Ephrem Syrus, Asceticon

Of our holy father Ephrem the Syrian, an epistle to John the monk, concerning patience, and that we should not be deceived by thoughts through the pretext of justifications and by saying, "I have gone too far"; and concerning purity. Bless us, father! We have taught the God-fearing Theodore much, not to separate from his own place, and we were unable to persuade him, but he said to us: If you wish, he told me, my assistance and, after God, the salvation of my soul, send me to your monastery. To which you replied: Since the asceticism of the monastery was commanded to brother John, without his deliberation I cannot establish anyone. And now kindly receive the aforementioned brother. For, as he later recounted to us, you showed him such kindness, for it is fitting to honor such persons who have loved the Lord more than father and mother and brothers and sisters and wife and children and their own and their friends. You do well in giving an example of good works by your own self, and even more so to the brothers dwelling with you, like the one who says: See from me, and do thus.

And the blessed Apostle Paul teaches and says: Become imitators of me, as I am of Christ, so that those whom words cannot satisfy, deeds may satisfy. And do not despise spiritual service, nor neglect your gatherings on the pretext of bodily needs, for the reading of the words of God and psalmody nourish and preserve the soul, while they restrain and discipline the body, and drive away demons. And I wish to remind you concerning those who are excessive in capability and who have fallen into intolerable afflictions, not to deliberate, except when it is fitting to deliberate. And again he says elsewhere: Do not become overly righteous; do not be excessively wise; do not be cast down. For in these very days it happened that some brothers abandoned their cells and gave themselves over to the earth, barren, without value, and fruitless. And though they were often taught by the fathers and brothers, they did not listen, but said: "We are going to perish!" And when they had thrown themselves upon the dry desert, they were seen broken upon the worthless earth, and they began to lament greatly, and started to run toward the villages, but they were unable to rescue themselves from the madness of the desert, for it was not even easy for those who had been made without it.

Many who were greatly tormented by fasting, thirst, and heat lay prostrate, sorrowful and despairing. But when some divine dispensation occurred from the foreordination of God, they were found by some as a refreshment for the soul, who bound them upon their own beasts of burden and brought them to the village. But some among them there gave up their souls, and their bodies were devoured by beasts and birds. And those who, although they survived, yet remained for a long time in weakness, and from that time learned by experience to do nothing without deliberation. For many, by the boldness of their own will, having been led astray, fruitlessly and uselessly scattered themselves over the earth, and forced death upon themselves. Others, unwilling to obey and unable to act by their own hand, subjected themselves to the same hardship. Others were consumed by the passion of self-will and, elevated by vain-glory, were eager for praise from hearers, and as they spoke, they became enraptured. And being unable to bear the pain of asceticism, they cast themselves into the same hardships. It is not fitting, therefore, to be led astray, nor to follow one's own thoughts without examination, but rather each one needs to know his own measure, and by the love of God to humble himself toward his neighbor.

But if anyone should think that the attainment of virtues, the mastery of passions, and the enthronement of wills are easy, let him not entrust himself so to himself, lest the saying of Scripture be applied to him: "A proud king fell into evil, but an angel of light saved him." However, let no one from among the perfect say: "How do we find it among certain of the fathers, that this virtue was practiced? It is fitting for us also to introduce martyrdom from the life of the holy fathers, so that we may clearly show that the holy fathers did nothing vainly, nor rashly, nor heedlessly." For concerning Father Macarius, it is recounted that he spoke thus: "In my sitting," he said, "in my cell in Scetis, thoughts troubled me, saying: 'Go to a more remote desert and see what you see there.' And I stood in struggle against the thought for five years. I said: 'Is it perhaps from demons?'" Do you see the discernment of the holy man? Did he follow along with it, or pursue it, or act upon the thought? No, but he remained in discernment through fasting, prayer, and vigil, [asking] whether it might be from demons. But we, when a thought comes to us, are not self-controlled, being agitated, and not only do we not discern, being lazy in prayer, but we do not even believe those who are taught by others.

But if anyone should think that the attainment of virtues, the mastery of passions, and the enthronement of wills are easy, let him not entrust himself so to himself, lest the saying of Scripture be applied to him: "A pr" — swiftly we are deceived by the adversary. Again he says: "As soon as the thought settled, he went out into the desert, and found there a lake of waters, and in its midst an island. And the wild beasts of the desert came to drink from it. And he saw among them two men, shaggy. And after their deliberation with each other, Father Macarius said to them: 'How did you manage to become a monk?' And they said: 'Unless someone is separated from the whole world, he cannot become a monk.' And he said to them: 'I am weak, and I cannot do as you do.' And they said: 'If you cannot do as we do, sit in your cell and weep for your sins.' Behold the divine humility of the man! O the understanding of the virtuous soul, which, though it shone with such and so great virtue, did not deem itself worthy of the deed, but said to them: 'I am weak, and I cannot do as you do.' But we, neither having attained to persecution, nor persecuted by anyone, are led by vanity and self-will, and we lay hands on that which is beyond our measure, as though we were experienced in the Lord God, which is terrible.

Woe to the man who trusts in his own strength, or in asceticism, or in natural disposition, and does not place all his hope solely in God, for from Him alone come steadfastness and power. Lest we not look upon the life of Father Antony and find that even he acted in everything by divine revelation! Or was he not likewise dwelling in a monastery? Did he not weave garments? Did he not work with his own hands? Did he not have disciples, who after his death buried him in a place prepared by them? But not only the blessed Antony established this rule, but also other fathers who attained a virtuous life, who became comforters to those who came to them, through whom God worked miracles and healings, for they were like shining lamps, radiant with virtue. Let us also follow their life, walking the royal road; let us not turn aside either to the right or to the left! Let us then hasten to seclusion, fasting, vigils, prayer with tears, humility, manual labor, meditation on the sayings of the holy fathers, obedience to the truth, and hearing of the holy scriptures, so that our mind may not become idle.

At the time of receiving the holy and incorruptible mysteries, let us present ourselves with dignity, so that from them our soul may be cleansed of the unbelief and foul thoughts that are born among us, and when the Lord takes up dwelling among us, He may deliver us from evil. Let us pursue pure love in all things toward one another and toward all, for from one’s neighbor one gains both good and evil, for the saying is not false: “As much as you love one of my least brothers, that you love me.” And to the unmerciful He says again: “If you do not love one of my least brothers, you do not love me. And these shall go to eternal torment, but the righteous to eternal life.” The ancients used to sacrifice goats and bulls and lambs, all pure, as a sacrifice to God, but let us sacrifice our own body to the Lord, with a pure soul. Let us not defile it with unseemly things, let us not pollute it with any thoughts, so that our sacrifice may not be rendered unacceptable. But as to how purity is to be gained, for those who possess reason, a mindful recollection of God with vigilance is sufficient, whose rays illumine every heart.

But while we are in weakness, if there is some form of such recollection, for the sake of incitement and guidance toward such virtue, let there be for you some form, as in the arrangements of the world, able men created in form receive images on walls and boards, and they depict the form of battles, as some have drawn a bow, some are wounded, some flee, some fight, some thrust with a sword, like a reaper mowing down opponents, and they do this for the incitement of those who come after, and for the remembrance of the valiant against opponents. Many struggles of martyrs are also depicted in houses of prayer, for the encouragement of the compassionate and for the delight of beholders, until you have striven for the depiction of our own life and its placement on a height for all to see. Let us strive rather for the guidance of virtue, so that nothing blameworthy nor anything unseemly be inscribed in that image. For truly it is difficult and foul to place a man in an image, to look upon a woman with impurity, and especially from among thoughts, clothed in the form of good service.

But if, in the case of weakness, as the speaker says—"The weak with the weak work ugliness"—who would dare to look upon that image! Flee even from the sight, if we recall something of this sort, in such dishonor through sight, not willing of shame, for if we restrain ourselves, we will undoubtedly be freed from foul harm by the cooperation of grace with us. Let us then be concerned for the virtue of cheerfulness, so that the preparation and mixture of our disposition may become good and praiseworthy, and by its own beauty, for the sake of the good, may attract those who encounter it, when there is nothing evil to be seen, nor anything unworthy of virtue depicted in it. For even the image of the story of the Sodomites is an indelible witness, how the wanton ones surrounded the house of the righteous man, until they were blinded by blindness, and were consumed by the rain of fire, those evilly made, they and their land, upon which they performed the unlawful mixtures. This depiction, like an image filled with fear, was set before the mind of each of us by our Creator God, so that by the sight of that image we might be turned away from evil, while those who have been distressed by the present narrative for us will easily fall into the narrator's passions.

But you must guard your eye from the recollection of such thoughts, so that with fear you may drive away the foul passions and crush the tempting pleasures with the expectation of wrath, for who, mindful of that divinely sent wrath, would not be terrified and tremble in mind, not to mention outwardly restrain the recounting of a spectacle? As for me, the slothful one, when I sometimes gave my mind to vision, I would fall prostrate and, with my face to the ground, weep, for is it not truly dreadful for the pure, for the sake of the beholders, that sharp stream of fire, with the eye of the soul, which shakes the earth and melts its inhabitants like wax, and the rising smoke—are not these images able, even at first encounter, to soften a soul made of stone? Whence we should look all the more intently at that image, and depict it even more indelibly, so that with better experience we might flee from the temptation of the things first mentioned. For sloth renews fearlessness, and from both together habit is formed, but those who are bound to evil habit are hard to rouse from it, being weighed down by the utterly corrupt spiritual fruits from it.

Again, as in a picture, let us recall how the Egyptian woman drew Joseph to herself, inclining him toward her, but that God-loving man abandoned his garment and fled from abomination. Again, let us examine in our mind, as in a picture, the elders in Babylon, how they drew the blessed Susanna toward defilements, but she, by the power of the Spirit and the God-serving intention, destroyed them. Thus let us also strive eagerly, and be even more convinced that nothing hidden remains unrevealed, so that whatever is pleasing and praiseworthy may be brought forth concerning us, that we may be among the praiseworthy and not among the abominable. As for those inquiries concerning the faces, how one ought to behave with brothers and to please the living and true God, may you yourselves, by your prayer for us, with the cooperation of grace, depict for us; and let the Lord, the source of life, be between us and you, who bestows grace, peace, purity, and good hope upon those who truly seek Him. Greet the brothers with you; the brothers here greet you.