"337. Ἦλθόν ποτε ἐν μοναστηρίῳ γέροντός τινος λῃσταί, καὶ εἶπον πρὸς αὐτόν· Πάντα τὰ ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ σου λαβεῖν ἥκαμεν. Ὁ δὲ φησίν· Ὡς ἂν δοκῇ ὑμῖν, τέκνα, λάβετε. Ἔλαβον οὖν ἃ εὗρον ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ καὶ ἀπῆλθον. Ἐπελάθοντο δὲ ἓν μαρσίππιον, ὃ ἦν ἐκεῖ κρεμάμενον. Ὁ οὖν γέρων, λαβὼν αὐτό, κατεδίωξεν ὀπίσω αὐτῶν βοῶν καὶ λέγων· Τέκνα, λάβετε ὃ ἐπελάθεσθε ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ ἡμῶν. Οἱ δέ, θαυμάσαντες ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνεξικακίᾳ τοῦ γέροντος, ἀποκατέστησαν αὐτῷ πάντα ἐν τῷ κελλίῳ, καὶ μετενόησαν εἰπόντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους· Ἀληθῶς ἄνθρωπος Θεοῦ ἐστὶν οὗτος."

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Added on April 10, 2026
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ProverbsChristian textsMonasticismDesert Fathers
Original Language: English

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Brigands once came to the monastery of an elder and said to him: “We have come to take everything in your cell”, and he said: “Take whatever you like, my sons”, so they took what they found in the cell and went their way, but they missed one pouch that was hanging there. So the elder took it and ran after them, calling out and saying: “Take this [pouch] that you overlooked in our cell, my sons.” They wondered at the forbearance of the elder and restored everything in the cell to him; they apolog