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Sententiae ad monachos

To the monks in communities or congregations.

1 Heirs of God, hear the words of God, and co-heirs with Christ, receive the sayings of Christ, so that you may give them to the hearts of your children, and teach them the words of the wise.

2 A good father disciplines his sons, but a wicked father will destroy them. 3 Faith is the beginning of love, and the end of love is the knowledge of God. 4 The fear of the Lord will preserve the soul, and good self-control will strengthen it. 5 A man's patience begets hope, and a good hope will glorify him. 6 He who enslaves his flesh will be free from passion, but he who nourishes it

will be pained by it. 7 The spirit of fornication is in the bodies of the incontinent, but the spirit of temperance is in the souls

of the continent. 8 Withdrawal in love purifies the heart, but withdrawal with hatred

disturbs it. 9 Better is the thousandth in love than one alone with hatred in inaccessible caves. 10 He who binds up resentfulness in his soul is like one who hides

fire in chaff. 11 Do not give much food to your body, and you will not see in sleep

evil phantoms. For just as a flame consumes a forest, so hunger extinguishes shameful phantoms.

12 A wrathful man will be terrified, but the meek will be fearless. 3 A strong wind drives away clouds, and resentfulness drives the mind from knowledge. 14 He who prays for his enemies will be free of resentment, and he who spares

his tongue will not grieve his neighbor. 15 If your brother provokes you, bring him into your house, and

do not hesitate to go in to him, but eat your bread with him. For by doing this you will deliver your soul and there will be no stumbling block for you at the time of prayer.

16 Just as love rejoices in poverty, so hatred delights in wealth. 17 A rich man will not attain knowledge and a camel will not enter into

the eye of a needle, but none of these things will be impossible with the Lord. 18 He who loves silver will not see knowledge, and he who gathers it

will be darkened. 19 The Lord will lodge in the tents of the humble, but in the houses of the proud

curses will abound. 20 He who transgresses his law dishonors God, but he who keeps it glorifies

him who made him. 21 If you emulate Christ, you will be blessed, and his death

your soul will die, and it will not draw wickedness from its flesh, but your departure will be as the going forth of a star, and your resurrection will shine forth like the sun.

22 Woe to the lawless on the day of death, and the unjust will perish in an evil time. For just as a raven flies away from its nest, so an unclean soul from its own body.

23 Angels guide the souls of the just, but demons will take the souls of the wicked.

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Sententiae ad monachos

Πρὸς τοὺς ἐν κοινοβίοις ἢ συνοδίαις μοναχούς.

1 Κληρονόμοι θεοῦ ἀκούσατε λόγων θεοῦ, συγκληρονόμοι δὲ Χριστοῦ δέξασθε ῥήσεις Χριστοῦ, ἵνα δῶτε αὐτὰς καρδίαις τέκνων ὑμῶν, λόγους δὲ σοφῶν διδάξητε αὐτούς.

2 Πατὴρ ἀγαθὸς παιδεύει υἱοὺς αὐτοῦ, πατὴρ δὲ πονηρὸς ἀπολέσει αὐτούς. 3 Πίστις ἀρχὴ ἀγάπης, τέλος δὲ ἀγάπης γνῶσις θεοῦ. 4 Φόβος κυρίου διατηρήσει ψυχήν, ἐγκράτεια δὲ ἀγαθὴ ἐνισχύσει αὐτήν. 5 Ὑπομονὴ ἀνδρὸς τίκτει ἐλπίδα, ἐλπὶς δὲ ἀγαθὴ δοξάσει αὐτόν. 6 Ὁ δουλαγωγῶν σάρκας αὐτοῦ ἀπαθὴς ἔσται, ὁ δὲ ἐκτρέφων αὐτὰς

ὀδυνηθήσεται ἐπ' αὐταῖς. 7 Πνεῦμα πορνείας ἐν σώμασιν ἀκρατῶν, πνεῦμα δὲ σωφροσύνης ἐν ψυχαῖς

ἐγκρατῶν. 8 Ἀναχώρησις ἐν ἀγάπῃ καθαίρει καρδίαν, ἀναχώρησις δὲ μετὰ μίσους

ἐκταράσσει αὐτήν. 9 Κρείσσων χιλιοστὸς ἐν ἀγάπῃ ἢ μόνος μετὰ μίσους ἐν ἀδύτοις σπηλαίοις. 10 Ὁ ἐναποδεσμεύων μνησικακίαν ἐν ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ κρύπτοντι

πῦρ ἐν ἀχύροις. 11 Μὴ δῷς βρώματα πολλὰ τῷ σώματί σου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδῃς καθ' ὕπνους

φαντασίας κακάς. ὃν τρόπον γὰρ φλὸξ καταναλίσκει δρυμόν, οὕτω φαντασίας αἰσχρὰς σβέννυσι πεῖνα.

12 Ἀνὴρ θυμώδης πτοηθήσεται, ὁ δὲ πραῢς ἄφοβος ἔσται. 3 Ἄνεμος σφοδρὸς ἀποδιώκει νέφη, μνησικακία δὲ τὸν νοῦν ἀπὸ γνώσεως. 14 Ὁ προσευχόμενος ὑπὲρ ἐχθρῶν ἀμνησίκακος ἔσται, φειδόμενος δὲ

γλώσσης οὐ λυπήσει τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ. 15 Ἐὰν παροξύνῃ σε ὁ ἀδελφός σου, εἰσάγαγε αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου, καὶ

πρὸς αὐτὸν μὴ ὀκνήσῃς εἰσελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ φάγε τὸν ψωμόν σου μετ' αὐτοῦ. τοῦτο γὰρ ποιῶν ῥύσῃ σὴν ψυχὴν καὶ οὐκ ἔσται σοι πρόσκομμα ἐν καιρῷ προσευχῆς.

16 Ὥσπερ ἡ ἀγάπη χαίρει πενίᾳ, οὕτω τὸ μῖσος τέρπεται πλούτῳ. 17 Οὐκ ἐπιτεύξεται πλούσιος γνώσεως καὶ κάμηλος οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς

ὀπὴν ῥαφίδος, ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων ἀδυνατήσει παρὰ κυρίῳ 18 Ὁ φιλῶν ἀργύριον οὐκ ὄψεται γνῶσιν, καὶ ὁ συνάγων αὐτὸ

σκοτισθήσεται. 19 Ἐν σκηναῖς ταπεινῶν αὐλισθήσεται κύριος, ἐν οἴκοις δὲ ὑπερηφάνων

πληθυνθήσονται ἀραί. 20 Ἀτιμάζει θεὸν ὁ παραβαίνων νόμον αὐτοῦ, ὁ δὲ φυλάσσων αὐτὸν δοξάζει

τὸν ποιήσαντα αὐτόν. 21 Ἐὰν ζηλώσῃς Χριστόν, γενήσῃ μακαριστός, τὸν δὲ θάνατον αὐτοῦ

ἀποθανεῖται ἡ ψυχή σου, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐπισπάσηται ἀπὸ σαρκὸς αὐτῆς κακίαν, ἀλλ' ἔσται ἡ ἔξοδός σου ὡς ἔξοδος ἀστέρος, καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασίς σου ὥσπερ ὁ ἥλιος ἐκλάμψει.

22 Οὐαὶ ἀνόμῳ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ θανάτου, καὶ ἄδικος ὀλεῖται ἐν καιρῷ πονηρῷ. ὃν τρόπον γὰρ ἀφίπταται κόραξ ἐκ τῆς αὐτοῦ νοσσιᾶς, οὕτως ἀκάθαρτος ψυχὴ ἐκ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος.

23 Ψυχὰς δικαίων ὁδηγοῦσιν ἄγγελοι, ψυχὰς δὲ πονηρῶν παραλήψονται δαίμονες.