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to heal them from the monastery. Going, I will speak to him also, and likewise I will take my leave". Therefore, he goes around the monastery continually and simply exhorting each one privately and taking his leave, in much agony and trembling to fulfill the desires of all, for fear of not failing in his purpose.

From these things therefore and many others, many schisms, discords, and factions arise in the monastery, while the more pious are eager to benefit both themselves and others, but the more carnal seek only their own glory, temporary gain, and the pleasures of the body, while the rest of the multitude seeks the one who leads according to their own desires and runs to one like themselves. You, therefore, spiritual brother, listen with attention, I beg you, to my words; for I will not speak from myself, but what the only wise and merciful one will wish to speak to you.

(248) If you are living in a coenobium of brothers, never wish to be against the father who tonsured you, even if you see him fornicating, even if you see him drunk and seemingly managing the affairs of the monastery badly, if you are beaten and dishonored by him and subjected to many other afflictions. Do not sit with those who revile him, nor go with those who have plotted against him. But endure him until the end, meddling in none of his evil deeds. Therefore, whatever good things you see him doing, place them in your heart and strive to remember only those things; but whatever unseemly and evil things you see him either doing or saying, ascribe these to yourself and consider them as your own sins and repent in tears, holding him as a saint and invoking his prayer.

But if death should befall him, and the brothers wish to put forward another as abbot, take heed if your conscience knows a certain brother of the monastery to be your equal or even greater in word and deed and good actions, and for this reason is preferred by the brothers for abbot. Do not wish to become an antichrist, that is, opposing the will of God and the brothers, opposing what is good and worthy, speaking words or practicing deeds of any kind of scandal and suspicion, so that you might turn some of the brothers away from love and faith toward him, but with all joy and humility accept and cooperate purely with the will of the brothers. But if you know another to be more pious than the one being elected, say to the brother who is about to be appointed, in private: "Lord brother, you by the grace of God are pious and spiritual, (249) and as you know, we ought to do all things for the glory of God and for the salvation of our souls. And you know that our brother so-and-so is pious and virtuous. And if you command, let us make him abbot, and he is able to shepherd the entire brotherhood well. Let us also strive with him with all our strength, and believe me, we shall have our reward with him and alongside him, and our conscience will be uncondemned. But indeed, in this we shall serve God Himself and all will praise us because we did not promote ourselves, but the one whom God wanted". If, then, the brother has humility and a soul free from love of glory, and without any partiality toward the other, he also says these things to him, and God informs him of every other evil suspicion; and he will certainly accept your words and immediately obey you. And then you both speak to the whole brotherhood, and the will of God is done.

But if you speak without partiality on behalf of the more spiritual brother, but the brother does not obey you, but is moved to make excuses, promoting himself, know that he is possessed by love of glory, and strive in every way, as a minister of Christ, with the pure testimony of your conscience, for the more spiritual brother to become abbot. But if, having been prompted by the enemy or also

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θεραπεύειν αὐτούς ἀπό τῆς μονῆς. Ἀπελθών λαλήσω κἀκείνῳ, καί ὁμοίως συντάξομαι". Περιέρχεται οὖν τό μοναστήριον συνεχῶς καί ἁπλῶς ἕκαστον παρακαλῶν κατ᾿ ἰδίαν καί συντασσόμενος πληρῶσαι πάντων τά καταθύμια ἐν ἀγωνίᾳ καί τρόμῳ ὑπάρχει πολλῷ, φόβῳ τοῦ μή ἀποτυχεῖν τοῦ σκοποῦ.

Ἐκ τούτων οὖν καί ἑτέρων πολλῶν σχίσματα, διχόνοιαι καί στάσεις γίνονται ἐν τῷ μοναστηρίῳ πολλαί, τῶν μέν εὐλαβεστέρων πρός τό καί ἑαυτούς καί ἄλλους ὠφελῆσαι σπευδόντων, τῶν δέ σαρκικωτέρων τήν ἑαυτῶν μόνον δόξαν ζητούντων, τό πρόσκαιρον κέρδος καί τάς τοῦ σώματος ἡδονάς, τοῦ δέ λοιποῦ πλήθους ζητοῦντος κατά τάς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας τόν ἄγοντα καί τῷ ὁμοίῳ προστρέχοντος. Σύ οὖν, πνευματικέ άδελφέ, ἄκουσον μετά προσοχῆς, παρακαλῶ, τῶν ἐμῶν ῥημάτων· οὐ γάρ ἀπ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ λαλήσω, ἀλλ᾿ ἅπερ ὁ μόνος σοφός καί εὔσπλαχνος λαλῆσαι θελήσει σοι.

(248) Ἐάν ᾖς ἐν κοινοβίῳ ἀδελφῶν καθεζόμενος, κατά τοῦ ἀποκείραντός σε πατρός μή θελήσῃς γενέσθαι ποτέ, εἰ καί πορνεύοντα, εἰ καί μεθύοντα βλέπεις αὐτόν καί τῷ δοκεῖν σοι κακῶς τά τῆς μονῆς διεξάγοντα πράγματα, εἰ τύπτεσαι καί ἀτιμάζεσαι παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ καί πολλαῖς ἄλλαις καθυποβάλλεσαι θλίψεσι. Μή συγκαθεσθῇς τοῖς λοιδοροῦσιν αὐτόν, μηδέ πορευθῇς μετά τῶν μελετησάντων κατ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Ὑπόμεινον δέ αὐτόν μέχρι τέλους μηδέν περιεργαζόμενος τῶν ἐκείνου κακῶν. Ὅσα οὖν ἀγαθά βλέπεις ποιοῦντα αὐτόν, βάλε ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καί ἐκείνων μόνων βιάζου μιμνήσκεσθαι· ὅσα δέ ἀπρεπῆ καί κακά ἤ ἐργαζόμενον ἤ λέγοντα ἴδῃς, ταῦτα σευτῷ ἐπίγραφε καί ὡς ἴδιά σου ἁμαρτήματα λογίζου καί μετανόει ἐν δάκρυσιν, ἔχων ὡς ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον καί ἐπικαλούμενος τήν εὐχήν αὐτοῦ.

Εἰ δέ συμβῇ αὐτῷ θάνατος, καί ἕτερον προβαλέσθαι ἡγούμενον οἱ ἀδελφοί βούλονται, πρόσεχε ἐάν γινώσκῃ σου ἡ συνείδησις ἴσον σου εἶναι ἀδελφόν τινα τῆς μονῆς ἤ καί μείζονα λόγῳ καί ἔργῳ καί πράξεσιν ἀγαθαῖς, καί διά τοῦτο παρά τῶν ἀδελφῶν εἰς ἡγούμενον προτιμώμενον. Μή θελήσῃς γενέσθαι ἀντίχριστος, τῇ βουλῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δηλαδή καί τῷ ἀδελφῶν ἀντικείμενος, τῷ ἀγαθῷ καί χρηστῷ, λόγους λαλῶν ἤ ἔργα ἐπιτηδεύων ὁπωσοῦν σκανδάλου καί ὑπονοίας, ὡς ἄν ἀποστάσῃς τινάς τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἐκ τῆς πρός ἐκεῖνον ἀγάπης καί πίστεως, ἀλλά πάσῃ χαρᾷ καί ταπεινώσει κατάδεξαι καί συνέργησον καθαρῶς τῇ θελήσει τῶν ἀδελφῶν. Εἰ δέ καί εὐλαβέστερον ἄλλον παρά τόν ψηφιζόμενον ἐπίστασαι εἶναι, εἰπέ τῷ μελλόντι γίνεσθαι ἀδελφῷ κατ᾿ ἰδίαν· "Κῦρι ἀδελφέ, σύ Θεοῦ χάριτι εὐλαβής ὑπάρχεις καί πνευματικός, (249) καί καθώς ἐπίστασαι, πάντα εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ ποιεῖν ὀφείλομεν καί εἰς σωτηρίαν τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν. Καί οἶδας ὅτι ἀδελφός ἡμῶν ὁ δεῖνα εὐλαβής ἐστι καί ἐνάρετος. Καί ἄν κελεύῃς, ἄς ποιήσωμεν ἐκεῖνον ἡγούμενον, καί ἔχει καλῶς ποιμᾶναι πᾶσαν τήν ἀδελφότητα. Συναγωνισώμεθα δέ αὐτῷ πάσῃ δυνάμει καί ἡμεῖς, καί τόν μισθόν, πίστευσον, ἵνα ἕξωμεν μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ καί σύν αὐτῷ καί τήν συνείδησιν ἡμῶν ἀκατάκριτον. Ἀλλά γάρ καί αὐτόν ἐν τούτῳ τόν Θεόν θεραπεύσομεν καί πάντες ἡμᾶς ἐπαινέσουσιν ὅτι οὐχ ἑαυτούς συνεστήσαμεν, ἀλλ᾿ ὅν ὁ Θεός ἤθελεν". Εἰ μέν οὖν ἔχει ταπείνωσιν ὁ ἀδελφός καί τήν ψυχήν ἀπηλλαγμένην φιλοδοξίας, χωρίς δέ πάσης προσπαθείας τῆς εἰς τόν ἕτερον, λέγει καί αὐτός αὐτῷ ταῦτα, καί πάσης ἄλλης πονηρᾶς ὑπονοίας πληροφορεῖ αὐτόν ὁ Θεός· καί δέξεται πάντως τούς λόγους σου καί εὐθύς ὑπακούσει σου. Καί τηνικαῦτα οἱ ἀμφότεροι λαλεῖτε πάσῃ τῇ ἀδελφότητι, καί γίνεται τό θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Εἰ δέ σύ μέν λέγεις ἀπροσπαθῶς ὑπέρ τοῦ πνευματικωτέρου ἀδελφοῦ, ὁ δέ ἀδελφός οὐχ ὑπακούει σου, ἀλλά πρός δικαιολογίας κινηθῇ συνιστῶν ἑαυτόν, γίνωσκε ὅτι ὑπό φιλοδοξίας κατέχεται, καί σπούδασον παντί τρόπῳ, ὡς Χριστοῦ διάκονος, ἐκ καθαρῷ τῷ μαρτυρίῳ τῆς σῆς συνειδήσεως τόν πνευματικώτερον ἀδελφόν γενέσθαι ἡγούμενον. Εἰ δέ καί ὑποβληθείς παρά τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ἤ καί