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Prologus 5 (sermo asceticus)

OF THE SAME AUTHOR, AN ASCETIC DISCOURSE.

The ascetic life has one purpose, the salvation of the soul, and it is necessary to observe with fear, as a divine commandment, everything that can cooperate with this intention. For not even the commandments of God themselves look to anything else, except to the salvation of the one who obeys. Therefore, just as those entering the bath strip themselves of every covering, so also those who approach the ascetic life, having been stripped of all worldly matter, should enter into the life according to philosophy. The first thing, therefore, and what a Christian ought especially to attend to, is to be stripped of the various and diverse passions of wickedness, through which the soul is defiled; and in the second place, the renunciation of possessions must be rightly accomplished by one who looks to the sublime life, because the care and concern for material things provides a great distraction to the soul. When, therefore, several people, looking to the same purpose of salvation, undertake a life together, this must be maintained among them before all else: that there be one heart in all, and one will, and one desire, and, as the Apostle legislates, that the whole company become one body, fitted together from different members.

But this cannot be accomplished otherwise, unless this prevails: that neither a garment, nor a vessel, nor anything else of those things useful for the common life be called someone’s own in a designated way, so that each of these things may belong to the need, and not to the possessor. And just as a small garment is unsuitable 31.884 for a larger body, or a fuller one for a smaller body, but for each the commensurate is both beneficial and well-suited; so also all other things—the bed, the bedding, the warm cloak, the footwear—ought to belong to the one who is in great need, not to the possessor. For just as the wounded man, not the healthy one, uses the medicine, so also of the things devised for the comfort of the body, not the one living in luxury, but the one needing comfort, enjoys them. But since the characters of men are varied, and not all deliberate similarly concerning useful things, in order that there be no disorder, with each conducting himself according to his own will, it is fitting for the one who has been attested among all for understanding and stability and precision in his way of life to excel, and to set this man over them to guide the others, so that the good in this one may become common to all who imitate him. For just as, if several painters were to paint the likeness of one face, all the images would be similar to one another, because they are made like the one; so the many characters, if they look to the imitation of the one, the good character of life will shine forth similarly in all. When one has been chosen, therefore, all the individual wills will be inactive; and all who follow will be formed after the preeminent one, persuaded by the apostolic command which orders every soul to be subject to the higher authorities; and that those who resist will receive judgment for themselves. But the true and perfect obedience of those under authority toward the leader is shown in this: in not only abstaining from unfitting things according to the counsel of the superior, but also in not doing even praiseworthy things without his consent.

For self-control and all bodily hardship are useful for something; but if someone, following his own impulses, does what is pleasing to himself, and does not obey the superior when he gives counsel, greater than the achievement will be the offen

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Prologus 5 (sermo asceticus)

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΑΣΚΗΤΙΚΟΣ.

Ὁ ἀσκητικὸς βίος ἕνα σκοπὸν ἔχει, τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς σωτηρίαν, καὶ δεῖ πᾶν τὸ δυνάμενον πρὸς αὐτὴν συνεργῆσαι τὴν πρόθεσιν, ὡς θείαν ἐντολὴν οὕτω μετὰ φόβου παραφυλάττειν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐταὶ αἱ ἐντολαὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς ἄλλο τι βλέπουσιν, εἰ μὴ πρὸς τὸ σωθῆναι τὸν ὑπακούοντα. Χρὴ τοίνυν, καθάπερ οἱ ἐπὶ τὸ λουτρὸν εἰσιόντες γυμνοῦνται παντὸς περιβλήματος, οὕτω καὶ τοὺς τῇ ἀσκητικῇ προσ ερχομένους ζωῇ, πάσης ὕλης βιωτικῆς γυμνω θέντας, ἐντὸς τοῦ κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν γενέσθαι βίου. Τὸ μὲν οὖν προηγούμενόν ἐστι, καὶ οὗ μάλιστα προσ ήκει τὸν Χριστιανὸν ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, γυμνωθῆναι τὰ κατὰ τὴν κακίαν πάθη τὰ ποικίλα τε καὶ διάφορα, δι' ὧν μολύνεται ἡ ψυχή· χρὴ δὲ κατὰ δεύτερον λόγον καὶ τὴν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων ἀποταγὴν κατορθω θῆναι τῷ πρὸς τὸν ὑψηλὸν ἀποβλέποντι βίον, διότι πολὺν παρέχει περισπασμὸν τῇ ψυχῇ ἡ τῶν ὑλικῶν πραγμάτων φροντίς τε καὶ ἐπιμέλεια. Ὅταν οὖν πλείους, πρὸς τὸν αὐτὸν βλέποντες τῆς σωτη ρίας σκοπὸν, τὴν μετ' ἀλλήλων ζωὴν καταδέξωνται, χρὴ τοῦτο πρὸ πάντων ἐν αὐτοῖς κρατηθῆναι, τὸ μίαν ἐν πᾶσι καρδίαν εἶναι, καὶ θέλημα ἓν, καὶ μίαν ἐπι θυμίαν, καὶ, καθὼς νομοθετεῖ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἓν γε νέσθαι σῶμα ἐκ διαφόρων μελῶν συνηρμοσμένον πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς συνοδίας.

Τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλως κατορθωθῆναι, εἰ μὴ ἐκεῖνο κρατήσειε, τὸ μὴ ἐπονομάζεσθαί τινι ἀποτεταγμένως μήτε ἱμάτιον, μήτε σκεῦος, μήτε ἄλλο τι τῶν εἰς τὴν κοινὴν ζωὴν χρησιμευόντων, ἵνα ἕκαστον τούτων τῆς χρείας ᾗ, καὶ μὴ τοῦ κεκτημένου. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἀνάρμοστόν ἐστι 31.884 τῷ μείζονι σώματι τὸ μικρὸν ἱμάτιον, ἢ τῷ μικρο τέρῳ τὸ τελειότερον, ἀλλ' ἑκάστῳ τὸ σύμμετρόν ἐστι καὶ ἐπωφελὲς καὶ εὐάρμοστον· οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ἡ κλίνη, τὰ στρώματα, τὸ θερμὸν περι βόλαιον, τὸ ὑπόδημα, τοῦ πάνυ χρῄζοντος, οὐχὶ τοῦ κεκτημένου εἶναι ὀφείλει. Καθάπερ γὰρ τῷ φαρμάκῳ ὁ τραυματισθεὶς, οὐχ ὁ ὑγιαίνων, κέχρηται, οὕτω καὶ τῶν πρὸς τὴν ἄνεσιν τοῦ σώματος ἐπινοουμέ νων, οὐχ ὁ τρυφῶν, ἀλλ' ὁ χρῄζων τῆς ἀνέσεως ἀπο λαύει. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ποικίλα τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἤθη ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐ πάντες ὁμοίως περὶ τῶν χρησίμων βουλεύον ται, ἵνα μή τις ἀκαταστασία ᾖ, ἑκάστου κατὰ τὸ ἴδιον θέλημα πολιτευομένου, προσήκει τὸν ἐπὶ πάν των ἐπὶ συνέσει καὶ εὐσταθείᾳ καὶ τῇ κατὰ τὴν ζωὴν ἀκριβείᾳ μεμαρτυρημένον διαφέρειν, τοῦτον προστήσασθαι εἰς τὸ καθηγήσασθαι τῶν ἄλλων, ἵνα τὸ ἐν τούτῳ ἀγαθὸν, κοινὸν πάντων τῶν μιμουμένων γένηται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ, εἰ πλείονες ζωγράφοι ἑνὸς προσώπου χαρακτῆρα γράφοιεν, πᾶσαι αἱ εἰκόνες ὁμοίως πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἕξουσι, διὰ τὸ τῷ ἑνὶ ὡμοιῶ σθαι· οὕτω τὰ πολλὰ ἤθη, εἰ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἑνὸς μίμησιν βλέποι, πᾶσιν ὁμοίως ὁ ἀγαθὸς τοῦ βίου χα ρακτὴρ ἐπιλάμψει. Προκριθέντος τοίνυν ἑνὸς, ἀργή σει πάντα τὰ μερικὰ θελήματα· πρὸς δὲ τὸ προέχον πάντες οἱ ἐφεξῆς τυπωθήσονται, πεισθέντες τῷ ἀπο στολικῷ παραγγέλματι τῷ κελεύοντι πᾶσαν ψυχὴν ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις ὑποτάσσεσθαι· καὶ ὅτι οἱ ἀνθεστηκότες, ἑαυτοῖς κρῖμα λήψονται. Ἡ δὲ ἀληθὴς καὶ τελεία ὑπακοὴ τῶν ὑποχειρίων πρὸς τὸν καθ ηγούμενον ἐν τούτῳ δείκνυται, ἐν τῷ μὴ μόνον τῶν ἀτόπων κατὰ τὴν συμβουλὴν τοῦ προεστῶτος ἀπέχε σθαι, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ αὐτὰ τὰ ἐπαινετὰ χωρὶς τῆς ἐκεί νου γνώμης ποιεῖν.

Ἡ γὰρ ἐγκράτεια καὶ πᾶσα ἡ σωματικὴ κακοπάθεια πρός τι χρησίμως ἔχει· ἀλλ' ἐάν τις, ταῖς ἰδίαις ὁρμαῖς ἀκολουθῶν, τὸ ἀρεστὸν αὐτῷ ποιῇ, καὶ συμβουλεύοντι τῷ προεστῶτι μὴ πεί θηται, μεῖζον τοῦ κατορθώματος ἔσται τὸ πλημ