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De magistris et discipulis sub nomine Nili Ancyrani fragmenta e codd. Paris. gr. 1188 + 1066

43 An unskilled pilot is a ready shipwreck and an ignorant leader is the destruction of his disciples. An inexperienced shepherd dislocated the ankles of sheep, and a leader the paths of disciples. An ignorant shepherd will not distinguish among the sheep in a mist, nor in a time of temptations will an inexperienced teacher say anything of benefit. A knowledgeable leader is a general of war and a physician of the passions; for he will either not allow one to be wounded, or he will quickly heal the one who has been wounded. A disobedient disciple is a warped piece of wood and will not be straightened by being continually reproved. A dissonant brother is a string of a discordant lyre and for the community, a breaking of the common melody. A drone eats the labors of the bees and a slothful brother diminishes the virtuous action of the community. A cowardly soldier weakens the hands of warriors and a negligent monk relaxes the zeal of the brothers. A swarm of bees works the honeycomb and a company of brothers the kingdom of heaven. A trumpet awakens the zeal of warriors and the teaching of practical virtue the earnestness of disciples. Arm with words †of fingers, O leader, your brothers and arm them with a breastplate by the promises of the good things to come; fence them with the shield of faith by struggles and put greaves on them with hope in God; †... the feet in evangelical teachings and gird the loins with words of self-control; give the sword into the hand against the passions, a most sharp anger, and set in array a phalanx of passions against pleasure. Train in thoughts the soldiers, who are experienced for the battle; and show defeat to be terrible by the threat of eternal punishment. Proclaim the victor with splendid praises, for praise also knows how to make men more earnest; and treat with compassion the one who has been assailed, for forgiveness shames the prudent man no less than a threat.

Do not be moved with anger against a disciple who has sinned, for it is not holy to wound oneself before the healing of another; but correct him with forbearance towards the good; for a physician treats the affliction, but is not indignant with the one who is involuntarily sick. A physician, when he cuts, does this without anger; and a teacher, when he reproves, let him not mix anger with the reproof. He leads those fleeing the land of Egypt on a path through the desert; for scarcity knows how to train towards self-control even those beginning virtue. Encamp at Elim, which is interpreted as "gates," a symbol signifying the entrance to virtue, and show the seventy palm trees. And encamp by the twelve springs—for you must also suggest the things of victory, palms being a symbol, and console the flame of the passions, providing streams abundantly— until, having cast down all the foreign nations, they may arrive at the land of promise, in which they will live the blessed life of passionlessness, receiving as the reward for their labors the true gladness.

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De magistris et discipulis sub nomine Nili Ancyrani fragmenta e codd. Paris. gr. 1188 + 1066

43 Ἄτεχνος κυβερνήτης ἕτοιμος ναυαγία καὶ ἀνεπιστήμων ἡγούμενος

ἀπώλεια μαθητῶν. Ἄπειρος ποιμὴν ἐξέστρεψεν ἀστραγάλους προβάτων καὶ ἡγούμενος ὁδοὺς μαθητῶν. Οὐ διαγνώσεται ἐν ὁμίχλῃ ἀνὰ μέσον προβάτων ἀνεπιστήμων ποιμὴν οὐδ' ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμῶν ἐρεῖ τι συμφέρον διδάσκαλος ἄπειρος. Στρατηγὸς πολέμου καὶ παθῶν ἰατρός ἐστιν ἐπιστήμων ἡγούμενος· ἢ γὰρ τρωθῆναι οὐκ ἐάσει ἢ τρωθέντα ταχέως ἰάσεται. Ἀνήκοος μαθητὴς διεστραμμένον ξύλον καὶ οὐ μὴ ὀρθωθῇ ἐλεγχόμενος συνεχῶς. Ἀσύμφωνος ἀδελφὸς ἀπηχούσης λύρας νευρὰ καὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ λυομένη τοῦ κοινοῦ μέλους. Κηφὴν ἐσθίει μελισσῶν πόνους καὶ ῥᾴθυμος ἀδελφὸς ἐλαττοῖ συνοδίας ἐνάρετον πρᾶξιν. ∆ειλὸς στρατιώτης ἐκλύει πολεμιστῶν χεῖρας καὶ ἀμελὴς μοναχὸς χαυνοῖ προθυμίαν ἀδελφῶν. Σμῆνος μελισσῶν ἐργάζεται κηρίον καὶ σύστημα ἀδελφῶν βασιλείαν οὐρανῶν. Σάλπιγξ διεγείρει προθυμίαν πολεμιστῶν καὶ μαθητῶν σπουδὴν διδασκαλία πρακτικῆς ἀρετῆς. Ὅπλισον †δακτύλων λόγοις, ἡγούμενε, σοὺς ἀδελφοὺς καὶ θωράκισον ἐπαγγελίαις τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν· φράξον θυρεῷ πίστεως ἄθλοις καὶ περικνήμισον ἐλπίδι τῇ εἰς τὸν θεόν· †κήνησον τοὺς πόδας ἐν εὐαγγελικοῖς μαθήμασι καὶ ζῶσον τὴν ὀσφὺν σωφροσύνης λόγοις· δὸς μάχαιραν εἰς τὴν χεῖρα κατὰ τῶν παθῶν ὀξύτατον θυμὸν καὶ ἀντίταξον φάλαγγα παθῶν ἡδονῇ. Γύμνασον ἐν λογισμοῖς τοὺς ὁπλίτας, οἳ ἐμπείρως ἔχουσι πρὸς τὴν μάχην· καὶ δεῖξον φοβερὸν τὴν ἧτταν τῇ ἀπειλῇ τῆς αἰωνίου κολάσεως. Τὸν νικητὴν ἀνακήρυττε λαμπροῖς ἐπαίνοις, οἶδε γὰρ καὶ ἡ εὐφημία σπουδαιοτέρους ποιεῖν· καὶ τὸν ἐπηρεασθέντα θεράπευσον συμπαθῶς, οὐχ ἧττον γὰρ ἀπειλῆς ἐντρέπει συγγνώμη τὸν συνετόν.

Μὴ κινήσῃ θυμῷ ἐφ' ἁμαρτήσαντι μαθητῇ, οὐ γὰρ ὅσιον ἑαυτὸν τιτρώσκειν πρὸ τῆς θεραπείας ἑτέρου· ἀλλὰ ἀνεξικάκως διόρθωσαι πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθόν· καὶ γὰρ ἰατρὸς θεραπεύει μὲν τὸ πάθος, οὐκ ἀγανακτεῖ δὲ πρὸς τὸν ἀκουσίως νοσήσαντα. Τέμνων ἰατρός, χωρὶς ὀργῆς τοῦτο ποιεῖ· καὶ ἐλέγχων διδάσκαλος μὴ μιγνύτω τῷ ἐλέγχῳ θυμόν. Τοὺς γῆν Αἴγυπτον φεύγοντας δι' ἐρήμου ὁδηγεῖ ὁδόν· οἶδε γὰρ ἡ σπάνις παιδαγωγεῖν πρὸς ἐγκράτειαν καὶ ἀρχομένους τῆς ἀρετῆς. Προσσκήνωσον τῇ Αἰλείμ πυλῶνες δὲ αὐτοὶ ἑρμηνεύονται, τῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρετὴν εἰσόδου φερούσης σύμβολον καὶ δεῖξον τοὺς ἑβδομήκοντα φοίνικας. Σκήνωσον δὲ κατὰ τὰς δώδεκα πήγας-δεῖ γὰρ καὶ τὰ τῆς νίκης σε ὑποφωνεῖν φοίνικες σύμβολον καὶ τὴν τῶν παθῶν παραμυθεῖσθαι φλόγα παρέχοντα νάματα δαψιλῶς- ἕως ἂν πάντα καθελόντες τὰ ἀλλότρια ἔθνη φθάσωσιν εἰς τὴν γῆν τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἐν ᾗ τὸν μακάριον τῆς ἀπαθείας βιώσονται βίον μισθὸν τῶν πόνων τὴν ἀληθινὴν κομιζόμενοι εὐφροσύνην.