Sayings of the Desert Fathers

"496. Ποτὲ κακούργων ἐπιστάντων τινὶ γέροντι ἔθηκεν αὐτοῖς νιπτῆρα καὶ ἠξίου τοὺς πόδας αὐτῶν νίπτειν, κἀκεῖνοι αἰδεσθέντες ἤρξαντο μετανοεῖν."

"498. Εἶπεν γέρων· Ὁ ἐπαινῶν μοναχὸν παραδίδει αὐτὸν τῷ Σατανᾷ."

"511. Εἶπεν γέρων· Οὐαὶ τῷ ἔξω ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔσω, μᾶλλον δὲ οὐαὶ τῷ ἔσω ἀπὸ τοῦ ἔξω. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι ὁ κοσμικὸς εὑρίσκει λαβὴν κατὰ ἡσυχάζοντος ἢ ἀναχωροῦντος, τοῦτο πτώσις καὶ κρίσις τοῦ πάσχοντος τὴν λαβήν."

"534. Εἶπεν πάλιν· Ἐὰν ἴδῃς τινὰ γελῶντα ἢ ἐσθίοντα πολλά, μὴ κρίνῃς αὐτόν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εἰπέ ὅτι μακάριος ἐστὶν οὗτος, ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ἔχει καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ χαίρεται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτοῦ."

"546. Ἀνδρὶ ἁγίῳ κατ᾿ αὐτὴν τὴν ὥραν μέλλοντι τελευτᾶν ἐπιστὰς ὁ Σατανᾶς λέγει αὐτῷ· Σὺ ἐξήλησάς με. Καὶ λέγει ὁ γέρων· Οὐκ οἶδα ἀκμήν. Ἴδε ἕως πόσου ἔνιφαν οἱ πατέρες μὴ καυχᾶσθαι ἔν τινι πράγματι."

"554. Γέρων τις κατέλαβεν ἐν Σκήτει λῃστὰς συλοῦντας τὴν κέλλαν αὐτοῦ καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· Ταχύνατε [f. 294r] πρὸ τοῦ ἔλθωσιν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ καὶ κωλύσωσί με πληρῶσαι τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ τοῦ εἰπόντος· ἀπὸ τοῦ αἴροντος τὰ σὰ μὴ ἀπαίτει."

"559. Εἶπεν πάλιν· Ὥσπερ ὁ νεκρὸς οὐκ ἐσθίει, οὕτως ὁ ταπεινόφρων οὐ δύναται κρῖναι ἄνθρωπον, κἂν ἴδῃ αὐτὸν προσκυνοῦντα εἰδώλοις."

"573. Εἶπεν γέρων· Ἐὰν κάθῃ ἐν ἐρήμῳ ἡσυχάζων, μὴ λογίζου ἐν ἑαυτῷ ὡς μέγα τὶ ποιῶν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἔχε ἑαυτὸν ὡς κύνα ἐξορισθέντα ἀπὸ ὄχλου καὶ δεδεμένον διὰ τὸ δάκνειν καὶ ἐπιχειρεῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις."

"578. Εἶπεν πάλιν· Ἄνθρωπος γευσάμενος τῆς γλυκύτητος τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης βαρεῖται καὶ εἰς αὐτὸ τὸ ἱμάτιον ὃ φορεῖ, καὶ εἰς τὸ βαυκάλιον τοῦ ὕδατος· ὁ γὰρ νοῦς αὐτοῦ λοιπὸν ἀλλαχοῦ ἀδολεσχεῖ."

"592.6. Ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς περί τινος μισοῦντος σε [f. 303r] καὶ λοιδοροῦντος, πέμψον ἢ δὸς αὐτῷ μικρὰν εὐλογίαν κατὰ τὴν δύναμίν σου, ἵνα ἔχεις παρρησίαν εἰπεῖν ἐν τῇ ὥρᾳ τῆς κρίσεως· Ἄφες ἡμῖν, δέσποτα, τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν."

"592.11. Ἐὰν κτήσῃ βιβλίον, μὴ κοσμίσῃς τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ καὶ μὴ κτήσῃ ἅπλωμα πολύτιμον ἐν τῷ προσκυνήματί σου."

"592.51. Ἐὰν εἰσὶν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ ὅπου οἰκεῖς μνήματα, ἀνέρχου συνεχῶς καὶ κατανόει τοὺς κειμένους ἐκεῖ, μάλιστα ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ πολέμου τῆς σαρκός. Καὶ ὅταν μάθῃς ὅτι ἀδελφὸς ὑπάγει πρὸς Κύριον, πορεύου καὶ παράμεινον ἐκεῖ, ὅπως θεάσῃ πῶς ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ σώματος χωρίζεται."

"607bis (S and V). Ἄλλος κακούργων αὐτῷ ἐπιστάντων νιπτῆρα προσέφερε καὶ ἠξίου τοὺς πόδας αὐτῷ νίπτειν κἀκεῖνοι αἰδεσθέντες μετέβαλον τὸν τρόπον."

"613. Ἀδελφὸς ἠρώτησε γέροντα λέγων· Καλὸν τὸ παραβάλλειν γέρουσιν ἢ τὸ ἡσυχάζειν; Λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Τὸ παραβάλλειν τοῖς γέρουσιν ἦν ὁ κανὼν τῶν ἀρχαίων πατέρων."

"624. Ἠρωτήθη γέρων· Πῶς δύναται ἄνθρωπος οἰκῆσαι κατὰ μόνας; Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν· Ὁ ἀθλητὴς ἐὰν μὴ πυκτεύσῃ μετὰ πολλῶν, οὐ δύναται μαθεῖν τὴν τέχνην τῆς νίκης, ἵνα οὗτως δυνηθῇ μετὰ τοῦ ἀντιδίκου μονομαχῆσαι. Οὕτως καὶ ὁ μοναχός, ἐὰν μὴ παιδευθῇ μετὰ ἀδελφῶν και μάθῃ τὴν τῶν λογισμῶν τέχνην, οὐ δύναται οἰκῆσαι κατὰ μόνας, οὐδὲ ἀντιστῆναι τοῖς λογισμοῖς."

"625. Εἶπεν γέρων· Δὸς πρόθεσιν καὶ λαμβάνεις δύναμιν."

"629. Διηγήσατο μαθητὴς μεγάλου γέροντος περὶ τοῦ ἀββᾶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι ποτὲ γενομένης τῆς ἐνάτης ὥρας ἐπείνασε καὶ ἠθέλησε γεύσασθαι. Καὶ θέντες τὴν τράπεζαν ἔστημεν εἰς εὐχὴν καὶ ἐψάλλομεν δύο ψαλμούς. Καὶ ἤρξατο ὁ γέρων λέγειν1 ἀπὸ στήθους καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα καὶ ἐγένετο πρωῒ καὶ ἐγένετο3 ὥρα ἐνάτη καὶ οὕτως κατέπαυσεν. Ὁ γὰρ νοῦς αὐτοῦ ἄνω ἐθεώρει μυστήρια."

"663. Ἀδελφός τις ἀπῆλθεν ἀγοράσαι λινάρια ἀπὸ χήρας τινὸς [V f.274r] καὶ ὡς πωλεῖ5 αὐτῷ6 ἀνεστέναξε. Λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ ἀδελφός· Τί ἔχεις; Λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ χήρα· Ὁ Θεὸς ἔπεμψέ σε σήμερον οἰκονομῆσαι8 τοὺς ἀδελφούς σου καὶ ὀρφανούς μου. Καὶ ὡς ἤκουσεν ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐλυπήθη καὶ ἔλαβε λινάρια ἐκ τοῦ πλαγίου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἔρριψεν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τῆς χήρας, καὶ οὕτως ἐποίησε πρὸς αὐτὴν χάριν."

"664. Ἠρωτήθη γέρων· Τί ἐστιν ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ μοναχοῦ; Καὶ ἀπεκρίθη· Στόμα ἀληθινόν [f.311v], σῶμα ἅγιον, καρδία καθαρά."

"665. Ἔλεγε γέρων ὅτι οἱ πατέρες τῇ ἀποτομίᾳ εἰσῆλθον ἔσω· ἡμεῖς δέ, ἐὰν δυνηθῶμεν, τῇ χρηστότητι εἰσέλθομεν."

"672. Ἔλεγον περὶ τῶν Σκητιωτῶν ὅτι, εἰ κατελάμβανέ τις τὴν ἀρετὴν αὐτῶν, οὐκέτι ὡς ἀρετὴν εἶχον αὐτήν, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἁμαρτίαν."

"673. Εἶπε γέρων· Τὸ ἀνθρώπινον φρόνημα πᾶσαν τὴν πιότητα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀναιρεῖ καὶ ἀφίησιν αὐτὸν ξηρόν."

"684. Εἶπε γέρων· Ἀπὸ μικροῦ ἕως μεγάλου ὧν πράττω, ἐννοῶ εἰς τὸν καρπὸν αὐτοῦ τί τέξεται, εἴτε ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς, εἴτε ἐν ταῖς πράξεσιν."

"700. Εἶπε γέρων· Θέλω διδαχθῆναι ἢ διδάξαι."

"701. Εἶπε πάλιν· Μὴ δίδασκε πρὸ καιροῦ, εἰ δὲ μὴ ὅλον τὸν χρόνον σου ἔσῃ ἐλαττούμενος ἐν συνέσει."

"One of the monks was apprised of the death of [his] father. To the person who reported this he said: ‘Stop your blaspheming: my father is immortal.’"

"The same [elder] said: ‘If you are staying somewhere and you see some folk living comfortably, do not have anything to do with them. But if there be another person who is poor, have to do with him as long as he has no bread and you shall experience repose.’"

"An elder was asked: ‘Why do you never become faint-hearted?’ ‘Because each day I expect to die’, he replied."

"Some elders said: ‘When Moses entered into the cloud he was speaking with God: when he came out of the cloud, with folk. So it is with the monk: when he is in his cell, he is speaking with God, but when he comes out of his cell he is among demons.’"

"An elder said: ‘The monk ought not to enquire how this one is or how that one is doing; for by asking questions he is turned aside from prayer, turned toward distractions and much talking. So, nothing is better than keeping quiet.’"

"Abba Moses used to address those who lived alone, saying: ‘There are four principal observances: keeping quiet, observing the commandments of God, humbling oneself, and oppression by poverty. But these three virtues a man acquires with difficulty: that is, by grieving all the time, ever being mindful of his own sins, and always confronting his eyes with death.’"

"A brother enquired of an elder: ‘Do you think it is a good thing to be highly regarded among people?’ He replied: ‘Their regard is of no worth. Run away rather than wish to be highly regarded by your brother.’"

"An elder said: ‘The work of a monk is to see his logismoi from afar.’"

"An elder said: ‘A monk ought to be courageous and single-hearted – then he will be saved.’"

"An elder said: ‘To be humble and self-deprecatory is like a protective wall for a monk.’"

"Abba Moses gave the following seven precepts to Abba Poemen which, if observed, will lead to salvation for anybody, whether in a coenobion or in solitude or in the world itself: 1. In the first place, as it is written a man must love God with all your heart and with all your mind. 2. A man must love his neighbour as himself. 3. A man must do to death all evil in him. 4. A man must not judge his brother in any dispute. 5. A man must do no evil to another person. 6. Before departing this life, a man must cleanse himself of every fault of mind or body. 7. A man must always be of a humble and contrite heart. This can be achieved by anyone who thinks of his own sins all the time and not of his neighbour’s, with the assistance of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns world without end. Amen."

"Abba Sisoes showed us about Abba Antony and said, ‘So then, in the cave of a lion a fox dwells.’"

"An elder said, ‘Do not do anything without prayer, and afterwards you will not be sorry.’"

"A brother asked an elder, ‘If I am in a beautiful place and the time of worship has arrived, should I return?’ The elder said to him, ‘Who is it that, when he remembers wealth, returns to poverty?’"

"An elder was asked: ‘Why am I fearful on going into the desert?’ He said: ‘Because you think yourself alone, and you do not see God with you.’"

"Father Makar [Macarius] said to the young brother Zak’arē [Zacharaeus]: ‘What is the task of the solitary?’ And Zak’arē said: ‘To give thanks for temptations and to be silent.’ [in hêsychia]"

"An elder said: ‘If you wish to be known to God, be unknown to mankind.’"

"Abba Elijah was asked: ‘How will we be saved these days?’ He replied: ‘We will be saved through each of us having no regard for himself.’"

"A brother asked an elder and said to him: ‘Do you wish me to meditate on what people read in the Scriptures when I go to church?’ The elder said to him: ‘You are going to the source of life.’"

"I heard that my father, Abba Paphnutius, said: ‘If a man does not change the skin of his face [to be] as the sole of his foot, he cannot be a monk at all.’"

"I heard that the great Abba Agathon used to say: ‘All the time God was showing me the way that I was to take.’"

"Abba Sisoes of Petra, [a disciple] of Abba Antony, said: ‘If a man does good, he will moor his boat in a good port.’"