1

Sermo 12 (de ascetica disciplina)

BY THE SAME, A DISCOURSE ON ASCETICISM, how a monk ought to be adorned. A monk ought, before all things, to possess a life without possessions; solitude of body, and decency of habit, a measured voice, and orderly speech; food and drink without disturbance; and to eat in quiet; to be silent in the presence of elders, to listen in the presence of the wiser; to have love toward equals, loving counsel toward inferiors, to withdraw from the 31.649 wicked and carnal and meddlesome, to think more, but to speak little; not to be bold in speech, nor to be excessive in conversation, not to be ready for laughter, to be adorned with modesty, to have one's gaze downward, but one's soul upward; not to answer back with contradictions, to be obedient; to labor with one's hands, to be mindful of the last things always, rejoicing in hope, enduring in affliction, praying without ceasing, giving thanks in all things, to be humble toward all, to hate pride, to be sober and to guard the heart from evil thoughts, to treasure up in heaven through the commandments, to examine oneself concerning daily thoughts and actions, not to be entangled in the affairs and idle talks of life; not to be curious about the life of the slothful, but to emulate that of the holy Fathers; to rejoice with those who achieve virtue, and not to be envious; to suffer with those who suffer, and to weep with them, and to mourn them deeply, yet not to condemn; not to reproach one who turns from sin, never to justify oneself; before all to confess oneself a sinner before God and men, to admonish the disorderly; to comfort the fainthearted; to serve the sick, to wash the feet of the saints; to be diligent in hospitality and brotherly love; to be at peace with those of the household of faith; to turn away from a heretical person; to read the canonical books; not to read the apocryphal books at all; not to dispute concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, but with boldness to speak and to think of the Trinity as uncreated and consubstantial, and to those who ask to say, that one must be baptized, as we have received; to believe, as we have been baptized; to glorify, as we have believed.

To conduct oneself in good works and words, not to swear at all, not to give money at interest, nor grain and wine and oil for profit; to abstain from carousing, and drunkenness, and the cares of life; not to speak with deceit, nor to speak at all against anyone; not to speak evil, nor to listen at all with pleasure to evil-speaking; not to be quick to believe anything against someone; not to be tyrannized by anger, not to be overcome by despondency, not to be angry with a neighbor without a cause, not to hold a grudge against anyone, not to return evil for evil; rather to be reviled than to revile, to be struck than to strike, to be wronged than to wrong, to be defrauded than to defraud. 31.652 And above all, a monk must be continent from the company of women, and from wine-drinking, because wine and women will make the wise fall away; and accomplishing as far as possible the commandments of the Lord, not to be despondent, but to await the reward and the praise from him, and to long for the enjoyment of eternal life, and to always have the saying of David before one's eyes, and to say: I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. And as a son, to love God with all one's heart, and strength, and mind, and power; but as a servant, to be reverent and to fear, and to obey him, and with fear and trembling to work out one's own salvation; to be fervent in spirit, to be clothed with the whole armor of the Holy Spirit, and to run not uncertainly and to fight as not

1

Sermo 12 (de ascetica disciplina)

ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΛΟΓΟΣ ΠΕΡΙ ΑΣΚΗΣΕΩΣ, πῶς δεῖ κοσμεῖσθαι τὸν μοναχόν. ∆εῖ τὸν μοναχὸν πρὸ πάντων ἀκτήμονα βίον κε κτῆσθαι· σώματος ἐρημίαν, καὶ κοσμιότητα σχήματος, φωνὴν σύμμετρον, καὶ λόγον εὔτακτον· τροφὴν καὶ ποτὸν ἀθόρυβον· καὶ μετὰ ἡσυχίας ἐσθί ειν· ἐπὶ πρεσβυτέρων σιωπᾷν, ἐπὶ σοφωτέρων ἀκροᾶσθαι· πρὸς τοὺς ἴσους ἀγάπην ἔχειν, πρὸς τοὺς ἐλάττους ἀγαπητικὴν συμβουλίαν, ἀπὸ τῶν 31.649 φαύλων καὶ σαρκικῶν καὶ φιλοπραγμόνων ἀναχω ρεῖν, πλείονα νοεῖν, ὀλίγα δὲ φθέγγεσθαι· μὴ θρασύνεσθαι λόγῳ, μηδὲ περιττεύειν ὁμιλίας, μὴ πρόχειρον γίνεσθαι περὶ γέλωτα, αἰδοῖ κοσμεῖσθαι, κάτω τὸ βλέμμα ἔχειν, ἄνω δὲ τὴν ψυχήν· μὴ ἀν τιλέγειν ἀντιλογίαις, εὐπειθῆ εἶναι· κοπιᾷν ταῖς χερσὶ, μνημονεύειν τῶν ἐσχάτων πάντοτε, τῇ ἐλπίδι χαίρειν, τῇ θλίψει ὑπομένειν, ἀδιαλείπτως προσεύχεσθαι, ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριστεῖν, πρὸς πάντας ταπεινὸν εἶναι, μισεῖν τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν, νήφειν καὶ τηρεῖν τὴν καρδίαν ἀπὸ λογισμῶν πονηρῶν, θησαυρίζειν ἐν οὐρανῷ δι' ἐντολῶν, ἑαυτὸν ἀνακρίνειν περὶ τῶν λογισμῶν τῶν καθημερινῶν καὶ πράξεων, μὴ ἐμπλέκεσθαι ταῖς τοῦ βίου πραγματείαις καὶ περιττολογίαις· μὴ περιεργάζεσθαι τὸν τῶν ῥᾳθύμων βίον, ἀλλὰ ζηλοῦν τὸν τῶν ἁγίων Πατέρων· συγχαίρειν τοῖς κατορθοῦσιν ἀρετὴν, καὶ μὴ φθονεῖν· συμπάσχειν τοῖς πάσχουσι, καὶ συνδακρύειν, καὶ σφόδρα τούτους πενθεῖν, μὴ μέντοι κατακρίνειν· μὴ ὀνειδίζειν τὸν ἀποστρέφοντα ἀπὸ ἁμαρτίας, μηδέποτε δικαιοῦν ἑαυτόν· πρὸ πάντων ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐνώπιον Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἑαυτὸν ὁμολογεῖν, νουθετεῖν τοὺς ἀτάκτους· παραμυθεῖσθαι τοὺς ὀλιγοψύχους· ὑπηρετεῖν τοῖς ἀῤῥώστοις, πόδας ἁγίων νίπτειν· ξενοδοχίας καὶ φιλαδελφίας ἐπιμελεῖσθαι· μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων τῆς πίστεως εἰρηνεύειν· αἱρετικὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀποστρέφεσθαι· τὰ ἐνδιάθετα βιβλία ἀναγινώσκειν· ἀποκρύφοις ὅλως μὴ ἐντυγχάνειν· περὶ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος μὴ συζητεῖν, ἀλλὰ ἄκτιστον καὶ ὁμοούσιον Τριάδα μετὰ παῤῥησίας λέγειν καὶ φρονεῖν, καὶ τοῖς ἐπερωτῶσι λέγειν, ὅτι Βαπτίζεσθαι δεῖ, ὡς παρελάβομεν· πιστεύειν δὲ, ὡς βεβαπτίσμεθα· δοξάζειν δὲ, ὡς πεπιστεύκαμεν.

Ἐν ἔργοις καὶ λόγοις καλοῖς ἀναστρέφεσθαι, μὴ ὀμνύειν τὸ σύνολον, μὴ διδόναι τὸ ἀργύριον ἐπὶ τόκῳ, μὴ σῖτον καὶ οἶνον καὶ ἔλαιον ἐπὶ πλεονασμῷ· ἀπὸ κραιπάλης, καὶ μέθης, καὶ μεριμνῶν βιωτικῶν ἀπέχεσθαι· μετὰ δόλου μὴ ὁμιλεῖν, μηδὲ ὅλως φθέγγεσθαι κατά τινος· μὴ καταλαλεῖν, μηδὲ ὅλως ἡδέως ἀκούειν καταλαλιᾶς· μὴ ταχέως πιστεύειν κατά τινος· μὴ τυραννεῖσθαι ὑπὸ θυμοῦ, μὴ κρατεῖσθαι ὑπὸ ἀθυμίας, μὴ εἰκῆ ὀργίζεσθαι τῷ πλησίον, μὴ κρατεῖν μῆνιν κατά τινος, μὴ κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ ἀποδιδόναι· μᾶλλον λοιδορεῖσθαι ἢ λοιδορεῖν, τύπτεσθαι ἢ τύπτειν, ἀδικεῖσθαι ἢ ἀδικεῖν, ἀποστερεῖσθαι ἢ ἀποστερεῖν. 31.652 Καὶ πρό γε πάντων χρὴ μοναχὸν ἐγκρατεύεσθαν ἀπὸ συντυχίας γυναικῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ οἰνοποσίας, ὅτι οἶνος καὶ γυναῖκες ἀποστήσουσι συνετούς· καὶ κατορθοῦντα κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν τὰς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐντολὰς, μὴ ἀκηδιᾷν, ἀλλὰ τὸν μισθὸν καὶ τὸν ἔπαινον παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐκδέχεσθαι, καὶ τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ποθεῖν τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν, τό τε ῥητὸν τοῦ ∆αβὶδ πρὸ ὀφθαλμῶν ἀεὶ ἔχειν, καὶ λέγειν· Προωρώμην τὸν Κύριον ἐνώπιόν μου διὰ παντὸς, ὅτι ἐκ δεξιῶν μού ἐστιν, ἵνα μὴ σαλευθῶ. Καὶ ὡς μὲν υἱὸς ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας, καὶ ἰσχύος, καὶ διανοίας, καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως ἀγαπᾷν τὸν Θεόν· ὡς δὲ δοῦλος, εὐλαβεῖσθαι καὶ φοβεῖσθαι, καὶ ὑπακούειν αὐτῷ, καὶ μετὰ φόβου καὶ τρόμου τὴν σωτηρίαν ἑαυτοῦ κατεργάζεσθαι· τῷ πνεύματι ζέειν, ἐνδεδυμένον εἶναι τὴν πανοπλίαν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, καὶ τρέχειν οὐκ ἀδήλως καὶ πυκτεύειν ὡς οὐκ