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CHAPTER 19. That the ascetic must approach the ascetic life with a firm judgment, and concerning obedience.

For those, then, who are discerning in mind, the discourse has defined the rule of the way of life in the preceding account of the characteristics of that way of life. But since it is fitting on account of the simpler among the brethren to set forth more clearly the rule of the way of life in each point, let us turn to this indeed. It is necessary, therefore, before all else for the one who has approached such a way of life, to have his mind confirmed, and steadfast, and immovable, and a judgment unassailable and unchangeable by the spirits of wickedness, and to show the constancy of martyrs by the firmness of his soul unto death, both holding fast to the commandments of God, and showing obedience to his superiors. For this is the chief point of the way of life. For just as God, being the Father of all, and deigning to be so called, demands the most exact obedience from His servants; so also the spiritual father among men, adapting his own regulations to the laws of God, demands undisputed obedience. For if the one who gives himself to some mechanical art, namely, one of those useful to us for the present life, obeys the craftsman in every way, and in nothing opposes his commands, nor indeed is he separated from him for the shortest time, but at all times is in the sight of his teacher, and he endures this food and drink and the other regimen, which that one might prescribe; much more will those who come to the learning of piety and of equality, once they have persuaded themselves that they will be able to receive such knowledge from their superior, bring to these matters all compliance and the most exact obedience in all things; and they will not demand the reason for what has been commanded; but they will accomplish the commanded task, except so far as, being ignorant of something contributing to salvation, to ask and be instructed in an orderly manner and with becoming reverence. And let all of a man's effort be, that the high 31.1389 part of the soul not be brought low through the uprising of the pleasures. For how could the soul that has been nailed down by the pleasure of the flesh still be able to look up with a free eye to the kindred and intelligible light? Therefore it is necessary before all else to practice self-control, which is a safe guardian of chastity, and does not allow the ruling mind to wander here and there. For just as water enclosed in pipes is carried straight up by the pressing force, having nowhere to be poured out; so also the human mind, with self-control binding it on all sides like a watertight pipe, will somehow be taken up by its nature to be in motion toward the desire for higher things, having nowhere to flow out. For it is not possible for that which is ever-moving, having received its nature from its creator, to ever stand still; and being prevented from moving toward vain things, it is impossible for it not to journey straight toward the truth. And we consider self-control to be defined not only as abstinence from foods (for many even of the philosophers among the Greeks achieved this), but before all else the wandering of the eyes. For what is the benefit, if, abstaining from foods, you eat through your eyes the intemperance of adultery, or willingly listen with your ears to vain and slanderous voices? There is no benefit in abstaining from foods, but not abstaining from the pride of arrogance and vainglory and every passion. Or what is the benefit to be continent from foods, and not to abstain from wicked and vain thoughts? Therefore the Apostle also said: I fear lest our minds should be corrupted. Let us therefore be continent from all these things, lest ever

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ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΘʹ. Ὅτι χρὴ τὸν ἀσκητὴν βεβαίᾳ κρίσει προσιέναι τῇ ἀσκήσει, καὶ περὶ ὑπακοῆς.

Τοῖς μὲν οὖν διορατικοῖς τὸν νοῦν ἐν τῇ προδι ηγήσει τῶν τῆς πολιτείας

ἰδιωμάτων τὸν κανόνα τῆς πολιτείας ὁ λόγος ὡρίσατο. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ προσήκει διὰ τοὺς ἁπλουστέρους τῶν ἀδελφῶν καὶ σαφέστερον ἐκθέσθαι τὸν τῆς πολιτείας ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ κανόνα, ἐπὶ τοῦτο δὴ καὶ τρεψώμεθα. Χρὴ τοίνυν πρό γε ἁπάντων τὸν προσελθόντα τῇ τοιαύτῃ πολιτείᾳ, ἐστη ριγμένον, καὶ ἑδραῖον, καὶ ἀκίνητον ἔχειν τὸ φρό νημα, καὶ κρίσιν τοῖς πνεύμασι τῆς πονηρίας ἀν επιχείρητον καὶ ἀμετάθετον, καὶ μαρτύρων ἔνστασιν τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιδείκνυσθαι βεβαιότητι μέχρι θανά του, τῶν τε ἐντολῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀντεχόμενον, καὶ τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῖς καθηγουμένοις ἐπιδεικνύμενον. Τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς πολιτείας ἐστὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, Πατὴρ ἁπάντων καὶ ὢν, καὶ καλεῖσθαι καταξιῶν, ἀκριβεστάτην παρὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ θεραπόν των ἀπαιτεῖ τὴν εὐπείθειαν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ πνευματικὸς ἐν ἀνθρώποις πατὴρ πρὸς τοὺς τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμους τὰς ἑαυτοῦ διατάξεις ἁρμόζων, ἀναμφίλεκτον τὴν ὑπ ακοὴν ἀπαιτεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ τέχνῃ τινὶ τῶν βαναύσων, τούτων δὴ τῶν πρὸς τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν ἡμῖν χρη σίμων, ἑαυτὸν ἐκδιδοὺς, παντὶ τρόπῳ πείθεται τῷ τεχνίτῃ, καὶ κατ' οὐδὲν ἐναντιοῦται τοῖς ἐκείνου προστάγμασιν, οὔτε μὴν πρὸς τὸ βραχύτατον τούτου χωρίζεται, ἀλλὰ πάντα καιρὸν ἐν ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐστι τοῦ διδασκάλου, βρῶσίν τε καὶ πόσιν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην δίαι ταν ὑπομένει ταύτην, ἣν ἂν ἐκεῖνος ὁρίσειεν· πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ πρὸς τὴν μάθησιν τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ τῆς ἰσότητος ἀφικνούμενοι, ἅπαξ πεπεικότες ἑαυτοὺς, ὅτι δυνήσονται παρὰ τοῦ καθηγουμένου τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπιστήμην λαβεῖν, πᾶσαν εὐπείθειαν καὶ τὴν περὶ πάντα ἀκριβεστάτην ὑπακοὴν τούτοις εἰσοίσονται· καὶ οὐχὶ τὸν λόγον τῶν ἐπιτεταγμένων ἀπαιτήσου σιν· ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔργον τὸ ἐπιτεταγμένον ἐπιτελέσου σιν, εἰ μὴ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἀγνοοῦντάς τι τῶν συντει νόντων πρὸς σωτηρίαν, κοσμίως καὶ μετὰ τῆς πρε πούσης αἰδοῦς ἐρωτᾷν καὶ παιδεύεσθαι. Πᾶσα δὲ σπουδὴ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔστω, ὅπως μὴ τὸ ὑψηλὸν 31.1389 τῆς ψυχῆς διὰ τῆς ἐπαναστάσεως τῶν ἡδονῶν τα πεινωθείη. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἔτι δύναται πρὸς τὸ συγγε νὲς καὶ νοητὸν φῶς ἐλευθέρῳ ἀναβλέψαι τῷ ὄμματι ἡ προσηλωθεῖσα κάτω ψυχὴ τῇ ἡδονῇ τῆς σαρκός; ∆ιὸ χρὴ πρό γε πάντων τὴν ἐγκράτειαν ἀσκεῖν, ἀσφαλῆ φρουρὸν τῆς σωφροσύνης τυγχάνουσαν, καὶ τὸν ἡγεμόνα νοῦν μὴ συγχωροῦσαν ὧδε κἀκεῖσε ῥέμ βεσθαι. Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ περιεστεγασμένον διὰ σω λήνων ὕδωρ ὄρθιον ὑπὸ τῆς ἀναθλιβούσης βίας ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω φέρεται, οὐκ ἔχων ὅπου διαχυθείη· οὕτω καὶ ὁ νοῦς ὁ ἀνθρώπινος, καθάπερ σωλῆνος στεγανοῦ τῆς ἐγκρατείας αὐτῶν πανταχόθεν περισφιγγούσης, ἀνα ληφθήσεταί πως ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ κινεῖσθαι φύσεως πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑψηλοτέρων ἐπιθυμίαν, οὐκ ἔχων ὅπου διαῤῥυῇ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ στῆναί ποτε δυνατόν ἐστι τὸν ἀεικίνητον ὑπὸ τοῦ πεποιηκότος εἰληφότα τὴν φύσιν· καὶ εἰς τὰ μάταια κινεῖσθαι κωλυόμενον, ἀμήχανον μὴ πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν πάντως εὐθυπορῆσαι. Ἐγκρά τειαν δὲ ἡγούμεθα ὁρίζεσθαι οὐ μόνον τὴν τῶν βρωμάτων ἀποχὴν (τοῦτο γὰρ πολλοὶ καὶ τῶν παρ' Ἕλλησι φιλοσόφων κατώρθωσαν), ἀλλὰ πρό γε πάν των τὸν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ῥεμβασμόν. Τί γὰρ ὄφελος, εἰ, σιτίων ἀπεχόμενος, μοιχείας ἀκολασίαν διὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἐσθίεις, ἢ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἑκὼν ἀκροᾶσαι μα ταίας καὶ διαβολικὰς φωνάς; Οὐδὲν ὄφελος βρωμά των ἀπέχεσθαι, τύφον δὲ ὑψηλοφροσύνης καὶ κενῆς δόξης καὶ παντὸς πάθους μὴ ἀπέχεσθαι. Ἢ τί γε ὄφελος ἐγκρατεύεσθαι ἀπὸ βρωμάτων, καὶ ἀπὸ λο γισμῶν πονηρῶν καὶ ματαίων μὴ ἀπέχεσθαι; ∆ιὸ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος ἔλεγεν· Φοβοῦμαι μή πως φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ἡμῶν. Ἐγκρατεῖς οὖν γενώμεθα ἀπὸ τούτων ἁπάντων, μήποτε