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Doctrina ad monachos

OF OUR FATHER AMONG THE SAINTS, ATHANASIUS THE GREAT

A gentler, spiritual teaching to monks. He who believes in the Lord, and draws near to himself, and for perfection into discipleship, must first learn to abstain from every sin; and then also, being freed from what is owed in many ways, to be well-disposed to our Lord, even if I seem to you to speak irrationally. For it is impossible for one who commits sin, or is entangled in the affairs or cares of life, to give himself to the servitude of the necessities of life, let alone become a disciple of the Lord; who did not first say to the young man, “Come, follow me,” until He had commanded him to sell his possessions and give to the poor; but He did not command even this, before he confessed that, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” For he who has never received the forgiveness of sins and been released from them in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, but is serving the devil and held fast by the sin in him, is unable to serve the Lord, who gave the unalterable decree, saying: “Everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. And the slave does not remain in the house forever.” Paul also, speaking in Christ, testifies that “the slave of sin is free from righteousness.” And again the Lord: “No one can serve two masters,” and what follows; by which he taught, and showed definitively, and said, that not even those who are occupied with the truly necessary care for living are able to serve, let alone be disciples, a thing which the Apostle learned, viewing it more broadly; for he said: “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness, and what communion has light with darkness, and what accord has Christ with Beliar? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever, and what agreement has the temple of God with idols?” And again he defines it: “For the flesh desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” One must first be delivered from the tyrant, the devil, who leads into sin the one held fast by it. We said, then, that he who wishes, having renounced all present things and himself, and having withdrawn from the attachment to life, is to be discipled to the Lord, as He Himself has said: “If anyone will come to me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me,” which here means “is my disciple.” We are commanded 28.1424 not only to despise possessions and the necessities of life, but we are also taught to rise above the duties toward one another, which are established by custom and are just according to nature and law, as the Lord says: “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me.” Likewise also the rest who are nearest of kin, and it is clear that much more those further off and strangers to the faith. Therefore, greatly exhorting [you] to the labors of asceticism without anger, in endurance, fearing in no way the methods of the enemy against us. The form of this world is passing away. And these things, the deceit and affliction of this life, are temporary and short-lived, but to serve God is eternal, everlasting, and immortal life, where we who serve Christ are waiting; for which reason we have also renounced the world, and all its desires. And we ought not to remember those things which we left behind on account of this commandment, lest, desiring again the temporary things, we should lose eternal life. For He who said is not false, that “everyone who has left house,” and the rest, “will receive a hundredfold, and life

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Doctrina ad monachos

ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΑΓΙΟΙΣ ΠΑΤΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ

∆ιδασκαλία πρὸς μοναχοὺς πραοτέρα, πνευματική. Τὸν πιστεύοντα τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ προσιόντα ἑαυ τῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ τέλειον εἰς μαθητείαν, μανθάνειν δεῖ πρότερον ἀφίστασθαι παντὸς ἁμαρτήματος· ἔπειτα δὲ καὶ ἀφέλκοντας τοῖς ὀφειλομένοις κατὰ πολλοὺς λόγους εὐπαθεῖν τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν, κἂν ἀλογοφάνειρος εἶναι δοκῶ σοι. Ἀδύνατον γὰρ τὸν ἁμαρτίαν ποιοῦντα, ἢ ἐμπλεκόμενον ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγματείαις ἢ φροντίσι, δοῦναι αὐτὸν τῇ τῶν πρὸς τὸ ζῇν ἀναγκαίων δουλεύσει, οὐχ ὅτι μαθητευθῆναι τῷ Κυρίῳ· οὐ πρότερον εἰπόντι τῷ νεανίσκῳ, «∆εῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι,» ἕως ἂν ἐντείλασθαι πωλῆσαι τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ δοῦναι πτωχῷ· ἀλλὰ οὐ δὲ τὸ τοῦτο προσέταξε, πρὶν ὁμολογῆσαι αὐτὸν, ὅτι «Πάντα ταῦτα ἐφυλαξάμην ἐκ νεότητός μου.» Ὁ γὰρ μήποτε λαβὼν τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν καὶ κατα λυθεὶς ἀπὸ τούτων ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δουλεύων δὲ τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ κρα τούμενος ὑπὸ τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ ἁμαρτίας, ἀδυνάτως ἔχει δουλεῦσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ τῷ ἀπαράβατον ἀπόφασιν δεδω κότι τὸ εἰπεῖν· «Πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, δοῦλός ἐστι τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ὁ δὲ δοῦλος οὐ μένει ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.» Μαρτυρεῖ καὶ ὁ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλῶν Παῦλος, ὅτι «ὁ δοῦλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐλεύθερός ἐστιν ἀπὸ τῆς δικαιοσύνης.» Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Κύριος· «Οὐδεὶς δύναται δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· δι' ὧν ἐδίδαξε, καὶ ἔδειξεν ὁριστίζων, καὶ εἰ πὼν, ὅτι οὔτε οἱ περὶ τὴν ὄντως ἀναγκαίαν τοῦ ζῇν μέριμναν ἐνεχόμενοι, δουλεύειν δύνανται, οὐχὶ τόδε μαθητεύειν, ὅ τι ἔμαθεν Ἀπόστολος πλατύτερον θεω ρήσας· εἶπε γάρ· «Τίς μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἀνο μίας, καὶ τίς κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος, τίς δὲ συμ φώνησις Χριστοῦ πρὸς Βελίαδ; ἢ τίς μερὶς πιστῷ μετὰ ἀπίστου, τίς δὲ συγκατάθεσις ναῷ μετὰ εἰδώ λου;» Καὶ πάλιν ὁριστίζει· «Ἡ σὰρξ ἐπιθυμεῖ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα κατὰ τῆς σαρκός· ταῦτα δὲ ἀντίκεινται ἀλλήλοις, ἵνα μὴ ἃ ἂν θέλητε ταῦτα ποιῆτε.» Ῥυσθῆναι δεῖ πρότερον τοῦ καταδυ ναστοῦ τοῦ διαβόλου ἐνάγοντος ἐπὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τὸν ὑπ' αὐτῆς κρατούμενον. Ἔφαμεν βούλεσθαι δὲ ἄρα καὶ πότε ἀπαρνησάμενον πάντα τὰ παρόντα καὶ ἑαυ τὸν, τῆς δὲ προσπαθείας τοῦ ζῇν ἀναχωρήσαντα μαθητευθῆναι τῷ Κυρίῳ, καθὸ αὐτὸς εἴρηκεν· «Εἴ τις ἐλεύσεται πρὸς μὲ, ἀπαρνησάσθω αὐτὸν, καὶ ἀρά τω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι,» ὅπερ ἐστὶ μαθητής μου ἐνταῦθα. Οὐ μόνον δὲ τῶν ὑπαρχόντων, καὶ τῶν πρὸς τὸ ζῇν ἀναγκαίων καταφρονεῖν προσ 28.1424 τασσόμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους νενομισμέ νων καὶ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ νόμον δικαίων καθηκόντων ὑπερφρονεῖν παιδευόμεθα, τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος· «Ὁ ἀγαπῶν πατέρα ἢ μητέρα ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ, οὐκ ἔστι μου ἄξιος.» Ὁμοίως καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν ἐγγυτάτω οἰκεῖ, δῆλον δὲ ὅτι πολὺ ποῤῥωτέρω καὶ ξένων τῆς πίστεως. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶν μεγάλως ἀοργετουμένοις ἐν καρτε ρίᾳ τοὺς τῆς ἀσκήσεως πόνους, ἐν μηδενὶ δεδιότας τὰς καθ' ἡμῶν τοῦ ἐχθροῦ μεθόδους. Παράγει τοῦτο σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου. Καὶ ταῦτα ἡ ἀπάτη, καὶ θλίψις τοῦ βίου τούτου πρόσκαιρός ἐστι καὶ ὀλιγο χρόνιος, ἡ δὲ τῷ Θεῷ δουλεύειν, ζωὴ αἰώνιος, ἀΐδιος καὶ ἀθάνατος, ποῦ ἀναμένομεν οἱ τῷ Χριστῷ δουλεύ οντες· δι' ἣν καὶ ἀπεταξάμεθα τῷ κόσμῳ, καὶ πά σαις ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐκ ὀφείλομεν μνη μονεύειν ἐκεῖνα, ἅπερ διὰ τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην κατ ελείψαμεν, ἵνα μὴ πάλιν τὰ πρόσκαιρα ποθήσαντες, τὴν αἰώνιον ζωὴν ἀποβαλώμεθα. Ἀψευδὴς γὰρ ὁ εἰ πὼν ὅτι «πᾶς ὃς ἀφῆκεν οἰκίαν,» καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ, «ἑκατονταπλασίονα λήψεται, καὶ ζωὴν