorified, and the darkness is scattered, and they seek their own destruction and are scattered, and there is no knowledge of them. Grace passes by, and the voice of counsel, there is no repentance in that place. The winter has drawn near, and the summer of labor has passed. The Sabbath of rest is coming. The world is at peace, and the night has ceased. The light reigns. Death is abolished.

...bles remain. He walks to Sheol in grief, and his eyes are darkened. He sees the kingdom, and he rejoices and exults and glorifies. Those who have no shame serve with the goats of heaven. Therefore, set your heart, my brother, diligently to what I say to you: that like cold water to a thirsty soul, so are words of spirit to a good soul; and like the setting of the sun to the eyes, so is the thought of God to a strong soul; like a house filled with good treasures, so is a head rich in good works; like a lamp that illumines the whole house, so does fear penetrate the soul of the heart; and like a house of rest, a peaceful dwelling that is established in wisdom, so does one who establishes his standing in the saving remedies of the life-giving mysteries of the Savior; like good earth, flourishing in its fruits and its flowers, so does one who speaks in the endurance of the Lord in [...] fruits and solid warnings. To the lover of beautiful things, before all things it is fitting for him upon whom the work of Christ is placed that his faith be straight, and that he be diligent in fasting and prayer, and that he shine in the love of Christ, and that he be humble and tranquil and meek, and that his word be gentle and pleasant, and that he be pure in his unity with all, and that he speak his words with attention, and that he set a guard on his mouth from boastful words, and that he love a restrained laugh and not a hasty one, and that he not be angry at the reproofs of sisters, and again that his hair not be cut, and that he not anoint himself with pleasant oils, and that he not be supported by ointments.

...and he should not wear filthy garments. Nor should he work on donkeys. And he should distance himself from the vain pursuit of profit. And he should not be ashamed of [...] He should not strike his hands together. And he should remove from himself the tongue of slander. And he should remove from himself anger and wrath. And he should cast away from himself the lips of deceit. And the words that are spoken about a man: when the one who speaks about him is not near, he does not hear, nor does he wait. Anxiety is a bitter death, and it is not fitting to bring it to mind. And he should not be a usurer, taking interest. And he should not be vexed by injustice. He should be cunning, but not deceitful. And he should laugh away confusion. And he should not speak the words of a fool. And he should not mock a man who repents of his sins. And he should not reproach his brother who fasts. And he should not be ashamed of what he cannot attain. In a place where he is accepted, he is hidden; and in a place where he is not received, he [...] himself. In a gathering where his word is accepted, he speaks; but if not, he is silent, and because of his belly, he does not boast of himself in anything. And he does not reveal his secret because of his fear of God. And he is wary of the evil one. And he does not speak evil of anyone behind his back. And he does not even [...] his contempt. And thus he is spread out, so that he has no complete rest. And when he does good deeds, he adds to his good ones. And because of his error, he is not confounded. And when he has, he gives to the poor and rejoices; and when he has not, he does not grieve. And with an evil man, he is not his companion. And with a contentious man, he does not speak, so that he does not give himself over to contention. And with a blasphemous man, he does not [...] so that he is not burned by his matter. And with a glutton, he is despised. And he does not share with a man in vain pursuits.

...he should not wear filthy garments. Nor should he work on donkeys. And he should distance himself from the vain pursuit of profit. And he should not be ashamed of [...] He should not strike his hands together. And these are fitting for solitaries: those who receive the yoke of the evening and are repentant. Thus it is fitting for them to resemble their master, so that when he was rich he made himself poor, and when he was high he made himself low, and when he was his own, heaven and earth were not for him a place [where he could...] his head. Awaken yourself, my beloved, my selves. Beloved is chastity, a gift from heaven. The mixture with [...] height. For there is nothing that is ashamed of it. In those who are thus, Christ dwells. The sacrifice of the zealot approached him. The fig tree put forth leaves and its branches came out. The signs that the Saviour gave began to be fulfilled. For he said, "Kingdom against kingdom, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes and deaths by the sword." And all these are in our days fulfilled. Or the virgins who humble themselves before Christ: when one of the sons of the covenant said to one of [...] who would complete with me and serve them, thus he said to him, "I am a hired man of the king, and I am his servant. My hired man was angry with me, and he wrote me a bill of divorce and dismissed me from his house. And you come to be honoured by me, and I by you; a firebrand has come between me and you. Let not a fire be placed in your heart and burn your ribs. But be in honour alone, and I alone in my honours. And you prepare couches for the king's feast, and I prepare oil to enter with the wise, so that I not be detained outside with the crowds." My body is subjugated and enslaved, as Paul said, lest I be one who preaches without works. I stand and am detained.

...he should not wear filthy garments. Nor should he work on donkeys. And he should distance himself from the vain pursuit of profit. And he should not be ashamed of [...] He should not strike his hands together. And the servant should make himself a servant, subject and submissive. And he should not give himself according to his own will, that he might wear and [...] and be humiliated. And he should not give himself to vain glory as to a master, but to labour and toil and weariness, and to vigils and watchings, with many fasts, with prayers, with petitions, and with powerful groans, with many and sharp vigils, with humility before the Lord, with patience and with endurance. And he should pass his life so that, like a servant, he honours everyone, while standing before everyone. He should make himself run on his feet like a servant, and the enemies should not perceive him in the matter. And he should bow his head before one who is smaller than him, just as the Lord bowed his head and was baptised by John, who was the servant of his bride. It is fitting for the teacher that he should do likewise also for one who is smaller than him. The servant should make the feet of his enemies be bound, and he should ask after the health of his neighbours. The servant should make himself honour his brothers and his sisters, and his [...] and his lords and his fathers, just as that good master called his servants brothers, and to his disciple he called 'my companion'. But if to his disciple he called 'my companion', how then did he call to his friend? He should bring him to a place where he does not wish to be with his companions, so that they do not perceive him, that he might perform the works of servants like a servant of everyone. When the Lord performed [works] for the evil and the crucified who persecuted him, and these the servant should do, that he might not be marked by sin, for he is contending with evil ones both outside and inside, and with the limbs of his body.

...he should not wear filthy garments. Nor should he work on donkeys. And he should distance himself from the vain pursuit of profit. And he should not be ashamed of [...] He should not strike his hands together. And the Brothers, the farmers have plowed and sown the fruits. And now the harvest of the eternal life is being gathered. My beloved, the time has come to be zealous for it. And no one is able to care for his soul as much as he cares for the world. And just as no one can look with one eye to heaven and the other to earth, so too cannot a person care for God and for the world. Fear God, as one who gives thought to his passing. For just as a tree cannot give fruit without planting, so too cannot a person be established without humility. He who cares for his soul, even from small pleasures [...] He who loves God, nothing in the world separates him from Him. For it is written: "Who separates from the love of Christ?" Or to the cross, or to the sign, with the rest. Again, concerning snares and traps of Satan, and the laxity and weakness of the righteousness of our Lord Abraham. For the beautiful ones from the world in the name of the monastery. And when they were tested, they placed their censers in the straw of the threshing floor. They fell and were caught in the traps of destruction. Flee from the counsel of the evil one who divides the goods among the merchants. For he is cunning. For first he places bait on his trap for the hunt: and first he loves his bait. Like Judas who kissed and killed. For that one, if you establish him, he will repay you with a fall. The body, if you give life to its death, it will turn and become death for your life. In the hands of a man who lives, he is a mourner. For not at the hour of sin does he seek him. And because of that, the sign comes to the soul because of two things: that if you come, a man gives counsel to his child; and if he is the one who teaches his disciple to go out with the spirit.

...he should not wear filthy garments. Nor should he work on donkeys. And he should distance himself from the vain pursuit of profit. And he should not be ashamed of [...] He should not strike his hands together. And the confession of all your faults is the salvation of the soul, so that you may take with it its testimony to the house of judgment. Teach the body repentance, and not the salvation of the soul is the beginning of all things. For repentance is the physician of your soul. The salvation of the soul, however, is this firm thing: that you come and you quell its pains at every hour. Or, O young woman of the running courses, do not complete your sins with the vain stirrings of the members of the body. For he who works with you and completes your strength will leave you. That you may come to the contempt of your old age. Or the youth that sinned against you in the arena of righteousness—its crown adorns your old age. For just as a shining victor is able to enter the temple in which he serves, so also is a humble shepherd able to purify the body from all shameful deeds and from evil thoughts, and to make it a humble vessel, as it is written: "with which the covering of the heart of the dwelling of its sickness is woven," and he prepares every good and perfect work. By the grace and mercies of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom is glory and whose mercies are for eternal worlds. Amen. Amen. The demonstrations of the virtues of the excellence of our Lord Mar Abraham. Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so are words of spirit to a good soul. And like the rising of the sun to the eyes, so is the splendor of God to a good soul. And like a great house filled with good treasures, so is a head small in good works. And like a lamp that illuminates the whole house, so is the fear of God in the soul. And like a place of rest, a cool shelter that is established in wisdom, so is he who establishes his standing in the commandments of the Savior.

...like good, fertile land that is barren of fruits and flowers, so is a man who speaks with patience. Again, the signs of the loaves for the poor: those who have ceased their hope and surrendered themselves to the service of humility and to the scattered desires; and their ways are always open, and their friends are the winds that scatter, which are like land that is fallow. For the desert that is pleasant is like a single day. For a vineyard without fruit. For empty clothing. For a body without form. For eyes without light. He does not accept the faces of glory, and they are adorned with the rays of their righteousness, which are like a broken cistern, for the wasps that are gathered. For a tree without fruit. For a naked head. For clothing that is tattered. For wood that is cast into the fire. For the remainder of desires that are consumed by their own filth. He does not accept the one who is not vigilant with his tongue. He is like one who opens the doors of his house, and from everyone his poverty is revealed. And like a garment of wine that does not cover. And like something that is not good, against those who are ruled by evil thoughts, and evil thoughts arise in their hearts, which are like a dwelling place of beasts. And for a high place of darkness that is lowly and murderous. For a ship that is tossed by waves. For land that is full of forest and thorns that rise up and choke it. He does not accept the one who does not subdue his form. He is like a wild beast that is not tamed, which is a terror to all. And he is beautiful in appearance. Again, concerning one who cares for himself and becomes a burden to others. To justify oneself before the need of one who hastens to the people. For the small who are wise and the great who are simple. For a lamp that is bright. For a guide of good things. For an angel of God.

...like the mouth of a dyer. And like a father of God, toil in all changes of affliction for yourself, so that you do not become weary and do not abandon yourself. And so that you may be a cause for those who desire to be raised up through you. For this reason, I give you this counsel: from the time you chose your youth for yourself to take up the good yoke of discipline upon the shoulder of your righteousness, this will help you: that you sit in your solitude in stillness, while you are separated from the business of men and from the cares of the world, and from the vain distractions of these worldly things. And make yourself like dust in your humility before every man. For you know that there is a reward for your labors. And make your course a house of judgment for your standing, and a place of struggle with companions and with evil pains. And let it be a hunting ground for pride and kingdom, death and life, sinners and righteous, and an unquenchable fire and the glory of the chaste, and outer darkness, and the strength of years and an immortal covenant, and the splendor of the righteous and the joy of the desired one, and the passion of the Lord and the memory of his resurrection, and the salvation of creatures. And [...] it to your small dwelling. And the font of baptism and of repentance and forgiveness of sins. And bathe in it at evening and at morning, and at all hours and vigils. And polish, and refine, and purify the blemishes of your soul. For if you are negligent, a new birth is born in repentance, and you cast off the old head with all its transformations and [...] and its desires, and you put on a new conduct of after the resurrection, you cannot enter into the kingdom of God. And let your dwelling be separated from superfluities. One of two things will happen to you: either you will be found worthy in these things, or you will be turned away.

...like the mouth of a dyer. And like a father of God, toil in all changes of affliction for yourself, so that you do not become weary and do not abandon yourself. And so that you may be a cause for those who desire to be saved. Or when you are darkened in yourself, be vigilant and increase your pain. See that you do not, for the sake of honour and profit which come upon the limbs, cast yourself into evil battle. Every desire of the will is that of the proud; do not be troubled. Sufficient for you is the battle of your afflictions. Heal your afflictions. Heal and be patient in your dwelling-place. Those who tremble in the fear of God—He who knows your sitting, your entering, your going out, and all your conduct—you were a mother in the ascetic life, and manly in the time of the night-watches, that you might be [...] a time receiving like a victor, that you might be joined to your Lord, who was a suppliant in the prayer of God. In the time of silence, all voices are stilled. You, fill your mouth with praise and your tongue with thanksgiving. While others lie prostrate like the dead on their beds, you, form in your standing the wakefulness of the resurrection. The night which for others is darkness, for you is like the day. Instead of others who are drunk with it in the night, you, be drunk with the love of God. In the night in which silver and gold are gathered, you, gather the kingdom like a merchant. In the night in which sinners toil in evil deeds like their [...] you, toil for your profit. And when the morning dawns, you [...] with all. Work with the merchants, and with the shepherds offer gifts, and with the farmers work, and with the shepherds of the flock, and with the stewards build, and with the travellers travel on the roads, and with the fishers of [...] fish, and with the sailors sail, and with the forgers forge, and with the abandoners abandon. And all the shamefulness of the world is upon your standing. And then the merciful one in his gifts and rich in all that is called to him, lightly comes to you and strips you. And you are clothed.

...the good qualities of the discipline of truth shine in you. And your labor is refined. And before you there is a cause for the pure one. [...] The difficult one for the opening. And your beginning teaches you in [...] And you anticipate that conduct which is future. And you fulfill the will of God, as in heaven so also on earth. And according to the conduct of your ways, your knowledge also increases, and your vision is abundant. And you are worthy of the vision of the spirits. Again, concerning visions and revelations, the saints of [...] Ephrem speak, because it makes the head [...] He says now: The causes of visions and revelations are like a demonstration: that the cause is one thing, for there are those who see revelations and those who do not, when they are equal in their conduct. And there are those who surpass their companions in labors, yet are not worthy of the vision of the spirits like [...] them. The first cause is this: the vision of revelations is faith, which is of the soul. And because not everyone has that faith, not everyone sees revelations. The cause of the second is this: because necessity, as the ancients saw, was simple because necessity was. Not only the virtuous, but also the evil, like Balaam the diviner and magicians along with the rest. The third cause is like the weakness of the mighty, in the likeness of Jacob when he feared from Esau. And like Stephen and his companions at the time of their stoning. The fourth cause is because of the vigilance and purity of a person over himself. For thus are the senses when the waters are many and the depths come; when, however, they are dried up and clear.

Thus, when the sons of men weigh their hearts with humility and with spiritual vision, and with the many and various kinds of thoughts, their perceptions are darkened. And they are not able to see the divine visions, while their bodies are immersed in the heaviness of the hour. Those, however, who separate themselves from all these things, because their body is light, are vigilant over the movements of their soul and shine like brilliant stars. They are equal to the revealed cause [...] the thought is. For concerning this thought, one reflects with certainty in [...] and with angels and with the light that is in it, it is divided; and [...] of the truth in it, the righteous; and they are equal in grace, for even in brotherhood it is sweetened like: magnanimity, gentleness of speech, and tenderness of heart make a man like his Lord's word. The cause of [...] his humility, so that a man does not consider himself in [...] and because he humbles himself, his Lord raises him to the height of inheritance and [revelation], and he does not [despise]. Those, however, who trust in themselves that they are righteous, if they see a revelation, they see the loss of their labors. And they put an end to their hope. And because they are in their own causes, there are visions that are shown from God. Do not be disturbed if you see something. I wish to inform you of the distinction between true visions and false ones, and between those from God and those from Satan. For when it is clear that it is from God or from angels, one who sees it at the beginning is filled with joy and moved to praise. His body stands still and his face is radiant. And he burns with love and stands in awe. And his gaze is fixed on the ground, and his breathing is gentle and slow. In a vision, however, that is false and from the evil one.

At the hour when the tempter stirs in him, the soul is troubled and becomes filled with fear. And the heart of the man dries up. And at the hour when he looks up to the heavens, he is like a man who is about to be killed. And the hairs of his head stand on end. And visions such as cannot be described appear to him concerning true visions, nor even concerning the feet that are written about. For indeed, nothing at all is hidden from him who contends with adversaries, lest the word of the Scripture that says "he reveals his secrets" be fulfilled against him. For like Helios, wisdom is asked from above and given to him. And what is lacking in you, he is able to supply through the prayers of the fathers. But I, for my part, to say that this disturbs me here, I submit and I cease, while I appease you. I have found cause to write accounts such as these, all of them, O sons of your thought: that you may join the prayer that is for the sake of your own prayers, so that I may not be placed in darkness like a dead man forever. And may you find [...] your treasure, while I am immersed in the heavy hour of the waters of death. But may he who came into the world to show sinners and to grant forgiveness of their sins be gracious through the goodness of Jesus [...] and exaltation. And upon his disciples and his love for the world, Amen. The end of the entire discourse of Mar Abraham of Nathpar. Again, histories of the holy fathers that came [...] for the sake of the truth of the ascetic and the aim for the virtuous and the lover of God [...] the priest Bar Hadbeshabba, and the head of the Bazuqaye, the victorious ones of the holy church of the city of Reshaina [...] in spirit.

Many times the mind is troubled by the memory of the holy fathers and by the victorious example of the blessed ones. One thing I do not know: the second is youth, and the third is the whole of the discourse. And the greater part of all the evil times that disturb the mind and cause it to depart from instruction—yet over all these, love and compassion for the fathers' ways prevail, and the victory of their virtue. And for this reason I have written this composition. For because the days are few for those who encounter long compositions, and many are the hours of their reading of the saints, I have been eager for this. And not only for the chapters, but also a single word exists in the composition of the fathers, from which the whole way of the fathers is stirred. Here I am eager that it be for them as a mirror for the fathers, that in it they may see and live in their excellence. And like the images and likenesses of kings that are set up from stones and precious gems, so also the image of their ways is painted; from it the whole excellence of their virtue is stirred. And as those who travel on ancient paths leave behind signs and marks for those who come after, and they begin to guide, so also for us. For I have set down headings in brief chapters, in which the word is not lacking. Whoever encounters them will read; from them he will learn the whole spiritual life of the first history. For this is a model for us, to show how the enemy may be found from the victory to stand against the church.

And those who were the first to learn the ways of the contest, they turned aside from the paths of the holy fathers, the steadfast confessors. And what is the thought of each one of them? And they destroyed the books, and those who did not. For the wicked Arius, the heretic, and those who thought like him, came to this error. The great freedom of the confessor Alexander and his companions opposed him. And what was the cause of the letter of the king of the Persians coming to the confessor in the region of Beth Garmai? He sent forth the spirit of Simon of the fingers. And how many bishops were troubled? And concerning the true freedom, and those who did these things, the confessor was troubled. And those who suffered evils from the Arians, and those who did not. Concerning the weeping of Arius, who was cast out from the church, after one of the first ones. And that the islander received from God through the prayer of Alexander of Constantinople. The history of the struggles of the saints, or the stasis of the bishops of Antioch. And those who suffered evils from Eusebius and his followers, the thoughts of the wicked Arians.