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cared for. For he who opposes the authority, has opposed the ordinance of God; and the reward of obedience is greater than the achievement of self-control. Thus it is fitting for love to be common and equal for all towards one another, as a man naturally has towards each of his own members, equally desiring health for the whole body, because the pain of each member provides an equal unpleasantness to the body. But just as in ourselves the pain of each of the sick members perhaps affects the whole body, yet nevertheless some members are more honorable than others (for we are not concerned in the same way about the eye as about the toe, even if the pain be the same); so it is fitting for the sympathetic disposition and the loving relationship to be equal from each person towards all 31.885 of those living in the community; but honor, according to what is reasonable, will be greater for the more useful. And since they are altogether debtors to love one another with an equal measure of disposition, it is an injustice for any particular factions and cliques to be found in a community. For he who loves one person above the others accuses himself of not having perfect love in the others. Therefore, both unseemly strife and partial disposition are to be rejected from a community. For from strife comes enmity; but from partial friendship and companionship come suspicions and envies. For everywhere the deprivation of equality becomes a beginning and a cause of envy and ill-will for those who are slighted.

For this reason we also received a commandment from the Lord, to imitate the goodness of Him who makes the sun rise on the just and the unjust alike. Therefore, just as God gives a common participation of the light to all, so also let the imitators of God bear a common and equally-honored ray of love upon all. For where love is lacking, there hatred certainly enters in its place. And if, as John says, God is love, it is altogether necessary that hatred is the devil. Therefore, just as he who has love has God, so he who has hatred nourishes the devil in himself. For this reason it is fitting for love to be equal and similar from all to all, but for honor to be given to each according to what is proper. And among those who are thus joined to one another, physical kinship will have no advantage in respect to love; nor if someone is a brother of someone according to the flesh, or a son, or a daughter, will the fellowship of blood result in a greater disposition towards the one related by birth than towards the others. For he who in these things follows nature accuses himself, that he has not yet completely departed from nature, but is still governed by the flesh. But let idle speech, and untimely distraction through conversation with one another, be forbidden. But if anything is useful for the building up of souls, this alone is fitting to be spoken, and these useful things themselves are to be spoken in an orderly manner at the proper time by such persons who are permitted to speak. But if one is of the juniors, let him await the encouragement of the superior.

And let whisperings, and conversations into the ear, and significations through gestures, let all these things be rejected, because whispering holds the suspicion of slander, and signification through a gesture gives indication to a brother of some hidden matter of mischief. And such things become the beginning of hatred and suspicion. But when there is a necessary conversation with one another, let the need determine the measure of the voice, so as to converse with one who is near 31.888 in a gentler voice, but to call one who is far off with a louder voice. And let it not be the case in a community for one who is advising someone, or giving orders about something, to use a louder and more startling voice, as if it were insolent. And there is to be no going forth from the monastery, except for the appointed and necessary excursions. And since the communities are not only of men, but also of virgins, all the other things, as many as

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μελούμενον. Ὁ γὰρ ἀντιτασσόμενος τῇ ἐξου σίᾳ, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαταγῇ ἀνθέστηκεν· καὶ ὁ τῆς ὑπακοῆς μισθὸς μείζων τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐγκρά τειάν ἐστι κατορθώματος. Οὕτω προσήκει κοινὴν καὶ ἴσην πᾶσι πρὸς ἀλλήλους τὴν ἀγάπην εἶναι, ὡς φυσικῶς πρὸς τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον ἑαυτοῦ μέλη ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔχει, ἐπίσης θέλων παντὶ τῷ σώματι τὴν ὑγείαν, διότι καὶ ὁ πόνος ἑκάστου μέλους ἴσην παρέχει τῷ σώματι τὴν ἀηδίαν. Ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ὁ μὲν πόνος ἑκάστου τῶν ἀῤῥωστούντων μελῶν ἴσως ἅπτεται τοῦ παντὸς σώματος, ἔστι δὲ ὅμως ἕτερα ἑτέρων τιμιώτερα μέλη (οὐ γὰρ ὁμοίως περὶ τὸν ὀφθαλμὸν καὶ περὶ τὸν τοῦ ποδὸς δάκτυλον ἔχομεν, κἂν ὁ πόνος τὸ ἴσον ἔχῃ)· οὕτω τὴν μὲν συμπαθῆ διάθεσιν καὶ τὴν ἀγαπητικὴν σχέσιν ἴσην ἐπὶ 31.885 πάντων· τῶν ἐν τῇ συνοδίᾳ ζώντων εἶναι παρ' ἑκάστου προσήκει· ἡ δὲ τιμὴ, κατὰ τὸ εὔλογον, ἐπὶ τῶν χρησιμωτέρων τὸ πλέον ἕξει. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὀφειλέται πάντως εἰσὶ τοῦ ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾷν τῷ ἴσῳ μέτρῳ τῆς διαθέσεως, ἀδίκημά ἐστιν ἐν συνοδίᾳ εὑρεθῆναι ἰδιαζούσας τινὰς φατρίας καὶ συσκηνίας. Ὁ γὰρ τὸν ἕνα ὑπὲρ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀγαπῶν κατηγορεῖ ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις μὴ ἔχων τὴν τελείαν ἀγάπην. Ὁμοίως οὖν ἀπόβλητός ἐστιν ἀπὸ συνοδίας ἥ τε ἀπρεπὴς μάχη καὶ ἡ μερικὴ διάθεσις. Ἀπὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς μάχης ἔχθρα γίνεται· ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς μερικῆς φιλίας καὶ ἑταιρίας ὑποψίαι καὶ φθόνοι γίνονται. Πανταχοῦ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ ἴσου στέρησις ἀρχὴ καὶ ὑπόθεσις φθόνου καὶ δυσμενείας τοῖς ἐλαττουμένοις γίνεται.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐντολὴν παρὰ Κυρίου ἐλάβομεν, μιμεῖσθαι τὴν ἀγαθότητα τοῦ ὁμοίως τὸν ἥλιον δικαίοις τε καὶ ἀδίκοις ἐπανατέλλοντος. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ Θεὸς κοινὴν δίδωσι πᾶσι τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν μετουσίαν, οὕτω καὶ οἱ μιμηταὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ κοινήν τε καὶ ὁμότιμον τὴν τῆς ἀγάπης ἀκτῖνα ἐπὶ πάντας φερέτωσαν. Ὅπου γὰρ ἐλλείπει ἡ ἀγάπη, ἐκεῖ πάντως ἀντεισέρχεται τὸ μῖσος. Εἰ δὲ, καθώς φησιν Ἰωάννης, Ὁ Θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστὶν, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τὸ μῖσος εἶναι τὸν διάβολον. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ τὴν ἀγάπην ἔχων τὸν Θεὸν ἔχει, οὕτως ὁ τὸ μῖσος ἔχων τὸν διάβολον ἐν ἑαυτῷ τρέφει. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο προσήκει τὴν μὲν ἀγάπην ἴσην καὶ ὁμοίαν παρὰ πάντων τοῖς πᾶσιν εἶναι, τὴν δὲ τιμὴν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὸ πρέπον γίνεσθαι. Ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν οὕτως ἀλλήλοις συναρμοζομένων, ἡ σωματικὴ συγγένεια οὐδὲν πλέον κατὰ τὴν ἀγάπην ἕξει· οὐδὲ εἴ τις ἀδελφός τινος κατὰ σάρκα εἴη, ἢ υἱὸς, ἢ θυγάτηρ, ἐν πλείονι διαθέσει πρὸς τὸν τῷ γένει προσήκοντα παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους γενήσεται ἡ κοινωνία τοῦ αἵματος. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις τῇ φύσει ἀκολουθῶν κατηγορεῖ ἑαυτοῦ, ὅτι οὔπω τελείως ἀπέστη τῆς φύσεως, ἀλλ' ἔτι ὑπὸ σαρκὸς διοικεῖται. Λόγος δὲ ἀνωφελὴς, καὶ ὁ διὰ τῆς πρὸς ἀλλήλους ὁμιλίας μετεωρισμὸς ἄκαιρος, ἀπειρημένος ἔστω. Ἀλλ' εἴ τι χρήσιμον πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῶν ψυχῶν, τοῦτο προσήκει λαλεῖσθαι μόνον, καὶ αὐτὰ τὰ χρήσιμα εὐτάκτως κατὰ τὸν πρέποντα καιρὸν λαλεῖσθαι παρὰ τῶν τοιούτων προσ-ώπων, οἷς ἐπιτέτραπται τὸ λαλεῖν. Εἰ δέ τις τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων εἴη, ἀναμενέτω τὴν προτροπὴν τοῦ ὑπερέχοντος.

Οἱ δὲ ψιθυρισμοὶ, καὶ αἱ πρὸς τὸ οὖς ὁμιλίαι, καὶ αἱ διὰ τῶν νευμάτων σημασίαι, πάντα ταῦτα ἀπόβλητα ἔστω, διότι τὴν τῆς καταλαλιᾶς ὑποψίαν ὁ ψιθυρισμὸς ἔχει, καὶ ἡ διὰ τοῦ νεύματος σημασία ἔνδειξιν παρέχει τῷ ἀδελφῷ λανθάνοντος πράγματός τινος σκαιωρίας. Τὰ δὲ τοιαῦτα μίσους ἀρχὴ καὶ ὑποψίας γίνεται. Ὅταν δὲ πρὸς ἀλλήλους ᾖ τις κατὰ ἀνάγκην γινομένη διάλεξις, τὸ μέτρον τῆς φωνῆς ἡ χρεία ποιείτω, ὥστε τῷ μὲν ἐγγὺς ὄντι 31.888 πραοτέρᾳ τῇ φωνῇ διαλέγεσθαι, τὸν δὲ πόῤῥωθεν ὄντα μείζονι προσκαλεῖσθαι τῇ φωνῇ. Τὸν δὲ συμβουλεύοντά τινι, ἢ ἐγκελευόμενον περί τινος, μείζονι καὶ καταπληκτικωτέρᾳ φωνῇ κεχρῆσθαι, ὡς ὑβριστικὸν, ἐν συνοδίᾳ μὴ ἔστω. Πρόοδος δὲ, πλὴν τῶν τεταγμένων καὶ ἀναγκαίων ἐξόδων, ἀπὸ ἀσκητηρίου οὐκ ἔστιν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ ἀνδρῶν μόνον εἰσὶν αἱ συνοδίαι, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρθένων, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα