Christians From Egypt

"I rose and stretched out my hands and I prayed, and suddenly a man of light came to me, the one who had come to me the first time. And when he came, he stood over me and he strengthened me as he had done the first time. In short, seventeen days passed while I journeyed in this manner. Suddenly I looked in the distance. I saw a man coming who was completely fire, his hair spread out over his body like a leopard’s. Indeed, he was naked, and leaves from a plant covered his shameful parts. Now when he came close to me, I climbed up on a mountain ledge, thinking that he was a mountain man. Now when he came closer, he threw himself under the mountain ledge in the shade because he was exhausted and because of his hunger and thirst. Indeed, he was in grave danger of dying. He raised his eyes to the mountain ledge and called to me, saying, “Paphnutius, come down to me, man of God. I, too, am a man of the desert, like yourself. I live in this desert on account of God.”"

"My name is Onnophrius, and for sixty years I have lived in this solitary place and desert. I walk in the mountains like the wild beasts, and I live on the plants and trees, and I have not seen anyone I know."

"Egypt has an honourable history in the advocacy and defence of human rights, unlike some countries that always attack Egypt on its human rights record."

"With respect to the right to life, liberty and security of person (Article 3), Egypt’s efforts to fight for peace and security through its fight against terrorism have received worldwide admiration and recognition. One of the government’s main responsibilities is to meet the people’s need for safety and security and it has met with considerable success in this domain."

"In Europe, too, racism — one of the worst human rights violations — is widespread. Related to this is the way European countries handle the problem of refugees. There, they are not even treated as human beings, in contrast to Egypt which, according to a report by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, is one of the most humane countries in its treatment of refugees (see Article 14). Egypt does not pen up refugees in camps. They are welcome as ordinary members of society and enjoy the same rights and duties as others."

"Unfortunately, the question of human rights is sometimes used as a propaganda tool. In this regard, Egypt has recently been the focus of another wave of criticism by parties driven by political, economic or personal agendas and whose attacks rely on unsubstantiated sources or plain fiction. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the mother of human rights instruments, it seems worth making a calm and reasoned assessment of how Egypt truly fares in terms of its provisions."

"The right to peace, justice and development is enshrined in the declaration’s preamble. Egypt has a solid record in the pursuit of these goals. It has struggled to realise ambitious developmental aims despite arduous circumstances and limited resources. Its war against terrorism helps protect the region and the world from this blight while the government has made more progress in development in recent years than previous governments had in 50 years."

"My son, obey God and keep his commandments, and be wise and remain in your dwelling, which is your delight, and your cell will remain with you in your heart as you seek its blessing, and the labor of your cell will go with you to God. For you will know God in your cell. Keep him with you and the Devil will depart from you, which will allow you to tame him. Do not forsake God. Do not forsake your cell. For the incense of God is a wise man in his cell. The altar of God is a wise man in his cell. The glory of God will appear to him there. A poor man who remains in his cell is a king and lord. Honor him, for God is dwelling in him."

"Be like the master sailors piloting their ships as you watch the wind to see what direction it is taking you, whether it is a good wind or bad that is coming."

"Do not be like the thorny acacias that grow on the mountain, which is God (Coptic: pnoute). Instead, be like a reed growing in the water, which is the abyss (Coptic: pnoun)."

"Truly the lion leaves the desert and erases his pawprints with his tail. If he prevails over the person who has come out to [hunt] him, he goes up in complete confidence. Now then, you who are poor, you shall look boldly upon your enemies like the roaring lions.”"

"When Antony] entered the cave he saw the lifeless corpse in a kneeling position, its head erect and its hands stretched out toward heaven. At first he thought that Paul was still alive and so he knelt down beside him to pray, but when he heard no sighs from the praying man, as he usually did, he fell upon him in a tearful embrace, realizing that even as a corpse the holy man, by means of his reverent posture, was praying to God for whom all things live."

"Let us be even more vigilant, in the knowledge that God has granted us, through our father Pachomius, the great grace to renounce the world and consider as nothing all the worries of the world and the cares of worldly affairs. What opportunity has been left to us to have anything as our own, “from a thread to a shoe strap” (Gen. 14:23), since we have masters who “with fear and trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3) are so solicitous on our behalf both for food and clothing and during ill health, if it should occur, that we need not worry about anything and thereby lose the soul's benefits for the sake of the flesh? We are free; we have cast from our necks the yoke of enslavement to the world. And let us think of the traditions of our father as a ladder which leads to the kingdom of heaven."

"Therefore, let us be imitators of the saints and not forget the formation that our Father gave us while he was still alive. Let us not extinguish the burning lamp he placed above our heads. Walking [in] this world by the light of this lamp, let us remember that it is through his zeal that God has received us into his household. He gave a hospice to wayfarers, he showed a harbor of peace to those on a storm-tossed sea. [He provided] bread in hunger, shade in heat, clothing in nakedness. He instructed the ignorant by spiritual precepts. He encircled with chastity those enslaved by vices and joined to himself those from afar."

"Therefore, brothers, let us be equal, from the least to the greatest, whether rich or poor, perfect in harmony and humility. Let no one look after his own pleasure when he sees a brother living in poverty and hardship; let this saying of the prophet be told of you, “Did one God not create [all of] you? Have you not all one father? Why has each of you abandoned his brother, thus profaning the covenant of your fathers? Judah has been forsaken, and abomination has been committed in Israel" (Mal. 2:10–11). Our Lord and Savior gave his apostles this precept, “I gave you a new commandment: Love one another, as I have loved you. By this you shall truly be known as my disciples” (John 13:34–35). We should, therefore, love one another and show that we are truly the servants of our Lord Jesus Christ and sons of Pachomius and disciples of the Koinonia."

"They used to say of Abba John Colobos that, having withdrawn from the world to be with an elder from Thebes at Scete, he was living in the desert. His abba took some dry wood, planted it and said to him: “Irrigate it every day with a bottle of water until it bears fruit.” Water was a long way from them, so one had to go in the evening and return at dawn. After three years [the dry wood] became alive and bore fruit. The elder took its fruit and brought it to the church, saying to the brothers: “Take and eat some fruit of obedience.”"

"Abba Isidore of Pelusium used to say: “A life without a word is more advantageous than a word without life; for the first, even in silence, is advantageous, while the second is a trouble-maker when it cries out, whereas if life and word run together they constitute the portrait of all philosophy.”"

"They also used to say of him that he once braided cord for two baskets and stitched it together as one basket but didn’t realize it until he approached the wall, for his logismos was occupied in contemplation."

"Abba Lot visited Abba Joseph and said to him: “Abba, to the best of my ability I do my little synaxis, my little fasting; praying, meditating, and maintaining hesychia; and I purge my logismoi to the best of my ability. What else then can I do?” The elder stood up and stretched out his hands to heaven; his fingers became like ten lamps of fire. He said to him: “If you are willing, become altogether like fire.”"

"Abba John of the Thebaid said, 'First of all the monk must gain humility; for it is the first commandment of the Lord who said: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."' (Matt. 5.3)"

"A brother asked Abba Joseph: “I want to come out of the coenobion and live alone.” The elder said to him: “Stay wherever you see your soul experiencing repose and not being damaged.” The brother said to him: “I experience repose both in the coenobion and living alone; what do you want me to do?” The elder said to him: “If you experience repose both in the coenobion and living alone, put your two logismoi as though in a balance and do that which is the more likely to be to your benefit and [to which] your logismos prompts you.”"

"They also used to say of him that [the wages of] all the labor he expended on the harvest, he would take and bring to Scete saying: “My widows and orphans are at Scete.”"

"Abba Carion said: “I have performed many physical tasks, more than my son Zachariah, but I have not achieved his stature in his humility and silence.”"

"A brother asked Abba Cronios: “In what way does one arrive at humble-mindedness?” The elder said: “Through fear of God.” The brother said to him: “And through what action does one arrive at fear of God?” The elder said: “In my opinion, let him withdraw himself from every affair and dedicate himself to physical toil, to the best of his ability bearing in mind his departure from the body and the judgment of God.”"

"Abba Poemen said to Abba Joseph: “Tell me how I may become a monk.” Said the elder to him: “If you want to find repose both here and there, say in every situation: ‘I, who am I?’ and do not pass judgment on anybody.”"

"Abba Joseph said to Abba Lot: “You cannot become a monk unless you become altogether like a flaming fire.”"

"Once they came to make Abba Isaac a priest. When he heard, he fled into Egypt, went into a field, and hid amidst the crop. The fathers went after him and, when they got to that same field, sat down to rest a little there, for it was night. They set the ass free to pasture, but the ass went and stood by the elder. When they sought the ass at dawn, they found Abba Isaac too. They were amazed and wanted to bind him but he would not let them. “I am not running away any more,” he said, “for it is the will of God and no matter where I run away to, I will come to it.”"

"They used to say of Abba Isaac that he used to eat ashes from the thurible used at the Eucharist with his bread."

"He also said: “For my part, when I was younger and staying in my cell, I had no time limit to synaxis; night and day were synaxis for me.”"

"The same elder [Abba Poemen] said of Abba Isidore that when he spoke to the brothers in church, this was the only thing he said: “Brothers, it is written: ‘Forgive your neighbor that you may receive forgiveness.’”"

"Abba Serapion said: “Just as the soldiers of the emperor standing before him cannot turn their attention to left or to right, so too if a person stand before God and rivet his attention on his presence, in fear of him all the time, no action of the enemy can terrorize him.”"

"Once when Abba Daniel and Abba Ammōes were travelling, Abba Ammōes said: “When are we too going to stay in a cell, father?” Abba Daniel said to him: “Who is taking God away from us now? God is in the cell, and God is outside too.”"

"As soon as this earth's great elder, the blessed Antony, who prayed for the whole world, departed, everything has been torn apart and is in anguish, and the Wrath devastates Egypt. While he was truly on earth, he extended his hands and prayed and spoke with God all day long. He did not let the Wrath descend on us. Lifting up his thoughts, he kept it from coming down. But now that those hands are closed, no one else can be found who might halt the violence."

"Amma Sarah sent someone to say to Abba Paphnutius, 'Have you really done the work of God by letting your brother be despised?' and Abba Paphnutius said, 'Paphnutius is here with the intention of doing the work of God, and he has nothing to do with anyone else.'"

"Abba Theodore of Enaton said: “If God were to lay to our account our lack of attention in prayers and our distractions in psalm-singing, we could not be saved.”"

"When the same Abba Theophilus, the archbishop, was at the point of death, he said: “Blessed are you, Abba Arsenius, for you were ever mindful of this hour.”"

"She also said: “Just as it is not possible to be at once both plant and seed, so is it impossible for us to produce heavenly fruit with earthly glory lying all around us.”"

"The same Amma Theodora also said: “A devout person was once reviled by somebody and he said to him: ‘I too could have said the same to you but the law of God closes my mouth.’” She used to say this too: “A Christian having a discussion with a Manichaean about the body spoke thus: ‘Impose the law on the body and you shall see that the body [belongs] to the Creator.’”"

"Abba Pior he used to eat walking around. When somebody enquired: “Why do you eat like that?” he said: “I do not want to treat food as work, but as incidental.” To somebody else who had asked about it he replied: “It is so that my soul may not experience any physical pleasure even when I am eating.”"

"The same Abba Theophilus the archbishop once visited Scete. When the brothers were assembled they said to Abba Pambo: “Tell the pope one saying so he might reap benefit in this place.” Said the elder to them: “If he reaps no benefit from my silence, nor can he benefit from my speaking.”"

"She also said: “Just as a ship cannot be built without nails, so is it impossible to be saved without humble-mindedness.”"

"Abba Carion said: “A man who stays with a youth comes to grief if he be not strong. If he be strong he does not come to grief; however, he does not progress.”"

"Abba Abraham used to say of one of the people at Scete that he was a scribe and that did not eat bread. A brother came begging him to write out a book for him. The elder’s mind was rapt in contemplation; he wrote in continuous lines without punctuation. When the brother took it and wanted to punctuate it, he found it lacked some verses and he said to the elder: “There are some lines missing, abba.” Said the elder to him: “Go away, and first practice what is written; then come back and I will write the rest for you too.”"

"Abba Doulas the disciple of Abba Bessarion used to say: “Once, while we were travelling along the seashore, I was thirsty and said to Abba Bessarion: ‘Abba, I am very thirsty.’ The elder offered a prayer and said to me: ‘Drink from the sea.’ The water was made sweet so I drank. But I poured some into the vessel in case I got thirsty further on. Seeing me, the elder said: “Why did you pour [some into the vessel]?” I said to him: “Forgive me; in case I get thirsty further on,” and the elder said to me: ‘God is here and God is everywhere.’”"

"They used to say of Abba Cheremon at Scete that his cave was forty miles from the church, and twelve miles from the marsh and water. Thus he took his handiwork to his cave carrying two water jars side by side, and stayed there in hesychia."

"A brother asked Abba Serapion: “Tell me a saying.” The elder said: “What can I say to you? That you took the goods of widows and orphans and set them in this embrasure?”—for he saw that it was full of books."

"There was an elder called Abba Pambo, and of him it was said that for three years he interceded with God saying: “Do not glorify me on earth”— and God so glorified him that nobody could stare him in the face on account of the glory his face possessed."

"Abba Pambo said: “If you have a heart you can be saved.”"

"Ward: A brother asked Abba Poemen, "How should I behave in the place where I live?" The old man said, "Have the mentality of an exile in the place where you live, do not desire to be listened to and you will have peace.""

"Ward: Abba Isaac came to see Abba Poemen and found him washing his feet. As he enjoyed freedom of speech with him he said, "How is it that others practice austerity and treat their bodies hardly?" Abba Poemen said to him, "We have not been taught to kill our bodies, but to kill our passions.""