Epistulae ad castorem

 To be observed in the daily assemblies, has been sufficiently spoken of by us. but it remains for us to relate concerning those who renounce the world

 The father, having tested by judgments, will approve. for thus he who is being formed toward virtue will be able in no way to be deceived by the enemy

 They have laid down as a rule. but among the egyptians, and especially the tabennesiotes, such silence is observed by all, when so great and numerous

 Until by his great patience he was received with his little son, against the usual rule of the coenobium. and when after many labors he entered, not o

 He had done for a man, who among them was as a novice, and not long before had left the world. he was considered the last. and they were even more ast

 Has all the desires and carnal dispositions motionless and inactive. therefore, beware lest you ever desire to take up again these things which you ha

 Hides the father third, if not by his own understanding, but he trusts everything to the father's discernment, always thirsting and longing, and glad

 The mortification of the will and from the mortification of the will the roots of pleasures wither and from these all the faults of the soul are cas

 Make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires,” he did not forbid the necessary governance of life, but prohibited pleasure-loving care. bes

 To have recourse. for even if such a movement is not counted as a sin, it is nevertheless proof that the soul is sick, and has not yet been delivered

 It kindles, to be extinguished by the dew of the presence of the holy spirit. in addition to these things, our greatest weapon against this enemy is v

 From the love of god, he loves idols of men engraved in gold and the monk, darkened by these thoughts, and growing worse, is no longer able to have a

 Of laying a loose and corrupt foundation to turn others away from evangelical perfection. but since some badly interpret what is well said in scriptur

 We despise. having the condemnation of ananias and sapphira before our eyes, let us tremble to leave for ourselves anything of our old property. likew

 Be pricked to the heart ” that is, when evil thoughts arise in the heart, casting them out through anger against them, after their expulsion, as if fi

 Fleeing the desert, we pursue solitude, but whatever of our passions we bring there uncured, happen to be hidden, not removed. for indeed the desert a

 That we may believe, that neither over the just, nor over the unjust, is it permitted for us to stir up our anger. for when the spirit of anger has da

 Sorrow ...» nourishing the soul in the hope of repentance, becomes a mixed joy whence also it prepares the man to be willing and obedient for every g

 Is difficult to overcome. for in every practice it inserts itself, in posture, and appearance, and gait, and speech, and in vigils, and in fasts, and

 High, i will set my throne upon the clouds, and i will be like the most high.” but you are a man, and not god. and another prophet says: “why do you b

Epistulae ad Castorem

OF THE SAME GREAT ATHANASIUS TO THE MOST BLESSED CASTOR CONCERNING THE CANONICAL RULES OF THE MONASTERIES

CONSTITUTIONS. Since you commanded me, most blessed father Castor, to make known to you the canonical constitutions of the eastern monasteries, and especially of the Egyptians, of which I have been an eyewitness; I, yielding to your command, have sent this discourse to you in brief; so that those gathered together with God in your new monastery may have a provision for virtue, the canons of the blessed men and others. It is necessary, therefore, before all things, to discourse concerning prayer, the cause of all good things, and how, and with all composure, in the monasteries throughout Egypt, especially, and the Thebaid, they perform 28.852 it. For when they are gathered together in the same place at the time of the synaxis, when the psalm is finished, they do not immediately rush to kneel, but before bending the knees, they stand for a little while, and having their hands outstretched, they pray; and after this, falling to the ground, and again praying for a little while kneeling, they all rise up together; and again spreading out their hands, they perform their supplications more earnestly and intensely, with no one bending a knee, or rising from kneeling, until he who leads them in prayer bends his knee first, or rises first. Therefore, as has been said, when they come together to perform the aforesaid synaxes, such a silence is kept by all, that one would think no man was present in such an innumerable multitude of brethren, especially at the time of the prayers, when neither spitting occurs, nor a cough is heard, no acedia, no drowsiness, no yawning, no groans with sound are sent up. For they say that one who performs the prayers with a slackness of mind and with a cry sins in two ways: first, as one praying lazily, and second, as one who with an uncultured voice assails the hearing of his neighbor, and distracts his mind, with the evil spirits also joining in the attack, who, when they see us standing for prayer, weigh down the soul with improper thoughts and acedia. And for this reason, they hasten to perform the psalms not with noise and confusion, nor are they pleased by the number of verses, but by the understanding of the mind, following that reasoning which says: "I will sing with the spirit, I will sing also with the understanding;" for they hold it more profitable to chant ten verses with understanding, than the whole psalter with confusion of mind. But when the psalms and the canon are finished, as we have mentioned above, none of the brethren dares to stand even for a little while, or to speak with another; nor even to go out of his cell, or to leave the work which he has in his hands, fulfilling the apostolic command, unless there should be a need for all to come together for the duty of some necessary work, which they perform with such zeal when they go out for it, that no conversation arises among them, but each one attending to the meditation of his mind and to the psalm, fulfilling what was commanded. And with great zeal they take care that no one of the brethren should ever be in private with another, especially a novice, or stretching out his own hands should dare to take hold of or embrace another. And if anyone is found transgressing this rule, he is subjected to a very heavy penance. Concerning, therefore, the canonical manner of both prayers and psalms, which ought in the

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Epistulae ad Castorem

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΜΕΓΑΛΟΥ ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΥ ΠΡΟΣ ΚΑΣΤΟΡΑ ΤΟΝ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΟΤΑΤΟΝ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΩΝ ΚΑΝΟΝΙΚΩΝ ΤΩΝ ΚΟΙΝΟΒΙΩΝ

∆ΙΑΤΥΠΩΣΕΩΝ. Ἐπειδή μοι προσέταξας, μακαριώτατε πάτερ Κάστορ, γνωρίσαι σοι τὰς κανονικὰς διατυπώσεις τῶν κοινοβίων τῶν ἀνατολικῶν, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, ὧν αὐτόπτης γέγονα· εἴξας ἐγὼ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κελεύσει, τοῦτον ὡς ἐν ὀλίγῳ τὸν λόγον ὑμῖν ἀπ έστειλα· ἵνα ἔχωσιν ἐφόδιον πρὸς ἀρετὴν οἱ συνει λεγμένοι σὺν Θεῷ ἐν τῷ νέῳ σου μοναστηρίῳ, τοὺς τῶν μακαρίων ἀνδρῶν κανόνας τε καὶ ἄλλους. Ἀναγ καῖον τοίνυν πρὸ πάντων περὶ προσευχῆς τῆς πάν των αἰτίας τῶν ἀγαθῶν διηγήσασθαι, ὅπως τε, καὶ μετὰ πάσης τῆς καταστάσεως ἐν τοῖς κατὰ τὴν Αἴ γυπτον μάλιστα καὶ Θηβαΐδα κοινοβίοις ταύτην ἐπι 28.852 τελοῦσι. Συναγομένων γὰρ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς συνάξεως, ἡνίκα τελειωθῇ ὁ ψαλμὸς, οὐ παραχρῆμα πρὸς γονυκλισίαν ὁρμῶσιν, ἀλλὰ πρὶν ἢ τὰ γόνατα κάμψαι, πρὸς ὀλίγον ἱστάμενοι, καὶ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτεταμένας ἔχοντες, εὔχονται· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα χαμαὶ προσπίπτοντες, καὶ πρὸς ὀλίγον πάλιν ἐν τῇ γονυκλισίᾳ εὐχόμενοι πάντες, ἐν τῷ ἅμα ἐγεί ρονται· καὶ πάλιν τὰς χεῖρας διαπετάσαντες, ἐκτε νέστερον καὶ ἐπιτεταμένως τὰς ἱκεσίας ἀποπληροῦ σιν, οὐδενὸς γόνυ κλίνοντος, ἢ ἐκ τῆς γονυκλισίας ἀνισταμένου, ἕως ἂν ὁ ποιῶν αὐτοῖς τὴν εὐχὴν, κλίνῃ πρῶτος, ἢ ἀναστῇ πρῶτος. Καθὰ τοίνυν εἴρηται, ὅτε τὰς προειρημένας συνάξεις ἐπιτελέσαι συνέρχονται, σιωπὴ τοσαύτη παρέχεται ὑπὸ πάντων, ὡς νομισθῆ ναι μηδένα ἄνθρωπον ἐν τῇ τοσαύτῃ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀναριθμήτῳ πληθύϊ παρεῖναι, ἐξαιρέτως ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν προσευχῶν, ὅτε οὔτε πτύσμα προσέρχεται, οὔτε βὴξ ἠχεῖται, οὐκ ἀκηδία, οὐ νυσταγμὸς, οὐ χάσμα, οὐ στεναγμοὶ μετ' ἤχου ἀναπέμπονται. Τὸν γὰρ ἐν χαυνότητι διανοίας μετὰ κραυγῆς τὰς εὐχὰς ἐπιτελοῦντα, δισσῶς ἁμαρτάνειν λέγουσι· πρῶτον μὲν ὡς ῥᾳθύμως εὐχόμενον, δεύτερον δὲ ὡς ἀπαιδεύτῳ τῇ φωνῇ τὴν τοῦ πλησίον ἀκοὴν κατακτυποῦντα, καὶ διασκεδάζοντα τὴν διάνοιαν, συνεπιτιθεμένων καὶ τῶν πονηρῶν πνευμάτων, οἳ, ἐπειδὴ ἂν ἴδωσιν ἡμᾶς εἰς προσευχὴν ἱσταμένους, λογισμοῖς ἀπρεπέσι καὶ ἀκηδίᾳ τὴν ψυχὴν καταβαρύνουσι. Καὶ τούτου χάριν τοὺς ψαλμοὺς οὐ μετὰ θορύβου καὶ ταραχῆς σπεύ δουσιν ἐκτελεῖν, οὐδὲ τῷ πλήθει τῶν στίχων, ἀλλὰ τῇ τῆς διανοίας νοήσει εὐφραίνονται, ἐκείνῳ τῷ λο γισμῷ κατακολουθοῦντες τῷ φάσκοντι· «Ψαλῶ τῷ πνεύματι, ψαλῶ καὶ τῷ νοΐ·» ὠφελιμώτερον γὰρ ἔχουσι τὸ δέκα στίχους μετὰ συνέσεως ψάλλειν, ἢ ὅλον τὸ ψαλτήριον μετὰ συγχύσεως διανοίας. Τελειωθέντων δὲ τῶν ψαλμῶν καὶ τοῦ κανόνος, οὕτως ὡς ἀνωτέρω ἐμνημονεύσαμεν, οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀδελφῶν κἂν πρὸς ὀλίγον στῆναι, ἢ ὁμιλῆσαι μετ' ἄλλου τολμᾷ· ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τοῦ κελλίου προελθεῖν, ἢ τὸ ἔργον καταλιπεῖν, ὃ μετὰ χεῖρας ἔχουσιν, ἀποστολι κὸν πληροῦντες παράγγελμα, εἰ μή πού γε χρεία γέ νηται πρὸς καθῆκόν τινος ἀναγκαίου ἔργου πάντας συνεισελθεῖν, ὅπερ οὕτω μετὰ σπουδῆς καὶ ἐξερχό μενοι πληροῦσιν, ὡς μηδεμίαν ὁμιλίαν μεταξὺ αὐ τῶν ἀνακύπτειν, ἀλλ' ἕκαστον προσέχοντα τῇ μελέτῃ τῆς διανοίας καὶ τῷ ψαλμῷ, πληροῦντες τὸ προτε ταγμένον. Μεγάλῃ δὲ σπουδῇ φυλάττουσι, μή τις μετὰ ἄλλου, καὶ μάλιστα ἀρχαρίου, ἀπολειφθῇ τῶν ἀδελ φῶν ἰδιάζων πού ποτε, ἢ τὰς ἰδίας χεῖρας ἐκτείνας τολμήσῃ κατασχεῖν ἢ περιπλακῆναι ἑτέρῳ. Εἰ δέ τις παραβαίνων τὸν κανόνα τοῦτον εὑρεθῇ, ἐπιτιμίῳ βα ρυτάτῳ ὑποβάλλεται Περὶ μὲν οὖν τοῦ κανονικοῦ τρόπου τῶν τε εὐ χῶν καὶ τῶν ψαλμῶν, ὃς ὀφείλει ἐν ταῖς

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