4

happening at fitting times and in proper measures; for things without measure and out of season are short-lived; and short-lived things are more harmful and not beneficial.

16 Whenever our soul longs for different foods, at that time let it be constrained to bread and water so that it may become thankful even for plain bread itself; for satiety desires a variety of dishes, but hunger considers a sufficiency of bread to be a blessing.

17 A lack of water contributes very much to self-control; and let the three hundred Israelites with Gideon who subdued Midian persuade you.

18 Just as it is impossible for life and death to happen to the same person at the same time, so it is impossible for love to coexist with money in someone; for love is destructive not only of money, but also of our temporary life itself. 19 He who flees all worldly pleasures is a tower unapproachable to the demon of sorrow; for sorrow is the deprivation of a pleasure, either present or expected; and it is impossible to push away this enemy when we have an attachment to any earthly thing; for it is there that he sets the trap and works sorrow, where he sees we are most inclined.

20 Anger and hatred increase wrath; but mercy and meekness diminish even that which exists.

21 Let not the sun go down upon our wrath, so that the demons, coming by night, may not terrify the soul and make the mind more cowardly for the battle on the next day; for terrifying phantoms are naturally born from the disturbance of wrath; and nothing else makes the mind a deserter so much as agitated wrath.

22 Whenever the irascible part of our soul, having seized a pretext, is disturbed, at that time the demons suggest withdrawal to us as a good thing, so that, by not resolving the causes of the sorrow, we may not free ourselves from the disturbance. But when the concupiscible part is inflamed, then they again make us out to be philanthropists, calling us harsh and savage, so that, desiring bodies, we might encounter bodies. We must not be persuaded by them; but rather do the opposite.

23 Do not give yourself over to the thought of anger, fighting in your mind with the one who has grieved you; nor again to that of fornication, fantasizing about the pleasure for a very long time; for the one darkens the soul, and the other calls it to the inflammation of the passion; and both make your mind filthy; and by imagining these images during the time of prayer and not offering a pure prayer to God, you immediately fall prey to the demon of acedia; who especially attacks in such states and tears the soul apart like a dog does a fawn.

24 It is the nature of wrath to fight against demons and to struggle for any pleasure whatsoever. Therefore, the angels, suggesting to us spiritual pleasure and the blessedness from it, urge us to turn our wrath against the demons; but they, in turn, dragging us towards worldly desires, force our wrath to fight against men contrary to nature, so that the mind, being darkened and having fallen from knowledge, might become a betrayer of the virtues.

25 Take heed to yourself lest you ever drive one of the brothers away by provoking him to anger, and you will not escape the demon of sorrow in your life, which will always become a stumbling block to you at the time of prayer.

4

προσήκουσι χρόνοις τε καὶ μέτροις γινόμενα· τὰ γὰρ ἄμετρα καὶ ἄκαιρα ὀλιγοχρόνια· τὰ δὲ ὀλιγοχρόνια βλαβερὰ μᾶλλον καὶ οὐκ ὠφέλιμα.

16 Ὁπηνίκα διαφόρων βρωμάτων ἐφίεται ἡμῶν ἡ ψυχή, τὸ τηνικαῦτα ἐν ἄρτῳ στενούσθω καὶ ὕδατι ἵν' εὐχάριστος γένηται καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ψιλῷ τῷ ψωμῷ· κόρος γὰρ ποικίλων ἐδεσμάτων ἐπιθυμεῖ, λιμὸς δὲ τὸν κόρον τοῦ ἄρτου μακαριότητα εἶναι νομίζει.

17 Πάνυ πρὸς σωφροσύνην συμβάλλεται ἡ τοῦ ὕδατος ἔνδεια· καὶ πειθέτωσάν σε τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν οἱ μετὰ Γεδεὼν τριακόσιοι τὴν Μαδιὰμ χειρωσάμενοι.

18 Ὡς ζωὴν καὶ θάνατον ἅμα συμβῆναι τῷ αὐτῷ τῶν οὐκ ἐνδεχομένων ἐστίν, οὕτως ἀγάπην χρήμασι συνυπάρξαι τινὶ τῶν ἀδυνάτων ἐστίν· ἀναιρετικὴ γὰρ οὐ μόνον χρημάτων ἡ ἀγάπη, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῆς ἡμῶν τῆς προσκαίρου ζωῆς. 19 Ὁ φεύγων πάσας τὰς κοσμικὰς ἡδονὰς πύργος ἐστὶ τῷ τῆς λύπης ἀπρόσιτος δαίμονι· λύπη γάρ ἐστι στέρησις ἡδονῆς ἢ παρούσης ἢ προσδοκωμένης· ἀδύνατον δὲ τὸν ἐχθρὸν τοῦτον ἀπώσασθαι πρός τι τῶν ἐπιγείων ἔχοντας ἡμᾶς προσπάθειαν· ἐκεῖ γὰρ ἵστησι τὴν παγίδα καὶ τὴν λύπην ἐργάζεται ὅπου βλέπει μάλιστα νενευκότας ἡμᾶς.

20 Ὀργὴ μὲν καὶ μῖσος αὔξει θυμόν· ἐλεημοσύνη δὲ καὶ πραΰτης καὶ τὸν ὄντα μειοῖ.

21 Ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ τῷ παροργισμῷ ἡμῶν, ἵνα μὴ νύκτωρ ἐπιστάντες οἱ δαίμονες ἐκδειματώσωσι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ δειλότερον ποιήσωσι τῇ ἐπιούσῃ τὸν νοῦν πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον· τὰ γὰρ φοβερὰ φάσματα ἐκ τῆς ταραχῆς τοῦ θυμοῦ πέφυκε γίνεσθαι· οὐδὲν δὲ λειποτάκτην οὕτως ἄλλο τὸν νοῦν ἀπεργάζεται ὡς θυμὸς ταρασσόμενος.

22 Ὁπηνίκα προφάσεως ἐφαψάμενον τὸ θυμικὸν ἡμῶν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκταράσσεται, τὸ τηνικαῦτα καὶ οἱ δαίμονες τὴν ἀναχώρησιν ἡμῖν ὡς καλὴν ὑποβάλλουσιν, ἵνα μὴ τὰς αἰτίας τῆς λύπης λύσαντες ταραχῆς ἑαυτοὺς ἀπαλλάξωμεν. Ὅταν δὲ τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν ἐκθερμαίνηται, τότε πάλιν φιλανθρώπους ἡμᾶς ἀπεργάζονται σκληροὺς καὶ ἀγρίους ἀποκαλοῦντες, ἵνα σωμάτων ἐπιθυμοῦντες σώμασιν ἐντυγχάνωμεν. Οἷς οὐ πείθεσθαι δεῖ· μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον ποιεῖν.

23 Μὴ δῷς σεαυτὸν τῷ τῆς ὀργῆς λογισμῷ κατὰ διάνοιαν τῷ λελυπηκότι μαχόμενος· μηδ' αὖ πάλιν τῷ τῆς πορνείας ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τὴν ἡδονὴν φανταζόμενος· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐπισκοτεῖ τῇ ψυχῇ, τὸ δὲ πρὸς τὴν πύρωσιν τοῦ πάθους αὐτὴν προσκαλεῖται· ἑκάτερα δὲ τὸν νοῦν σου ῥυπῶντα ποιεῖ· καὶ παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς προσευχῆς τὰ εἴδωλα φανταζόμενος καὶ καθαρὰν τῷ Θεῷ τὴν εὐχὴν μὴ προσφέρων εὐθὺς τῷ τῆς ἀκηδίας δαίμονι περιπίπτεις· ὅστις μάλιστα ταῖς τοιαύταις ἐφάλλεται καταστάσεσι καὶ δίκην κυνὸς καθάπερ νεβρὸν τὴν ψυχὴν διαρπάζει.

24 Φύσις θυμοῦ τὸ τοῖς δαίμοσι μάχεσθαι καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡστινοσοῦν ἡδονῆς ἀγωνίζεσθαι. ∆ιόπερ οἱ μὲν ἄγγελοι τὴν πνευματικὴν ἡμῖν ἡδονὴν ὑποβάλλοντες καὶ τὴν ἐκ ταύτης μακαριότητα, πρὸς τοὺς δαίμονας τὸν θυμὸν τρέψαι παρακαλοῦσιν· ἐκεῖνοι δ' αὖ πάλιν πρὸς τὰς κοσμικὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἕλκοντες ἡμᾶς, τὸν θυμὸν παρὰ φύσιν μάχεσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις βιάζονται, ἵνα σκοτισθεὶς ὁ νοῦς καὶ τῆς γνώσεως ἐκπεσὼν προδότης γένηται τῶν ἀρετῶν.

25 Πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ μήποτε φυγαδεύσῃς τινὰ τῶν ἀδελφῶν παροργίσας, καὶ οὐκ ἐκφεύξῃ ἐν τῇ ζωῇ σου τὸν τῆς λύπης δαίμονα παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς προσευχῆς ἀεί σοι σκῶλον γινόμενον.