3

11 Anger is a most sharp passion; for it is said to be a boiling and a movement of wrath against one who has done an injustice or is thought to have done an injustice; which indeed makes the soul savage all day long, and especially during prayers it seizes the mind, mirroring the face of the one who has caused grief. And sometimes, lingering and changing into rancor, it provides disturbances at night, and wasting of the body and paleness, and attacks of venomous beasts. And these four things that happen after rancor, one might find accompanying most thoughts.

12 The demon of acedia, who is also called the noonday demon, 12 is the most oppressive of all the demons; and indeed he stands over the monk around the fourth hour, and encircles his soul until the eighth hour. And first, he makes the sun appear to move slowly or not at all, showing the day to be fifty hours long. Then he forces him to look continuously towards the windows and to leap out of his cell, and to gaze at the sun to see how far it is from the ninth hour, and to look around here and there for any of the brothers. Furthermore, he instills a hatred for the place and for the life itself, and for the work of his hands; and that love has failed among the brothers and there is no one to offer comfort; and if someone in those days has happened to grieve the monk, the demon adds this also to increase the hatred. And he leads him also to a desire for other places in which it is easy to find the things for his needs and to pursue an easier and more successful craft; and he adds that pleasing the Lord is not a matter of place; for everywhere, he says, the divine is to be worshipped. He joins to these things also the memory of his family and of his former way of life; and he depicts a long period of life, bringing the toils of the ascetic life before his eyes; and, as they say, he moves every device so that the monk, having left his cell, may flee the contest. This demon is not immediately followed by another demon; but a certain peaceful state and inexpressible joy succeeds the struggle in the soul.

13 The thought of vainglory is a most subtle one and it easily presents itself to those who are succeeding, wishing to publicize their struggles and hunting for glory from men, and fabricating demons crying out and women being healed and a certain crowd touching his garments; and he foretells for him the priesthood hereafter and places those seeking him at his doors; and that if he should not wish it, he will be led away as a captive. And thus having lifted him up with empty hopes, he flies away, leaving him to be tempted either by the demon of pride or by that of sadness, which brings upon him thoughts contrary to his hopes; and sometimes it also hands over the recent captive and holy priest to the demon of fornication.

14 The demon of pride becomes the cause of a most grievous fall for the soul; for he persuades it not to confess God as its helper, but to think itself the cause of its successes and to be puffed up against the brethren as being senseless, because not all of them know this about it. This is followed by anger and sadness, and the final evil, ecstasy of mind and madness and a multitude of demons seen in the air.

t15-33 Against the eight thoughts

15 A wandering mind is stilled by reading and vigil and prayer;

but a burning desire is withered by hunger and toil and withdrawal; and agitated wrath is calmed by psalmody and long-suffering and mercy; and these things to the

3

11 Ἡ ὀργὴ πάθος ἐστὶν ὀξύτατον· θυμοῦ γὰρ λέγεται ζέσις καὶ κίνησις κατὰ τοῦ ἠδικηκότος ἢ δοκοῦντος ἠδικηκέναι· ἥτις πανημέριον μὲν ἐξαγριοῖ τὴν ψυχὴν, μάλιστα δὲ ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς συναρπάζει τὸν νοῦν, τὸ τοῦ λελυπηκότος πρόσωπον ἐσοπτρίζουσα. Ἔστι δὲ ὅτε χρονίζουσα καὶ μεταβαλλομένη εἰς μῆνιν, ταραχὰς νύκτωρ παρέχει, τῆξίν τε τοῦ σώματος καὶ ὠχρότητα, καὶ θηρίων ἰοβόλων ἐπιδρομάς. Ταῦτα δὲ τὰ τέσσαρα μετὰ τὴν μῆνιν συμβαίνοντα, εὕροι ἄν τις παρακολουθοῦντα πλείοσι λογισμοῖς.

12 Ὁ τῆς ἀκηδίας δαίμων, ὃς καὶ μεσημβρινὸς καλεῖται, 12 πάντων τῶν δαιμόνων ἐστὶ βαρύτατος· καὶ ἐφίσταται μὲν τῷ μοναχῷ περὶ ὥραν τετάρτην, κυκλοῖ δὲ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ μέχρις ὥρας ὀγδόης. Καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὸν ἥλιον καθορᾶσθαι ποιεῖ δυσκίνητον ἢ ἀκίνητον, πεντηκοντάωρον τὴν ἡμέραν δεικνύς. Ἔπειτα δὲ συνεχῶς ἀφορᾶν πρὸς τὰς θυρίδας καὶ τῆς κέλλης ἐκπηδᾶν ἐκβιάζεται, τῷ τε ἡλίῳ ἐνατενίζειν πόσον τῆς ἐνάτης ἀφέστηκε, καὶ περιβλέπεσθαι τῇδε κἀκεῖσε μή τις τῶν ἀδελφῶν. Ἔτι δὲ μῖσος πρὸς τὸν τόπον ἐμβάλλει καὶ πρὸς τὸν βίον αὐτόν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἔργον τὸ τῶν χειρῶν· καὶ ὅτι ἐκλέλοιπε παρὰ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἡ ἀγάπη καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ παρακαλῶν· εἰ δὲ καί τις κατ' ἐκείνας τὰς ἡμέρας εἴη λυπήσας τὸν μοναχόν, καὶ τοῦτο εἰς αὔξησιν τοῦ μίσους ὁ δαίμων προστίθησιν. Ἄγει δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν τόπων ἑτέρων ἐν οἷς ῥᾳδίως τὰ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἔστιν εὑρεῖν καὶ τέχνην μετελθεῖν εὐκοπωτέραν μᾶλλον καὶ προχωροῦσαν· καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τόπῳ τὸ εὐαρεστεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ προστίθησιν· πανταχοῦ γάρ, φησί, τὸ θεῖον προσκυνητόν. Συνάπτει δὲ τούτοις καὶ μνήμην τῶν οἰκείων καὶ τῆς προτέρας διαγωγῆς· καὶ χρόνον τῆς ζωῆς ὑπογράφει μακρόν, τοὺς τῆς ἀσκήσεως πόνους φέρων πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν· καὶ πᾶσαν τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον κινεῖ μηχανὴν ἵνα καταλελοιπὼς ὁ μοναχὸς τὴν κέλλαν φύγῃ τὸ στάδιον. Τούτῳ τῷ δαίμονι ἄλλος μὲν εὐθὺς δαίμων οὐχ ἕπεται· εἰρηνικὴ δέ τις κατάστασις καὶ χαρὰ ἀνεκλάλητος μετὰ τὸν ἀγῶνα τὴν ψυχὴν διαδέχεται.

13 Ὁ τῆς κενοδοξίας λογισμὸς λεπτότατός τίς ἐστι καὶ παρυφίσταται τοῖς κατορθοῦσι ῥᾳδίως δημοσιεύειν αὐτῶν τοὺς ἀγῶνας βουλόμενος καὶ τὰς παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξας θηρώμενος, δαίμονάς τε κράζοντας ἀναπλάττων καὶ θεραπευόμενα γύναια καὶ ὄχλον τινὰ τῶν ἱματίων ἐφαπτόμενον· μαντεύεται δὲ αὐτῷ καὶ ἱερωσύνην λοιπὸν καὶ τοὺς ζητοῦντας αὐτὸν ταῖς θύραις ἐφίστησι· καὶ ὡς εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο δέσμιος ἀπαχθήσεται. Καὶ οὕτως αὐτὸν μετέωρον ταῖς κεναῖς ἐλπίσι ποιήσας ἀφίπταται καταλιπὼν ἢ τῷ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας δαίμονι πειράζειν αὐτὸν ἢ τῷ τῆς λύπης, ὅστις ἐπάγει καὶ λογισμοὺς αὐτῷ ταῖς ἐλπίσιν ἐναντιουμένους· ἔστι δὲ ὅτε καὶ τῷ τῆς πορνείας δαίμονι παραδίδωσι τὸν πρὸ ὀλίγου δέσμιον καὶ ἅγιον ἱερέα.

14 Ὁ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας δαίμων χαλεπωτάτης πτώσεως τῇ ψυχῇ πρόξενος γίνεται· ἀναπείθει γὰρ αὐτὴν Θεὸν μὲν μὴ ὁμολογεῖν βοηθόν, ἑαυτὴν δὲ τῶν κατορθουμένων αἰτίαν εἶναι νομίζειν καὶ φυσιοῦσθαι κατὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὡς ἀνοήτων, διότι μὴ τοῦτο περὶ αὐτῆς πάντες ἐπίστανται. Παρακολουθεῖ δὲ ταύτῃ ὀργὴ καὶ λύπη, καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον κακόν, ἔκστασις φρενῶν καὶ μανία καὶ δαιμόνων ἐν τῷ ἀέρι πλῆθος ὁρώμενον.

t15-33 Πρὸς τοὺς ὀκτὼ λογισμούσ

15 Νοῦν μὲν πλανώμενον ἵστησιν ἀνάγνωσις καὶ ἀγρυπνία καὶ προσευχή·

ἐπιθυμίαν δὲ ἐκφλογουμένην μαραίνει πεῖνα καὶ κόπος καὶ ἀναχώρησις· θυμὸν δὲ καταπαύει κυκώμενον ψαλμῳδία καὶ μακροθυμία καὶ ἔλεος· καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς