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and to be long-suffering towards it, and to endure the things brought on by it, as we have often said. Love, therefore, possessing these things, tames the anger of the one who possesses it. And the Brother said: Not small are its works; but blessed is the one who is able to acquire it. But I am truly far from it. Nevertheless, I beseech you, Father, to tell me, what is long-suffering.

21. And the elder answered: To persevere in hardships, and to endure evils; and to await the end of the temptation, and not to bring forth anger rashly, nor to speak a word in foolishness, nor to suspect or conceive anything of those things not befitting a God-fearing person, as the Scripture said: A long-suffering man will bear for a time, and afterward joy will spring up for him; for a time he will hide his words; and the lips of many [Sixt. πιστῶν, fidelium] will declare his understanding.

22. These, then, are the marks of long-suffering; and not only this, but also to consider oneself to be the cause of the temptation is a property of long-suffering. And perhaps it is so; since many of the things that happen to us, happen for our instruction, or for the abolition of past sins, or for the correction of present negligence, or for the checking of future sins [al. πλημμελημάτων]. Therefore, the one who reckons that the temptation happened for one of these reasons is not indignant when struck, especially being conscious of his own sins; nor does he blame the one through whom the temptation comes; for whether through him, or through another, he was in any case to drink the cup of the divine judgments; but he looks to God, and gives thanks to the One who permitted it, and blames himself, and accepts the discipline eagerly, just as David in the case of Shimei, and just as Job in the case of his wife; but the foolish man often asks God to be shown mercy; but when mercy comes, he does not accept it, because it did not come as he wished, but as the physician of souls deemed it expedient. And for this reason he despises it and is troubled; and sometimes, (929) he rages against men; and at other times, he blasphemes against God; and indeed he also shows ingratitude, and does not accept the rod.

23. And the Brother said: You have spoken well, Father; but I beseech you to tell me this also, how does self-control wither desire. And the elder answered: Because it causes one to abstain from all things that do not fulfill a need but produce pleasure; and it causes one to partake of nothing, except what is necessary for living; nor to pursue pleasant things, but profitable things; and to measure food and drink according to need; and not to allow superfluous moisture in the [ Fr. μή ἐᾷν ἐν τῷ] body; and only to preserve the life of the body, and to keep it undisturbed from the impulse for intercourse. Thus, therefore, self-control withers desire; but pleasure, and the filling with food and drink, inflames the belly, and kindles the appetite toward shameful desire, and impels the whole living being toward lawless [ἄλογον fort. leg. Nobil. quod amentem reddil] intercourse. Then come shameless eyes, and an unbridled hand, a tongue speaking charms to the ear, and an ear receiving vain hearing; a mind, despising God; and a soul, committing adultery in thought, and summoning the body to the illicit act.

24. And the Brother said: Truly, Father, it is so; but I ask to learn also about prayer, how it separates the mind from all thoughts. And the elder answered: Thoughts are thoughts of things; and of things, some are perceptible, and others are intelligible. The mind, therefore, dwelling on them, carries about their thoughts; but the grace of prayer unites the mind to God; and uniting it to God, it separates it from all thoughts. Then the mind, conversing naked with him [ al. τῷ Θεῷ], becomes godlike. And becoming such, it asks for the fitting things from him, and never fails in its supplication. For this reason, therefore, the Apostle

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καί τό μακροθυμεῖν ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν, καί τό ὑπομένειν τά ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἐπαγόμενα, ὡς πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν. Ταῦτα οὖν ἔχουσα ἡ ἀγάπη, ἡμεροῖ τόν θυμόν τοῦ κεκτημένου αὐτήν. Καί ὁ Ἀδελφός εἶπε· Οὐ μικρά τά ἔργα αὐτῆς· ἀλλά μακάριος ὁ δυνάμενος κτήσασθαι αὐτήν. Ἐγώ δέ ὄντως μακράν εἰμι ἀπ᾿ αὐτῆς. Πλήν Παρακαλῶ σε, Πάτερ, εἰπεῖν μοι, τί ἐστι τό μακροθυμεῖν.

κα΄. Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Τό ἐγκαρτερεῖν τοῖς δεινοῖς, καί τό ὑπομένειν πονηρά· καί τό ἀναμένειν τό τέλος τοῦ πειρασμοῦ, καί τό μή ἐξάγειν θυμόν ὡς ἔτυχε, μηδέ λόγον λαλεῖν ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ, μηδέ ὑπονοεῖν τι ἤ ἐννοεῖν τῶν μή πρεπόντων θεοσεβεῖ, καθώς εἶπεν ἡ Γραφή· Ἕως καιροῦ ἀνθέξεται μακρόθυμος, καί ὕστερον ἀναδώσει αὐτῷ εὐφροσύνη· ἕως καιροῦ κρύψει τούς λόγους αὐτοῦ· καί χείλη πολλῶν [Sixt. πιστῶν, fidelium] ἐκδιηγήσεται σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ.

κβ΄. Ταῦτα οὖν ἐστι τά γνωρίσματα τῆς μακροθυμίας· οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί λογίσασθαι ἑαυτόν εἶναι αἴτιον τοῦ πειρασμοῦ, τῆς μακροθυμίας ἐστίν ἴδιον. Ἴσως δέ καί οὕτως ἔχει· ἐπειδή τά πολλά τῶν συμβαινόντων ἡμῖν, πρός παίδευσιν ἡμῶν ἐπισυμβαίνει, ἤ πρός παρελθόντων ἁμαρτιῶν ἀναίρεσιν, ἤ πρός ἐνεστώσης ἀμελείας διόρθωσιν, ἤ πρός μελλόντων ἁμαρτημάτων [al. πλημμελημάτων] ἀνακοπήν. Ὁ οὖν λογιζόμενος, ὅτι δι᾿ ἕν τούτων συνέβη ὁ πειρασμός, οὐκ ἀγανακτεῖ τυπτόμενος, μάλιστα καί συνειδώς ἑαυτῷ ἁμαρτίας· οὐδέ αἰτιᾶται τόν, δι᾿ οὗ ὁ πειρασμός· κἄν γάρ δι᾿ αὐτοῦ, κἄν δι᾿ ἄλλου, πάντως πιεῖν εἶχε τῶν θείων κριμάτων τό ποτήριον· ἀλλ᾿ εἰς τόν Θεόν ἀποβλέπει, καί εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ συγχωρήσαντι, καί ἑαυτόν αἰτιᾶται, καί δέχεται τήν παιδείαν προθύμως, ὥσπερ ὁ ∆αβίδ ἐπί τοῦ Σεμεΐ, καί ὥσπερ ὁ Ἰώβ ἐπί τῆς γυναικός· ὁ δέ ἄφρων, αἰτεῖ μέν πολλάκις τόν Θεόν ἐλεηθῆναι· ἐρχόμενον δέ τό ἔλεος, οὐ παραδέχεται, ἐπειδή οὐχ ὡς ἐκεῖνος ἤθελεν, ἦλθεν· ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἰατρός τῶν ψυχῶν συμφέρειν ἡγήσατο. Καί διά τοῦτο ὀλιγωρεῖ καί θορυβεῖται· καί ποτέ μέν, (929) τοῖς ἀνθρώποις θυμομαχεῖ· ποτέ δέ, εἰς τόν Θεόν βλασφημεῖ· καί μέν τοι καί τήν ἀγνωμοσύνην δεικνύει, καί παρά ῥάβδον οὐ λαμβάνει.

κγ΄. Καί ὁ Ἀδελφός εἶπε· Καλῶς εἶπας, Πάτερ· ἀλλά παρακαλῶ εἰπεῖν μοι καί τοῦτο, πῶς ἡ ἐγκράτεια μαραίνει τήν ἐπιθυμίαν. Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Ἐπειδή ἀπέχεσθαι ποιεῖ πάντων, τήν μή χρείαν ἐκπληρούντων, ἀλλ᾿ ἡδονήν ἐμποιούντων· καί οὐδενός μετέχειν ποιεῖ, πλήν πρός τό ζῇν ἀναγκαίων· οὐδέ τά ἡδέα διώκειν, ἀλλά τά ὠφέλιμα· καί συμμετρεῖν δέ τῇ χρείᾳ τά βρώματα καί τά πόματα· καί οὐκ ἐᾶν τῷ [ Fr. μή ἐᾷν ἐν τῷ] σώματι περιττήν ὑγρότητα· καί μόνη συντηρεῖν τήν ζωήν τοῦ σώματος, καί ἀνενόχλητον αὐτό φυλάττειν εἰς ὁρμήν συνουσίας. Οὕτως οὖν ἡ ἐγκράτεια τήν ἐπιθυμίαν μαραίνει· ἡ δέ ἡδονή, καί πλησμονή τῶν βρωμάτων καί πομάτων, ἐκθερμαίνει τήν γαστέρα, καί ἀναφλέγει τήν ὄρεξιν πρός αἰσχράν ἐπιθυμίαν, καί ὅλον συνωθεῖ τό ζῶον πρός τήν ἄνομον [ἄλογον fort. leg. Nobil. quod amentem reddil] μίξιν. Τότε ὀφθαλμοί ἀναιδεῖς, καί χείρ ἀχαλίνωτος, γλῶσσα λαλοῦσα θέλγηστρα ἀκοῆς, καί οὖς ἀκοήν ματαίαν παραδεχόμενον· νοῦς, τοῦ Θεοῦ καταφρονῶν· καί ψυχή, κατά διάνοιαν μοιχείαν ἐργαζομένη, καί τό σῶμα πρός τήν ἄθεσμον πρᾶξιν ἐκκαλουμένη.

κδ΄. Καί ὁ Ἀδελφός ἔφη· Ἐπ᾿ ἀληθείας, Πάτερ, οὕτως ἔχει· ἀλλά παρακαλῶ μαθεῖν καί περί τῆς προσευχῆς, πῶς χωρίζει τόν νοῦν πάντων τῶν νοημάτων. Καί ἀπεκρίθη ὁ γέρων· Τά νοήματα, τῶν πραγμάτων εἰσί νοήματα· τῶν δέ πραγμάτων, τά μέν εἰσίν αἰσθητά· τά δέ νοητά. Ἐν αὐτοῖς οὖν ὁ νοῦς διατρίβων, τά νοήματα αὐτῶν περιφέρει· ἡ δέ χάρις τῆς προσευχῆς, τῷ Θεῷ συνάπτει τόν νοῦν· τῷ δέ Θεῷ συνάπτουσα, χωρίζει πάντων τῶν νοημάτων. Τότε ὁ νοῦς γυμνός αὐτῷ [ al. τῷ Θεῷ] προσομιλῶν, θεοειδής γίνεται. Τοιοῦτος δέ γινόμενος, τά πρέποντα παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ αἰτεῖ, καί τῆς δεήσεως αὐτοῦ οὐ διαμαρτάνει ποτέ. ∆ιά τοῦτο οὖν ὁ Ἀπόστολος