Apopthegmata Patrum 2

Translation of the Coptic text

Anthony Alcock
I feel somewhat embarrassed to have to admit that, in the first part of these translations, I failed to
mention that M. Chane has an invaluable table of concordances on pp. 155-156 of his book that
positions the Coptic Sayings in relation to those in the major Latin and Greek versions. He also refers to
the equally invaluable work of W. Bousset Apophthegmata: Studien zur Geschichte des ltesten
Mnchtums (1923), where the correspondence with texts in other languages, including Armenian and
Syriac, is given. I have hardly consulted the other versions (except for 155, which breaks off at a critical
point), my intention here being simply to provide an English version of the Coptic text.

90. ... one of the elders ... He saw his lifestyle and said to him: 'Do you not have visions
from your God ?' 1He said: 'No.' The priest2 said: 'We have a few services to perform, and
the mysteries are revealed to us. You exert yourselves in this way with nightly vigils,
asceticism and this silence. You say that you have no wicked thoughts in your heart and
what separates you from your God does not reveal to you His mysteries.' When our fathers
heard this, they were astonished and said: 'It is truly the wicked thoughts that separate us
from God.
91. It is said that there were seven brothers in the monastery of Apa Antonius who, during
the date season, chased away the birds.3 There was an elder who, when keeping watch on
his day, used to cry out aloud: 'Go away, you wicked thoughts inside and you birds outside.'
92. A brother in the Cells soaked his palm leaves. When he was about to sit down to relax, 4
his thoughts said to him: 'Go to so-and-so.' He kept thinking 5 to himself: 'After a few days I
will go.' And they kept saying: 'If he dies, what will you do ?' Nevertheless he kept speaking
about the heat. He kept saying: 'But it is not time.' And he kept thinking: While you are
1
2
3
4
5

nau ebol 'see' here presumably refers to having visions

xiereus: pagan priest. The Coptic word for the same person is xonte
Typographical error for xalate
Typographical error for noutf
Coptic indicates tense and aspect by prefixes attached to a mutable form of the verb and the prefix used here usually
indicates repeated action: afmeeue 'he kept thinking.' It is used within the framework of an internal dialogue.

beating the reeds, there will be time. He replied: Let me take the leaves outside and I will
go. He kept saying to himself: But the air is good today. He then rose and left the leaves
soaking, took his cloak and left.
There was also an elder who was his neighbour and kept a watchful eye on things. 6
When he saw the brother making off, he cried out: Prisoner, come here. When he came,
the elder said to him: Return to your cell instantly. The brother then told him of the war
of all the thoughts that had assailed him. He went into his cell and prostrated himself. The
demon cried out in a loud voice: You have conquered me, monk. 7 The mat beneath him
became as if fire and they became like smoke. They went he thought of their energy
and wickedness.
93. It was said of an elder that he died in Shit. The brothers surrounded his bed. They laid
him out and set him at rest, weeping bitterly. He then opened his eyes and smiled. He then
smiled again. He continued to smile for the third time. The brothers called upon him: Tell
us, father, why are we weeping bitterly and you are smiling? He answered them and said:
I am smiling because you all fear death. I then smiled the second time [

94. ... his brother gave him, he became poorer, but the brother went away to converse with
an elder, and the elder said to him: 'If you will listen to me, do not give to him again. Tell
him that you gave to him when you had. Tell him that what he earns he should bring it to
you. What he brings to you, take it. When you see a stranger or poor elder, give it to them
and ask them to pray for you.' The brother departed and did this. When his lay brother 8
came, he spoke to him, he spoke to him as the elder had said, and the latter went away sad.
But then on the first day he took vegetables to eat from his garden and brought them to
him. His brother took them and gave them to the elders and asked them to pray for him.
He greeted them and went back to his house. He then brought vegetables to cook and three
loaves of bread. His brother, as on the first occasion, took them. He came a third time. He
received a blessing and returned. He then came many times and brought olives, wine and
oil. When the brother saw this, he was astonished. He summoned the poor brothers and
distributed these goods among them. He said to his brother: Do you need a little bread ?
6
7

Lit. 'looking out well' efnau ebol kalws

It is perhaps too fanciful to read into this an echo of the last words Julian the Apostate is said to have uttered:

,
8

'Lay brothers' are mentioned later in 155. This 'brother' lives in a 'house' (hi) and not a 'cell' (ri), but it is not known
whether the house is religious or secular. I am not sure that the status of people so called has been determined
properly.

He said: No, my brother. When I needed and received something from you, it was like
taking fire home and he cast it aside. At the time when I receive nothing from you, I have
an abundance of everything and God has blessed me. The brother went and told the elder
everything that had happened. The elder said: 'Do you not know that the work of the monk
is a fire: everwhere it goes, it burns. This was useful to your brother to make him exercise
charity with his work, and he has received the prayers of the saints. In this way he will be
blessed.'
95. An elder said: 'He is someone who does a lot of good, and the bad ... in order to spoil
the reward for the great good he does.' He said: 'I was living in Pemje 9 once with an elder
who gave alms. He was approached by a widow, who asked him for a little grain. He told
her to bring a measure and measure the grain out for herself. She brought the measure. He
examined it and said that it was big and pushed it out of her hand. He made her ashamed.
After the widow had left, I said to him: "Father, did you give the widow grain ?" He said
"No". I said to him: "If it is for charity that you give, why did you take account of the
measure and make her feel ashamed ?" '
96. An elder was living with a brother. The elder gave bread to all who came. When the
brother saw what was happening, he said to him: 'Give me my portion of bread and do with
yours as you wish.' The elder divided the bread between the two of them and continued to
give his share as alms. Many came to him when they learned that he gave to everyone. God
saw the vow og his heart and blessed his bread. The brother ate his bread and said to the
elder: 'As I have little bread, let us share.' The elder said: 'I will do as you wish.' And they
resumed their common life. But the time came when those who needed charity came. One
day the brother came in and saw that there was not much bread left. A poor brother
presented himself. The elder said to the brother: 'Give him some bread.' But the brother
replied: 'There is none left, father.' The elder said to him: 'Come and see.' The brother
entered and found the bread store full to the top. When he saw, he became afraid and gave
to the poor brother. He recognized the faith and virtue of the elder and gave glory to God.
[pages ? to 182 missing]
97 ... in great haste and I want to see the king. Take me to him.' He said to him: 'I will
9

Gk. name is Oxyrhynchus (in the region of the lake known as Fayyum).

accompany you halfway.' He said to another companion: 'Take me to the king,' and replied:
' I will go with you to the palace.' He said to another companion: 'Take me to the king,' and
he replied: 'I will take you to the king openly10 and I will speak for you.' He was then
asked: 'Explain this parable to us.' And he replied: 'The first companion is asceticism,
which takes you halfway. The second is detachment. 11 The third is mercy, which brings one
to God openly.
98. The elders said: 'God seeks nothing from novices but obedience.
99. A solitary elder had an attendant who lived in a village. Once the attendant was late in
visiting the elder as was customary. The elder found himself without what he needed and
without the manual work he did in his cell. Sad that he had nothing to eat or to do, he said
to his disciple: 'Will you go and call my attendant ?' The disciple agreed. But the elder
decided not to do this after all. They waited, but the attendant did not come. The elder said
to the disciple: 'Will you go as far as the village ?' The disciple agreed. He was afraid of
going to the village because of scandal, but agreed to go so as not disobey his father. The
elder said to him: 'Go, I believe completely in God that He will protect you from all
temptation.' He prayed and sent him. When the disciple entered the village, he went to the
attendant's house, but found that he and all his sons had all left the village for a
remembrance, except for a young girl. He knocked on the door and she opened it. He asked
for her father. She invited him in, but he refused. She seized him and brought him inside.
Knowing she was leading him into depravity, he began to groan and cried out: 'Lord, help
me in this hour because of the prayers of my father. ' As he said this, he found himself at
that moment going along the river to the monastery and was brought safely to his father.
100. Two siblings came to a monastery. One of them was ascetic, the other very obedient. If
his father told him to do or eat something, he did it or ate it. He was praised in the
monastery for his obedience. His ascetic brother became envious. He decided that he
would put his brother to the test to see if he was obedient. He went to his father and said to
him: 'Send my brother and myself to such-and-such a place.' The father sent them. The
ascete took his brother whom he wanted to test. He went along the river, where there were
10

11

xNouparrhsia. The term 'parrhesia' (saying everything, openness of speech) has a rich variety of meanings, some
positive, some negatively and, as here, some neutral neutral. A study of the term can be found in G. Scarpat
Parrhesia greca. Parrhesia cristiana (2001). The term also occurs in a midrash on the passages in Exodus that deal
with the handing over of the Torah: ( ) 'in the public domain'. The ref. can be found
at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrhesia
Clearly a Coptic word but the last few letters of the line are missing from my copy of the text, so I cannot read it.

many crocodiles. He said to his brother: 'Go down into the river and cross it.' The brother
went down and the crocodiles came, licked his body and did him no harm. The ascete saw
this and said: ' Come out of the river.' As they walked along, the found a body stretched
out on the way, and the ascete said: 'If you have an old garment, throw it upon him.' The
obedient one replied: 'Let us rather pray for him, perhaps he will come back to life.' They
began to pray. While they were praying, ...
[pages 185 to 196 are missing]
101. ... accompanying me in the all the streets of the town, they kept striking me saying:
'This monk has taken the virginity of our daughter. Strike him !' And they kept on striking
me. I almost died. Some merciful person came to my rescue and said: 'How long are you
going to strike this stranger ?' The one who used to serve me came behind me ashamed,
and he was abused: 'Is this the anchorite you bear witness to ? See what he has done' And
the parents of the girl said: 'We will not release him until he guarantees her alimony.' I
then called my attendant, and he agreed to be my guarantor. I returned to my cell. All the
baskets I found I gave to him, saying: 'Sell them, give them to my wife that she may eat.' I
said to myself: 'Macarius, you have found a woman, you must work harder to support her.'
I worked day and night to be able to do this. When she came to have the baby, she was in
pain but did not give birth. People said: 'What is this ?' She replied: 'I know. I have
slandered this monk and lied. He did nothing to me. It was someone else.' My attendant
came to me and said: 'The woman was unable to give birth until she confessed that the
anchorite had had nothing to do with her, but that she had lied about him.' And now the
entire village wants to come apologize.' When I heard, I arose this and left, that people
might not trouble me. I came here to Shit, and that is the reason why I have come here.
102. Apa Macarius was walking along the side the marsh with palm leaves, when the devil
came to him with a sickle in his hand. He wanted to attack him, but could not. He said to
him: 'My ill-treatment you is great, but I have no power 12 over you. Everything you do I do
too. You fast for days, and I do too. You spend your nights awake, and I do not sleep.
There is one thing in which your better than me.' Macarius asked him about it.' The devil
replied: Humility. I have never been humble, and for this reason I have never prevailed
against you.'
12

In my copy of this text this word has been cut off and I cannot read it.

103. Apa Mathes once went from Raithu in Gabalon, 13 his brother with him. The bishop
took him and ordained him priest. While they were eating, the bishop said to him: 'Pardon
me, my father, I know that you did not want that, but I was bold enough to do it so that I
could receive a blessing from you. ' The elder said to him humbly: ' I did not want it much,
but it afflicts me because I will be separated from my brother, for I will be unable alone to
perform all the prayers.' The bishop said to him: 'If you know that he is worthy, I will
ordain him.' Apa Mathes answered: 'I do not know if he is worthy, but I do know that I am
no more worthy than he is.' The bishop ordained the brother and they both died
approaching the altar to say Mass. The elder used to say: 'I believe to God that perhaps I
will not be condemned for my ordination because I do not say Mass, for it is not man's ...
[pages 199-200 are missing]
104. ... Apa Poimn: How must I behave in the place where I am ?' The elder said: 'Keep
the spirit of an exile wherever you live so as not to seek to put your word forward and you
will be at peace.'
105. He also said: 'Prostration before God, regarding yourself as insignificant, relegating
your own wishes - these are the works of a monk.'
106. He also said: 'Do not make too much of yourself, but attach yourself to someone who
behaves well.'
107. A brother asked him: 'What must I observe while I am in my cell ?'
108. He also said: 'A brother asked Apa Allonios, "What is contempt ?" The elder said to
him: "It is putting yourself below the beasts and knowing that they will not be
condemned."'

13

Both place names are in square brackets and Chane has supplied them from the Latin text. The Greek version in
Migne has , another reading (Codd. Colbert) has . The Greek name also occurs in
Herodotus cf. A.B. Lloyd Herodotus Book II: Commentary 1-98 (1988): 163. The Greek word looks like the Hebrew
word for 'fortress' (), and W. Gesenius Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon (1846): 447b describes it as the name of a
town in Lower Egypt, with assorted Biblical refs. (Jer. 44,1 and 46, 14 etc.). Crum Coptic Dictionary 214b also
cites it as a place name xraitou : E. Amlineau La gographie de l'gypte l'poque copte (1893): 201 identifies
it as the place called Elim cited in Exodus 15, 27

109. He also said: 'While the elders were once seated at dinner, he stood up to serve them
with Allonios, to whom they paid their respects when they saw him. But Allonios did not
reply. Somone said: "Why do you not reply to the elders who give glory to you ?" Allonios
said: "If I had replied, you would have considered me to be somone who rejoiced in the
praise and accepted it."'
110. He also said: 'The ground on which the Lord asks that sacrifice be made to him is the
humility of heart.'
111. The elder also said: 'If man keeps his place, he will not be troubled.'
112. Apa Joseph said: 'While we were with Apa Poimn, he called Agathon 'Apa'. We said to
him: "He is a novice . Why do you call him 'Apa' ? Poimn replied: "It is his mouth that
makes one call him 'Apa'".
113. It was said of Apa Poimn that he never wished to give his opinion after that of an
elder, but rather to praise that opinion more than his own.
114. The blessed archbishop Apa Theophilus once came to Shit. The brothers assembled
and said to Apa Pambo: 'Tell the patriarch one thing that he may benefit from it.' The elder
said: 'If he does not benefit from our silence, he will not benefit from anything we say.'
115. A faithful14 brother said: ' We went, seven anchorites, to Apa Djidjoi, who lived on the
island of Suez.15 We begged him to tell us something. He said: 'Pardon me, I am a man of
no education, but I have spent time with Apa Hor and Apa Hatre. Apa Hor was sick for 18
years. I prostrated myself before them and said: "Tell me something." Apa Hor replied:
"What am I to say ? Do what you see. God is not with the avaricious but the one who has
been wronged in all things.' Apa Hor and Apa Hatre were from the same nome.The
obedience of Apa Hor and the humility of Apa Hatre were both great. I spent some time
with them, observing, and I saw a great miracle performed by Hatre. Someone brought
them a small fish and Apa Hatre wanted to prepare it for Hor. While he was cutting it,
Hatre said: "Hatre, Hatre." And Hatre stopped cutting, left the knife in the middle of the
14
15

According to Chane. a misunderstanding of the Greek text, which is to be read as Apa Pistos.
Klysma. Interestingly enough the British army built a fortress called the Green Island ( ) during WW2
about 4km from Suez to protect the Canal from interference of any sort.

fish and ran towards him. I admired his great obedience, for he did not tell Hor to wait
until he had finished cutting the fish. And I said to Hatre: "Where did you find such great
obedience ?" "It is not mine, but that of an elder." And he led me to where the elder was,
saying: "Come and see obedience." He cooked the small fish and ruined it deliberately. He
gave it Hor, who ate it without a word. Hatre asked: "Is it good, elder ?" "Very good, " was
the reply. He then brought a small one that was very good and said that that he had spoiled
it. Hor agreed that it was a little spoiled. Hatre said to me: "Do you see obedience ? It is
that of the elder." I withdrew from them. What I saw I will retain as much as I can.'
116. A story of Apa Jijoi. 'One of us asked him to tell us something, and he said: "The one
who keeps the low opinion of himself knowingly will do all that is in the Scriptures."
Another said: "What is the condition of being a stranger, my father ?" And he replied:
"Silence. Say everywhere you go: "I have no business. This is the condition of being a
stranger."'
117. A brother went to Jijoi in the monastery of Apa Antonius. While they were speaking,
he said to Apa Jijoi: 'Have you not yet reached the level of Apa Antonius, father ?' He said:
'If I had a single thought of Apa Antonius, I would be all afire. But I have seen a man able
to support his own thought with difficulty.'*

118. The brother aksed him again: 'Did Satan also struggle against the ancients like this ?'
Jijoi replied: 'He struggles more now that his time is near and this troubles him.'
119. Certain people came to him to hear a word. He said nothing, but kept repeating:
'Excuse me.' When they saw his baskets, they said to Abraham his disciple: 'What are you
going to do with these baskets ?' He said: 'We are sending them here and there.' But the
elder heard this and said: 'Jijoi eats here and there.' When they heard this, they derived
great benefit and went away joyfully, edified by his humility.
120. A brother asked Jijoi: 'I see in myself that my thoughts are with God.' The elder said to
him: 'It is not a big thing to keep your thoughts on God, but it is if you see yourself placed
below every creature, for that shows the way to your ability to endure physical suffering:
these are the works of a humble heart.
8

121. The blessed Synkltik said: As it is impossible for a boat to remain together without
nails, so also it is impossible to be saved without humility.
122. Apa Hyperichios said: 'Humility is a tree of life pushing upwards.'
123. He also said: 'Be like the tax collector so that you may not be despised with the
Pharisee. Choose for yourself the mildness of Moses that you may turn your heart like the
rock into springs of water.'16
124. Hrsisi said: 'A mud brick thrown as a foundation near the river will not last for a
single day. That is which is baked endures like stone. This is like the man who has thoughts
of worldliness and is not baked in the fear of God: when he comes to greatness, he
dissolves. For there are many trials of this sort in the midst of humanity. It is good for a
man to know his own limit that he may avoid the burden of greatness. Those who are
strengthened by faith are immoveable.'
125. Concerning Joseph, if one wishes to speak about him, one will say that he was not a
man of earth, for how many trials did he suffer and in what sort of country, the place
where there was no trace of the worship of God ? But the God of his fathers was with him
and he was rescued from every tribulation, and now he is with his fathers in the kingdom
of heaven. We too therefore have come to know our own limit. Let us struggle, for in all
these things we are hardly able to escape from the judgement of God.
126. An elderly anchorite wandering in the desert said to himself: 'I have been virtuous.' He
prayed to God: 'What I am lacking give it to me.' God, wanting to humble his thoughts, said
to him: 'Go to such-and-such an archimandrite and do what he tells you.' God revealed
this to the archimandrite, saying: 'Such-and-such an anchorite is coming to you. Give him
a whip and make him tend the pigs.' The elder came and knocked at the door and went
inside to the head of the community. They embraced each other and sat down. The
anchorite said: 'What am I to do to be saved ?' The archimandrite said: 'You will do what I
tell you.' The anchorite accepted this and the archimandrite said: 'Take this whip and tend
the pigs.' Those who know him, when they saw him tending the pigs, began to say: 'Look at
16

Nu. 20:11

this great anchorite, whose heart is beside itself, 17 there is a demon on him tending the
pigs.' God saw his humility, how it suffered the scorn of people, and sent him home again.
127. There was a man possessed, in great trouble and foaming at the mouth, who struck
one of the elders on the cheek. The elder quickly turned the other cheek. The demon,
unable to bear this burning humility, left him.
128. An elder said: 'If you have an arrogant thought, examine your conscience to see if you
have kept the commandments: Do you love your enemies ? Do you rejoice over the glory of
your enemies ? Do you grieve over their deficiencies ? Are you are in your own eyes a
worthless servant more sinning than anyone else ? And in all this do you not know that
thinking of greatness as if you have been successful destroys everything ?
129. An elder said: 'Do not let your heart malign your brother and say: "I am more sober
than he is, I am more ascetic, I know more than he does." Subject yourself to the spirit of
poverty for the sake of Christ and obtain love for yourself without deceit so as not to
release the pride of spirit that you have. For it is written: He who stands, let him look lest
he fall 18and you will be seasoned with the salt of Christ.'
130. An elder said: 'The one who is honoured more than he deserves or who boasts about
himself is a complete failure. The one who is not glorified among men gains glory in
heaven.
131. An elder was asked: 'Is it good to repent a lot ?' The elder replied: 'We see Joshua the
son of Noah prostrated on his face, for God has appeared to him.'
132. An elder was asked : 'Why do the demons struggle with us so much 19 ?' The elder said:
'Because we have cast aside our armour, which consists of contempt, 20 humility,
persistence and endurance.'
133. A brother asked an elder: 'If a brother brings words into me from outside, do you want
me to tell him not bring them in, father ?' The elder said: 'No.' The brother asked: 'Why ?'
17
18
19
20

Crum (279b): pws, for which the Latin stupere is given.

1 Cor. 10, 12
Lit. 'in this complete way'.
i.e. of the world, oneself.

10

The elder said: 'Because we are not able to keep to this, lest, telling our neighbour not to do
it, we later find ourselves doing it. ' The brother said to him: 'What is it necessary to do ?'
The elder said: 'If we choose silence, this mode is enough for our neighbour.'
134. An elder was asked: 'What is humility ?' He said: 'If your brother sins against you,
forgive him before he repents.'
135. An elder said: 'In all temptation do not find fault with anyone, but blame yourself,
saying: "This is happening because of my sins."'
136. An elder said: 'I have never violated my rank to go above myself' and 'When I am
brought down to humility, I am not troubled. My entire concern is to pray to God that He
should take the old man21 away from me.'
137. A brother asked an elder: 'What is humility of heart ?' The elder replied: 'That you
should do good to those who do wrong to you.' The brother said: 'If one does not reach this
level, what is one to do ?' The elder said: 'Let him choose silence for himself.'
138. A brother asked an elder: 'Tell me something useful, father, even if you say it and we
do not grasp it. Because our earth is salted earth.'
139. A brother asked an elder: ' What is the condition of being a stranger ?' He said: 'I know
a brother who is a stranger, and he was found in the church at the time of the communal
meal. He sat down at the table to eat with the brothers. Some said: "Who is this other
person ?" They seized him and made him stand, saying: "Get up and leave." He got up and
left. Others, more tolerant, called him. Then one asked: "What were you thinking, to be
thrown out and brought back again ? " He said: 'I thought I would be like a dog, who is
thrown out and goes and called and comes"'
140. Some people once came from Thebes to an elder, one of them with a demon, that he
might cure him. The elder, after having been persuaded, said to the demon:' Come out
from God's creature.' The demon said: 'I will come out and ask you a question: who are the
goats and who are the sheep ?' The elder said 'I am the goats and God Who knows them is
21

prMNas: An allusion to Ro. 6,6.

11

the sheep.' When the demon heard this, he said: 'Look, because of your humility I am
coming out.'
141. There was an Egyptian monk in the suburbs of Constantinople with the Emperor
Theodosius. The Emperor, walking on that road, left the multitude behind him and came
alone and summoned the monk inside. He learned who the monk was and received him as
one of the nobility. They went in, prayed and sat. The Emperor began to question him:
'What are our fathers in Egypt doing ?' He said: 'They are all praying for your health.' He
invited the monk to eat a little bread. He gave him a little oil and salt, and he ate. He gave
him a little water, and he drank. The Emperor said to him: 'Do you know who I am ?' The
monk replied: 'God knows who you are.' He then said: 'I am Theodosius the Emperor.'
Whereupon the elder prostrated himself. The Emperor said: 'Blessed are you who truly
care nothing for this world. Since the time I was born in the kingdom, I have never filled
my belly with bread or water as I have today. Nor have I ever known how sweet they are.'
He began to give glory to the monk, who arose, left and returned to Egypt.
142. The elders said: 'If we have no struggle, let us humble ourselves. For God sees our
weakness and scrutinizes us. But if we boast, He removes us scrutiny of us and we are
destroyed.
143. The devil changed into an angelic habit of light and appeared to one of the brothers.
He said to him: 'It is I Gabriel who have been sent to you.' The brother replied: 'Look. You
have been sent to someone else, for I am not worthy.' The devil thereupon disappeared.
144. The elders said: 'Even if an angel truly appears, do not receive him, but humble
yourself and say: "I am not worthy to see the angel, I having lived in sin."'
145. It was said about one of the elders that as he sat in his cell struggling, he saw the
demons in a vision and they flattered him. The devil saw that alone he was defeated by the
elder and came in a vision saying: 'I am Christ.' The elder said: 'I do not wish to see Christ
here.' The devil heard this and disappeared.
146. The demons said to another elder, wishing to deceive him: ' Do you want to see
Christ ?' He said to them: 'You are anathema together with the one you say is Christ.' My
12

Christ, in whom I believe is the one who said: "If someone tells you that Jesus Christ is
here or there, do not believe him." And they disappeared forthwith.
147. It was said of another elder that he spent seventy weeks fasting, eating once a week
and asking that a word of divine Scripture be revealed to him. He said to himself: 'I have
taken on this great hardship and not received any benefit. I will go forthwith to a brother
and ask him.' As he was about to lock the door to go, an angel of the Lord was sent to him,
saying: 'These seventy weeks which you have spent have not drawn you near to God. When
you became humble enough to go to your brother, I was sent to tell you the word.' His
heart was fortified by the word he he had been looking and the angel left him.
148. Our fathers said about someone: 'He asked God for seven years for grace and He gave
it to him. An elder heard and was greatly distressed. He said: "It is a great tribulation. Go
and spend another seven years praying to God that He might take the grace from you, for it
does you no good." He went and did this until the grace was taken away from him.'
149. An elder said: 'If one, in fear of God and humility, orders his neighbour to do
something, that word which comes forth because of God causes the brother to submit and
do it. If one wishes to order another without the fear of God but out of arrogance, as if
wishing to exercise authority over him, God Who sees ...
[pages 211 to 212 are missing]
150. ... if you are able to stand while you are being reviled, it is greater than all the other
virtues.
151. An elder said: 'The one who bears contempt and scorn has the power to be saved.'
152. An elder said: 'Do not become too familiar 22 with a governor and do not go into him
many times. For from this you will acquire openness of speech23 and you will yourself wish
to be great.'
22
23

The Coptic word tapS is translated by Crum as 'custom, habit': Mperka tapS nak 'do not allow yourself habit'
Here parrhsia has a negative connotation, perhaps hardly surprising in view of the great value attached to modest
silence by the monks. If, however, it is used with in connection with God in the afterlife, it is positive: A. Alcock
The Life of Samuel of Kalamun (1983): 37, 10 alhcws apeneiwt Ndikaios qNuounoq Mparrhsia
naxrMpnoute nFkw nan ebol nnennobe 'truly our righeous father found great freedom of speech with
God that He might forgive us our sins'.

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153. There was a brother in a monastery24 on whom was placed the entire burden of the
brothers so that he continually blamed himself, even of immoral conduct. Some of the
brothers were ignorant of this. One blamed him25, saying: 'How many sins does this man
commit and how many does he not ?' The father, knowing his work, said to the brothers: 'I
prefer a single reed mat at one with his humility of heart to all of yours in your arrogance.
If you want to strengthen your heart through God, see.' He brought all their things into
him. They all burned except for the small reed mat of the brother. The brothers, when they
saw this, were afraid and prostrated themselves before the brother, repenting, and they
treated him like a father among them.
154. An elder was asked: 'How is that some say they see angels in visions ? He said to
them: 'Blessed is the one who will never see his own sins.'
155. A brother was angry at another brother. The latter heard, came in and prostrated
himself, but the other would not open his door. So he went to an elder and told him what
the matter was. The elder replied: 'Look, perhaps there are thoughts in your heart as if you
want to blame your brother, for he is the one with a sin against him. You censure him, and
for this reason his heart is not strong enough to open the door. I will tell you this: even if it
is he who has sinned against you, neverthless go and put it in your heart that you are the
one who has sinned against him and praise him more than yourself, then God will
strengthen his heart to make peace with you.' The elder told them a similar story 26: 'There
were two pious lay brothers and they made a pact with each other to become monks. They
zealously followed the voice27 of the Gospel, but28 being ignorant, they circumcised29
themselves for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. When the archbishop heard, he
excommunicated them. They thought that what they had done was good and they were
angry with him, saying: " We have made ourselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven and
you have excommunicated us. Let us go and appeal to the bishop of Jersualem." They went
24
25
26
27
28
29

xeneete, a survival of the pharaonic Hwt ntr, one of the words meaning 'temple' that clearly did not offend
Christian sensibilities
Typographical error in Coptic text
'a word resembling this' ouaje efeine Mpai.
The 'voice' perhaps refers to the reading aloud in Church.
Probably typographical error in Coptic' je for de.
Typographical error in Coptic: probably ausBbhtou. Allusion to the same passage Origen is said to have followed:
Matt. 19, 12. There seems to be a certain amount of the history between Demetrius and Origen here, who from an
amicable relationship entered into a feud that started when Origen was ordained priest in Palestine without the
authorization of Demetrius. Origen seems to have had support among the Palestinian clergy.

14

and told him everything. This archbishop too said to them: "I too excommunicate you."
They were grieved about this second excommunication30 and went to Antioch to the
archbishop and told him their concerns and he too excommunicated them. They went to
the great archbishop of Rome and told him what the archbishops had done to them. "We
have come to you," they said, "because you are the head of them all."31 He said to them: "I
too excommunicate you and you are excommunicated.32 They were both33 at a loss, saying:
'Each one of these is being charitable to his fellow bishop, for they meet 34 each other at
synods. Let us go to the saint of God Epiphanius bishop of Cyprus, 35 for he is a prophet
and he is impartial." As they approached his city, he learned about them in a vision and he
said to them ...'36

30
31
32
33
34

35
36

Lit. 'this other one' (peiket).

This sounds like a peculiar thing for an Egyptian to say.
Coptic has a form of the verb known as Stative, and it is the form used here: tetNkh xibol
'They were at a loss towards each other': auaporei exoun Nneuerhu
Coptic has a conjugation form that indicates habit or regularity, rather like the English Simple Present used to
translate it: autwmNt Nneuerhu ... It seems an uncharitable thought ('they all stick together') and is perhaps a
reference to the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 381, where the Egyptian Timothy 1 was president.
Bishop from c.365 to his death in 403.
Despite this cliff-hanger ending, the Latin version has an ending, which is essentially that Epiphanius sends people
to discourage them from entering the city, and this makes them re-assess their own culpability in the series of
humiliating excommunications to which they have been subjected; Epiphanius receives them in communionem and
writes to the archbishop of Alexandria urging him to do the same. In the moral epilogue the elder concludes that it is
the recognition of one's own culpability that is crucial to the 'health of man' (sanitas hominis). The story ends with
embraces and the 'greatest peace' (pax maxima).

15