4

Hasten to the imitation of those who have practiced before in their characters, and do not wait to be taught each thing. Strive to stretch out to the greater virtues, and not to neglect the lesser ones. Do not despise a fault, even if what happens is smaller than any scandal. But rather hasten to correction through repentance; even if many err in many things, both small and great, and remain unrepentant. Do not become a judge of others' stumblings. For they have a just judge, Who will render to each according to his works. You, hold on to what is yours, and make your own burden light, as much as you are able. For he who makes his own load heavy, he himself will also bear it. Repentance is salvation; but folly is the death of repentance. Hide yourself from the more frivolous men; but reveal yourself, for the most part, to God. Shun every going forth, as much as is in you, fleeing the dissipations of your heart. For did you go out of your cell?

You have abandoned self-control; you have stooped down to the world; you have met with a harlot woman, who, having bewitched you, will draw you to herself as with a fishhook, with provocative words for your ears, with the beauty of her face for your eyes, and with gluttonous foods for your tastes; then, having entwined herself around your limbs and embraced you to herself, she softens your steadfast desire for self-control; and so, gently drawing you away from the 31.637 life according to virtue, she corrupts you in herself. But if, being helped by God, you are able to escape her nets, you have returned indeed to the cell, but not the same; but as one paralyzed and sick, and displeased with every work of the virtues, able to return to your proper state only after a long time. For the desire for each life will constrain you in your thoughts; and with much labor you will be able to give the victory to your soul. If, therefore, it happens that you must leave the cell for some circumstance, armed with the fear of God, and having established in your hand the love of Christ, having wrestled down the assaults of pleasures with all self-control, as soon as the need is met, leap away, not delaying, but using a swift wing for your return, like some harmless dove, having fled back to the ark that sent you out, bearing in your mouth the mercies of Christ; thus persuading your inner thoughts that the saving repose in any other place is inaccessible. Being young either in the flesh or in mindset, flee the company of your peers, and run away from them as from a flame. For the enemy, having set many on fire through them, has handed them over to the eternal fire, having cast them down into the abominable pit of the men of the five cities under the pretense of spiritual love. And those who were saved on the sea and from every wind and wave, he has delivered to the deep while they were unconcerned within the harbors, along with their boat and all its crew. In sitting, sit far from him. When reclining for sleep, let not your garments be next to his; but rather, use an old man as an intermediary.

And when he speaks with you, or chants facing you, respond to him bowing your head down, lest, by gazing into faces, you receive a seed of desire from the enemy sower, and bear sheaves of corruption and destruction. In a house or in a place where there is no one seeing your deeds, do not be found with him, under the pretext of studying the divine oracles, or of any other and most necessary need. For nothing is more necessary than the soul, for which Christ died. Do not trust a deceitful thought suggesting to you that there is no cause for scandal; being fully convinced that this very thing is a scandal, which the great experience of those who have fallen has made manifest to you. 31.640 Believe my words, uttered from a brother-loving heart. Run to elders who are difficult to approach, who with words of proverbs anoint the young for virtuous deeds, but in no way harm them with their presence.

4

Πρὸς τὴν μίμησιν σπεῦδε τῶν προασκησάντων ἐν τοῖς ἤθεσι, καὶ μὴ ἐκδέχου διδάσκεσθαι ἕκαστον. Ταῖς μείζοσι τῶν ἀρετῶν ἐπεκτείνεσθαι ἀγωνίζου, καὶ τῶν ἐλαττόνων μὴ ἀμελεῖν. Σφάλματος μὴ περιφρό νει, κἂν μικρότερον παντὸς σκανδάλου ᾖ τὸ γινόμενον. Ἀλλὰ σπεῦδε μᾶλλον πρὸς τὴν διὰ μετα νοίας ἐπανόρθωσιν· κἂν πολλοὶ πολλὰ σφάλλωνται μικρά τε καὶ μείζονα, καὶ μένωσιν ἀμετανόητοι. Μὴ γίνου ἀλλοτρίων πταισμάτων δικαστής. Ἔχουσι γὰρ κριτὴν δίκαιον, Ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. Σὺ τὸ σὸν κράτει, καὶ κοῦφον ποίει, ὅση σοι δύναμις, τὸ σεαυτοῦ φορτίον. Ὁ γὰρ βαρύ νων τὸν φόρτον αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸς καὶ βαστάσει αὐτόν. Μετάνοια σωτηρία· ἄνοια δὲ, μετανοίας θάνα τος. Κρύπτε σεαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν εἰκαιοτέρων ἀνθρώ πων· φανεροῦ δὲ σεαυτὸν, ὡς τὰ πολλὰ, τῷ Θεῷ. Πᾶσαν προέλευσιν παραιτοῦ, ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐν σοὶ, φεύ γων τὰς τῆς καρδίας σου διαχύσεις. Ἐξῆλθες γάρ σου τῆς κέλλης;

Ἀπέλιπες τὴν ἐγκράτειαν· ἐν έκυψας τῷ κόσμῳ· συνέτυχες πόρνῃ γυναικὶ, ἥ σου καταγοητεύσασα, τοῖς μὲν ἐρεθιστικοῖς λόγοις τὰς ἀκοὰς, τῇ δὲ τοῦ προσώπου περικαλλείᾳ τὰς ὄψεις, λίχνοις δὲ τοῖς ἐδέσμασι τὰς γεύσεις, ὥσπερ ἀγκίστρῳ, ἄξει πρὸς ἑαυτήν· εἶτα περιπλακεῖσά σου τοῖς μέλεσι, καὶ ἐνστερνισαμένη ἑαυτῇ, κατα μαλάσσει σου τὸ σταθερὸν τῆς πρὸς τὴν ἐγκράτειαν ἐπιθυμίας· οὕτω τε ἠρέμα ὑφελκύσασά σε τῆς 31.637 κατ' ἀρετὴν πολιτείας ἐν ἑαυτῇ διαφθείρει. Εἰ δέ που καὶ βοηθούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ διαδρᾶναι δυνηθῇς τὰ ταύτης δίκτυα, ἐπανῆκες μὲν τῇ κέλλῃ, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ αὐτός· πάρετος δέ τις καὶ νενοσηκὼς, καὶ πρὸς ἅπαν ἔργον τῶν ἀρετῶν δυσάρεστος, πολλῷ δὲ χρόνῳ ἐπανελθεῖν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ἕξιν δυνάμενος. Στενοχωρήσει γάρ σε τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἡ πρὸς ἑκάτερον βίον ἐπιθυμία· καὶ πολλῷ καμάτῳ δυνήσῃ δοῦναι τῇ ψυχῇ τὰ νικητήρια. Εἰ τοίνυν συμβῇ σε κατὰ περί στασίν τινα ἐκδημῆσαι τῆς κέλλης, περιτεθωρακι σμένος τὸν φόβον τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐνιδρυσάμενος τῇ χειρὶ τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καταπαλαίσας πάσῃ ἐγκρατείᾳ τὰς τῶν ἡδονῶν προσβολὰς, αὐτίκα τῆς χρείας γενομένης, ἀποπήδησον, μὴ ἐγχρο νίσας, ἀλλ' ὀξεῖ τῷ πτερῷ χρησάμενος πρὸς τὴν ἐπάνοδον, ὥσπερ τις ἄκακος περιστερὰ, πρὸς τὴν ἐκπέμψασάν σε κιβωτὸν αὐτομολήσας, ἐν στόματι φέρων τὰ ἐλέη Χριστοῦ· οὕτω τε πείθων τοὺς λογι σμοὺς τοὺς ἔνδον ἄβατον εἶναι τὴν ἐπὶ παντὸς ἑτέρου τόπου σωτηριώδη ἀνάπαυσιν. Νέος ὢν εἴτε τὴν σάρκα εἴτε τὸ φρόνημα, φεῦγε τὴν συνδιαγωγὴν τῶν ὁμηλίκων, καὶ ἀποδίδρασκε ἀπ' αὐτῶν, ὡς ἀπὸ φλογός. Πολλοὺς γὰρ ἐμπρήσας δι' αὐτῶν ὁ ἐχθρὸς τῷ αἰωνίῳ πυρὶ παρέδωκε, πνευματικῇ δῆθεν ἀγάπῃ εἰς τὸ τῶν πενταπολιτῶν μυσαρὸν βάραθρον ἐγκα ταστρέψας αὐτούς. Καὶ τοὺς ἐν τῷ πελάγει καὶ παντὶ ἀνέμῳ καὶ κλύδωνι διασωθέντας, εἴσω τῶν λιμένων ἀμεριμνοῦντας, σὺν αὐτάνδρῳ τῷ σκάφει τῷ βυθῷ παρέδωκεν. Ἐν καθέδρᾳ πρὸ πολλοῦ καθέσθητι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἐν ἀνακλίσει ὕπνου μὴ γειτνιαζέτω σου τὰ ἐνδύματα τοῖς ἐκείνου· μᾶλ λον δὲ κέχρησο γέροντι μεσίτῃ.

Ἡνίκα δέ σοι διαλέγεται, ἢ ἀντιπρόσωπος ψάλλει, κάτω νεύων ἀντίφθεγξαι αὐτῷ, μήπως, τῇ εἰς τὰ πρόσωπα ἐν ατενίσει σπέρμα ἐπιθυμίας ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐπισπορέως ἐχθροῦ δεξάμενος, δράγματα φθορᾶς καὶ ἀπωλείας καρ ποφορήσῃς. Ἐν οἴκῳ ἢ ἐν τόπῳ, οὗ οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ βλέπων τὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν, μὴ εὑρεθῇς μετ' αὐτοῦ, προφάσει μελέτης θείων λογίων, ἢ ἑτέρας ὁποιασοῦν καὶ ἀναγκαιοτάτης χρείας. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀναγκαιότερον ψυχῆς, ὑπὲρ ἧς Χριστὸς ἀπέθανεν. Μὴ πίστευε δο λουργῷ λογισμῷ ὑποτιθεμένῳ σοι τὸ ἀσκανδάλιστον εἶναι· αὐτὸ τοῦτο σκάνδαλον εἶναι πληροφορούμενος πολλῇ τῇ πείρᾳ τῶν πεπτωκότων προφανῆ σοι ταῦτα παρασχόμενον. 31.640 Πίστευε τοῖς ἐμοῖς λόγοις ἐκ φιλαδέλφου καρδίας προφερομένοις. Πρόστρεχε γέρουσι δυσεντεύκτοις, οἵτινες λόγοις μὲν παροιμιῶν ἀλείφουσι τοὺς νέους πρὸς τὰς ἐναρέτους πράξεις, βλάπτουσι δὲ προσώπῳ οὐδαμῶς.