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CHAPTER 26. When a thought hinders you, do not excessively compel at the table the

brother, for then [the demon] mocks you through him, not to have a forced tongue for the sake of forced love. For to you perhaps it suggests that the brother is one of the wanderers, and that he should arrive content with bread, but to him it suggests that he has found no hospitality with you at all. For keeping an eye on his practical change, it casts one thing into the heart of the one and another into the heart of the other, so that it may cut short the hospitality of the one, and make reproach sprout from the other. Abraham, sitting before his tent, if he saw any of those passing by, received them in deed. He laid out his table for those living in impiety, receiving barbarians, he did not fail to receive angels. They know the sweetness of hospitality, as many as have sojourned and been hosted by it, when a gracious word also seasons the table with sweetness for the heart. Therefore, let us practice hospitality with great zeal, so that we may receive not only angels, but also God. "For as much," He says, "as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me." One of those pursuing virtue with more knowledge answered thus: The zeal of hospitality is accustomed to banish the fantasies of the demons that echo in the heart, and bountiful service done eagerly, if one has been freed from material things in any way. But these things, when done with humility and contrition of heart, more quickly deliver the one who is laboring from fantasies. For demons greatly fear humility, knowing that this has become the Lord's command. One of the most approved, discoursing on humility, also revealed this: that a Father, he says, one of the very approved, having been struck on the jaw by one possessed by a demon and foaming terribly, immediately turned and offered the other ready, but the other, as if struck back by the lightning of humility, and crying out, was suddenly delivered of the creature.

CHAPTER 27. This is also a discourse of the holy bishop Epiphanius. It happened that,

he says, the son of a faithful widow, having 79.1129 a spirit of Python, having long been in this affliction, did not submit to healing. But when his mother was humbled by grief, thanksgiving cooled the passion, and hanging her soul from the cross, she cast out the demon from her child by her prayers. For as the young man was wandering in the surrounding parts and his mother was praying at home, the demon, crying out her name, was driven by torments. And she, hearing this very thing, did not run to the event, binding the battle of nature with humility, but being dragged unwillingly by others, she was led away. And beyond that, the demon was raging to take flight. So when she arrived, and embraced the child with tears, she brought forth thanksgiving and humility against the demon. And when she had wept bitterly, and besought Christ, and made the sign of the cross, before many scourges, the demon fled more quickly from the child. The demons are jealous of those who shine in submission to a Father, and they gnash their teeth against them, because in submission they have yoked renunciation without anxiety, against whom they also, meticulously devising pretexts, prepare provocations, and in the ensuing anger, they engrave wrath, and then they also gradually concoct hatred toward the Father, as one who supposedly rebukes unjustly and shows partiality. So that, having shaken the soul in various ways, they may scatter it from the paternal embrace. Therefore, let him who is in submission to a Father be overcome by insult, and conquer by humility, and be regulated by long-suffering, and not tolerate murmuring thoughts against austerity and the audacity of brethren.

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ΚΕΦΑΛ. Κςʹ. Ὅταν λογισμὸς ἐγκόψῃ σε, μὴ ἄγαν βιάσασθαι τῇ τραπέζῃ τὸν

ἀδελφὸν, τότε δι' αὐτοῦ κωμῳδεῖ σε, μὴ βεβιασμένην ἔχειν γλῶτταν εἰς τὴν βίαν τῆς ἀγάπης· σοὶ μὲν γὰρ ἴσως ὑποβάλλει τῶν κυκλευτῶν ἕνα τὸν ἀδελφὸν ὑπάρχειν, καὶ ὅτι ἄρτοις ἀρκεσθεὶς ἀφικέσθω, ἐκείνῳ δὲ ἐμβάλλει φιλοξενίαν παρὰ σοὶ τὸ παράπαν μὴ εὑρηκέναι· τῆς γὰρ πρακτικῆς αὐτοῦ μεταβολῆς τὸ ὄμμα βαστάζων, ἕνα τῷ ἑνὶ ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἐμβάλλει, ἵνα τοῦ μὲν τὴν φιλοξενίαν ὑπεκκόψῃ, τοῦ δὲ λοιδορίαν ἐκβλαστήσῃ. Ἀβραὰμ καθήμενος πρὸ τῆς σκηνῆς, εἰ που τινὰ τῶν παριόντων ἑώρα, ἔργῳ προσεδέχετο· ζῶσιν ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ ἐξήπλου τὴν τράπεζαν, βαρβάρους δεχόμενος, ἀγγέλων οὐκ ἀπέτυχεν. Ἴσασι τὴν τῆς φιλοξενίας γλυκύτητα ὅσοι ξενιτεύσαντες ὑπὸ ταύτην ἐξενίσθησαν, ὅτε καὶ λόγος προσηνὴς, γλυκεῖαν ἀρτύει τὴν τράπεζαν τῇ καρδίᾳ. Μετὰ πολλῆς οὖν σπουδῆς τὴν φιλοξενίαν χρηστοποιώμεθα, ἵνα μὴ μόνον ἀγγέλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ Θεὸν ὑποδεξώμεθα. «Ἐφ' ὅσον γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε.» Τὶς τῶν γνωστικώτερον τὴν ἀρετὴν μετιόντων οὕτως ἀπεκρίνατο· Τὰς ἐνηχούσας τῶν δαιμόνων ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ φαντασίας εἴωθεν ἐξαφανίζειν ἡ τῆς φιλοξενίας σπουδὴ, καὶ δαψιλὴς ὑπηρεσία προθύμως γινομένη, εἴπερ τις τῶν ὑλῶν ὁπωσδηποτοῦν ἀπήλλακται· ταῦτα δὲ γινόμενα μετὰ ταπεινώσεως, καὶ συντριβῆς καρδίας θᾶττον ἀπαλλάττειν τῶν φαντασιῶν τὸν κάμνοντα. Σφόδρα γὰρ δεδοίκασι τὴν ταπείνωσιν οἱ δαίμονες, εἰδότες ταύτην δεσποτικὴν γεγενῆσθαι ἐντολήν. Τίς τῶν δοκιμωτάτων περὶ ταπεινώσεως λόγον κινῶν, καὶ τοῦτο κατεμήνυσεν, ὅτι Πατὴρ, φησὶ, τῶν πάνυ δοκίμων ὑπὸ δαιμονῶντος, καὶ δεινῶς ἀφραίνοντος τὴν σιαγόνα κρουσθεὶς, εὐθὺς ἐναλλάξας, καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ἑτοίμην παρέθηκεν, ὁ δὲ ὡς ὑπὸ ἀστραπῆς τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἀντικρουσθεὶς, καὶ κραυγάσας, ἀθρόως τοῦ πλάσματος ἀφήλλατο.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΖʹ. Ἐπιφανίου τοῦ ἁγίου ἐπισκόπου καὶ οὗτος ὁ λόγος. Ἐγένετο ὅτι,

φησὶ, χήρας πιστῆς υἱὸς ἕχων 79.1129 δαίμονα Πύθωνος, ἐν τῇ πληγῇ χρονίσας θραπείαν οὐχ ὑφίστατο. Τῆς δὲ τούτου μητρὸς ἐπιταπεινωθείσης τῷ πένθει, εὐχαριστία τὸ πάθος κατέψυξεν, ἤπερ ἐκ σταυροῦ τὴν ψυχὴν κρεμάσασα, τὸν δαίμονα τοῦ παιδὸς ταῖς εὐχαῖς ἀπέῤῥηξε· τοῦ γὰρ νέου ἐν τοῖς μέρεσι τοῖς πέριξ πλανωμένου καὶ τῆς μητρὸς οἴκοι εὐχομένης, τὸ ταύτης ὅνομα βοῶν ὁ δαίμων βασάνοις ἠλαύνετο· ἡ δὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἀκούουσα, οὐκ ἐπέδραμε τῷ πράγματι τὴν μάχην τῆς φύσεως τῇ ταπεινώσει δεσμεύουσα, ἑλκομένη δὲ παρ' ἄλλων ἀβουλήτως ἀπήγετο, ἐπέκεινα δὲ καὶ ὁ δαίμων χρῆσθαι τῇ φυγῇ ἐμαίνετο. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐπιστᾶσα, καὶ τοῖς δάκρυσι τὸν παῖδα περιπτυξαμένη, τὴν εὐχαριστίαν, καὶ ταπείνωσιν κατὰ τοῦ δαίμονος προὐβάλλετο, πικρῶς δὲ κλαυσάσης, καὶ Χριστὸν ἱκετευσάσης, καὶ τὸν σταυρὸν τυπωσάσης, πρὶν μαστίγων πολλῶν, θᾶττον τοῦ παιδὸς ὁ δαίμων ἀπέδρα. Ζηλοῦσιν οἱ δαίμονες τοὺς ἐν ὑποταγῇ Πατρὸς ἀστράπτοντας, καὶ τρίζουσι κατ' αὐτῶν τοὺς ὀδόντας, ὅτι ἐν τῇ ὑποταγῇ τὴν ἀποταγὴν ἀμερίμνως ἐζύγωσαν, καθ' ὧν καὶ προφάσεις ἀκριβολογοῦντες παροξυσμοὺς ἀρτύουσι, καὶ τῇ συμβαινούσῃ ὀργῇ, τὴν μῆνιν ἐγγλύφουσιν, ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ μῖσος πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα κατ' ὀλίγον ἑψοῦσιν, ὡς ἅτε δῆθεν ἀδίκως ἐπιπλήττοντα, καὶ κατὰ πρόσωπον προσέχοντα· ἵνα ἐκ διαφόρων τρόπων τὴν ψυχὴν περιτινάξαντες, τῶν ἀγκαλῶν σκορπίσωσι τῶν πατρικῶν. Ὁ οὖν ἐν ὑποταγῇ Πατρὸς ὑπάρχων, ὕβρεσιν ἡττάσθω, καὶ ταπεινώσει νικάτω, καὶ μακροθυμίᾳ ῥυθμιζέσθω, καὶ μὴ τῶν λογισμῶν ὑπογογγυζόντων ἀνεχέσθω πρὸς αὐστηρότητα, καὶ ἀδελφῶν θρασύτητα.