The Romanian Philokalia Volume IV

Priest Professor PhD.
Academician DUMITRU STĂNILOAE
HILOKALIA
OR COLLECTION FROM THE WRITINGS

OF THE HOLY FATHERS WHICH
SHOWS HOW THE MAN CAN BE
CLEANED, ENLIGHTENED AND
BECOME PERFECT
VOLUME IV
TRANSLATION1, INTRODUCTION AND

FOOTNOTES BY
DUMITRU
STĂNILOAE
1
The texts of The Romanian Philokalia were translated from Greek language in
Romanian language and put together by Priest Professor PhD Academician Dumitru
Stăniloae.
Translated from Romanian language in English language, by the will of God, by the most worthless from men: E.l.t.
Finished at 04.13.2018, on the Healing Spring Holyday.
1
THE ROMANIAN PHILOKALIA
Motto: “When he (Fr. Dumitru

Stăniloae) speaks about the
humanity, tenderness and delicacy of
the Saints, unintentionally he is
painting an icon about himself.”
(Foreword by Callistos Ware, at Orthodox
Dogmatic Theology, entitled in English
edition The Experience of God, vol. I,
translation in English by Ioan Ioniță and
Robert Barringer / Holly Cross Orthodox
Press, Brookline, Massachusetts, 1998, p. xv)
In this volume we have put together the writings of

Holy Fathers: Thalassius, Hesychios the Sinaite, Philoteos
of Sinai, John the Carpathian, Philemon, John Damascene,
Theodor of Edessa, Theognostus, Elijah the Ecdicus,
Theophanous (from v. 7-9), with advices for supervising the
thoughts and with advices about prayer.
Sibiu, 1948
Archdiocesan Printing House
2
Priest Professor PhD. Academician DUMITRU STĂNILOAE
CONTENT
Preface 4
Thalassius the Libyan, The Life 6
Thalassius the Libyan, About Love, Restraint, and that 8
Living According to the Mind
Hesychios the Sinaite, The Life 38
Hesychios the Sinaite, Word about Watchfulness and 42
Virtue
Philotheos the Sinaite, The Life 89
Philotheos the Sinaite, Heads about Watchfulness 94
John the Carpathian, The Life 112
John the Carpathian, One Hundred Heads about 115
Comforting
John the Carpathian, Ascetic Word 147
Abba Philemon, The Life 154
About Abba Philemon 155
Saint John Damascene, The Life 170
Saint John Damascene, Word Useful to the Soul 173
Theodor of Edessa, The Life 183
Theodor of Edessa, One Hundred Heads 188
Theodor of Edessa, Word about Contemplation 215
Theognostus, The Life 226
Theognostus, About Doing, Contemplation and 228
Priesthood
Elijah the Ecdicus, The Life 249
Elijah the Ecdicus, Collection of Wise Men`s Sentences 254
Theophanous the Monk, Ladder 293
3
PREFACE
With the will and with the help of the Merciful God it
comes out of the light of the Romanian press this fourth volume
of the Philokalia. With it, it comes to an end the first volume of
the Greek Philokalia (second edition), which comprises two
volumes. I showed in the “Foreword” at the first Romanian
volume that in the first Greek volume are comprised the
following authors in the following order: Anthony the Great,
Isaiah the Hermit, Evagrius the Monk with 3 writings, John
Cassian with 2 writings, Mark the Ascetic with 3 writings,
Hesychios the Priest, Nilus the Ascetic with 2 writings,
Diadochus of Photice, John the Carpathian with 2 writings,
Theodor of Edessa with 2 writings, Maximos the Confessor with
3 writings, Thalassius, John Damascene, Philemon,
Theognostus, Philoteos, Elijah the Ecdic and Theophanous the
Monk. IN the present volume we grouped the authors spelled
above with italics, after we presented the others, except Saint
Maximos the Confessor who we presented within the second
and the third volumes.
It would follow that in the fifth volume to present the
authors from the second volume of the Greek Philokalia,
starting with Peter Damascene, writer of the twelfth century.
But probably we will intercalate in two or three volumes (V-VII)
also the writings of Saint Simenon the New Theologian, the
great saint and spiritual writer from the eleventh century,
namely the speeches out of a neo-Greek translation, and the
hymns out of the old, original text2.
The authors comprised in the present volume are little
known in what concerns their lives. But their writings were
being appreciated in the monasteries from East and lately they
have become the object of some attentive researches 3. These
writings comprise the most precious concrete norms for
accomplishing the ideals of spiritual life, presented in the
previous writings in a rather speculative manner. That`s why
they imprinted their characteristic seal on the monastic life of
2
It was edited in Venice in 1790, which comprises first the speeches in neo-Greek translation
at Dionysus the Zagoreus, then 55 hymns, edited by Nicholas Glyki. We have the second
edition from Siros, 1880.
3
A beautiful exposition of the ideas out of the Thalassius` writings it is the one of Th. M.
Disdier, Le témoignage spiritual de Thalassius le Lybien, in Etudes Byzantines, tome II, 1946,
p. 79-118, which we have known after concluding the present volume.
4
the East. The multitude manuscripts of the Academy of the

Popular Republic of Romania, amongst which are included, it
shows how much they were being read also in our monasteries.
The printing of these writings in these days isn`t such
an awkward act as it would seem at the first glance. The
endless worth which they give it to the man, no matter the
external accidental conditions of his social position and of his
material situation, the merciless and ceaseless fight which they
request against the passion of the love of wealth, of the pride, of
the sadness, these all characteristics makes them today even
more understood by the general population than during the
previous time, when it was being reckoned that the virtues
opposed to those passions (the poverty, the love for man above
all, the carelessness, the joyfulness, the sentiment of equality)
are possibilities reserved in their fullness only to the monks.
We have overcome the material difficulties mostly
because of the help provided by His Beatitude Justinian the
Patriarch, who deigned, with a prompt understanding, to order
the placing of three hundred copies from the first three volumes
(one hundred of each one) amongst the priests from the
Archbishopric of Bucharest, act for which I express my entire
gratitude to him. His Eminence Bishop Nicolae of Cluj, he also
hired for his eparchy one hundred copies. A animated supporter
and spreader of the book was the Most Pious Prie4st PhD
Ilarion Felea, the rector of the Theological Academy of Arad, at
the advice of His Eminence Bishop Andrei.
And the Most Pious Hieromonk Arsenius, with the
blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae, he continued to
provide the same decisive support through the subscriptions
made.
To all of them I present my warmest thanks into the
Lord.
Dumitru Stăniloae
5
Thalassius the Libyan
Thalassius was the abbot of a monastery from the

Libya`s wilderness, which whom Saint Maximos the Confessor
became friends during his trips through Africa, after the year
626. Towards him we have several writings of Saint Maximos 4.
To him Saint Maximos addresses around the years 631-633
also his great writing “Answers towards Thalassius”, within
which he interprets in an ascetic-mystic meaning a list of 65
difficult places from the Saint Scripture, which were sent by
that one.
In the opinions of Viller and Rahner, Thalassius
composed the 400 heads “About Love, Restraint, and that
Living According to the Mind” around the year 650. The
mentioned authors also consider Thalassius a disciple of Saint
Maximos, though the last one considers himself a disciple of
Thalassius5. Actually one can observe that the sentences of
Thalassius and the writing of Saint Maximos are closely related,
and how Saint Maximos is much deeper and his cogitation is
more cohesive; there is no doubt that Thalassius is depending
on Maximos and not vice versa. We find at Thalassius the same
order of the virtues (IV, 61), the same idea about the “simple
meanings” (I 54), the same likeness of the report between mind
and feeling like of a marriage (II 27), the same dialectic of the
pleasure and of the pain (the acrostic to the Third Hundred),
the same difference between the natural contemplation as the
second phase of the spiritual ascension and the theology as the
third phase (IV 62), though Thalassius doesn`t insist so much
on this point as Maximos did6. A new term at Thalassius is the
one of the hesychia, of the tranquility.
But despite the fact that they are simple, it seem that
one can observe a more rigorous order in listing the 400 head of
Thalassius, as for instance in the 400 heads about love of Saint
Maximos the Confessor. Almost every sentence it mentions the
idea from the previous one, being aimed through an entire
group of sentences the development of the same theme.
4
Epistles: 9 (G.P. 91, 445); 26 (G.P. 91, 616); 40-42 (G.P. 91, 633-637).
5
Aszese un Mystiq in der Väterzeit, Fr. i. Br. 1939, p. 244.
6
G.P. 91, 29D, 449A.
6
A characteristic note of these 400 heads is that their

initial letters of all the sentences from a Centuria, they form a
proposition with some meaning, the so-called acrostic7.
7
A Thalassius, prior of a so-called of Armenians from Rome Monastery , forwards in the year
649 top the Synod from Lateran, together with other abbots and monks from East, arrived
with more or less time before at Rome, a factum asking for the translation of the Synod`s
documents in the Greek language. It is quite possible to be our Thalassius, who would have
come together with Saint Maximos at Rome, after around the year 640 the Egypt fell under
the Arab rule (Mahsi, Amplissima, coll. Council. Tom. 10, 1901, p. 904, 909).
7
The Pious and Bearer of God Our Father
Thalassius the Libyan

And the African
About Love, Restraint, and that Living

According to the Mind, towards Paul
the Presbyter8
THE FIRST HUNDRED

Of which acrostic is this one: To the spiritual brother and
beloved gentlemen Paul, Thalassius, apparently hesychast, and
in reality searcher for vain glory
1. The entire intense longing towards God, it ties the

ones who have it, with God and amongst themselves.
2. The mind which has achieved spiritual love doesn`t
cogitate about the neighbor things which are not fitted to love.
3. The one who blesses with his mouth but despises
with the heart he hides the hypocrisy under the appearance of
love.
4. The one who has gained love he endures without
being troubled the upset and the sufferings which come from
enemies.
5. Only the love unites the creation with God and the
creatures amongst themselves in the same thought.
6. True love has achieved the one who doesn`t suffer
suspicions and words against his neighbor.
7. Honored before God and before men is the one who
doesn`t try anything for damaging the love.
8
The Greek Philokalia, second edition, volume I, p. 328-341; G.P. 91, 1427-1470.
8
8. Of the non-hypocritical love it hangs the true word,

started from the good conscience.
9. The one who informs the brother about the insults
from the other, he hides the envy under the appearance of the
benevolence.
10. Like the bodily virtues attract the glory from people,
likewise the spiritual ones they attract the glory from God.
11. The love and the restraint clean the soul, but the
mind is enlightened by the clean prayer.
12. Powerful man is that one who banished away the sin
through doing and knowledge.
13. The one who has achieved the lack of passion and
the spiritual knowledge, he has found out grace from God.
14. If you want to defeat the enemy thoughts, gain the
restraint and the love for the neighbor.
15. Guard yourself against unrestraint and from hatred,
and you won`t encounter impediment at the time of your
prayer.
16. As one cannot see spices in mud, likewise the good-
fragrance of the love in the soul of that one who remembers the
evil.
17. Master with valor the anger and the lust and you
will be delivered quickly from the evil thoughts.
18. You will quench the vain glory by doing in hidden;
and you will banish away the pride by not despising anybody.
19. On the vain glory it hangs the hypocrisy and the lie,
and on the pride, the self-appreciation and the envy.
20. Adviser is the one who masters on himself and he
obeys his soul and his body to the rationality.
21. The honesty of the friend is being shown at the time
of the trial, if he takes part to the trouble.
22. Ensures your senses with the image (mode) of the
hesychasm and balance the thoughts which stay within heart.
23. Meet the upsetting thoughts without the
remembrance of evil; and towards the loving of pleasure ones
show yourself as having enmity.
24. The tranquility (the hesychia), the prayer, the love
and the restraint, they are a chariot with four wheels, which
carries the mind up to heavens.
25. Melt down your body with the hunger and with the
watchfulness, and you will banish away the despicable thought
of the pleasure.
9
26. “As the wax melts down by the face of the fire” 9,
likewise the unclean thought by the fear of God.
27. A bad loss is to the wise soul to tarry with the mind
in a reproachable passion.
28. Endure the happenings of sadness and pain,
because through these ones the taking care of God (the
Providence) it cleans you up.
29. If you have cast the matter and you have rejected
the world, reject now also the evil thoughts.
30. The characteristic work of the mind is of ceaselessly
occupying itself with the words of God.
31. Like the work of God is to rule the world, likewise of
the soul is to rule its body.
32. With what hope will we meet Christ if we have been
serving until now to the body`s pleasures?
33. The pleasure is quenched through the bad suffering
and through sadness, either through the wiling ones, or
through the ones brought by the Providence.
34. The love for money is a substance of the passion
because it determines the general pleasure to increase.
35. The absence of the pleasure it gives birth to the
sadness; and the pleasure is twinned with every passion.
36. The measure with which you are measuring your
body, it will be measured back to you from God.
37. The deed of the godlike judgment it is the right
rewards the things done into body.
38. The virtue and the knowledge give birth to
immortality; their absence is the mother of the death.
39. The sadness after God it quenches the pleasure; and
the quenching of the pleasure it means the resurrection of the
soul10.
40. The absence of passions it is the soul`s lack of
movement towards sin. But one cannot achieve it without the
mercy of Christ.
41. The Savior of the soul and of the body is Christ. The
one who steps on His tracks that one liberates himself from sin.
9
Psalms: 68: 2: KJB: “As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before
the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.”; 67: 2: ROB: “As the smoke is
quenched, let them be quenched; as the wax is melted by the face of the fire, so the sinful
ones to perish from the face of God,”.
10
The two general stages of the spiritual life.
10
42. If you want to achieve the salvation, reject yourself

the pleasures and take upon yourself the restraint and the love,
together with the insistent prayer.
43. On the lack of passions it hangs the true right
reckoning (the discernment). Following to this one, you do
everything with measure and order.
44. Our Lord and God is Jesus Christ; the mind, which
follows to Him, won`t remain in darkness.
45. Gather your mind together and guard your
thoughts; and which one of these thoughts you will find it out
as passionate, make war to it.
46. Three are the ways though you receive thoughts: the
feeling (the work of the senses), the memory and the state of the
stum (mixing) from within body. But the most insistent are the
ones from the memory.
47. The one who it has been given wisdom, he knows
the reckonings of the bodiless ones and which is the beginning
and the end of the world.
48. Do not forget about doing and your mind will be
enlightened. “Hidden and unseen treasures, he says, I will open
to you, secretly”11.
49. The one who has liberated himself from passions, he
has found grace at God, and the one who has been found
worthy of knowledge, great mercy.
50. The mind liberated from passion it becomes like
light, being ceaselessly lightened by the contemplations of the
things.
51. The light of the soul is the holy knowledge, and by
being deprived of it, the mindless one walks into darkness.
52. The one who lives into darkness, he is completely
without mind. He is taken over by the darkness of the
nescience.
53. The one who loves Christ, he will liberate himself
from sin. And the one who follows Him, he will see the true
knowledge.
54. The mind liberated from passions, it sees the simple
thoughts12, both when it supervises the body and into sleep.
11
Isaiah: 45: 3: KJB: “And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of
secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the
God of Israel.”; ROB: “And to you I will give hidden treasuries, riches buried into ground, for
you to know that I am the Lord Who called you by name, I am God of Israel.”
11
55. The mind cleaned as much as it is possible, it feels

itself narrowed by the things and it wants to be always outside
the created ones.
56. Blessed is him who has reached at the edgeless
infinity; and has reached there the one who has passed over the
limited ones.
57. The rationalities of God are researched by the one
who honors Him. But these rationalities are found out by the
one who is in love with the truth.
58. The mind which moves itself from righteousness to
righteousness it finds out the truth. But that one which is
moved due to some passion, it won`t find it out.
59. Like God is not known in His being, likewise in
greatness He is edgeless.
60. That being which hasn`t beginning and end, it
cannot be understood according to its nature.
61. The salvation of each creature it stays in the taking
care, above any kindness, of the Maker.
62. The Lord supports all the ones fallen into worthy of
pity states and He raises all the defeated ones.
63. Christ is the Judge of the living ones and of the dead
ones and the rewarder of the everyone`s deeds.
64. If you want to dominate your soul and your body,
cut from before the causes of the passions.
65. Unite the powers of your soul with the virtues, and
you surely will detach them from all the passions` impulse.
66. Bridle with the restraint the impulses of the lust;
and the ones of the wrath, with spiritual love.
67. The tranquility (the hesychia) and the prayer, they
are the greatest weapons of the virtue, because these ones by
cleaning the mind, they make the mind seeing through.
68. Only the spiritual encounter is useful. And more
than all the others, pricier is the tranquility (hesychia).
69. Out of the five sorts of encounters, you chose three;
the forth one do not use yourself to do it often, and pout a
distance between you and the fifth one.
70. Tranquility loved by the one who doesn`t suffer
towards the ones of the world.
71. The conscience is a sincere teacher. Who listen to it,
he lives without mistake.
12
It is the idea of Saint Maximos. It is about the meanings or the icons of the things which are
not associated anymore to the passions.
12
72. The conscience doesn`t judge only on the ones who

have reached at the peak of the virtue, or of the sin.
73. The highest lack of passions it makes the thoughts
to be simple. And the highest knowledge stays before the One
Who is above knowledge.
74. The reproachable sadness is caused by the lack of
the pleasures. That one who despises these pleasures he lives
not-saddened.
75. The sadness, everywhere, is the lack of the pleasure,
either of the one after God, or of the one after the world.
76. The kingdom of God is kindness and wisdom. Who
achieves these ones, he live into heavens.
77. A wretched man is the one who values the body
more than the soul, through deeds, and the world more than on
God.
78. Equal love towards everybody has gained that one
who doesn`t envy the zealous ones and he has mercy on the evil
ones.
79. According to the truth it should lead that one who
imposes firstly to his body and to his soul the virtue`s laws.
80. Spiritual merchant is that one who for the future
ones he rejects both the pleasant ones and the sour ones of the
life.
81. The soul is straightened through love and restraint;
and the mind through the clean prayer and through spiritual
sight (contemplation).
82. Hearing a useful word, do not judge the one who is
saying nit, to not deprive yourself of the useful advice.
83. The cunning reckoning thinks at the evil ones and it
transforms the worthiness of the neighbor in shortcomings.
84. Do not believe to the thought which judges the
neighbor. This is because only who has an evil treasury he
thinks at the evil things.
85. The good heart bears good thoughts. This is because
like its treasure is likewise are its thoughts.
86. Guard the thoughts and run away from sin, lest,
being the mind darkened, to see some things instead of others.
87. Strengthen yourself, by thinking at the Jews who,
blinded by envy, they reckoned the Lord and our God, as
Beelzebub.
13
88. The evil suspicion darkens the cogitation and it

makes you seeing instead of the path, the ones from beside the
path.
89. The sins stay next to virtues, and that`s why the evil
ones consider the virtues as sins.
90. That mind that tarries in pleasure or in sadness, it
quickly falls in the passion of the idleness (acedia).
91. The clean conscience raises the soul. And the filthy
thought descends it on the ground.
92. By being the passions stirred up, they banish away
the vain glory; and if the passions are removed, the vain glory
comes back again.
93. If you want to deliver yourself from all passions,
start occupying yourself with the restraint, the love and the
prayer.
94. The mind by tarrying through prayer at God, it
delivers also the passionate part of the soul from passions.
95. God, by giving existence to the creatures, He also
tied in the same time all of them through His taking care
(through Providence).
96. Being Master and making Himself servant, He
showed to the creation the peak of His taking care (the peak of
His Providence).
97. This is because God and the Word embodying on
Himself unchanged, and He united Himself with all the creation
through body13.
98. Stranger wonder takes place in heavens and on
earth, that God is on earth and the man in is heavens.
99. This is because by uniting the men with the Angels,
He wants to give in the same time the godhead as present to the
entire creation.
100. The knowledge of the Holy and of One Being Trinity
it is sanctification and deification for Angels and for men.
101. The forgiveness of the sin is liberation from
passions. Who hasn`t yet liberated through grace, he still hasn`t
achieved the forgiveness.
13
Heads no. 96-96 they compose a whole.
14
The Pious and Bearer of God Our Father
THE SECOND HUNDRED

Of which acrostic is this one: Pray for me, you most honorable
brother, because I am expecting great evilness, worthy of me,
sadness for the soul and pains for the body
1. If you want to deliver yourself at once from sins,

reject the love for the self, the mother of all the evilness.
2. The health of the soul is the lack of passions and the
knowledge. At it the one who serves to the passions cannot
reach.
3. The restraint with patience and the love with
longsuffering it withers the pleasures of the body and of the
soul.
4. The beginning of the evilness from within soul is the
love for the self. And the love for the self is the love for the body.
5. It is characteristic to the rational one to obey himself
to the rationality and to curb and to enslave his body.
6. It is a shame to the rational man to obey himself to
the irrational part and to serve to its ugly lusts.
7. It is a bad deed of the rational soul to leave the
Builder and to worship the body.
8. You have been ordered to have your body as a
servant, not to serve yourself to its pleasures, against the
nature.
9. Break the ties of the love for the body and do not give
to the servant anything that is not of an absolute need.
10. Close the senses in the stronghold of the tranquility,
to not be the senses pulling the mind towards their lusts.
11. The best weapons of him, who soothes himself with
patience, are: the restraint, the love, the prayer, the attention 14
and the reading.
12. The mind won`t stop swirling itself around the
pleasures, until it won`t occupy itself with the contemplation,
after it would have taken over the body.
14
The Greek Philokalia.
15
13. Let`s fight for the commandments, for delivering

ourselves from passions; and for the godlike dogmas, to be
ourselves found worthy of knowledge.
14. The absence of the disturbance (the immortality) 15 of
the soul it stays in the lack of passions and in knowledge; the
one who serves to the pleasure, he cannot impart himself of it.
15. Take over your own body by quenching the
pleasures and liberate your body from the heavy slavery 16.
16. Being built free, and being called to freedom, do not
endure to be you slave servant to the unclean passions 17.
17. The devils tie the mind on the ones which are
submitted to the senses, through sadness and pleasures, lusts
and fears.
18. The fear of the Lord dominates the lusts and the
sadness after God it banishes away the pleasure.
19. The lust after wisdom despises the fear and the
pleasure of the knowledge banishes away the sadness.
20. The Scriptures comprise these four ones: the
commandments, the dogmas, the menaces and the promises.
21. The lust is stopped by restraint and tiredness; and it
is diminished by tranquility and by the godlike love.
22. Do not prick your brother with riddles; for you won`t
endure when receiving the alike ones.
23. The anger is stopped by the longsuffering and by not
mentioning the evil; and it is diminished by love and by the
together-suffering (compassion).
24. To whom it has been given knowledge, to that one it
has been given the light of the understanding. And the one who
by receiving it he despises it, he will see darkness.
25. The keeping of the God`s commandments it gives
birth to the lack of passions; and the soul`s lack of passions it
preserves the knowledge.
26. You elevate the ones which are submitted to the
senses to a sight with the mind (to an intelligible contemplation)
and you will elevate the feeling above the ones which are
submitted to the senses.
15
The Greek Philokalia.
16
The body necessarily is under one of these two slaveries: either of the mind or of the
pleasures.
17
In the Greek Philokalia: to serve disorderly to the uncleanness. Παραθεσιν probably
appeared here out of the wrong spelling of the word πάθεσιν.
16
27. The sensitive woman it symbolizes the active soul,

with which the mind18, by accompanying itself, it gives birth to
the virtues.
28. The researching of the words of God is brings the
knowledge of God to the one who it searches for it into truth,
with awe and longing.
29. What the light is to the ones who see and for the
seen things that is God to the ones who cogitate and for the
cogitated ones.
30. The sensitive strength (the sky) symbolizes the
strength of the faith, in which shine all the saints as some
stars.
31. Jerusalem19 is the heavenly knowledge of the
bodiless ones. This is because in it there is contemplated the
sight of the peace.
32. Do not forget about doing. This is because by
forgetting about it the knowledge is diminished and by emerging
famine, you will descend into Egypt.
33. The spiritual (mental) liberty stays in the deliverance
from passions. Nobody reaches at it without the mercy of
Christ.
34. The Promised Land is the Kingdom of Heavens,
which is gained to us by the lack of passions and by the
knowledge.
35. The spiritual Egypt is the darkness of the passions.
Nobody descends to it if he doesn`t fall to famine.
36. Habituate your ear to often listen to the spiritual
words and your mind will get away from the unclean thoughts.
37. Only God is good and wise by nature. But the
human mind can also become like so through impartation, if it
strives itself to.
38. Dominate your stomach, your sleep, your anger and
your tongue; and you won`t hit your foot against the stone.
39. Strive yourself to equally love every man and you
will hurry-scurry banish away all the passions.
40. The sight (the contemplation) of the ones which are
submitted to the senses it is a common work of mind and of the
18
The soul (φυχη) is of feminine gender in the Greek language, and the mind (νους) is of
masculine gender. A similar comparison we find in Answers towards Thalassius, no. 25, in
The Romanian Philokalia, volume III, p. 81.
19
In the Greek language Jerusalem is of feminine gender.
17
feeling. But the knowledge of the intelligible ones it is only of

the mind.
41. It is impossible to the mind to occupy itself with the
intelligible ones, if it won`t cut off the affection towards feeling
and towards the things submitted to the senses.
42. The feeling is driven by a natural addiction towards
the things submitted to the senses and by being attracted by
those things the feeling also pulls the mind after itself.
43. Bend the feeling towards serving the mind and do
not give time to it to pull the mind towards itself.
44. When it happens that the mind occupies itself with
the things which are submitted to the senses, the mind attracts
the feeling to itself, by elevating within the mind the present
things.
45. The sign that the mind occupies itself with the
intelligible ones, we have it in that that the mind despises
everything which delights the feeling.
46. When the mind is opened towards seeing the
intelligible ones, it has towards them a difficult to lose pleasure.
47. When the mind is enriched by the knowledge of the
Unity, that mind also has totally taken over the feeling.
48. Impede your mind to swirl around the things
submitted to the senses, to not bring forth fruits of pleasures
and sadness through them.
49. The ones with which the mind occupies itself into
the godlike ones, they make out of the suffering (passionate,
affectionate) part a godlike weapon.
50. It is impossible to the mind to be penetrated by
knowledge20 if it would have not got closer 21 before the
passionate part from within itself, through its virtues.
51. The mind makes itself stranger towards the world`s
things when it cuts off any affection towards feeling.
52. On the nature of the soul`s rational part it hangs to
occupy itself with the knowledge of God; and on the one of the
passionate part, to embrace the love and the restraint.
53. It is impossible to the mind to tarry at a thing
submitted to the senses, if it hasn`t gained a passion towards
that thing.
20
To be transformed through knowledge.
21
The text from Migne has πλησιάζει = it comes closer. The one from Philokalia εξορίσει = to
banish away. The first meaning it seems to be more solidary with the idea from the head no.
49.
18
54. Consummated mind is that one which has been

imbued with knowledge; and consummated soul it that one
which has been interwoven with the virtues.
55. The affection of the mind towards the feeling it
makes the mind slave to the body`s pleasures.
56. The Mind is budged from the place of the knowledge,
when the passionate (affective) part of the soul it comes out
from its virtues.
57. We have taken power to become sons of God. But we
don`t become like that, if we won`t unload ourselves of
passions.
58. Let nobody imagine that he has reached son of God
in an actual manner, if he hasn`t achieved yet, within himself,
the godlike characteristics.
59. The likeness in behavior22 with the good or with the
evil, it makes either sons of God or sons of satan.
60. Considerate man is the one who take heed to
himself and hurries up to part himself from all defilement.
61. The petrified soul, when it is being beaten it doesn`t
feel, and it doesn`t know its benefactor.
62. The dirty coat, it brings the one who wears it, out
from the godlike wedding and it makes him partaker to the
darkness from outside.
63. The one who fears God, he takes care of his soul
and he delivers himself from the evil comradeship.
64. It is impossible to achieve the mercy of God, to the
one who has forsaken Him and who serves to the pleasures.
65. Even if we don`t want to believe it, Jesus said that
we cannot serve to two lords.
66. The defiled by passions soul it has become callous
and doesn`t accept to believe without cuts and burns.
67. The petrified ones are being taken over by fearsome
trials. This is because without pains, they don`t accept to soften
themselves.
68. The considerate man takes care of himself and
through willing pains he avoids the unwilling ones.
69. The care for the soul it is shown n the bad suffering
and in humbleness, through which God forgives all the sins.
70. As the lusts and the anger multiply the sins,
likewise the restraint and the humbleness weep them out.
22
According to the mode.
19
71. The sadness after God it breaks the heart; and the
sadness is born by the fear of labors.
72. The sadness after God it cleans the heart and
removes from the heart the defilements of the pleasures.
73. The patience is the soul`s love for toil. And where
the love for toil is, it has been removed the love for pleasure.
74. Any sin is done for pleasure and any forgiveness it
comes for the bad suffering and for sadness.
75. The one who doesn`t want to repent through willing
toils, he falls, according to the Providence, in unwilling toils.
76. Christ is the Savior of the entire world and He has
given to the people the repentance towards salvation.
77. The repentance gives birth to the keeping of the
commandments; and the keeping of the commandments it
brings the cleanness of the soul.
78. The cleanness of the soul it means the deliverance
from passions; and the deliverance from passions it gives birth
to the love23.
79. Clean soul is that one which loves God; and clean
mind, that one which has separated itself from nescience.
80. Fight for the commandments of Christ to death;
because by cleaning on yourself through them, you will enter in
life.
81. Use your body as on a servant of the
commandments, by guarding it with all your power disobedient
to the pleasures24 and without illness.
82. The uprising of the body it comes out of the
neglecting the prayer, the diet and the good tranquility.
83. The good tranquility it brings forth good fruits: the
restraint, the love, and the clean prayer.
84. The reading and the prayer they clean the mind; and
the love and the restraint, the passionate (the affective) part of
the soul.
85. Keep the same restraint always, to not fall, through
inequality, in the contrary ones.
86. The one who establishes laws to himself, to not
make himself disobedient to himself. This is because the one
who disregards on himself, he deceives on himself.
23
A good definition of the lack of passions: the cleanness of the soul. And if according to all
the Fathers the lack of passion it is followed by love, one can say that the love if born by the
cleanness of the soul.
24
Without pain, in Migne.
20
87. The passionate souls are spiritual dusks, because to

these ones the Sun of the righteousness has set down.
88. Son of God is the one who has made himself like
God, through kindness, wisdom, power and righteousness.
89. The habit of the sin is the illness of the soul. And
the sin with the deed it is the soul`s death.
90. The consummated lack of passions it is the spiritual
poverty, and by reaching at it the mind separates itself from the
things from here.
91. Keep in harmony the virtues of the soul; because
out if this one it is born the fruit of the righteousness.
92. The Fathers say that the seeing of the intelligible
ones is bodiless, being totally free of matter and shape25.
93. As the four elements are of matter and shape,
likewise the created bodies are out of them.
94. The Word by making on Himself body out of the love
for people, He didn`t transformed either what He was or what
He became he didn`t transformed.
95. Like we say that the One Christ is out of godhead
and humanity and in godhead and humanity, likewise we say
that He is out of two natures and in two natures.
96. We confess a sole hypostasis of Christ in two
natures, undividedly united.
97. We undividedly glorify that one hypostasis of Christ
and we confess the unmixed union of the natures.
98. We worship a Being of the godhead in three
hypostases and we confess that of One Being Holy Trinity.
99. The different characteristics of the Three Hypostases
are: the one of Father, the one of Son and the proceeding. And
in common the Three Hypostases have: the being, the nature,
the godhead and the kindness.
THE THIRD HUNDRED
25
Saint Maximos the Confessor, Gnostic Heads, I, 84-85, in The Romanian Philokalia,
volume II, p. 159.
21
Of which acrostic is this one: But truly evil aren`t the ones
which sadden the body, and they clean the soul, but the ones
which sadden the conscience, and they delight the body26.
1. About the One good by nature, you think the good

ones. And about any man you think only good.
2. In the judgment day God will ask us to give account
for words, deeds and thoughts.
3. The habit of the virtue or of the sin it moves us to
think, to speak, or to do the good things or the bad things.
4. The dominated by passions mind, it cogitates to the
inappropriate things. And this cogitation is shown by the words
and by the deeds.
5. To the evil thoughts it precedes the passion. And the
cause of the passion is the feeling (the perception through
senses), as of the evil use of this one it is the mind.
6. Lock in the feeling and make war to the imagination
(prejudgment); and uproot the passions with the weapons of the
commandments.
7. The old sin it requests long ascesis. This is because
the callous habit cannot be moved from its place at once.
8. The insistent ascesis in restraint and love, through
patience and tranquility pull out the rooted ones.
9. Move your mind ceaselessly to the prayer and you will
scatter away the thoughts which tarry into your heart.
10. The ascesis needs patience and longsuffering. This
is because only through long toil it is banished away the love of
pleasure.
11. You will easily getting used yourself with the toils of
the ascesis, if you will do everything with measure and order.
12. Keep the same measure in ascesis and do not untie
the canon unnecessarily.
13. Like love and the restraint clean the thoughts,
likewise the contemplation and the prayer, the whole lofty
exaltation.
14. The clean conscience is made by the toils of the
ascesis, as the fasting, the watchfulness, the patience and the
longsuffering.
15. The one who endures the hits of the unwilling trials,
he becomes humble in thought, well hoping and tried.
26
The acrostic is a summary of the answer no. 58 towards Thalassius, The Romanian
Philokalia, III, p. 300 and the followings.
22
16. The patience is the soul`s love for toils. It consists of

willing toils and of unwilling trials.
17. The sin is withered by the insistence in sufferings
and it is fully burnt out by the patience until the end.
18. The coming of the toils afflicts the feeling; and the
coming of the sadness removes the pleasure.
19. Four are the most general passions (affects) which
the Providence uses with wisdom one against another.
20. The arrival of the sadness narrows the pleasure; and
the fear of torments withers the lust.
21. The considerate mind strengthens its soul and
habituates its body to all toil.
22. Strive yourself to make a monk not only the outside
man, but also the one from inside, by delivering him from
passions.
23. The first rejection if the rejection of the things; the
second and the third, they are the rejection of passions and the
rejection of nescience.
24. If somebody wants it, he easily delivers himself from
things. But not with a little toil gets he rid of the passions 27
towards the things.
25. By dominating your lust, you will also overcome the
anger; because the lust is the cause which stirs up the anger.
26. Have we delivered ourselves from the passionate
thoughts and started the clean and immaterial prayer? Or have
we not?
27. Great is the mind which has delivered itself from
passions and has separated itself from creatures and it lives in
God.
28. The one who advances, he philosophizes about these
three: in commandments, in dogmas and in the faith in the
Holy Trinity.
29. The mind which is delivered from passions it is in
these ones: in simple thoughts, in the contemplation of the
creatures, and in the eternal light28.
30. Within our souls there hide themselves very evil
passions. But they show themselves when the things are
shown.
27
In the Greek Philokalia: of the thoughts about things.
28
Migne = εν τω αιδιω φωτί (into light); Greek Philokalia = εν τω ιδίω φωτί (in its light).
23
31. It often happens that the mind to remain

unbothered, enjoying some lack of passions’ but it is not tried,
because the things are missing.
32. The passions are arisen by these three ones: by
memory, by the state of the body`s stum (χυμός) and by the
feeling (the sensitive perception), as it has been said.
33. The mind which has closed the feeling and has
made equal the state of the stum from its body 29, it hasn`t war
anymore but with the memory.
34. The passions are stirred up by feeling, when there
aren`t present the restrain and the spiritual love.
35. The temperate fasting, the watchfulness and the
singing of psalms, they make the state of the body balanced.
36. These three ones change the state of the body in
bad: the lack of rule in eating, the changing of the air and the
touch of the devils.
37. The passionate memories are made simple 30 through
prayer, reading, restraint and love.
38. Firstly close the feeling, through tranquility, and
then fight with the weapons of the virtues against memories.
39. The sin with the thought it is the bad usage of the
thoughts; and the sin with the deed it is the bad usage of the
things.
40. The bad usage of the thoughts and of the things it
consists in not using them piously and rightly.
41. The reproachable passions are chains to the mind,
which keep the mind in the things submitted to the senses.
42. Consummated lack of passion has that one who
isn`t addicted neither to the things nor to their memory.
43. The good soul does the good to the neighbor. And if
it is answered to it with ingratitude, it behaves with
longsuffering and it endures by suffering the things which come
from that one.
44. The evil thoughts are evil richness: the one who
doesn`t reject the, he won`t reach at knowledge.
45. The one who obeys himself to Christ, he guides on
himself towards the light; and the one who follows Him, he
corrects on himself.
29
The one who always maintains the same balanced diet, he does not produce unequal states
into body.
30
Ψιλουνται can be translated in two ways: 1. They are made simple, namely they are
detached from the passionate side; 2. They are being thinned, they are being weakened.
24
46. The memory about the evilness it is leprosy to the

soul; and this it happens to the soul out of dishonors, out of
loss, or out of the suspicion of the thoughts.
47. The Lord blinds out the passionate mind; because it
becomes sad unjustly for the good things of the neighbor.
48. The gossiper soul it has instead of tongue a thorn:
this is because it wounds on himself, it wounds the listener and
sometimes also the one who is evil spoken.
49. Forgets the evil the one who is praying for the one
who has saddened him; and it is delivered from the
remembrance of the evil the one who doesn`t spare the gifts.
50. The hatred towards the neighbor it is the death of
the soul. And this is had and it is done by the soul of the
gossiper.
51. The idleness it comes out of the negligence of the
soul; and it is negligent the soul which is ill with the love for
pleasure.
52. The one who loves Christ, he habituates on himself
with toils; and through the insistence in toils, he banishes away
the idleness.
53. The soul is strengthened through the toils of the
ascesis; and by doing everything with measure, it banishes
away the idleness.
54. The one who dominates his belly, he withers the lust
and his mind doesn`t serve to the thoughts of fornication.
55. The mind of the restrained one it is Church of the
Holy Ghost; and the mind of the covetous one is dwelling place
of the crows.
56. The satiety it gives birth to the lust after many sorts
of food; and the lack it sweetens even the simple bread.
57. The one who rejoices himself in a hidden manner
with the envied one, he delivers on himself from envy; and the
one who hides the envied one, he delivers (also other) from
envy.
58. Go away from the one who lives with carelessness,
even if he has achieved a great name to many.
59. Gain as friend the man who loves the toil and you
will find him cover to your mistakes.
60. The careless one has sold on himself to many
masters; and how they carry him so he walks.
61. In time of peace it is benevolent to you as a friend;
and in time of trial he makes war to you as an enemy.
25
62. He puts his soul for you before the stirring up of the
passions; and when the passions are being stirred up, he takes
your soul.
63. The uncultivated land has been taken over by
thistles, and the careless soul, by unclean passions.
64. The considerate mind it restrains its soul, it
torments its body and it bridles the passions (is dominates its
affects).
65. The seen movements are the signs of the ones from
inside, like the produced fruits are the signs of some unknown
trees.
66. The words and the deeds prove the hypocrite and
they bring to sight the hidden liar prophet.
67. The reckless mind doesn`t advice (discipline) its soul
and it takes the soul away from love and restraint.
68. The cause of the worthless thoughts it is the bad
habituation, which is born out of vain glory, out of pride and
haughtiness.
69. Characteristic to the things said above are the
followings: the hypocrisy, the cunningness, the plotting, the
irony and the lie, which is also the worst.
70. Are serving the ones mentioned before the
followings: the envy, the strife, the anger, the sadness and the
keeping in mind the evil.
71. This is the way of the ones who live in carelessness
and this is the treasure of the things hidden within me.
72. The soul is saved through the bad suffering and
humbleness. They deliver the soul from the passions mentioned
above.
73. On the word “considerate” it hangs the useful word;
and on the good soul it depends the virtuous doing.
74. The enlightened mind it brings out wise words and
the clean soul cultivates godlike thoughts.
75. The thoughts of the zealous one are occupied with
the wisdom, and his words enlighten the ones who listen to
them.
76. When the virtues are dwelling into the soul, the soul
cultivates good thoughts. And when the sins are dwelling into
the soul, the soul gives birth to worthless thoughts.
77. The soul of the passionate it is a factory of evil
thoughts; and out of its treasury brings out the evil things.
26
78. The good treasury is the habituation with the

virtues; and the good mind brings out from this treasure the
good things.
79. The mind worked by the godlike love it produces
thoughts about God; and when is worked by the love for the
self, it does the opposite.
80. The mind moved by the love towards the neighbor it
ceaselessly thinks good things about him; but when moved by
the opposite, it suspects the evil things.
81. The causes of the good thoughts are the virtues; of
the virtues are the commandments; and of the working of these
ones, the free will.
82. The virtues and the sins coming and leaving, they
make the state of the soul better or worse, by moving it towards
corresponding thoughts.
83. The causes of the evil thoughts are the sins; of the
sins the disobedience; of the disobedience the deceit of the
feeling; and of the deceit of the feeling the carelessness of the
mind in guarding the feeling.
84. Within the ones who are advancing, the dispositions
towards the contrary ones are easily being changed; in the
consummated one, the habits in both directions are difficult to
be budged.
85. The strength of the soul is a habituation of the
virtue difficult to be budged, and the one who has reached at it
he says: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ” 31, and
the other things.
86. All the passions are preceded by the bodily love for
the self; and after all of them it comes the pride.
87. The three more comprising thoughts of the lust are
born out of the passion of the love for the self.
88. Understand, of course, the thought o the
covetousness of the belly, of the vain glory, and of the love for
money, to which follow all the passionate thoughts, but not all
of them in common.
89. To the thought of the covetousness of the belly it
follows the one of the fornication; to the thought of vain glory,
31
Romans: 8: 35: KJB: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?”; ROB: “Who will
separate us from the love of Christ? Will the trouble, or the tribulation, or the persecution, or
the famine, or the lack of clothing, or the danger, or the sword?
27
the one of the pride; and the others, in common to the three
ones.
90. It follows in common to the three ones: the thoughts
of the sadness, the thought of the anger, of the remembrance of
the evil, of the envy, of the idleness and the others.
Prayer
91. Master of everybody, Christ, I pray You to liberate

us from all of these, from the destructive passions and from the
thoughts which are born out of them.
92. For You we have been created, to delight ourselves,
being placed in the Paradise seeded by You.
93. But we have attracted to us dishonor, by choosing
instead of the place of the happy delectation, the corruption.
94. Of which payment we have taken it within ourselves,
by changing the eternal life for death.
95. Therefore now, Master, like You have looked at us,
continue looking at us to the end; like You have embodied
Yourself, so also save us all.
96. Because You came to save us, the lost ones. Do not
separate us from the part of the ones who are saved.
97. Raise the souls and save the bodies. Clean all of us
of all the defilement.
98. Break the ties of the passions which dominate us,
the One Who broke the bands of the devils.
99. And delivers us from their oppression, to be us able
to serve only to You, to the eternal light.
100. By resurrecting from dead and by singing together
with the angels the happy, the eternal, and the endless song.
THE FOURTH HUNDRED
28
Of which acrostic is this one: Despite all these, you pray

insistently towards our Lord God, to deliver us both from true
evilness and of the not-true evilness, but reckoned as being true
1. The one who has detached his mind from the love for
the body and from the body`s pleasures, that one has killed
with the living ghost the body`s deeds.
2. Do not think that you have separated yourself from
the affection for the body, until the mind still occupies itself
with the ones of the body.
3. As the ones of the body are the feeling and the ones
submitted to the senses, so the ones of the soul are the mind
and the intelligible ones.
4. Retract your soul from the feeling of the submitted to
the senses ones and the mind will be into God and in the
intelligible ones.
5. Kindred with the godhead are the thinking beings,
known only with the mind; and the feeling and the ones
submitted to the senses were created to serve to the mind.
6. Let the feeling and the ones submitted to the senses
to serve to you towards the spiritual sight (the contemplation)
and do not turn the feeling and the ones of it towards the lust of
the body.
7. You have been ordered to kill the deeds of the body,
to resurrect through toils the killed through pleasures soul.
8. Let yourself to be mastered by God and master your
feeling and do not allow on yourself, who are better, to be
mastered by the worse one.
9. God is eternal, limitless, borderless (indefinite), and
Who promised eternal, limitless and unspoken goods to the
ones who obey themselves to Him.
10. It depends on the mind`s nature to live in God, to
cogitate about Him, about His taking care and about His
fearsome judgments.
11. You have the power to incline yourself towards both
parts; be yourself of the better part and you will bring the worse
one into submission.
12. Good is the feeling and good are the ones submitted
to the feeling, as things of the Good God. But they cannot be
likened at all to the mind and to the intelligible ones.
29
13. God built the rational and mental being able to

receive the ghost32 and His knowledge. And the feeling and the
ones submitted to the senses He made them towards the need
of the being.
14. As to the worthless servant it is madness to obey to
the good master, so it is madness that the rational mind to
make itself servant to the corruptible body.
15. The mind, which doesn`t master its feeling, it falls
through the feeling in the evil ones. This is because being
deceived by the submitted to the senses ones it gives birth to
worthlessness to itself.
16. By mastering your mind, you assure yourself from
the part of the memory. This is because the memories,
awakened through the feeling they move the passions.
17. Persecute your body and always pray; and you will
quickly delivered from the thoughts brought by memory (by
prejudice).
18. Let occupy yourself ceaselessly with godlike words.
This is because the toil with them it consumes the passions.
19. The reading, the watchfulness, the prayer and the
chanting of the psalms, the stop the mind from the straying
around the passions.
20. As the spring time moves the plants to shoot out,
likewise the lack of passions it moved the mind towards the
knowledge of the creatures.
21. Keep the commandments and you will find peace;
love God and you will find out knowledge.
22. In tiredness, in toiling and in the sweat of the face
you have been condemned to eat the bread of the knowledge.
23. The carelessness brought the ancestor to the
transgression of the commandment and, instead of the
delectation of the Paradise, it condemned him to death.
24. Let yourself also to master Eva 33 and take heed to
the serpent, lest, being Eve deceived, to also give to you out of
the tree.
25. As the soul makes the body alive according to the
nature, likewise the virtue and the knowledge, the soul.
26. The haughty mind, driven by the ghost of the vain
glory and of the pride, it is a waterless cloud.
32
In the Greek Philokalia: all of them.
33
Eva is the feeling; the serpent is the devil.
30
27. When mastering your love for vain glory, take heed
towards fornication, lest, running from honors, to fall down in
dishonor.
28. Running away from the vain glory you look towards
God; and if not you will surely fall in the self appreciation or in
fornication.
29. It is characteristic to the vain glory to show its
competence; and it is characteristic to the pride to despise and
to quarrel.
30. Running away from the covetousness of the belly,
guard yourself against the pleasure of being pleasant to the
people; that it wants to show a pale at sight cheek.
31. The beautiful fasting it is the one which enjoys a
little and simple food and doesn`t try to be pleasant to the
people.
32. By fasting until the evening comes, do not eat in the
evening until you will satiate yourself, to not build again what
you have once crumbled down.
33. When you do not drink wine, do not satiate yourself
with water; and if not, you will give to the fornication the same
matter.
34. The pride makes us getting away from the godlike
help, to trust in ourselves and to raise ourselves against people.
35. Against pride there are two medicines; who doesn`t
receive these two, he will have a third one, a very harsh one.
36. To remove the pride you must pray yourself with
tears, to not despise anybody and to willingly receive the
unwilling troubles.
37. The advising through trials it is a spiritual staff. It
teaches the one who mindlessly raises himself to cogitate with
humbleness.
38. It depends on the mind`s nature to not suffer the
thoughts which secretly gossips the neighbor.
39. As the gardener, if he doesn`t plucks the weeds,
they chock the vegetables, likewise the mind, if doesn`t clean
the thoughts, it loses the toils.
40. A considerate man is the one who accepts the advice
and especially the spiritual Father who advises him.
41. The ones who is being killed by passions he doesn`t
listen to the advice and doesn`t endure at all the spiritual
rebuking and advising.
31
42. The one who doesn`t accept the advice he doesn`t

make his ways straight but he is always driven towards
precipices and ravines.
43. The mind which has rejected the feeling 34 and
doesn`t accept anymore to see thoughts of pleasure, it is
monk35.
44. The mind which has healed on itself and it also
heals others, it is a medic.
45. Search for the virtue and preserved it unharmed, for
not being you living ugly and dying pitifully.
46. Our Lord Jesus Christ gave the light to everybody,
but the ones who doesn`t listen to Him they are darkening on
themselves.
47. Do not reckon as an unimportant thing the lost of
the virtue; this is because due to it the death has entered into
the world.
48. The obedience to the commandments it means the
resurrection of the dead ones; this is because to the virtues, it
follows according to the nature, the life.
49. Being the mind killed through the transgression of
the commandment, death of the body it also necessarily
followed.
50. As Adam through disobedience fell into death,
likewise the Savior, by obeying, He killed the death.
51. You kill the sin, to not be resurrected and remaining
dead, and to not pass from a small death to a bigger one.
52. The Savior embodied on Himself due to the
disobedience of Adam, for untying the damnation, to resurrect
on everybody.
53. From life to life passes that one who has killed his
passions and has separated himself from nescience.
54. Research the Scripture and you will find out the
commandments; and do the said ones and you will deliver
yourself from passions.
55. The obedience to the commandment it brings the
cleanness of the soul; and the cleanness of the soul it brings
the impartation of light.
56. The knowledge of God is the tree of life, of which, the
clean one, by imparting on himself, he remains immortal.
34
That mind which has rejected the perceiving through feeling.
35
The mind in Greek is of masculine gender.
32
57. The beginning of the doing is the faith in Christ; and

the end of it is the love for Christ.
58. Jesus Christ is our Lord and God, Who, by giving to
us the faith in Him towards life,
59. He has shown on Himself through soul, body and
godhead, to deliver us from death and the soul and the body as
a God.
60. Let`s gain the faith, for coming to life, out of which is
born the enlightenment of the knowledge.
61. To the asset of the faith there follow successively
these ones: the fear of God, the restraint from pleasures, the
suffering of the toils, the hope in God, the lack of passions and
the love36.
62. Out of sincere love it is born the natural knowledge.
And to this one it follows the last desired good thing. This one is
the grace of the knowledge of God (of the theology)37.
63. The mind, which dominates its own passions, of
course that it masters the passions because of the fear,
believing to God regarding the hoped ones 38 and regarding the
ones which have been promised to it.
64. To who it has been given the promise, to him it is
requested restraint. This one by lasting, it gives birth to
patience, which is a much loving of toil habit.
65. The sign of the patience if the love for labors. By
daring towards them, the mind hopes to achieve the promised
ones and to get rid of menaces.
66. The acceptance of the future goods it unites the
mind with the waited ones; and the mind by tarrying into them,
it forgets about the present ones.
67. The one who have tasted the promised ones, he
throws away the present ones. This is because he has poured
his entire longing in those things.
68. God is the One Who promised the future goods. By
believing Him, the restrained one desires the future goods like
(other one desires) the present ones.
36
The same order of the virtues like at Saint Maximos the Confessor, Head about Love, I, 2,
in The Romanian Philokalia, volume II, p. 37.
37
The natural knowledge it is the one achieved through the contemplation of the nature, from
the second phase of the spiritual ascension; higher that this knowledge it is the knowledge of
God.
38
In the Greek Philokalia we have: regarding the menaces.
33
69. The sign that the mind lives into the hoped goods, it
is that the mind has totally forgotten about the ones from here
and it widens itself in the knowledge of the future ones.
70. Good is the truth which we learn through the God of
the truth, Who fills up the loving of God soul, with confidence,
even from here.
71. The goods which are waiting for the inheritors of the
promise are above ages and before any age and above mind and
word.
72. Let`s ourselves submit to the canons of the awe,
lest, deviating in passions, to fall from hope.
73. Jesus is Christ, as One of the Trinity, of Whose
inheritor you will also be.
74. The one who has learnt the knowledge of the
creatures from God, he won`t be unfaithful to the Scripture
regarding the ones said above.
75. The Holy Ghost, when finding the mind emptied of
passions, He mysteriously teaches the mind, according to its
power, about all the hoped ones.
76. The soul receives the knowledge of the godlike ones
on the measure of the mind`s cleanness.
77. The one who has disciplined his body and lives into
knowledge, he is increasingly cleaned up by the knowledge
itself.
78. The mind which starts to become wise (to
philosophize) in the godlike ones, that mind starts from faith
and, by passing through the ones from the middle, it ends again
to the highest faith.
79. At the beginning of the wisdom it is seen the fear
which is at the end; and at the end, the love which is at the
beginning.
80. The mind by starting to become wise (to
philosophize) from the closest faith, it ends to the theology (the
knowledge of God) from beyond any mind, which is the faith
that is never forgotten anymore and the seeing of the unseen
ones.
81. The rationalities concerning God are contemplated
by saints not out of Himself, but out of the ones from around
Him.
82. And the rationalities from around God are cogitated
some of them through affirmation, other through removing.
34
83. The being, the godhead, the kindness and

everything said positively are through affirmation. And the lack
of beginning, the boundlessness and the not-definition and
everything that is negatively said, they are through negation.
84. The hidden godhead, above any mind or word of the
Holy Trinity being One, the things said above and the things
alike, they are contemplated around the Holy Trinity.
85. As they say (the saints) a sole godhead of the Holy
Trinity, to they worship three hypostases of the one godhead.
86. The things said above through affirmation and
through negation, they cogitate as being common to the Holy,
and of one Being, Trinity, besides the characteristic ones to
each hypostasis, which are also said more often through
affirmation, and other through negation.
87. The things which are characteristic to the godlike
hypostases, especially, they say that are these ones: the quality
of Father, the quality of Son, the proceeding and everything that
is especially said.
88. And they decide that the hypostasis is a being with
different characteristics. That`s why each hypostasis has both
the common being and what it differs him as hypostasis.
89. The things said before in common through negation
about the Holy Trinity, I reckon them more characteristic than
the ones said through affirmation. But it is not likewise
regarding the distinctive characteristics, though they are also
said, as I have said before, one of them through affirmation,
others through negation, like the characteristic of being born
and the characteristic of not being born and the ones alike. This
is because the characteristic of not being born it differs
according to the meaning from the characteristic of being born.
This is because the first one it means that the Father is not
born, and the second, one that the Son is born.
90. For clarifying the rationalities contemplated around
the Holy Trinity, we use, as it has been said, words and names.
But it is not alike for the ones of the being; because these ones
are totally unknown by any mind and unspoken through any
word, being known only to the Holy Trinity.
91. As I am saying that the one being of the godhead is
threefold in hypostases, so I am confessing that the Holy Trinity
is of one being.
92. The Father is cogitated as without beginning and as
beginning (principle). Without beginning like unborn; and
35
beginning (principle), like the One Who gives birth and proceeds
the One Who are out of Him according to the being and are in
Him from eternity, namely the Son and the Holy Ghost.
93. By moving itself after Them, to the Trinity, the unity
it remains unity; and the Trinity, by gathering Himself to the
unity, He remains Trinity, which is a wonderful thing39.
94. I also understand the Son and the Ghost, not
without principle, but eternal. Not without principle as
reporting Themselves to the Father as principle and source; but
eternal, as One Who are from eternity together with the Father,
One of Them through birth, and Another through proceeding.
95. They keep the One godhead of the Trinity,
undivided, and They preserve the three hypostases of the One
godhead, unmixed.
96. Distinctive characteristics of the Father, I say that
are the ones of being without beginning and unborn; of the Son
of being in the beginning (in the principle) and of being born;
and of the Holy Ghost, of being with the beginning (the
principle) and of being proceeded. And the beginning of the Son
and of the Ghost I don`t say about it as being temporal. And
who could that be? But through Him it shows the cause out of
which, like the light out of the sun, They have Their existence
from eternity. This is because out of Him (out of the principle)
They are, according to the being, although not after Him.
97. The distinctive characteristic of the hypostases
remains, after Them, unmoved and unchanged.
98. I confess the unity in Trinity and the Trinity in
unity, as One Who divides Himself undivided, and unites
Himself divided.
99. I know the Father as being the One beginning (the
principle) of everybody: of the Son and of the Ghost, as birth
give and as eternal source, together eternal, borderless, of-one-
being and not-separated; and of the creatures, as Maker,
Source of the Providence, and Judge, namely through the Son
and in the Holy Ghost. “This is because through Him and
towards Him are all the things; His to be the glory forever and
ever. Amen!”40
39
It is a place from Gregory of Nazianzus, Orat. I de Filio, head no. 2, commented by Saint
Maximos the Confessor in Ambigua, G.P. 91, 1036.
40
Romans: 9: 36: KJB: “For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be
glory for ever. Amen.”; ROB: “For from Him and through Him and into Him are all things.
His be the glory forever. Amen!”
36
100. I also say about the Son and about the Holy Ghost
that They are together eternal with the Father, but not together
without beginning (principle); together eternal with the Father,
like being together with the Father from eternity; but not
together without beginning, not being without a cause; because
They are out of Him, though not after Him, as the light out of
the sun, as it has been said before. I also say about Them, that
They are without beginning, when one understand the
beginning out of the time, for not being cogitates under time the
One out of Whom the time is. Therefore They aren`t without
beginning in what concerns the cause, but They are without
beginning regarding the time, being before all time and before
all ages and above ages and time, through Them being all ages
and all time and the ones out of the time; as They being, as I
have said before, together eternal with the Father, to Whom
together with Them is due the glory and the mastery, forever
and ever, Amen.
Hesychios the Sinaite

Monk Hesychios the Sinaite from the Monastery of the
Pyre (το καίγοντας θάμνο) from Mount Sinai it is the author of
37
the two hundred heads “About Watchfulness and Virtue”41. In

Migne`s Patrology they are attributed to Hesychios the Presbyter
from Jerusalem; but unjustly. This is because Hesychios from
Jerusalem he live in the Century V, whilst the author of these
two hundreds of heads lived later, being given the fact that he
reproduces for several times not only saying of Mark the
Ascetic42 but also of John Climacus43 and Maximos the
Confessor44 who lived around the middle of the Century VII.
The main virtue to Hesychios is the watchfulness
(προσοχή), which it will enjoy in the ascetic writings, written
after him, a great cherishing. One can say also that according to
Hesychios the whole spiritual life is reduced to watchfulness or
attention, that this is the durable method through which the
man purifies in himself of all passionate words and thoughts,
for achieving then the mysterious knowledge of God (The First
Hundred, head 1). Through watchfulness the man does the
spiritual ascension above all stages from the active and from
the contemplative phase. Watchfulness is the ceaseless
attention to the self, which brings the man to all the virtues (I,
3), to the knowledge of God. For the first time we find at
Hesychios the identification of the watchfulness to the heart`s
cleanness (I, 1), or to the quietness of the heart: the hesychia (I,
3). The watchfulness is also called as the guarding of the mind
(I, 3), taking heed to the attacks which are thrown by satan
within the soul, avoiding to be provoked inside us friendly
thoughts towards those attacks. The definition of the attack is
taken literally by Hesychios from Mark the Ascetic (I, 2).
According to a beautiful characterization, the watchfulness is
“the insistent focusing of the thought at the heart`s gate, to
watch at the thieves thoughts which want to come inside” (I, 6).
The most important help of the watchfulness it is the
ceaselessly calling of the name of Jesus (I, 21; I, 28; I, 41; I, 62;
I, 96-97; II, 72; II, 80; II, 96-87). Before Hesychios we find this
calling of the name of Jesus at Diadochus. At Hesychios the
lacing of this name it becomes the main preoccupation.
41
λόγος ψυχωφελής περί νήψεωζ χαι αρετης (the reason of the soul`s ignorance and virtue (E.
l. t.`s n.)).
42
Hesychios, chapter I: 55, 56, 57, 58, 59 = Mark the Ascetic, The Law of the Ghost: 115, 16,
117, 101, 102, 103ș Hesychios I 79, 80, 81, 82 = Mark the Ascetic, About the One Who
Imagine: 2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 9.
43
Hesychios I 99 = Climacus G.P. 88, 1112.
44
Hesychios I 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 75 = Maximos the Confessor, Heads about Love IV,
58, 64, 65, 50, 51, 64, 72.
38
According to J. Hausherr, Hesychios belongs, together

with Diadochus, John Climacus and Philotheos the Sinaite, to
the Sinaite spirituality, which, unlike de spirituality which
descends from Saint Basil the Great or the Constantinopolitan
one, from the Studites` Monastery, it is more passive, less
valuing the active virtues and attributing the greatest role to the
godlike grace, out of a conviction about the human
helplessness. From there the accent which this spirituality
poses it on the internal quietude (ησυχια), obtained through
prayer and through guarding the mind from any thoughts and
hallucinations (λογισμοι, φαντασία).
Maybe it would be more just to be said that the Sinaite
spirituality it is more internal, or that it draws the attention
especially on the internal causes of the sin and on the method
of combating the sin from its origin. This is because the
watchfulness and the continuous attention, through which the
grace it becomes efficient, it is also an extraordinary straining,
maybe greater than anyone else; so this virtue can be called
anyhow, but not passive. Or maybe it is even more just that,
presupposing the inferior conditions of the fulfilled external
ascesis, Hesychios in this description he occupied himself with
the higher stage of the cleaning of the inward sin. Proof for this
is the fact that John Climacus, who also belongs to the Sinaite
spirituality, he described at the beginning the external ascesis
and only on the last stage the internal virtues.
Exposing the doctrine of Hesychios, Hausherr identifies
two dominant principles: one of the psychological and another
dogmatic. According to the psychological one, every sin passes
through a through (λογισμος), and according to the dogmatic
one, without Jesus we can`t do anything. From here result all
the consequences of the spiritual doctrine of Hesychios.
According to him the external ascesis (fasting, restraint,
sleeping on the floor) isn`t sufficient.
The external ascesis only impedes the sin with the deed
(II, 8). Only the attention (προσοχη) opposes itself to the sin
thinking. The Old Testament symbolizes the external ascesis,
the New Testament the watchfulness (νηψις). The first is
pedagogue towards the last one (II, 10). Through activity one
only apparently gains the union with God; for the true union it
is necessary the virtue of the attention, which is the guarding of
the mind, or the quietude without hallucinations (II, 13).
39
The rules of the internal war, which is being waged by

the watchfulness to reach at that quietude undisturbed by
thoughts and imagination, are the followings:
1. The rejection of the thought from its first emergence,
namely from the attack (προσβολή), or bait, which is not our
product, but of satan (II, 71, 72). This it means to guard the
head of the snake (II, 76). The attack it seen innocent at the
beginning; it is the thought or the imagination of a sensitive
thing (II, 78). Firstly it is sent the pigeon, for on his tracks to
snake in the snake (II, 61). Therefore one mustn`t discern
between good thought or bad thought (ευλογος and άλογος), but
the man must reject all of them (I, 49), especially until he isn`t
consummated. But once reached at consummation, the mind
can let the thought to move themselves a little, as a god
releases the rabbit, or better said, as the cat releases the mouse
for examining it better.
In this rejection of the thought from the first emergence,
the attention had the main role (προςοχή).
2. But if despite all these the thought has penetrated in,
the role of fighting it, it`s up to the resistance (αντίρρεσις). This
one must crush the snake`s head (II, 50; I, 34).
3. But without the continuous calling of the name of
Jesus, the whole our striving is vain (II, 50; II, 68). Therefore the
attention (προςοχή) and the resistance (αντίρρεσις) must be
united with the ceaseless prayer.
But because the devil can disguise itself in angel of the
light, by mixing in our prayer thoughts which are pious at the
beginning, to scatter out mind, the prayer must consists of a
sole word or thought (μονολόγιστος ευχή), in the one of Jesus (II,
72)45. This is the Prayer of Jesus. It must become as usual as
the breathing is, “stuck to the breathing”, according to the
formula of John Climacus (G.P. 88, 1112 C). This continuously
breathed prayer (II, 87) it will clean the air of the heart of the
dark`s clouds (I, 73). Then, we see us like in a mirror, but also
the black face of the spiritual Ethiopians (I, 23). With the name
of Jesus we can crash the Babylonian children, namely the
thoughts born by satan in us (II, 50; I, 56).
The mind cleaned of imaginations (φαντασίαι) and
thoughts (λογισμοι), it give birth now to godlike meanings
(νοήματα) (II, 54). Then it sees a light which at the beginning is
45
Hausherr translates this expression like: “Une invocation toujours répétée à Jésus, le nom de
Jésus”. But I believe that, after a while, it means also only repeating the thought at Jesus.
40
like a candle hanged inside the mind, then like a moon, and at
last like a sun with endless light, and this is Jesus Himself (II<
64). Now we have become seers (θεωρητιχοί). Because the guide
who leads us there is the guarding of the mind, this one can be
called as birth giver of light, birth give of lightning, birth giver of
fire (I, 64).
In this state, the heart has Jesus Himself as Master,
Who mysteriously tells His will to it (II, 84). This is the heavens
of the hesychia, where the mind has entered (II, 98). So we
become angels into Christ Jesus, through watchfulness and
ascension in love (II, 99)46.
Hesychios the Sinaite

TOWARDS THEODOULOS
Short Word Useful to the Soul and Savior, about

Watchfulness and Virtue
46
To this presentation we have widely used I. Hausherr, La method dòration hésychaste, in
Orientalia Christiana 9, 2 (No. 36) (1927), p. 138-140. Then we have used also Marcel Viller
S. I. und Karl Rahner S. I., Aszese un Mystik in der Väterzeit, p. 164-166. Finally, we have
used A. Ehrhard at K. Krumbacher, Geschichte der Byz. Literatur 2 (München, 1897), p. 147.
The fact that Hesycios was in the Burning Pyre`s Monastery, therefore being other than
Hesychios from Jerusalem, it has been proven lately on the basis of the title of this writing of
Hesychios in the codices Vallicell, E. 21, Century XIV, f, 260, v. and in other codices in
manuscript.
41
The So-called Words about Resistance and Prayer 47
THE FIRST HUNDRED
1. The watchfulness is a durable spiritual method,

followed with zeal, which, with the help of God, it totally delivers
the man from passionate thoughts and evil deeds; followed
thus, it give him then the sure knowledge of the not-comprised
God, as much as possible, and the unveiling of the godlike
hidden mysteries. It fulfills every commandment of God from
the Old Testament and from the New Testament and it brings
the whole good in the age to come. It is actually the cleanness of
the heart, which, due to its greatness and beauty, or better said
out of our lack of attention and carelessness it is so rare today
amongst monks. This one is blessed by Christ, when He says:
“Blessed are they who are clean in the heart, for those ones will
see God”. So being, it is very expensive to buy. The
watchfulness by lasting for a long time into man, it because the
guide of the right and pleasant to God life. And the ascension in
this one is habituates us to the contemplation and to the way
how we must put in movement, in a due manner, the three
parts of the soul and to guard our senses without mistake. It
increases daily the four general virtues in the one who imparts
himself out of it.
2. The great lawmaker Moses, better said the Holy Ghost,
by showing the lack of blemish, the cleanness, the comprising
width and the elevator power of this virtue, and by teaching us
how we must conceive it and learn it, He says: “Take heed, to
not be some hidden word in your heart”. Hidden word it is
47
The Greek Philokalia, Second Edition, volume I, p. 82-91; G. P. 93, 1480-1544. Between
the text from The Greek Philokalia and the one from the Greek Patrology are enough
differences. But in general the one from Philokalia is way better, if not perfect. That`s why we
mainly have used this text. Otherwise, out of the marginal variants one can see that the editor
consulted several codices. It is strange that sometimes the Latin translation from Greek
Patrology it follows a text similar to the ones from the Greek Philokalia. For instance: II, 2, G.
P. = 103 Greek Philokalia; II, 21, G. P. = 123 Greek Philokalia. But most often it follows the
text from the G. P.
The counting of the heads it is also different between the two versions, starting from I,
80. In the text from the Greek Philokalia there are 203 heads and for many times the matter is
better distributed in them. Although, we have taken the counting in two hundreds of the text
from G. P. because the quotes from there, from foreign writings, are easily to be followed in
this way, the text from the G. P. being more accessible.
42
called the emergence, as a simple thought, of some evil things,

hated by God48. This one is called by the Father as bait (attack)
thrown into heart by the devil. Immediately that this one
emerges to the mind our thoughts follow it by having dialogue
with it in a passionate manner.
3. The watchfulness is the way of every virtue and
commandments of God. It is also called as the quietude of the
heart (the hesychia). And consummated to the emptying of any
hallucination, it also is a guarding of the mind.
4. The one who was born blind, he doesn`t see the
sunlight. Likewise the one who isn`t guided by watchfulness, he
doesn`t see abundantly the rays of the grace from above,
neither will he liberate from the evil and hated by God: things,
words and thoughts. This one at his death he won`t escape from
the chieftains of the Hell.
5. The watchfulness is the ceaseless attention of the heart
towards any thought. It breaths and ceaselessly calls only on
Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God, and together with Him it
manly opposes to enemies. And only to Him it confesses, for He
has the power to forgive the sins. But by ceaselessly dressing
itself up, through this calling, in Christ, Who only Him
mysteriously knows the hearts, the soul tries in every way to
hide to all people His sweetness and the fight from inside, lest
the cunning one to make his evilness to advance and to
crumble down, unnoticeably, the good work.
6. The watchfulness is the insistent focusing of the
thought and by placing it at the gate of the heart, to look at the
thieves thoughts which come, and to listen to what the killer
ones say and which is the image made and raised by devils,
which try to deceive the mind through hallucinations. Learning
these labors, they teach us, with much science, the skillfulness
of the mind`s war.
7. The twofold fear, the desertions from God and the
advising happenings of the trials, they give birth to the
attention as continuous supervisor within the man`s mind,
which tries thus to clog the source of the evil thoughts and
48
η μονολογιστος εμφάνεια πράγματοσ πονηρου, it is a definition of the attack, taken from
Mark the Ascetic, “About Baptism”, in The Romanina Philokalia, volume I, Second Edition,
p. 298. Saint Mark said μονολογιστος because it emerges at the beginning as a simple
thought, inoffensive, to which we haven`t stuck ourselves yet with the pleasure aroused
within us. Hesychios calls it like that because it is the first to appear in us from elsewhere, to
which our thoughts follow to answer.
43
deeds. Therefore also the desertions are for it and the

unexpected trials from the part of God, for the correction of our
life. And especially for the ones who have tasted the resting of
this kindness, but after that they are careless. And the
continuation gives birth to the habit; and this one is a natural
thickening of the watchfulness; finally, this one, through its
characteristic, it makes possible the quiet contemplation of the
war from before. It follows to it the insistent prayer of Jesus and
the sweet quietude and without hallucinations of the mind and
the state which comes from Jesus.
8. Being the cogitation focused and calling Christ against
the enemies and searching for its escape at Him, as a beats
surrounded by many dogs, and by placing itself inside the city,
it looks, with the mind, from far away, the spiritual assaults of
the unseen enemies; and through the fact that it always stays
with Jesus the peace Maker against them, it remains unharmed
by them.
9. If you are a watcher, it has been given to you to also be
seen as present out of the morning hours, but also to see
others. You know what I mean; and if not, be careful and you
will understand.
10. The seas` bodies consist out of much water. And the
being and the foundation of the watchfulness, of the attention,
of the deed quietude of the soul and the abyss of the happy and
unspoken views, of the grateful humbleness, of the
righteousness and of the love it consists out of the fullest
watchfulness and out of the without-thoughts prayer of Jesus
Christ, which must be intensively and often done, ceaselessly
and with tiredness, without yourself weakening.
11. “Not everyone who calls Me Lord, Lord, will enter in
the Kingdom of heavens, but the one who does the will of My
Father”49. And the will of the Father is this: “You, who love the
Lord, hate the evil ones”50. Therefore, concomitantly to the
prayer of Jesus Christ, let`s hate the evil thoughts; and behold
we have done the will of God.
49
Matthew: 7: 21: KJB: “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”; ROB: “Not
everyone who says to Me: Lord, Lord, will enter in the kingdom of heavens, but the one who
does the will of My Father from heavens.”
50
Psalms: 97: 10: KJB: “Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints;
he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.”; ROB: 96: 10: “You who love the Lord,
hate the evil; the Lord guards the souls of His pious ones; out of the hand of the sinful He will
deliver them.”
44
12. Our embodied Lord and God showed to us as example

the whole virtue and as model of the entire mankind and as
rising from the old falling, His all-virtuous life into body, as a
depiction. And together with all His virtues, which He showed to
us, it is also that one that after Baptism, ascending into0
wi9lderness, He starts the mental fight with fasting, the devil
coming close to Him as to a simple man. And through this mode
of the victory, the Master taught also us, the unworthy ones,
how we must fight the battle against the ghosts of the evilness,
namely in humbleness, with fasting, with prayer and with
watchfulness; He, Who didn`t need them, as One Who was God
and the God of Gods.
13. And how many are, in my opinion, the ways (the
modes) of the watchfulness, able to gradually clean the mind of
the passionate thought, behold I won`t be lazy to show them to
you in an unadorned and a not-masterly language. This is
because I haven`t intended, like in the stories of war, to hide in
this treaty the profit under words, especially for the simpler
ones. And you, son Theodoulos, take heed at what you are
reading.
14. Therefore, a way of the watchfulness is to supervise
often your fantasy51, namely the attack, for not having satan the
imagination at his disposition, to be unable to forge liar
thoughts, for presenting them to the mind towards liar deceit.
15. Other one it consists in having always the mind
deeply keeping its silence and calm of any thought: and to be us
praying.
16. Other one, it is to ceaselessly call with humbleness
our Lord Jesus Christ to our help.
17. Other mode it stays in having ceaselessly into soul
the remembrance of death.
18. All these works, my beloved one, they impede the evil
thoughts, as some doormen. And about the need of looking at
the sky and to reckon the earth as nothing, useful thing
together with others, I will speak in other place widely, if God
will give me word.
19. If we cut only for a little while the causes of the
passions and occupy ourselves with the spiritual views, but we
do not insist in them by making this our thing, easily we will
return ourselves to the body`s passions, without reaping other
51
Imagination.
45
fruit from there, but the consummated darkening of the mind

and the deviation towards the material ones.
20. The one who fights inwardly he must have in the
same instant these four: humbleness, full attention, resistance
and prayer. Humbleness – because his fight it is against the
proud devils, enemies to the humbleness; and to have in the
heart`s hand the help of Christ, because Christ hates the proud
ones. Attention – to make his heart always being without any
thought even that thought it would seem to be good. Resistance
– for when he would sharply know the one who comes,
immediately to oppose angrily himself to the cunning one. “And
I will answer, he says, to the ones who rebuke me 52: will not
obey my soul to God? 53” Prayer – for immediately after
resistance to shout out towards Christ in an unspoken sigh;
and then the ones who fights will see the enemy scattered
through the holy and worshipped name of Jesus Christ, as the
dust in the wind, or as the smoke which is consumed together
with its hallucinations.
21. The one who doesn`t have clean of thoughts prayer,
he doesn`t have weapon for battle. And I call prayer that one
which is working ceaselessly in the deeps of the soul, for by
calling Jesus, to be whipped and burn the enemy that secretly
fights.
22. You owe to watch with a sharp and strained look of
the mind, to know the ones who enter. And by knowing them,
immediately to crush, through resistance, the snake`s head.
And together with this, shout out with sigh towards Christ and
you will feel the unseen godlike help and then you will see
lighting far the heart`s cleanness and righteousness.
23. As the one who holds a mirror in his hand, if he stays
amidst many and looks at that mirror, he sees his face as it is,
but he also sees the faces of others, who bow towards the same
mirror, likewise the one who bows towards his heart he sees his
spiritual state in it, but he also sees the black faces of the
spiritual blackamoors.
52
Psalms: 119: 42: KJB: “So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me: for I
trust in thy word.”; 118: 42: “And I will answer word to the ones who rebuke me, for I have
hoped in Your words.”
53
Psalms: 62: 1: KJB: “Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my salvation.”;
ROB: 61: 1: “Won`t my soul obey to God? Because from Him is my salvation.”
46
24. But the mind can`t defeat, only by itself, the devilish
hallucination. Let it not dare to! This is because being sly, they
pretend to be defeated, but on the other hand they make the
mind falling through the vain glory. But by calling Jesus Christ,
they do not duffer to stay and to deceive even for once.
25. Take care of not making high opinions about yourself,
as that Israel of yore, and to surrender also you to the spiritual
enemies. This is because Israel, being delivered by Egyptians
through everybody`s God, it contrived to itself a casted idol.
26. And through casted idol you understand our weak
mind, which, while it calls Jesus Christ against the ghosts of
the evilness, it easily banishes them away and with masterly
science puts on run the unseen and warrior powers of the
enemy. But when it recklessly dares to totally lean against
itself, it rolls down like bird called Oxypteros (quickly flying).
“Towards the Lord, he says, my heart hoped and I was helped;
and my body flourished again”54. Or: “Who, except the Lord, will
raise me up and will stand together with me against the
countless cunningly plotted thoughts?” 55 And the one who
trusts in himself and not in God, he will fall a pitiful falling.
27. The way and the order of the heart`s quietude is this
one: If you want to fight, let the small bug of the spider be
always example to you. And it not, you still haven`t achieved
quietude with the mind. That one hunts small flies. And you, if
you do so and you want to gain the quietude of your soul with
tiredness, do not cease always killing “the Babylonian children”.
This is because for this killing you will be blessed by the Holy
Ghost, through David.
28. A sit is impossible to be the Red Sea seen on the sky
amidst the stars and as the man can`t walk on earth without
breathing this air, so it is impossible to clean our heart of
passionate thoughts and to banish the spiritual enemies from
within it, without the often calling of Jesus Christ.
29. If you always live in your heart with humble thought,
with the remembrance of the death, with the self-blaming, with
54
Psalms: 28: 7: KJB: “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I
am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.”; 28: 9-
10: ROB: “The Lord is my help and my defender, in Him hoped my heart and He helped
me. // And my body flourished and out of my willingness I will praise Him.”
55
Psalms: 94: 16: KJB: “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up
for me against the workers of iniquity?”; ROB: 93: 16: “Who will rise himself up together
with me against the ones who commit cunningness and who will stand together with me
against the ones who work the lawlessness?”
47
resistance and with the calling of Jesus Christ and you

carefully walk during each day with these weapons, on the
narrow path, but bringer of joy and delight to the mind, you will
reach at the holy visions (contemplations) of the Saints and
deep mysteries will be enlightened to you by Christ, “in Whom
there are hidden the treasures of the wisdom and of the
knowledge”56 and “in Who lives bodily the whole plenitude of the
Godhead”57. This is because you will feel next to Jesus that the
Holy Ghost jumps with joy inside your soul. This is because
from Him is enlightened the man`s mind to look with the
unveiled face. “Because nobody calls Lord on Jesus except into
the Holy Ghost”58, Who mysteriously testifies for the searched
One.
30. But the ones who love learning must also know that
the envious devils often hide and withdraw the war from us,
envying us for the profit, the knowledge and the ascension
towards God which we would have out of this war, and for, by
not taking us care of ourselves, to be they kidnapping our mind
unexpectedly and to make us again careless with the thought.
This is because the ceaseless purpose and their fight it is to not
let us be attentive to our heart, knowing the richness gathered
into soul by the daily attention. But let us raise ourselves then
with the remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ towards
spiritual visions (contemplations) and the war comes again
within mind; but let us do all of these only with the advice, to
say so, of the Lord Himself, and with humbleness.
31. This is because by living into monastic community,
we must cut off the whole our will out of our own decision and
gladly, God Himself being with our selectman. And let`s make
ourselves also like some things for sell, without will. And as
method in these ones it is due to not put ourselves in movement
our wrath without judgment and against nature, and then to be
us without daring in the unseen war. This is because our will,
56
Colossians: 2: 3: KJB: “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”;
ROB: “Into Whom are hidden all the treasuries of the wisdom and of the knowledge”.
57
Ibid: 9: KJB: “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.”; ROB: “For into
Him dwells, bodily, the whole fulness of the Godhead.”
58
I Corinthians: 12: 3: KJB: “Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by
the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by
the Holy Ghost.”; ROB: “That`s why a make known to you that, like nobody, speaking in the
Ghost of God, he doesn`t say: “Anathema be Jesus! – likewise nobody can say: Lord is Jesus,
- but into the Holy Ghost.”
48
by not being cut off by us willingly, it uses to become angry on

the ones who cut it off without our will. And out of this, by
being the wrath aroused with evil barking, it destroys the
knowledge of the fight which we have achieved with much toil.
When moved towards devilish thoughts it breaks and it will kill
those ones; when troubled against people, it breaks the good
thoughts from inside us. Therefore the wrath, as I am seeing, it
is breaking any kind of thoughts, either evil, or on the right
side, when falls on them. This is because it has been given to us
from God as weapon and as bow, when not used in both
directions. And if it works in a different manner, it is breaker;
for I knew a dog, otherwise daring against wolves, which also
was tearing apart the sheep.
32. Thus, we must run away from haughtiness as from
the scorpion`s venom and to avoid the many encounters as
some snakes and viper`s babies. This is because these ones can
quickly take us to the total forgetfulness of the inward war and
to bring the soul down from the high joyfulness, which the
heart has it out of cleanness. This is because the cursed
forgetfulness opposes to the attention as the water to the fire
and makes war to it all the time. This is because from
forgetfulness we end in carelessness, and from carelessness will
end in despise, in laziness and in indecent lusts. And so we
turn ourselves back as the dog at its vomit. Let`s therefore run
away from haughtiness, as from a deadly venom. And the
evilness of the forgetfulness and the ones which emerge out of it
are healed by the guarding of the mind and by ceaselessly
calling our Lord Jesus Christ – because without Him we can do
nothing.
33. It can`t happen and it is impossible to make
friendship with the snake and to carry it in your bosom, nor to
caress, to serve and to love the body in every aspect – besides
the necessary and the needed ones – and to take care
concomitantly of the heavenly virtue. This is because the snake
bites on the one who takes care of it, and the body defiles, the
one who serves it, in pleasures. When the body mistakes, let it
be hit mercilessly, as on a fugitive slave, full of stum, to know
the master of the whip. Let it not spend time in the pub; the
corruptible dust, the servant and the darkened one, let it not
forget about the incorruptible landlady 59. Until death, do not
59
The housemaid is the body (σάρξ), the landlady is the soul (ψυχή).
49
trust your body. “The body`s will is enemy to God” 60, because it
won`t obey the law of God; and “the body lusts against the
ghost”61. “And the ones who are into body, they can`t be
pleasant to God”62. But we aren`t though into body, but into
ghost.
34. The work of the restraint is to always move the anger
towards the inward war and towards self-despising; of the
wisdom, to move the rationality towards full and ceaseless
watchfulness and towards the spiritual contemplation; of the
righteousness, to direct the lusting part of the soul towards
virtue and God; and of the manhood, to guide the five senses
and to defend them to not be defiled through them our human
being from inside, which is the heart, and the ones from
outside, which is the body.
35. “Over Israel His glory”63; namely over the seeing mind
it descends the beauty of the glory of God, as much as it is
possible. “And His power into clouds”, namely in the luminous
souls, which look in the mornings at the One Who sits on the
right hand of the Father and sends them light, like the sun
sends its rays in the clean clouds, showing its beauty.
36. By committing somebody sin, says the godlike
Scripture, he will lose great kindness, namely by committing
the mind sin, it loses the foods and the beverages of ambrosia,
shown in the previous chapter.
37. We aren`t stronger than Samson, neither wiser than
Solomon, nor knower like David, neither more loving God than
Peter the Apostles. Let`s then do not trust in ourselves. Because
the Scripture says: “The ones who trusts in himself, he will fall
miserable falling”.
60
Romans: 8: 7: KJB: “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed can be.”; ROB: “Because the desire of the flesh is enmity
against God, for it doesn`t obey to the law of God, because neither it can.”
61
Galatians: 5: 17: KJB: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would.”; ROB: “Because the body lusts against the ghost; for these ones resist to each other,
to not be you doing what you would want to do.”
62
Romans: 8: 8: KJB: “So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.”; ROB: “And the
ones who are in flesh cannot be pleasant to God.”
63
Psalms: 68: 35: KJB: “Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his
strength is in the clouds.”; 67: 35: ROB: “Give glory to God! Over Israel His greatness, and
His power into clouds.”
50
38. Let`s learn from Christ the humble cogitation; from

David, humiliation; and from Peter, how to weep for the falling
which happen to us. But let`s not despair like Samson, like
Judah and like the most-wise Solomon.
39. “Because the devil walks around roaring as a lion,
searching for whom to swallow” 64, together with its powers.
Consequently, let never cease the attention of the heart, the
watchfulness and the prayer towards Christ Jesus, our God.
Because greater help, besides Jesus, you won`t find the whole
your life. This is because only the Lord knows, as God, the
cunningness, the trickeries and the deceitfulness of the devils.
40. Therefore let the soul trust in Christ and to call Him
and to not be afraid at all. Because it doesn`t fight alone, but
together with the fearsome Emperor Jesus Christ, the maker or
everything that exist, bodily and bodiless, seen and unseen.
41. Like the rain that the more it falls on the ground the
more softens the ground, likewise the saint name of Jesus,
shouted out by us without thoughts, the more we call it often, it
softens the ground of our heart and it fill it up with joy and
gladness.
42. The inexperienced ones they better know also this,
that we the unwieldy ones and inclining with the body and with
the thought towards earth, we cannot in any other way, but
through the ceaseless watchfulness of the mind and by calling
the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Maker, to overcome the
bodiless and the unseen enemies, which want to harm us and
which are skillful in doing it, which are nimble and rapid and
experienced in the war which they wage is since Adam to these
days. That`s why, to the inexperienced ones, let the prayer of
Jesus to be their means of probing and of knowing the good.
And to the experienced ones, let it be the doing, the proving and
the quietude the best means and teacher of the good.
43. Like the little and innocent child, seeing some
hallucinations doer, he rejoices and follow that man with
innocence, likewise our soul, being simple and good – because
so it was created by the good Master – it is delighted by the
baits of the devil`s hallucinations; and being deceived, it runs
64
I Peter: 5: 8: KJB: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”; ROB: “Be you therefore awaken; take
vigil. Your enemy, the devil, walks around, roaring like a lion, searching for whom to
swallow,”
51
towards the evil one as towards someone good, like the dove
runs towards the one who lays snares to its baby birds. And so
he mixes his own thoughts with the hallucination of the devilish
bait. If he encounters the face of a beautiful woman, or
something else totally forbidden by the commandments of Jesus
Christ, he wants to plan something with those things, to
transform in deed what it has been shown to him like being
beautiful. And then, falling into consent, he transforms,
through the mediation of his body, in fact the lawlessness from
the cogitation, towards his own damnation65.
44. This is the craftsmanship of the cunning one; and
with these poisoned arrows it poisons the whole soul. That`s
why it is not without danger to let the thought enter in our
heart, before our mind to be experienced in war, and especially
at the beginning. Because in an instant our soul is charmed by
the devilish baits, it becomes sweetened by them and it follows
to them. But we must only understand them and to cut them
off immediately as they emerge and attack us (allure us). But,
after the mind has been exercised through long battling in this
wonderful thing and it has achieved the ceaseless habit of the
war, than it truly understands the thoughts, and like the
Prophet says: “It can easily master the small foxes”, than it
ought to let the thoughts to come inside, and then to wage war
to them into Christ, to prove them with science and to
overthrow them.
45. As it is impossible that through a trench to pass
concomitantly fire and water, likewise it is impossible the sin to
enter into the heart, if it doesn`t knock before at the door of the
heart through the hallucination of the cunning bait.
46. First is the bait (the attack); the second one is the
accompanying or the mixing of our thoughts with the ones of
the cunning devils66; the third one is the consenting (the
65
It is the order in which the bait becomes sin with the deed.
66
The literal translation would be: “the accompanying or our thoughts and the ones of the
devils become mixed”. It is repeated the ideas from the head 43: “And so the mind it mixes its
own thoughts with the hallucination of the devilish bait”. This takes place through our
“sweetening” by the bait (head 44). This sweetening is a glue which makes to accompany, to
stick with, to unite (copulation it is the term used by the Latin translation) our thoughts with
the simple (not sweetened yet by our adhesion) through thrown by satan. The definition of the
bait and the idea of its transformation into sin it is done through the adhesion of our thoughts
to it, it is taken from Mark the Ascetic (About the Spiritual Law, 140, in The Romanian
Philokalia, volume I, p. 243; About Baptism, in The Romanian Philokalia, volume I, 285, and
so on). But the scheme of the four moments we find it for the first time at Hesychios (bait,
52
acceptance) of the mind to be between the two sorts of thoughts

which advice to each other in a sinful manner 67; the fourth one
is the exterior deed, or the sin. If, consequently, the mind will
be attentive through watchfulness, through resistance and
through calling the Lord Jesus, it will set in running the
hallucination of the bait since its emergence, and the ones
which follow out of it remain unfulfilled. This is because the
cunning one, being bodiless mind, it cannot deceive the souls
but through hallucination and thoughts. About bait David says:
“In the mornings I killed all the sinful ones of the earth”; and
about consenting, the great Moses says: “And you will not
consent to them”.
47. The mind with the mind fight in an unseen way; the
devilish mind with our mind. That`s why is necessary to us to
shout out towards Christ to remove the devilish mind, and to
give the victory to us, as One Who loves the people.
48. Image of the quietude to be, to you, the one who has a
mirror and watch at it; and then you will see the things
spiritually written into your heart, bad and good.
49. Take heed to never have in your heart any thought,
either rational or irrational, for in this way to easily know the
ones of other kind, namely the firstborn of the Egyptians.
50. How good, pleasant, luminous and sweet, how
beautiful and shiny virtue is the watchfulness, guided by You,
Christ, on good road and walking with much humbleness of the
human mind which takes vigil. Because it stretched to the sea
and to the deep of the sights its branches and to the rivers of
the delighting and godlike mysteries, its buds; and it waters the
mind, burnt for so long, due to the lack of faith, by the saltiness
of the evil ghosts and of the hostile thought of the body, which
is death.
51. The watchfulness resembles to the James` ladder,
above which stays God, ladder which is walked by the holy
Angels. This is because it erases from within us the whole evil.
It cuts off the rebuking, the gossiping and the whole list of the
seen evilness, not allowing to be deprived, due to the evilness,
not even for a short while, of the own sweetness.
accompanying, consent, deed).

67
During the phase of the accompanying (συνδυασμος) only our thoughts answer to the bait;
in the phase of the consenting we give our approval and on ourselves, as subject of the
thoughts (the mind), to take part at the sinful advice of the two sorts of thoughts.
53
52. Let`s cultivate, my brothers, this one zealously. And

flying into its views with clean thought, together with Jesus,
let`s start looking at our sins and at our life from before.
Because by being broken and humiliated by the memory of our
sins, to see undetached from us the help of Jesus Christ, our
Lord, in the unseen war. Because if we will lack the help of
Jesus, through pride, or vain glory, or love for the self, we will
lose cleanness of the heart, through which God makes on
Himself known to the man; this is because cause of the second
good, as it was promised to us, it is the first one.
53. The attentive to its hidden work mind, it will achieve
together with the other goods, which spring out of the ceaseless
work of guarding the self, also the deliverance of the evil five
senses from outside. This is because by being ceaselessly
attentive through its virtue and through its watchfulness, and
wanting to delight itself with the good thoughts, it doesn`t allow
to be stolen through the five senses, when the material and vain
thoughts come close to it. But by knowing their deceit, it
withdraws them, most often, inside itself.
54. Insist inside the mind, and you won`t be tired in
temptations; and if you leave from there, endure the ones which
comes upon you.
55. Like to the ones who ate recklessly the bitter absinth
is useful, likewise to the ones with sinful behaviors it is useful
to suffer evilness.
56. Therefore if you don`t want to suffer evilness, let
yourself not wanting to do evilness. This is because the first
mentioned thing it necessarily follows to the second mentioned
one. This is because what everyone sows that thing also he will
reap. Therefore by willingly sowing the evil ones, and by reaping
them unwillingly, we are forced to wonder ourselves about the
justice of God.
57. The mind becomes blind through these three
passions: through the love for money, through the vain glory
and through pleasure.
58. The knowledge and the faith, the comrades of our
nature, they aren`t weakened by anything but due to the
passions mentioned above.
59. The wrath, the anger, the wars, the killings and the
whole list of the other evil deeds, they have been so much
strengthened amongst people also due to the passions
mentioned above.
54
60. The one who doesn`t know the truth, he cannot also
truly believe. This is because the knowledge precedes, according
to the nature, the faith. The ones said in the Scripture weren`t
said only to be understood by us, but also to be done by us.
61. Let`s therefore start working. This is because by
advancing so, step by step, we will find out that not only the
hope in God, but also the string faith, the most inner
knowledge, the deliverance of temptations, the gifts of the
charisms, the confession from the heart and the insisting tears,
they come to the believers only through prayer; and not only
these ones but also the enduring of the troubles which come
upon us, the sincere forgiveness of the neighbor, the knowledge
of the spiritual law, the finding of the righteousness of God, the
visiting from the Holy Ghost, the giving of the spiritual
treasures and everything that God promised to give to the
faithful people, both here and in the future age. Shortly
speaking, it is impossible to the soul to show itself as being in
the image of God otherwise than through the gift (charisma) of
God and through the faith of the man, insisting in the mind
with much humbleness and with the prayer which is not
scattered.
62. I said out of experience that it is truly a great good
thing that the ones who wants to clean up his heart, to
ceaselessly call the Lord Jesus against the spiritual enemies.
But look at how the word said by me out of experience it is
covered with the Holy Scripture`s witnesses: “Prepare yourself,
it says, Israel, to call the name of your Lord God”. And the
Apostle says: “Be you ceaselessly praying” 68. Our Lord also says:
“Without Me you can do nothing; the one who remains into me
and Me into Him, that one will bring forth much fruits” 69. And
again: “If won`t remain in Me, he will be brought out like the
offshoot”70. Great good is the prayer. This is because the prayer
comprises in itself all the goods, as one which cleans up the
heart, in which God makes on Himself seen to the faithful ones.
68
I Thessalonians: 5: 17: KJB: “Pray without ceasing.”; ROB: “Pray ceaselessly.”
69
John: 15: 5: KJB: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”; ROB: “I am the vine,
you are the offshoots. The one who remains into Me and I into him, that one brings much
fruit, for without Me you can do nothing”.
70
Ibid: 6: KJB: “If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and
men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.”; ROB: “If somebody
doesn`t remain in Me he is thrown outside like the offshoot and he withers; and they gather
them and throw them into fire and they burn them.”
55
63. The good of the humbleness is difficult to gain. This is

because it is bringer of ascension and it is beloved by God and
destroyer of almost all the evilness hated by God and existing
inside us. You will easily find in a man the partial works of
other many virtues. But searching in it the fragrance of the
virtues, only with difficulty you will find it. That`s why is
necessary a lot of watchfulness for achieving this good. The
Scripture says that the devil is unclean because he rejected
from the beginning this good of the humble cogitation and it
loved the pride. That`s why it is also called as unclean ghost in
all the Scriptures. This is because what bodily uncleanness can
gather the ones who is totally incorporeal, bodiless, not settled
down in a place, to be called, out of this perspective, unclean? It
is obvious that due to the pride it was called unclean, because
out of clean and luminous Angel he showed itself as being
soiled. This is because is unclean before the Lord everyone who
becomes haughty. This is because the fist sin is, he says, the
pride. That`s why also the proud Pharaoh said: “I do not know
your God and I won`t let Israel to leave”71.
64. Many are the works of the mind which can bring the
good gift of the humble cogitation to us, if we will take care of
our salvation. For instance, the memory of the sins with the
word, with the deed and with the thought and others, it helps to
increasing the humble cogitation, if they are gathered into
contemplation. Somebody gains true humbleness when he
glorifies within himself the deeds committed by the close ones
amongst he lives and he puts these deeds next to his ones. In
this way, by seeing his own fewness and how far from him is
the consummation of his brothers, the man will reckon on
himself as dirt and ash and not human, but some dog, as one
who is bellow and less in everything than all the rational
human being on earth.
65. The mouth of Christ, the pillar of the Church, our
great Father Basil says: “It is of much help not to commit sin,
and to not fall the next day in the same mistakes, that, after
ending the day, to research in our conscience our owns: what
did we wrong and what did we according to the justice? This
one was being done also by Job for himself and for his children.
71
Exodus: 5: 2: KJB: “And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let
Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go.”; ROB: “But Pharaoh said: “Who is
that the Lord, to obey him and to let go to the sons of Israel? I do not know the Lord and I
won`t let Israel go!”
56
This is because the reckonings from within each day lighten

what is being done or it is to be done during each hour”. And he
also says: “The measure is the best thing”.
66. And other ones from among the wise men in the
godlike things he said: “The beginning of the fruiting is the
flower and the beginning of the doing is the restraint”.
Consequently, let`s restraint ourselves; and this, with measure
and with weighting, as the Father teaches us. The whole day of
the twelve hours let`s spend it into guarding the mind. Because
by doing so, we will be able to distinguish, with the help from
God, the sin and to diminish the sin through some force. This is
because also forced it is the virtuous living through which is
given the Kingdom of Heavens.
67. The way towards knowledge is the lack of passions
and the humbleness, without which nobody will see God.
68. The one who ceaselessly occupies him himself with
things inward things, he is temperate; and not only that, but he
also contemplates and knows God and he prays. This thing is
what the Apostle says: “Walk into ghost and the lust of the body
do not commit it”72.
69. The one who doesn`t know to walk on the spiritual
way, he doesn`t take care of the passionate cogitations; but the
whole his preoccupation is moved around the body. And the
consequence is that either he lives in the covetousness of the
belly, in fornication, in sadness, in anger and in the
remembrance of the evil and through this he darkens his mind,
or he falls in a measureless ascesis and he troubles his own
understanding.
70. The one who has rejected the things, for instance the
woman, the money and the ones likewise, he has made the
outside man a monk, but he still hasn`t made yet the inward
man to be a monk. But the one who also has rejected the
passionate meanings of those things, he has made also a monk
the man from inside himself, which is the mind. Easily could
somebody make a monk the outward man, he only has to want
it; but not a little struggle it is required for making the inward
man a monk.
71. Who then has totally delivered himself among this
generation and has made himself forever worthy of the clean
72
Galatians: 5: 16: KJB: “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of
the flesh.”; ROB: “I say then: Walk you into the Ghost and do not fulfill the lust of the body.”
57
and immaterial prayer, the one who is the sign of the inward
monk?
72. Many passions are hidden within our soul. They are
shown only when the causes occur.
73. Do not pay all your attention to the body, but decide
to the body an ascesis according to your power. And turn the
whole your mind towards the inward ones. This is because, “the
bodily ascesis is useful to a little, and the awe towards all the
useful ones”.
74. When the passions appeased, there comes the pride.
Ant this thing it happens to you either because the causes
haven`t been cut off, or because the devils cunningly withdrawn
themselves.
75. The humbleness and the bas sufferance liberate the
man from all sin. The first one it cuts off the soul`s passions,
the second one the ones of the body. That`s why the Lord says:
“Blessed are them who are clean in the heart, for they will see
God”, namely Him and the treasuries hidden into Him, when
they will clean themselves through love and restraint. And this
is the more, the more will they stretch the cleaning.
76. The guarding of the mind is a tower out of which can
be seen the rationalities of each virtue, like the David`s tower of
yore symbolized the circumcision of the heart.
77. As seeing with the damaging senses we hurt
ourselves, so it happens also to the mind.
78. As the one who has wounded the heart of the plant,
he has withered it entirely, so be you understanding also about
the man`s heart. You must be careful even in that particular
moment, because the thieves do not stay without working.
79. The Lord, wanting to show that every commandment
must be fulfilled, and on the other hand that the adoption has
been gifted to the people in His blood, He says: “When you will
do the things commanded to you, say that unprofitable servants
we are, and that`s why we have owed to do, what we have
done”73. That`s why the Kingdom of Heavens isn`t the payment
of the deeds, but the grace of the Master, prepared to the
faithful servants. And the servant doesn`t ask for liberation as
73
Luke: 17: 10: KJB: “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are
commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to
do.”; ROB: “So also you, when you will do all the things commanded to you, let yourself
saying: unprofitable servants we are, for we have done what we have been indebted to do.”
58
payment, but gives thanks, as an indebted one, and he receives

the liberation according to the grace.
80. Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures,
and to the ones who serve Him well He gives them the
liberation. For He says: “Well done, good and faithful servant,
over a few you have been faithful, over many I will put you;
enter into the joy of your Lord” 74. But he is not yet a faithful
servant the one who bases himself only on knowledge, but the
one who believes through obedience to Christ who has
commanded. This is because the one who honors the Master, he
does the things commanded by Him. And by mistaking or by
disobeying, he suffers the things which come upon him as the
due ones. Therefore, loving the learning, make yourself lover of
toil. This is because the simple knowledge makes the man
haughty.
81. The trials which come unexpectedly upon us, they
teach us with a good purpose to make ourselves lovers of toil.
82. It is characteristic to the star the light from around it;
likewise are characteristic to him who honors and fears God,
the simplicity and the humbleness. This is because there is no
other sign, which to make known and to show the Disciples of
Christ, like the humble thought and the humiliated
countenance. This thing is being shouted out by all the four
Gospels. And the one who doesn`t live like so, namely into
humbleness, he falls off the partaking of the One Who has
humbled on Himself to the cross and death, Who is the
lawmaker with the deed of the godlike Gospels.
83. “The thirsty ones, he says, go to the water” 75, and the
ones thirsty of God, walk in the cleanness of the heart. But the
one who flies towards height through its cleanness, he must
also look at the earth of his fewness, because nobody is taller
than the humble one. This is because like when the light
misses, likewise by being missing the humble cogitation, all our
things are vain and all our striving after God, they are rotten.
74
Matthew: 25: 23: KJB: “His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful servant; thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into
the joy of thy lord.”; ROB: “The master said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant,
over a few things you have been faithful, I will put you over many things; enter into the joy of
your lord.”
75
Isaiah: 55: 1: KJB: “HO, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no
money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price.”; ROB: “The ones who are thirsty, go to the water, and the ones who have no silver, go
to buy and eat, go and buy without silver and without price wine and fat.”
59
84. And at the end of the entire speech, listen to him:

“fear God and keep His commandments” 76 both with the mind
and with the feeling. This is because if you strive yourself to
guard them with the mind, a little need you will have of bodily
toils for guarding them. Because David says: “I wanted to do
Your will and Your law in the middle of my belly” 77. If the man
won`t do in the middle of his belly, namely in the middle of the
heart, the will of God and His law, he cannot either do it easily
outwardly. And the one without watchfulness and careless, he
will say towards God: I don`t want to know Your ways. Of
course he will say it due to the lack of the godlike
enlightenment, of which is full the one who is partaker to it,
becoming increasingly steadfastly in the godlike ones.
85. Like the seen salt sweetens the bread and any food,
and it preserves unspoiled for a long time some meats, so must
you understand that the guarding of the mind does it through
its wonderful work. This is because it sweetens in a godlike
manner both the inward man and the outward one and
banishes away the power of the evil thoughts and ceaselessly
guards us into the good ones.
86. Out of bait come out many thoughts; and out of these
ones comes the evil deed. But the one who, with the help of
Jesus, immediately quenches the first one, he has escaped the
following ones and he will sweeten himself in the sweet godlike
knowledge, through which he will find God, Who is everywhere.
And by leaning the mirror of his mind on Him, he is ceaselessly
enlightened, as a clean window (stained glass) in the seen sun.
And then the mind, reached at the last desired thing, it will rest
in Him of any other seeing (contemplation).
87. Because every thought enters into heart through the
imagining (hallucination) of some sensitive things, the happy
light of the godhead will lighten the mind when this one will rest
itself of everything and it will leave any shape which comes out
76
Ecclesiastes: 12: 134: KJB: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and
keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”; ROB: “Behold shortly;
everything that you have heard this is: Fear God and guard His commandments! This is the
thing due by every man.”
77
Psalms: 40: 8: KJB: “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”;
39: 11: ROB: “In the beginning of the book it is written about me. To do Your will, my God, I
have wanted You law inside my heart.”
60
of these ones. This is because that brightness it shows itself to

the clean mind when all the thoughts (images) disappear.
88. The more you pay attention to the cogitation, the
more you will pray to Jesus with more longing. And again, the
more you research your cogitation with less care, the more you
will get far from Jesus. As the first thing consummately lightens
the sky of the mind, likewise the falling from watchfulness and
from the sweet calling of Jesus, it totally darkens the inattentive
one. The fact that the mentioned thing is natural to be like so -
as I have said - and not otherwise, you will find it out through
experience, out of the approval with the work. This is because
the virtue and especially a work like this, birth giver of light and
of delight, it cannot be learnt but through experience.
89. The reason for which Jesus is ceaselessly called, with
full of sweetness and full of joy love, it is the fact that the sky of
the heart is full of joy and quietude, due to the consummated
attention. And the reason for which the heart is consummately
cleaned is Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God, the cause and
the maker of the goods. “I am, He says, God Who makes
peace”78.
90. The soul, which has been filled up of benefactions
and has been sweetened by Jesus, it rewards the Benefactor
with joy and love, through confession, giving thanks and
voluptuously calling the One Who fills it up with peace; because
it sees Him in its spiritual middle, scattering the hallucinations
of the evil ghosts.
91. “And He looked, says David, with the eye of my mind
into my enemies”79 – spiritual enemies; “and into the cunning
ones who rebel against me my ear will hear”. And I have seen
the reward of the sinners, done by God in me.
92. And when there aren`t hallucination into heart, the
mind tarries in the state according to the nature, being ready to
move towards every delightful, spiritual and loving of God view
(contemplation).
78
Isaiah: 45: 7: KJB: “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I
the Lord do all these things.”; ROB: “I form the light and I give face to the darkness, the One
Who dwell the peace and gives way to affliction: I am the Lord Who does all these things.”
79
Psalms: 92: 11: KJB: “Mine eye also shall see my desire on mine enemies, and mine ears
shall hear my desire of the wicked that rise up against me.”; ROB: 91: 11: “And my eye
looked at my enemies and the cunning ones, who rebel against me, my ear will hear them.”
61
93. Therefore, like I have said before, the watchfulness

and the prayer of Jesus sustain on each other. This is because
the supreme attention comes out of the ceaseless prayer; and
the prayer, out of the supreme watchfulness and attention.
94. Good pedagogue to the soul and to the body is the
ceaseless remembrance of the death, through which, passing
over all the ones until then, let`s always look since now at it, at
the bed on which we will be laid near death, and at the other
ones.
95. He ought not to embrace the sleep the one who wants
to always remain unharmed. But he must choose one of two:
either to fall and to perish after he has been undressed of
virtues, or to stay always with the mind armed. This is because
the enemy always stays with his army in battle formation.
96. Out of the ceaseless remembrance and calling of our
Lord Jesus Christ it is born a certain godlike state in our mind.
This one, if we don`t neglect the ceaseless prayer of the mind
towards Him, the tight watchfulness and the work of
supervising, but, always and in the same manner committing
this thing, we call the Lord Jesus Christ, shouting out with the
heart`s ardor, then the holy name of Jesus to come and stay in
the middle. This is because the continuation is the mother of
the habituation, either being about virtue, or about sin. And
this one dominates later, like the nature. By reaching the mind
at this state, it searches for enemies, as a dog which hunts 80 a
rabbit through the bushes; but that one to eat the rabbit, and
this one to scatter the evil thoughts.
97. Therefore, whenever and each time it happens to
multiply inside us the evil thoughts, let`s throw in their middle
the calling of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we will immediately
see them being scattered like the smoke in the sky, as the
experience teaches us; and the mind by remaining alone, let it
start again the work of the ceaseless attention and calling. And
every time when we suffer this due to scattering, let`s do like
that.
98. This is because as it is not possible to enter in the
battle with the naked body, or to swim into the sea with the
vestments, or to live without breathing, likewise is impossible to
learn the mental and hidden war, to wage it on with skillfulness
80
Θηρευτιχός, in G.P. is λαkωνιχός. Hausherr, by not having but only the text from G.P., he
translates it “laconic dog”, cited work, p. 139.
62
and to scatter it, without humbleness and ceaseless prayer

towards Christ.
99. The all-great David in doing says towards the Lord: “I
will preserve my power through You”81. Therefore, the power of
guarding inside us the mental quietude of the heart 82, out of
which are born all the virtues, it comes to us out of the help of
God, Who also gave the commandments and Who, ceaselessly
shouted out by us, He banishes away from us the sinful
forgetfulness, which breaks the quietude of the heart, like the
water on fire. That`s why, you monk, do not sleep towards
death out of carelessness, but whip the enemies with the name
of Jesus; and like a certain wise man 83 said, let the name of
Jesus stick to your breath84 and then you will know the profit of
getting quiet.
100. When we are found worthy, we the unworthy ones,
with fear and with tremble, of the godlike and most-clean
mysteries of Christ, our God and Emperor, let`s show then even
more the watchfulness, the guarding of the mind and the zeal,
for the godlike fire, or the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, to
burn our sins and the small and big uncleanness. This is
because Him, by entering inside us, He immediately banishes
away from our heart the cunning ghosts of the evilness and He
forgives our sins committed before and then the mind remains
without the troubling from the evil deeds. And if, after that, we
will zealously guard our mind and we will stay in the gate of our
heart, when we will be again found worthy of them, the godlike
body will lighten even more our mind and it will make it like a
star.
THE SECOND HUNDRED
1. The forgetfulness uses to quench the guarding of the

mind, as the water quenches the fire. But the ceaseless prayer
81
Psalms: 59: 10: KJB: “Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my
defence.”; 58: 10: ROB: “My power in You I will guard it, because You, God, my upholder
Are.”
82
Like that is in the G.P. In the Greek Philokalia instead is “the quietude from the mind and
from the heart”.
83
84
63
of Jesus, together with the strained watchfulness, it totally

destroys the forgetfulness from within heart. This is because
the prayer needs watchfulness, like the lamp needs the light of
the torch.
2. We must toil for guarding the honored ones. And truly
honored are those things which guard against any sin through
senses and mind. These are: the guarding of the mind, together
with the ceaseless calling of Christ; the ceaseless looking in the
deep of the heart; the ceaseless quietude of the cogitation, to
say so, even from the part of the thoughts which seem to us to
be of the right hand; and the striving of being emptied of
thought, to not be deceived by thieves. This is because even we
toil to tarry into the heart, but also the comforting is near.
3. This is because the ceaselessly guarded heart, even if it
is not allowed to receive the shapes, the images and the
hallucinations of the darkened and cunning ghosts, it uses to
give birth out of itself to luminous thoughts. As the charcoal
gives birth to the flame, likewise much more God, Who dwells
into the heart from Baptism, if he finds the sky of our cogitation
clean of the winds of the evilness and guarded by the
supervision of the mind, it kindles our power of understanding
towards contemplation, like the flame kindles the bee wax.
4. We must always stir up in the content of our mind the
name of Jesus Christ, as the lightening is swirled around in the
sky of the firmament, when the rain is about to begin. This
thing is precisely known by the ones who have the experience of
the mind and of the inward war. Let`s therefore to wage the
mind`s war according to an order, thus: first of all attention;
then, knowing that the enemy has thrown a thought, let`s strike
him in the heart with words of anger and curse; in the third
place, let`s immediately pray against him, by gathering our
heart in the calling of Jesus Christ, for immediately to be
scattered the devilish hallucination, for the mind to not be
influenced by that hallucination, as a little child allured by
some hallucinations maker (prestidigitator).
5. Let`s toil as David, by shouting out: Lord Jesus Christ.
“Let our throat to become raucous and let not the eyes of our
mind to weaken from trusting into our Lord God” 85. Let always
85
Psalms: 69: 3: KJB: “I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I
wait for my God.”; 68: 4: ROB: “I have tired of shouting, my throat has become numbed, my
eyes have weakened by hoping towards my God”.
64
remember about the parable of the judge of the injustice 86,

which the Lord said for showing that we are indebted to always
pray and to not weaken; and we will find out gain and
deliverance.
6. Like the one who looks at the sun it is impossible to
him not to fill his sight up with plentiful light, likewise the one
who bows to look at the heart`s sky, it is impossible to him not
to lighten.
7. Like it is impossible to live this life without eating and
drinking, likewise is impossible, that without the guarding of
the mind and the cleanness of the heart, which is and it is
called watchfulness, that the soul to reach at a spiritual and
pleasant to God state, or to be delivered from the sin with the
mind, even if somebody strives himself hard, due to the fear of
the labors, to not commit sin.
8. But also the ones who abstain themselves from the sin
with the deed, they will be blessed before God, before Angels
and before men, because they have taken the Kingdom of
Heavens forcedly.
9. This is the wonderful profit which the mind has it from
the quietude: All the sins firstly knock only through thoughts at
the mind`s door, than if they would be accepted by cogitation,
they would then become sensitive and thick sins. But all of
them are cut off by the cogitating virtue of the watchfulness, by
not allowing them to enter in our inward man and to become
evil deeds. And this is done through the influence and with the
help of our Lord Jesus Christ.
10. The Old Testament is the image of the bodily, exterior
and sensitive ascesis, and the Holy Gospel, which is the New
Testament, it is the image of the attention, namely of the
cleanness of the heart. As like the Old Testament didn`t
consummate and didn`t strengthen the inward man in honoring
God (“for nobody, says the Apostles, was consummated by the
law”87), but only impeded the thick sins (this is because only for
the cleanness of the soul it is a greater thing to cut off also the
86
Luke: 18: 8: KJB: “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son
of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”; ROB: “I am saying to you that He will do
justice to them soon. But the Son of Man, when He will come, will he find faith on earth?”
87
Hebrews: 7: 19: KJB: “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better
hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.”; ROB: “Because the law didn`t consummate
anything, and instead of it, it makes way to itself a better hope, through which we come closer
to God.”
65
thoughts and the bad memories from the heart, - what is

characteristic to the Gospel – than to impede the plucking off of
the eye and of the tooth of the neighbor), likewise one can say
also about the bodily righteousness and ascesis, namely about
fasting, restraint, sleeping on the floor, standing up, taking vigil
and the other ones, which are usual related to the body and
which appease the affectionate (passionate) part of the body
from the sin with the deed. As we said about the Old Testament,
good are also these ones, for they are a bridling of our outward
man and a guardian against the passions with the deed, and
even more than that, they guard us, or they impede us also
from the sins with the mind; for instance, they deliver us, with
the help of God, from envy, from anger and from the others.
11. The cleaning of the mind, though, or the observing
and the guarding of the mind, of which image is the New
Testament, if it is held by us as it is ought, it cuts off all the
passions and all the evils, by uprooting them from the heart,
and it brings instead joyfulness, good hope, pricking of the
heart, crying, tears, knowledge about ourselves and about our
sins, endless love towards God and people and a godlike love
into heart.
12. As it is impossible to the one who walk on earth not to
cut the air, likewise it is impossible to not be always warred the
heart of the man by devils, or to not be troubled by them
secretly, even if he does much bodily ascesis.
13. If you want not to be only at countenance a good
monk, tolerant and always united with God, but to truly be in
fact like that, take care with all your power of the attention`s
virtue, which is also the guarding and the observing of the
mind, a consummated sweetness of the heart, a quietude
without hallucinations, a happy state of the soul, which is a
thing that isn`t inside many people.
14. This is because this it is called the philosophy of the
mind. Seek it in much watchfulness and in fiery zeal, together
with the prayer of Jesus, with humbleness, ceaselessly, in the
quietude of the sensitive and intelligible lips, with the restraint
from foods and drinks and from every the guilty thing; search
for it on the way of the cogitation, with science, with reckoning,
and it will teach you, together with God, the things that you
didn`t know, and the ones from before was impossible to you to
receive them into mind, - like one who was walking in the
darkness of the passions and of the darkened deeds and was
66
covered by forgetfulness and by the disorder of the deep, - it will

make them known to you, it will enlighten them to you and it
will make them understood to you.
15. As the valleys multiply the wheat, thus it multiplies
this every good in your heart. Better said, Lord Jesus Christ,
without Whom we can`t do anything, He will give these things to
you. At the beginning this will be to you a ladder, and then a
book for reading. And by advancing after, the city of the
heavenly Jerusalem will be unveiled to you and you will see
Christ with your mind, limpidly, the Emperor of the Israel`s
powers (together with His Father, the One of the one being, and
with the Holy Ghost, the One worthy of being worshipped) 88.
16. The devils always lead us towards committing sin
through hallucination and lie. Actually, through the
hallucination of the love for money and of the profit made the
wicked Judah to betray the Lord and God of everybody. And
through the lie of a worthless bodily resting, of the honor, of the
profit and of the glory, they took him at galleys and caused him
the eternal death. The wicked ones rewarded him with what is
contrary to their hallucination of bait.
17. Look at how through hallucination, lie and vain
promises, the enemies of our salvation determine us to fall
down. But satan itself rolled down as a lightening from the
skies, because he hallucinated that it is like God. And again
likewise it separated Adam from God, by giving him the
hallucination of the godlike dignity. And likewise, the liar and
cunning enemy uses to deceive all the ones who commit sin.
18. Our heart becomes sour from the venom of the
evilness` thoughts, when the forgetfulness detaches us for a
long time from the attention and from the prayer of Jesus, due
to our carelessness. But we are sweetened again by the feeling o
a happy joyfulness, when we do the things said before, with
strength, with zeal and with diligence in the workshop of our
mind. This is because then we crave to walk in the quietude of
the heart, not for something else, but for the sweet pleasure and
delight which it gives it to the soul.
19. The science of the sciences and the craftsmanship of
the craftsmanship, it is the craftsmanship against the cunning
thoughts. It consists in looking into the Lord at the
hallucination of the bait and of guarding the cogitation, like we
88
The text from parentheses is present only in the Greek Philokalia, which this time is more
developed.
67
guard the sensitive eye and we are sharply looking with it at

what it is coming, maybe, to hit it, and we remove, as much as
we can, any garbage out of it.
20. As the snow won`t give birth to flame, or the water to
fire, or the thistle to figs, so the heart of any man won`t be
liberated of devilish thoughts, words and deeds, if he didn`t
clean his inward, didn`t unite the watchfulness to the prayer of
Jesus, didn`t reach at spiritual humbleness and quietude and
didn`t strives on this road with much zeal. The soul without
attention will necessarily be barren of any good and
consummated thought, as a fruitless mule. And in it there is
not the understanding of the spiritual prudence. This is
because only the good and sweet name of Jesus it really brings
peace to the soul and emptying of passionate thoughts.
21. When the soul is accomplice to the body in the
evilness, then they both build a city of the vain glory, a tower of
the pride and the faithless thoughts which inhabit these
buildings. But the Lord discomforts their union and undone it
with the fear of the Gehenna, forcing the master soul to speak
and to cogitate strange and opposite things to the body. Out of
this fear is born also embroilment, because the thought of the
body is enemy to God and it doesn`t want to obey to the law of
God.
22. We must weigh the daily deeds and observe in each
hour and in the evening to make them as light as possible
through repentance, if we want to overcome with Christ upon
evilness. And we must take heed at the fact if we do all our
sensitive and seen deeds after God, before God and only for
God, to not be irrationally stolen by senses.
23. If we gain daily, with God, from our watchfulness, we
mustn`t walk carelessly amongst people, to not damage
ourselves through many dangerous encounters, but rather we
must despise the vain ones, for the beauty and the sweet and
worthy to be loved gain of the virtue.
24. We are indebted to move the three parts of the soul in
a due way and according to the nature, as they were created by
God: the anger, against our outside man and against the snake
satan. Get angry, he says, against the sin, namely get angry on
yourselves and on the devil. “Get angry, to not commit sin
against God”. We must move our lust towards God and virtue.
And the rationality to put it in front of these two with wisdom
and science, towards commanding, advising, punishing and
68
mastering, like the emperor masters upon servants; and then

the rationality out of us guides these ones after God. And if the
passions rebel against rationality and they want to lead it, let`s
put the rationality over them. This is because the brother of the
Lord says: “Is somebody doesn`t mistake in word, that one is a
consummated man, powerful to restrain also the whole body”
and the other things89. This is because, truly speaking, the
whole iniquity and the whole sin are done through these tree
ones, as also the whole virtue and righteousness are also
sustained through these three ones.
25. The mind is being darkened and it remains unfruitful
when is speaks worldly words, or when, by receiving them into
the thought, it dialogues with them, or when the body together
with the mind occupies themselves with some things submitted
to the senses, or when the monk indulges himself to vanities.
This is because then he immediately loses the warmth, the
pricking, the daring into God and the knowledge. This is
because the more we are attentive to the mind, we are
enlightened, and the more we are inattentive, we are being
darkened.
26. The one who aims and daily searches for the peace
and the quietude of the mind, that one will easily despise
everything that is submitted to the senses, to not toil vainly.
And if he disregards his conscience, he will bitterly sleep the
death of the forgetfulness, which the godlike David prays not to
sleep90. This is because also the Apostle says: “The one who
knows the good and does not do it, he has sin”91.
27. The mind comes again from carelessness to its order
and watchfulness, if it starts again to be careful and if we will
move our mind`s power of activity with hot zeal.
28. The donkey from the mill won`t advance outside the
circle in which he has been tied, neither the mind will advance
into virtue which consummates it, if won`t has corrected the
89
James: 3: 2: KJB: „For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the
same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”; ROB: “For all of us we do
wrong in many ways; if somebody doesn`t do wrong in word, that one is a consummated man,
able to restraint also the whole body”.
90
Psalm 13: 1: KJB: “HOW long wilt thou forget me, O Lord? for ever? how long wilt thou
hide thy face from me?”; 12: 1: ROB: “For how long, Lord, will You forger me, to the end?
For how long will You turn Your face away from me?”
91
James: 4: 17: KJB: “Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is
sin.”; ROB: “Therefore who knows to do what is good and doesn`t do it, he has sin”.
69
ones from inside of its. This is because by being always blind

with the inward eyes, it cannot see the virtue and Jesus shining
into light.
29. A nimble and towering horse jumps with delight when
it receives its horseman; and the mind being delighted it will be
delighted in the light of the Lord, entering in mornings delivered
from thoughts. It will start from the power of its active
philosophy, elevating on itself towards an unspoken power,
which contemplates through virtues and mysterious things.
And by receiving into heart a high abyss of godlike meanings
from the endless One, it will show Himself to the mind, as much
as it is possible to the heart, the God of the gods. And the
amazed mind glorifies God with love, the One Who is being seen
and Who sees and therefore He saves the one who aims thus
his sight towards Him.
30. The heart reached at quietude through knowledge (in
a gnostic way) it will see a high abyss; and the ear of the silence
it will hear from God unspoken happy things.
31. The traveler, who starts to walk a long distance,
difficult to walk and full of troubles, thinking to not get astray
at the return, he places some sign and some poles in his track,
to make his return easier. And the man who travels with
watchfulness, he marks the words (heard), thinking also him at
the same thing.
32. But to the traveler, the coming back from where he
leaved is cause of joy, whilst to the one who walks with
watchfulness, the turning back is to him towards losing the
rational soul and sign of falling from the deeds, the words, and
the meanings pleasant to God; and in the time of the spiritual
sleep, bringer of death, he will have the thoughts as some
needles which wake him up, remembering to him of the long
torpidity and of the disregard which has come to him out of
carelessness.
33. By falling us into troubles, in discouraging and in
despair, we must do inside us what David did: to pour our heart
before God, and our prayer and our trouble to announce them
to the Lord. This is because we confess ourselves to God Who
can govern our things with wisdom, and Who can ease our
trouble, it if is towards our profit, and He can deliver us from
the destroyer and corruptible sadness.
34. The anger started towards people against nature and
that sadness which isn`t after God and the idleness, they
70
corrupt the good and knower thoughts. These ones are

scattered by the Lord through confession, seeding joyfulness
inside.
35. And the stuck and fixed into the heart thoughts,
without our will, they are erased through the prayer of Jesus,
doe with watchfulness out of the deeps of understanding of the
heart.
36. Reaching and the tribulation of many irrational
thoughts, we will find appeasement and joy, if we truly and
without passion we blame ourselves, or if we will confess
everything to the Lord, as to a man. Through these two we
surely will find resting from everything.
37. The Holy Fathers consider the lawmaker Moses as a
symbol of the mind. This is because he sees God into pyre, his
face is filled up with glory, he is made God of Pharaoh by God of
Gods, he beats up Egypt, he brings out Israel and he gives the
law, deeds which when considerate figuratively, according to the
ghost, are deeds and right of the mind.
38. And Pharaoh, the law maker`s brother, he is reckoned
as symbol of the man from outside. That`s why also us, by
rebuking this one with anger, as Moses on Aaron who wronged,
we say to him: “What Israel did wrong to you, that you hurried
yourself up to remove them from the living Lord God, the All-
Keeper?”
39. The Lord, when He was about to resurrect Lazarus
from dead, He showed us together with other goods also that
one that we must strain through menaces the laziness and the
glad living of the soul and we must embrace a harsh living,
namely the self-grieving, to be possible to the soul to be
delivered from the love for the self, from the vain glory and from
pride.
40. As without big ship there isn`t possible to cross the
sea, likewise without the calling of Jesus Christ there isn`t
possible to banish the bait of the evil thought.
41. The resistance against uses to bring to silence, and
the calling (of Jesus Christ) uses to banish the evil thoughts
from the heart. This is because when the bait takes image in
the soul through the hallucination of the sensitive thing, for
instance when the face of the one who has upset us, or the
hallucination of the woman`s beauty, or of the gold, or of the
silver, they come one after another in our thought, immediately
are revealed to us the thoughts of keeping the evil in the mind,
71
of the fornication and of the love for money which cause the
hallucinations of the heart. And if our mind is experienced and
disciplined, having the habituation of observing itself and of
seeing cleanly and limpidly the deceiving hallucinations and
deceit of the evil ones, it easily quenches, through resistance
and with the prayer of Jesus Christ, the fiery arrows of the devil
immediately as they appeared, not allowing the passionate
fantasy to move in the same time with the bait and to shape
with passion our thoughts after the form that has been showed
to us, or to think much at that, or to agree with it. This is
because out of these ones it necessarily follows, like the nights
to the days, the evil deeds.
42. But if our mind is inexperienced in the skillfulness of
the watchfulness, immediately mixes itself passionately with the
image which appeared to it, whatever would be, and converses
with it, receiving inappropriate questions and giving answers.
And then our thoughts are mixed with the devilish
hallucination, this one growing up and increasing even more, to
seem to the mind, which has received it and on which it has
plundered, worthy to be loved, beautiful and pleasant. The
mind suffers then the same thing which would happen, for
instance, if a dog will appear somewhere in an orchard, when it
happen to be also some lambs, which, being innocent, they run
towards that dog which appears to them as their mother, and
not gaining something else out of the approaching to the dog
than the fact that they take from that one its uncleanness and
stench. In the same manner also our thoughts stupidly run
towards all the devilish hallucinations of the mind and by
mixing themselves, as I`ve said, with those ones, they can be
seen like wanting together to destroy Troy, as Agamemnon and
Menelaus. This is because so also take council what they must
do to pass into deed, through the body, the beautiful and the
sweet hallucination which appeared to them in a deceiver
manner through the devilish influence. So are committed inside
the fallings of the soul. Later, the ones from inside the heart are
also necessarily prolonged outwards.
43. The mind is a light and innocent thing, which easily is
influenced by hallucinations and only with difficulty it refrain
itself from the lawless hallucinations, if it doesn`t have the
thought mastering upon passions, which to ceaselessly impede
the mind and to hold the mind into bridle.
72
44. The contemplation and the knowledge are guides of

the clean life and causes of this kind of life, due to the fact that
the cogitation being elevated by them it reaches at despising the
pleasures and the other sensitive and sweet things of the life,
considering them as worthless.
45. And the attentive life into Jesus Christ is, at its turn,
mother of the contemplation and of the knowledge and birth
giver of the godlike stairs and of the most-wise understandings,
if it accompanies the humbleness, as the godlike Prophet Isaiah
says: “The ones who wait for the Lord, they will move the
strength, they will receive wings and they will be made to fly,
through the Lord”92.
46. Difficult and unpleasant thing it seems to the men to
spiritually appease themselves of any thought. And it is truly
difficult and tiresome. It is not difficult only to the ones who are
unaccustomed to the war to close up and to fence the bodiless
part in the bodily house, but also to the ones who have
achieved the skillfulness of the immaterial fight from inside. But
the one who has dwelled the Lord Jesus in his own chest
through ceaseless prayer, he won`t get tired to follow Him,
according to the Prophet`s word. And one like this one won`t
desire a day spent humanly, because of the beauty, of the
delight and of the sweetness of Jesus Christ; and he won`t fear
his enemies, the unfaithful devils, which walk around, when he
speaks to them out of the gate of the heart and, through Jesus,
banishing them away from behind.
47. When the soul will have flown through death into sky,
by having Christ with itself and for itself in the gates of the
heavens, he won`t fear his enemy there, but he will speak boldly
to them out of the gates, as he does it right now. Lest not
weaken himself until his getting out to shout out towards the
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, day and night, And He will
quickly deliver him, according to His not-liar promise, which He
told it about the judge of the injustice: “I am saying you that He
92
Isaiah: 40: 3: KJB: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not
faint.”; ROB: “But the ones who trust in the Lord they will renew their power, wing like the
ones of the vulture will grow up to them; they will run and they will not exhaust their power,
they will walk and they won`t get tired.”
73
will do their deliverance in a hurry” 93, both in the life from now
and also after the soul`s getting out from the body.
48. Floating on the mental (intelligible) sea, trust Jesus.
For He secretly says inside your heart: “Do not fear, My son
Jacob, you small in number Israel; do not fear, you worm Israel,
I am defending you and supporting you”. Therefore, if God is
with us, which it is the evilness that can do something against
us? With us is the One Who blessed the ones clean in heart and
ordered that the sweet and the only One clean, Jesus, He wants
to enter in godlike manner and to dwell in the clean hearts.
Therefore, let`s not cease, according to the godlike Paul, to
accustom our mind towards awe. This is because rightly was
said that awe is the one which uproots the seeds of the evil
ones. This is because awe is the way of the rationality, or of the
judgment, or the way of the thought94.
49. “Into the multitude of the peace we will delight
himself”95, according to David, the ones who doesn`t look at
human face, judging injustice in his heart, namely by accepting
images of the evil ghosts and through images cogitating the sin;
or judging evil in the earth of his heart and through this fact
surrending to the sin the righteous ones. This is because the
great and the knower Fathers names as men, in some of their
writings, also the devils, due to their rational faculty, like is the
place from the Gospel, where the Lord says: “An evil man did
this”96 and mixed tares into wheat. And the evil comes from
these ones because we do not quickly oppose to them; that`s
why we are defeated by evil thoughts.
50. After we started to live being attentive to the mind, if
we unite the humbleness with the watchfulness and accompany
the prayer with the resistance, we will walk well on the road of
the cogitation, beautifying, weeping, adorning and cleaning the
93
Luke: 18: 8: KJB: “I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son
of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?”; ROB: “I am saying to you that He will soon
do justice to them. But the Son of the Man, when He will come, will He find faith on earth?”
94
The text from G.P. has few more rows of explaining the word οίμος = way (the sole
translation that we have found to the word οίμος was the adverb “fairly”. So we aren`t sure
about the translation through the word “way” (E. l. t.`s n.))
95
Psalm: 36: 11: KJB: “But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in
the abundance of peace.”; 37: 11: ROB: “And the gentle ones will inherit the earth and into
the abundance of the peace they will delight themselves.”
96
Matthew: 13: 28: KJB: “He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said
unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?”; ROB: “And he answered to them:
An evil man did this. The servants said to him: Do you want us to go and to pluck it off?”
74
house of our heart of evilness, guided by the holy and

worshipped name of Jesus Christ, as by a candlestick of light.
But if we will trust only in our watchfulness or in our attention,
we will quickly fall down toppling ourselves over, being pushed
by enemies, and the cunning ones and the deceivers will defeat
us; and we will be increasingly caught in the nets of the evil
thoughts, and we will be even easily torn apart by these evil
thoughts, by not having as powerful spear the name of Jesus
Christ. This is because only this most-honored knife, very often
turned in the heart which doesn`t take care but of one thing, is
knows to gather and to cut off the thoughts come from those
ones, to burn these thoughts up and to bury them, as the fire
does with the straws97.
51. The work of the ceaseless watchfulness, or the great
profit and gain which it brings it to the soul, it is that of
immediately seeing the hallucinations of the thoughts which
has taken image into the mind; and of the resistance it is that
of rejecting and exposing the thought which tries to enter in the
sky of our mind through the hallucination (imagination) of
something which is submitted to the senses. But what
quenches and immediately scatters any intention of the
enemies, any thought, any hallucination, any shape and any
evil statue, it is the calling of the name of the Lord. This is
because actually we ourselves also see into the mind their
defeat through Jesus, our great God, and our deliverance, of the
humble ones, of the insignificant one, and of the worthless
ones.
52. Most people don`t know that all the thoughts are
nothing else but only hallucinations of the sensitive and worldly
things. And if we persevere for a long time into prayer, with
watchfulness, the prayer empties the cogitation of all the
material hallucination of the evil thoughts. And of the other
hand it makes it makes known to it the thoughts of the enemy
and the great gain of the prayer and of the watchfulness. “And
with your eyes you will look and the reward of the spiritual
sinners you will see”98, and yourself, with the mind, you will
understand, says David, the godlike singer.
97
The text from G.P. has few more rows, showing that the man knows when God helps him.
98
Psalms: 91: 8: KJB: “Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the
wicked.”; 90: 8: ROB: “But with your eyes you will look and the reward of the sinner you
will see.”
75
53. Let`s remember, if it is possible, ceaselessly, of death.

Through this remembrance is born in us the rejection of the
cares and of all the vanities, the guarding of the mind and the
ceaseless prayer, the body`s lack of passions, the disgust of the
sin and, if we must say the whole truth, almost every virtue
spring out of this one. That`s why, if it is possible, let`s use this
thing as would be our own breath.
54. The heart which is totally emptied of imaginations, it
will give birth to godlike and mysterious meanings, which jump
up in the middle of the heart, like the fish jumps and like the
dolphins jump and roll over in the quite sea. And like the sea is
moved by the thin breeze, so is the deep of the heart moved by
the Holy Ghost. “And because you are sons, He says, God has
sent the Ghost of His Son into your hearts, Who shouts out:
Abba, Father!”99
55. Any monk will have fear and will stay far from the
spiritual thing, before occupying himself with the watchfulness
of the mind, either because he doesn`t know its beauty or
because by knowing it he cannot follow it, due to the idleness.
But the fear will surely be scattered when the work of guarding
the mind it starts, which is and it is called the active philosophy
of the mind100. This is because then he will like one who has
found the way Who said: “I am the way, the resurrection and
the life”101.
56. And he will again be afraid by seeing a multitude of
thoughts and a multitude of Babylonian children. But this fear
is also scattered by Christ, if we ceaselessly base ourselves on
Him, as on the foundation of the cogitation; and we throw the
Babylonian children to the ground, hitting them on this Rock 102,
fulfilling, according to the word, our lust regarding them: “The
one who guards, he says, the commandments, he won`t know
99
Galatians: 4: 6: KJB: “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.”; ROB: “And for you are sons, God has sent the Ghost
of His Son in your hearts, Who shouts out: Abba, Father”.
100
Here the watchfulness is identified to the active phase of the spiritual life.
101
John: 11: 25: KJB: “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:”; ROB: “And Jesus said to her: I am
the resurrection and the life; the one who believes in Me, even he will die, he will live.”
102
Psalms: 137: 9: KJB: “Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the
stones.”; 136: 9: ROB: “Happy is the ones who will grab and will hit your children against the
stone.”
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evil word”103. “Because without Me, He says, you cannot do

anything”104.
57. Truly is a monk that one who has achieved
watchfulness: and true watchfulness has achieved the one who
is monk in the heart.
58. The life of the humans is developing in a repetition of
years, of months, of weeks, of days, of nights, of hours and of
minutes. In these ones, therefore, let`s carry on the virtuous
works, namely the watchfulness, the prayer and the sweetness
of the heart, in zealous quietude, until our exit.
59. It will come over us the fearsome hour of the death
and it is impossible to avoid it. Be it that the Master of the light
and of the sky, by coming then, to consider our iniquities few
and unimportant, to not show us, by proving us, and to be us
crying out uselessly. “For that servant, he says, who has know
the will of his Master and didn`t work according to his will as a
servant, he will be much beaten”105.
60. “Woe to them who have lost their heart”, he says;
what will they do when the Lord will inquire them? That`s why
we must strive ourselves, brother.
61. The simpler and without passion thoughts are
followed by the passionate ones, as I have found out in a longue
experience and observation. As the snake follows the dove
which enters in his nest106, I reckon that the first ones open the
entrance to the following ones, and the not-passionate ones to
the passionate ones.
62. The man truly must cut himself, through free
decision, in half; and he must break himself apart with the
most wise understanding, as I`ve said. It is truly due to make
on himself an irreconcilable enemy of himself. Therefore we
103
Ecclesiastes: 8: 5: KJB: “Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing: and a
wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.”; ROB: “To the one who listen to the
commandment nothing evil will happen to him, for the heart of a righteous man will know the
time and the judgment .”
104
you are the offshoots. The one who remains into Me, also I into him, that one brings forth
much fruit, for without Me you cannot do anything.”
105
Luke: 12: 47: KJB: “And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not
himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.”; ROB: “And that
servant who knew the will of the master and didn`t prepare himself, neither did according to
his master`s will, he will be beaten much.”
106
This comparison is missing from the Greek Philokalia.
77
must have towards ourselves the disposition had by somebody

towards a man, who awfully troubled and did injustice to him,
and even more than that, if we want to fulfill the great and the
first commandment, namely to achieve the living of Christ, the
happy humbleness, the way of the life into body of God. That`s
why the Apostle says: “”Who will deliver me from the body of
this death?”107 For he doesn`t obey the law of God. By showing
then that obeying the body to the law of God it is part of the
things which are in our power, he said: “Because if we won`t
judge on ourselves, we won`t be judged; but the Lord by judging
us, He punishes us”108.
63. The beginning of the fructification is the flower, and
the beginning of the observing of the mind, the restrain in foods
and drinks, the rejection and the denial of any kind of thoughts,
and the quietude of the heart.
64. To us, who are strengthened in Christ and started to
walk in watchfulness without mistake, firstly it appears in mind
as a candlestick, somehow hold by the hand of our mind and
guiding us on the path of the cogitation; after that, like a all-
luminous moon, going around of the heart`s sky; later it
appears to us as a sun, Christ Himself, spreading rays of
righteousness, namely showing on Himself and His things as
some all-shining lights of the views.
65. And these things are secretly unveiled to that mind
which follows His commandment, which says: “Circumscribe
the callousness of your heart”109. As it was said, the zealous
watchfulness it teaches the man happy meanings. This is
because God doesn`t look at the face. That`s why the Lord says:
“Listen to Me and understand “that to the one who has it will be
given and it will about to him, and to the one who doesn`t have,
even what he has it will be taken from him”110. “And to the ones
107
Romans: 7: 24: KJB: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of
this death?”; ROB: “Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this
death?”
108
I Corinthians: 11: 31: KJB: “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.”;
ROB: “For is we would have judged on ourselves, we wouldn`t be judged.”
109
Deuteronomy: 10: 15: KJB: “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no
more stiffnecked.”; ROB: “Therefore circumcise your heart and from now on do not be stiff-
necked.”
110
Matthew: 25: 29: KJB: “For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have
abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.”; ROB:
“For to everyone who has it will be given and it will be abundant to him, and from the ones
78
who love God, all the things are worked them towards good” 111.
Therefore his virtues will be much more worked.
66. The ship won`t travel many miles without water; and
it won`t advance at all the guarding of the mind without
watchfulness united with humbleness and with the prayer of
Jesus Christ.
67. The foundation of the house is formed of stones. And
this virtues it has both as foundation and as roof the
worshipped and the holy name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Easily
will got stranded a helmsman confused in times of storm, if he
has banished the sailors, has thrown the oars and the sails into
the sea, and he is sleeping. But more easily will be sunk by the
devils the soul which didn`t take care of watchfulness and
didn`t call the name of Jesus at the beginning of the baits
(attacks).
68. We are telling in writing what we know and we
confess to the ones who want to listen to it, what we have seen
by travelling the way, if you want to accept the said ones. This
is because He Himself said: “If somebody won`t remain into Me,
he will be cast out as the vine and they will gather it up and
they will cast it into fire and it will burn”; “and the one who
remains into Me and I into him, much fruit he will bring
forth”112. This is because like it is impossible to the sun to
lighten without light, likewise it is not possible to be the heart
cleaned of the defilement of the thoughts of perdition, without
the prayer of the name of Jesus. And it this is true, as I can see,
let`s use it, like we use our breath. This is because this prayer
is light, and those ones are darkness; and that is God and the
Master, and those are the servants of the devils.
69. The guarding of the mind can be appropriately and
rightly called like birth giver of light, birth giver of lightening,
who doesn`t have even what he has it will be taken from him.”
111
Romans: 8: 28: KJB: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that
love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”; ROB: “And we know that
God works everything towards the good of the ones who love Him, of the ones who are called
according to His will;”
112
John: 15: 6, 4: KJB: “If a man abides not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is
withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.” // “Abide in
me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more
can ye, except ye abide in me.”; ROB: “If somebody doesn`t remain into Me he is thrown out
as the offshoot and he gets withered; and they gather them up and they cast them into fire and
they burn.” // “Remain into Me and I into you. Like the offshoot cannot bring forth fruits by
itself, likewise also you, if you don`t remain into Me.”
79
light thrower and fire bearer. This is because it exceeds,

speaking the truth, countless other bodily virtues. That`s why
this virtue must be called with the honored names mentioned
before, for the shiny lights born out of it. Those ones amongst
sinners, worthless, defiled, nescient and unjust, who fall in love
with it, they can be made through Jesus Christ, righteous,
reliable, clean, holy and understanding. And even more than
that, because they also can contemplate and theologize the
mysterious ones. And by becoming contemplatives (seers), they
are swimming in this most-clean and endless light, they are
penetrated by this light with unspoken penetrations and they
inhabit and live together with it, because they “have tasted and
they has seen that the Lord is good”. Into this first heralds it is
fulfilled the work of the godlike David: “And the righteous ones
will confess themselves to Your name and the righteous ones
will inhabit with Your face” 113. This is because truly these ones
call the name of God and they confess themselves to Him,
because they love dialoguing with Him, always loving Him.
70. Woe to the inward one from the outwards ones. This
is because the inwards man will be much troubled by the
outward ones. And being upset, this one will use the whip
against the outward senses. The one who has committed the
ones with the work, he knew from before the ones from the
contemplation.
71. If the inward man lives in watchfulness, as the
Fathers say, he is able to guard also the one from outward. But
we and the committing of sins devils do in common the both
sorts of sins. Thos ones only give image to the sin into thought,
or in descriptions of hallucinations in the mind, as they want.
And we commit that sin through thoughts inside and through
deeds outside. The devils, by being deprived of the thickness of
the bodies, they cause to themselves and to us the labors only
through thoughts, through cunningness and through
deceitfulness. If they wouldn`t be deprived, the cursed of them,
of the thickness of the body, they wouldn`t be late in
committing sin also through deeds, by keeping always their free
will ready to dishonor God.
113
Psalms: 140: 13: KJB: “Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright
shall dwell in thy presence.”; 139: 13: ROB: “And the righteous ones will praise themselves
to You name and the righteous ones will dwell before Your face.”
80
72. The prayer of a sole word (or thought) 114 it kills and
transforms in ashes their delusions. This is because Jesus, God
and the Son of God, ceaselessly and without idleness called by
us, doesn`t allow to them to show to the mind in the mirror of
the cogitation, either the beginning of the entering, which is
called by some ones as bait, or some image, and neither to
speak some words into the heart. And by not penetrating some
devilish image into the heart, the heart will be empty, as I said,
also of thoughts. This is because the devils use to speak to the
soul and to teach it the sin through thoughts, hiding
themselves from it.
73. Therefore through the ceaseless prayer the sky of the
cogitation is cleaned of the darken clouds and of the winds of
the evilness. And by being the sky of the heart cleaned, it is
impossible he says, to not shine in it the godlike light of Jesus,
if we won`t inflate ourselves of vain glory, of the smoke of the
pride and of the passion of unveiling ourselves. Through these
ones though, we will make ourselves too light-minded, and we
will find ourselves without help from Jesus, because Christ,
Who showed to us the humbleness, He hates all these.
74. Let`s therefore persevere in prayer and humbleness,
on working these two ones, which together with the
watchfulness arms us against the devils, as with a sword of fire.
This is because the ones who live like that, we can feast in each
day and in each hour, out of heart, in a mysterious way, a
holiday of joyfulness.
75. The eight more general thoughts of the evilness, in
which is comprised every thought and out of which is born
everything (as out of Hera and Zeus, all the cursed devils,
honored by Greeks, according to their myths), all the things
ascend to the gate of the heart and, by finding the mind
unguarded, they enter one by one at their own time. And then
each of the eight thoughts, ascending and entering into the
heart, it brings with itself a swarm of other shameless thoughts.
And in this way, by darkening the mind, they entice the body,
urging it to commit deeds of shame.
76. Therefore the one who guards the head of the snake
and through angry resistance he uses courageous words, by
punching with the fist in the face, he has banished the enemy
from himself. This is because by crushing the head, he has set
114
η προσευχή μιας λέξης (the prayer of one word) E. l. t.`s n.)).
81
in running many other evil thoughts and even worse deeds.

Thus the cogitation by remaining untroubled, God receiving its
vigil over the thoughts and giving to it in return to know how it
must defeat the ones who make war to it and how the heart
must clean itself gradually of the thoughts which defile the
inward man. This is because the Lord Jesus says: “Out of heart
come the evil thoughts, adultery, fornication… and those ones
are the ones which defile the man”115.
77. Therefore, so can the soul stay into the Lord in its
decency, its beauty and in its righteousness, as it was built
from the beginning by God, good and very clean, as Anthony,
the great servant of God, says: “The soul having mind according
to the nature, it is sustained through virtue”. Or he says again:
“The righteousness of the soul stays in preserving the mind
according to the nature, as it has been built”. And after a while
he says again: “Let`s clean our cogitation, for I believe that if the
soul has been cleaned from all quarters and it remains in the
natural state, it can, by reaching to the clairvoyant, to see much
more and much far than the devils do, having the Lord in itself,
Who unveil the devils to the soul”. These things are said by the
famous Anthony, as the great Athanasius says in the book
about Saint`s Anthony “Life”.
78. Any thought is a hallucination of a sensitive thing,
appeared into mind. This is because the Assyrian being mind, it
cannot delude us otherwise but by using the things known to
us through senses and usual to us.
79. As it is impossible to us to pursuit the fowls which fly
into the sky, being us humans, or to fly like them, our nature
not having this feature, likewise it is impossible to defeat the
devilish thoughts which happen to com, without awake and
frequent prayer, or to cross with the mind`s eye directly towards
God; and if not, see the earth.
80. Therefore, if you truly want to cover with shame the
thoughts and to appease yourselves with sweetness and to
easily preserve the watchfulness in the mind, let the prayer of
115
Matthew: 15: 19-20: KJB: “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries,
fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies: // These are the things which defile a man: but
to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.”; ROB: “Because out of the heart come the
evil thoughts, killings, adulteries, fornication, thefts, liar witnesses, blasphemies. // These
ones are which defile de man, but eating with unwashed hands do not defile the man.”
82
Jesus stick with your breath and you will see how this thing is
accomplished in a few days.
81. As it is impossible to write letter in the air, because
these ones must be written on something, to be preserved for a
long time, likewise we must stick the prayer of Jesus with the
tiring watchfulness, for the most-beautiful virtue of the
watchfulness to remain steadfastly together with Him and
through Him to be preserved to us not-kidnapped forever.
82. “Turn, says the Lord, your things and you will find
grace”. Therefore let`s avoid to be said also about us by the
Prophet: “Close are You, Lord, to their mouth, but far away
from their entrails”116. Nobody else will steadily bring peace to
the heart in what concerns the passions, but only Jesus Christ,
the One Who united the ones who were as great distance one
from another.
83. The soul is equally darkened by these two: by the
speeches of the thoughts in cogitation and by the meetings and
by the encounters and vain words from outside. The ones who
want to be shunned from the damaging of the mind, they must
be saddened both by the thoughts and by the men, who love to
speak purposelessly, for a very blessed reason: lest by being
them darkened with the mind, to be their watchfulness
becoming drowsed. This is because by being darkened due to
the forgetfulness, we are losing our mind.
84. The one who guards the cleanness of the mind with
the whole zeal, he will have as teacher the lawmaker Christ,
Who secretly whispers to him His will. “I will hear what the Lord
God will speak into me” 117, says David when showing this thing.
And by showing the observing which the mind does it to itself
for the mental (intelligible) war and for the helping support from
God, he says: “The man will say: will there be fruits to the
righteous one?”118 And then by showing the effect which results
out of both of them, through meeting of them, he says:
116
Jeremiah: 12: 2: KJB: “Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root: they grow, yea,
they bring forth fruit: thou art near in their mouth, and far from their reins.”; ROB: “You have
planted them and they have taken roots, they have grown up and they have brought forth
fruits; You are close only to their lips, but of their heart You are far away.”
117
Psalm: 85: 8: KJB: “I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto
his people,”; 84: 8: KJB: “I will hear what the Lord God will speak into me; for He will speak
peace over His people”.
118
Psalm: 58: 11: KJB: “So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous:
verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.”; 57: 11: ROB: “And the man will say: Yes, there
is rewards for the righteous one! Yes, there is God Who judges them during their life!”
83
“Therefore there is God, Who judges them on earth” 119, namely

the cunning devils in the earth of our heart. And in another
place he says: “The man and the deep heart will come closer,
and God will be extolled; and then the wounds from them will
seem to us as childish arrows”120.
85. Let`s always guide our heart, advised by wisdom,
according to the sanctified singer, ceaselessly breathing the
power itself of God the Father and the wisdom of God, Jesus
Christ. And if, by becoming drowsy from a certain
circumstance, we will weaken in the mind`s working, let`s girdle
tightly again, the next morning, the waists of the mind and let`s
start working powerfully, by knowing that we won`t have any
defence, we who know the good, if we won`t do that good.
86. As the bringer of illness foods, immediately that they
are received into the body, they upset the body, and the one
who ate them, by sensing immediately the damage he tries to
vomit them by using some medicine and so he remains
unharmed, likewise the mind, when has accepted to swallow
the thoughts and it feels their bitterness, it easily throw them
up through the prayer of Jesus, shouted out from the deeps of
the heart, and it totally rejects them, as it have learnt and tried
with science the ones who occupy themselves with the
watchfulness.
87. Unite with the breathing of the nostril the
watchfulness and the name of Jesus, or the unforgotten
thought to death and to humbleness; because both of them are
very useful.
88. The Lord said: “Learn from Me, that I am gentle and
humble in heart, and you will find rest to your souls” 121.
89. The Lord said: “The one who will humble on himself
like this little child, he will be elevated, and who will elevate on
himself, he will be humbled” 122. “Learn from Me”, He says; do
119
Idem.
120
Psalms: 64: 6-7: KJB: “They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both
the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.// But God shall shoot at them
with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.” // 63: 7-8: ROB: “To penetrate inside man
and in the depth of his heart. // But God will hit them with the arrow and He will
unexpectedly wound them.”
121
Matthew: 11: 29: KJB: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and
lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”; ROB: “Take My yoke upon you and
learn on yourselves from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest to
your souls.”
122
Luke: 18: 14: KJB: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
84
you see that humbleness is teaching? This is because e\his

commandment is eternal life, and this is the humbleness.
Therefore, the one who isn`t humble he has fallen off life and in
the opposite part he will be.
90. If every virtue is done through soul and body, and on
the other hand both the body and the soul are creatures of God,
through which, as I said, the virtues is fulfilled, how aren`t we
delusional in the most dreadful manner, praising on ourselves
with the stranger adornments of the soul and of the body,
namely searching for the vain glory and supporting ourselves on
pride, as on a reed staff. And how don`t we raise thus against
our head, for our lawlessness and for our insanity, as the most
fearsome as can be, on God, Who surpasses us with His
borderless greatness? This is because “The Lord stays against
the pride ones”123. Instead of following the Lord into
humbleness, we make friendship with the haughty devil, the
enemy of the Lord, due to the pride and loving vain glory
thought. Because of this the Apostles says: “For what do you
have, and you do not take it”; have you made on yourself? And
if you have taken from God the body and the soul, out of which,
into which and through which every virtue is done, “why do you
praise on yourself like you wouldn`t have taken?” This is
because the Lord in the One Who gives to you all of these.
91. Everywhere the cleanness of the heart, through which
there is in us the humbleness and the good which descends
from above, it doesn`t stay in something else but in not allowing
to the thoughts which are coming close to enter into the soul.
92. The guarding of the mind with God, which perseveres
into the soul only through God, it gives wisdom to the mind in
the fights according to God. This is because not little
skillfulness it gives to the one who imparts himself of it towards
administer his deeds and words with judgment well received to
the Lord.
other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall
be exalted.”; ROB: “I say you that this one went down to his house more corrected that that
one. Because whoever will exalt on himself he will be humbled, and the one who humbles on
himself he will be exalted.”
123
James: 4: 6: KJB: “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud,
but giveth grace unto the humble.”; ROB: “No, but He gives a great gift. That`s why He says:
“God stays against the pride ones, and to the humble ones He gives them grace.”
85
93. The signs of the priest in the Old Testament they were
prefigurations of the clean heart, for us also to take care of the
vestment of the heart, lest to be darkened due to the sin and to
clean it with tears, with repentance and with prayer. This is
because the mind is a light thing and difficult to be stopped
from lawless memories; a thing which is easily influenced by the
evil or by the good hallucinations of the cogitation.
94. Truly happy is the one who has stuck in cogitation
with the prayer of Jesus and shouts at Him ceaselessly in his
heart, as the air has united with our bodies, of the flame with
the bee wax. By coming over the earth the sun makes day; and
the holy and most-honored name of Lord Jesus by ceaselessly
lighting into the cogitation it gives birth to countless meanings,
like the sun does.
95. After the clouds are scattered, the sight it becomes
clean. And after the hallucinations of the passions have been
scattered, by the sun of the righteousness Jesus Christ, use to
be born in the heart luminous and stellar meanings out of the
whole its sky lightened by Jesus Christ. This is because the
Ecclesiastes says: “The Ones who trust in God, they will
understand the truth and the faithful in love ones, they will live
with Him”124. Someone from the Saints said: “If you keep the evil
in the mind, keep then in mind the evil from the devils; and if
you have enmity on someone, have enmity on the body forever.
The body is a cunning friend, and if it is served it makes war to
you even more”. And again: “Gain enmity against the body and
fight against the belly”125.
96. In the previous words of the first and of the second
hundreds I have presented the toils of the holy quietude of the
mind. They don`t comprise only the fruits of our cogitation, but
also the ones which we have learnt out of the words of the wise
God bearers Fathers about the cleanness of the mind. And now,
after I have said these few things, for showing the gain which
comes out of guarding the mind, we will cease speaking.
97. Come therefore and follow me towards the union with
the happy guarding of the mind, whoever you will be, you who
wants into the ghost to see good days, and I will teach you into
the Lord the seen work and the living of the intelligible Powers.
124
The Wisdom of Solomon (this book is missing from KJB (E. l. t.`s n.)): 3: 9: ROB: “They
will understand the truth as ones who have put their trust in the Lord; the faithful ones will
live with Him in love, for the grace and the mercifulness are the part of His chosen ones.”
125
This chapter misses in the G. P.`s text.
86
98. This is because the angles won`t get fed of praising

the Maker, neither the clean mind to compete with them. And
like the bodiless beings do not take care of food, likewise the
bodiless beings into body do not take care of food, if they will
enter in the sky of the mind`s quietude.
99. Like the Powers from above do not take care of money
or of riches, likewise the ones who have cleaned the sight of
their soul and who have reached at the habituation of the
virtues, they won`t be worried about persecution from the evil
ghosts. And like to those ones it is proven the richness of the
advancing into God, likewise to these ones it is proven the love
towards God, the aiming and the ascension towards God. And
by stretching themselves even more in their ascension with love
and with insatiability, for the reason that they have tasted the
godlike and ecstatic longing, they won`t stop themselves until
they will become Seraphims, and they won`t hesitate in the
watchfulness of the mind and in their loving ascension, until
they won`t make themselves Angels, in Jesus Christ our Lord.
100. There is no stronger venom than the venom of the
viper and of the dragon, and there is no bigger sin than the sin
of bodily love for the self. And as flying baby birds you have
these ones: the praises into heart, the self-delight, and the
covetousness of the belly, the adultery, the vain glory, the envy,
and the crown of all of them: the pride, which knows to conquer
not only the men, but also the angles from heavens and to dress
them up in darkness instead of light.
These things have been written to you, Theodoulos, by
the one who wears the name of the hesychia, though he is
denied by deeds. But maybe they aren`t ours, but as much as
God has given them to us, the One praised and the glorified into
the Father, into the Son and into the Holy Ghost, by the whole
rational nature, by Angels, by people, and by the whole
creation, which the unspoken Trinity has made it, the One God,
of Whose illustrious Kingdom to be us partakers through the
prayers of the Most-Pure Birth Giver of God and of our Pious
Fathers. To which not-comprised God is due the eternal glory,
Amen.
87
Philotheos the Sinaite

Philotheos the Sinaite lived in the same monastery of the
Pyre of the Holy Birth Giver of God from Mount Sinai, like
Hesychios126. And it seems that approximately in the same
period of time with Hesychios, as it results out of the kinship of
the preoccupations and out of the fact that in some codices
“Heads about Watchfulness” of Philotheos are placed even
126
See also J. Hausherr, cited work p. 140 (44), where he gives the title of the writings of
Philotheos form the cod. Athous Ʌ 38 (Spyridon et S. Eustratiades, Catalogue no. 1528, 11).
Philotheos is called likewise also in the title of his writings from the cod. Naniensis (Venitian)
95 (Mignareli, Cat. Codd. Greek Nan p. 185), presented in Migne G.P. 98, 1369-70. See also
the title from cod. 30 Moscow (Matthaeus, Not. codd. Greek Mosq., p. 317), presented in
Migne G.P. 154, 717-718.
The manuscript of the Romanian Academy no. 2012, which comprises in Romanian
translation “The Heads for Watchfulness and Prayer”, it calls him: “Philotheos the monk, the
abbot of the dwelling place Pyre of the Most-Holy Birth Giver of God”.
88
before the ones of Hesychios the Sinaite127. In any case, he is

not one and the same person with the Patriarch Philotheos of
Constantinople, from the Century XIV, because he is quoted at
the beginning of the Century V by Gregory the Sinaite and even
immediately after Hesychios the Sinaite 128. Are known until now
two writings of Philotheos the Sinaite: 1. “Heads about
Watchfulness”129, published in the Greek Philokalia (volume I,
Second Edition, p. 366-374), which we are translating in this
volume, and 2. “About the Commandments of our Lord Jesus
Christ”130 (in Migne, G.P. 154, 729-745, according to Thesaurus
asceticus of P. Possinus, Paris, 1613) 131. But until a more
detailed research of more manuscripts one cannot tell which
was the genuine text, especially in what it concerns the first
writing, or if different other writings, indicated by the
catalogues of the Greek codices from the diverse libraries under
the name of Philotheos differ from his writings, or only parts of
the writing from No. 1.
For example in Migne G.P. 98, col. 1369-1372, it is given
the more extended beginning of a writing which it starts with
the words “How many of us into Christ have been baptized” 132.
Bu in the content of this fragment we find also the first head of
the text from Philokalia. It would result from here the fact that
in cod. Nan. 95 it would be comprised also a larger text of the
writing from Philokalia. Although the end of the text from cod.
Nan. 95 coincides to the end of the head no. 11 of the text from
Philokalia133.
On the other hand the two writings comprised under the
name of Philotheos in cod. Moscow 30, according the beginning
given at Migne G.P. 154, 717-718, they wouldn`t be but two
127
Cod. Athous quoted at f. 112a it gives the “Heads” of Philotheos, and at f. 114a the
“Heads” of Hesychios”. See also at J. Hausherr, cited work, 1. C.
128
In “Heads about Watchfulness and about the Two Modes of the Prayer”, Greek Philokalia,
volume II, Second Edition, p. 271 – We find this confusion also at Migne G.P. 154, 729-745,
where the writing of Philotheos the Sinaite “About the Commandments of the Lord Jesus
Christ”, it is published amongst the writings of the Patriarch Philotheos. Ehrhard (at
Krumbacher, cited work p. 107-9) has clarified though the situation.
129
Νηπτικα χεφάλια. In other codices though it has other titles.
130
Περι των εντολων του κυριον ημων Ιησου Χριστου. See also the footnote no. 20 din Migne
G.P. 154, 717-718.
131
According to J. Hausherr, cited work p. 140-142 (44-46), these two are also in cod. Vatic.
730.
132
“Οσοι εις Χριστόν εραπτίσθημεν”. This fragment is reproduced in Migne according to
Mignareli, cited work p. 185, from cod. Nan. 95, f. 93 a.
133
… “the ones who are digging for gold”. G.P. 98, 1371-1372.
89
parts of the “Heads about Watchfulness” from the Greek

Philokalia134. At Migne G.P. 98, 1371-72 are also mentioned out
of cod. Nan. (Venetian) 95, besides the beginnings and the ends
of the writing from Philokalia, comprised in that codice in fol.
93a-99b and of the writing “The Commandments of the Lord”,
comprised in the fol. 113b-125a, also the beginnings and the
ends of other two writings between fol. 99b-113a and 113a-f.
113b135. But it is quite possible that also these last writings – of
which the last one it seems to be extremely short – to not be but
also parts from “Heads about Watchfulness” given in the Greek
Philokalia.
Another question it is the ones of the number of heads, in
which is divided the writing given in the Philokalia and of the
order of these heads.
The division of the text in 40 heads, as we have it in the
Greek Philokalia, it doesn`t seem to be common to all the
codices. According to the footnote no. 20 from Migne G.P. 154,
717-718, several codices form the Viennese and Parisian
libraries (amongst which also cod. No. 1091), they would
comprise this writing divides in 40 heads.
The Manuscript no. 2012 from the Romanian Academia it
gives us though the translation of this writing in 37 chapters,
arranged differently than in the Greek Philokalia. By comparing
the text of the head 30 from Vat. 730, f. 193v (given by J.
Hausherr, cited work p. 141 (54), we ascertain that it doesn`t
correspond to the head 30 form the Greek Philokalia, but to the
one from the Manuscript from the Romanian Academia, which
at its turn correspond to the heads 34-36 from the Greek
Philokalia.
From here it would follow that Vat. 730 gives us a text
divided and arranged like the one after which it is translated
the Romanian manuscript from the Library of the Romanian
Academia.
All these are sign that Philotheos is an old author,
because if he would have written around Century XIV, there
134
These two writings (indicated at Migne according to Mathaeus, cited work) are entitles, the
first one: “Φιλοθέου, μοναχου μονης της υπεραγίας Θεοτόκσυ της βάτου εν Σινα, περι
τριμερους την ψυχης και περι νήψεως και ευχης”. Inc. Ο μακάριος ο αποστολος Παυλος; the
second one: “Περι τηρήσεως νου και ταπεινοφροσυνης”. Inc. Βλέπετε και ορατε, φησιν ο
κυριος, μήπος Βαρυνθωσιν. But the beginning of the first writing it seems to coincide to the
head 31; and the beginning of the second one to the head 15 of the writing from Philokalia.
135
Also according to Mignareli, cited work, p. 185.
90
wouldn`t have been possible so many variations between

codices concerning the text of this writing.
We are presenting bellow also a parallel between the
heads from the Manuscript of the Romanian Academia and the
one o0f the Greek Philokalia, which we have followed:
the Manuscript of the the Greek Philokalia

Romanian Academia
Heads 1-3 1-3
4 7
5 8
6 23
7 27
8 28
9 24
10 25
11 26
12 21
13 29
14 22
15 47
16 5
17 6
18 30
19 9
20 10
21 11
22 31
23 12
24 13
25 14
26 14
(from “thus the holy
humbleness”)
27 32
28 15
29 33
30 34-36
91
31 37
32 38
33 39
(from “nothing will defile us,
nor make us sad”)
34 20
35 16
36 17
37 18
Only the head no. 19 out of the Greek Philokalia we could

not have identified it amongst the heads from the Manuscript of
the Romanian Academia.
The spiritual teaching of Philotheos it is very close to the

one of Hesychios, both of them being spiritually related to John
Climacus. But between Hesychios and Philotheos there are also
some differences. Hesychios ceaselessly repeats the urge to
observe the mind. “He seems to be one of those concentrated
and deep souls, predestined from nature to the most absorbed
forms of the inward life” 136. Philotheos has more warrior
tendencies, more active ones. By praising also the hesychia, he
stops less to describing it, giving importance to the guarding of
the commandments. He is not such a poet like Hesychios, but
he gives clearer definitions and stronger arguments.
The importance of the “guarding of the mind” he founds it
psychologically. The soul has three faculties: the rationality, the
lust and the wrath. The man lives a virtuous life when the last
two ones obey to the rationality. That`s why the whole diligence
of the enemy is to deviate the attention of the rationality from
its role of mastering upon the other two powers of the soul, by
occupying it with thoughts and hallucinations which scatter is,
or they make it to cede to the tendencies of lust and anger to
escape from its brake. That`s why our striving has as purpose
to maintain the superior part of the soul in its role of master
and this is done through resisting against the first attacks with
the help of the attention and of the prayer137.
136
J. Hausherr, cited work, 141 (45).
137
Idem, Ibid.
92
Of Our Pious Father
PHILOTHEOS THE SINAITE

Heads about Watchfulness
1. It is inside us a war of the mind, more dreadful than

the seen one138. The worker of the awe must run and follow with
the mind the target of perfectly gathering in the treasury of the
heart the remembrance of God, as on a pearl, or as a precious
stone. We must reject everything, to despise both the body and
the life itself from now, to achieve only God into our heart. This
138
An intelligible war, more awful than the sensitive one. In the Manuscript no. 2012 of the
Romanian Academia it is said: a thinking and feeling war.
93
is because it is enough, said the godlike John Chrysostom, the

sight of God with the mind, to destroy all the cunning ones.
2. Therefore all the ones who fight mentally they are
indebted to gather with the all diligence spiritual powers from
the godlike Scriptures and to lay them on the mind as some
healing bandages. And starting in the morning, he says, to stay
with manhood and with assertiveness in the gate of the heart,
with the tight remembrance of God and with the uninterrupted
prayer of Jesus Christ in the soul, and to kill by guarding the
mind all the sinners of the earth, and through the perseverance
into the faithful remembrance of God to cut off the heads of the
powerful ones, for the Lord, and the beginnings of the thoughts
which make war to us. For we know that there is also in the
sweating of the mind139 a godlike work and a godlike order. And
in this way we must force on ourselves to work until the time of
the eating. Then, giving thanks to the Lord, Who satisfies us out
of His love for people, in a twofold manner, in ghost and in
body, we must eat into the remembrance and with the thought
of the death, and then to start again, with power, the morning
work. This is because only by doing so daily, we will be able to
escape from the snares of the spiritual (intelligible) enemy 140. By
doing141 these things for a long time, there are born in us these
three: the faith, the hope and the love. The faith makes us truly
fear God. The hope, skipping over the fear of servant, it unites
the man with the love for God, if the hope doesn`t become
ashamed. This is because the hope it knows how to give birth to
the twofold love, on which depends the law and the Prophets.
And the love never falls, since it is, in the one who imparts
himself of it, in this age and in the future one, the cause of the
fulfillment of the godlike law.
3. But very rarely can be found someone who soothes
himself with the thought142. And this thing can be done only by
the ones who strive themselves to approach to themselves the
grace and the godlike comforting through this work. Therefore if
we want to walk in that philosophy according to Christ, in the
thinking work by guarding our mind and with watchfulness,
139
The intelligible sweats (the fights of the cogitation).
140
In the Manuscript of the Romanian Academia: thinker.
141
Starting from here to the end of this head the text it misses from the Manuscript of the
Romanian Academia.
142
In the Manuscript of the Romanian Academia: “The ones who slow down with the thinking
part”.
94
let`s start this way through restraint from the much food,
receiving the food and the drinks with measure, as much as it
is possible this restraint to us. This is because the watchfulness
can be rightly called both as was which leads to the Kingdom,
to that Kingdom from inside us and to the future one, and to
the thinker work, as one which processes and whitens the
things of the mind and it moves the mind from the passionate
living to the one without passions. This is because it is like a
luminous small window, through which God, by leaning Himself
downwards, He shows on Himself to the mind.
4. Where are the humbleness and the remembrance of
God, sustained by watchfulness and by attention, and the
directed against enemies, there is the place of God, or the
heaven of the heart, in which the gang of the devils are afraid to
stay, because God dwells in that place.
5. Nothing brings more disturbance than the much
speaking, and nothing is worse than the unrestrained speaking,
which can damage the state of the soul. This is because the
ones which we build them up daily, the much speaking
demolishes them, and the ones which we gather with toil, the
soul scatters them away through the itching of the tongue.
What can be worse than this? It is an evil without bridle.
Therefore we must put a border to it, to forcedly keep it, to
strangle it, to say so, for being serving only to towards the
necessary ones. But who could ever say the spiritual damage
which comes from the tongue?
6. The first gate which leads to the mental (intelligible) 143
Jerusalem, to the attention of the mind, it is the silence of the
mouth into knowledge, even if the mind still isn`t soothed. The
second one is the restraint with measure from foods and drinks.
The third ones, which cleans up the mind and the body, it is the
remembrance and the ceaseless thought of death. Myself,
seeing once, for an instance, the beauty of this ones and being
wounded and delighted with the ghost, not with the sight, I
wanted to gain it to be my wife for the rest of the life, being in
love with its beauty and its decency: how humble it is, with how
much joyfulness it saddens itself, how thoughtful it is, how
much fears the right future judgment, fearing the end of the life;
out of its sensitive eyes uses to flow the living and healing
water, out of its thinking (intelligible) eyes emerges a spring of
143
In the Manuscript of the Romanian Academia, the “mental Jerusalem” is missing.
95
wise thoughts, which by flowing and jumping it gladdens the

soul. Of this daughter of Adam, namely the remembrance of the
death, I was thirsty, as I said, to gain it as wife forever, to sleep
with it and to speak to it and to discuss with it: what will
happen after the rejection of the body? But often, the cursed
forgetfulness, the darkened daughter of the devil, didn`t let me.
7. There is a war into our hidden, sustained by the ghosts
of the evilness, which is being waged through thoughts, to the
soul. This is because being the soul unseen, those malevolent
powers, being alike its being, come close to the soul through the
unseen war. Thus one can see between those powers and the
soul: weapons, battle order, cunning deceits, fearsome war,
battle clashes and victories and defeats from both parts. Only
one thing misses to this war of the mind (intelligible), which the
seen (sensitive) war it has it: the decided time of the war. This is
because the seen war decides for a time and for an order, whilst
the other ones attacks by surprise and, suddenly aiming the
most inner part of the heart, it kills the soul through sin.
What is this fight and this battle started against us for?
To not be done thought us the will of God, as we pray by saying:
“Your will be done”. And this it stays in the commandments of
God. If somebody has strengthened (has fixed) with
watchfulness hi mind into the Lord against the devils` deceit
and intentionally watches their entering and the stumblings
which are born out of hallucinations, he will achieve their
knowledge through experience. That`s why also the Lord,
directing His attention against the cursed devils and foreseeing,
as a God, their thoughts, He ordered His commandments
against their goal, threatening the ones who will transgress
them.
8. When we will achieve the habituation of the restraint,
namely of getting far from the seen sins, which are done
through the five senses, we will be able then to guard also the
heart together with Jesus and to be lightened by Him in it,
tasting with a hot longing, His kindness through the mind.
Because we haven`t received the commandment to clean our
heart for something else, but, after the getting out of the clouds
and of evilness from the sky of our mind and after their
scattering through the ceaseless attention, only for being able to
see, as in a clean clear sky, the Sun of the righteousness, on
Jesus, and to be lightened to us, in some measure, in mind, the
meanings of His greatness. This is because He doesn`t use to
96
show Himself to everybody, but only to the ones who clean up

their own cogitation.
9. So is due to walk daily as we would present us before
God. This is because Prophet Hosea says: “Guard the mercy
and the judgment and get close to your God always”. And
Malachi says as from the part of God: “The son honors the
father and the servant the master; and if I am the Father,
where`s My honor? And if I`m the Master, where`s My fear? says
the all-keeper Lord”. The Apostle says also him: “Let`s clean
ourselves up of all the defilement of the body and of the ghost”.
And the Wisdom says: “Guard you heart with all the guarding,
for out of this is the exit of the life”. At last, the Lord Jesus
Christ said: “Clean the inward part of the cup, to be clean also
the outward one”.
10. The meaningless speaking sometimes causes to us
the hatred of the listeners, and some other times also laughing,
those ones defaming the stupidity of the words; others, the
defilement of the conscience and again others, the damnation
from God and the sadness of the Holy Ghost, which is more
fearsome than the other things.
11. The one who cleans his heart and uproots the sin,
into the Lord, and the one who labors for a more godlike
knowledge and sees in the mind the things unseen by many, he
must not exalt himself for this thing before somebody. This is
because nothing in cleaner amongst the built ones than the
bodiless one, nothing has more knowledge than the Angel. But
by exalting himself, he fell from the sky as a lightning bolt.
Thus the pride of the thought was reckoned by God
uncleanness to him. And the ones who dig out the gold, are
being shown144.
12. The Apostle says: “The one who lives in ascesis, he
restrains himself from everything”, because it isn`t possible that
the ones tied to this weighing body, which always lusts against
the ghost, to arm itself against the principalities and the unseen
and malevolent powers, with the satiation of foods. This is
because the Kingdom of God isn`t food and drink. And “the
thought of the body is enmity against God; for it doesn`t obey to
the law of God, and neither can”. And it is obvious that it can`t
144
In the Manuscript of the Romanian Academia the end of this head is the following:
“Because also the one into stupidity obeys to the Lord, he does the good. And shown are the
ones who dig out the gold”. And at the marginal note: “search in the head 144 of Abba
Makarios”.
97
because it is earthly and mixed with wort, with blood and with
burning’ and always hanging downwardly, it is always full of
passions of the earthly ones and it sweetens itself with the
destroyer pleasures of this eon. This is because the thought of
the body is death. And the ones who are into body they cannot
be pleasant to God.
13. The ones who take care of guarding the mind into the
Lord, we need much humbleness, first towards God and then
towards people. In every way and in all directions we a indebted
to break our heart, by searching for everything that humiliates
it. And the heart is broken and humbled by the memory of our
first life into world, if we do this thoroughly. The memory of all
the sins from childhood, regarded again into mind, according to
their image (except the bodily ones, because their memory is
damaging), it humiliates and gives birth to tears and it moves
us towards giving thanks to God, out of the whole heart;
likewise also the ceaseless and alive memory of the death. This
one also gives birth to crying, mixed with some sweetness and
joy, as the watchfulness of the mind also gives birth. Powerfully
humiliate the thought and makes us seeing the sin also the
remembrance of the passions of our Lord Jesus Christ, being
them also regarded by the memory according to their image.
They also cause tears. Besides these ones also humiliate the
soul the many benefactions of God, the ones towards us,
counted and regarded according to their kind, once our fight is
against the pride devils.
14. Do not reject, out of bodily love for the self, these
savior medicines of the soul, for otherwise you`re no longer the
disciple of God, neither the follower of Paul, who says: “I`m not
worthy to be called Apostle”, or: “The one who was blasphemer
before, persecutor and mocker”. See, you the pride one, the
Saint, how he doesn`t forget his life from before? And all the
Saints, from the beginning of the world until today, they put on
this last holy thick and long coat of God. And our Lord Jesus
Christ Himself, being not-comprised God, unknown and
unspoken, wanting to show the way of the eternal life and of the
holiness, He put on the humbleness all over His body. Thus the
holy humbleness must be rightly called also godlike
humbleness and commandments and godlike coat. In this
virtue toil and are guarding it also the Angels and all those
shining and godlike Powers, knowing with what falling fell
satan, by being proud. And as fearsome example of falling, to
98
the Angels and to the people, let be the cunning one, which lays
in deep, being shown by God more lacked of honor than the
entire creation, due to its pride. But we also know with what
falling fell also Adam due to the pride. Therefore by having
these examples urging towards this useful to the soul virtue,
let`s always humble ourselves in all the ways. By using them,
let`s humble on ourselves with the whole power with the soul
and with the body, with the thought and with the will, in words,
in thoughts and in countenance, outward and inward. Let`s
search for this one as much as we can, to not have Jesus Christ
against us, the Son of God, Who gave on Himself for us. This is
because “the Lord stays against the proud ones, and to the
humble ones He gives them grace”; and “Unclean is to the Lord
everyone who exalts on himself with the heart”, and “the ones
who humbles on himself, he will be exalted”. |Learn from Me,
He says, for I am meek and lowly in heart”. That`s why, let`s
take heed.
15. “See, says our Savior, to not become your hearts
heavy”… and the followings; and “the one who lives in ascesis,
he restrains himself from everything”. Therefore by knowing
that all these ones were said by the Holy Scripture towards us,
lets` spend our life with restraint, first of all from the much
food; let`s habituate the body with a virtuous order, giving to
food to it with measure. Thus the throbs of his lusting part will
be appeased and they will obey to the governing rationality,
and, it we must say the whole truth, also of the wrath. But we
will easily retain ourselves also from the other mistakes.
Besides, this ones is also reckoned as virtue by the ones who
have experienced the virtue: the all-comprising restraint,
namely the retaining from all sorts of evil. This is because firstly
the cause of the cleanness is God, the One who causes and
Who gives all the goods; then the measured restraint, equal and
on a daily basis, from much food.
16. As satan, by resisting against God, to not do His will,
namely the commandments, it wages war to God through us,
through whom it tries to overthrow His will, likewise God wants
that also through us to be fulfilled His most-holly will, namely,
as I said, the godlike and life-maker His commandments,
overthrowing through us and through His help the destroyer
plan of the cunning one. The vain will of the enemy, which
reckons to resists to God, by determining the people to
transgress His commandments, God, scatters it again through
99
the human helplessness. And to be you seeing that it is right

so: all the commandments of the godlike Gospel aim to correct
the three parts of the soul and to heal them through what they
command. Better said, they don`t just aim that, but they truly
make them healthy. So to these three parts of the soul the devil
wages war day and night. And if satan wages war to these three
parts,, it is obvious that it wages war to the commandments of
Christ. This is because through commandments Christ sets up
laws to these three parts of the soul, namely to the wrath, to the
lust and to the rationality. Look at this: “The one who gets
angry on his brother vainly, he will be guilty to the judgment”,
and the other commandments which follow. Through these ones
He heals the wrath. And the enemy tries to break this
commandment and the ones related to it inward, through
thoughts of strife, or remembrance of the evil and through
thoughts of envy. This is because the enemy knows also that
the adviser of the wrath is the rational part, and that`s why by
shooting arrows, as I said, to wound the rationality with
thoughts of suspicion, of envy, of strive, of quarrel, of
cunningness, of vain glory, it convinces it to leave it place of
master and to surrender the bridles to the wrath, letting it
without helmsman. And the wrath, rejecting the helmsman, it
bring out through the mouth, in words, the ones which have
been placed before into heart, crowded there through the
thoughts of the enemy and through the carelessness of the
mind, allowing to be seen then that the heart, instead of being
full of the godlike Ghost and og godlike thoughts, it is full of sin,
as the Lord said: “Out of the fulness of the heart it speaks the
mouth”. This is because if the cunning one will succeed to bring
out in words the ones which are cogitated inside, the tormented
by hatred brother won`t say to his brother only “raca” and
“insane”, but from words of mockery he will often fall also to
murder. And the cunning one uses this, because God gave the
commandment to not get ourselves angry vainly. And it would
have been possible to not reach at words of mockery and at the
ones which follow to them, if immediately from the bait it would
have been banished away those ones from the heart, through
prayer and the attention from inward. Thus the cursed one it
reaches its goal, if the ones snaked by it in the heart, it find one
which disregards the godlike commandment.
17. But which are the ordered ones regarding the lusting
part, through the godlike commandment of the Lord? “The one
100
who looks at woman towards lusting her, he has already

committed adultery with her in his heart”. By seeing the
cunning one also this commandment, it throws at the man
some sort a net against the commandment. This is because this
one by taking the man far from the matter which kindles him,
the cunning one causes the birth of the inward war. And thus
one can see into the mind, depicted by it, images and
imprinting of fornication, and one can hear words which are lit
towards passion, and other things which are known to the ones
who have the experience of the mind.
18. Which is then the commandment which urges the
rational part? “And I am saying to you do not swear at all, but
you word to be: yes and no”; or: “The one who doesn`t reject
everything to follow Me, he is not worthy of Me”; or: “Enter the
narrow gate”. These are the commandments regarding the
rational part. Therefore the enemy again, wanting to catch the
best general, which is the rationality, it brings the general out of
his minds and from governing through thoughts of
covetousness of the belly and carelessness. And by laughing at
him as of a drunken general, the devil uses, through anger and
lust, the wills of the general, as they would be its own servants.
And these powers, namely the lusting part and the wrath, let
loosed by rationality, and they use the five senses of ours, as
some servants, for committing sin in plain sight. These are the
fallings. Then also the eyes are spying, not having the mind
which to tie them up inside, and the hearing loves to hear vain
things, and the smell becomes drowsy, and the mouth is
unrestraint, and the hands touch what they mustn`t. To these
ones it follows the injustice instead of the justice, the insanity
instead of wisdom, the intemperance instead of temperance, the
slavery instead of manhood. This is because these are the four
general virtues: the righteousness, the wisdom, the temperance
and the manhood. And the three parts when well governed they
stop the senses from the inappropriate ones. And thus the mind
by having quietude, once its powers are governed according to
God and obey to Him, they fight with manhood in the mental
(intelligible) war. But is the mind`s powers are troubled, out of
inattention, being defeated by the attacks of the cunning one, it
transgresses the godlike powers. And to the transgression it
surely fallows the corresponding repentance, or the damnation
in the age to come. Therefore it is good that the mind to be
always awaken, through what, by becoming usual in the
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according to the nature mind`s order, it becomes the true

defender of the godlike commandments.
19. The soul is surrounded and fenced with walls by the
ghosts of the evilness and tied with the chains of the darkness,
not being able, due to the darkness from around, to pray as he
would want. This is because he is secretly tied, being blind with
the inward eyes. Therefore when the soul will start to pray to
God and to take vigil through prayer, he will be delivered
through prayer from darkness, because otherwise he can`t be
delivered. Then the soul can know the fact that inside, into
heart, there is another fight and another hidden resistance and
another war, of the thoughts of the evilness. This fact is
confessed also by the Saint Scriptures, by saying: “If the ghost
of the one who masters upon yourself will climb up, do not
leave your place”. And the place of the mind is its firm
steadfastness into virtue and the watchfulness. This is because
there is steadfastness both into virtue and into the sin. This is
because he says: “Blessed is the man who didn`t walk in the
advice of the faithless ones and in the way of the sinners he
didn`t stay”145. And the Apostle says: “Stand, therefore, girdling
your waists into truth”.
20. Let`s hold ourselves on Christ with strength, to
receive This One we who ceaselessly war out of our soul, and for
Jesus to not leave, being in the place of the soul many
thoughts. But without the labor of the soul, we cannot hold Him
strongly. Let`s touch His live into body, for spending our life
into humbleness, and let`s grab His passions, for enduring our
troubles, by craving Him. Let`s taste His unspoken and tolerant
to us oikonomia, for out of the tasting of the sweet soul to know
that “good is the Lord”. But above all these, or even before all of
them, let`s doubtlessly believe in Him and in what He says.
Let`s wait on a daily basis for His taking care which comes to
us, and when is happens to come, let`s receive it with thanks
giving, with embracing and with zeal, to lean to look only at
God, Who governs everything through the godlike rationalities
of the wisdom. And when we will do all of these, we won`t be far
from God is the awe is endless consummation, as someone of
145
Psalms: 1: 1: KJB: “BLESSED is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”; ROB: “Blessed is
the man, who didn`t walk in the advice of the faithless ones, and in the way the sinners he
didn`t stand, and of the stool of the blasphemers he didn`t sit.”
102
the bearer of God fathers and consummated with the ghost

said146.
21. The one who redeems his life well, occupying himself
with the though and with the remembrance of the death, and
wisely stealing his mind from passions, he uses to see
immediately the coming of the devilish baits, nimbler than that
one who decided to spend his life without the death`s thought.
This one wanting to clean his heart only for the sake of the
knowledge and not saving it through a saddening thought,
sometimes imagining that he masters through skillfulness all
his destroyer passions, he is being tied, without knowing it, by
the worst of all of them and he often falls, not having God, in
pride. This one must strongly take vigil, lest, becoming haughty,
to lose his minds. This is because, as Paul says, the souls
which gather the knowledge from here and there, they use to
boast themselves towards the ones whom they reckon smaller.
In these souls I believe that there isn`t even a spark of the
building love. And the one who thinks with perseverance at
death, by seeing the devils` rushing in, nimbler than the ones
who doesn`t do like this, he casts them out banishing them.
22. The joyful remembrance of God, namely of Jesus, it
uses to scatter with the wrath of the heart and with the savior
frowning (quarrel), all the spells of the thoughts, the meanings,
the words, the hallucinations, the dark images, and, simply
speaking, all the means through which the destroyer fiercely
fights, trying to swallow souls. And the called Jesus, He burns
up all of them easily. This is because in nothing else stays our
salvation but into Jesus Christ. This was said by the Savior
Himself: “Without Me you can do nothing”147.
23. Therefore let`s guard with all guarding our heart an
every hour, even in the smallest instant, against the thought
which darken the soul`s mirror, in which use to imprint Himself
and to be depicted luminously Jesus Christ, the wisdom and
the power of God the Father. And let`s ceaselessly search inside
the heart for the Kingdom of Heavens, for the grain of mustard,
146
It is about John Climacus G.P. 88, 1148 C; likewise of Isaac the Syrian, word 55, About
Passions, Ascetic Word, Athens, 1895, p. 220.
147
you are the offshoots. The one who remains into Me, also I into Him, that one brings forth
much fruit, for without Me you cannot do anything.”
103
for the pearl and for the dough, and all the other ones we will
find them out mysteriously, if we will clean up the eye of the
mind. That`s why our Lord Jesus Christ said: “The Kingdom of
Heavens is inside you”, showing the godhead which is inside the
heart.
24. The watchfulness luminously cleans up the
conscience, and this one, by being cleaned it bursts
immediately as a great light which was before covered, now
banishing the great darkness. And the darkness by being
banished away, the conscience, through ceaseless and true
watchfulness, unveils at its turn the ones which move
themselves in hidden. And through the mind it learns with
watchfulness the unseen fight and the mental war (intelligible),
how it must throw with the spear in the man-to-man fight and
to hit the target with sharp thought and to avoid to be hit the
mind, by taking shelter next to Christ from the lances` pricking
and wanting the light instead of the damaging darkness. The
one who has tasted the light he understand what I`m saying.
The tasting of the light it hungers even more the soul which
nourishes itself with it, and this soul won`t ever be satisfied
again, but the more he eats the more he becomes hungry, the
light attracting the mind like the sun attracts the eyes. This
thing cannot be explained, because it isn`t explained through
word, and, speaking more truly, the experience of the one who
suffers it or is pricked, it commands me to be quiet. But the
mind wants to delight itself by speaking about the things told in
the words: “Aim the peace, all of you, and the holiness, without
which, nobody will see God”148. It is about achieving the love
and the cleanness, because these ones are the peace and the
holiness.
25. We must arm the wrath only against the devils, which
persecute us through thoughts and only against them we must
anger ourselves. And the sort of the war of anytime of inside us,
listen to it and accomplish it, unite your prayer with the
watchfulness, because the watchfulness cleans up the prayer,
and the prayer it cleans the watchfulness. This is because the
watchfulness, by uninterruptedly looking, it knows the ones
who enter. And by impeding a little their entering, it calls the
148
Hebrews: 12: 14: KJB: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord:”; ROB: “Search for the peace and for the holiness, without which, nobody
will see God.”
104
Lord Jesus Christ for help, to banish away the cunning

enemies. And the prayer impedes them by resisting against
them. And the called Jesus He banishes the devils together with
their hallucinations.
26. Guard your mind with much zeal inside. And when
you catch a thought, immediately resist against it and call
Christ for its banishing. And the sweet Jesus, when you are still
speaking, He will speak to you: Behold, I`m here, to help you.
And you, after all these enemies have been soothed out,
through prayer, take again heed to the mind. This is, behold
again, because other waves, much more than before, rush in
and the soul floats on them. But again, Jesus, waked up by the
disciple, He rebukes, as a God, the evil wind. And rejoicing of a
pause from the evil thoughts, either of an hour, or of an instant,
you extol the One Who saved you and think at death.
27. Let walk with the whole attention of the heart into the
feeling of the soul. This is because the taking heed and the
prayer, accompanying each other daily, they move themselves
like the Elijah`s chariot of fire, making lighter and carrying the
ones who impart himself of them, in the height of the sky. But
what am I saying? The one who has achieved the watchfulness,
or who strives himself to achieve it, he has made himself as
happy heart and mental (intelligible) sky, with sun, moon and
stars, and chamber of the not-comprised God, on the basis of
the sight and of the mysterious ascension. That one must
reckon to bring Praise to God for the godlike virtue, passing,
with the help of God and with zeal, the words into deeds. By
impeding with some forcing the give senses which he knows
that they are damaging to the soul, he makes easier to his mind
the fight and the war of the heart. Therefore banish all the ones
from outside through the thoughts which you know, and wage
war to all the thoughts born by them inside, through the
godlike bodiless craftsmanship. Banish away the pleasures with
the labor of the watchfulness. Be restrained regarding the foods
and drinks and make you body thin enough, to make the war of
the heart easy to you, helping through this on yourself, and not
to somebody else. Punish the soul with the thought of the
death, and with the remembrance of Jesus Christ gather your
scattered mind. This is because during the nights the mind is
lightened more by the bright sights of God and of the godlike
ones.
105
28. Let`s not reject either the labors of the bodily ascesis.
This is because out of earth rises the wheat up, and out of these
ones rises up the spiritual joyfulness and the experience of the
good ones. And let`s also not to disregard the conscience which
speaks to us about the savior ones and about the ones which
we must do, which ceaselessly tells to us about our duties;
especially when it happens to be cleaned up by the working and
thin watchfulness of the mind. This is because then it uses to
bring forth thoughtful and doubtless judgments for its
cleanness. That why we mustn`t disregard it; because it
foretells inside the pleasant to God life and mercilessly rebukes
the soul. And when the thought is stained with sins, the
conscience shows the way of correcting the mistake, by urging
the heart which has done that mistake to repent, showing to it
the medicine through a conquering speech.
29. The smoke, which comes out from woods, it is hard to
the eyes, but it shows light to them and delights the ones whom
it saddened before. Likewise the attention, which ceaselessly
looks, it produces heaviness, but by coming into prayer, the
called Jesus, He lightens the heart. This is because His
remembrance brings, in the same time with the lighting, the
most part of the good things.
30. Our enemy uses to disturb our mind and to eat dirt
and to invite us together with that one. He wants that the image
of God to crawl himself on the belly. That`s why God says:
“Enmity I will put between you and him” 149. Due to this reason
we must always breath God, for through this to pass over each
day unwounded by the burning arrows of the devil. “I will cover
him, He says, for he knew My name”; and again: “Close is to the
ones who fear Him, His salvation”.
31. The blessed Apostle, the vessel of the choosing, who
speaks into Christ, having a great experience of the inward and
mental (intelligible) war, which is unseen to us, he writes to
Ephesians: “It is not our fight against the body and the blood,
but against the principalities, of the masteries, of the chieftains
of the dark of this age, of the ghost of the evilness and into the
heavenly ones”150. And Apostle Peter says: “Stay awake, and
149
Genesis: 3: 15: KJB: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”; ROB: “Enmity
I will put between you and woman, between your seed and her seed; she will crush your head
and you will prick her heel.”
150
Ephesians: 6: 12: KJB: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
106
take vigil, for our adversary walks like a lion, searching for
whom to swallow, to which you stay against, strong in faith” 151.
And our Lord Jesus Christ, speaking about the diverse
dispositions of the ones who listen to the words of the Gospel,
He says: “And then comes the devil and takes the word from the
heart”, namely committing the theft through the evil
forgetfulness, “lets, by believing, to be they saved” 152. And the
Apostle says again: “For I rejoice myself into the inward man
with the law of God, but I see another law waging war against
my mind and enslaving me”153. They said all of these to teach us
and to make us know the forgetfulness.
32. The knowledge uses to make haughty, making the
man to imagine that he is above many, if he is without the
blaming of the self and humbleness. Let`s thing therefore like
the ones who have the knowledge of the helplessness, listening
to the one who says: “Brothers, I do not reckon myself to have
arrived yet; but I know one thing: the ones from behind
forgetting them and towards the one from ahead stretching
myself, I am running to the target, towards the crown of the
calling from above of Jesus Christ”154. And again: “I am running
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places.”; ROB: “For our fight is not against the body and against the
blood, but against the principalities, against the masteries, against the masters of this age,
against the ghosts of the evilness, which are in the sky.”
151
I Peter: 5: 8-9: KJB: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: // Whom resist stedfast in the faith,
knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.”;
ROB: “Be you awake, take vigil. You adversary, the devil, walks, roaring like a lion,
searching for whom to swallow, // To which you stay against, strong in faith, knowing that the
same sufferings endure also your brother into world.”
152
Luke: 8: 12: KJB: “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and
taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.”; ROB: “And
the one from besides the road are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and take the
word out of their heart, lest, by believing, to be saved.”
153
Romans: 7: 22-23: KJB: “For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: // But I see
another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into
captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.”; ROB: “For, after the inwards man, I
rejoice myself of the law of God; // But I see in my limbs another law, fighting against my
mind and making me servant of the sin`s law, which is in my limbs.”
154
Philippians: 3: 13-14: KJB: “13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this
one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things
which are before, // I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus.”; ROB: “Brothers, I do not reckon to have conquered it yet, // But one I am doing:
forgetting the ones which are behind me, and tending toward the ones from ahead, I am
107
like this, not like without target, and I am fighting like this, not
like one punching the air, but I am obeying and I am
restraining my body, lest, preaching to others, to prove myself
untried”. Do you see how much humbleness united with the
running towards virtue at Saint Paul, the so great one? Christ,
he says, came into the world to save the sinners “among which
the first one I am”. Therefore, it is not needed to humiliate
ourselves, if the scarcity of the nature is characteristic to us,
because what is more unimportant the dust? We must
remember of God, if for this thing we have been created, but to
strive ourselves also with the restraint, to be us running lightly
into the Lord.
33. The one who has surrendered on himself to the evil
thoughts, it is impossible to him to clean on himself from sins
according to the outside man. And if the evil thoughts haven`t
been plucked out from the heart, it is impossible to not be
shown in deed. The cause of the fornicator look it stays in the
fornication and in the darkening of the inward eye. And the
cause of the lust of hearing shameful things it stays in that that
the ears of the soul listen to what the shameless devils from
inside whisper against us. Therefore we are indebted in the
Lord, to clean on ourselves inside and outside and to guard
each of our senses and to clean them on each one individually,
of the passionate works and of mistakes. And as before, when
into our nescience we have been living in the world in the vanity
of our mind, we have been serving with the whole mind and
with the senses to the delusion of the sin, likewise now, after we
have moved ourselves to that life according to God, let`s serve
with the whole our mind and with the senses to the living and
true God, and to the righteousness and to the will of God.
34. First is the attack (the bait), then the accompanying,
then the consent (the agreeing), then the enslaving, and then
the passions combined with habituation and continuity. Behold
the victory of the war wages against us. Likewise state the Holy
Fathers.
35. The attack, they say, it is the simple thought, or the
image of the thing recently born into the heart, which it shows
itself to the mind. The accompanying it consists in the dialogue
with what has appeared, either with passion, or without
passion. The consent is the joyful agreeing of the soul with what
running to the target, to the rewards of the calling from above, of God, into Jesus Christ.”
108
has appeared. The enslaving is the forcedly and unwillingly

taking of the heart, or the assertive and destroying mixing of
our best state, with the respective thing. And the passion is
what is nested from a long time with addiction into the soul.
Amongst all of these, the first one is without sin: the second
one, not always; the third one, according to the state of the one
who fights. And the fight is cause either of crowns or of
punishments.
36. The enslaving is done in a different manner during
the prayer, and in a different manner when we don`t pray. And
the passion is submitted, doubtlessly, either to the adversary
repentance, or to the future labors. Consequently, the ones who
resists, or does not obey to the beginning, namely to the attack,
has cut at once all the evil things which follow. This is the fight
of the cunning devils against the monks and against the ones
who aren`t monks. This is the defeat and the victory, as I`ve
said. And out of victory there come either the crowns, or the
punishments for the ones who wronged and didn`t repent
themselves. Let`s therefore fight with the mind against them, to
not bring to sensitive deeds their evil wills, but by cutting off
from the sin the heart, let`s find inside us the Kingdom of
Heavens. Let`s guard the cleanness of our heart and the
steadfast repentance (pricking) towards God, through this most-
beautiful work.
37. Many among the monks they don`t know the delusion
of the mind which comes from devils. They occupy themselves
with the doing, but they don`t take care of the mind. Being
simple and not instructed, they float in their life without
tasting, I reckon, the cleanness of the heart, totally ignoring the
darkness of the passions from inside. Therefore, all the ones
who don`t know the fight about which Paul is speaking, and
who aren`t imbued by good through trying, they reckon as
being fallings only the sins with the deed, not taking in account
of the defeats and the victories with the thought. This is
because neither the sight can see them, being hidden and
known only by God, the Ruler of the fight and to the conscience
of the one who fights. To these ones I reckon that it was said
the word from the Scripture: “And they set up peace, but there
wasn`t peace”. So, there are amongst brothers, out of simplicity,
some ones like this. They want and they strive as much as they
can to shun on themselves from the deeds with the work. But
109
into the ones who have the desire to clean the sight of their
soul, there is another work of Christ and another mystery.
38. The limpid remembrance of the death it truly
comprises many virtues. It gives birth to the crying, it urges to
the restraint from everything, it remembers about Gehenna, it
is the mother of the prayers and of the tears, it is the guarding
of the heart, the lack of earthly passion, gushing up of
understanding and right reckoning, of whose fruits are the
twofold fear of God and the cleaning of the passionate thought
out of the heart. It comprises therefore many commandments of
the Lord. Through it, the heavy war of each hour it is seen,
which worries many amongst the fighters of Christ.
39. A happening or a upset which comes suddenly, it
saddens, and not a little, the attention of the cogitation. By
getting the mind out of the high preoccupation, virtuous and
good, it deviates the mind towards sinful quarrels and strife.
And the cause of this our lost it consists in the fact that we
aren`t careful with what it happens to us.
40. We won`t be defiled and we won`t be saddened by any
of the upsets which come daily, once we will know and will
cogitate this always. That`s why the godlike Apostle Paul says:
“I am content into helplessness, into mockery and into needs”;
and: “All the ones who want to live with good honoring into
Christ Jesus, they will be persecuted”. His to be the glory,
forever, Amen.
110
John the Carpathian

Regarding the time when John the Carpathian lived, the
opinions were divided. Now it is almost surely reckoned that he
lived in the V Century and he was bishop of the Karpathos
Island from Dodecanese (between Rhodes and Crete), according
to the title given to him by more manuscripts of his work155.
A John, bishop of Karpathos, is signs the papers of the
Synod III of Constantinople from 680 156. Before being bishop, it
seem that he had a monastic life in one of the island`s
monasteries.
Some of the manuscripts, like also Nicodemus the
Hagiorite, they call him a Saint.
155
O. Bardenhewer, Geschichte der altkirchl. Literatur, V. Band, 1932, p. 83.
156
Ιωάννης ελέω Θεου επισκοπος της Καρπαθίων νήσου δρίσας υπέγραψα. (John the
Carpathian, the Bishop of God, I Have Signed (E. l. t.`s n.)) Mansi, Amplissima collection
conciliorum, 1901, tome 11, col. 653 E, 693 E.
111
The writing comprised in the Greek Philokalia 157 and

which we give in the present volume, it is mentioned by
Photius158.
According to Photius the writing comprised 100 heads.
Also in 100 heads it is divided in the most known manuscripts
(except the address). In codice Parisinus, Greece, 1166 (XI th
Century), which served as basis of the edition of Nicodemus the
Hagiorite, it comprises 101 heads (except the address). But the
last head it seems not being part of the hundred`s body, having
a different title, a unity of itself and a disproportionate big
length in comparison to the other heads (if would form about a
sixth of the hundred). It is an apart piece which probably has
been sent together with the hundred to the same monks, as
answer to a more particular question of one of them 159.
Besides this writing, John the Carpathian has one more.
It bears various titles. In some manuscripts it is called:
“Theological and Gnostic Heads”, in others: “Practical Heads”,
and again in others: “Heads about the Unborn One and about
the Born Ones, about Good and Beautiful, Practical Ascetic
Science”160. This writing is not mentioned by Photius. Disdier
157
Volume I, Second Edition, p. 165-181. The text from the Greek Philokalia is reproduced in
Migne, G.P. 85, col. 1837-1860, namely at the end of the volume no. 85, because the editors
of this collection knew the Greek Philokalia only after they had almost finished this volume.
The title from the Philokalia and from Migne is: Προς τους εν τη Ινδία μοναχους
παρακλιτικόσ (To the Monks from India (E. l. t.`s n.)) (G.P. 103, 673 A).
158
Photius calls it: Προς τους από Ινδία προτρέφαντας παρακλιτικόσ (To the Monks from
India towards Strengthening (E. l. t.`s n.)) . Is was translated in Lating language by Pontanus
and published at Ingolstadt in 1654, at the end of the work entitled Dioptra of Philip the
Sloitary. The text of this translation it is reproduced in Migne 85, col. 791-826.
159
Th, Didier, Jean le Carpathos, L`homme, lòeuvre, la doctrine spirituelle, in Echos
DÒrient, 1932, July – September, p. 284-303. Disdier combat the opinion of L. Petit (Dict.
De Théol. Cath. T. VII,, Paris, 1924, col. 753-4) that this piece would form the head 100 of
the writing of John the Carpathian. Petit has formulated this opinion through deductions from
the Latin text of Pontanus from Migne. In that text are missing the heads 3, 33, 58, 100, and in
the head 18 (Lat.) are concentrated the heads 19 and 20 (Greek). To the 95 remaining heads,
Pontanus added the respective piece numbered in two heads: 96 and 97. So he obtained 97
heads. But even Pontanus says in a note, that the Greek text of the codice used by him
(Monac. 498, sec. 10) it has a the beginning of the heads 97-97 a new title (G.P. 85, col. 810).
Petis inexactly said that to his translation are missing 4 heads and he didn`t observe that the
heads 19-20 are concentrate in one head. Therefore, after he obtained 99 heads, he could say
that the heads 96 and 97 would make whole the hundred as the 100 head.
If in the title of this piece it is said that it completes the 100 heads (συναποπληρων
(cohabitants (E. l. t.`s n.)), Greek Philokalia, p. 178))), this doesn`t necessarily mean that it
makes whole the 100 heads as the 100th one, but that it is added to the 100 ones.
160
“Κεφάλαια θεολογικά τεκ αί γνωστικά” (Theological and Gnostic Heads (E. l. t.`s n.));
“Πρακτικα κεφάλαια (Practical Heads (E. l. t.`s n.)); “Κεφάλαια περι αγγεννήτου και
112
says that it is more interesting than the first one, though it

hadn`t the same prevalence. It is also called Centuria, but it has
more than 100 heads. (In some manuscripts there are 115, in
other 116 and again in others 114). This writing hasn`t been
edited yet in the original text, but also in a imperfect and
incomplete translation of Pontanus161.
It has been said that the ideas from these two writing are
very close to the ones of Saint Maximos the Confessor 162. It
doesn`t seem like so to us. They are rather much related to the
ideas of Hesychios and Philoteos the Sinaite, belonging to the
same spiritual family. His main preoccupation is the same:
watchfulness and the prayer of Jesus. He uses also the image of
the Oxiptericx bird, as Hesychios does. The writing of John the
Carpathian has the same alive, direct applying to the spiritual
life. Often the author knows to adapt in a new shape images
taken from the Psalms. For instance the passionate thoughts
from cogitation are compared to a wall, which the mind must
cross it over through a great effort (Heads about Comforting, no.
5). His definitions are often surprising through the novelty of a
certain nuance, even if the general idea we have found it also at
Saint Maximos. Thus, John the Carpathian also mentions the
three kind of knowledge: the practical one, the natural one and
the theological one. But “the men of the first one can become
doctors and magistrates; the ones of the second one angels (and
the purpose of the men`s nature is more fitted to this one than
to the first one); of the third one initiate us in the existential
Word Himself” (Gnostic Heads no. 12, according to the Latin
text). Or: “If we would know how we have made ourselves
through sins, we would understand how God made ourselves
according to the nature” (Gnostic Heads no. 79).
Behold some models of substantial definitions: “The
exaggerate fear of poverty, it gives birth to poverty” (Gnostic
Heads no. 61); “The high opinion about the own science
deprives of science” (Gnostic Heads no. 14); “If the lilies grow up
especially in the valleys, that heart which is made valley
γεννητων και καλου φυσιολογία ασκητή (Heads about Angels and Born and Good Ascetic
Philosophy (E. l. t.`s n.)), cf. Th. Didier, cited work.
161
I was published together with the first writing in the same Dioptira, Ingolstadt, 1954, after
being published for the first time also in Ingolstadt in 1603, together with a translation of 23
words of Simeon the New Theologian. This translation it is reproduces in Migne G.P. 85,
811-826. The text comprises only 97 numbers, but many numbers are repeated for other
heads.
162
Viller-Rahner, cited work, p. 245.
113
through humiliation, it will give birth to the lily” (Gnostic Heads

no. 15).
Of Our Pious Father
John the Carpathian
One Hundred Heads of Comforting,

Towards the Monks from India Who wrote to Him
When some of the ones who come with some request to

the earthly emperors, they bring summer flower to them, not
only they aren`t banished away, but they also receive some
gifts. Therefore also I, at your command, by borrowing from all
quarters one hundred good words and bringing them to you,
who have the living in heavens, I hope to be welcomed and to
receive in exchange, from you, the gift of the prayers.
114
1. As eternal is the Emperor of everybody, not having

either beginning or end, or end of His Kingdom, as bringing of
profit is the diligence of the ones who have chosen to toil on
themselves for virtues. This is because the honors of the
present life, even they would be very bright, they will surely
disintegrate themselves together with this life. But the ones
shared by God to the worthy ones, being given together with the
incorruptibility, they will last forever.
2. The blessed David, making the whole creation to sing
to God, he mentioned about Angels and about all the unseen
Powers, then he descended to earth, because he didn`t want to
stay away either from beats, or from domestic animals, or from
birds, or from crawling animals. This is because he reckoned
that also these ones must worship the Maker through singing,
wanting that everything that was created by Him to bring forth
the same gift. How then will the monk allow to himself – who
resembles to “the gold from Ophir”163, ever to become himself
drowsy, or to become lazy from the song of praising?
3. Like the fire engulfed the pyre, but didn`t burn it,
likewise the ones who received the gift of the lack of passions,
even they would wear a very heavy body and a much kindled
one, the warmth of the body doesn`t disturb and doesn`t defile
by nothing the body and the mind. This is because the voice of
the Lord has detached the flame from the nature. This is
because the will and the word of God has separated the ones
united according to the nature.
4. The moon by growing up and decreasing again, it
shows the state of the man, who here does the good ones and
here he commits sin, then he turns back through repentance to
the virtuous life. Therefore, the mind of the one who wronged, it
has not been lost, as reckon some among you, like the body of
the moon doesn`t shrink, but only its light. Therefore the man
regains to himself again his brightness, through repentance,
like the moon after being decreasing it is again dressed up with
the light. This is because “the one who believes in Christ, even
163
Job: 28: 16-17: KJB: “It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx,
or the sapphire. // The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be
for jewels of fine gold.”; ROB: “It cannot be priced either with the gold of Ophir, nor with the
precious agate, nor with sapphire stones! // Next to it cannot stay either the gold, or the
crystal, and for a vessel of the purest gold it cannot be changed.”
115
he would die, he will be alive”; “and he will know, He says, that

I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do”164.
5. If in your thought will rebel the swarm of the ugly
thoughts and by being weakened you will be defeated, know
that you have been separated for a while from the godlike grace.
That`s why you have also been in the hand of your falling, after
a right judgment. Therefore fight to not be even deprived of
grace, due to your carelessness, even for an instant. And if you
will be able to rise yourself from slipping and to cross over the
wall165 of the passionate thoughts and over the defiled ceaseless
attacks, brought in by the great skillfulness of the enemies, let
you not forget about the gift given to you from above. This is
because the Apostle says: “Not me, but the grace of God, which
is with me”166, he worked such a victory and elevated me from
the defiled thoughts which rose against me, and He delivered
me from the unjust man167, namely from the devil, and from the
former man. For this fact, eased by the wing of the Ghost and
liberated from the burden of the body, I have been able to fly
over the devils which try to hunt and to catch the human mind
with the passion of the pleasure, which they show it to the
mind, and forcedly attracting the mind towards the pleasure.
Consequently, the One Who has brought me out of Egypt,
namely out from the destroyer of soul world, This One is the
One Who, fighting for me with hidden arm, He defeated Amalek,
and He has given to me the hope that the Lord will crush from
our face also the other nations of the indecent passions. This is
our God, Who will give to us wisdom and power (for who are the
ones who by taking wisdom, didn`t take also the power of the
Ghost, for defeating the enemies) “this One will elevate your
164
John: 1: 25; Ezekiel: 28: 10.
165
Psalms: 18: 29: KJB: “For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I
leaped over a wall.”; 17: 32: ROB: “For with You I will be delivered from temptation, and
with my God I will pass over the wall.”
166
I Corinthians: 15: 10: KJB: “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which
was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not
I, but the grace of God which was with me.”; ROB: “But through the grace of God I am what
I am; and His grace which is in me wasn`t in vain, but I labored more than all of them; yet not
me, but the grace of God which is with me.”
167
Psalms: 18: 48: KJB: “He delivereth me from mine enemies : yea, thou liftest me up above
those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.”; 17: 52: ROB:
“From the ones who rise themselves against me, You elevate me, from the unjust man, You
deliver me.”
116
head over your enemies168 and He will give to you wings as of a

dove and, by flying, you will rest yourself to God” 169. The Lord
will put “brass bow in your arms” 170, showing on you strong,
nimble and vigorous against the enemy and stumbling beneath
you all the ones who stay against you 171. Therefore consider the
gift of the cleanness as being from the Lord, giving thanks to
Him that He hasn`t locked you in the hands of your body`s
wills, of the blood and of the corruptible and unclean ghosts,
which entices these ones up, but He has strengthened you with
His right hand. Build an altar to him as Moses did after he
made Amalek to run away. “For this I will confess myself to You,
Lord, and Your name I will sing it”172, extolling Your powers, for
You have delivered from corruptness my life and You have
kidnapped me from the traps and from the arrows of the
cunning, old and with many faces evilness.
6. The cunning devils animate, renew, rise and multiply
in us the filthy passions. And the meditations of the godlike
word, especially the ones which are made with tear shedding,
they kill the passions and scatter them, even if the passions are
old, and those meditations gradually bring the sinful, destroyer
of soul and body things, to a halt. But let`s not become lazy in
persevering to the Lord through not-weakened and fearless
prayer and hope.
7. Why Christ receives praise out of the mouth of the
faithful and innocent children, if not for to be overthrown,
through singing, the enemy and the avenger, which is much
168
Psalms: 27: 6: KJB: “And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round
about me:”; 26: 10: ROB: “And you have lifted me up on a rock. And now, behold, He lifted
my head over my enemies.”
169
Psalms: 55: 6: KJB: “And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly
away, and be at rest.”; ROB: “And I said: Who will give me wings as of a dove, to fly away
and to rest on myself.”
170
Psalms: 18: 34: KJB: “He teacheth my hands to war, so that a bow of steel is broken by
mine arms.”; 17: 37: ROB: “You Who strengthen my hands in time of war, and You have put
brass bow in my arms.”
171
Psalms: 18: 39: KJB: “For thou hast girded me with strength unto the battle: thou hast
subdued under me those that rose up against me.”; ROB: “And you girdled me with power
towards war and You stumbled all the ones who were raising themselves against me.”
172
II Samuel: 22: 50: KJB: “Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the
heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.”; II Kings: 22: 50: ROB: “That`s why I will
praise You amongst peoples and I will give glory to Your name.”
117
oppressing us (enemy of the virtues and avenger of the sin) 173?

Therefore also us, by praising the Lord into the simplicity of our
heart, we will crush and we will overthrow the plots of the
enemy. “For into the abundance of You glory, You crushed the
wars and the enemies who wage war to us”.
8. If somebody is according to his countenance born
without time, it is said that now he eats half of the bodily ones,
and the other half in the future age. This is because “everyone
will eat the fruits of his way”174.
9. The monk owes to choose the most beautiful fasting, to
not let himself enslaved by passion and to take always care of
the fullest quietude (hesychia).
10. The devils, which hate our souls, they give to some
people in the mind to bring some cold praises, and then they
urge us to embrace those praises joyfully. If through this we will
swell ourselves through the high appreciation for the self and
we will make room in ourselves to the vain glory, the enemies
will not hesitate to enslave us.
11. Meet better the one who mocks on you than on the
one who praises you, about whom it has been written that he
doesn`t differ in anything from the one who curses you175.
12. When, striving yourselves for the virtue of the fasting,
you cannot achieve it due to the helplessness, and with the
crushed heart you turn yourself with thanks giving towards
everybody`s care Taker and Judge, the fact itself of giving
thanks to God it will be counted to you 176, only show yourself
always humiliated before God and to not get haughty towards
any man.
13. The enemy, knowing that the prayer is defender to us,
and damaging to him, and striving himself to detach us from
the prayer, he pushes us to the lust of the Hellenes sciences,
from which we have leaved away, and he urges us to occupy
ourselves with these sciences. Let`s not listen to him, lest,
separating ourselves from the laws of our plowing, to gather
173
According to Maximos the Confessor, Answers towards Thalassius, no. 26, in The
Romanian Philokalia, volume III, p. 91.
174
Proverbs: 1: 31: KJB: “Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled
with their own devices.”; Solomon`s Parables: 1: 31: ROB: “They will eat the fruits of their
way and of their own advices they will be fed.”
175
In the Latin translation: “ut scriptum est a Plutarcho” (G.P. 85, 793).
176
The word from “himself” are found only in the Latin translation.
118
instead of figs and grapes, thorns and thistles. “Because the

wisdom of this world it was reckoned insanity by God” 177.
14. “Great joy, he says, I am announcing to you, which
will be for all the people” 178, not only for a part of the people;
and “all the earth to worship You and top sing to You” 179, not
only a part of the earth. And to sing it is not characteristic to
the ones who pray themselves, by asking (sorrowfully begging)
something, but only to the ones who are rejoicing. If it is like
that, let`s not be discouraged, but to cross the life from here
with gladness, cogitating to the joy and to the gladness which
are from Him. But let`s mix the gladness with the godlike fear,
as he says: “Rejoice yourselves into the Lord, with tremble” 180.
This is because even the ones from around Marty ran with fear
and with joy from the tomb, as also us to come out from the
intelligible tomb, with fear and with joy. I wonder to be without
fear, once nobody is without sin, even Moses, or being even the
Apostle Peter. But in some people like these the godlike love,
which has conquered, it gets the fear out in the time of the
exiting.
15. You have the Scripture like proof, that somebody,
even being addicted to passions, if he believes with all his heart
and with humbleness, though he receives the gift of the lack of
passions. For He says: “Today you will be with Me in
Paradise”181; or: “Your faith saved you, go in peace” 182; in the
peace of the most-blessed lack of passions, and the others of
177
I Corinthians: 3: 19: KJB: “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is
written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.”; ROB: “Because the wisdom of this world
is insanity before God, for it is written: “He catches the wise ones in their cunningness.”
178
Luke: 2: 10: KJB: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good
tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.”; ROB: “But the angel said to them: Do not
be afraid. For, behold, I am announcing to you a great joy, which will be for the whole
people.”
179
Psalms: 66: 4: KJB: “All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall
sing to thy name. Selah.”; 65: 3: ROB: “All the earth to worship You and to sing to You, to
sing to Your name.”
180
Psalms: 1: 13: ROB: “Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice yourselves of Him with
tremble.” (the serves 7-14 of the Psalm 1 from ROB are not present in the similar psalm from
KJB).
181
Luke: 23: 43: KJB: “And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be
with me in paradise.”; ROB: “And Jesus said to him: Verily I speak to you, today you will be
with Me in Paradise.”
182
In the Greek Philokalia: “into seed”.
119
this kind; or: “On autumn the grape ripe” 183; or: “Be to you
according to your faith”184.
16. When by hating the passions, we are troubled ever
harder by the shameless thoughts of the devils, let`s lean ever
more on the faith in the Lord, and to make even more fortified
the hope in the promised eternal goods, of which the enemies
strive themselves to deprive us and to estrange us to those
goods, because of their envy. This is because those goods
wouldn`t be so great, the devils wouldn`t burn of such a big
envy against us and they wouldn`t throw arrows on us in the
form of defiled thoughts, believing that they will satisfy their
fury and will push us into despair, through the much and
difficult to bear trouble.
17. Some people say that the doing is the truest
knowledge. Therefore strive yourselves to show your faith and
your knowledge rather through deeds. This is because the one
who boasts himself only with the knowledge, he will hear: “I
confess I know God, but through deeds I deny Him”185.
18. The devil strive themselves to defile the ascetic,
through shameful hallucinations and through the leaking of the
seed, most often in the time of the holydays and of the holy
services, and especially when somebody wants to come close to
the holy mass. But neither through this will they wound or
weaken the one who is accustomed to endure everything with
patience and valor. “Therefore do not praise on themselves
against us the crooked ones like the straight ones” 186.
19. The enemies avenge themselves on your bearing and
zeal, slapping your soul with diverse and unspoken trials. But
out of the many and untold troubles is being weaved your
crown; and “into helplessness is being consummated the power
183
Luke: 7: 50: KJB: “And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.”;
ROB: “And towards the woman He said: Your faith saved you; go in peace.”
184
Matthew: 9: 29: KJB: “Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it
unto you.”; ROB: “Then He touched their eyes, saying: According to your faith, be it to you.”
185
Titus: 1: 16: KJB: “They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being
abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”; ROB: “They confess
that they know God, but with their deeds they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and
to every good thing, unworthy.”
186
I Kings: 20: 11: KJB: “And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that
girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.”; ROB: “And the King of Israel
answered and said: “Say to not praise on himself the one who girdles on himself like the one
who takes the girdle off.”
120
of Christ”187; and in the sad states of the soul it uses to flourish

the grace of the Ghost. “For it emerged to the righteous ones the
light into the darkness”. Let`s only keep the daring and the
praise of the hope strong until the end.
20. Nothing uses to destroy so much the virtue than
laughing at the virtue; and also the mockery and the vain much
speaking. And again, nothing renews so much the outdated
soul and doesn`t make the soul to come close to God than the
fear of God, the good attention, the ceaseless cogitation at the
words of God, the arming with the prayer and the pursuing of
the profit from watchfulness.
21. Much competence and much profit gains the soul if it
endured with strength any trouble, either coming from people,
or from devils, and if it knows that we owe to bear the labors
and to not blame anybody but on ourselves. This is because the
ones who blame others for his troubles, he has slept out from
the right judgment of what it is due.
22. It often happens that, being multiplied the
temptations, the man moves himself away from the chair from
the right side, even if he is zealous, namely to get out from his
order, “all his wisdom and all his craftsmanship being
swallowed”, as the Scripture188 says. This is for not be us
trusting in ourselves and to not praise Israel on itself, by
saying: “My hand has delivered me”. But have hope that you
will be placed again in the beautiful state from before, being
banished and falling from you the cunning one, through godlike
commandment. This is because the devil entices us to look at
and to hear everything with passion and pushes us towards sin.
Shrouding our mind like in a thick fog, he makes our body and
the soul to feel heaviness and an unspoken burden. And the
natural rationality, which is simple and unpretending, like the
recently born children, he makes it complicated and very expert
187
II Corinthians: 12: 9: KJB: “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my
strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”; ROB: “And He said to me: It is
sufficient to you My grace, for My power is being consummated into weakness. Therefore,
very glad, I will praise myself more often into my weaknesses, for the power of Christ to be
dwelling into me.”
188
Psalms: 107: 27: KJB: “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at
their wits’ end.”; 106: 27: ROB: “They were troubled and they were reeling as a drunken man
and all their skillfulness perished.”
121
in all kind of sins, poisoning it and taking it out from its nature
through the leaning in two sides.
23. Great thing is the man who grows inside and
increases in virtues. But this great being is being afraid of sin,
as the elephant of mouse, “lest, after he has preached to others,
he himself to reach at being rejected”189.
24. Not only close to the end of the world will de devil
speak words against the Most High, as the Lord says, but even
now it sometimes happens that it sends through our thoughts
heavy blasphemies towards the sky and it speaks reproaches
against the Most High, against His creatures and against the
Holy Mysteries of Christ. But by staying us on the rock of the
knowledge, we aren`t troubled by these things, neither we
wonder about the daring of the cursed one, but by persevering
into faith and into fiery prayer and by being us imparted by the
help from above, we banish the enemy away.
25. When the soul exits the body the enemy rushes upon
the soul, waging war to it and reproaching it with daring and
making itself bitter and fearsome accuser of the soul for what
the soul did wrong. But then one can see how the loving of God
and most faithful soul, even if it has often been wounded before
by sins, it isn`t afraid by the rushing and by the menaces of the
devil, but the soul strengthens itself even more into the Lord
and it flies full of joy, encouraged by the Holy Powers which lead
the soul, and surrounded as by a wall by the lights of the faith,
shouting at its turn with much daring to the cunning devil:
What is to you and to us, you the estranged one from God?
What is to you and to us, you the fugitive from the heavens and
cunning servant? You don`t have the mastery over us, but
Christ, the Son of God, He has the mastery over us and over
everybody. To Him we have committed sin, to Him we will
answer, having as earnest of His mercifulness on us and of our
salvation, His honored cross. And be you running away from
us, you the destroyer, because nothing is to you from the
servants of Christ. By saying the soul these things with daring,
the devil turns its back, weeping with a loud voice, not being
able to stand against the name of Christ. And the soul being
above, flies upon the enemy, slapping the enemy, as the bird
189
I Corinthians: 9: 27: KJB: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that
by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”; ROB: “But I
torment my body and I submit it to slavery; lest, by preaching to others, I myself to become
unworthy.”
122
called oxypterix (rapidly flying) on the raven. After this the soul
is being brought with gladness by the godlike Angels to the
places decides for the soul, according to its state190.
26. Even a small temptation, if it is allowed, it impedes
the one who strives himself to advance. Let yourself be
convinced by this thing by the echeneida, that so small fish,
which stops only with a touch a very heavy load, impeding that
load to advance. And remember the one who says: “I Paul (the
so great one), I wanted once and again to come to you, but
Satan impedes us”191. But do not be troubled for this, but fight
further through patience and you will have part of grace.
27. One may be very rich in virtues, but if out of
carelessness he deviates from what it is due, the sons of the
bad sunrises of Amalek will rise themselves upon him, and
especially Midian192, the loving of adultery power, together with
their camels, namely with the passionate memories, which are
countless, and they destroy all the fruits of the earth, namely of
the doing and of the all-good habituation. Then Israel becomes
poor and diminishes itself to the soul, and it finds on itself
forced to shout out towards the Lord. And from heavens it is
sent good thought, which imitates Gideon through the much
faith and the humble cogitation. “For my thousand, he says, it
is the most humble in Manasseh” 193, to fight against so many
multitudes with three hundreds of weak men 194 and to
190
This head presents more largely the idea from the head 46 of the Second Hundred, of
Hesychios. Also at Hesychios in the head 26 of the First Hundred we find also the comparison
to oxypterix, but with another meaning. One can see everywhere closeness between John the
Carpathian and Hesychios, but we do not know who used who.
191
I Thessalonians: 2: 18: KJB: “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once
and again; but Satan hindered us.”; ROB: “Therefore we wanted to come to you, especially I,
Paul – once and another times more -, but satan impeded us.”
192
Judges: 6: 33: KJB: “Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the
east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel.”; ROB:
“meanwhile the Midianites, the Amalekites and the inhabitants of the East gathered
themselves together, crossed the rive and settled their camp in Jezreel Valley.
193
Judges: 6: 15: KJB: “And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel?
behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.”: ROB:
“Then Gideon said: “Lord, how to deliver I on Israel? Behold my family is the poorest one of
the tribe of Manasseh, and I am the smallest in the house of my father”. But the Lord said:”
194
Judges: 7: 7: KJB: “And the Lord said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped
will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go
every man unto his place.”; ROB: “Then the Lord said towards Gideon: “With three hundred
who lapped I am going to deliver you and I am going to give the Midianites in your hands,
and the whole other people to go each of them to his place.”
123
wonderfully achieve the victory against the enemies, with the

help of the grace.
28. You won`t be able to step over the scorpion and
dragon, and the other ones, if you won`t receive from God,
through much prayer, defenders Angels, who to lift you up with
their hands and to make you to be above the bodily thought.
29. When somebody, even if he fight powerfully, will be
defeated, let him not become sad and to weaken at all, but by
rising up to encourage on himself with the words of Isaiah:
“Strengthening yourselves you have been defeated, o cunning
devils. Therefore if you will be victorious, you will again be
defeated”; and: “The counsel which you will plan, the Lord will
scatter it, for with us is God, the One Who elevates the fallen
ones and Who makes to be our enemies cut, when we repent
ourselves”.
30. It is possible to the one who is advised through trials,
to pass through them without sadness. But after these trials,
some people like these ones are filled up with much joy, and
with sweet tears and with godlike thoughts, all of them who
cultivated the labor and the troubles in their hearts.
31. Although Isaac wanted to bless, and Esau ran
towards the desire of the blessing, though they didn`t make it.
God had mercy and blessed and anointed into ghost, not on the
one wanted by us, but on the one who He ordered towards
serving before making him. Let`s therefore not be troubled,
neither to be envious when we saw some lamentable and too
small brothers, advancing into virtue. For you have heard also
the Lord saying: “Give you place to this one” 195 to sit higher at
the table. I rather wonder myself about the Judge who judged
so unspeakable wise regarding these things, that the one who is
the smallest and the last one, to be the first one and to advice,
and we who stay before that One with the will and with the
time, to remain behind. Therefore let`s consider each man
according to how the Lord has shared to him. This is because it
has been written: “If in the Ghost we live, in the Ghost to
walk”196.
195
Luke: 14: 9: KJB: “And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man
place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.”; ROB: “And coming the one who
called you and him, he will say to you: Give to this one the place. And then, with shame, you
will go and sit on the lowest place.”
196
Galatians: 5: 25: KJB: “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”; ROB: “If we
124
32. Do not accept ever that the one who is under your
responsibility to say to you: give me for a while the mastery (the
liberty) to prove that or this thing regarding the virtue and I will
succeed. This is because the one who says that, it is proven
that he does his own will and he removes the rules of the best
obedience.
33. The sufferings of the body and of the soul will cease,
as you will see, in time and with the will of God, even if they
have grown much. But the mercy of Christ won`t ever cease.
This is because “the mercy of the Lord, from this age and to the
future age will be over the ones who fear Him”197.
34. The imperial treasuries will be filled up with gold and
the minds of the true monks will be filled up with knowledge.
35. It happens sometimes that the teacher is given
towards dishonor, enduring the trials for the ones who have
profited spiritually from him. This is because “we, he says, are
dishonored and helpless, and you have become honored and
powerful into Christ”198.
36. The passionate thought it is source and cause of the
corruption through the body. But the ones who cultivate the
watchfulness he banishes away from the soul, after mistake
through repentance, but also before the mistake 199. Therefore it
is good if you have wept more, to be taken from your middle the
cunning and indecent thought, which has urged you to do this
thing. Consequently the crying resists against the ghost of the
corruption.
37. Who will announce to the one saddened one due to
the lack of glory and to the helplessness into virtue, that he will
see Jesus, not only in the future, but even from here, coming to
him with power and with much glory, through the lack of
passions? This one will be able to say like Sarah, or like the
soul which became old in fruitlessness and gave birth, against
all expectations, to a son of the righteousness: “laughing made
to me the Lord”, namely he has given to me the greatest joy, to
live in the Ghost, in the Ghost to walk also.”
197
Psalms: 103: 17: KJB: “But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon
them that fear him,”; 102: 17: ROB: “And the mercy of the Lord from age to age towards the
ones who fear Him,”
198
I Corinthians: 4: 10: KJB: “We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are
weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are despised.”; ROB: “We are insane into
Christ; but you, wise into Christ. We are weak, you are powerful. You are into glory, and we
are into dishonor.”
199
The adding from “but” is only in the G.P.
125
me, to that one who was saddened for many years by the
multitude of the passions, or, as another interpreter says:
“delight has made to me God”, namely “my youth has been
twofold like the one of the vulture”. This is because, after I have
grown old into sins and into dishonorable passions, now I have
been born again and I am growing young and I am becoming
tender, I who have become harsh to nature, and now I am
seeing luminously the things from the world, because I have
received again that according to the nature simplicity and lack
of complication, being my mind healed, through the great mercy
of God. My body has become like that one of the Nehemiah the
Syrian, like the one of the children, for I have washed myself in
the Jordan of the knowledge. And through the grace of God I
am living now in a sole mode, being delivered from the will of
the snake and from the swarm of the much knowing and too
material thoughts of the sin, which I have gained before against
the nature.
38. Suppose the Lord says towards you: I have taken
from you for a while this gift and that one, of which you have
been reckoning that your mind if full and can rest itself, and I
have given instead of the taken gifts this and that gift, of the
same price. But you, thinking at the taken ones and not
accepting the ones given instead of those ones, you are gloomy
and grievous and melting of sadness. But by being saddened by
Me you are causing Me joy. Because I sadden somebody with
profit, pursuing rather to save than to lose the one, whom I
have reckoned to be son to Me.
39. Reckon that you command to yourself to not eat fish
and you will see after that, that the enemy relentlessly pushes
you towards lusting fish and you also crave passionately
towards delving with the deed of the forbidden thing, to know
what happened to Adam like a type. This is because, that one
by hearing: only out of this tree to not eat, he mainly ran
towards this forbidden thing with much lust.
40. God saves one through knowledge, and on other ones
through cleanness and lack of evilness. For you owe to know
that God won`t reject the one who is without evilness.
41. The ones who are praying more insistently, those ones
are more troubled200 by fearsome and savage temptations.
200
In the Latin text from G.P.: “they aren`t troubled” (non expugnatur).
126
42. If you have chosen to dress yourself up with the lack

of passions, do not be careless, but force on yourself with all the
power to achieve it. This is because “we sigh, wanting to dress
ourselves up with our dwelling place from heavens” 201, to be the
mortal one swallowed by life, not only bodily, after the end of
the age, but even since here, in a spiritual (intelligible) way, as
earnest. This is because “the death was swallowed into
victory”202, and swallowed will be all the Egyptians who bothers
us, pursuing us in the waves of the power sent to us from
heavens.
43. Do not forget the one who said” I fear “lest, after a
preached to others. I myself to end rejected” 203; and again: “the
one who believes he stands, let him take heed not to fall” 204; and
“You the spiritual one, take heed at yourself, to not be
tempted”205. You do not forget about the falling and the
lawlessness of Solomon, after so much grace. And do not give to
the forgetfulness the unexpected denial of Peter. If you have
forgotten all of these, you will trust your knowledge, you will be
proud with your living, you will praise yourself with the time of
your long ascesis and you will make room to haughtiness.
Therefore do not make yourself careless, o brother, but rather
have fear until the last breath, even if you have reached at the
number of the years of Moses, and pray yourself saying: “Lord,
do not reject me in the time of my old age; when my virtue will
201
II Corinthians: 5: 2: KJB: “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with
our house which is from heaven:”; ROB: “For that`s why we also sigh in this body, wanting
to dress ourselves up with our dwelling place from heavens.”
202
I Corinthians: 15: 54: KJB: “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and
this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is
written, Death is swallowed up in victory.”; ROB: “When this corruptible (body) will be
dressed up in incorruptibility and this mortal (body) will be dressed up in immortality, the will
be the word which is written: “Death has been swallowed by the victory.””
203
I Corinthians: 9: 27: KJB: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that
by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”; ROB: “But I
torment my body and I submit it to slavery; lest, preaching to others, I myself to becomes
worthless.”
204
I Corinthians: 10: 12: KJB: “Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he
fall.”; ROB: “That`s why the one who thinks that he stays steadfastly let him take heed to not
fall.”
205
Galatians: 6: 1: KJB: “BRETHREN, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be
tempted.”; ROB: “Brothers, even if a man will fall in some mistake, you the spiritual ones
correct on one like this with the ghost of the gentleness, taking heed to yourself, to not fall
also you into temptation.”
127
be missing, do not leave me. God, my Savior! In You is my

singing always”206.
44. The lord says to you, like to Matthew: “Follow Me!” 207
Therefore by following with zeal to your much beloved Master, if
your foot will stumble in the path of your life over a passionate
stone and you will unexpectedly fall into sin, or you will slip
and will fall ever for several times, passing through muddy
places, whenever it will happen to you to fall and to be
tormented by the body, each time, follow your Lord with the
same zeal, until you will reach at Him. Thus I have shown to
You into the holy memory, to see the power and the glory which
save me and “in Your name, Lord, I will lift up my hands” 208,
and I will reckon that “I am filled up with tallow and with grease
and my lips will rejoice singing to You” 209. This is because great
thing is to me, that I have the name of Christian, as the Lord
says to me through Isaiah: “Great thing is to you to be called
My son”.
45. On one occasion the Lord says that “The Father will
give the good things to the ones who ask from Him” 210; some
other time that “He will give the Holy Ghost to the ones who are
praying”211. Through these words we understand that the ones
who pray to God, if they strengthen themselves in this thought,
206
Psalms: 71: 9: KJB: “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my
strength faileth.”; 70: 10: ROB: “Do not reject me at the time of the old age; when my
strength will be missing, do not leave me.”
207
Matthew: 9: 9: KJB: “And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named
Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose,
and followed him.”; ROB: “And Jesus departing from there, He saw a man who was sitting at
the customs, with the name Matthew, and He said to this one: Come after Me. And rising up,
he went after Him.”
208
Psalms: 63: 4: KJB: “Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy
name.”; 62: 5: ROB: “Thus I will bless You in my life and in Your name I will lift up my
hands.”
209
Psalms: 63: 5: KJB: “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth
shall praise thee with joyful lips:”; 62: 6: ROB: “As of tallow and of grease to be my soul
satisfied and with lips of joy my mouth will praise You.”
210
Matthew: 7: 11: KJB: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your
children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that
ask him?”; ROB: “Therefore, I you, being evil, you know to give good gifts to your sons, how
much more your Father from heavens will give the good things to the one who ask from
Him?”
211
Luke: 1: 13: KJB: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children:
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”; ROB:
“Therefore if you, being evil, you know to give to your sons good gifts, the more your Father
from heavens will give Holy Ghost to the ones who ask for Him!”
128
they will receive not only forgiveness of sins, but also heavenly
gifts. This is because these good things are promised by the
Lord not to the righteous ones, but to the sinners: “Because if
you, He says, being evil, you know to give good gifts to your
children, how much strongly your heavenly Father will give to
the ones who ask from Him”, the Holy Ghost? Therefore ask
without unhesitatingly and with doubtless thought and you will
take the big and above worthiness ones, even you are
unimportant in the virtuous living and very helpless.
46. How could be convinced the faithless one or the one
who is only a little faithful, that the ant flies and a certain worm
becomes bird and other things also happen into creation, for
rejecting at least on this way the illness of faithlessness and of
the despair, to grow up wings to him and to flourish in him as
in a tree the most-praised knowledge. Because “I am, He says,
the One Who makes green the withered wood and resurrects the
dried bones”212.
47. Let`s not melt down by the cares of the things
necessary to the body, but to believe to God from all our soul,
as a certain wonderful man said: “Trust in the Lord and He will
strengthen you”213, and how the blessed Apostle Peter writes:
“Be temperate and be awake in prayers and all your care throw
it upon the Lord, for He takes care of you” 214. And if you still
doubt and you do not care that He takes care of you to feed
you, take a look to a spider and think at how much the man is
different from the spider. Nothing is weaker that the spider,
neither more without power, for it hasn`t riches, it doesn`t do
overseas trips, it doesn`t sue, it doesn`t become angry, it
doesn`t gather in barns, but it lives its life in perfect gentleness,
temperance and quietude, it doesn`t spy the neighbors` things,
212
Ezekiel: 17: 24: KJB: “And all the trees of the field shall know that I the Lord have brought
down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the
dry tree to flourish: I the Lord have spoken and have done it.”; ROB: “And all the trees of the
field will know that I, the Lord, I make the tall tree small and the small one I make it tall; I
wither the green tree and I make the withered tree green. I, the Lord, have said these.”
213
II Chronicles: 20: 21: KJB: “And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed
singers unto the Lord, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before
the army, and to say, Praise the Lord; for his mercy endureth for ever.”; ROB: “Then he
consulted the people and ordered singer who to sing to the Lord, for, by going these ones out
in holy adornments before the armed ones, to extol and to say: “Give glory to the Lord, for
His mercy is forever!”
214
Peter: 5: 7: KJB: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”; ROB: “Let all
your care to Him, for He takes care of you.”
129
but it only does its own things, and in its occupation it remains
in a peaceful and undisturbed quietude, saying, seemingly, to
the ones who love idleness, only that: “The one who doesn`t
want to work, neither to eat!” It keeps its silence for so long
than it overwhelmingly comes over even to Pythagoras, whom
the Hellenes admire more than all the philosophers, for his
ascesis in restraining his tongue. Pythagoras, even if he wasn`t
speaking to everybody, though he was speaking secretly to the
closest ones and often uttered towards oxen and vultures some
drivel and nonsense; and by totally restraining on himself from
wine, he still used water. But the spider passed the restraint of
the Pythagoras` tongue through the overwhelming and total
silence, and it despises in the same time the wine and the
water. In this peaceful state by living the frail and the
unimportant spider and in no way allowing to itself to go
outside, or to wander here and there according to the whims of
the mind, neither to endlessly toil and work, the Lord, Who
“dwells in the highest and looks towards the humble ones” 215,
(for nothing is more humble than the spider), and stretches to
the spider His taking of care, and daily sends the food close to
the corner of the spider`s net, making to fall in that net the
small flies which the spider needs.
48. But somebody of the ones enslaved by gluttony will
say that he is eating very much and, because he spends much
money, he is forced to entangle himself in the countless
businesses of the life. But let also this one to look at the great
whales, which graze in the Atlantic Ocean, how they are
plentifully nourished by God and they never know what hunger
is. This is because each of them swallows so much food than no
city with many inhabitants is able to daily spend. “All of them,
he says, towards You await, to give them food at the right
time”216. Consequently God is the One Who feeds both the ones
who eats much and the one who eats a little. By hearing these
things let on yourself whole in the care of God and of the faith,
both you who have a large and spacious belly, rejecting on this
215
Psalms: 113: 5: KJB: “Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,”; 112: 5:
ROB: “Who is like our Lord God, the One Who dwells into the highest”
216
Psalms: 104: 27: KJB: “These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in
due season.”; 103: 28: “ROB: “All of them await towards You to give them food at the right
time.”
130
way any world scattering and the much concerned thought, and
“do not be faithless, but faithful”217.
49. If we truly want to be well-pleasant to God and to
make friendship with the most-blessed friendship, let`s present
our mind empty, to God, not dragging with it anything from the
present age, either craftsmanship, or thought, either liar
contraption (sophism), or defense, even if we would have learnt
the whole wisdom of the world. This is because God turns away
from the ones who come close to Him full of high self-
appreciation about themselves and fattened to the swelling by
the vain glory. (This is because as rightly showed some of the
interpreters, the vain self-appreciation as one which it fattens
and it swells).
50. How could we kill the sin, which has taken us into
mastery? Here striving is needed. For the man, he says, toils
into labors and banishes away forcedly the perdition from him,
craving always to ascend towards the holiness of his thoughts.
And to remove through force, it is not forbidden by laws.
Therefore if we set in working the force of a certain striving,
even very weak, and sitting in Jerusalem, namely in ceaseless
prayer and in the other virtues, then we are waiting for the
power which comes from above, it will come to us a powerful
striving, which isn`t working as our weak striving, but it is a
striving which cannot be presented through human lips. It will
overcome with its great power and it will defeat the evil
habituation and the evilness of the devils. It will defeat also our
souls` impulse towards evil, as also will defeat the inappropriate
movements of the body. “And has come, he says, sound from
the sky, as of storm which comes with power”218, to banish away
forcedly the sin which always forces us towards worse.
51. The enemies lays himself in waiting as a lion in its
den and it sets traps and snares of unclean and unfaithful
thoughts. But we also, if we aren`t sleeping, we can set traps
and snares to him, even bigger and more fearsome. This is
because the prayer, the singing, the watchfulness, the
217
John: 20: 27: KJB: “Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my
hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but
believing.”; ROB: “Then He said to Thomas: bring your finger hither and seen My hands and
bring you hand and put it in My side and do not be faithless but believing.”
218
Acts: 2: 2: KJB: “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty
wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.”; ROB: “And from the sky, suddenly,
a rumble came, as of a wind blowing which comes speedily, and filled up the whole house
where they were sitting.”
131
humbleness, the serving of the neighbor, the mercy, the

thanksgiving and the listening to the godlike words, they
become to the enemy traps, snares, ropes and pits in which he
falls.
52. The godlike David, after he advanced very much with
his age, giving thanks to God, Who selected him, he was saying
the last words of the blessing: Now Your servant has found his
heart, to pray this prayer” 219. This was said to teach us that it is
needed much struggle and time in prayers, to find the
untroubled state of the cogitation, as another heaven where
Christ lives, as the Apostle says: “Don`t you know that Christ
lives in you?”220
53. If “Christ made on Himself to us righteousness and
wisdom”221, and the others, it is obvious that He is also our
resting. “Come, He says, to Me you who are tired and burdened
and I will be resting you”222. Rightly has been said, then, that
Saturday, namely the resting, has been made for the man. This
is because only into Christ the mankind reaches at resting.
54. As a glass of the falling and a cup of the anger are, so
is a glass of the helplessness, which, the Lord, by taking it from
us at the right time, it gives it in the hands of our enemies, for
now on, not us but the devils to become weak and to fall.
55. As for the outside things there are moneychangers,
weavers, hunters, warriors and craftsmen, so think at the fact
that for the inward things there are amongst thoughts some of
them which occupy themselves with the gambling, other are
poisoning, other are stealing, other are hunting, others are
defiling, other are killing and so on. To everybody we quickly
219
II Samuel: 7: 27: KJB: “For thou, O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, hast revealed to thy
servant, saying, I will build thee an house: therefore hath thy servant found in his heart to pray
this prayer unto thee.”; II Kings: ROB: “Since You, Lord Savaot, God of Israel, unveiled to
You servant, saying: “I will make a home to you”, then You servant has prepared his heart, to
pray to You with this prayer.”
220
I Corinthians: 3: 16: KJB: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit
of God dwelleth in you?”; ROB: “Don`t you know that you are temple of God and that the
Ghost of God dwells in you?”
221
I Corinthians: 1: 30: KJB: “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”; ROB: “Out of Him,
therefore, you are into Jesus Christ, Who for us made on Himself wisdom from God, and
righteousness, and sanctification and redemption,”
222
Matthew: 11: 28: KJB: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will
give you rest.”; ROB: “Come to Me the tired and the burdened ones and I will be resting
you.”
132
must forbid their entering, through pious resistance and prayer,

and especially to the ones who are defiling, to not defile the holy
place and to soil the man of God.
56. The Lord is stolen towards salvation not only with the
tongue, as did the thief who shouted from on the cross, but also
with the thought. “For was saying in herself the one with blood
issue: if I will only touch even the edges of His cloths, I will be
saved”223; and the Abraham`s servant was speaking to God
about Rebecca, in his thought224.
57. The sin almost pushes on the one who repents
towards God, by giving to him some sort of feeling of his:
stench, burden and madness. But on the one who doesn`t want
to bow towards repentance, the sin doesn`t push him towards
God, but rather keeping him in its power, it ties him with
impossible to be undone chains, making stronger and more
dreadful the lusts of the perdition.
58. Guard yourself against Isabella`s poisons, amongst
which there are especially the thoughts of pride and of vain
glory. And you will be able to defeat these ones with the grace of
God, only by humiliating and abasing the soul and by throwing
on yourself before God and calling Him to help you and by
knowing that the gifts which you are receiving are from heaven.
That`s why he says: “Nobody can take anything if it won`t be
given to him from heaven”.
59. The law says: “And if they will be confessed and he
will not kill him, he will expiate by paying”. It often happens at
a banquet that the thought of the vain glory jumps ahead,
wanting to speak out at inappropriate time. But the angelic
thought will resist against it, asking to you to chock the loving
of much speaking and inappropriate thought. If therefore you
won`t chock it through the good silence, but you will let it
instead to come out, after you will have been filled up with the
smoke of the pride, you will pay the fine, being surrendered by
the judgment either to a big sin, or to a heavy bodily pains, or
to the heavy blows of the brothers, or to the damnation from the
future age. This is because even for the useless and loving of
223
Mark: 5: 28: KJB: “For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.”; ROB:
“For she was saying to herself: If I will touch even his coat, I will be healed!”
224
Genesis: 24: 21: KJB: “And the man wondering at her held his peace, to wit whether the
Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.”; ROB: “And that man was looking at her with
wonder and was being silent, wanting to know if God has blessed his travel or not.”
133
vain glory word we will be held accountable, due to the lack

tongue`s lack of discipline. That`s why we must guard our
tongue with watchfulness.
60. About the ones who are tempted by pleasures, by
anger, by vain glory and by the other ones, one can say that
they are burnt by the sun during the day and by the moon
during the night. Therefore pray yourself to be covered by the
dew-given cloud, to escape from the enemies` flame.
61. Do not allow to the ones who serve to the
drunkenness and who are slaving to the disordered meals, to be
with daring towards you; neither to the ones who want to speak
shamelessly to you, even if they have their hair white, or even if
they would have many years into the monastic life, lest the
corruption to cover you, as the Scripture says, and to be
brought together with the unclean and uncircumcised at heart
ones.
62. Peter first receives the keys, and then he is left to fall
and to deny, for his thought to be made wiser through falling.
Therefore if you will also fall in all sorts of thoughts after you
have received the key of the knowledge, do not wonder, but
glorify the only wise One, our Lord, Who restrains through
diverse tribulations the self-appreciation which extols itself
for the godlike knowledge. This is because the temptations are a
bridle which can restraint the man`s pride, through the taking
care of God.
63. If god often takes from us the good things, as He took
the wealth of Job (because the Lord has given the Lord has
taken), of course He will take from our hand also the evil things
which have been added to us by the eternal One. This is
because “from the Lord, he says, are both the good and the evil
things”225. And the One Who brings to us evil things, the same
One will bring to us the eternal joy together with the eternal
glory. This is because “as I was watching, says the Lord, to take
you down and to trouble you, likewise I will be watching to
build you up and I won`t overthrow you; I will plant you and I
won`t pluck you off”. Therefore let be silent the popular proverb,
which says: “if there is bad, then isn`t good”. This is because
225
Ecclesiastes: 12: 14: KJB: “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”; ROB: “For God will judge all the
hidden deeds, either good or evil.”
134
the Lord, Who has turned the things towards evil, He surely can
change them again, suddenly, towards even more glory226.
64. The one who starts against the devils, either through
restraint, or through prayer, or through any virtues, stronger
and with more zeal, he will receive from them ever heavier
blows, until he will be discouraged by seeing the punishment of
the spiritual (intelligible) death in his soul, than to reach
saying: “Who will deliver me from the body of this death” 227, for I
am forced to unwillingly obey the enemies` laws?
65. It was not for nothing written that some of them said
amongst themselves: Wake yourselves up and let`s go to the
strengthened into hope and peaceful people” 228; or again; “Come
to go up and to speak to them with cunning tongue of thought
(intelligible), and we will turn them away from truth towards
us”. This is because the awful devils use during all the life to
sharpen the spears of the temptations against the one who have
chosen the life of quietude. And even more furiously they fight
against the ones who are more pious and more honoring God,
pushing them towards the sin with the deed through hard to
endure wars, only to be able to detach the warred ones from the
faith in Christ, from prayer and from the good hope. “But we, as
Davis says, won`t depart from You 229, until you will have mercy
towards us and won`t be parted from us the ones who want to
swallow us; we won`t depart from You, until you will command
to run away from us the ones who tempt us and we won`t be
made alive again through patience and through firm lack of
passions”. This is because means of tempting it is the life of the
226
Jeremiah: 31: 28: KJB: “And it shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them,
to pluck up, and to break down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I
watch over them, to build, and to plant, saith the Lord.”; ROB: “Like I have been watching
upon them to pluck them out and to crush them, to scatter them, to wound them and to destroy
them, likewise I will watch upon them, to build them up and to plant them, says the Lord.”
227
Romans: 7: 24: KJB: “O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of
this death?”; ROB: “Miserable man that I am! Who will deliver me form the body of this
death?”
228
Judges: 18: 9: KJB: “And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have
seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter
to possess the land.”; ROB: “And they answered: Let`s rise ourselves up and go upon them.
We saw the country and it is very good. But you do not hesitate and to not be late to go and to
take that country in mastery.”
229
Psalms: 80: 19: KJB: “Turn us again, O Lord God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we
shall be saved.”; 79: 19: ROB: “Lord, God of the powers, turn us back and show Your face
and we will be saved.”
135
man and often is prepared to us by the leader of the fight 230, a

planned time to fall under the feet of the ones of another nation.
But it is characteristic to the great and valiant soul, to not
despair in misfortunes.
66. If the devil is so strong, even the man doesn`t want it,
the devils changes him and carries him towards his perdition,
getting him out from the good state of the nature, how much
stronger won`t be the Angel, who receives at the appropriate
time commandments from God to turn towards man the whole
disposition of the man? If the very cold wind from North was so
strong, that was able to make the soft nature of the waters hard
as the one of the rocks, what couldn`t be able to do the very hot
wind from south? If the very cold air makes everything to
withdraw from its way (because “who will stay in front of the
frost”), how won`t the warmth turn everything towards itself?
Let`s believe then, that sooner or later, could and black
charcoal of our cogitation it will become hot and luminous,
through the touching of the all-godlike fire.
67. There is also in the life from here a certain state
placed as witness and sign of the lack of passion of our hidden
Joseph. On the ground of this state the mind 231, which came
out from Egypt, it is stranger both of the passionate extolling
and of the most-shameful slavery of the basket 232. The mind
hears a language which it didn`t know before, which is not
anymore the soiled language of the devils, which breaks the
right obedience, but the holy language of the carrier of light
Angels, which moves the mind from the imprints left by the
body, to the bodiless ones233; a tongue which enlightens the
soul which receives it.
68. I heard some brothers, who are ceaselessly ill with the
body and they cannot use the fasting, saying to me: How can we
deliver ourselves from the devil and from the passions without
fasting? To these ones it must be said that: Not only through
the restraint from foods, but also through the shouting of the
heart you will be able to crush and banish away the evil
thoughts and the ones who sneak those thoughts in. “I shouted
out towards the Lord, he says, into my trouble and You heard
230
αγωνοθέτης – God.
231
The mind being in the Greek language of masculine gender, it is symbolized by Joseph.
232
Allusion to Genesis, chapter 40, where it is said that the cupbearer of Pharaoh will be again
elevated to the lordliness from before and the baker will elevate three baskets of bread.
233
They transform the bodily mind in a bodiless one.
136
me”234; and again it is written: “Out of the belly of the hell You
heard my shouting out and my voice” 235; and “let it my live rise
up from corruption”. That`s why, “until the lawlessness will
pass”, namely the disturbance caused by sin, “I will shout out,
he says, towards the most-high God” 236, for giving to him the
greatest benefaction, to destroy with His power the bait itself of
the sin and to overthrow the idols of the passionate cogitations
and to empty of idols our occupied by idols Athens 237. Therefore,
If you haven`t received the gift of the restraint, know that God
wants to listen from you through prayer and hope when you
pray. Therefore, knowing the judgment of God, do not
discourage yourself for the helplessness of the ascesis. But
rather persevere in the work of the deliverance from enemies
through prayer and patience, united with thanks giving.
Therefore, if the thoughts of the helplessness and of the
sufferance will banish you out from the city of the fasting, run
in other city, namely in the one of the prayer united with
thanks giving.
69. Pharaoh says, when praying: “Be God taking from on
me this death”238. And he was listened. Likewise also the devils,
praying the Lord to not send them into deep, they received the
fulfillment of the request239. How much stronger won`t be
234
Jonah: 2: 2: KJB: “And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he
heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.”; 2: 3: ROB: “I shouted
out towards the Lord in my tribulation, and He heard me; out of the belly of the dwelling of
the dead I shouted out, and He took heed to my voice!”
235
Ibid.
236
Psalms: 57: 2-3: KJB: “I will cry unto God most high; unto God that performeth all things
for me. // He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would
swallow me up. Selah.”; 56: 2-3: ROB: “I will shout out towards the most-high God, that God
Who has done me good. // He has sent from heavens and has delivered me, and has given
towards reproach on the ones who are upsetting me.”
237
In the text form the Greek Philokalia we have ασθεννείας = helplessness. But at the edge of
the page there is this note: ισ... Αθήνας, and the Latin text from G.P. also has Athens.
238
Exodus: 10: 17: KJB: “Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and
intreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only.”; ROB: “Now
forgive once more my mistake and you pray to your God to divert in any way from me this
havoc!”
239
Luke: 8: 31-32: KJB: “And they besought him that he would not command them to go out
into the deep. // And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and
they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.”;
ROB: “And they were praying Him to not command to them to go into deep. // And was there
a large herd of pigs, which were grazing on the mountain. And they pray Him to allow them
to enter in those pigs; and He allowed them.”
137
listened the Christian, praying to receive liberation from the

mental (intelligible, spiritual) mind?
70. The one who is lightened and rested for while by the
godlike grace, but after the withdrawal of this one falls into
disturbances and speaks against because of this and doesn`t
encourage on himself to call again through prayer that savior
strengthening, but he becomes disheartened, he is like the poor
one, who has received alms from palace, but he is discontent
because he didn`t enter inside to stay at the table with the
emperor.
71. “Blessed are them who didn`t see Me and they
believed”240, likewise blessed are the ones who, at the
withdrawal of the grace, not finding comforting in themselves,
but rather seeing the prolongation of the troubles and a deep
darkness, they don`t despair, but they stay strengthened into
faith and persevering with manhood, reckoning that they will
see the unseen One.
72. The humble cogitation, given from heavens through
the grace of God, at its time, after many fights, much sadness
and many tears, to the ones who ask for it, it is unparalleled
strong and greater than the humbleness which comes into the
ones who have fallen from virtue. The ones who have been
found worthy of it they truly are consummated and unshaken
into temptations men.
73. When the devil left the Lord, there came the Angels
and they were serving to Him. Let`s know therefore, as wasn`t
written that in the time of His temptation the Angels were
present, likewise when we are being tempted the Angels of God
withdraw themselves for a while, but not far from us. Then,
after the withdrawal of the tempters, the Angels come again to
us, serving to us with godlike thoughts, with supporting, with
enlightenment, with pricking of the heart, with comforting, with
patience, with sweetening and with all the things which save,
strengthen and restore the tired soul. This is because it was
said to Nathanael: “You will see the Angels going up and coming
240
John: 20: 29: KJB: “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast
believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”; ROB: “Jesus said to
him: For you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are the ones who haven`t seen and
have believed.”
138
down over the Son of Man” 241, namely the serving and the help
of the Angels will overflow plentifully over the mankind.
74. Remember that Hierarch, to Whom the devil stood at
his right hand242, to resist against to any thoughts, word and
thing from the right side, to not be bewildered by what is
happening.
75. The monk owes to know what the helplessness is,
according to the word: “Have mercy on me, for I am helpless” 243
and what is the falling (the apostasy) from God, which is the
devil`s illness and the one of his angels.
76. Like the union with the fire makes the iron impossible
to be touched, likewise the frequent prayers make the mind
stronger in the war against the enemy. That`s why they strive
with whole their power to instill to us a certain displeasure for
the perseverance into prayer, knowing that the perseverance
into prayer is defender of the mind, and damaging to them.
77. Davis cherishes the zeal of the ones who went out
together with him from Ziklag against the ones of another
nation, though by becoming weak they remained at River Bosor.
This is because by returning to them after defeating the
barbarians and hearing the ones who were saying that it
mustn`t be given a share from lute to the ones who sit down,
due to the weakness, at the creek, and these ones being
ashamed and saying nothing, the most kind David defended
them, saying that they stood there to guard the forgotten tools.
That`s why he gave them a share equal to the one given to the
valiant and courageous fighters244. Take heed therefore if, to the
241
John: 1: 51: KJB: “And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall
see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”;
ROB: “And He said to him: Verily, verily I am saying to you, from now on you will see the
heavens opening and the angels of God ascending and descending over the Son of Man.”
242
Zachariah: 3: 1: KJB: “AND he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the
angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.”; ROB: “And he shewed
me Joshua, the great priest, standing before the Angel of the Lord, and satan, standing at his
right hand to blame him.”
243
Psalms: 6: 2: KJB: “Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for
my bones are vexed.”; ROB: ”Have mercy on me, Lord, for helpless I am; heal me, Lord, for
my bones are troubled.”
244
I Samuel: 30: 21-24: KJB: “And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint
that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and
they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David
came near to the people, he saluted them. // Then answered all the wicked men and men of
Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not
139
brother who initially showed some warmth, and later he

weakened a little, are there the tools of the salvation: the faith,
the repentance, the humbleness and the crying the patience,
the hope, the long-suffering and the others? If a weak one in
what regards the things of the living (weak according to the
mode), sits and persevere next to them in waiting for Christ, he
receives according to the decency some eternal gift.
78. Levites and priests were called the ones who totally
consecrated on themselves to God, both with the doing and with
the contemplation. And the cows of the Levites are the ones who
don`t succeed to erase the traces of the passions, but they
desire the virtue and, according to their power, they have the
whole zeal for it and they ceaselessly lust for it, even though
they mostly of the time aren`t imparted by it, being weakened
by sin. But it is possible, that at the right time, to receive also
these ones the gift of the lack of passions, through the sole love
for people of God. This is because” The Lord heard the desire of
the poor ones”245.
79. The blows given to us by the enemies either invisibly,
or visibly, we often feel and see them. But the torment and the
pains which he suffers from us, when we sometimes become
virtuous, or when we repent for our mistakes, or we long-suffer
and resist in troubles, or we pray and zealously fulfill all the
other things through which the enemy is tormented, punished,
made to weep, hit, - all of these, according to the godlike
oikonomia we do not see them, to not become proud and
give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his
children, that they may lead them away, and depart. // Then said David, Ye shall not do so,
my brethren, with that which the Lord hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the
company that came against us into our hand. // For who will hearken unto you in this matter?
but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff:
they shall part alike.”; I Kings: 30: 21-24: ROB: “Then David came to the two hundred men
who weren`t able to follow him and who he left at Besor River; and these ones came to meet
David and the men who were with him. And David, coming close to those people, asked them
about their health. // Then the evil and worthless from amongst the men who went with David
started to say: “Because they didn`t go with us, we won`t give them out of the preys taken by
us, but let everyone take only his wife and his children and to leave”. // But David said: “Do
not do like this with my brothers, now, after the Lord has given to us all of these things and
guarded us and has given into our hand the camps of the ones who came upon us. // And then,
who will listen to you in this business? These ones are not worse than you. What part have the
ones who went to war, the same part must be shared also to the others.”
245
Psalms: 9: 18: KJB: “For the needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the
poor shall not perish for ever.”; ROB: “For not until the end will be forgotten the poor, and
the patience of the poor ones will not perish forever.”
140
drowsy. This is because “right is before God to reward with

trouble to the ones who trouble us”246.
80. If the grown old trunk into soil and into rock, it
becomes green when watered by waters, like a recently planted
offshoot, it is natural also that we, reinvigorated through the
power of the Holy Ghost to grow up again the offshoots of the
incorruptibility which we have received it according to the
nature and to bring forth fruits to reap, as the recently planted
offshoot, even if we have sunk ourselves into the old man.
81. God doesn`t lose the hope for our salvation. This is
because to the souls which discouraged of themselves, for the
multitude of the temptations and of the sins, and they said:
“Our hope has been lost, we have been killed”, He spoke to
them: “You will live and you will know that I am the Lord!” 247
And towards the soul which wasn`t understanding who could
He born Jesus through great virtues, He said: “The Holy Ghost
will come upon you”248. And where the Holy Ghost is present, do
not search for the rule of the law of the nature and of the usual.
This is because the Holy Ghost is worshipped and all-mighty
and the not done ones He makes them to you, for making you
wonder. But also the defeated before mind He makes is now
victorious. This is because the Comforter Who comes from
above over us for His mercifulness, He is above everything and
He places you above all the natural movements and above all
the devilish passions.
82. Strive yourself to preserve unstained the brightness o
the light from the ruling power of the soul. This is because if
you have started to see with passions, the Lord has darkened
you and has sent mourning veil over your cheek and the light of
your eyes is not longer with you. But even if these things would
happen, do not be discouraged either then and do not weaken.
246
II Thessalonians: 1: 5: KJB: “Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God,
that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:”; ROB:
“They are a proof of the right judgment of God, to be you found worthy of the Kingdom of
God, for which you also suffer,”
247
Isaiah: 49: 18. (The content of the indicated source doesn`t match the paraphrase (E. l. t.`s
n.))
248
Luke: 1: 35: KJB: “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing
which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”; ROB: “And answering, the
Angels said to Her: the Holy Ghost will descend upon You and the power of the Most High
will shadow You; that`s why also the Saint Who will be born out of You, the Son of God will
be called.”
141
But pray, together with the holy David: “Send Your light and
Your truth249, to me, the saddened one, the salvation of my
face250 and my God”251. Because “You will send Your Ghost and
they will be build and You will renew the face of the earth” 252.
83. Blessed is the one who eats and drinks during this
life without satisfy on himself, prayers and psalms, day and
night and he nourishes on himself with the glorious reading of
the Scripture; because this impartation will give to the soul an
undiminished joy in the age to come.
84. Assure you out of all your power not to fall. This is
because it is not appropriate to the strong fighter to fall. But if
it would happen to you to fall, immediately rise you up and
stand again to the good fight. Even if this thing would happen
to you for tens of thousands of times, through the withdrawal of
the grace, you do this for tens of thousands of times, namely to
rise you up until your end. This is because it has been written:
“If the righteous will fall for seven times, namely the whole his
life, for seven times he will rise up”253. Until you hold the
weapon of the holy schism with tears and with prayer towards
God, you are counted amongst the ones who stand, even if you
have fallen for many times. Until you remain amongst monks,
you receive as valiant soldier the wounds on your face and they
bring you rather praising, because, even being wounded, you
didn`t accept to cede or to reject. But if you will go out from
amongst monks, you will be wounded from behind, as a fugitive
and you are without courage.
249
Psalms: 43: 3: KJB: “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring
me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.”; 42: 3: ROB: “Send You light and Your truth;
these ones advised me and led me to Your saint mountain and to Your dwelling places.”
250
Psalms: 43: 5: KJB: “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted
within me?”; 42: 6: ROB: “Why are you saddened, my soul, and what are you troubling me
for?
251
Psalms: 42: 11: KJB: “(…) hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health
of my countenance, and my God.”; 41: 17: ROB: “I will hope in God, for I will praise Him;
the salvation of my face is my God.”
252
Psalms: 104: 31: KJB: “Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest
the face of the earth.”; 103: 31: ROB: “You will send Your Ghost and they will be built and
You will renew the face of the earth.”
253
Proverbs: 25: 16: KJB: “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the
wicked shall fall into mischief.”; ROB: “This is because if the righteous one falls for seven
times and he still rises up, the lawless ones stumble into misfortune.”
142
85. More awful thing is to despair than to commit sin.

Judah the traitor, being small in soul and untried in fights and
that`s why despairing, the enemy came to him and put the belt
around his neck. But Peter, the hard rock, suffering a fearsome
falling, because he was tried in fights he didn`t weaken by
discouraging himself, but immediately rising up he brought
bitter tears out of saddened and humble heart, and our enemy,
by seeing all of these, jumped away as burnt to face by a great
flame and he ran far away, dreadfully weeping.
86. Especially against these three ones is indebted the
monk to wage a merciless war: against the gluttony of the belly,
against the useless glory and against the love for money, which
is worshipping of idols.
87. A certain Israelite king defeated the nation of the ones
who live in caves and other barbarians with psalms, with
hymns and with spiritual songs through the words and the
pipe-organs of David. You also have, as the barbarians who live
in caves, the devils which penetrate in your senses and in your
limbs and torment your body with fever, and make you look at,
listen to and smell with passion, to speak indecent words, to
have “eye full of fornication”, and to inside and outside
bewildered as a Babylonia. Therefore, strive yourselves also to
destroy the barbarians from the caves, which work the evil
things to you, with great faith, with psalms, with hymns and
with spiritual songs.
88. Like the Lord wants that men through man to be
saved, so also satan strives as man through man to be
destroyed. That`s why do not stuck with the despising man,
cunning and gabby, to not go with him to torments. This is
because somebody, even staying close to the righteous one, he
barely achieves the salvation. But if he lives with the cunning
one, he will fall in waves, in the same manner in which
somebody takes leper without noticing. And who will have
mercy on the one who gladly came close to the dragon? Run
away from the unrestraint to the tongue ones, form the ones
inclined towards quarrel, and form the ones who disturb the
inwards and outwards limbs.
89. Who is that wise and sapient and wants to be called
as friend of God, let him strive to present his soul to the Lord,
as he has received it from Him, clean, unwounded, and totally
without stain and through this to be crowned in heavens and to
be blessed by Angels?
143
90. A sole good word made the wretch thief from yore,
clean and saint and took him into Paradise; and a sole
inappropriate word closed to Moses the Promised Land.
Therefore, let`s not consider a small illness the tongue itching.
This is because the gossipers and the babblers, they close the
Kingdom of Heavens to themselves. The talkative man, even if
he goes straight in some regards, but it that one he doesn`t go
straight but rather crooked, the evil things will hunt him for
destroying him. Therefore, a certain wise man rightly said that
is better to fall off a hill than off the tongue. Let`s believer
therefore to James the Apostle, who writes: “Let every man to be
quickly to hearing and slowly to speaking”254.
91. To not become us haughty out of vanity, being
deceived by senses, it is good to take heed to the One Who says:
“Go, My people, enter in the chamber of your heart, hidden to
any sensitive imagination, in that dwelling place without idols,
lightened by the lack of passion and by the shadowing of the
holy grace. Close your door to everybody who see you, hidden
yourself even for a little bit, because little is the human life, and
after that day: “Until the anger of the Lord will pass”255, as other
one said: “until the lawlessness will pass”. This is because the
anger of the Lord and the lawlessness are the devils, the
passions and the sins, as Isaiah says towards the God: “Behold,
You have become angry and we have committed sin” 256. And
from this anger the man escapes, if he ceaselessly takes heed to
his heart in prayer, and if the strives to keep himself inside to
the hidden ones. “Draw, he says, the wisdom over the most
inward ones”. This is because “the whole glory of the daughter
of the Emperor is inside” 257. Therefore I will strive “until I will
254
James: 1: 19: KJB: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow
to speak, slow to wrath:”; ROB: “You to know, my beloved brothers: any man to be quick to
hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.”
255
Job: 14: 13: KJB: “O that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me
secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me!”;
ROB: “Oh, if You would hide me in the kingdom of dead ones, for keeping me there until
Your anger will pass, and if You would establish to me a time, when You to remember again
about me.”
256
Isaiah: 64: 5: KJB: “Thou meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that
remember thee in thy ways: behold, thou art wroth; for we have sinned: in those is
continuance, and we shall be saved.”; 64: 4: ROB: “You go to meet the ones who do the
deeds of the righteousness and they remember Your ways. Behold, You started with anger,
and we were guilty through the faithlessness and the lawlessness of ours.”
257
Psalms: 45: 15: KJB: “The king’s daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of
144
enter in the sanctified place of God” 258, the mountain of the

inheritance, to the prepared dwelling place, which You have
prepared it, Lord, holy place which Your hand have prepared it.
92. The one who really wants to reject (the world), let him
follow the example of the blessed Prophet Elisha, who in his
great and fiery love for God, didn`t keep to himself anything. Let
him therefore to share his wealth to the ones in need, and in
this way by bearing the Lord`s cross, let him hurry up decidedly
towards the willing death, which becomes cause of the eternal
life.
93. When you reach to understand that the Amorite has
strengthened into yourself as a oak tree, pray to the Lord
perseveringly to wither the upper fruit of this oak tree, namely
the sin with the deed, and its roots from beneath, namely the
unclean thoughts, and to destroy, the Lord, the Amorite from
your face.
94. Do not wonder when you see that the ones who
cannot appease themselves they are laughing about your
quietude; but rather sing against them, not keeping the evil in
the mind and oppose to them an even greater obedience to God,
shouting out in singing: “Obey, my soul, to God” 259, because
“instead of loving me they were slandering against me and I was
praying”260 for the healing of mine and of theirs.
95. If wouldn`t blow a strong wind over the sea, the wave
wouldn`t rise up. If the devil wouldn`t come to us, it wouldn`t
either our body be agitates by passions.
96. If you always warm on yourself with the prayer and
with the godlike grace, the godlike Scripture will say to you as
to one who has put on the weapons of the light: Your coat is
warm, because your enemies have been dressed with the shame
and with the darkness of the Gehenna as with a lined long
coat261.
wrought gold.”; ROB: “The whole glory of the daughter of the Emperor is inside, dressed up
with fabrics of gold and most-beautified.”
258
Psalms: 73: 17: KJB: “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their
end.”; ROB: “Until I have entered in the holy dwelling place of God and I have understood
the end of the evil ones:”
259
Psalms: 62: 5: KJB: “My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.”;
61: 5: ROB: “But obey to God, my soul, because from Him it comes my patience;”
260
Psalm: 109: 4: KJB:” For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto
prayer.”; 108: 3: ROB: “Instead of loving me, they were slandering me, and I was praying.”
261
Psalms: 109: 18: KJB: “As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let
it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.”; 108: 18: ROB: “And he has
145
97. Remembering your fallings, to not hesitate to hit your

chest, for thought this kind of wounds to carve your callous
heart and to find the gold of the publican, and you will rejoice
yourself very much of the hidden richness.
98. Let the fire of the prayers towards God and the holy
meditation at the words of the Ghost to be always burning on
the altar of your soul.
99. If you always strives yourself to put shoes on your feet
towards adorning the Gospel of the peace, you will surely build
up your house and the house of your neighbor. But if you will
become lazy, you will be spitted in your face in an unseen way
and you will inherit, according to the law, the name of the one
who has rejected his footwear262.
100. If, according to John, God is love, the one who loves
remains in God and God in him; and the one who hates his
neighbor, it is obvious that he gives birth to hatred through
detaching from the love. Therefore the one who hates his
neighbor, he is separated from God, if God is love and who
remains in love remains in God and God in him. To Whom is
due the glory and the power, forever. Amen.
Of the Same amongst Saints, Our Father
JOHN THE CARPATHIAN
Ascetic Word and Very Comforting, towards the

Monks Who Urged Him from India, Completing the
Number of the One Hundreds Heads
Never thing to consider the layman more blessed than the

monk, as one who has wife and children and is joyful that does
good things to many, that he plentifully gives alms and he is not
at all tempted by devils, reckoning yourself that in this way you
are less pleasant to God that that one is. And do not cry for
yourself as for a lost one. I don`t say that you are living without
put the curse on as a coat and it has entered like the water inside him and like the oil in his
bones.”
262
The second law 25, 9.
146
blemish by persevering amongst monks. But even if you are

very sinful, the trouble and the bad suffering of your soul are
more honorable to God than the overwhelming virtue of the
layman. Your much sadness, the discouraging, the sighs, the
sentiment of chocking, the tears, the tormenting from the
conscience, the tribulation of the thoughts, the condemnation
from the cogitation, the sighing, the crying of the mind, the
weeping and the crushing of the heart, the misery, the sorrow
and the humiliations, all of these and the ones like these, which
often happen to the ones thrown in the iron oven 263 of the
temptations, they are incomparably more honored and more
well received than the well-pleasant life of the layman.
Take heed therefore to not fall in the speaking against
words which the Scripture say on your behalf: “What have we
profited that we have walked praying before the Lord and we
have lived in his house always?” 264 It is proven that any servant,
who is close to the master, sometimes receives beatings and
slapping and reproaches and rebukes. And the ones who are
outside, they are far from beatings, as ones who are strangers
and not unheeded. But then where is our profit, you`ll say, if we
must endure troubles with the soul and with the body, we who
always pray and sing, and the ones who don`t even pray, nor
take vigil, they rejoice themselves, they are glad, they thrive and
they live their life in content? Or how the Prophet says: “Behold,
stranger houses are being built up and we bless the strangers”,
adding: “these things were spoken against by the servants of
God, the ones who know”265. But one must know that they do
not suffer anything stranger, the ones oppressed and saddened
in many ways, but they endure through many trials the things
of their Master. For they have heard Him speaking into Gospels:
263
The second law: 4: 20.
264
Malachi: 3: 13: KJB: “Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say,
What have we spoken so much against thee?”; ROB: “Harsh are to Me your speaks”, says the
Lord. And you speak: “What have we told against You?””
265
Malachi: 3: 15-16: KJB: “And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work
wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered. // Then they that feared
the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of
remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his
name.”; ROB: “But behold that now we are blessing the pride ones. And the ones who
commit lawlessness they thrive, and they even challenge the Lord, and they escape. // Behold
what say one to another, the ones who fear the Lord. And the Lord took heed and listened; a
book of remember was opened before Him towards the good of the ones who fear Him and
who search for escape in His name.”
147
“Amen I am saying to you, that you will cry and you will weep,
you who are close to Me and the world will rejoice” 266. But a
little more and I will visit you through the Comforter and I will
banish away your sadness and I will strengthen you again
through the thoughts of the life and of the heavenly resting and
through sweet tears, of which you have been deprived for a few
days, beign tempted. And I will give to you the bosom of My
grace, like the mother to the child who suckle sighing, and I will
fortify you with power from above, on you who have become
weakened in the war that you wage; and I will sweeten on you,
the ones who have been bitter, as Jeremiah says in
“Lamentations”, about Your hidden Jerusalem. “But I will see
you and your heart will rejoice”267, for the hidden trying “and
you trouble will be turned in joy” 268, “and your joy nobody will
take it from you”269.
Therefore let`s not be shortsighted, neither to close our
eyes, blessing the laymen more than on us. But by knowing the
difference between the true sons and the illegitimate ones, let`s
rather embrace the apparent unhappiness of the monks and
their great labor, of which end is the eternal life and the not-
withered crown of the Lord`s glory. Let`s embrace the tormented
life of the ascetics, to not say of the righteous ones who reckon
on themselves to be sinners, and “the rejection in the house of
the Lord”, namely in the multitude of the ones who ceaselessly
serve to Christ, and “not the dwelling in the dwelling places of
the sinners”270, of the living together with the laymen, even if
these ones will do great right things. This is because says
towards you, o monk, your heavenly Father, Who loves you
above anybody and Who troubles you and tires you with diverse
266
John: 16: 20: KJB: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the
world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”;
ROB: “Verily, verily I am saying to you, that you will cry and you will lament, and the world
will rejoice. You will become saddened, but your sadness will be transformed in joy.”
267
John: 16: 22: KJB: ” And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your
heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”; ROB: “Therefore also you are now
sad, but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice and your joy nobody will take it from
you.”
268
John: 16: 20.
269
John: 16: 22.
270
Psalms: 84: 10: KJB: “For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a
doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.”; 83: 11: ROB:
“For better is one day in Your courts than thousands. I have chosen to be rejected in the house
of God, better, than to dwell in the dwelling places f the sinners.”
148
temptations: is good for you to know, sorrow monk, that like I

spoke through the Prophet, I will be harsh adviser 271 to you and
I will meet you on the way of Egypt, strengthening you through
troubles; and your reproachable ways I will close with the sharp
poles of My Providence, by pricking you with unexpected
misfortunes and by impeding you lest to bring to deed the
things which you want in your reckless heart 272. And I will fence
around the sea of your passions with the gates of My
mercifulness. And I will be like a panther to you, which eats you
with thoughts of rebuking, of discouraging, and of repentance,
bringing into your conscience the things which are unknown by
you. But all these troubles are the greatest grace of God. And I
won`t be only a panther to you anymore, but even a needle
which wounds you with thoughts of repentance and with pains
into heart; and the pain won`t be missing from your house,
namely from your soul and from your body, which will be well
and useful feasted by the sweet as honey torments from God.
And the end of the torments, of the labors, of the disturbance,
of the shame, of the fears, of the despairs which use to come
over the ones who have chosen the ascesis, the end of all of
these sorrows, it is a heavenly joy, an untold delight, un
unspoken glory and a ceaseless gladness.
This is because that`s why I have tormented you, to feed
you with the manna of the knowledge; and That`s why I have
tormented you with the hunger, to do good to you in the after-
life and to bring you in the kingdom from above. Because then
you will leap, you the humble monks, as some calves liberated
from bonds, namely from the body`s passions and from the
enemies` temptations. And then you will step over the lawless
devils, which are stepping on you now. And they will be ashes
under your feet. This is because if you are honoring God and
humble in thought, not extolling on yourself into vain glory and
in great daring, but feeling on yourself pricked in the heart and
271
Jeremiah: 30: 11: KJB: “For I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a
full end of all nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I
will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished.”; ROB: “For I am
with you, says the Lord, to deliver you: I will destroy with fire all the nations, through which I
have scattered you, and I won`t destroy you; I will punish you according to the righteousness
and I will let you unpunished.”
272
Hosea: 2: 4: KJB: “And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they be the children
of whoredoms.”; ROB: 2: 6: “I won`t have mercy on her children – for they are children of a
wanton.”
149
by reckoning on yourself worthless 273 servant and crushed with

the ghost, more precious is, o monk, better is your mistake,
than the righteousness of the laymen and more necessary are
your stains, than the great cleanness of those ones.
For what is that thing for which you are enduring
troubles? Of course it is not whichever stain. But look at a man
who has stained his hands, how he is cleaning them with a little
oil. The stouter you can clean yourselves through the mercy of
God. This is because as to you isn`t difficult to wash your shirt,
likewise the much more easier is to God to wash you of any
stain, even if it has been coming daily to you a forced
temptation. This is because by saying you: “I have committed
sin to the Lord”, it is already given to you the answer:
“Forgotten are your sins” 274. “I am the One Who sweeps, and I
won`t remember”275. As far are the sunrises from sunsets, have
been your sins removed from you; and as the father have mercy
on his sons, I also have mercy on you276. But you do not go far
from and to not run away from the One Who hasc hosen you to
sing and to pray. But stick yourself on Him the whole your live,
either through clean daring, or through pious shamelessness
and through steadfast confession. And He will clean you up
with His benevolence. This is because what God cleans up with
His will, neither Peter the great Apostle, couldn`t defile of
condemn. This is because it has been said towards him: “The
273
Hosea: 13: 8: KJB: “I will meet them as a bear that is bereaved of her whelps, and will
rend the caul of their heart, and there will I devour them like a lion: the wild beast shall tear
them.”; ROB: “And I will throw myself upon them as a she bear bereaved of her whelps and I
will tear apart the hard shell of their heart. And let the lions from the forest to eat them and the
wild animals to tear them.”
274
Luke: 17: 10: KJB: “So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are
commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to
do.”; ROB: “And likewise also you, when you will do every things commanded to you, to
say: Worthless servants we are, for we have done what we have owed to do.”
275
Isaiah: 43: 25: KJB: “I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own
sake, and will not remember thy sins.”; ROB: “I, I am the One Who erases your sins and Who
doesn`t remember anymore of your lawlessness.”
276
Psalms: 103: 12-13: KJB:” As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us. // Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that
fear him.”; 102: 12-13: ROB: “As far are the sunrises from sunsets, He has removed from us
our lawlessness. // Like the Father has mercy on the sons, so the Lord has had mercy on the
ones who fear Him.”
150
things which God has cleaned up, you do not defile them” 277.
This is because if God is the One Who has corrected us with His
love for people, who is the one who will condemn us?278
This is because by calling us the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ, our conscience is easily being cleaned, and nothing
makes us different from Prophets and from other saints. This is
because God hasn`t put us towards anger, but to gain us
through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, because either
we will take vigil, into virtues, or we will sleep in some
circumstance, as it happens, due to some fallings, together with
Christ to live279, looking towards Him with great sighs,
ceaselessly crying and breathing Him.
Let`s put therefore on the breastplate of the faith and to
have the hope as helmet of salvation, to not have where to
penetrate the arrows of the despair. But you say: I become
angry and I am awfully troubled when I see that the laymen
aren`t tempted. Let you know, my beloved ones, that satan
doesn`t need to temp the ones who tempt on themselves and
who are always attracted towards the lower ones through the
worldly things. Let you know also this, that for the tempted
ones are kept the rewards and the crowns, not for the ones who
don`t take care of God or for the laymen who are lying on the
back and are snorting. But you are saying, again: I am very
much tempted and “my loins have been filled up with
reproaches”, as the Prophet says. I have part of unhappiness
and of stooping, and there is no comforting to the body and care
to my bones. But the great doctor is close to the one who labor.
“He bears our helplessness and with His wound He has healed
277
Acts: 10: 15: KJB: “And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath
cleansed, that call not thou common.”; ROB: “And again, for the second time, there was a
voice towards him: The things cleaned by God, you do not call them soiled.”
278
Romans: 8: 33-34: KJB: “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God
that justifieth. // Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen
again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”; ROB:
“Who will raise accusation against the chosen ones of God? God is the One Who corrects; //
Who is the One Who condemns? Christ, the One Who died, and especially the One Who
resurrected, Who also is on the right hand of the Father, Who mediates for us.”
279
I Thessalonians: 5: 9-10: KJN: “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, // Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we
should live together with him.”; ROB: “Because God hasn`t appointed us towards anger, but
towards achieving the salvation, through our Lord Jesus Christ, // Who died for us, because
us, either we take vigil or we sleep, with Him together to live.”
151
us”280 and He is healing us. He is present also now, putting His

saving medicines. For I, He says, have hit through forsaking,
but I will also heal281. Therefore do not be afraid, because when
the multitude of My wrath will flow, I will heal again. This is
because as the woman won`t forget to have mercy on the
children of her womb, likewise I won`t either forget about you,
says the Lord282. If the mercy of the bird flows over its baby-
birds and the birds visit them hourly, it speaks to them and it
gives food in their beaks, the much more My mercy will flow
over My creatures. But even more My mercy flows over you and
I secretly visit you and I speak to you in your mind and in your
cogitation I leave food, as in a beak of dovetail. This is because I
am feeding you with the higher fear, with the heavenly sake,
with sighs of comforting, with pricking, with singing, with
deeper knowledge and with certain godlike mysteries. And if I
am lieing by speaking these things to you, I, your Master and
Lord, rebuke me and I will suffer.
The Lord always says these things to our thoughts. And I
realize that I have crossed the line by writing many. But you
have urged me to do it. I have prolonged the word for helping
the ones who endanger themselves of falling, due to their
carelessness. This is because there were, at you in India, some
brothers, against expectations, very burdened by temptations,
who became disgusted of the life and of the living of the monks,
saying that it is very chocked and shrouded in dangers, and
who consider the laymen as being happy and who curse the day
in which they took the schism. That`s why I was also forced to
make the present writing longer and to use easy words, for
being possible to them to understand the said things, both the
simple one and the taught one. Because of this I have written
many, for now on, the monks to not consider the laymen happy,
280
Isaiah: 53: 5: KJB: “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”;
ROB: “But He was pierced through for our sins and crushed for our lawlessness. He was
punished for our salvation and through His wounds we all have been healed.”
281
Hosea: 6: 2: KJB: “After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up,
and we shall live in his sight.”; ROB: “And after two days He will give us life again, and in
the third day he will raise us again and we will live before Him.”
282
Isaiah: 49: 15: KJB: “Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have
compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.”; ROB:
“Does the woman forget her little child and doesn`t have mercy on the fruit of her womb?
Even when she will forget him, I won`t forget you.”
152
but only on themselves, who, without any doubt, they are

greater than the emperors who wear crowns on their head and
brighter and more glorified, as ones who always live next to
God.
And I by writing these things, I pray your love to
ceaselessly make remembrance of me in the prayers, to be I, the
worthless one, found worthy of the grace of the Lord, to end the
present life in the best possible finish. And the Father of the
mercy and God of all comforting to give you eternal comforting
and hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, to Who be the glory and the
mastery forever, Amen.
Abba Philemon
About the time when Abba Philemon lived we haven`t
found nowhere a notice. Out of the story about his life which we
are telling it in the following pages one can only generally
establish that he lived after the year 450 and before the year
640. Around the year 450 was living Diadochus of Photice,
whom Abba Philemon mentions as one who isn`t living
anymore, and around the year 640 Egypt falls under
Mohammedans and there isn`t anymore the flourishing
monastic life about which Abba Philemon tells in this story.
Abba Arsenius and John Colovic, about whom is being told
within the story as about venerable past figures, they lived, the
153
first one until 449283, and the second one until the beginning of
the Century V284.
About
ABBA PHILEMON
Very Useful Word285
They were saying about Abba Philemon the ascetic that

he closed on himself in a cave at a short distance from that
Monastery so-called of the Greeks, and he occupied on himself
with the struggles of the ascesis, saying in his thought, often,
what is say that the great Arsenius was telling to himself:
Philemon, why have you come out?” Therefore he was
283
Migne G.P., 66, 1615-1618, according to Galland, Biblioth. Patrum, tome VII, Prologue, p.
12.
284
Μεγάλη Ελληνικη Εγκυκλοπαιδεία (The Great Greek Encyclopedia (E. l. t.`s n.)), tome
XIII, p. 370.
285
Greek Philokalia, second edition, volume I, p. 347-354.
154
persevering into that cave for a long time, weaving ropes and
baskets, and he gave them to the steward to buy small breads
for food. This is because he wasn`t eating anything but bread
and salt, and even these ones only in some days. Consequently
he was not at all taking care of the body, but by occupying on
himself with the contemplation, he penetrated inside the godlike
light. And in this manner celebrating the mysterious service of
unspoken mystery286, he lived in joy. And by going at church on
Saturday and on Sunday, he was walking alone and with the
mind gathered together, not allowing to anybody to come close
to him, to not cut his mind off from the work that he had. And
in the church, standing I a corner and starring his face to the
ground, he was shedding streams of tears, ceaselessly crying
and having in mind the thought of the death and the example of
the Holy Fathers, especially the one of Arsenius the Great, to
whom he was striving to walk on his traces.
But appearing a heresy in Alexandria and in the
surrounding country, he left and went to that monastery close
to the one of Nicanor. And receiving him the loving of God
Paulinus, and giving to him his dwelling place of loneliness, he
accommodates him in the whole quietude. This is because for
an entire year he did not allow to anybody to go to Abba
Philemon, end even him didn`t bother Abba Philemon at all, but
only in the time when he gave to him the necessary food.
Coming the Holy Resurrection of Christ and being they together,
was mentioned amongst them the state of loneliness and
quietude. And by knowing that also to the most-pious brother,
the most exquisite purpose is this, he sows to him ascetic words
from Scripture and from the Fathers, showing through all of
them that without the perfect quietude (hesychia) it is
impossible to be pleasant to God, as also the godlike Moses
thought, because the quietude gives birth to the ascesis, and
the ascesis gives birth to the crying, and the crying to the fear,
and the fear to the humbleness, and the humbleness gives birth
to forgiveness, and the forgiveness to be love, and the love
makes the soul without illness and without passion; and then
the man knows that he isn`t far from God.
So he was saying him: You must perfectly clean your
mind through appeasement and to give to it an uninterrupted
spiritual work. This is because as the eye penetrates in the ones
286
τεν αρρητον μυσταγωγίαν τελούμενος.
155
which are submitted to the senses and wonders about that

sight, likewise the clean mind penetrates in the intelligible ones
and it is kidnapped by the spiritual view from which it cannot
be detached anymore. And the more it is emptied of passions
through appeasement and it is cleaned, the more is found
worthy of knowledge. And the mind is consummated when it
steps over the existential conscience 287 and it is united with
God. This is because by having the imperial dignity, it doesn`t
suffer anymore to be poor, neither it is tempted by the lusts
from bellow, even if you would offer to it all the kingdoms.
Therefore if you want to reach at all these virtues, be
without care from any man, run away from world and walk with
zeal in the path of the Saints, keep your countenance
disordered, the coat stained and humble, the behavior simple,
the word without craftsmanship, the walk without vain glory,
the voice natural, live in poverty, let yourself to be despised by
everybody, and above all, guard your mind, take care of
watchfulness, persevere in all the tribulations and preserve all
the good things which you have unaffected, and take heed to
yourself in detail, to not let in any of the pleasures which want
to enter. This is because the soul`s passions are quenched
through appeasement; and stirred up and angered they become
even more savage and they force even stronger the ones who
have them to commit even more sins, as the wounds of the
body, which scratched and peeled up become even more
difficult to heal. The meaningless word also can separate the
mind from the remembrance of God, the devils forcing the mind
to this, and the senses listening to them. Therefore you must
separate on yourself from the whole world and to break the soul
from the affection towards the body, and to make on yourself
without city, without home, without things belonging to you,
not loving of money, without wealth, not aiming the profit and
the exchanges, unskillful in human matters, humble in
cogitation, together suffering, kind, gentle, serene, ready to
receive in the heart the imprints come out of the godlike
knowledge. This is because neither can one to write even in bee
wax if haven`t smoothed before the previous traces. These
things are taught to us by the great Basil.
In this way the multitude of the Saints has become totally
separated from the living into world. By being them keeping the
287
Maybe is the conscience that corresponds to its nature, which it achieves it through its
natural powers.
156
heavenly thought untroubled, they have been lightened by the

godlike laws. They have been shining through the pious deeds
and words, after they have killed all their limbs on earth
through restraint, through the fear of God and through the sake
for Him. This is because through the ceaseless prayer and
through meditating to the godlike Scriptures, the understanding
eyes of the soul are opened and they see the Emperor of the
Powers, being born into the soul a great joy and a longing which
powerfully burns into the soul. And being also the body exalted
by the ghost, the whole man becomes spiritual. These things
are told by the workers of the happy quietude and of the
narrowest living, who, separating on themselves from all the
human comforting, they speak in leanness only with the Master
from the heavens.
BY hearing these things the loving of God brother, and by
being him wounded into soul by the godlike sake, he went
together with him in the sketish wilderness, in which crossed
on the way of the awe the most part of the Holy Fathers, and
they settled down in the Monastery of Saint John Colovic,
entrusting their care to the monastery`s steward, because they
wanted to live in quietude (hesychia). And they lived with the
grace of God in the whole quietude, making their going outs
unnoticed on Saturday and on Sunday, and during the other
days of the week persevering into loneliness, doing everyone
alone his prayers and his cell rule288.
And the cell rule of the holy old man was this: during the
night he was singing the whole Book of Psalms and the canons,
without disturbance, and he was also saying a pericope form
Gospel289. Then he sat down, saying in his mind: Lord, have
mercy! with so much perseverance and for so long, until he
wasn`t able to continue anymore. Then he was going to bed,
and when the day came he was singing again the first hour, and
was sitting on his chair looking towards East and singing,
alternatively, and reciting again form the Apostle and from the
Gospel290. Si was him spending all the days, ceaselessly singing
and praying and feeding on himself with the contemplation of
the heavenly things, than for many times his mind was going
up in contemplation and he was not knowing if he is on earth.
288
τας προσευχας και τασ λειτουργίας.
289
κανόνια.
290
το περικέπαιο του ευαγγελίου.
157
Therefore by seeing him the brother occupying on himself

so intensively and not-weakened with the cell rule, and totally
transformed by the godlike cogitations, he said towards him:
You are laboring Father like this to such a old age, tormenting
you body and enslaving it. And he said, answering: Believe son
that so much zeal and so much longing for the call rule has
placed God into my soul than I am able to fulfill it in all its
length. And the sake for God and the hope of the future goods
are overcoming the bodily weakness. Thus the entire longing of
the mind he had it flying towards heavens; and not only in
other moments, but even in the time of the eating itself.
Therefore once, living with him some brother, that brother
asked him, which would be the mystery of the sight? Because
he knew that brother as loving the learning and balanced, he
said towards him: I will tell you, of course, son. If somebody`s
mind is cleaned to the summits, God unveils to him the sights
of the Powers and of the serving Groups. Then the brother
asked him also this: Why, Father, above all the godlike
Scripture you are sweetening on yourself with the Book of
Psalms? And why are you singing calmly, as you would tell the
words to somebody? And the Fathers said towards that one: I
tell you, son, that so imprinted God the power of the Psalms in
my humble soul, as also in the soul of the Prophet David and I
cannot separate me from the sweetness of the diverse views
from the psalms. This is because they comprise the whole
godlike Scripture. And he said these things with much
humbleness in thought, to the one who asked him, for the sake
of that one`s profit, being much forced.
Some brother, called John, born in the sides by the sea,
came to this holy and great Father Philemon, and holding his
feet he said to him: What to do, Father, to save myself? Because
I see that my mind goes and wanders hither and thither, to the
unnecessary things. And he, stopping for a little while, said:
This passion is of the ones from outside, and you must
persevere, because until now you do not have a true longing for
God. For haven`t come into you yet the warmth of the longing
for Him and of His knowledge. Then the brother said: And what
should I do Father? He answered to that one: Go, until you will
have the meditation (the work) hidden into heart, which can
clean your mind of these ones. The brother, not understanding
what he said, asked the old man: What is the hidden
meditation, Father? The Father answered: Go, take vigil in your
158
heart and by taking vigil, say into your thought with fear and
with tremble: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. For so
teaches the blessed Diadochus the beginners. Therefore, leaving
that one and appeasing on himself with the help of God and
with the prayers of the Father, he sweetened on himself with
this work for a little while. But leaving this work suddenly from
him and not being him able to take care of it in watchfulness
and to pray, he came again to the old man and announced him
the happening. And the Father said to him: For now on, behold,
you have known the consequence of the appeasement and of
the work and you have tried the sweetness out of it. Therefore
always keep this one in your heart. Either you are eating, or
drinking, of meeting somebody, or you are outside your cell, or
you are on the road, do not forget to utter this prayer and to
sing and to meditate prayers and psalms, with an awake
cogitation and with the mind not gone astray. But even when
you are in the most necessary need, let not your mind to stop
meditating and praying secretly. Because in this way you can
understand the godlike deeps of the Scripture and the power
hidden into it and to give to the mind a ceaseless work, for
fulfilling the Apostle`s word, which commands to us: “pray
ceaselessly”291. Take therefore heed diligently and guard you
heart to not receive evil or vain or useless thoughts. But always,
either you are laying down, or you are standing up, either you
are eating, or you are drinking, either you are meeting others,
let your heart to be occupied secretly in thought, either with the
Psalms, or with the prayer: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,
have mercy on me”. And when you are singing with the mouth,
also take heed to not say other words with the mouth and your
cogitation to be wandering to other words.
And again the brother asked him: I see in my sleep many
vain hallucinations. And the old man said towards him: do not
became lazy and do not make you careless, but before going to
the sleep say many prayers in your heart and resist against the
thoughts, lest to be you taken by the will of the devil and to be
rejected by God. Take care with all your power to fall asleep
after the Psalms and after this meditation in mind, and to not
let your cogitation to receive stranger thoughts, but in the
though in which you have been praying, in those thought to be
you meditating and falling asleep and those thoughts to be
291
I Thessalonians: 5: 17: KJB: “Pray without ceasing.”; ROB: “Pray ceaselessly.”
159
speaking to you when you wake up. Say also the holy Symbol of
the Orthodox faith before going to bed. This is because the right
faith in God is a spring and a guardian of all the good things.
The brother asked him again saying: Be good to me,
Father, and tell me, what kind of work does your mind have?
Teach me how to save myself also. And the Father said: What
do you want to spy with all these? And the brother getting up
and embracing the feet of the Father, he kissed the Father`s feet
praying him to answer. And after a long time the Father said:
You cannot bear these things yet. This is because is
characteristic to the man who has reached at the habituation of
the good things of the righteousness to give to each feeling the
appropriate place according to it. But it is also impossible that
the one who hasn`t cleaned on himself perfectly of the vain
thought of the world, to be found worthy of such a gift. That`s
why, if you want some things like these ones, keep the
meditation hidden into clean heart. This is because if you will
ceaselessly persevere in your prayer and in meditating the
Scriptures, your soul`s understanding eyes will be opened and a
great joy will come into it and a unspoken and powerful longing,
the body being also kindled by the ghost, than every man will
becomes spiritual. Therefore, when God will found you worthy
to pray not-scattered and with clean mind, either during the
night, or during the day, you do not take care of your cell rule
and persevere with all your power stuck to God, and He will
enlighten your heart in what concerns the spiritual work which
you are committing.
And he also added these ones: One time an old man came
to me and asking him about the state of the mind he told me:
For two years I persevered praying God with all my heart and
asking without weakening to give me to be imprinted
uninterruptedly and not-scattered the prayer in my heart,
which He left it to His disciples. And by seeing my toil and my
patience, the Lord, the great Giver, has fulfilled my request. He
was also saying that the thoughts emerge into cogitation about
the vain things are illnesses of the not-working and lazy soul.
He therefore added: that, how it is written, we must defend our
mind with all the guarding and to not-scattered singing into
knowledge and to pray with the clean mind.
God wants us, my brothers, consequently, to show our
zeal towards Him, firstly in toils, and then in love and in
ceaseless prayer and He Himself will show us the way of
160
salvation. But is is proven that there is no other way which to

lead to heavens, than the consummated appeasement, the
running away from all evil things, the achieving of the virtues,
the perfect love towards Him and the co-inhabitance with God
in piousness and righteousness. If somebody will reach to these
ones, he will be quickly elevated in the heavenly dwelling
places. But the one who wants to climb at this height he must,
without any doubt, to kill his limbs on earth. This is because
when our soul will rejoice of seeing the true Good, it won`t turn
back towards any of the passions aroused by pleasures, but by
rejecting the sweet bodily addiction (the voluptuousness), he
will receive with clean and undefiled understanding, the
showing of God.
Therefore we need much guarding, bodily toils and
cleanness of the soul, to dwell on God in our hearts, for since
now on to fulfill without straying His commandments. And He
will teach us to guard in a sure manner His laws, by sending
like some sunrays His works, through the grace of the Ghost
dwelled inside us. Through toils and trials we must clean the
image, in which we have been made rational and capable of any
understanding and resemblance to God and to keep our feeling
unmixed with any stain, melted again in the oven of the trials,
to be us transformed towards the imperial honor. This is
because God build the human nature partaker to all good, for
being able to look with the mind at the groups of the Angels, the
glories of the Dominions, of the Powers, of the Principalities, of
the Masteries, the not-approached light, and that glory from
above lightning.
And when you achieve a virtue, let not you thought to
exalt against your brother, because you have achieved that
virtue, and the brother didn`t take care of it. This is because
this is the beginning of the pride. Guard yourself with all your
power to not do anything for the pleasure of the men. And when
you are fighting with the passion, do not weaken, neither
became lazy it the war lasts, but, by getting up, throw on
yourself before God, out of the whole your heart, saying with
the Prophet: “You judge, Lord, the one who do my injustice,
because I cannot do anything upon them”. And He, by saying
your humbleness, will send quicker His help. And when you are
walking with somebody of the road, do not receive vain
dialogue, but give to the mind the spiritual work which he had
it before, to become to the mind a good habit and forgetfulness
161
of the life`s pleasures, and to reach at the shore of the lack of

passions. Teaching the brother through these sayings and
through more words, he let him go.
And after a short time, he came again to him, and started
asking him, saying: What must I do, Father, that during my
night praying program, I become heavy with sleep and it doesn`t
let me praying with watchfulness, and I even cannot fully take
vigil? And when I`m singing, can I do something else with my
hands? And he said answered to him: When you are able to
pray into watchfulness, do not do anything with the hands; and
when you are taken by drowsiness, move yourself a little,
menacing your thought and do something with your hands. And
that one said again towards him: But aren`t you Father heavy
with sleep in you praying program? He answered to him:
Hardly; but if sometimes it happen to me a little, I move myself
and I say from the beginning of the Gospel according to John,
directing towards God the eye of the thought and it immediately
disappears. Likewise I do with the thoughts. When one comes, I
meet it as on a fire with tears, and it is scattered. But you are
not able yet to arm on yourself thus, but rather the hidden
meditation and the daily prayers, ordered by the Holy Fathers,
namely force on yourself to do the third hour, the sixth hour,
the ninth hour, the ones from the evening and the night
program of prayers. But take heed with all your power to not do
anything for the pleasure of the people, neither to ever have
enmity against your brother, to not separate on yourself from
your God.
You strive to guard the cogitation not-scattered, to be
careful with the inwards thoughts. And when you are into
Church and you want to be imparted with the godlike Christ`s
Sacraments, to not go out until you receive the consummated
peace. Standing on a spot, do not move from there until the
dismissal. Think that you are standing in heavens and you are
welcoming God with the Holy Angels and you are receiving Him
into heart. Therefore prepare on yourself with fear and with
much tremble, to not be with worthlessness amongst the Holy
Powers. And after saying these things, well arming the brother
into the Lord and strengthening him in the ghost of his grace,
he let him go.
Besides all these, the brother who was staying with him,
also was telling the followings: Sitting I once neigh to him, I
asked him: was him tempted by the plotting of the devils while
162
he was staying into wilderness? And he said to me: Be

condescend to me brother. If God will allow coming to you the
temptations which you believe that I tried from the devil, I do
not thing that you will be able to endure theirs bitterness. I am
seventy years old, or even more, and I have spent the most of
them in temptations. And by living in several desert places, in
the fullest quietude, so many I have tried and I have suffered
from them, that even isn`t useful to tell about them to the ones
who haven`t received the experience of the appeasement, to not
bitter them. And in temptations, this thing I was doing it
always: I placed all my hope in God, before Whom I also made
the promises of the rejection and, He immediately was
delivering me. That`s why, brother, I do not care about myself
anymore. This is because I know that He takes care of me. And
in this way I easily bear the temptations which come upon me. I
am bringing only this thing from myself that I am praying
ceaselessly. This is because I know that as much last the
unpleasant things, as much are prepared the crowns of the one
who endures. For these ones are ordered as things in exchange
by the Righteous Judge.
Therefore by knowing these things, brother, do not fall in
laziness, being conscious that you are staying in the middle of
the war, fighting, and that there are multitudinous the ones
who are fighting for us, against the enemy of God. For how
could we dare to resist against such a fearsome enemy of our
kind, if we wouldn`t be sustained by the all-mighty right hand
of God the Word, which is defending us and shielding us? How
the human nature could resist against its plotting? This is
because “who, he says, will unveil the face of his clothing? And
to the joint of his breastplate who will penetrate? Out of his
mouth come kindled torches, which sparkle like some grids of
fire. Out his nostrils comes oven smoke that burns with coal
fire. His soul is charcoal. Flame comes out of his mouth. In his
throat there dwells the power. Before him runs the perdition.
His heart is hardened, and it stays like a stone, as an
unwashed anvil. His deep boils as a cauldron. Consider the sea
as a vessel with grease; and the Gehenna as a servant.
Everything that is tall sees, reigning over all the things from
those waters”292. Against him is our fight, brother. One like this
was shown by the Word as persecutor.
292
Job 41, 3, 9-12, 14, 21-22, 24.
163
But the victory against him is easily won by the ones who
have chosen the monastic life according to the law, because
they haven`t anything of his things, through the rejection of the
world and through the manly kindness of the virtues, and
because we have the One Who fights for us. Tell me then: Who,
coming close to the Lord and taking His fear in his mind, he
hasn`t been transformed in his nature, and by enlightening on
himself with the godlike laws and deeds, he hasn`t made his
soul all-shining and he hasn`t made it to sparkle godlike
understandings and thoughts? This is because the Lord does
not let him not-working. For he has God Who moves the mind,
to want the light without satiation. A soul like this, being
worked out relentlessly, it is not let by the Ghost to become
drowsy in passions. But this soul is like an emperor who
harshly and fearsomely blows against the enemies, cutting
them mercilessly and not turning at all on himself towards the
things from before, but through doing and through the mind`s
prayer moving his hands towards the sky, he wins the victory of
the war.
The same brother was telling also that besides other
virtues, the Holy Fathers also has gained also this one: he never
suffered to hear a meaningless word. And if out of lack of
attention somebody was telling a thing which was not tending
towards the profit of the soul, he was not even answering to
that. But neither when the disciple left for some job, he didn`t
ask: why is he leaving, nor when he returned, he didn`t ask,
where are you, or how are you, or what did you do? Once,
traveling I to Alexandria for a certain need and from there going
up to the imperial city293 for a churchly thing, together with
several most-pious brothers, I didn`t send any word to the
servant of God. Spending I enough time there, I came again
back to the Hermitage294, to him. And him, seeing me and
rejoicing and embracing me, he made a prayer, and then sat
without asking me anything, but he persevered for a long time
occupying on himself with the contemplation. Once, wanting I
to try him, I left to pass several days, without giving him bread
to eat. And he didn`t ask, nor said something. I, after that,
bowing myself down before him, I told him: Please Father, out of
love, tell me, haven`t you been upset that I didn`t bring to you
anything to eat, as usual? And he said: Forgive me, brother, but
293
Constantinople.
294
In the ascetic wilderness from Egypt.
164
for if you wouldn`t give me bread to eat for twenty days, and I
still wouldn`t ask you. This is because until I endure with the
soul, I also endure with the body. So deepened was him in
contemplating the true Good.
He was also saying: Since I have come to the Hermitage, I
haven`t allowed to my thought to go out from the cell, neither
have I received other thought into cogitation, other than the fear
of God and of the judgments of the age to come, thinking at the
damnation which waits for the sinners, to the eternal fire, to the
outer darkness, to the way in which the souls of the sinners
and of the righteous ones will be, to the payment which each
one will receive according to his labors, one for the increasing of
the pains, other one for mercifulness and for not-hypocrite love,
one for lack of wealth and for rejecting the whole world, other
one for the humble cogitation and the fullest appeasement, one
for the consummated obedience and other one for
estrangement. Thinking at all of these, I do not allow other
thought to work in me, neither can I be with the people
anymore, or to occupy my mind with them, to not separate on
myself from the godlike thoughts.
Add to these things also what happened to a monk. He
was saying also the he reached at the lack of passions and he
was receiving out of the hand of the Angel the bread for food,
and through carelessness he has been deprived of this honor.
This is because when the soul allows the thickness and the
intensity of the mind to weaken, the night lays mastery upon it.
This is because where God doesn`t shine, all things merge as in
darkness and the soul cannot look anymore towards God and to
tremble of His words. “For close God I Am, says the Lord, and
not far away God”; or: “Will the man hide himself on thicket,
and won`t I see him? Don`t I fill up the heavens and the earth?”
And he mentioned also many others, who suffered similar
things.
Besides these things he was mentioning also about the
Solomon`s falling, about whom is being said that he received so
much wisdom and he was being honored by everybody, than he
was like a morning star which raises up in the morning,
lightening on everybody with the brightness of the wisdom. But
for a small pleasure he lost the glory. Therefore let`s fear the
carelessness. We must ceaselessly pray, lest by coming a
thought, to separated us from God, and to sneak in something
else into our mind. This is because the clean heart, by
165
becoming entirely dwelling place to the Holy Ghost, it mirrors

whole God cleanly.
Therefore, by hearing I these thing, he says, I have
understood even out of the things that the bodily passions were
totally not-working within him. He was always with his wish
towards the higher ones, than one could always seeing him like
he is being shaped by the godlike Ghost and how he sighs with
unspoken sighs and how he is gathered within himself and how
he weights on himself and fights lest his cleanness of the
cogitation to be scattered through the ones which enter and to
come upon him some stain unnoticed. Therefore, by seeing I
these things, says the brother who was with him, and being
engulfed by the zeal for resembling feats, I was keep coming
close to him and I was asking him often questions. How can I, I
was saying, to make my mind clean like your mind is? And he
was saying to me: God and labor. For are necessary toil and the
pain of the heart. Because do not come to us by sleeping and by
laying down on the back, the things which are given through
labor and zeal. When the good things of the earth are coming
without labor? Therefore the one who wants to reach at
spiritual advancement, he must, first of all, to reject his wills
and to gain forever the crying and the lack-of-wealth. Not taking
heed at the others` sins, but only to his own sins, let him crying
for those sins, day and night, and to not have friendship with
some man. This is because the soul sorrowed by sad
happenings and pricked by the memory of the sins from before
it becomes dead to the world and the world it becomes dead to
the soul, namely the passions of the body become not-working,
like also the man to the passions. This is because the man who
has rejected the world and has stuck with Christ and who
occupies with the appeasement, he loves God, he guards the
image and he enriches the likeness. He receives from above the
gift of the Ghost and he becomes dwelling place of God and not
of the devils and he knows right deeds before God. And the
cleaned by life and free from the defilements of the body, not
having any stain of wrinkle, will achieve the crown of the
righteousness, shining due to the beauty of the virtue.
And the one who at the beginning of the rejection doesn`t
receive the crying into his heart, neither spiritual tears, nor the
thought at the endless torments, neither the psalmody, nor the
meditation at the godlike Scriptures, the ones who doesn`t gain
the habituation of these ones, to be him forced by a relentless
166
perseverance to do these things with the mind even he doesn`t

want to, one like this still rests on himself in the love for the
world and he cannot achieve the clean mind in prayer. This is
because the awe and the fear for God clean the soul of passions
and help the mind to liberate itself and they bring the mind
towards the natural contemplation and make the mind to
elevate on itself to the knowledge of God (to theology) 295, which
the mind receives it in the schism 296 of the happiness. This is
because to the one who take it upon themselves, it gives them
even from here the earnests and it keeps their mind steadfast.
Therefore let`s take care, with the whole power, of the
doing work, through which we are elevated to awe. It is the
cleanness of the cogitation, of which fruit is the natural
contemplation and the knowledge of God (the theology). This is
because the doing is the door of the contemplation, as the
more-fiery and the most-theological mind says. So, if we won`t
taken care of doing, we will be barren of any wisdom. Even if
somebody reaches at the peak of the virtue, he needs the labor
of the ascesis, to bridle his irregular impulses of the body and
to guard his thoughts. Only so could we impart on ourselves of
the dwelling of Jesus. This is because on the measure on which
the righteous increases in us, on the same measure the
spiritual manhood increases also. And by being the mind
consummated, it unites entire with God, and it is filled up with
the godlike light and it receives the unveiling of the unspoken
mysteries. Then it truly discovers the place of the sapience, of
the strength, of the skillfulness of knowing everything, of the
length in days and of the life, of the light of the eyes and of the
peace. Because until is caught in the fight against passion, it
isn`t the time yet to enjoy all these things.
This is because the virtues and the sins make the mind
blind: Some of them for not being able to see the virtues; the
others for not being able to see the sins. But when is resting
from war and it occupies on itself with the spiritual gifts, then it
becomes wholly luminous, by staying under the thickened work
of the grace. Then it perseveres steadfastly in the contemplation
(seeing) of the spiritual things. A mind like this isn`t tied
anymore to the things from here, but is has been moved from
death to life.
295
The three phases of the spiritual ascension: the cleanness, the natural contemplation and the
theology.
296
The monastic schism?
167
Therefore the ones who has chosen to himself the zealous

life and has come to God, he must have his hear and his mouth
clean, for coming out of his mouth the clean word, to be able to
praise God with worthiness. This is because the stuck to God
soul, it speaks ceaselessly about Him. Let`s desire therefore,
brothers, to reach at that peak of the virtues and to not remain
into dust, nailed by passions. This is because the one who
fights and who has reached to be partaker to the holy light and
to be wounded by its sake, he delights himself of the Lord with
a spiritual and not-comprised joy, as the godlike psalms
says: “Delight of the Lord, and let Him give to you the requests
of your heart; and it will look like a light your righteousness
and your judgment like the midday”. This is because what
longing of the soul is so powerful and so difficult to bear like the
one which comes from God in the soul which is cleaned of any
sin, that soul that says out of the true feeling of the heart: “I am
wounded by love”? The lightnings of the godlike mind are totally
impossible to be spoken and impossible to tell; they aren`t being
shown by a word, and they aren`t being received by ear. Even
you will speak about the light of the morning star, about the
shininess of the moon, about the sunlight, all of them are
nothing in comparison to this true light, and they are much
lower than the true light than is the deep night, or the darkened
moon, of the most lightened noon. So taught us also Basil, the
godlike teacher, the one who knew these things by trying them
and learning them he taught them to us.
So these things and more than these, told us the brother
who was with him. Who would not wonder also about the
following thing, which is the proof of his great humbleness of
thought? Found worthy for a long time of the priestly rank and
arrived to the heavenly ones through living and knowledge, he
was running away so much from the burden of the godlike
religious services, than in the most times of his labors he
almost wasn`t accepting to come close to the holy table. And,
living with so much cleanness, neither the impartation with the
godlike Mysteries he wasn`t receiving it when he was having
meeting with the people, even he wasn`t telling anything
earthly, but he was receiving the meeting for the use of the ones
who were asking for that meeting. And when he wanted to
impart on himself with the godlike Mysteries, he was asking for
the mercy of God through prayers, psalms singings and
confessions. Because he was being shaken by the voice of the
168
priest when uttering: “The Holy of the Holies”. Fir he was saying
that the whole church is filled up with the Holy Angels and the
Emperor of the Powers Himself celebrated the holy service and
He transforms on Himself within our hearts in body and blood.
That`s why he was saying that we must become clean and
somehow outside the body and so to dare coming close, without
any doubt and hesitation, to the most-pure Mysteries of Christ,
to become partakers to the enlightenment from them. This is
because many amongst the Holy Fathers saw the Angels
guarding around them. That`s why also they were guarding on
themselves in silence, not speaking to anybody. He was also
saying that, when he needed to sell himself the work of his
hands, lest, speaking and answering, to say some lie, some
oath, or some useless word, or some other sort of sin, he was
better keeping his silence, allowing to seem that he is stupid.
And everyone who wanted to buy from him, that one took from
him and gave him what he wanted. And the Father was
receiving what was being given to him with content, not
speaking anything, this truly wise man.
Saint John Damascene

Saint John Damascene, the famous dogmatist of the
Orthodox Church from the end of the patristic era, he has this
name from the Damascus City, where he was born around the
beginning of the second half of the Century VII, in a noble and
rich family, within which is inherited from father to son a high
office of the Saracens state. His Father, Serge, was an adviser of
the caliphs from that city, knowing how to use his influence at
the caliphs’ court in favor of Christians. He was able thus to
give to his son an exquisite education, by hiring as preceptor, of
his and of his son Cosma, a monk called Cosma, originating
from Italy, redeemed from the Saracen slavery.
After his father`s death John occupies his father`s
position until 718, when caliph Omar II, starting a persecution
against Christians will force also him to leave the position after
he refused to become a Mohammedan.
169
Sharing his wealth to the poor ones, John Damascene

retires to Saint Sava Monastery near to Jerusalem. The
exquisite culture and origin has made him adviser of the
Patriarch John V of Jerusalem, who ordains him a priest and
appoints him to preach in the Church of the Holy Resurrection
from Jerusalem.
When Emperor Leo the Isaurian publishes in the year 726
his edict against the icons, Patriarch John V of Jerusalem prays
John Damascene to defend the holy icons. Saint John
Damascene takes the pen and writes one after another the
“Three Treaties against the One Who Attack the Holy Icons” 297.
He is not content only with the writing, but he fight in all ways.
He takes part to the anti-iconoclastic synod of the
Oriental bishops, during which he has the main role. “His fight
against the iconoclasms can be likened to the fight of
Athanasius against the Aryanism”298.
He gave the heaviest blows to this heresy. That`s why the
iconoclastic Synod from 754 casts upon him four anathemas,
whilst the Patriarch Herman of Constantinople (715-730) and
George of Cyprus only one anathema each of them.
But the activity of great theologian of Saint John
Damascene wasn`t manifested only in the writings about icons,
but also in many other works of a great importance. His most
famous work is though, besides the “treaties about Icons”, the
trilogy entitled “The Spring of the Knowledge”. The first part of
this work is entitled: “Philosophical Chapters”, having as main
content an Aristotelian ontology (G.P. 94, col. 525-676); the
second part treats “About Heresies”, exposing in 103 chapters a
history of the heresies until him )G.P. 94, 677-780); and the
third and the most important part comprises under the title:
“The Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith” the Dogmatics of
the Christian Church (G.P. 94, 789-1228) 299.
This “Dogmatics” is the work that, together with the
“treaties about Icons”, it will perpetuate the name of Saint John
Damascene along the entire history of the Church. It is the
classical exposition of the Church`s teaching of faith, the
297
Migne G.P. 94, col. 1232-1420. Translated in Romanian language by D. Fecioru,
Bucharest, 1935.
298
D. Fecioru, Introduction to the “Dogmatics” of Saint John Damascene, Bucharest, 1939, p.
XXI.
299
Translated in Romanian language by D. Fecioru, Bucharest, 1938. It was for the first time
translated by Grigorie and Gherontie, printed at Iasi in 1808, with the blessing of the
Metropolitan Veniamin Costache.
170
uncontested authority on which will base the Orthodox

theologians of all times. What gives to the Dogmatics of John
Damascene this not-shadowed authority, it is not some
originality of the author`s thinking, but the admirable manner
in which he succeeded to concentrate and to systematize the
teaching of the Holy Fathers in what they have in common and
unanimous. The great talent and the balanced spirit of Saint
John Damascene it is shown in the fact that that he always
knew to choose out of the abundance of the patristic thinking
the definitions which gained a more general circulation, those
definitions which have themselves a more general shape, a more
summarizing form, leaving aside the more nuanced forms, the
details, the too deep analyzes. Without any doubt Saint John
Damascene was an extraordinary systematical and disciplined
spirit. Out of the stranger material, used almost literarily, after
a rigorous selection, he succeeded to give us, though, a unitary
work.
From Saint John Damascene we have also a series of
other writings of dogmatic content, often composed at the
request of some personalities of the time. Then we have a
number of homilies, of commentaries to the Saint Paul`s
Epistles, and of churchly songs, about which Suidas (XI
Century) says that haven`t been equaled and neither they will
be, so long the world and the earth will exist (Lexicon graece et
latine, rec. Bernardy, 1853, tome I, p. II, col. 1029).
Saint John Damascene left to us also few small ascetic
writings, namely:
1. About the Holy Fasting (G.P. 95, col. 63-78), which
occupies itself especially with the duration of the churchly
fasting periods.
2. About the Eight Ghosts of the Evilness (G.P. 95, 79-
84), namely about the eight passions, with special referring to
the monastic life.
3. About Virtues and Sins (G.P. 95, 85-98), related to the
previous one, but addressed to the wider circles of readers.
Within the Greek Philokalia is printed the last one. We
are also giving this one, translated in the following pages.
These ascetic writings are also characterized by the
features of the entire writing work of Saint John Damascene,
namely by the summarizing of the most common ideas, of the
more general ones, of the more wide-spread ideas in the
churchly congregation.
171
Thus, Saint John Damascene dedicated his entire life to

the fight for defending and clarifying the faith and the
endeavors of consummation. He dies in the year 749 at Saint
Sava Monastery. About his tomb and his cell speak all the
pilgrims who have visited this monastery300.
Of the One amongst Saints Our Father
SAINT JOHN DAMASCENE

A Wonderful and Useful to the Soul Word301.
One must know that the man being twofold, namely

consisting out of soul and of body, twofold are also the senses
and their virtues. The spiritual senses, which are called also
powers by the wise men, are these ones: the mind, the
cogitation, the opinion, the imagination and the feeling; and the
bodily ones: the sight, the smelling, the hearing, the tasting and
the touching. Due to this reason twofold are so heir virtues,
twofold also the sins. Insomuch that is necessary to all the man
to know limpidly how many are the spiritual virtues and how
300
For this note regarding the life and the writing of Saint John Damascene we have used: D.
Fecioru, Introduction to the Translation of the Dogmatics, Bucharest, Publishing House of the
Theological Library, 1938, p. 17-30, where one can find also a list of the writings of Saint
John Damascene. Father D. Fecioru, a true4 specialist in Saint John Damascene, he has also a
larger study about Saint John Damascene: “The Life of Saint John Damascene”, Bucharest,
1935. – We mention also that the dates from O. Bardenhewer, Geschiste der Altkirchl.
Literatur, Band V., Fr. i. Br., Herder, 1932, p. 51-65, are different from the data given by
Father D. Fecioru. For instance according to Bardenhewer, John Damascene was still at
Damascus in the year 726 and only in 732 he went to Saint Sava Monastery.
301
In the Greek Philokalia, second edition, volume I, p. 342-346. In Migne G.P. 95, col. 85-98
is entitled: “Of Saint John Damascene, About Virtues and Sins, Spiritual and Bodily”.
Between the two texts there are some minor differences. We successively follow one or
another, according to how it has seemed to us of being one better than the other one.
172
many the bodily ones; and which are, again, the spiritual
passions and which are the bodily ones.
Virtues of the soul we say that are firstly these four more
general ones: the manhood, the prudence, the temperance and
the righteousness. Out of these ones are born the following
virtues of the soul: the faith, the hope, the love, the prayers, the
humbleness, the gentleness, the long-patience, the suffering of
the evil, the kindness, the lack of anger, the godlike knowledge,
the lack of wrath, the simplicity, the lack of disturbance, the
lack of hypocrisy, the lack of haughtiness, the lack of pride, the
lack of cunningness, the lack of love for money, the
compassion, the mercifulness, the generosity, the lack of
sadness, the pricking of the heart, the shyness, the awe, the
desire for the future goods, and the sake for the Kingdom of
God, the lusting after resurrection.
And bodily virtues, better said tools of the virtues, which
are born into knowledge and after God and bring the man
outside of any hypocrisy and desire of being pleasant to the
people, to advancing into humbleness and in the lack of
passions, are these ones: the restraint, the fasting, the hunger,
the thirst, the taking vigil, the standing of all night, the often
bowing of the knees, the not-bathing, to be content with a sole
clothing, eating dry food, eating late, eating a little, drinking
only water, sleeping on the floor, the poverty, the lack of wealth,
the austerity, the lack of adornment, the not-loving of the self,
the loneliness, the not-going out of the house, the lack, the
being content with what you have, the silence, the procuring of
the needed things through the work of the hands, every bad
suffering and the bodily ascesis and other likewise. All of these
are as necessary as possible and useful when the body is
healthy and troubled by bodily passions. And if the body is
helpless and with the help of God has overcome the bodily
passions, the things mentioned above are not so much
necessary, because the holy humbleness and prayer 302 make
whole everything.
But now we must speak about the sins of the soul and
about the bodily sins, namely about passions. The passions of
the soul are these ones: the forgetfulness, the carelessness and
the nescience303. When the eye of the soul or the mind, is
302
In the Greek Philokalia we have Eucharist instead of prayer.
303
According to Mark the Ascetic, the Epistle towards Nicholas, in the Romanian Philokalia,
volume I, second edition, p. 326.
173
darkened by these three ones, it is taken in mastery by all the

passions which are the followings: the lack of awe, the crooked
faith or all the heresies, the blasphemy, the wrath, the anger,
the bitterness, the dreadful infuriating, the hatred on people,
the mentioning of the evilness, the speaking of evil, the
condemnation, the becoming sad without reason, the fear, the
cowardice, the strife, the rivalry, the envy, the vain glory, the
pride, the hypocrisy, the lie, the faithlessness, the avarice, the
love of matter, the addiction, the affection for the earthly things,
the idleness, the smallness in soul, the discontent, the speaking
against, the loftiness, the self-appreciation, the haughtiness,
the boasting, the love for mastery, the desire of being pleasant
to people, the cunningness, the shamelessness, the
insensitivity, the flattery, the deceit, the irony, the duplicity, the
assent to the sins of the passionate part and the often thinking
at them, the wandering of the thoughts, the love for the self,
which is the mother and the root of all evil things, the love for
money, the evil habituation and the evilness.
And Bodily passions are: the covetousness of the belly,
the lack of satiety, the delighting, the drunkenness, the eating
secretly, the love for diverse pleasures, the adultery, the
fornication, the dissoluteness, the uncleanness, the mixing of
the blood (the incest), the corruption of the little children, the
mating with the beasts, the evil lusts and all the ugly and
against nature passions, the robbery, the plundering of the holy
things (the sacrilege), the theft, the killing, any bodily
drowsiness and rejoicing for the needs of the body especially
when the body is healthy, the fortune-telling, the
disenchantments, the spell-works, the foretelling, the love for
adornments, the levity, the drowsiness, the flabbiness, the
painting of the face, the wasting of time, the walking without
purpose, the gambling, the evil and the passionate use of the
sweet things of the world, the loving of body life, which, by
thickening the mind, it makes it earthly and beastly and do not
let the mind ever to tend towards God and towards working the
virtues.
And the roots of all these passions and, as somebody
would say, their first causes are: the love of pleasure, the love of
glory and the love of money, out of which comes out every
evil304. But the man doesn`t commit any sin if he isn`t firstly
304
Mark the Ascetic: About the Spiritual Law, head 105, the Romanian Philokalia, volume I,
second edition, p. 239.
174
defeated and taken into mastery by these giants, as says the

most-wise amongst ascetics: Mark, namely the forgetfulness,
the carelessness and the nescience305. And these ones are born
by the pleasure, the resting, love for the glory from the people
and the scattering. But the first cause of all these ones and so-
saying the worst mother of theirs, it is, like I said, the love for
the self, or the irrational love for the body and the passionate
attachment to it. And the scattering and the drowsiness of the
mind, together with the slipping to jokes and words of shame,
they cause many evil things and fallings, as also the daring and
the laughing.
But before all these, we must know that the passionate
love for pleasure it of many sorts and shapes, and many are the
pleasures which deceive the soul, when it doesn`t strengthen
itself through watchfulness into the fear of God and in the love
for Christ, taking care of working the virtues. This is because
there emerge countless pleasures which attract to themselves
the eyes of the soul: the ones of the bodies, the ones of the
richness, the ones of the caressing, the ones of the glory, the
ones of the carelessness, the ones of the anger, the ones of the
mastery, the ones of the love of money, the ones of the avarice.
All of them appear deceivingly with bright and pleasant
countenances, able to attract the ones who are bewitched by
them, who do not love the virtue with power and who don`t
endure the harshness of the virtue. This is because almost all
the earthly affection, and the addiction to something out of the
material things, they give birth to pleasure and delight into the
addicted one and drive man and wound in a passionate manner
the lusting part of the soul, because they submit the defeated
one to the wrath, to the anger, to the sadness and to the
keeping in mind the evil, when he is deprived of what he
desires. And if together with the addiction the man is also
mastered by a little habituation, they make the one mastered by
them to be driven, imperceptibly, to the end of this irrational
addiction, due to the pleasure hidden into it. This is because
the pleasure of the lust is of many sorts, as it have been said
before, and it is not satisfied only through adultery or through
other bodily delight, but also through the other passions, since
the righteousness also consists not only in stopping from
adultery and from the other pleasures from below the belly, but
305
Mark the Ascetic, The Epistle towards Nicholas, 1. c.
175
also by the estrangement from the other pleasures. That`s why

dissolute is both the lover of wealth, the lover of money and the
niggard. This is because that one loves the bodies, likewise this
one love the riches; and even the more dissolute is this one, the
more he doesn`t have such a big urge from nature, to push him
on. Actually, unskillful coachman would be truly reckoned not
that one who cannot subdue a restive and difficult to be bridled
horse, but that one who cannot subdue a more gentle and
obedient horse. But it is obvious in all the ways that the lust for
riches it is useless and not according to the nature, not having
its power in some urge of the nature, but in the free evil will.
That`s why doesn`t have any excuse the one who commits sin
into this willingly. Thus we must know limpidly that the love for
pleasure isn`t limited only to delighting and to the rejoicing of
bodies, but it emerges in all manners and through every things
which is loved by the free will of the soul and through every
addiction.
But to be even more limpidly known the passions
according to the three parts of the soul, I have reckoned to add
shortly also these ones: the soul is divided in three: in
rationality, in wrath and in lust. The sins out of rationality are
these ones: the faithlessness, the heresy, the insanity, the
blasphemy, the discontent, the consenting to the sins which
emerge out of the passionate part. And the healing and the
medicine for these evil things are: the doubtless faith in God
and in the true, not-deceiving and Orthodox dogmas, the
ceaseless thinking at the words of the Ghost, the ceaseless and
clean prayer, and the giving thanks to God. The sins of the
wrath are these ones: the cruelty, the hatred, the lack of
compassion, the remembrance of the evil, the envy, the killing
and the relentless thinking at such things. And their healing
and medicine: the love for people, the gentleness, the love for
brothers, the compassion, the suffering of the evil and the
kindness. The sins of the lusting part are these ones: the
covetousness of the belly, the lack of satiety, the drunkenness,
the adultery, the fornication, the uncleanness, the
dissoluteness, the love for riches, the lust for vain glory, the lust
for money, the lust for richness, the lust for the bodily
pleasures. And their healing and medicine: the fasting, the
restraint, the bad-suffering, the lack of wealth, the sharing of
the richness to the poor ones, the desire for the future immortal
176
goods, and the sake for the Kingdom of God and the lusting of
the resurrection.
But we must add here also the diagnosis of the
passionate thoughts, through which is done every sin. The
thoughts in which are comprised all the sins, are eight: of the
covetousness of the belly, of the adultery, of the vain glory, of
the love for money, of the anger, of the sadness, of the idleness,
of the vain glory and of the pride. Being these eight thoughts
disturbing us it doesn`t depend on us. But to persevere or not
to persevere, or to stir up the passions or not to stir them up, it
depends on us.
Something else is therefore the bait (the attack),
something else the accompanying, else the fight, else the
passion, else the consent (the consenting), which is close to the
deed and it resembles to it, else is the work and else is the
enslavement. The bait is the thought simply brought into the
mind by the enemy, as for instance: do this and that, as he said
to our Lord and God: “Say to these stone to become bread” 306.
This thing, as it has been said, it doesn`t depend on us. The
accompanying is the receiving of the thought snaked in by the
enemy, the preoccupation with it and our pleasant dialogue
with it. The passion is the habituation with the snuck in be the
enemy thought, which is called accompanying, and the
relentless swirling of the cogitation and of the imagination
around it. The fight is against the cogitation either at the
quenching of the passion from the thought or against the
passionate thought, or at the consenting, as the Apostle says:
“For the body lusts against the ghost and the ghost against the
body; and those ones resist one against another” 307. The taking
into slavery is the forcedly and unwillingly bringing of the heart,
dominated by prejudice and by a long habituation. The
consenting is the agreeing with the passion from within
thought. Therefore the one who cogitates without passion from
the beginning, or he rejects through resisting against and
rebuking, the bait, he cut at once all the following ones.
306
Matthew: 4: 3: KJB: “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of
God, command that these stones be made bread.”; ROB: “And coming close, the tempter said
towards Him: If You are the Son of God, say that these stones to become bread.”
307
Galatians: 5: 17: KJB: “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would.”; ROB: “For the body lusts against the ghost, and the ghost against the body; for these
ones resist one to another, to not be you doing what you would want.”
177
The covetousness of the belly it is quenched through

restraint; the adultery, through the godlike sake and through
the desire of the future goods; the love for money, through the
compassions for the poor ones; the anger, through the love for
everybody and through kindness; the worldly sadness, thr0ugh
the spiritual joyfulness; the idleness, through patience,
perseverance and thanksgiving to God; the vain glory, through
the hidden working of the commandments, and through the
relentless prayer into the crushing of the heart; the pride, by
not judging and by not despising anybody, as the Pharisee did,
and by reckoning on ourselves as the last ones from all.
The mind liberated thus from the mentioned passions
and exalted to God, from now on it lives the happy life, receiving
the earnest of the Holy Ghost; and departed from here with lack
of passions and with the true knowledge, it appear before the
light of the Holy Trinity together with the Holy Angels, receiving
the light for the endless ages to come.
Having the soul three parts, as it has been shown before
(because three are its parts: the rationality, the wrath, and the
lust, if within wrath there is love, and also in the lust there is
love for people, cleanness and righteousness, the rationality is
enlightened; and if within wrath there is hatred for people, and
also within lust there is fornication, the rationality is darkened.
Therefore the rationality is healthy and temperate and
enlightened when it has the affects subdued to itself and it
spiritually (cleanly)308 contemplates the rationalities of the
creatures of God and it is exalted toward the holy and the
blessed Holy Trinity. And the wrath moves according to the
nature when loves all the people and doesn`t have towards any
one of them upset or remembrance of the evil. At last, the lust,
when it has killed the passion through humble cogitation,
restraint and lack-of-wealth, namely it has killed the pleasure of
the body, the desire for richness and for the passing glory, and
has turned towards the godlike and immortal love. This is
because the lust it has its movement towards these three ones:
either towards the pleasure of the body, or towards the vain
glory, or towards gaining richness. And through this reckless
desire it disregards God and His godlike commandments, it
forgets about his noble godlike origin, it becomes savage
towards the neighbor, it darkens his rationality and doesn`t
308
This text is from G.P.
178
allow any longer to look towards truth. But the ones who has
gained a thought above all these, he is imparted even from here,
as it has been said, of the Kingdom of heavens, and he lives a
happy life, waiting for the happiness ordered to the ones who
love God; of which also us to be found worthy through the grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
It must be know this fact that one cannot reach at the
measure of any of the virtues, if he doesn`t strive on himself his
whole life, with all his power, towards achieving that virtue,
through strained labor and through taking care of doing, for
instance, of giving alms, of restraint, of prayer, of love, or o one
of the general virtues. In fact everyone occupies on himself with
one of these virtues separately. For instance someone gives
alms for some time. But by occupying on himself only for a little
while with doing this, we cannot say about him that he is
proper-said merciful, especially when he doesn`t commit well
and in a pleasant to God manner what he is committing. This is
because neither the good is good, when it is not worked
correctly, but it is truly good when it doesn`t expect for this or
for that the pleasure from people, for instance the good name,
or the glory from them, neither it is done out of greediness or
injustice. This is because God doesn`t look at the good which is
done and which it seems to be good, but to the purpose on
which it is done. This is because the God bearer Fathers also
say, that when the mind forgets the purpose of the awe, the
seen deed of the mind it end to be purposelessly. This is
because what it is done without the right-reckoning and
purposelessly, not only that they are useless, even they could
be good, but they also wound; as it happens on the opposite
with the ones which seem to be evil, but they are done on the
purpose of Honoring God, as it is for instance the deed of that
one who enter in a brothel to escape from perdition a lost
woman. From here it is obvious that isn`t merciful the one who
has occupied on himself for a little while with giving alms,
neither restrained the one who has done likewise with the
restraint, but the one who has been occupying on himself the
whole his life and as much as possible, fully, with this virtue,
using the right-reckoning, without mistake. This is because
greater than all virtues is the right-reckoning, which is the
empress and the virtue of the virtues. As also in the case of the
contrary ones, we do not call fornicator, or drunkard, or liar,
179
the one who slipped once in some of these, but the one who has
fallen for a lot of times and he remains not-corrected.
Besides the said things, one must know especially this,
which is of a great importance to everybody who crave to
achieve the virtue and who strive to avoid the sin: as much the
soul is incomparably better than the body, and more
distinguished and more honored in many and very important
regards, as much are also the virtues of the soul better than the
bodily ones, especially the ones which imitate God and bears
godlike names. Totally on the opposite we must reckon the sins
of the soul, that they are different from the bodily passions in
what concerns their effects and their punishment, though that
this thing is forgotten by many, and I don`t know how. The
drunkenness, the adultery, the dissoluteness, the theft and the
things close to these ones, no matter how ugly they are with
their countenance, to the pious ones and to the ones who run
away from these sorts of sins, or to the ones who punish these
sins, these sins do not cause so much pain to the ones who are
persevering into them without correcting on themselves, in
comparison to the soul`s passions, which are much worse and
heavier than those ones, and which drive to the state of the
devils and to the eternal damnation ordered to the devils, the
people dominated by those sorts of sins. It is about envy, about
the remembrance of the evil, about callousness and about the
love for money, which is the root of every evil thing, according to
the Apostle, and the ones alike 309.
I`ve presented these things in this simple manner,
according to our lack of learning, sketching a clear and a easy
to look over word, about virtues and passions, to be somebody
able to judge and to know easily the difference and the division
of the virtues and of the passions, out of their thoroughly
clarification. This is why I have presented all the sorts and all
the forms of each one of them, to be known, as much as
possible, each virtue and each sin. And so to attract the first
ones towards us, namely the virtues, and especially the ones of
the soul, through which we come close to God. And let`s avoid
with the whole power the sins, by running away from them.
This is because truly happy is the one who is searching for the
virtue and who is occupying on himself with it and who is
researching carefully everything that it is virtue, coming close
309
The last two paragraphs aren`t in the text from the G.P.
180
through that virtue to God and uniting on himself with Him in

his mind. This is because in this fact it truly stays the
prudence, the manhood, the wisdom, the not-liar knowledge
and the richness which cannot be stolen: in ascending to the
sight (contemplating) of the Maker through the virtue with the
deed.
This is because αρετη (virtue) it comes from (αιρείσθαι) (to
choose), for it is chosen and desired, because we are doing the
good things, by choosing them and by desiring them, and not
without advice and without striving. And προσοχή (prudence) it
comes from bearing into mind the useful ones (τω νοί φέρειν τα
ωφελήματα).
And if you want, let`s add to this simple word, as a golden
seal, a few things also about the “image and the likeness” of the
most honored of all the creature of God. Only the man, this
mental and rational living creature, it is of all the living
creatures “in the image and in the likeness of God”, due to the
dignity of the mind and of the soul, namely due to the not-
comprised, the unseen, the immortality and the liberty of the
will, as also due to his characteristic of being master, birth giver
of children and builder. And “according to the likeness” he is
due to the rationality of the virtue and of our deeds which
imitate God and which bear godlike name, namely due to the
philanthropic disposition towards the ones from the mankind,
due to the mercifulness, due to the mercy and due to the love
for the neighbor and due to the compassion shown to others.
“Be merciful, says Christ God, like your heavenly Father
merciful is”310. “In the image” is had by any man, because God
doesn`t feel sorrow for the gifts given by Him. But “in the
likeness” it is owned by very few and only by the virtuous ones,
by the saints and by the one who imitate God in kindness, as
much as it is possible to the human beings. Be us also found
worthy of His love for people, above kindness, by being well-
pleasant to Him through our good deeds and by making on
ourselves followers to the ones from ever were well-pleasant to
Christ. For His is the mercy and to him is due the glory, the
honor, the worshipping, together with that One without
beginning His Father and with the Most-holy and good and life
giver His Ghost, now, and always and forever. Amen.
310
Luke: 6: 36: KJB: “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.”; ROB: “Be
you merciful, like also your Father is merciful.”
181
Theodor of Edessa
Records about Theodor of Edessa are given by one of his
“Life”, which is alleged to be written by one of his nephews, the
Bishop Basil of Emesa 311. According to this writing, Theodor
was born at Edessa, and at the age of twenty he entered as
monk in the Saint Sava Monastery (Mar Saba), near to
Jerusalem, and at the age of thirty two he end to be abbot of
this monastery. Later on, he returns as bishop in his city of
origin. In this quality he sustains a long activity in combating
against diverse heresies, being helped by the sultan of the
Persians. The same sultan sends him in a mission to Emperor
Michael III, at Constantinople (842-867). Towards the end of his
life he retires again at Saint Sava Monastery where he dies and
is buried. It is remembered on 19th of July.
More recently R. Gouillard312 consider the “Life” of
Theodor of Edessa as one of the best example of hagiographical
forgery, a mosaic of themes collected out of three centuries. The
311
This “Life” was published by J. Pomialovschii, “The Life of Our Holy Father Theodor,
Archbishop of Edessa”, Petersburg, 1982, p. XVIII+147, in 8 0 (Greek text with Russian
introduction).
312
In the study: Supercheries et méprises littéraires. Lòeuvre de Saint Théodore dÈdesse, in
Revue de Etudes byzantines, tome V, 1947.
182
author is some monk from Saint Sava Monastery from the X

Century. Gouillard recognizes though that there is some
historical truth in this biographical writing. A certain Theodor
from Saint Sava Monastery could have been Bishop of Edessa
during the first half of the Century IX. He could have had also a
catechetical activity amongst heretics and even a mission of
political order towards Emperor Michael III. The chair of Edessa
also could have had in the list of its occupants certain Basil.
This name could have been taken as authority by the
hagiographer, for making the “Life” more verisimilar.
What`s sure is the fact that Theodor of Edessa didn`t
have a literary activity. The three writings attributed to him by
the biography: a dogmatic catechesis 313, a word about
heretics314, and the hundred of heads comprised in the Greek
Philokalia and translated in the present volume, are some
simple compilations and excerpts from other works. The lest
they are of Theodor other two writings, not mentioned in the
“Life”: a treaty about azyme and a word about contemplation
(Theoreticon), made known through the Greek Philokalia (First
Edition, Venice, 1782, p. 281-287; Second Edition, volume I,
Athens, 1893, p. 194-199) and translated also in the present
volume.
Letting aside the other writings, ne will be content to
highlight here, according to Gouillard, the lack of authenticity
of the two writings which we present in this volume.
Still J. Hausherr showed that the most part of the 100
heads are copied after Evagrius Ponticus315. Gouillard showed
also the source of the other heads, so that, now are known the
parallels to almost all the 100 heads of Theodor.
Putting bellow in parallel the heads form the Centuria of
Theodor with their sources, according to Gouillard, we draw the
attention also to the parallels discovered by ourselves before
having read on Gouillard. They are places in the lower part of
the pages which comprise the text of Theodore`s Centuria.
Theodore`s Centuria Parainesis ad Monachos

(Evagrius, G.P. 79, 1235)
313
Διδασκαλία περι πίστεως, in the Moscow Typogr. Codice 6 in 40, saec. 16.
314
Λόγος περι πίστεως και διακρίσεως αίρετικων, in the Sabba Codice it 409, saec. 13, fol.
318-332.
315
J. Hausherr, Le traité d14e lòraison dÈvagre le Pontique, Revue dÀscése et de Mystique,
XV, 1930. 15
183
1 27, 28, 30
2 30-31
3 32
4 33
5 19,18
6 17,18
7 12, 14, 16
8 11, 10, maybe also 21.
Head 66 seems to be taken from the longer review of the

Parainesis out of the Codice Barberinus Or. 515 (Century XIII).
Heads 9-24 are taken from Practicus I (G.P. 40, 1220)
and II (G.P. 40, 1224).

9 I, 1
10 2, 3
11 23
12 24
13 6
15 28
16 II, 48, 49
17 ?
18 34
19 47
20 48
21 53
22 54, 55
23 58
24 61
Head 47 is a doublet of the head 21; heads 25-40 exploit the monastic
mirror of Evagrius (G.P. 40, 1277).
26 10,13,14,15
27 16
28 23 (and Mark the Ascetic)
29 27
30 10, 12, 31, 34, 35
184
31 37
32 38-40
33 39, 42, 44
34 47-51
35 58-59
36 65
37 82
38 57
39 ?
40 90
Now the compiler passes to Tractatus ad eulogium,

attributed to Nilus the Ascetic (G.P. 79, 1093), but it is rather of
Evagrius, even if not in the present form.

41 11
42 15
43 16
44 27, 28
45 27
46 31
After a long interruption, the plagiarist resumes:

70 12
71 14
72 14
73 15
74 15
75 17
76 19
77 19
78 21
79 21
185
80 21
81 25
82 32
83 23
84 25
85 26
86 ?
87 26
Between the heads 48 and 70 Theodor takes one by one

from De rerum monachalis rationibus (G.P. 40, 1252) and from
the review B of the writing De malignis cogitastionibus
(published by J. Muyldermans, A travers the tradition
manuscrite d~Evagre le Pontique, Biblioteque du Mus, Löwen,
1932).
Theodore`s Centuria Tract. Ad Eulogium

48 2
49 2
50 3-4
51 ?
52 6, 5
53 6
54 7
55 8
56 8
57 9
58 9
59 9
186
60 10-11
Theodore`s Centuria De malignis cogit.
61 1
62 1, 3
63 10
64 23
65 1
67 26
68 B. XLIV
69 B. XLIV
Starting with the head 88 to the head 100 the

identification is harder. Evagrius is no longer literarily
plagiarized, but are used also other authors (head 90 =
apothegm of Theon, G.P. 65, 197 C; head 91 = apothegm of
Alonius, G.P. 65, 100), but he mentions Arsenius (heads 100,
G.P. 65, 88 C, apothegm 3).
The author of the Centuria is always influenced, thought,
by Saint Maximos the Confessor. He cuts off the beginnings of
the borrowed sentences, lets aside the middle, strives to hide
the plagiary and pays efforts to give a meaning to the maimed
sentence. He knows the apathy, the contemplation and the
clean prayer, but he is always cogitating to ascesis. The
compilation is composed between Century VIII and Century X.
It is a clumsy Evagrius, diluted with biblical quotes, for the
simpler monks.
Theoreticon (Word about Contemplation) dates, according
to Gouillard, back to Centuries XIV-XVII. It is not a work
emerged out of living. It lacks the warm, the freshness. It is a
work with pretention of classification and speculation.
Of the Saint and Bearer of God Our Father
THEODOR
The Great Ascetic and Bishop of Edessa
One Hundred Very Useful Heads316
316
Greek Philokalia, Second Edition, volume I, p. 182-194.
187
1. Since through the grace of the good God we have

rejected satan and his things and we have united on ourselves
with Christ in the bath of the second birth, and now, again,
through the monastic promise, let`s keep His commandments.
This is requested to us not only by the twofold promise, but also
by the natural duty. This is because being built from the
beginning by God being “very good”, we must be so 317. Even if
the sin, sneaking in due to our inattention, it has brought in
side us the state opposite to the nature, but we have been
called again through the abundance of the mercy of our God
and we have been renewed with the sufferance of the without
passion One. With price we have been redeemed through the
blood of Christ, being delivered from the old disobedience come
to us from the parents. That`s why, if we correct ourselves, it is
no big deal at all. Rather to fall off the righteousness it is pitiful
and worthy of damnation.
2. Like the deed done faithlessly it is totally dead and
powerless (ineffective), likewise the faith alone, without deeds of
righteousness, doesn`t deliver us from the eternal fire 318. “The
one who loves Me, says the Lord, he will keep My
commandments”319. Therefore if we love the Lord and believe in
Him, let`s strive for working His commandments, for gaining the
eternal life. And if we overlook the keeping of His
commandments, to which the entire creation obeys, how will we
call us believers, since we have been more honored than the
whole creation, but from all the creation only us turned to be
disobedient to the commandments of the Maker and without
thanks giving towards Benefactor?320
3. Keeping the commandments of Christ, we do not give
anything to Him, Who doesn`t need anything and Who is the
Giver of all the good things. But we do to ourselves good, by
317
This sentence is almost literarily taken from Evagrius, G.P. 79, 1237 D.
318
At Evagrius G.P. 79, 1240A it is said: The faith and the curse don`t deliver from the eternal
fire, without the deeds of the righteousness.
319
John: 14: 21: KJB: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest
myself to him.”; ROB: “The one who has My commandments and keeps them, that one loves
Me; and the one who loves Me he will be loved by My Father and I will also love Him and I
will show on Myself to him.”
320
The last sentence is after Evagrius, G.P. 79, 1240 B.
188
gaining to ourselves the eternal life and the joy of the unspoken
good things321.
4. Whosoever resists against fulfilling the commandments
of God, even that person would be the mother or the father, or
anyone, let him be worthy of disgust and hatred 322; to not be us
hearing: “The one who loves his father and his mother, or on
somebody else more than on Me, he is not worthy of Me”.
5. Let`s squeeze on ourselves with the whole power
towards the fulfilling of the Lord`s commandments, to not be
squeezed by the difficult to undone chains of the evil lusts and
of the corrupting of soul pleasures 323. This is because then it
will be uttered also upon us the decision uttered upon the
fruitless fig tree: “Cut it, to not make it also the place worthless;
for every three which does not bring forth fruits, it is cut and
cast into fire”324.
6. The one who allows on himself to be defeated by lusts
and by pleasures and who lives into the world, he will quickly
fall into the nets of the sin. And the sin once committed, it is
fire against the straws, stone against the cheek, torrent which
widens its ways. This is because all these things bring in all
ways the perdition of the one who commits the sin325.
7. The soul, while it is in a contrary to the nature state,
become savage and overwhelmed by the thorns of the pleasures,
it is den to the foreign beasts, according to the said word:
“There the centaurs will be resting, there the hedgehog made
his den and the devils meet the centaurs” 326. And these ones are
the diverse reproachable passions. But when he will turn back
to the according to the nature state (because he can, if he
wants, until he is united with the body) and he will tame on
himself through the loving care of the deed and he will live
according to the law of God, the beasts denned before they will
run away and in their place the angels come, the guardians of
our life, making of his turning back day of joy; and the grace of
321
After Evagrius, G.P. 79, 1240 B.
322
Idem.
323
Ibid, G.P. 79, 1237 B.
324
Matthew: 21: 19: KJB: “And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found
nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for
ever. And presently the fig tree withered away.”; ROB: “And seeing Him a fig tree by the
way, He went to it, but He didn`t find anything in it but leaves, and He said to it: From now
on let not be fruit in you forever! And the fig three immediately withered.”
325
Evagrius, col. 1237 A.
326
Evagrius, 1236 C.
189
the Most-Holy Ghost descends into him, teaching him how to

keep on himself in good and to advance towards the high ones.
8. The Fathers define the prayer as spiritual weapon and
they say that we mustn`t get out without it, at war, to not be
taken in slavery and brought in the enemy`s country. But one
who does not persevere to God into clean heart he can`t achieve
a clean prayer. Because He is the One Who gives prayer to the
one who prays and teaches the man the knowledge 327.
9. It doesn`t depend on us that the passions to trouble
the soul and to attack it with the war. But it depends on us to
be their thoughts tarrying inside us and to be the passions
persevering. The first thing is without sin, because it doesn`t
depend on us. The second one, if we will wing, after we have
manly fight against it, it brings to us crowns, and if we have
been defeated, because of drowsiness and cowardice, it brings
us punishments.
10. Three are the more general passions out of which all
of them are born: the love for pleasure, the love for money, and
the love for the vain glory. To these ones follow other five ghosts
of the evilness. And out of these is born a big swarm of passions
and all the ways of the evilness with many faces. Therefore the
one who has defeated these three leaders and chiefs, he has
overthrown together with them also the five ones and then he
subdued all the passions.
11. Everything that we have done with passions, it
oppresses our soul after in a passionate manner with its
memory328. And when the passionate memories will be totally
erased from the heart, for no longer alluring it, it appears the
sign of the forgiveness of the sins from before. This is because
until the soul moves itself with passion, it is also shown the
mastery of the sin within it.
12. The bodily and material passions are shrunk and
withered away through the sufferings of the body. And the ones
of the soul and unseen are quenched through the humble
cogitation, through gentleness and love.
13. The lust is withered by restraint and by the humble
cogitation; the kindled anger is tamed by the love; and the
wandering thoughts is gathered by the strenuous prayer with
the remembrance of God329. So are cleaned the three parts of
327
Evagrius, 1236 C.
328
After Evagrius Pontius, Capita practica, G.P. 40, col. 1128 C, head 23.
329
Ibid, cited work, G.P. 40, col. 1224 A.
190
the soul. This is because by showing this the godlike Apostles

he said: “Follow your peace with the whole world and the
holiness, without which nobody will see God”330.
14. Some ones asked with bewilderment: is the thought
the one which stirs up the passion or the passion the thought?
And amongst them, some of them say that this one, others that
that one. I say that out of passions are stirred up the thoughts.
This is because if the passions wouldn`t have been in the soul,
they wouldn`t have been troubled with their thoughts331.
15. The devils, which always wage war to us, they use to
impede us from the virtues which are possible and useful to us,
and to urge us powerfully towards the ones which are
impossible and useless to us. They force the ones who advance
into obedience, to do the things of the ones who appease on
themselves (of the hesychasts); and on the ones who appease on
themselves and live into loneliness, they push them to the
desire of the congregational life. And they use this
craftsmanship to whatever virtue. But let`s not ignore their
plans, knowing that everything is good at the right time and
with measure, and again everything without measure and at the
inappropriate time are damaging332.
16. On the ones who live into world are who are close to
the matters of the passions, the devils wage war to them and
fight them with the war of the things. And on the ones from
wilderness, due to the scarcity of the things, they upset on
them with the thoughts. But the second war is more dreadful
than the first one. This is because the war through things needs
time, place and skillfulness333. But the ones of the mind is easy
to start and difficult to stop. Help against this bodiless fight was
given to us the clean prayer, due to which reason it has also
been ordered to be relentlessly done. It strengthens the mind for
the fight, as one which can be also done without body.
17. Showing the consummated killing of the passions, the
godlike Apostle says: “And the ones who are of Christ, they have
crucified their body together with its passions and lusts”. This
is because when we are killing the passions and we are
330
Hebrews: 12: 14: KJB: “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man
shall see the Lord:”; ROB: “Seek the peace with everybody and the holiness, without which
nobody will see the Lord,”
331
After Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, col. 1228 D, head 26.
332
Ibid, col. 1229 A, head 28.
333
Ibid, col. 1245, heads 48-49.
191
quenching the lusts and we are submitting the bodily thought

to the Ghost, then we take the cross and we follow to Christ.
This is because the withdrawal isn`t anything else but the
killing of the passions and the showing of that life hidden into
Christ.
18. The ones who are weakened by the uprising of the
body of this death and who renounce to the fight of every hour
with this body, let them not blame the body, but on themselves.
This is because if they wouldn`t have given power to the body,
taking care of it to be awaken to lusts, they wouldn`t have been
so tormented by the body 334. Can`t they see the ones who have
crucified on themselves together with their passions and with
their lusts and who bear the death of Jesus in their mortal
body, to have Him more quickly helping them towards the good
things and not adversary, but obedient to the godlike law and
carried on by it? Let also these ones therefore do like that and
they will rejoice of the same resting.
19. Any consenting of the thought to some forbidden lust,
or any agreeing to the pleasure, it is a sin to the monk. This is
because the thought starts to become darkened through the
suffering (affective) part, then the soul agrees with the pleasure,
by not persevering in fighting335. This is called consenting,
which, as it has been said, it is a sin. And by lasting this one, it
stirs up what it is called passion. Then, little by little, it comes
to committing the sin with the work. That`s why the Prophet
blesses the ones who crush the Babylonian children on rock.
The question is limpid to the prudent and sapient ones.
20. The Angels, being servants of the love and of the
peace, they rejoice of our repentance and of our advancing into
virtue. That`s why they strive to fill us up with spiritual views
and they help us to everything that is good. On the opposite,
the devils, being causing of the anger and of the evilness, they
rejoice of the virtue`s decreasing and they strive to deviate the
souls towards ugly hallucinations336.
21. The faith is an inward good. It gives birth inside us to
the fear of God. And the fear of God teaches us the keeping of
the commandments, which is called going. And out of doing is
shoots the honored lack of passions. And the fruit of the lack of
334
After Evagrius, cited work, col. 1232, head 34.
335
Ibid, 1233 A, heads 46-47.
336
Ibid, head 48.
192
passions is the love, which is the fulfillment of all the

commandments, by gathering and keeping them all337.
22. As the feeling of the body, when it is healthy, it feels
the sickness which it masters it, and the one which doesn`t feel
it, it is sick with callousness, so also the mind, while it has its
work undamaged, it knows its powers and it knows where the
passions are coming more forcedly to it from, and towards that
part it directs, with strength, its fight. But it is sad when it
spends its days in insensitiveness, resembling to the one who
fights during the night and who doesn`t see the thoughts of the
enemies338.
23. When our rational power relentlessly occupies itself
with the contemplation of the virtues, the lusting one tends only
towards them and toward their Giver, Christ, and the wraths
arms on itself against devils, then our powers work according to
the nature339.
24. According to Gregory the Theologian, every rational
soul it has three parts. The virtue, which has its foundation in
the rational part, he called it thoughtfulness, understanding,
and wisdom; the one out of wrath, manhood and patience; and
the ones out of the lusting part, love, righteousness and
restraint. The justice is seeded in all of these, making them
working in harmony. Through thoughtfulness the soul fight
against the enemy Powers and it defends the virtues; through
righteousness it looks at the things without passion; through
love it makes the men to love everyone else as on himself; and
through restraint it cuts off the whole pleasure; and through
manhood and patience it arms towards the unseen wars. This is
the harmony of the well-sounding organ of the soul340.
25. The one who takes care of righteousness and who
desires the blessed cleanness, which someone wouldn`t be
wrong to call it lack of passions, to oppress and to bridle his
own body, with humble thought, calling the godlike grace, and
he will gain what he desires. And the one who nurtures his
body in the not-restraining of the foods he will be tormented by
the ghost of the adultery. This is because as the much water
quenches the flame, likewise the hunger or the restraint,
337
Ibid, col. 1233 C, head 53.
338
Ibid, heads 54-55.
339
Ibid, col. 1233 D, 1235 A, head 58.
340
Ibid, col. 1236 B-C, head 61.
193
together with the humbleness of the soul, it quenches the fever

of the body and the ugly hallucinations.
26. Let the passion of the remembrance of the evil to be
far away from your soul, you who love Christ. By no means to
give you room to enmity. This is because as a fire hidden into
straws, likewise it works the remembrance of the evil into heart.
Rather pray with warmth for the one who saddened you and do
to him any good which your hand could do it, to deliver your
soul from death and to not be you without daring at the time of
your prayer341.
27. And within the humble souls there God rests Himself;
and within the hearts of the proud ones, there are resting the
reproachable passions342. This is because nothing strengthens
so much the reproachable passions from within the soul, than
the pride thought. And nothing uproots so much the evil weeds
from within the soul, as the blessed humbleness. That`s why
rightly was called also passion killer.
28. Let your soul be cleaned of evil memories and to be
guided by the light of the best thoughts, always having in your
mind the word: “The loving of pleasure heart is prison and
chain during the time of the going out and the loving of toils
one, an opened door”. This is because truly the clean souls
when they go out from the body are guided by Angels, who lead
them by their hand towards the happy life. And the soiled and
the not-repented ones will be taken away, of my, by the
devils343.
29. Beautiful is the head adorned with a very precious
diadem344, with stones from India and with shiny pearls. But
unmatched beautiful is the soul adorned with the knowledge of
God and enlightened with the most limpid views, having dwelled
within it the Most-Holy Ghost. And who will tell, in an
appropriately, the beauty of that blessed soul?
30. Do not let the wrath and the anger to dwell within
you. This is because the angry man, he says, it is not with good
image. And in the heart of the gentle ones the wisdom is
resting345. If the passion of the anger will dominate within your
341
After Evagrius, Sentiatiae ad eos qui in coenobiis et xenodochiis habitant fraters, G.P. 40,
1273.
342
After Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1273.
343
After Evagrius, idem.
344
After Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1279.
345
Ibid.
194
soul, the ones who live in the world will be greater than you;
and you will be ashamed, as one who has not been improved by
loneliness346.
31. During any war and during any temptation, use you
the prayer as undefeated weapon and you will be victorious
with the grace of Christ. But let this one be clean, like our wise
teacher teaches us, “For I want, he says, to be the men praying
in every place, lifting us pious hands, without anger and
without thoughts”. This is because the ones who doesn`t take
care of such a prayer, he will be handed over to the temptations
and to the passions347.
32. It has been written that the wine gladdens the man`s
heart. But you, who have promised to weep and to cry, avoid
this gladness and you will be gladdened by spiritual gifts. This
is because by gladdening on yourself with wine, you will live
with shameful thoughts and you will end in many upsets 348.
33. Take heed to not spend the holidays by drinking wine,
but in the renewal of the mind and in the cleanness of the soul.
This is because by filling up your belly and getting drunk of
wine, you rather will get the primate of the holyday angry.
34. It has been ordered to us to always take vigil in songs,
in prayers and in readings, and especially on holidays. This is
because the monk who takes vigil he makes thin his
understanding towards useful to the soul views, and the sleep
thickens the mind very much. But take heed to not let yourself
during the vigil to vain stories or to evil thoughts. This is
because is better to sleep than to take vigil around the vain
words and thoughts349.
35. The one who nurtures a snake in his bosom, he will
be killed: the first one by being bitten in his body by the
poisoned teeth; and the other one by pilling up into soul the
bearer of death poison. Let`s therefore quickly kill the baby
snakes and to not bear within our heart the evil thoughts, to
not be us bitterly suffering350.
36. The clean soul can be rightly called as chosen vessel,
opened garden, unsealed water spring, and chair of the feeling.
346
Ibid.
347
Ibid.
348
Ibid.
349
Ibid.
350
Ibid. Let`s not grow up within our heart the evil thoughts, to not give them birth into pains.
195
And the soiled one by the unclean stains it is full of the stench
of the slime351.
37. I have heard from old men, experienced in doing, that
the evil thoughts are born into soul out of the beauty of the
clothes, out of the satiation of the stomach and out of damaging
encounters352.
38. Let not the lust of money to dwell in the souls of the
ascetics. This is because the much gaining monk is like a ship
with take water on beneath, which is toppled over by the waves
of the cares and is sunk into the deep of the despair. The love
for money is the mother of every passion, being called, rightly,
the root of all evil.
39. The lack of wealth and the silence are a hidden
treasure in the field of the monastic living. “Going, therefore,
sell all your wealth and give them to the poor ones” and then
gain this field and, by digging out the treasure, keep it not-
stolen, to enrich on yourself with a richness which cannot is not
being emptied.
40. If you are living with a spiritual Father and you have
felt the profit from him, let nobody separated you from his love
and from the together-dwelling with him. Do not judge him in
something, do not speak evil about him if you are rebuked and
beaten, do not listen to somebody who defames him, do not
accompany the one who mocks on him, to not become the Lord
angry upon you and to erase you from the book of the living
ones353.
41. The ascesis of the obedience it is consummated
through the rejection of the self, as you have learnt; and the one
who strives himself in this, let him fence around himself with
three weapons: with the faith, with the hope and with the most-
honored and godlike love, for, by being strengthened through
them, “to fight the good fight and to take the crown of the
righteousness”.
42. Do not be the judge of your Father`s deeds, but the
fulfiller of his commandments. This is because the devils have
the habit of showing his shortcomings, to cover your ears to his
words and so to get you out of the battle, as a weak and fearful
soldier, or to still you through thoughts of faithlessness and to
make you helpless to any virtue.
351
According to Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1280.
352
After Evagrius, Ibid.
353
According to Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1281.
196
43. The one who doesn`t listen to the Father`s

commandments, he transgresses the most important duties of
the promise. And the one who has embraced the obedience,
stabbing his own will with the sword of the humble cogitation,
he fulfills, according to his power, the things promised by Christ
in front of many witnesses.
44. By taking heed, I have known and I have limpidly
learnt that the enemies of our life, the devils, they envy very
much the ones who toil into the obedience of the Fathers,
gnashing their teeth against them, and contriving all sort of
plots. What do they not do and what do they sneak into the
mind, to detach them from the parental arms? They give to
them so-called blessed occasions, they stir up enticing, they
rise up hatred against the Father, they show his advices as
rebuking, and his reprimand as sharp arrows. What, they say,
out of the free man you have transformed on yourself in servant
and even servant to a merciless despot? For how long will you
let on yourself to be gnawed by the yoke of the slavery and you
won`t see the light of the liberty? And then they push you to
receive guests, to visit ill people and to take care of the poor
ones. Then the praise beyond measure the ascesis of the
appeasement and of the last loneliness and they sow all sort of
bad tares in the heart of the awe`s soldier, only to get him out
from the spiritual flock and to pull him off the not-agitated
shore, for throwing him in the destroying of soul vortex of the
infuriated sea. In the end, by taking him as a servant in their
mastery, they use him according to their evil wills.
45. But to you, the ones who are in the obedience of the
Father, do not let to escape unnoticed the cunningness of the
enemies and of the adversaries. Do not forget either about the
promise which you have made to God. Do not let on yourself to
be defeated by reproaches, do not fear the rebukes, the mockery
and the laughing on you, do not obey to the evil thoughts which
swell up the things, do not run away from the parental
harshness and do not dishonor the gentle yoke of the
humbleness though the daring of the pleasure of the self and of
the headstrongness. But by putting at the heart the word of the
Lord, that: “The one who will suffer until the end, that one will
be saved”, wear with patience the fight given to you, looking at
Jesus, the chieftain and the consummator of our faith.
46. The goldsmith, by throwing the gold into the melting
pot, it makes it cleaner. And new comer monk, beginning the
197
ascesis of the obedience and enduring the fire of all the life`s
sadness according to God and so leaning with toil and with
much patience the obedience, by melting his old habits he will
learn the humbleness, he regains the shininess and he becomes
worthy of the heavenly treasures, of the imperishable life and of
the blessed place, from where have run away the pain and the
sighing and where have been sown relentless gladness and joy.
47. The right and the inward faith it gives birth to the fear
of God. And the fear of God teaches us to keep the
commandments. “For the fear of Him, he says, gives birth to the
keeping of the commandments”. Out of the keeping of the
commandments is born the virtue with the deed, which is the
beginning of the contemplative virtue. And their fruit is the lack
of passions. Then out of the lack of passion is born inside us
the love354. And about love the beloved disciple says: “God is
love and who remains in love he remains into God and God into
him”355.
48. How beautiful and good is the monk`s living! How
beautiful and good if it is unfolded according to the rules and to
the laws established by its chieftains and primates, they being
taught by the Ghost. This is because the soldier of Christ
mustn`t be preoccupied with the material things and he must
be lacked of the care of any thought and of worldly deeds, as
the Apostle says: “Nobody, being soldier, entangles on himself
with the businesses of the life, to be pleasant to the one who
gathers army”356.
49. Therefore the monk mustn`t be preoccupied with the
material things, without passions, outside all the evil lust,
not-loving of delectation, not addicted to the wine, not-drowsy,
not-lazy, not-loving of money, not-loving of pleasure, not-loving
of vain glory. This is because if somebody won`t get on himself
out of these things, he won`t be able to achieve this angelic
living. And to the one who are living as it is due, its yoke is
gentle and its burden is light, the godlike hope making
everything easy. Such a life is sweet, pleasant is the doing, good
354
See the previous head 21.
355
I John: 4: 16: KJB: “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is
love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”; ROB: “And we have
known and believed the love, that God has is towards us. God is love and the one who
remains into love he remains into God and God remains into him.”
356
II Timothy: 2: 4; according to Evagrius, Rerum monachalis rationes, G.P. 40, 1253
(“Monastic Sketch”, in The Romanian Philokalia, volume I, p. 40).
198
is the part which won`t be taken from the soul which has
achieved it357.
50. You who have rejected the cares of the life and have
put on the fight of the ascesis, do not lust to have richness for
sharing it to the poor ones. This is because also this thing is a
deceit from the evil one, which pushes us towards the vain
glory, to entangle the mind in all sorts of occupations. Even if
you have only bread and water, you can gain with them the
reward of loving the strangers. And if you don`t have either
these ones, but you receive the strangers only with a good
thought and you give them work of comforting, you also can
gain through these the payment for the love of strangers. You
have for this thing as example the widow, for whom the Lord
confesses into the Gospel, and who surpassed through the two
mites the thought and the power of the rich ones358.
51. These things have been said for the ones who occupy
on themselves with the appeasement (the hesychia). And the
ones, who are under the obedience of the Father, let them have
only one thought in their mind: to not fall in anything from the
parental commandment. By doing this, they have accomplished
everything. As on the opposite, the ones who will fall down from
this commandment and living, they will be unworthy of any
spiritual virtue and living.
52. Take also this advice of mine, you who love on Christ:
love the estrangement, detaching on yourself from the
circumstances from your country, to not be taken by the cares
of the family and by the friendships of the kindred ones. Run
away from tarrying into cities and persevere into wilderness,
saying with the Prophet: “Behold I got far running away and I
have dwelled into wilderness”359.
53. Search for the lonely and far from the world places,
and even if they will be scarce and difficult to be found the
things necessary for life, do not have fear. If the enemies will
surround you as the bees or as the evil wasps, haunting you
with all sorts of wars and disturbing on you with all sorts of
thoughts, do not get scarred, to not listen to them, neither to
run from the place of the fight. Rather persevere with long-
suffering, by singing inwardly and by saying: “Waiting, I have
357
Ibid.
358
After Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1225 (Philokalia, I, 41).
359
Psalms: 44: 8: According to Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1275 (Philokalia, volume I, p.
43).
199
waited for the Lord, and He took head at me and He heard my

prayer”. And then you will see the great things of God: the help,
the defence, and any other taking care in order of the
salvation360.
54. Like friends you must have, you who love Christ, the
ones who are useful and who help to your living. “Peaceful men,
he says, to be your friends, spiritual brothers and holy
Fathers”; about whom also our Lord said: “My mother and My
brothers, these are they, who make the will of My Father, the
One from heavens”361.
55. Do not lust for diverse foods and of great price foods
and after bringer of death delights. This is because “the one
indulged to the delights, he says, has died still being alive” 362. If
it is possible run away even from the satiation with the easy to
find foods. This is because it has been written: “Do not deceive
on you with the satiation of the stomach”363.
56. Reject the frequent living outside your cell, if you have
chosen to appease on yourself. This is because it is very
damaging, it takes the grace away, it darkens the judgment,
and it withers the longing. That`s why is has been said: “The
wandering of the lust it changes the without-evilness mind” 364.
Consequently cut off the connections with the many (the
affections towards the many things) to not be your mind
scattered and to not disturb your ability (the mode) of
appeasement.
57. By sitting in your cell do not do your thing recklessly
and full of laziness. This is because the one who travels without
target, he will toil in vain. But keep doing the good work: gather
your mind, keep always before your eyes the last hour of the
death, remember you about the vanity of the world, how
deceitful it is, how helplessness is and how worthless is,
cogitate at the fear of being held accountable, how the hating
360
361
After Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1260 (Philokalia, volume I, p. 43); Matthew: 12: 50:
Luke: 8: 29.
362
I Timothy: 5: 6. After Evagrius, Ibid (Philokalia, volume I, p. 44).
363
Proverbs: 30: 9: KJB: “Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be
poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”; ROB: “Lest, satisfying on myself, to
reject You and to say: “Who is the Lord?” Lest becoming I poor to start stealing and to
defame the name of my God.”
364
The Wisdom of Solomon (This book is not present in KJB): 4: 12: ROB: “Do not hurry up
your mind through the wanderings of our life and to not attract your perdition through the
deed of your hands.”
200
bearer of registers reached to show our deeds, our words, the

thoughts which they snuck into our mind, and we received
them. Remember about the hell`s works and how are staying
there our souls locked away, remember also about the great
and the fearsome day, namely about the general resurrection,
and the presenting before God, about the last decision of the
Judge Who doesn`t do mistakes. Think at the damnation which
will take the sinners in its mastery, at the shame, at the
remorse of the conscience, at the being removed from God and
at the casting into the eternal fire, at the not-dying-worm, at the
not-lightened darkness, where the weeping and the gnashing of
teeth are. At these ones and at all the other torments being you
thinking, do not lack watering your cheeks, your coat, the place
where you are sitting, with streams of tears, because with such
kind of thoughts I have seen many achieving a great abundance
of tears and wonderfully cleaning all the powers of their soul 365.
58. But think also to the good things which are awaiting
for the righteous ones: at the presenting at the right hand of
Christ, at the voice of the Master, Who blesses them, at
inheriting the Kingdom of Heavens, at the above mind gift, at
that all-sweet light, at the endless joy and which is not
interrupted by any sadness, at those dwelling places, at the
living with the Angels and at all the other good things promised
to the ones who fear the Lord366.
59. Let this thoughts staying at the table with you,
sleeping with you and waking up with you. Take heed for never
forget these ones, but wherever you would be do not detach
your mind from their memory, to be the evil thought running
away from you. And the soul which isn`t fenced with these
thoughts, it cannot achieve the appeasement. This is because
the water spring which has not water, vainly bears this name.
60. For the ones who are searching for the appeasement
it has been ruled this order: fasting, as much as possible,
taking vigil, sleeping on the floor and all the other bad
sufferings, for the resting to come. This is because: aren`t
worthy the sufferings of the present time, in comparison to the
glory which will be unveiled to us”. But especially clean prayer,
say it almost ceaseless and uninterrupted; because this is a
safe wall, a peaceful shore, a guarding of the virtues, a killing of
the passions, a strengthening of the soul, a cleaning of the
365
After Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1261 (Philokalia, volume I, p. 45-46).
366
201
mind, a resting to the tired ones, a comforting to the ones who

are crying. The prayer is dialogue with God, seeing the unseen
ones, entrusting about the wished ones, living of the angels,
urging to virtues, and hypostasis of the hoped ones. Grab this
empress of the virtues with all you power, oh you the ascetic
one! Pray with fear and with tremble, with awakened and taking
vigil mind, to be your prayer received by the Lord 367. This is
because: “The Lord`s eyes, he says, over the righteous ones and
His ears to their request”.
61. It was said by somebody of the old ones with much
righteousness and very appropriate, that the first ones from
among the devils which resist against us with war are the ones
which have been entrusted the desires of the covetousness of
the belly, the ones which place in our mind the love for money
and the ones who entice us towards the vain glory. And all the
other ones come after these first ones, are taking over the men
wounded by those ones.
62. Truly, by taking heed, I have found out that the man
cannot fall into some sin or in some whatever passion, if he
wouldn`t have been wounded before by one of those three.
That`s why also the devil brought before the Savior these three
thoughts. But our Lord, by showing on Himself stronger that
these thoughts, He commanded to the devil to go back, giving to
us His victory against that one, as a good and loving of people
Master. This is because Him put on a suffering body in
everything likewise to ours, except the sin, and He showed to us
the deceitful path of the lack of passions, on which by walking,
we again give inside us image to the new man, who is renewed
in the image of the One Who has made the man368.
63. David`s word teaches us to hate the devils with a
perfect hatred, as on the enemies of our salvation. And this is
very necessary for working the virtue. Who is therefore the one
who hates the enemies with a perfect hatred? The one who
doesn`t any longer commit sins with the deed and with the
thought. But while the tools of our friendship with them still are
inside us, namely the causes of the passions, how will we
achieve inside us the hatred towards them? This is because the
loving of pleasures heart cannot feed this hatred out of itself.
64. The wedding coat is the lack of passion of the rational
soul, which has separated on itself from the worldly pleasures
367
After Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 40, 1261-1264 (Philokalia, volume I, p. 46-47).
368
After Evagrius, cited work, G.P. 79, 1201 (Philokalia, 1, c.).
202
and has rejected all the inappropriate lusts, occupying itself

with loving of God thoughts and with the most-clean meditation
of the visions. But the reproachable passions and the tarrying
into them disrobe the soul of the coat of the lack of passions
and dress it up in ragged and dirty clothes. This is because also
in the Gospel it is shown that the one who has been tied by
hands and by legs and has been thrown in the outer darkness
he had the coat woven out of this sort of thoughts and deeds,
and that`s why the Word reckoned that that man is unworthy of
the godlike and incorruptible wedding369.
65. About the love for the self, which hates on everybody,
a certain wise man said rightly: The first one of all the thoughts
is this was of the love for the self. It is a tyrant, together with
which the three ones and the five ones they kidnap the mind.
67. It is easier to clean an unclean soul that to bring back
to health a once cleaned soul which is now wounded. This is
because to the ones who have rejected the disturbance of the
world recently, in whatever mistakes would they have fallen it is
easier to them to reach at the lack of passions. But to the one
who have tasted the good words of God, but then they have
turned on themselves back to the sin, it is difficult to them to
achieve the lack of passions, on one hand due to the evil
habituation and because of the ugly habit, and on the other
hand because the devil of the sadness always jumps in front of
their eyes and brings in front of them the idol of the sin. But the
zealous and loving of labor soul easily succeeds also in this
things, in which is difficult to be successful, together with the
work of the godlike grace. This is because this one loves us with
a long-patience, it calls us to repentance, and on the ones who
turn back it receives them with the unspoken mercy of the
compassions, like we have learnt from the Gospel through the
parable of the profligate son.
68. Nobody amongst us is able to defeat by himself the
plots and the craftsmanship of the cunning one, but with the
undefeated power of Christ. Therefore, the ones who are proud
they vainly deceived on themselves, praising on themselves that
they have abolished the sin through their ascesis and through
their free will. The sin cannot be abolished but through the
grace of God, as one which has also been killed through the
mystery from on the cross. That`s why also the enlightener of
369
After Evagrius, Capita Practica al Anatolium, G.P. 40, 1237, head 64.
203
the Church, John Chrysostom, says that “the zeal of the man in
not sufficient, if he doesn`t enjoy also the overflowing of the
help from above”, but again that “we do not gain anything out of
the overflowing of the grace from above, if there is no zeal.
These two things are shown by Judah and Peter. The first one
much rejoicing of help, but he didn`t use anything, because he
didn`t bring his ones. And Peter, despite the fact that he had
zeal, because he didn`t rejoice of any help, he fell. Out of these
ones it is woven the virtue. That`s why I pray you, he says,
neither to sleep throwing everything upon God, nor by striving
to reckon that you achieve everything through your labors”.
69. God doesn`t want us lying down on our back. That`s
why He doesn`t do everything. But He doesn`t also want to be
us proud. That`s why He hasn`t left everything on our account,
but by removing from everybody what it is damaging, he has left
to us what it is useful. Rightly also the Psalmist teaches us: “If
the Lord won`t build the house, vainly will take vigil the ones
who guards and toils”. This is because it is impossible to the
man to step over the asp and the basilisk, and to mount on lion
and dragon, if he won`t have been clean before, as much as it is
possible to the man, and won`t have been then strengthened by
the One Who has said to the Apostles: “Behold I have given to
you power to step over snakes and shrew and over all the power
of the enemy”. That`s why it has been also commanded to us to
ask in prayer from the Lord “to not bring us into temptation,
but to deliver us from the cunning one”. This is because if we
won`t be delivered through the power and the help of Christ
from the kindled arrows of the cunning one, and if we won`t be
found thus worthy to gain the lack of passions, vainly we will
toil, reckoning to finish something through our power or zeal.
Therefore the one who wants to stand up against the devil`s
plots and to render those plots powerless and to be partaker to
the godlike glory, he is debtor to ask with tears, with sighs, with
insatiate longing and with hot soul, day and night, the help and
the support from God. And the one who wants to impart on
himself of these ones, he must render his soul clean of any
sweet addiction to the world and to the passions and to the
adversary lusts. This is because about such souls God says: I
will dwell and I will walk into them”. And the Lord said to His
disciples: “The one who loves Me he will keep My
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commandments and My Father will love him, and We will come

and make to Us a dwelling place in him”370.
70. Someone of the old ones said a very wise and easy to
understand word about thoughts, saying: “Judge the thoughts
in the courthouse of the heart, if they are ours or of the
adversaries. And ours and good ones, store them in the inner
room of the soul, guarding them locked in the not-robbed
treasury. And the adversary ones banish them away by
punishing them with the blows of the rational cogitation by not
giving them neither place nor dwelling in the content of your
soul, or better said, stab them perfectly with the sword of the
prayer and of the godlike cogitation, as by killing the thieves to
be frightened the chieftain of the robbers. This is because the
one who studies in detail the thoughts, that one also truly loves
the commandments”.
71. The one who fight to destroy the ghosts which wage
war to him and trouble him, let him start fighting by taking as
allies more fighters: the humbleness of the soul, the tiredness of
the body and any other pain of the ascesis and the prayer with
abundance of tears out of the broken heart, as Davis sings: “See
my humbleness and my tiredness and forgive all my sins and
do not keep your silence regarding my tears”, or again: “My
tears have become my bread to me day and night and my drink
I have mixed it with crying”.
72. The enemy of our life, the devil, diminishes our sins
through many thoughts, and often covers our sins with the
forgetfulness, for by diminishing our labors to not be us any
longer thinking at the crying for our mistakes. But us, brothers,
let`s not forget our mistakes, even if it seems to us that through
repentance they have been forgiven. But let`s relentlessly
remember our sins and let`s no cease crying for them; this is for
gaining the humbleness as good wife and to escape from the
traps of the vain glory and of the pride.
73. Let nobody imagine that he can endure the toils and
he can achieve the virtue with his won power. This is because
the cause of all the good things is God to us, as of the evil
370
John: 14: 21: KJB: “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest
myself to him.”; ROB: “The one who has My commandments and keeps them, that one is
who loves Me; and the ones who loves Me he will be loved by My Father and I will also love
him and I will show Myself to him”.
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things is the devil the deceiver of our souls. Therefore you bring
thanks for the good things which you do, to their Beginner.
74. The one who has united the doing with the knowledge
he is a worthy of praise plowman, who waters the little place of
his soul out of two very limpid water springs. This is because
the knowledge gives wings to the young being through
contemplating the higher ones, and the doing kills the limbs
from earth: the dissoluteness, the uncleanness, the passion,
and the evil lust. And by being these ones killed, it shoots out
the flowers of the virtues, bringing forth the fruits of the Ghost:
the love, the joy, the peace, the long-patience, the kindness, the
faith, the gentleness and the restraint 371. And then this wise
plowman, after he has crucified his body together with its
passions and lusts, he will say together with the God-bearer
preacher: “I am no longer living, but Christ live is me” 372; what I
am living, I live through faith, through that one of the Son of
God, Who loved me and Who gave on Himself for me.
75. Do not also forget, you who love Christ, that the
passion by finding in you a little place and by rooting itself as
habit, it brings with itself in the same enclosure also others.
Even if the passions resist to each other, and their creators, the
devils, likewise, but all of them search in union our perdition.
76. The one who withers the flower of his body through
ascesis and cuts off his whole will, that one bears the signs (τα
στίγματα373) of Christ in his mortal body.
77. The labors of the ascesis end in the resting of the lack
of passions; and the modes of the delectation reach at the
dishonorable passions.
78. Do not allow to yourself to reckon the many years of
the lonely life, neither to be surprised praising on yourself with
371
Galatians: 5: 19, 22, 24: KJB: “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these;
Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, // But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, // And they that are Christ’s have crucified
the flesh with the affections and lusts.”; ROB: “And the deeds of the body are known, and
they are: adultery, dissoluteness, uncleanness, lewdness, // And the fruit of the Ghost is the
love, the joy, the peace, the long-patience, the kindness, the doing of good, the faith, // And
the ones of Christ Jesus crucified their body together with the passions and the lusts.”
372
Galatians: 3: 20: KJB: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ
liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me.”; ROB: “I have crucified myself together with
Christ; and I am no longer living, but Christ lives in me. And the present life, into body, I am
living it in the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and Who gave on Himself for me.”
373
The stigmas (E. l. t.`s n.).
206
the suffering of the desert and with the harshness of the fights.
But you have in mind the Lord`s word, that you are a worthless
servant and you haven`t even accomplished the commandment.
This is because, truly, while we are in the life from here, we
haven`t been yet called back from exile, but we are still sitting
at the River of Babylon and we are still toiling to make bricks in
Egypt, as ones who haven`t seen yet the Promised Land, since
we haven`t disrobed on ourselves of the old man who is being
corrupt after the lusts of the deceitfulness and we haven`t put
on yet the countenance of the heavenly one, still being us
bearing the countenance of the earthly one. Therefore we don`t
have way of praise, but we are indebted to cry, praying the One
Who can save us from the slavery of the bitter Pharaoh and to
get us out from the awful suppressing and to take us in the
good land of the promise, to be us resting on ourselves in the
holy place of God and to be us on the right hand of the glory of
the Most High One. But the achieving of these good things is
above understanding and doesn`t depend on our deeds, which
we reckon that we are doing into righteousness, but on the
immeasurable mercy of God. Therefore let`s not cease to shed
tears day and night, according to the one who says: “I got tired
in my sigh, I will wash each night my bed, with my tears I will
wet my bedding”. This is because the ones who sow into tears,
they will reap into joy.
79. Banish away from yourself the ghost of the
much-speaking. For in it are lying very dreadful passions. From
here it comes the lie, the daring, the bad jokes, the
shamelessness, the insane words and, shortly speaking, “out of
much-speaking the sin won`t be absent; and the quiet man is
chair of sobriety”. And even “we will be held accountable for
every vain word”, as the Lord said. Therefore the quietness is
very necessary and useful.
80. It has been commanded to us that on the ones who
defame and rebuke us, or who trouble on us in any way, to not
defame them or to upset them at our turn, but rather to speak
well about them and to bless them. This is because as long as
we are living in peace with the people, we are fighting with the
devils; and as long as we remember the evil and we are fighting
with the brothers, we are living in peace with the devils, who we
have learnt to hate them with a perfect hatred and to have
towards them a relentless war.
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81. Avoid wounding the neighbor with a cunning tongue,

to not be you wounded by the killer. This is because we have
heard the Prophet who shouts out: “The bloody and the cunning
man is hated by the Lord; and the Lord will destroy all the
cunning lips, all the tongue which says great words”. Also,
avoid condemning the mistake of your brother, to not fall you
down from kindness and from love. This is because the one who
doesn`t have kindness and love for the brother, he hasn`t
known God yet. This is because God is love, as John shouts
out, the son of the thunder, and the beloved disciple of Christ. If
Christ, he says, the everybody`s Savior put His soul for all of us,
we are indebted also to put our souls for our brothers.
82. Rightly was called the love as mother city (capital) of
the virtues, the head of the law and of the Prophets. Let`s
therefore show the whole labor until we will achieve a pious love
and through it we will shake off from ourselves the passions`
tyranny, and we will ascend to heavens, made lighter by the
wings of the virtues, and we will see God, as much as it is
possible to the human nature.
83. If God is love and the one who has love he has God in
him, by lacking this one from us we don`t have any profit,
neither can we say that we love God. This is because he says:
“Is somebody says that he loves God, and he hates his brother,
he is a liar”. And again he says: “Nobody saw God ever. If we
love on each other, God remains into us and the perfect love is
into us”374. From here it is obvious that love is the most
comprising and the highest of all the good things mentioned by
the Holy Scripture. And there isn`t sort of the virtue through
which the man can closer and to unite himself with God, which
to not depend on love and which to not be comprised in love,
kept and guarded (in connection with all the virtues) through an
unspoken rationality.
84. By receiving the brothers who come to us, let`s not
consider this as embarrassment and interruption of the
appeasement, to not fall down from the law of the love. Neither
374
I John: 4: 20, 12: KJB: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he
that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not
seen? // No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and
his love is perfected in us.”; ROB: “If somebody says: I love God, and he hates his brother,
liar he is! For the ones who doesn`t love his brother, whom he has seen, on God, Who he
hasn`t seen, he cannot love Him // Nobody has seen God ever, but if we love on each other,
God remains in us and His love in us is perfect.”
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to receive them as we would make them grace, but rather as we

would receive grace; and by reckoning on ourselves indebted to
this thing, let`s feats them with friendship and joy, as Patriarch
Abraham thought us. That`s why also the Theologian teaches
us again: “Children, let`s not love with the word, neither with
the tongue; but with the deed and with the truth. And into this
we know that we are from the truth”375.
85. The Patriarch, by fulfilling this work of loving the
strangers, he was sitting before his tent, inviting in the passing
by ones; and he set the table to everybody. That`s why he has
been found worthy also of that wonderful table, feasting the
Angels and the Master of everybody. Let`s therefore also us to
take care of the love for strangers with much diligence and zeal,
to not receive only the Angels, but even on God. This is because
the Lord says: “Because you have done it to some of these too
small ones, to Me have you done it” 376. Therefore we owe to do
good to everybody, but especially to those ones who cannot turn
the good back.
86. Clean in his heart is the one of whose heart doesn`t
condemn him for the transgression of some commandment of
God, or for neglecting it, or for receiving some enemy thought.
That one is worthy of hearing: “Blessed are the clean in heart,
for they will see God”377.
87. Let`s strive to reach at governing the senses through
rationality and especially to not allow that the eyes, the ears
and the tongue, to look at, to listen to and to speak in a
passionate manner, but towards our profit. This is because
nothing slips easier towards sin that these limbs, if they aren`t
dominated by the rationality; and nothing helps more for
salvation than they do, is the rationality governs them and
leads them towards the good things and towards what the
rationality wants. If these ones don`t work orderly, then also the
375
I John: 3: 18-19: KJB: “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in
deed and in truth. // And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts
before him.“; ROB: “My sons, let`s no love with the word, only by mouth, but with the deed
and with the truth. // In this we will know that you are from the truth and before God we will
find resting to our heart,”
376
Matthew: 25: 40: KJB: “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto
you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me.”; ROB: “And the emperor, answering, he will say towards them: Verily I say to you,
because you have done it to one of these of My brothers, too small, to me you have done it.”
377
Matthew: 5: 8: KJB: “Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.”; ROB:
“Blessed are the ones clean in heart, for those ones will see God.”
209
smelling becomes drowsy and the touching stretches forwards

daringly and an entire swarm of passions are added. But kept
in good order by the rationality, there it emerges much peace
and steadfast quietude from everywhere.
88. As the chrism of much worth, even closed in the
vessel, it spread in the air its good fragrance and it fill up with it
that fragrance not only on the ones who stay neigh but also on
the ones who stay around, so also the good fragrance of the
virtuous and loving of God soul, by spreading through all the
senses of the body, it shows to the watcher the virtue placed
inside. This is because who, by seeing a tongue which doesn`t
speak anything disorderly and inappropriate, but everything
that is good and useful to the listeners, the restrained eyes, the
ear which doesn`t receive anything from the inappropriate
songs and words, feet which walk decently and face which isn`t
disfigured by laughing, but which is rather ready for tears and
of crying, won`t he know that inside there is also much good
fragrance of the virtues? That`s why also the Savior says: “So to
lighten your light before people, to be they seeing your good
deeds and to glorify your Father from heavens”378.
89. The path which Christ and our God called it in the
Gospel as “narrow”, He called it the same one as “gentle yoke
and easy burden”. How would be counted these two together,
since they seem to be opposite? To the nature, this way is of
course harsh and with climbing, but to the intention and the
good hopes of the ones, who tread it, it is worthy to be desired
and to be loved and it causes rather pleasure than difficulty to
the loving of virtue souls. That`s why, somebody can see the
ones who have chosen for themselves the narrow and
troublesome path, that they are walking on it with more zeal
than if they would have been walking on a wide and broad one.
Listen to the blessed Luke saying that, after they were beaten,
The Apostles “left from the face of the synedrium rejoicing”,
although not this is the nature of the beating, for it doesn`t
usually bring pleasure and joy, but pain and sufferance. And if
the beating caused pleasure for Christ, why would we wonder if
also the other torments of the body have the same effect due to
Christ.
378
Matthew: 5: 16: KJB: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”; ROB: “So to lighten your light before
people, so that they to see your good deeds and to glorify your Father from heavens.”
210
90. Upset and enslaved by passions, we often wonder why

we are suffering these things. Therefore we must know that this
enslaving happen to us because we interrupt our occupation of
the contemplating of God. If somebody will nail his mind in a
not-scattered manner to our Master and God, faithful is Him,
Who is the Savior of everybody, to deliver such a soul of all the
passionate slavery. For the Prophet says: “I have seen the Lord
before me always, that He is at my right side, to not be I
wobbling”. And what is sweeter and more strengthening than
having God at the right side, covering you, guarding you and
not letting you wobbling? And the gaining of this thing it
depends on us.
91. Rightly said the Fathers and without the possibility to
resist against their saying, that the man cannot find such a
resting, if he doesn`t achieve inside himself such a thought,
that only him and God are in the world, not wandering with the
mind in any side, but desiring only on Him and sticking only to
Him. One like this will truly find resting and liberation from the
tyranny of the passions. This is because “my soul, he says,
stuck to You and Your right hand will support me”.
92. The love for the self, the love for pleasures and the
love for vain glory banish away from the soul the remembrance
of God. The love for the self is the mother of some unimaginable
evil deeds. And in the absence of the remembrance of God, it
takes place in us the disturbance of the passions.
93. The one who has uprooted from his heart the roots of
the love for the self, he easily will lay mastery also upon the
other passions, with the help of God. This is because out of the
love for the self are born: the anger, the sadness, the
remembrance of the evil, the love for pleasure and the daring.
The one who is defeated by the love for the self, he is also a
slave of the other passions. And we call love for the self: the love
and the passionate affection towards the body and the fulfilling
of the bodily wills.
94. Whosoever wants to be uninterrupted and relentlessly
together with what he loves, he puts a distance between himself
and the things which impede him from the dialogue and from
the together-living with the beloved thing. It is obvious
therefore, that also the one who loves God, he wants to be
always with Him and to have a dialogue with Him. And this
thing happens to us through the clean prayer, Let`s therefore
take care of it with all our power. This is because the clean
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prayer unites us with the Master. At this reached the one who
said: “God, my God, towards You I wake up in the morning; my
soul got thirsty of You”. For doesn`t wake up in the morning
towards God the one who got his mind far from all sins and who
is relentlessly wounded by the love of God?
95. Out of restraint and humbleness we have learnt that
it is born the lack of passions; and out of faith the knowledge.
From these ones the soul advances than to the right reckoning
(the discernment) and to love. And who has gathered into heart
the godlike love, he flies endlessly through the wings of the
clean prayer towards its height, until he will reach at the
knowledge of the Son of God, as the Apostle said: “At the
consummated man, at the measure of the age of the fulness of
Christ”379.
96. Through the virtue with the deed it is enslaved the
lust and it is restraint the wrath. And through knowledge and
contemplation the mind is winged, which, by going up over the
material things, it travels towards God, being worthy fo the true
happiness.
97. Let this be the first fight: to diminish the passions
and to defeat them totally. The second fight: to achieve the
virtues and to not let our soul empty and not working. The third
stage of the spiritual road: let`s guard with watchfulness the
fruits of the virtues and of our toils. This is because it wasn`t
commanded to us only to work with toil, but also to guard with
vigil.
98. “Let your waists be girdled and your candlesticks to
be kindled, says the Lord”380. The good girdle of the waist,
through which we can become nimble and light, it is the
restraint, together with the humbleness of the mind,
understanding through restraint: getting far from all passions.
And the light of the spiritual candlestick it is the clean prayer
and the perfect love. Therefore the ones who have prepared on
379
Ephesians: 4: 13: KJB: “Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of
the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:”;
ROB: “Until all of us will reach at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, at the state of the consummated man, at the measure of the age of the fulness of Christ.”
380
Exodus: 12: 11: KJB: “And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your
feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord’s Passover.”; ROB:
“Eat it like this: have your loins girdled, the footwear on your feet and your staffs in your
hands; and eat it in a hurry, for it is the Passover of the Lord.”
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themselves like this, they truly are like the people who receive
their Lord, who, being Him coming and knocking at the door,
they immediately open to Him, for being Him entering, to make
to Himself at their place, together with the Father and with the
Holy Ghost, dwelling place. And blessed are those servants on
whom, by coming the Lord, He will find them doing like this.
99. The monk must love God as he would be His son, out
of his whole heart and out of his whole thought; to honor Him
and to obey to Him as a servant and to fulfill with fear and with
tremble His commandments; to be burning with the ghost, to be
clothed with the weapons of the Holy Ghost, for achieving the
joy of the eternal life; to fulfill without any shortcomings all the
commanded things, to be awake, to guard his heart against the
evil thoughts and to relentlessly cogitate at God in good
thoughts. To study on himself in each hour in what concerns
the evil thoughts and of the deeds, and to make whole what is
missing, and for what he has done to not extol on himself, but
to call on himself a worthless servant, lagged much behind with
the fulfillment of the owed things. But let him give thanks to the
Holy God and to ascribe his feats to His account, and to not do
anything for the vain glory or for the pleasure of the people, but
to do everything secretly and to search only the praise from
God. Firstly and foremost, let him fence his soul with the right
faith, according to the godlike dogmas of the congregational
Church, received from the preachers of God Apostles and from
the Holy Fathers. This is because the ones who live like this,
they will receive much reward, endless life and uncollapsed
house from the Father, to the Son and to the Holy Ghost, the
godhead of one being and in three hypostases.
100. “The end of the word, hear it all, said the
Ecclesiastes: “fear God and keep His commandments, for this is
every man”. I, he says, show you the most important and the
most honored path of the salvation: “fear God and keep His
commandments”. It is not about the beginner fear, the one due
to the punishments, but about the consummated and
consummator one, which we owe to have it, for the love for the
One Who commanded it. This is because if the fear of the
punishments we do not commit the sins, it is obvious that if the
punishments wouldn`t stay in front of us, we wouldn`t keep the
commandments, having our intention started towards sin. But
if we keep ourselves far from the evil things, not because of the
threat of the torments but because we hate the sins, we fulfill
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the virtues out of love for the Master, fearing not to fall. This is
because through that that we fear we do not overlook anything
of the commanded ones. This is the natural fear, which takes
place for the good itself. This fear cleans our souls having the
same power like the consummated fear. And the one who has
this fear and who keeps the commandments, this is every
consummated and without blemish man. By knowing these
things, let`s fear God and let`s keep His commandments, to be
us consummated and adorned with virtues. And by having a
humble cogitation and a crushed heart, let`s ceaselessly sing to
the Lord the prayer of the godlike and great Arsenius: “My God,
do not leave me, for no good I have done before |You, but give
me, for Your mercifulness, to lay beginning”. This is because all
our salvation stays in the mercifulness and in the love for
people of God. His be the glory and the mastery and the
worshipping, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Ghost,
now and always and forever. Amen.
Of the Same One Our Pious Father
THEODORE
Word about Contemplation381
Great struggle is requested for breaking this strong chain

and to liberate on ourselves from serving the matter and for
achieving the habit of the good things. It is truly necessary a
valiant and manly soul for running away from the matter. But
what we desire it isn`t the cleaning of passions. This is because
this isn`t truly through itself a virtue, but preparedness for
virtue. And besides the cleaning of the bad habits it is
necessary also the achieving of the virtues.
Soul`s cleaning it consists in what concerns the
rationality, in removing and totally erasing the deceiving
381
Θεωρητικον, in the Greek Philokalia, second edition, volume I, p. 194-199.
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imprinting from bellow, namely, according to the word of the

Theologian, the cares and the disturbances of the life, and the
bad inclinations or the inappropriate habits; in what concerns
the lust, it consists in not lean ourselves towards matter and in
not looking at the senses, but in listening to the rationality; and
in what concerns the wrath, in not allow to ourselves to be
troubled even for anything that happens.
But after this cleaning, and after killing or subduing the
all-evil passions, it is necessary also the ascension or the
deification. This is because the one who has deviated from evil,
he must do the good. In addition to this, he must reject on
himself and then, by taking the cross, to follow the Master,
towards the highest state of the deification.
But which the ascension and the deification are? In what
concerns the mind, it is the most consummated science of the
things and of the One Who is above the things, as it is possible
to the human nature; in what concerns the desire, it consists in
the total and relentless tending and moving towards the First
Good; and in what concerns the wrath, it consists in the tireless
and not-weakened, all-affective and all-working towards the
desired One, not allowing to be stopped by any of the upsetting
circumstances which stay before it, but stepping forward
unyieldingly and without turning back. The moving of the soul
towards the good things must be the more assertive than
towards the evil things, the more the intelligible beauties
surpass the sensitive ones. One must take care of the body only
that much that is necessary for its protection and for procuring
the necessary things for sustaining the body, to not be the live
forcedly destroyed.
To order these things is easy, but to do them is much
more difficult. This is because without toil cannot be uprooted
from the soul those difficult to be budged habits. Neither the
achieving of the science is done without sweating. And in fact
strenuously looking at and tending towards the happy existence
is a thing gained with much toil and it is necessary a long time
until the will is habituated with this impulse. And the mind
must resist much against the feeling which pulls it towards the
ones from bellow. This is the struggle and wagging war to the
body, which lasts relentlessly until death comes, even it seems
that is diminished through the withering of the wrath and of the
anger and through the bringing of the feeling under the
overwhelming science of the mind. But one must note also that
215
the not-lightened soul, not being able to receive help from God,
it cannot also be truly cleaned, neither ascended towards the
godlike light. The said things must be considered as being said
for the believers.
And for the fuller clarification of these ones, let`s say a
few words about the kinds of the knowledge. Amongst the
knowledge from here, one is according to the nature and one is
above nature. The second one will be clarified out of the first
one. Therefore we call knowledge according to the nature that
whole one which the soul can gain it through research and
searching for it, using the little pieces and the power of the
nature: about creation and about the cause of the creation, as
much as the tied to the matter soul can understand. This is
because it was said in the “Word about Feeling and the
Imagination of the Mind”, that the work of the mind has been
blunted through the union and through the mixing with the
body and that`s why it cannot reach in touch with the
intelligible forms, but it needs the imagination for cogitating
them, imagination which has a idol-like nature, of material
separation and of thickness. Consequently there are necessary
forms on the mind`s measure from the body, to be able to notice
these ones. Therefore being the mind thus, any knowledge it
would receive through its natural method, we call that
knowledge as natural.
And above nature knowledge it is that one that emerges
within mind in a manner above its method and measure,
namely when the cogitated things surpass (exceed, transcend)
the measure (the analogy) of the mind united with the body,
being the knowledge which is fitted to the bodiless mind. This
comes only from God, when He finds such a mind cleaned of all
the material addiction and mastered by the godlike love.
Not only the knowledge is divided like so, but also the
virtue. This is because other is the virtue which doesn`t exceed
the nature and which is called, rightly, also natural, and other
is the one worked only by the First Good, which is above the
natural power and above the natural state and that must be
called, rightly, supra-natural. Therefore being these ones
divided thus, the natural knowledge and virtue may be owed
also by the not-enlightened one; but the supernatural ones, not
at all. This is because how would he have them, not being
partaker to the cause that produces them? And the enlightened
one can have them both. Better said, one doesn`t achieve at all
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the supra-natural virtue, if he hasn`t achieved firstly the

natural one. But nothing impedes him to gain the natural
knowledge without the supra-natural one. One has to know
that as the animals also have feeling and imagination, but the
man has these powers much better and much higher, likewise
about the natural knowledge and virtues one can say, that both
human have them, but they are much better at the enlightened
one than at the not-enlightened one.
The knowledge called natural, which occupies on itself
with the virtues and with the contrary ones, it is also twofold.
One is simple, when the one who philosophizes about these
dispositions doesn`t have their experience; this fact happens
when it the doubtful. And other is with the work and so-called
animated, when the knowledge of such kind of dispositions is
strengthened through experience; this one is limpid and sure,
not knowing the doubt or the uncertainty at all.
These aspects being like this, four are the things which
impede the mind to achieve the virtue. One of them is the
habituation of the contrary habits, about which it has been said
that it tries to convince it through the long lasting habit to tend
towards the earthly things. Another one is the work of the
senses, which attracts the mind with itself towards the sensitive
things. The third one is the blunting of the mind`s work which
it suffers due to the weaving with the body. This is because it
doesn`t stay a mental thing in front of the mind as the seen
thing in front of the sight or, shortly speaking, as the sensitive
thing in front of the feeling; I am speaking about the mind of
the soul which is into body, because the immaterial minds
touch more effectively the mental ones, as the sight the seen
ones. Like the weakened sight of the ones who cannot see, it
doesn`t see the faces limpidly, neither clear, but rather cloudy
and unclear, likewise also the mind from within us looks at the
intelligible ones not being able to see clearly the intelligible
beauties; and cannot even desire them. This is because
according to the measure of the knowledge it is also the
measure of the desire. In the same time it is attracted towards
the sensitive beauties, which seem clearer to it. This is because
it is necessary to be filled up with a beauty which it is showed
to it, being it either true or not. Besides these, there is the
temptation of the unclean devils and of the hater ones. One
cannot say how many traps lay also these ones on the whole
road of the souls, in many ways and modes, through the
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senses, through the word, and even so-saying through all the
things, then if there wouldn`t be the One Who took the strayed
sheep on His shoulders, to make the ones who look at Him
taller through an endless taking care, no soul could at all
escape.
For escaping of all of these ones, there are necessary
three things. The first and the greatest one is to look out of all
his soul towards God and to ask from Him a helping hand,
putting in Him all his hope, as ones who are convinced that if
that One wouldn’t help, they would be necessarily kidnapped by
the ones who are pulling them toward the contrary ones.
The second one, which I reckon that it causes also the
first one, it is relentlessly feeding of the soul through science.
And through science I understand both the one of the sensitive
things and the one of the intelligible ones, either being them
considered in themselves, or in report with the first principle, as
being out of it and towards it, and also the contemplation of the
cause of the things out of the things from around that cause, as
much as it is possible. This is because the researching of the
nature of the things it very much helps to cleaning. It delivers
from the passionate affection towards them and elevates to the
everybody`s principle, allowing to be seen out of the beautiful
ones and wonderful and great, the One from above beauty,
wonder and greatness. The cogitation by going around them, it
is possible to it to not desire the One Who is truly good? This is
because if it is brought towards what it is stranger, the more is
brought towards what it is familiar to it. And by falling in love
the soul with these things, in which from the ones from bellow
would the soul suffer to tarry? And in which of the ones who
use to pull it from the beloved One? Won`t the soul become
tired even of the life into body, as one which impedes the soul
from the beautiful things? This is because though was said that
the mind sees unclearly within matter the intelligible beauty,
but the intelligible goods are of such a kind and so great, than
even a short glimmer of theirs and an unclear showing of that
torrent of beauty, it can convince the mind to elevate itself over
all the unintelligible ones and to stretch itself only towards
those ones and to no longer suffer to be separated from that
delectation, even if it would reach in things of sadness.
The third thing which must be followed it is the killing of
the accompanying body. Otherwise it is impossible to be
received those clear and limpid showings. And the body is killed
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through fasting, taking vigil, sleeping on the floor, through the

harsh and strictly necessary clothing, and through toils and
pains. In this way is being the body killed, better said it is
crucified together with Christ. And by becoming thinner, by
being cleaned, and by being made lighter and nimble, it follows
without difficulty the movements of the mind, not resisting
against them, and it is elevated together with the high One.
Therefore without this thing the whole endeavor is proven to be
vain.
This most-honored trinity, when it speaks to itself, it gives
birth into the soul to the group of the blessed virtues. This is
because it is impossible that in the ones adorned with this
trinity to be found any trace of evilness, or to be missing any
virtue.
But maybe the rationality if being upset by the throwing
away of the wealth, or by despising the glory, to which, until the
soul it is tied, the soul is pricked by many passions. I
assertively affirm, though, that it is impossible to the soul to fly
while it is nailed down by richness and glory. But it is not
impossible to tarry in these ones to the soul which has fought
for the three one so much than the habituation with them. This
is because if it doesn`t know other true good but only the one
from above all, and out of the other ones it is convinced that
what is resembling to the first one it is better, and so until the
last ones, how could it love and would it receive the silver, or
the gold, or something else from the ones which pull it
downwardly? These things being also said about glory.
But, neither the thing which dominates us the most,
namely the cares, it is acceptable to the rationality. This is
because, why the one who isn`t addicted and who doesn`t tend
towards anything, would him take care of the things from here?
This is because the cloud of the care it is born out of the
incense of the more general passions, namely of the love for
pleasure, of the love for money and of the vain glory. So that the
ones who is free from these ones, it is also stranger to the care.
But neither the reckoning which is entrusted that it isn`t
anything else but the wisdom and which is the most powerful
mean amongst the ones which lead towards the ones from
above, it is not missing from the said ones. This is because in
the knowledge of the virtue there is comprised also the exact
discernment of the good and of its contrary, for which the
reckoning is necessary. And the modes of the use and of the
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fight are taught by the experience and by the fight against the
body. And the rationality of the fear it is not missing from
rationality. This is because the greater is the love, the greater
also increases the fear. This is because the greater is the hope
of the good, the more bites on the ones wounded by it, than
tens of thousands of threats. As great is the happiness when
touched, so great is the fear of not reaching at it, which is the
most awful misfortune.
And for our word to advance also differently on its way,
let`s starting with the end. This is because it seems that
everything that it takes place it receives its discernment and the
order of its parts from its end. Therefore the end of our life is
the happiness that also can be called the Kingdom of Heavens
or of God. And this thing doesn`t consist only in seeing the all-
imperial Trinity, but also in receiving the godlike overflowing
from above and to suffer the deification and to fulfill and to
consummate our lack-of-fulness and lack-of-consummation,
through the overflowing from above. This is the food of the
understanding beings: the fulfillment of the lack-of-fulness
through that godlike overflowing.
This is some kind of eternal circle that starts from the
same point and it ends again in the same point. This is because
as much as somebody understands, as much he wants; and as
much as he desires, so much he receives; and as much as he
receives, that much he uses again for strengthening his
understanding. And the unmoved move or the moved
motionlessness starts again. Therefore the end is like this, as
much as we can understand. And who must we be going
towards this end, we must take heed. To the rational souls,
which are thinking creatures and a little lower than the minds
of the Angels, the life from here is a struggle, the life into body
is an imposed ascesis. And the reward is the mentioned state,
which is in the same time a gift of the godlike kindness and a
reward the righteousness. It is the reward of the righteousness,
because these goods are being shown to us as being achieved
through our sweat. And gift, because the power of the endless
gift exceeds any toil and because the fact itself of being able to
do the good and to do it is a gift from Him.
Which is therefore the fight from here? The rational soul
has been yoked with an animal body, which it has its being
from earth and it hangs towards the ones from below. And it
has been woven to it thus than out of these two ones, soul and
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body, which are totally contrary to each other, to be made one,

not following from here any change or mixing of the parts, but
out of the two ones, which remain according to their nature,
being made a hypostasis in two dull natures. And thus the
man, this mixed (composite) living being, having a twofold
nature, each nature works separately its own things.
Thus, characteristic to the body is to desire the likewise
ones. This is because all the creatures have a natural love for
the likewise ones, their lasting being, one would say, helped by
the union with the ones alike. It is also characteristic to them to
impart on themselves of their tasting through feeling, and being
heavy, it likes resting. These things are appropriate and
pleasant to the animal nature.
And to the rational soul as thinking creature are natural
and desired the intelligible ones and the tasting of them,
according to its own model. But before and above all it is
naturally rooted to it the love for God. He wants to enjoy tasting
Him and the other intelligible goods, but he cannot do this
without impediment. The first man was able to know and to
enjoy unimpeded the tasting of the intelligible things through
his mind, as of the sensitive ones through feeling (sense`s
perceiving), but he was indebted to not occupy on himself with
the things from bellow, but with the ones from above. In him
was the power for both of them, either to be together with the
intelligible ones, through the mind, or to be together with the
sensitive ones, through feeling. And I don`t say that Adam
mustn`t have been using the feeling, for not vainly was him
clothed into body, but that he mustn`t have delectated on
himself with the sensitive ones, but, looking through the feeling
the beauty of the creatures, he must have elevated on himself
to0wards their cause and must have been delighting on himself
with Him in bewilderment. Having two ways for rejoicing of
Creator, he mustn`t have stuck with the sensitive ones and to
wonder about them and not of the Creator, leaving the
intelligible beauty.
But Adam did so. Using wrongly the feeling se wondered
about the sensitive beauty, that fruit seeming to him as
beautiful and good to be eaten; and so, by tasting it, he
forsaken the tasting of the intelligible ones. That`s why the right
Judge, judging Adam as unworthy of Him, He deprived Adam of
the ones which Adam himself despised, namely of the
contemplation of God and of the ones which exist, and He
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darkness that to hide on Himself and the immaterial beings.

This is because the holy ones mustn`t be left to the defiled ones.
And He allowed Adam to taste the things which Adam loved,
letting him living through feeling and through small traces of
the mind.
Due to this cause our fight with the things from here has
become more difficult. For as it was said, it is not in our power
to taste the intelligible ones, as from the sensitive ones through
feeling, even though through Baptism we are very much helped,
being cleaned and exalted.
We must though occupy on ourselves, as much as we
can, with those ones, and not with the sensitive ones. Of them
we must wonder and them we must want, and on the sensitive
ones neither to admire in themselves not to want to delight with
them. This is because they don`t have any value in comparison
to the intelligible ones. This is because as a being is more
wonderful than other one, likewise a beauty is more wonderful
that other one. And to desire what is uglier more than what is
more beautiful and what is more dishonored than what is more
honored, doesn`t it exceed all insanity? These are the things
about the sensitive ones and about the intelligible ones,
creatures being both of them. But what would you say about
the One Who is above all of these, when we would prefer even to
Him the shapeless and without beauty matter?
This is therefore our fight: to take heed with zeal at
ourselves, to be us delighting relentlessly of the intelligible ones.
Aiming at them both our mind and our desire, let`s never allow
to be us stolen by the things submitted to the senses, dragged
towards them through feeling, to wonder about them considered
in themselves. But even if we must use also the feeling, let`s use
it for knowing the Creator out of the creatures, looking at Him
in the creatures, as at the son in the water. This is because into
the creatures there are the icons of the first cause of everybody,
according to their power of comprising.
This thing must be done. But how can we do it, we must
reckoning thoroughly. It was said that the body wants to delight
on itself with his ones through feeling, things which is contrary
to the soul`s intention. And the more is the body strengthened,
the more it desires them. Therefore this was given in the care of
the soul, to bridle all the senses, to not be us delighting, as it
was said, with the things submitted to the senses. And because
the sense by strengthening itself starts even more towards
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them, and by starting it is even more difficult to be restrained, it

has been given into the care of the soul the mortification of the
body through fasting, taking vigil, standing up, sleeping on the
floor, not-bathing, and through all the other bad suffering, as
by withering the power of the body, to have it easily to restrain
and obedient towards the thoughtful deeds of the soul.
At this state must reach. But because these things are
easy to desire but difficult to do and many are the mistakes of
the deeds, because no matter how attentive would somebody
be, the feeling often steals him, it has been found out also a
third medicine: the prayer and the tears.
The prayer is the thanks giving for the received goods and
asking for the forgiveness of the mistakes and requesting the
power which empowers for the future, because without the
godlike help, as it was said before, the soul couldn`t do
anything. It is also the union with the desired One and the
impartation with Him and the fully agreeing of the entire power
of the will with Him. And the most important part of the
pursued target was to persuade the will to want these things as
much as possible.
And the tears have much power. They gain the
mercifulness of the Master to our mistakes and wash out the
stain come to us out of the pleasure of the senses. That`s why
they wing the man towards the ones from above. So these
things are.
Therefore the target we want to reach at it is the
contemplating of the intelligible ones and their consummated
desiring. For this it is done the restraining of the body through
fasting, the righteousness and the other ones. Each one is for
the other one. And for these ones and with these ones the
prayer also is. And each of these ones is different in several
parts. This is because they are ones for others, so are others for
them. But let nobody imagine that the love for glory and the
love for money give comfort to the body. This thing is done by
the love for pleasure, which it has as appropriate medicine the
tormenting of the body. And the two ones are the fruits of the
nescience. This is because the soul has embraced these liar
things out of the lack of experience of the true goods, and out of
the lack of knowledge of the intelligible ones, and therefore it
reckons to accomplish its shortcomings through richness. In
the same time the richness is sought for the love of pleasure
and for the love of glory, but also for itself, as other good thing.
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In the last case we therefore say that it is sought for due to not
knowing the true goods. But the vain glory isn`t sought for
some need of the body, because it doesn`t give any comfort to
the body. It comes out of the not-trying and out of not-knowing
the first good and of the true glory. Therefore its cause, and,
shortly speaking, the root of all the evil things it is the
nescience.
This is because by being mastered by nescience the soul
doesn`t understand the nature of the things, from where each
thing has come and where it turns back. And by despising its
purpose it turns towards the earthly ones. This is because the
soul doesn`t desire on itself after the seen good. And if it is
dominated by some habit, the soul can even overcome that
habit. Therefore when the habit didn`t exist, the soul was
deceived by nescience. Therefore the soul must aspire towards
the first ones and to cogitate rightly about creatures, and then
to wing his will towards the first good and to despise all the
present ones, by knowing their great vanity. For what is the
support they give to us for our end (purpose)?
And for summarizing everything shortly, a sole thing has
to do the rational soul into the body: to desire on itself after its
own purpose. And because the working of the will without
understanding it remains unmoved, we owe to work with the
mind. Therefore, either to cogitate is for willing, or that is bo0th
for itself and for willing, which it seem to be truer, because the
happiness, to which the ascetic`s life from here isn`t only cause
but also image, it has both of works: the cogitation and the
desiring (if both of them are there alike, or if some of them is
more chiefly, it belongs to the ones who want to philosophize for
determining it), fact is that for the time being we move ourselves
through both of works, of which we call one contemplation, and
the other one doing. And it is impossible to be one of them
without another on the peaks of these works. But on the lowest
stairs, and after that, it is possible. All the impediments of these
works, or the ones which look at the contrary ones, we call
them sins. As also all the ones which help and deliver from
impediments, we call them virtues. And the deeds committed
through virtues, we call them victories, as the ones of the
opposite ones, we call them falls and mistakes. And what it
shapes each work, either towards worse or towards better, it is
the top target, which we know that is a work composed of
cogitation and willing.
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Theognostus
Under the name of Theognostus in the Greek Philokalia

are published 75 head “About Going, Contemplation and
Priesthood”382. Who this Theognostus was, doesn`t know to say
even Nicodemus the Hagiorite in the introduction to this heads.
Nicodemus says that Theognostus can be Theognostus the
Alexandrine, about whom Photius speaks in the head 107 of his
Library, but also he can be somebody else. But Theognostus the
Alexandrine, about whom Photius383 speaks, he was an
Origenistic, who considered the Son as creature of the Father,
and who lived before Athanasius the Great. He couldn`t have
written the heads from Philokalia, heads which represent a later
spirituality.
382
Greek Philokalia, Second Edition, volume I, p. 355-365.
383
Migne, G.P. 103, col. 373-376.
225
Because there isn`t know another churchly writer than

the Constantinopolitan archimandrite from the Century IX, the
heads from Philokalia possibly belong to him. This
Theognostus, archimandrite and exarch of the Monasteries from
Constantinople, was a descendant of Patriarch Ignatius and a
leading adversary of Photius. When, after the synod from 861,
which approves the removal of Ignatius from the chair and the
bringing of Photius, the Ignatius`s followers send a memoir to
Pope Nicholas, Theognostus was amongst the ones who brought
that memoir to Rome, fleeing Constantinople disguised in
civilian384. After Ignatius was brought back at 867 in the chair
by the new Emperor Basil the Macedonian, who first killed
Michael III, Theognostus returns at 868 in Constantinople. In
870 we find him abbot of the Water Spring Monastery and
scevofylax385 of the great Church. In that year he is again sent
in a delegation to Rome by Emperor Basil the Macedonian and
by the Patriarch Ignatius386.
Also from Theognostus remained and “Encomium for All
the Saints”.
An internal hint that this writing was composed
somewhere far from the range of influence of the Mount Sinai,
namely in a big city, of high culture, as Constantinople was, we
would have it in the difference of conception of this writing in
comparison to the ones which bear the mark of the Sinaite
spirituality and even in some tendency of contradicting this
spirituality. To be seen for instance the heads 5-6 of this
writing, in which is expressed some reserve in what concerns
the impression which comes out of the massive and insistent
affirmation of the Sinaite monks that one can see with enough
easiness the godlike light in the sky of the cleaned mind.
Theognostus highlights rather the impediments over which the
Sinaite monks passed too quickly and he especially actualizes
the idea of the areopagitic darkness, which hides God.
In the same time Theognostus proves to have a thin
thinking and a nuanced phrase, as a sign that he was living in
a city with a refined culture. Better said, his writing may be the
first introduction of the Sinaite spirituality in the more
speculative and more difficult circles of Constantinople, in a
384
To be seen the Memoir in Migne, G.P. 105, 855-862.
385
Sacraphylax (E. l. t.`s n.).
386
G.P. 105, 849-856. We have taken these dates from G.P. 105, 843-848 and from
Krumbacher`s note, Gesch. der. byz. Lit., p. 78.
226
synthesized form, fact that will prepare the terrain for the
apparition of Saint Simeon the New Theologian, during Century
XI. He knew the Sinaite ones, that is proven by the fact that he
literally repeats the head 25 from the writing of John the
Carpathian (at Theognostus head 26), but he represents a more
energetic and more ascetic spirituality.
On the other hand the attention granted in this writing to
the Liturgy and to the priesthood it could again be a hint that it
was composed by a personality with an official role in the
Church`s life and in the Emperor`s Michael III Constantinople,
within which, after the reestablishing of honoring the icons, the
pomposity of the cult took a special impulse. It is known the
legend, that has some historical truth, that the Russian envoys
from Kiev were so impressed by the Liturgy of that time from
Saint Sophia, that they determined Prince Vladimir to receive
together with his entire people the Christendom from
Byzantium.
Of our Pious Father
THEOGNOSTUS
About Doing, Contemplation and Priesthood387
Of Which Acrostic Is This One: To the Most Worthy

Fathers Lazarus and Barlaam, Theognostus the
Most Humble and Unworthy of the Entire World
1. Then reckon that you have true virtue when you will
consummately despise all things on earth, having through clean
conscience the heart always ready to travel towards the Lord.
387
Περι πράξεως και θεωρίας και περι ιερωσυνης. The Greek Philokalia, Second Edition,
volume I, p. 355-365.
227
And if you want to be known by God, make yourself unknown

by people, as much as it is possible.
2. Take heed to the useless comforting of the body and
avoid it, lest something of your toils to decrease, because these
comforting bring a weakening of the previous toils, from before
the lack of the passions, or of the ones since now on. Consider
as lost not the lacking of the sweet ones, but the falling down
from the higher ones, through the impartation of the sweet
ones.
3. Consider on yourself as ant and as worm into the
whole feeling, to make on yourself man shaped by God. This is
because you will not be firstly that one, this one won`t follow;
and as much as you will descend on yourself, that much you
will be exalted. When you will consider on yourself as nothing
before God, as the Psalmist says, and then you will be made
great out of small, unnoticeably. And when you will think that
you don`t have and you don`t know anything, then you will be
enriched both in doing and in the commendable knowledge into
the Lord.
4. Crush the arm of the sinner and cunning one, namely
of the pleasure and of the cunningness, out of which is born
every sin. Crush it through restraint and through the lack of
evilness of the humbleness, for even if one will be searching for
your every sin with powerful word in the time of the trials of the
committed deeds, to not be anything found. This is because the
mistakes are erased when, by hating the causes through which
they have been done we wage war against them, turning the
defeat from beginning into the victory to the end.
5. Nothing is better than the clean prayer, out of which
gush out as from water spring the virtues: the understanding,
the gentleness, the love, the restraint, the help which comes
from through tears from God, together with the comforting. And
the beauty of this one it stays in the fact that the mind is only
the told and the thought ones and it has always an unsatisfied
desire to encounter God. When the mind sniffs through the
contemplation of the creatures the traces of the Master and
searches with a fiery longing and with thirst for finding and for
seeing the unseen One, of when the mind contemplates the
darkness which hides Him, it returns again to itself,
withdrawing itself with the greatest respect and awe, being for
the time being satisfied with the sight which has useful to be
unveiled to it and being comforted with that much. But is has
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good hope that it will receive the desired One, when, being
melted the seen ones (the manifestations) and the imagination
in shadows, as in mirror and in riddles, it will come for the
everlasting sight face to face.
6. You withdraw from the highest contemplations if you
haven`t reached yet at the higher lack of passions, and do not
run without pause, lusting after the things which are above
you. This is because if you want, he says, to become theologians
and seeing (contemplative), go up through living and gain to
yourself the cleanness through cleaning. And because I`ve
mentioned the theology (the secret knowledge of God), take heed
not to stretch on yourself endlessly and thing that isn`t allowed
to us, who are still living with the milk of the virtues, to try
flying towards that one, lest our wings to become weak like at
the unconsummated baby birds, even if the honey of the
knowledge forces our longing. But when, being cleaned through
the lack of passions and through tears, we will be lifted up from
earth as Elijah and Habakkuk, fore-imagining the future
kidnapping into clouds, and when in clean, seeing
(contemplative) and not-scattered prayer, we will be outside
senses, searching for God, maybe then we will somewhat reach
at theology.
7. If you lust for being worthy of godlike sight and of
apparitions in your mind, embrace firstly the peaceful and quiet
life; and by occupying on yourself thus, know on yourself and
on God. This is because if this thing is fulfilled, there isn`t any
longer something to impede you to see with the mind, in a clean
and untroubled by any passions state, as in a thin cloud, the
One unseen by anybody, preaching to you salvation through
His thicker (more imprinted) knowledge.
8. As when the lightning bolt emerges one expect the
thunder, so also where the godlike mercifulness has lightened,
there the storm of the passion is also appeased. And where this
thing takes place, it comes in the same time to the one who has
achieved it the earnest of the happiness from above. But there
isn`t godlike mercy, or hope of lack of passion, in the soul that
love the world more than the Creator and it is addicted to the
seen ones and it is totally dominated by the bodily pleasure and
delectations.
9. Do not search God and where He is, with your mind.
This is because He is above being and not-comprised at all,
being above in everything. But only look at God the Word, the
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circumscribed One, as much as it is possible, shedding light out

of the godlike nature, and imagine the one Who is everywhere,
in space, for the not-circumscribing of godhead. But the more
you will clean on yourself, the more you will be found worthy of
enlightenment.
10. If you want true knowledge and doubtless
entrustment about salvation, you philosophize (strive on
yourself)388 firstly to break up the passionate affections of the
soul towards the body and emptied of the addiction after the
material things, descend in the deep (the abyss) of the
humbleness, where you will find the much precious pearl of
your salvation, hidden as in a clay vessel in the godlike
knowledge and which is promising to you even from now the
brightness of the Kingdom of God.
11. The one who has achieved the mental submission (the
intelligible one) and who has subdued his body to the ghost, he
doesn`t need any longer the human obedience, for he obeys to
the Word and to the law of God, as a grateful subject. But we,
the one inside whom there is the war of the body against the
soul, we must obey and to have a chieftain of the army and a
helmsman who to rule us with science and to arm us the in
best possible manner, lest to be us defeated by the intelligible
enemies and to be swallowed by passions, due to the lack of
skillfulness (due to the lack of experience).
12. When you are no longer upset by any passion and the
longing after God increases in your heart and when, by
reckoning the death as a sleep, you do not fear death any
longer, but you rather want the untying, then you have gained
as it is due the earnest of the salvation and you bear within the
Kingdom of Heavens, rejoicing yourself with an untold
joyfulness.
About Priesthood
13. When you have been found worthy of the godlike and
honored priesthood and you have indebted on yourself to have
on yourself sacrificed to the death of passions and of pleasures
and so to dare to touch the alive and fearsome sacrifice, if you
don`t want to be burnt by the godlike fire, as an easily burning
matter. This is because if the Seraphim didn`t dare to touch the
388
The philosophy is the endeavor of cleaning through deeds.
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godlike charcoal without pliers, you will you touch it without

suffering, through which you will have the tongue sanctified
and the lips cleaned and the soul clean together with the body
and the hands themselves shinier than the gold, as some
servants of the fire and of that sacrifice from above being.
14. Penetrate powerfully the meaning of the words, for
you to see daily that salvation from God, which by seeing it the
old Simeon he wondered and he prayed for releasing. And if you
haven`t receive yet announcement from the Holy Ghost that you
are received as mediator between God and people, as one totally
like the Angels, do not dare to throw on yourself into danger, by
touching the fearsome and most-clean committing of the godlike
ones, which even the Angels fear of, and from which many of
the Saint withdrawn on themselves with awe, lest, like Zenoah,
to lose on yourself due to the opinion that you are good.
15. Take heed at yourself, according to the one who said,
to make the proscomidy firstly for your sins, even if has
emerged before in you some defilement, to be burnt by the
godlike fire. For thus you will be able to transform on yourself,
as a vessel of the choosing, clean and worthy of such a sacrifice,
in the silver`s and gold`s nature, even there have been in you
parts of wood and of dirt, but only to gain God with the daring
and to have Him leaned upon you. This is because where God is
ready towards listening there is no longer any impediment for
your transformation.
16. Think that you have been found worthy of an honor
just like the one of the Angels and strive to remain unstained in
the rank in which you have been called, through the whole
virtue and cleaning. You know the Morning Star that fell, of
what he was what he has become, due to the pride. This is for
not happening to you, all these things, by imagining great
things about yourself. Consider on yourself as being dirt and
ash and abortion and be crying always, to be found worthy of
the godlike impartation and to be called to kinship by the not-
understood love for people and by the untold kindness of God,
through the handling of the holy and fearsome Sacraments.
17. The one who is ordained priesthood, he must clean on
himself of all the passions, but especially of adultery and of
remembering the evil and to not have any simple imagination, if
he doesn`t want to come close to the imperial body being
distorted and with soot on his face, and that`s why to be ugly
and nauseous.
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18. Touch the holy things with the conscience whitened

through cleanness, as a saint, after you have withered on
yourself before through streams of tears more than the snow,
showing through the angelic whitening from outside the inward
beauty of the soul. And take heed not to be you full only with
the teachings from people in the sanctified committing of the
godlike things, but also to have the grace which to make to you
understood in a hidden and secret way the higher things.
19. If you love the incorruptibility and the immortality,
receive with faith, with shyness and with awe, the life-makers
Sacraments, desiring also the leaving from here, as one who has
consummated on himself through faith. And if you fear death,
you haven`t united on yourself with Christ yet, Who you have
been found worthy to sacrifice with your hands and with Whose
body you have fed on yourself. This is because if this thing
would have happened, you would strive to go where the beloved
One is, not giving any importance to life and to body.
20. Becoming you a sacrificer of the body of God and
partaker of it through impartation, you have indebted on
yourself to unite on yourself with Him also in the likeness of His
death, no longer living to yourself, but to the One Who was
crucified and dies for you, as the Apostle says. And if you live
with passion to the body and to the world, prepare yourself to
reach through death, to the immortal punishment, if you won`t
willingly stop before death from the bloodless sacrifice. But
many of the ones who commit here the holy things unworthily,
being suddenly kidnapped by death, they were sent to the
judgment from there.
21. Some priest who was once also a monk, being famous
for his awe and honored by many for the outside countenance,
but inside, secretly, being dissolute and defiled, celebrating
once the godlike and holy religious service, when he came close
to the song of the Cherubic, when bowing his head, as usual,
before the holy Table and reading: “No one is worthy”… he
suddenly fell dead, his soul living from him in such a
circumstance389.
22. Nothing is more necessary and more useful than the
right word and the knowledge. This is because from here comes
the fear of God and the longing after Him. And of these two, the
first one cleans up through awe and shyness, and the other one
389
Until here the author speaks mainly about priesthood.
232
consummates through the enlightening detaching and through

the right reckoning and it makes the mind to travel on peaks,
through the high ascension and sight. But without fear it is
impossible to the mind to reach at the godlike love and through
it to fly towards the hoped ones and to rest in them.
23. Therefore come and listen to me, you who fierily and
without hesitating desire the salvation. Run until you will
receive, searching for with straining, asking relentlessly and
knocking with patience, until you will achieve, plunging as
steadfast foundation the faith and the humbleness. Then you
will receive what you desire, not when you will receive only the
forgiveness of your sins, but also when you won`t be scared
anymore, neither you will fear of the uprising of some passion,
detaching yourself from your body without fear and with daring
towards the body.
24. You try to receive full entrustment with many tears,
but not before death, it you are humble in thought, lest after,
becoming careless, to be with despise, but when you are close
to the end. But without reckoning the end as sure, lest by
trusting in this, to be mocked by the high self-appreciation and
to not achieve what you want, being caught just then by the
hoped time (whet you don`t expect it). For then where will you
go, you miserable, without earnest and without the doubtless
entrusting, which saves and which is given through the Ghost?
25. If you desire the deifying lack of passions, find out
firstly what you want, through obedience and humbleness, lest
by walking on other road, to cause toils to yourself. And the
lack of passion it has been achieved not by the one who is
sometimes upset by passions and some other times he is quiet
and resting, but by the ones who ceaselessly delight himself in
lack of passions, remaining unmoved even when are present the
causes of the passions; but especially the one who doesn`t
suffer even for the thoughts about passions.
26. When the soul comes out from the body, the enemy
comes upon the soul with impertinence, fighting against the
soul and condemning it and being a bitter and fearsome
accuser for mistakes. But the loving of God soul;, even if it has
been wounded before by many sins, it doesn`t get scared by the
rushing over and by the threats of that one, but even stronger it
strengthens on itself in the Lord and flies with joy, encouraged
by the holy Powers who guide the soul and fenced by the light of
the faith, shouting out with much daring to the enemy: What is
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to you and to us, you the fugitive from the sky and cunning
servant? You don`t have mastery upon us, for Christ the Son of
God has the mastery upon us and upon everybody. To Him I
committed sin, to Him I`ll also answer, having lien of His
mercifulness towards us and of our salvation, His honored
cross. And you run far away from us, you the destroyer. This is
because nothing is to you and to the servants of Christ. By
saying the soul these things daringly, the devil turns his back
weeping with loud voice, not being able to stay against the
name of Christ. And the soul being above, it flies upon the
enemy, slapping him as the bird called Oxypteryx (rapidly
flying) on the raven. After this the soul is carried with gladness
by the holy Angels to the places decided for that soul, according
to his state.
27. Do not allow the longing for the flowing ones to pull
down to the ground on you who are cogitating to the heavenly
ones. And if some addiction to the earthly things ties you to
them, you are like the vulture with his leg caught in snare and
impeded to fly to the sky. Therefore consider everything as
garbage, in the hope of the better ones; and by rejecting even
the body when the time comes, follow the Angel of God, who
gets you out (of the body).
28. As it is impossible that the coin which hasn`t have the
portrait of the emperor to be placed in the imperial treasuries
together with the common coins, likewise is impossible to
somebody to receive the earnest of the happiness from beyond,
without the right reckoning and without the lack of passions,
and to leave with trust and with entrustment out of the present
life towards the hoped one and to the placed together with the
chosen ones. And I call knowledge not the wisdom, but that
not-deceiver news about God and about the godlike things,
through which the one who loves God is extolled towards
deification with the grace of the Ghost, without being attracted
downwardly by passions.
29. Even if you would fulfill the whole doing, do not have
trust into yourself, reckoning that you have reached at the lack
of passions, and do not live into the world carelessly; lest, by
loading on yourself with imprints of passions from here, to be
difficult to you the withdrawal from the world. But letting
yourself to be always guided by fear, take care of your
changeable and fickle nature. Put a distance, wisely, between
you and the causes of the passions. This is because the lack of
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passions established at the peak it is not but within those who

have reached at a perfect love and through ceaseless
uninterrupted contemplation they ascended above the things
submitted to the senses and they have surpassed the body of
the humbleness. These ones aren`t any longer touched by the
flame of the passions, because it has been cut off by the voice of
the Lord, for the fact that these ones have been changed into
incorruptibility.
30. Do not lust for lack of passion before time, to not
suffer what suffered the first created man, imparting on you
from the tree of the knowledge390. But working patiently through
comprising restraint and through persevering asking and
guarding through self-despising and through consummated
humbleness the done things, wait after these things, at well
ordered time, the grace of the dispassion, as a resting shore,
after much storm and trouble. This is because God isn`t unjust,
to not open, when it ought, the door of the dispassion, to the
ones who walked straightly.
31. Go to the fewness and the nothingness of the ant, oh
you lazy and unskillful one, and learn from it, that doesn`t need
our goods (virtues), God the without needs and most-full One,
but He gives plentifully and He saves through grace, on all the
ones who want this with thanks giving, although He receives
with love for people the work according to the man`s power.
Therefore if you toil yourself as a debtor for the goods given to
you from before by Him, you are right and close to you is the
godlike mercy. But if you reckon that you make God debtor for
the good things which you reckon that you are doing, you have
lost the right path. For how could the Benefactor be debtor?
Though, keep running like a hireling and advancing little by
little, you will take, through the mercy of God, what you are
looking for.
32. Do you want me to show to you another way of
salvation, or better said of lack of passions? Force the Creator
in prayers with all your power, to not remain you without the
sought thing, taking always as mediator to Him all the heavenly
Powers and all the Saints, together with the Most-Clean and
Mother of God. And do not ask for the lack of passions, being
unworthy of this gift; but ask for the salvation with strain and
390
As also at Saint Maximos the Confessor and at Saint Gregory Palamas, we find at
Theognostus the idea that eth tasting out of the tree of the knowledge didn`t have forbidden
forever, but only until the moral growing up of Adam.
235
you will take together with it also the dispassion. This is

because one resembles to the silver, and the other one to the
pure gold. Let you have also the hidden work, which serves in a
special manner to God, and the words of some mysteries hidden
towards Him, which deify you, because through them God is
sweetened and leans towards you.
33. Fight to take the earnest of the salvation in a hidden
manner inside your heart, with a doubtless entrusting, to not
find in the time of the salvation trouble and unexpected fear.
And when you have take, when you don`t have any longer your
heart condemning for the shortcomings and the conscience
stinging you for upsets; when the savageness of the beasts
passions has been tamed inside you, with the grace of God;
when tears of comforting spring out to you and your mind prays
cleanly and not-scattered; and when you receive joyfully and
with a prepared heart the fearsome death, of which many are
trying to run away.
34. The words of the eternal life, which the primate of the
Apostles confessed that God the Word has them, are the
rationalities made by Him, which the one who mysteriously
received from Him, as an undefiled one, he has achieved even
from here, together with them, the eternal life and the earnest
of the Ghost and the not-shamed hope of the salvation. But is
not found worthy of these things the ones who cherishes more
the body than the soul and who is addicted and tied to the
earthly things.
35. Speaking is not the one who have the possibility of
the spoken word, because every man has it, but the one who
through the power of the rationality he tries to find the traces of
God. But what is the being of the One above being, he won`t
find out at all. This is an impossible thing to the entire nature.
But he will know Him out of the wisdom creator of the things,
out of the taking care, of the guiding, out of the keeping
together, out of their leading and sustaining. Through this one
can find and somehow one can see the wonderful Craftsman, in
the way in which the mason can be seen out of the work of his
hands.
36. You won`t achieve the lack-of-wealth as it is due,
without the lack of passion, neither the lack of passion without
love, nor this one without fear and clean prayer. Neither on
these ones without fait and lack of care, through which being
the mind winged it rejects that thought which looks downwardly
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and flies towards the high and from above ones, searching for
its Master.
37. Guard the cleanness as the light of your eyes, to
make on yourself church to God and most-loved house. This is
because it is impossible to come close to God without
righteousness. And this is born out of the longing for God, out
of lack of passions and out of running away from the world. And
it is guarded by the humble cogitation, by the restraint, by the
ceaseless prayer, by the spiritual contemplation and by the
persevering tears, together with the lack of anger. And the
beauty of the right reckoning, without the lack of patience, you
won`t achieve it.
38. Do not let anybody to deceive you, brother, that you

without holiness, as the Apostle says, you will see God. This is
because the above all cleanness Lord does not accept to show
on Himself to the unclean one. As is unworthy of Him the one
who love his father or his mother more than Him, or his
daughter or this son, so is also the one who loves anything else
of the temporary and earthly ones. The more is unworthy the
one who cherishes more the ugly and the stinky sin than the
love of the Lord. This is because God rejects the ones who
doesn`t turn away from defilement, because “he won`t inherit
the corruptness, but the incorruptibility”.
39. You won`t be found worthy of the godlike love without
knowledge, neither of knowledge without faith. But I call this
faith not the simple one, but the one that is born inside us out
of the working of the virtues. And of the true pricking of the
heart you will be found worthy when withering through
restraint, vigil, prayer and humbleness, the innate pleasure of
the body, you will crucify on yourself together with Christ, no
longer living passionately, but living to the godlike Ghost and
walking into the hope of the inheritance from above.
40. Shout out towards God: “In this I knew that You
wanted me, that my enemy won`t rejoice of me”, mastering me
and tormenting me until the end through passions. But You
kidnapped me before death out of his hand and You made me
worthy to live spiritually according to Your pleasure, for though
good end to be You showing me saved to Your Chair, taking
from here the earnest of the salvation and the doubtless
entrustment; for I not be troubled and unprepared in the time
of the exit, than to consider the trouble unbearable and more
237
bitter and more bad than the death itself and worse than the
labors.
41. The faith and the hope aren`t some simple and
random things. But the faith needs a strong soul, and the hope
needs a right reckoning and a right heart. This is because how
could somebody believe easily in the things which can be seen,
without the grace? And how will he hope in the future and
unseen things if he won`t receive through cleanness some
experience of the Lord`s gifts, through which he receives the
proving of those ones, as of some which are present? Therefore
for both of them the virtue is needed, but also the influence and
the help from God, which, if we don`t have them, we vainly toil.
42. The true virtue has as fruit either the knowledge or
the lack of passions, or both of them. And if not, it has been
empty and liar what it has seemed to us as virtue. This is
because if would have been real, it would has been adorned
with fruit also, not only with leaves. But in this manner, trying
to attract to itself, either only the pleasure from people, or its
own pleasure, or something else from the things which are not
pleasant to God, it is liar and not-loving of God. We though,
who have corrected our work, we will doubtlessly achieve,
towards our profit, also the grace of the Good God, which
brings, when is necessary and as much as it necessary, both
the knowledge and the lack of passions.
43. Penetrate the thoughts of the enemy with the light of
the grace and by throwing on yourself before God with crying,
announce your helplessness. Consider your person as nothing,
even if the deceiver would convince you that you seem to be
something. Do not ask either for the coronation with some gifts,
but only if they are causing the salvation and guarding the
humble cogitation. Ask thought the knowledge that doesn`t
make you boasting, as cause of the knowledge of God, and pray
to not be dominated until the end by passions, as by some
tyrants, but to detach on yourself from your body into lack of
passions, or more humbleness, to suffer together with the ones
who do err.
44. As one cannot fly to the high things and into the sky
without wings, so one cannot reach at the hoped ones without
having the doubtless entrustment even since here. And the
entrustment comes from the consummated humbleness of the
thought and from the grace of the Holy Ghost in the ones totally
reconciled with God, in whom there is of course the lack of
238
passions, either partially, of fuller, on the measure of the

kingdom and of the cleanness. And the ones who separate from
their body otherwise, as ones who still are in the winter of the
passions, or on Saturday (namely in not-working the virtues),
they will be under judgment and trial, as some guilty ones, at
the time of the reward.
45. Being saved as of a gift, give thanks to the Savior
God. And if you want to also bring gifts, bring to Him out of
your deprived soul, with gratefulness, the two mites, namely the
humbleness and the love. And I know well that He will welcome
these two more than the multitude of the virtues thrown by
many in the treasury of the salvation. By doing so, even if you
will need resurrection like Lazarus did, after you have been
killed by passions, send these ones, as somke good sisters, as
mediators towards Him and you will doubtlessly achieve what
you are searching for.
46. BY achieving the doing, you still couldn`t come close
to the lack of passions only through it, to pray clean and
not-scattered, if there won`t come into the mind also the
spiritual visions (the contemplations) of the enlightening
knowledge and of the understanding of the things. Only winged
and enlightened by these ones, the mind it elevated entirely by
the love (the eros) of the true prayer, flying strenuously towards
the related light of the bodiless groups from above, and from
there it is taken, as much as it is possible, towards the great
light, the one in three brightnesses, of the godlike Trinity.
47. We won`t be punished and condemned in the age to
come for we have committed sin, once we have received a fickle
and changing nature. But because by committing sin, we
haven`t repented, neither have we turned back from the evil
path towards the Lord, after we have received power and time
for repentance, to show even more that godhead is good and
not, on the opposite, passionate, as one who punishes and gets
angry. But He punishes the sin and not on us. This is because
He is outside any passions and punishment, even though one
would say that He conforms on Himself to our deeds and
dispositions, turning to each one according to the value of the
deeds from his life.
48. Being you budged from a better state, do not get
troubled, but correct on yourself, rather running towards the
state from before, with sadness and anger and with much
blaming of the self, and even with much shedding tears into the
239
breaking of the ghost. Getting out, through these ones, of the

falling happened to you, you will come in the way of the savior
joyfulness, strengthening on yourself from now on with the
whole power, lest, getting the Judge angry again, to be there
necessary tears and trouble for His reconcilement, or, if this
thing won`t happen here, to be surely punished in the age to
come.
About Priesthood
49. Our word is again about the honored priesthood, as

the one that needs angelic dignity and cleanness and, after
these ones, even more strengthening and righteousness than
before. This is because if the defiled one can in some measure
to clean on himself, the clean one how will he defile on himself
again, but only if we want to mix the darkness with the light
and the stench with the good fragrance? But by doing this will
be woe to us and we will inherit the perdition, as some thieves
of holy items, like Hanani and Sapphira.
50. Being found worthy to ascend to the heavenly stage of
the identical to the Angels priesthood, through a small cleaning,
you have become out of perdition`s vessel and unworthy, a
vessel of the choosing and of good service to the Lord, like Paul
did. Therefore preserve righteous the honor of which you have
been found worthy, guarding the godlike gift as the light of your
eyes, lest, defiling on yourself due to carelessness, to be cast
from height in the precipice and with difficulty to find turning
back.
51. Understand as sapient man does, that God by making
on somebody right, there is nobody to condemn him. And if you
have been called, you have entered in that grace from above
world of the godlike priesthood, to not be worried any longer by
the life from before, if you had some stain, because through
God and through your correction, it has been cleaned. But be
you striving and taking vigil after that, to not darken the gift. By
doing like this, even if somebody will insanely doubt about your
holy work due to the things from before, he will hear the godlike
voice which says: “What God has cleaned, you do not defile”.
52. Light is the dignity of the priesthood and the yoke
gentle, but when it is received and borne according to the
decency; and when the grace of God isn`t being bought. But
when is being bought with human diligence and with
240
corruptible gift what mustn`t be commercialized and the calling

is no longer from above, the burden is very heavy, as one that is
borne without worthiness and above power. And the yoke is
very harsh and bruises the neck and the power of the one who
bears it, and if he doesn`t lay it down, until it will totally
exhaust and crush him.
53. By taking the yoke of the priesthood daringly, correct
your paths and cut rightly the word of the truth 391, working
through it, with fear and with tremble, your salvation. This is
because our God is burning fire and if you touch Him, being
gold and silver, do not fear of being burnt, like the youngsters
from Babylon didn`t fear the fire. But if you are made of grass
or straws, easily to be kindled matters, as one who have earthly
thought, tremble of being burnt by the heavenly fire, if you
won`t run away, as Lot from wrath, by getting far from the most
fearsome Mysteries, or if there aren`t some very small
shortcomings which come out from helplessness, the ones
which are burnt by this godlike fire in the most-holy religious
service, than yourself to remain untouched and unharmed by
fire, as those weak branches of the bramble.
54. If you cannot detach on yourself from the passionate
addiction of leaking seed, due to the long habituation, how dare
you, you miserable one, to come close to what even the Angels
do not touch it? Therefore either you tremble and stay far from
now on from the godlike religious service and so you will gain
the mercifulness of God, or expect to fall with wrath, as a
insensitive one and as a not-corrected one, in the hand of the
living God, Who won`t spare you with love for people, but He
will punish you mercilessly, because you have dared
shamelessly to enter at the imperial wedding with the soul and
with the coat defiled, though you aren`t worthy even to enter,
and not at all to sit down.
55. I knew a priest, who dared to commit the godlike ones
worthlessly, as one who fell in the addiction of adultery. This
one fell firstly in a heavy and without healing illness, and he
was coming close to death. After he did everything for healing
the illness, but nothing was efficient, and the illness was
spreading even stronger, he came to the conscience that he is
going to die because he celebrated the holy mysteries
391
ορθοτόμοι τον της αληθείας λόγον, according to the translation from the Romanian Liturgy
Book: rightly corrects (carves) the word of the truth. The priest also has this duty, not only the
bishop.
241
worthlessly. Therefore, by stopping on himself with oath from

the holy Liturgy, the healing came in a hurry, than not even s
trace of the illness remained to him.
56. Enlightened is the stage and the coat of the
priesthood, but only if it has also the soul shining together
inward, through cleanness. If it is defiled due to lack of
attention, and the conscience, which confesses about ugliness,
it is despised, the light becomes darkness and cause of the
darkness and of the eternal fire, if not, leaving this precipitous
way on both sides, we deviate on other one, which to lead us
through virtue and humbleness, without danger, in the
Kingdom of God.
57. The salvation is gained through humiliation and
virtue, not through the glorified priesthood, which requests for
a life identical with the one of the Angels. Therefore either you
make on yourself without passions as the Angels are, living
outside the world and outside the body with the thought, and
so step on this heavenly ladder, or by recognizing your
helplessness, fear the height, as one that causes great falling to
the ones who cannot remain at it, and chose the living loved by
many, that bring close to God no less than the first one. This is
because into this, even if it would happen to you to fall down,
easy it will be the rising again through repentance, with the
mercy and with the grace of God.
58. The body and the blood won`t inherit the Kingdom of
God. And you, by imparting on yourself with the body and with
the blood of God, how don`t you make on yourself a body with
him and you aren`t being crossed through by His blood, having
even from now inside you the Kingdom of Heavens, but you still
are fenced by passions of the your body and blood? I fear that
the Ghost of God won`t remain in you, because you are bodily,
and you will be cut asunder at the time of the judgment, being
taken from you the honored priesthood, as from one who is
unworthy of such a gift.
59. Not being before your eyes the fear of God, you reckon
that it is a simple thing to celebrate the holy Mysteries
worthlessly, being deceived by the love for the self and
imagining that God is good. This thing was suffered by Datan
and Aviron yesteryear, until the earth swallowed them. By
fearing this and being afraid by the One Whom you must fear,
cogitate at the greatness of the thing and either commit it
worthily and with cleanness, this is to say identically to an
242
Angel, the thing of the godlike priesthood, or top, as a

thoughtful man, from the fearsome religious service, lest, by
despising this and disregarding you conscience that rebukes
you, to see painfully then, when you will be condemned, and
when all thins will be judged and corrected: “The fear which I
feared, has come upon me”, and :what was frightening me, it
has happened to me”.
60. Bring fort firstly for yourself, with watchfulness and
with pain, into the heart`s crushing and with tears, the holy
and savior of the world sacrifice, towards expiation. For whom
will you have to feel sorrow for you like you are and to bring
forth sacrifice for you, after your death? That`s why thinking in
advance as a thoughtful man, burry on yourself even since now
and remember on yourself from before, placing before God on
the Holy Table the Holy Mysteries themselves for your salvation,
remembering also through this His willing and loving of people
stabbing.
61. The soul which separates from the body, full of
entrustment (εν πληροφορία) and it disrobes the body as coat,
that soul tries an untold and unexplained joy. This is because
by achieving now the hoped ones, he rejects the body without
any sadness, directing itself peacefully towards the luminous
and glad Angel who comes from height, and crossing without
impediment together with that Angel the sky, totally unharmed
by the ghosts of the evilness, but ascending with joy and with
daring and with words of thanksgiving, until he reaches to bow
down before the Creator and there to receive the decision to be
ordered with the ones like him and of the same measure into
virtue, until the general resurrection.
62. I am telling you a strange word, and do not wonder:
Even if you haven`t achieve the lack of passions, due to the
habits which dominate you, if you are in the time of the exit in
the deep of the humbleness, you will be elevated, and not less
than the one without passion, above the clouds. This is because
even if the treasure of the ones without passions has been
gathered out of all virtues, the precious stone of the
humbleness is more precious than all of them. It doesn`t cause
only reconcilement from God to the one who has it, but also the
entering together with the chosen ones in the wedding places of
His Kingdom.
63. By receiving expiation of sins from God, glorify the
One Who doesn`t keep the evil in mind and doesn`t avenge on
243
Himself, assuring on yourself from the willing mistakes, out of

all your power. This is because even there is expiation also for
them, until death, through the daily repentance, but you show
on yourself as being ingrate, if you commit sin easily into
knowledge. By chasing away the god of the despair with the
stone of the good hoping, and always daringly and perseveringly
asking for, many sins will be forgiven to you, as being debtor, to
also be you loving much in the age to come, on the together
suffering and most good One.
64. When, being worked by the godlike grace, you are
before God into that prayer with tears, fall down to the ground,
stretching on you in the sign of the cross and, hitting your
head, ask for the untying from here, as liberation from
corruptibility and estrangement from temptations; though, not
as you wish, but as it seems to God and when and how He
wants it. And, the leaving from here, be you desiring it and
loving it when you have left in the same time with the tears
towards the Lord, in the abyss of the humbleness, than you
have become without care in the flame of the longing and into
prayer. But you still endure the postponing yet, God foreseeing
something better for you. Ask, therefore, with striving and with
oath, for the leaving, without deciding you the date, by making,
by saying, by researching and by trading everything, to not fall
down from God.
65. Being carrier of body, do not try spying how the
intelligible ones are, even if the mental part of the soul tends
towards those ones through cleanness. This is because until the
bodiless part, not tied on the breathing and on blood, won`t be
detached from the thickness and won`t be in the intelligible
ones, it won`t be able to appropriately cogitate and to
understand those ones. Consequently, by preparing on yourself
for getting off from matter, as from a second darken womb of
the mother, towards the immaterial and luminous ones, rejoice
yourself glorifying the Benefactor Who passé us through death
towards the hoped ones. And always take you vigil for the
dishonoring devils which get around us and plot against our
honor and lay wait cunningly for our heel, namely the end of
the life. Be you trembling until exit, for not knowing your future
and for not having it sure, as one who is, due to the free will,
built as being changing and flicking.
66. When the enemy feels that our soul has reached at
great measures of the virtue, he comes in our way with savage
244
and fearsome temptations. This state is known by him out of

the words of the prayer and out of the ascending above the
material pair: the body and the senses. And then with so much
envy tempts us the people`s hater, than he makes us become
disgusted even of life. But he doesn`t know, the empty one, how
many good things he causes to us, making us in this way
heavenly through patience and weaving even shinier our
crowns.
67. There is no greater fight than of the righteousness
and of the virginity. Even the Angels wonder about the one who
honors the lack of wedding, who is crowned no less than the
Martyrs. This is because the one who, being tied with the body
and with the blood, he is striving to ceaselessly imitate the
immaterial life of the bodiless ones, through cleanness, how
much toil and sweat he needs? So great and so high truly is
this virtue, than it misses only a little to seem impossible to
him, as being above nature, if God from above wouldn`t be
helping, strengthening the leanness of the nature and propping
its corruptness and easing it is a certain manner, to ascend
from earth, through the love of God and through the hope for
the goods prepared to it.
68. The filled up with stum body, through the much
drinking and through much sleeping, it is a great hindrance
towards righteousness. And the true righteousness remains
unmoved also in the front of the hallucinations from sleep. This
is because the running of the mind towards them it is a proof
that the mind still bears into deed the illness of the passions.
And if it is found worthy to speak to God, through grace, while
sleeping and bodiless, it means that the passions have been
soothed and the mind remains untouched and an awakened
guardian of the soul and of the body, as a dog watching over the
wolves which lay in waiting, not letting on himself to be
deceived by them.
69. I am telling you a stranger word, and do not wonder.
There is between God and soul a mystery that is being done
secretly. But it is of the highest measures, of the cleanness, of
the love and of the consummated faith. When the man,
reconciled to the summits, unites on himself with God through
full closeness, in prayer and in ceaseless sight (for through
these ones Elijah locks the sky with drought and burns with
heavenly fire the sacrifice, and Moses cuts the sea and whips
Amalek through the stretching of the hands, and Jonah is
245
saved from the whale and form deep, because the striving
brings the most-loving of people God wherever wants it), being
found worthy of Him, even he is still into the body, he has
overwhelmed the measure of the corruptness that submits him
to death, waiting the death as a usual sleep, that transports
him sweetly towards he hoped ones.
About Priesthood
Being you shaken by the sufferings of the Lord and by the

humiliation (kenosis) of God the Word for us, but also by the
sacrifice and by the mixing into us of the life-maker and godlike
body and blood, of which we have been worthy not only to be
imparted but also to serve them, humiliate on yourself as a
sheep for stabbing, reckoning everybody as truly being above
you and strive to not recklessly wound the conscience of
somebody. And without holiness do not dare to touch the holy
things, to nor be burnt as the grass by the godlike fire, or to be
melted as the wax and to be lost.
71. If you will celebrate as is ought the godlike, honored
and fearsome religious service, and your conscience won`t
rebuke you for anything, hope for your salvation out of this.
This is because the profit from here it will be to you above all
the work and sight (contemplation). And if you won`t do so, you
will see yourself. And better is, without any doubt, to get far on
yourself, by recognizing your leanness, from the height of the
priesthood, than to insist in it with lack of consummation and
with uncleanness, and by seeming to many that you are at
height, to lay down as a corps worthy of crying and on
worthlessness.
72. The service of the honored priesthood and its power of
reconcilement and of obtaining the mercy of God, so much
exceeds any psalmody and any prayer, as the sun exceeds the
stars in shining. This is because we are sacrificing Him the only
begotten One, we put Him forth and we bring Him towards
reconcilement, the One stabbed as a gift for the sinners, out of
the love for people. And not only for the forgiveness of the sins,
but also for the things for which we are praying towards our
profit, if our conscience is not defiled. And the body united with
the godhead, it burns as a kindled charcoal the whole matter of
the lawlessness and it lightens the hearts of the ones who come
close with faith. Likewise also the godlike and the honored
246
blood it washes out and it cleans, more than any hyssop, every
stain and defilement, to the ones who dare to come close to the
Holy Ones as clean as they as one can be, if it could have
happened to remain there something.
73. It is not sacrificed the ascended body of God the
Word, descending from heavens, but, like someone of the Saints
said, the bread and the wine themselves are transformed in the
body and the blood of Christ, through the mysterious
ministration with faith, of the ones who have been found worthy
of the godlike priesthood, receiving the changing from those
ones in these ones, through the work and the coming of the
Most-Holy Ghost; not being made other body than the one of
the Lord, but being transformed in that one, incorruptible and
not corruptible being. Therefore how much cleanness and
holiness doesn`t the priest need to touch the godlike body, and
how much daring doesn`t he need to be mediator between God
and people and to receive around himself together-praying,
in the same time with the Most-Holy and of God Birth Giver, all
the heavenly powers of the Angels and all the Saint from ever?
It seems to me that as he need an angelic or archangelic
worthiness, so he also needs an angelic familiarity with God.
74. You must, therefore, to note down, o Physinius, that
that`s why the Holies stay uncovered before us, according to the
Symbol of the Faith, on the Holy Table, having to be sanctified,
as would stand praying in whatever way for the ones who bring
them forth and would shout out with untold voices towards the
One who dwells in heavens. This is because That One watching,
He doesn`t turn his sight away, remembering the willing
humiliation (the kenosis) for the sinners and the untold descent
and the loving of people stabbing. This is not by being us
corrected He have given to us the price of redemption and the
salvation through His sufferings, the Good and of evil enduring
One, but being us sinners, He saved us and He called us again
to Himself.
75. Even if you take care of the clean prayer, which

unites the immaterial mind to God, in an immaterial way, and
you have reached to see as in a mirror the resting that waits for
you after the end of the life from here, as one who has received
the earnest fo the Ghost and who have achieved the Kingdom of
Heavens inside, in the whole feeling and entrustment, do not
accept to liberate on yourself from the body without the pre-
247
science of the death, but intentionally pray for this and be with
good hope that you will gain it close to the end, if it will be
useful to you. But prepare yourself ceaselessly for it, rejecting
the whole fear, as by crossing the sky and escaping from the
ghosts of the evilness, with daring and without fearing, to reach
inside the heavenly cupolas, uniting on yourself with the angelic
groups and being added to the chosen ones and to the saints
from ever and looking, as much as it is possible, at Godhead.
And if not, let you be knowing at least the goods from under
Godhead, and the Word of God, spreading rays to above
heavens, the One worshipped with a sole worshipping together
His undefiled body, in the same time with the Father and with
the Son, by the whole heavenly army and by all the Saints.
Amen.
Elijah the Ecdicus392

The Greek Philokalia393 publishes under the name of
Elijah the Presbyter and Ecdicus a writing entitled “Anthology of
Sentences of the Striving Philosophers” 394. In the Greek
Patrology of Migne, tome 90 (col. 1401-1461) the same writing
with the title “Other Heads” it is given under the name of Saint
Maximos the Confessor, being taken from the edition of the
writings of Saint Maximos the Confessor published by
Combefis, at Paris, 1675. The text from the Greek Philokalia
has been published also in the tome 127 of the Greek Patrology
of Migne, with a fragmentary translation of Pontanus (col. 1127-
1176)395. We have the same writing published in Migne twice,
392
A possible translation of the name Ecdicus can be: the Defender (source: Defensoris from
Latin) (E. l. t.`s N.).
393
First Edition, Venice, 1782, p. 529-548; Second Edition, volume I, Athens, 1893, p. 375-
391.
394
“Ανθολόγιον γνωμικον φιλοσόφων σπουδαίων, σπουδασθεν και πονηθεν `Ηλία ελαχίστψ
πρεβυτέρψ και εκδίκψ”.
395
“Ετερα κεφάλαια”. The translation of Pontanus is from 1603, when it was published as
appendix at the translation of the work of Saint Simeon the New Theologian (Ingolstadt,
1603) under the title: “Ex Elie Presbyteri et defensoris sententiarum florilegio florilegium”.
248
being attributed for each time to other author and being

considered as two different writings.
More recently Th. M. Disdier has solved this problem, by
establishing that the texts published in G.P. 90 and in G.P. 127
(from Philokalia) aren`t two different writings coming from two
authors, but they are one and the same writing which belongs
to Elijah the Ecdicus396. He showed how out of 36 manuscript
codices, which are comprised in this writing, 23 attribute the
writing to Elijah Ecdicus, other don`t indicate any author, and
other attribute the writing to John the Carpathian and only a
few of them attribute the writing to Saint Maximos, and these
last ones are all of them newer, since Century XII and hither.
The manuscript codices comprise the work of Saint Maximos
from before Century XII and they do not comprise this writing,
and Photius, who during the Century IX left an inventory of the
writings of Saint Maximos the Confessor, he doesn`t mention
either this writing.
Disdier brings forth also internal criteria, which would
prove that this writing is more recent than the writing of Saint
Maximos, by indicating a more systematic and more nuanced
spirituality and betraying the influence of the Saint Simeon the
New Theologian`s writing from the Century XI. According to
Disdier, the author must be a certain Elijah, who was, one after
another, advocate, monk and priest, and who was
contemporary to Elijah II, the Metropolitan of Crete from the
end of the Century XI and the beginning of the Century XII. He
was not the Metropolitan Elijah II himself who wrote
commentaries to Gregory of Nazianzus and the Ladder of John
Climacus397, because this one was a well known personality, not
a “certain advocate” (εδικόσ τις), as some manuscripts call the
author of this writing. One cannot tell if he was also from Crete.
The manuscripts do not tell anything concerning this.
Behold some of the differences between Saint Maximos
the Confessor and Elijah the Ecdicus, noticed by Disdier: both
of them know the division of the rational soul (λογικη ψυχη) in
the lusting part (επιθυμητικον), the irascible part (το θυμικον)
and the understanding part (το λογιστικον). But while at Saint
Maximos the Confessor the lust and the wrath (επιθυμία και
396
Elie LÈodicos et les ετερα κεφάλαια, attribueés à saint Maxime le confesseur et à Jean de
Carpathos, in Echos dÒrient 1932 (Jan.-Mars, p. 17-51).
397
A notice about the fact that he wrote commentaries the Ladder we have it in the codice
Hierosolymitanus 66 from Century XII at f. 162, in a note from Century XIV.
249
θυμοα) are the passional powers or the passional part

(παθητικαι δυνάμεισ, το παθητικον μέρος), at Elijah the Ecdicus
they are vital powers and the sinner part (Τωτικαι δυνάμεις and
αμαρτητικον μέροσ). Their purification leads, according to
Maximos the Confessor, to the lack of passions (απάθεια), the
necessary condition for knowledge (γνοσις), the spiritual
contemplation (πνευματικη θεορία) and theology, crowned by
deification (θέωσις). According to Elijah the Ecdicus everything
is crowned through simplicity (απλότητα), a category cherished
by Saint Simeon the New Theologian.
At Saint Maximos the Confessor the main phases of the
spiritual life are: the doing (πραξις), the contemplation (θεορία)
and the theology. At Elijah the Ecdicus the theology is missing.
We have instead the phases: the doer (πρακτικός), the middle
one (μέρος) and the contemplative (θεωρητικός).
The active life it has at Elijah some more moments that at
Saint Maximos. According to Saint Maximos the active life
ascends on the ladder of seven virtues: the faith, the fear, the
restraint, the patience, the hope, the dispassion and the love. At
Elijah we meet some special virtues, which appear at the
Sinaite monks and then they are accepted by Saint Simeon the
New Theologian: the silence (σιωπή), the fasting, the prayer, the
attention (προσοχή). The mercy (έλεος) has at Elijah a role which
it hasn`t at Saint Maximos. At Elijah we do not find the idea of
image and likeness. But instead we find at him the prayer of a
sole word of the Sinaite monks (μονολόγιστος ευχή), which is not
at Saint Maximos.
Everywhere within the spirituality of Elijah it is less
accentuated the element of feeling, of living, of spiritual
practicing.
He is still far from reaching in this regard the level of the
Saint Simon`s writing. His work oscillates between abstract
speculation and living, though the abstractionism is
predominating. That`s why it is probable that its author to had
lived before Saint Simeon, because its few elements of feeling
were circulating ever since Century VI. IN its stile and
preoccupations, this writing is very much related to the writing
of Saint Maximos; even more related than the writing of the
Sinaite monks.
In what concerns the title of the work, some codices
which ascribe it to Saint Maximos simply call it: “Heads”
(κεφάλαια), or “Other Heads” (έτερα κεφάλαια). One can say that
250
some copyist writing them down after the other writings of

sentences of Saint Maximos – for making to himself a codice of
sentences – he let, at the beginning, empty the place for the
title, and then he forgot to fill it in, and a later copyist or reader
reckoned that they are of Saint Maximos and he added to them
simply the title: Heads, or Other Heads of Saint Maximos.
Some of the manuscripts which ascribe the writing to
Elijah the Ecdicus, they call the writing with the title from the
Philokalia, from where probably it turns out that the author
himself gave this title to it. But some manuscripts use as a title
some words from some of the four iambic distiches, which are
put in the front of the four sections of the writing. (For instance
the codice Vindob. 274 calls it: Flowing Water Sprins = πηγή
τρεχούμενου νερού, the first words of the first distich; the codice
Moscv. 424 uses as title some words from the third distich).
Often each one of the four sections has its own title.
Thus, the first section is called: Moral Heads = κεφάλαια ηθικα
(Vindob. 315); the second one: About Prayer, or Heads about
Prayer (περι ευχης or κεφάλαια περι ευχης); the third one:
Gnostic Heads (κεφάλαια γνωστικά); and the fourth one:
Practical and Contemplative Heads, or About Doing and
Contemplation398. The titles of the sections reproduce or develop
a word out of the distich with which that section begins.
In general, the work is divided in four sections. Each
section is introduced through a distich. The division has to
come from the author itself. The distiches have suffered some
modifications. So, the third distich has been completed with the
serve: Ξκοτίζεται δάυ, εγκλυθειζ εις πάθος (He is darkened again,
by sinking into passion). In the Comfebis edition, published in
G.P. 90, the distich of the first section is completed with two
verses which consecrate the ascribing of the writing to Saint
Maximos.
These distiches indicate the nature of the following
section.
The first section insists in general notions and advices for
asceticism. Each head is followed by an explaining head, as
some scholium. The second section treats exclusively about
prayer, the third one about the natural contemplation and
especially about the spiritual one. The fourth section it is some
398
The text from the Greek Philokalia has for the third section the title: του αυτου γνωστικα =
Of the Same One, Gnostic Heads; and for the fourth section: του αυτου, πρακτικα και
θεωρητικα = Of the Same One, Practical and Contemplative Heads.
251
sort of recapitulation of the first three sections, thought the

intention was to be treated in it about the report between doing
and contemplation. This section could have been a separate
work, as it is given by the Codice Mosc. 426.
The total number of the heads varies in different codices.
One of them gives 237, other 239, some of them 240, other 241,
other 244, one 250, other 251. Comfebis Edition (G.P. 90) gives
243, and Nicodemus the Hagiorite (the Greek Philokalia) 248.
In general the first section comprises between 77 to 80
heads, the second one 30 or 31, the third one 32, the fourth one
from 104-108 heads.
By comparing the two editions (Combefis in G.P. 90 and
Nicodemus the Hagiorite in The Greek Philokalia), plus the
fragmentary translation of Pontanus – who worked after a third
codice – Disdier deduces that the first text had 248 heads,
figure not provided by any manuscript 399. Between Combefis
Edition and Nicodemus, Disdier found 464 differences, most of
them orthographical. Sometimes the Comfebis text is better, but
399
Behold how Disdier reaches at this figure: The first section has at Combefis 77 heads, in
The Greek Philokalia 79. But a thorough comparison it gives 79 heads. Head II from
Combefis form heads II and III from The Greek Philokalia. Here it must be accepted the
division from Philokalia, which it has for it also the manuscript from the basis of Pontanus
translation as also the progression of ideas. Thus we correct Combefis head II in heads II and
II encore. Head III from Combefis corresponds to heads IV, XI and XII from Philokalia. But
here Combefis is right, confirmed also by Pontanus and by the Codice Atheniensis 517. The
scattering of this head in Philokalia is illogical. Philokalia, at its turn, blocks in head V, the
heads IV and V from Combefis; and in head VII, the heads VII and VIII from Combefis. And
here Combefis is more logical, confirmed by Pontanus and Atheniensis. Combefis has not the
head 76 of Nicodemus. Here Nicodemus is right.
Thus 77 heads from Combefis + II encore + LXXVI Nicodemus = 79 heads.
79 heads Nicodemus – XI and XII + V encore and VII encore = 79 heads.
Section II has also both at Nicodemus and Combefis 30 heads instead of 31 as in the
majority of the manuscripts. Philokalia doesn`t have the head 83 from Combefis (εζωμεν
ποιειται), but instead it divides the head 91 of Comfebis in two, obtaining the heads 92 and
93.
The third section has at Combefis 30 heads (numbered in continuation), in Philokalia
32 (starting the numbering from 1). The figure from Philokalia is the right one, being
indicated by almost all the manuscripts. Therefore we must complete Combefis with
Philokalia, interposing between the heads 125 and 126 of Combefis the head 19 from
Philokalia (ο εν ημιν εγκεκρυμμένος) and between the heads 130-131, the head 25 from
Philokalia (εν τη δυαδικη).
The fourth section has at Combefis 106 heads (with numbering in continuation), and at
Nicodemus 107 (with numbering that continues the 32 heads of the third section). Combefis
will be completed by interposing between heads 153-154 the head 49 from Nicodemus (τη
πατουμένη).
252
often it is preferred the text of Nicodemus. We will follow in

translating, in what concerns the heads, the rectifications made
by Disdier, arranging the numbering according to them.
Collection from the Sentences of the Zealous Wise

Man, Composed through the Endeavor and the
Labor of the Smallest Presbyter and Advocate
(Ecdicus)
ELIJAH
*
I
Moral Heads
You will find here, if you will research

perseveringly, a fountain out of which springs a
dew of moral thoughts
1. No Christian who rightly believes in God must be

careless, but to be always waiting for the temptation, for when
it would come to not wonder and to not be disturbed, but to
suffer with content the labor of the trouble and to understand
what he says, when singing together with the Prophet: “Try me
253
Lord and tempt me”400. This is because he didn`t say: “Your

rebuking killed me”, but “corrected me until the end” 401.
2. The beginning of the virtues is the fear of God, and the
end is the love (the longing) for Him.
3 The beginning (the principle) of every good thing is the
doing rationality and the rational deed. Therefore neither the
deed without rationality is good or that rationality which is
being spun without deed.
4. The deed402 of the body is the fasting and the vigil; of
the mouth, the psalmody, the prayer and the silence, more
precious than the word. The deed of the hands it is what it is
done by them without murmur; and of the feet, the road walked
by them, from the first commandment. The deed of the soul is
the restraint done with simplicity and the simplicity with
restraint; and of the mind, the prayer into contemplation and
the contemplation into prayer.
5. All these virtues are preceded by the mercy and the
truth, of which fruit are the humbleness and the gift of the
discernment (the right reckoning) which, according to the
Fathers, it comes out of that one and without which that one
wouldn`t see its edge.
6. The doing, that dishonors the yoke of the rationality, it
is like a cow which wanders here and there around the useless
ones. And the rationality which rejects the honored vestments
of the doing, it is not decent, even if it pretends to the opinion to
be like that.
7. The manly soul, by keeping kindled like a woman, the
whole her life, the doing and the contemplation, as two
candlesticks, it does the due ones. And the one addicted to the
pleasures does the opposite ones.
8. It isn`t sufficient to the soul towards the consummated
deliverance from sin, the willing bas living, if the soul wouldn`t
detach from the sin also through the fire of the unwilling one.
9. This is because the soul like a sword if won`t pass
through fire and water, namely through willing and through
400
Psalms: 26: 2: KJB: “Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”; 25:
2: ROB: “Examine me, Lord, and try me; kindle my entrails and my heart.”
401
Psalms: 18: 35: KJB: “Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right
hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.”; 17: 36: ROB: “And Your
scolding corrected me until the end, and Your scolding itself will teach me.”
402
The activity, the doing.
254
unwilling labors, it will not be kept unharmed of the blows

which come upon him.
10. Like the more general causes of the willing
temptations are three: the health, the richness and the fame,
likewise the causes of the unwilling temptations are also three:
the losses, the mockeries and the sicknesses. To some people
these are towards building and to other towards crumbling
down.
11. On the soul are tied the lust and the sadness; and on
the body, the pleasure and the pain. And the cause of the pain
is the pleasure403; because wanting to run away from the
oppressive feeling of the pain, we are running to the pleasure;
and of the sadness it is the lust.
12. The virtuous has the good inside his heart; the one
who loves the vain glory has the good in his cogitation 404. The
one who is zealous, though, he has the evil at the surface; and
the one who loves the pleasure has the evil in deep.
13. The one who hates the evil he moves in it rarely and
without perseverance; but the one who is stuck to its causes,
more often and with more perseverance.
14. The one who do not think at repentance, they
relentlessly commit sin. And the one who unwillingly commit
sin they are started towards repentance, but the cause of the
repentance isn`t so often.
15. Let the feeling and the conscience to accompany the
uttered word, for the godlike Word which said that He will be
amidst them405, to not be ashamed by the cheekiness or by the
lack of measure of the done or said ones.
16. The one who doesn`t harm his soul through deeds, he
still doesn`t preserve it undefiled also through words. Neither
the one who guards these ones is sure that he hasn`t defiled the
soul through thoughts. This is because the committing of the
sin is threefold.
17. You won`t be able to see the face of the virtue until
you still cogitate with pleasure to the face of the sin. And the
second one will seem to you ugly when you will lust for tasting
403
This sentence is only in G.P. 90. But it seems that it must be like this: “the cause of the
pleasure it is the pain”. Only in this manner it is in accord to what it follows.
404
The cogitation is at the surface; the heart is in the deep of the being.
405
Matthew: 18: 20: KJB: “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there
am I in the midst of them.”; ROB: “For where are two or three gathered together in My name,
there I am also amidst them.”
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the first one and you will estrange the sight of the face of this
one.
18. The devils wage war to the soul especially through
thoughts, not through things. This is because the things in
themselves are necessary406. And the causes of the things are
the hearing and the sight. But the causes of the thoughts are
the habit and the devils.
19. The soul`s sin stretches in three branches: in deeds,
in words and in thoughts; and the good of the impeccability in
six. This is because we must guard without mistake the five
senses and the uttered word. The one who doesn`t commit sin
in these ones “he is a consummated man, able to restraint even
the limbs of his body”407.
20. The irrational part of the soul is divided in six, namely
the five senses and the uttered word. The word, when
dispassionate, it is divided together with the passionate in an
undivided manner408.
21. Neither the body can be cleaned without fasting and
vigil; nor the soul, without mercy and truth. And neither can
the mind, without speaking to God and without seeing Him.
These are the most important pairs in these things.
22. The soul being fenced by the mentioned virtues it has
his fortress, which is the patience, unshaken by temptations.
“Into your patience you will gain your souls” says the
Scripture409. But if the things are different, it is shaken in
trembling of fear, even to the far away noises, just like a city
without walls.
23. Not all the ones who are prudent concerning the word
are also prudent concerning the thoughts. Neither all the ones
who are prudent concerning the thought will be also prudent
concerning the outside feeling. This is because even all of them
are indebted to the feeling, but not all of them pay the tribute
406
Being the things necessary in themselves they aren`t dangerous to the soul but when they
are added to the thoughts brought in by the devils.
407
James: 3: 2: KJB: “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the
same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”; ROB: “For we all do err in
many things; if somebody isn`t wrong in word, that one is a consummated man, able to bridle
even the whole body.”
408
The word of the sinless one communicates with the one of the sinful one without
communicating into sin.
409
Luke: 21: 10: KJB: “In your patience possess ye your souls.”; ROB: “Through your
patience you will gain your souls.”
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alike. Out of simplicity the most of them don`t know to honor

the feeling like the feeling asks for.
24. Being the prudence undivided according to the
nature, it can be sliced in different parts. This is because to
someone it has given more of it, and to other one less of it. This
is until the doing virtue grows up and having grown to its
measure also the general virtues, it fulfills the due good of each
virtue. This is because the most people according to the
shortcoming of the working life they also receive their share of
prudence.
25. In the ones according to the nature few people will be
prudent; but in the contrary to the nature ones, many. This is
because due to the fear of these ones, emptying their whole
natural prudence, few are prudent in the things according to
the nature. The most part of time they occupy their mind with
the useless things, which aren`t by nature worthy of praise.
26. The time and the measure are the guests at the
silence`s table with good purpose. And the matter of the feast is
the truth. Coming at its time upon the traveled soul, the father
of the lie doesn`t find anything that he is searching for.
27. Truly merciful isn`t the one who willingly give the
redundant things, but the one who let the perforce necessary
things to the ones who are stealing them.
28. Some people gain with the material richness the
immaterial one, through the rules of the mercifulness. And the
other ones lose with the immaterial one, the material one,
reaching at the feeling of the one which doesn`t have an end.
29. To each one it is pleasant to enrich on him in the
good things, but it saddens on the one who has become rich
according to God, to not be allowed to him to enjoy as much as
possible this richness.
30. It seems to the soul that the health is outwards, and
the sickness hides itself inside, in the deep of the feeling.
Therefore if it is necessary to be the sickness removed through
the sickle of the reproaches, and the health to be brought inside
through the renewal of the mind, it is insane the one who
rejects the reproaches and isn`t ashamed to always be laid
down in the infirmary of the callousness.
31. Do not get yourself stirred up against the one who
unwillingly operates you, but looking at the deliverance from
pain, cry on yourself and bless the ones who has made on
himself the cause of this profit, through the oikonomia of God.
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32. Do not disregard your sickness to not became even

more awful to you, but through the even harsher medicines of
the labor deliver on yourself from it, you who take care of the
health of the soul.
33. Do not shun yourself from the front of the one who
hits you when needed, but come close to him and he will show
you how big it is the evil that hides in your feeling, and you will
eat the sweet food of the health, after you have consumed the
unpleasant one of the bitterness.
34. As much you feel the pain as much rejoice yourself of
the ones who shows them to you through reproaches. This is
because he becomes to you cause of consummated cleanness,
without which the mind cannot pass in the clean place of the
prayer.
35. The rebuked one must keep silence, or to defend on
himself gently in the front of the one who blames him; and not
for sustaining the rebuked one his point of view, but to elevate
maybe the ones who has impeded on himself, rebuking out of
nescience.
36. The one who repents on himself in front of the one
who has become upset rightly, before being summoned by that
one, he doesn`t lose anything of what he deserves consequently
to the repentance. And the one who repents on himself after he
is summoned, he loses half of the gain. He gains everything
ruled the one who doesn`t get out ever from the camaraderie for
the sadness caused to him. But it is added also payment to the
one who takes, in everything, the mistake upon himself.
37. Neither the haughty one at the cogitation recognizes
his shortcomings, nor the humble ones at cogitation his good
things (virtues). The first one is deceived by an evil nescience;
on the second one, a nescience pleasant to God.
38. The proud one doesn`t want to be challenged in the
good things, by the ones who are alike in honor. And in the
opposite one, by comparing on himself to the ones who exceed
him, his shortcoming he reckon it endurable.
39. The rebuking makes the soul strong, and the praise
makes it drowsy and lazy towards the good things.
40. The foundation (the substance) of the richness it is
the gold; of the virtue it is the humbleness. Therefore as the one
who doesn`t have gold is poor, even if he doesn`t look like to the
ones from outside, likewise without humbleness, the ascetic
won`t be virtuous.
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41. Like the merchant without gold he is not a merchant,

even if he is very clever in trade, likewise the ascetic without the
humble cogitation, he won`t be in the possession of the sweets
of the virtues, even if he would trust very much his prudence.
42. The one who ascends into the humble cogitation he
descends lower that his thought. But he ascends upper the one
who doesn`t have that. This one doesn`t willingly suffer to be
compared to the smaller ones. That`s why he shows his sadness
for not sitting at the head of the table410.
43. Good is to the ascetic to cogitate that he is smaller
than his work, but to do bigger things than his fear. This is
because in this way he will be honored by people and
unashamed worker to God411.
44. The one who fears to not be considered stranger to
the ones who sit in the wedding room, he must fulfill all the
commandments of God, or to keep with his whole power at least
one: the humble cogitation.
45. Mix the restraint with the simplicity and accompany
the truth with the humble cogitation and you will sit at the
table with the righteousness, with which, like at a table, it
desires to come any other virtue.
46. Without the humble cogitation the truth is blind.
That`s why he even uses the resistance as a guide to lean
against it when it toils for something, but it doesn`t find but the
callousness of the keeping the evil in mind.
47. The good habit confesses about the beauty of the
virtue; and the balanced movement of the limbs about a
peaceful soul.
48. The first good is to not be wrong in anything; the
second one is to not hide your mistake due to the shame,
neither to boast yourself with it. But better is to get humble on
yourself and to blame on yourself together with the one who
blames you and to receive with joy the rebuking. By not taking
this thing place, all you bring to God is worthless.
49. Besides the willing bad living one must accept also
the unwilling one, namely the ones from devils, out of the
damaged suffered and out of illnesses. This is because the one
who doesn`t accept these ones, but he gets disgusted of them, it
410
Luke: 14: 7; 20: 46.
411
II Timothy: 2: 15: KJB: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”; ROB: “Strive to show
yourself tried, before God a worker with a clean face, rightly teaching the word of the truth.”
259
is like the ones who doesn`t want to eat his bread also with salt
but only with honey. This one doesn`t always have the pleasure
as companion, but he is always neighbor to the satiation (to the
boredom).
50. The one who washed the broken coat of the neighbor
with godlike words, or he sews it through gifts, he looks like one
who, by being master, he puts up a servant countenance. But
let the one who does this to take heed, lest, by not doing it like
a servant, to lose, in the same time with his payment, also the
honor of the power of master due to him, for the vain glory.
51. Like the faith is the foundation of all the hoped ones,
likewise the thoughtfulness is the foundation of the soul 412; and
the humbleness, of the virtue. But it is amazing how the ones
committed through them, they become unconsummated
without the random ones (the accidental ones).
52. “The Lord, he says, will guard your entrance and your
exit”413, namely of the foods and of the words, through restraint.
This is because the one who is with restraint at the entrance of
the foods and at the exit of the words, he gets rid of the lust of
the eyes and he tames his anger which comes out of the lack of
outpouring. This is because the ascetic, first of all, he must
take care of these ones and to strive in any ways for them. This
is because through them it is being empowered the working life
and through them it is strengthened the contemplative one.
53. Some people take much care of the entering of the
foods, but they are careless about the exiting of the words.
Some like these ones “they don`t know to remove the anger
from the heart and the lust from the body”, as the
Ecclesiastes414 says, through which the renewing Ghost uses to
build the clean heart.
412
Hebrews: 11: 1: KJB: “NOW faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of
things not seen.”; ROB: “And the faith is the entrustment of the hoped ones, the proving of
the unseen things.”
413
Psalms: 121: 8: KJB: “The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this
time forth, and even for evermore.”; 120: 8: KJB: “The Lord will guard your entrance and
your exit since now and forever.”
414
Ecclesiastes: 11: 10: KJB: “Therefore remove sorrow from thy heart, and put away evil
from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity.”; ROB: 11: 9: “Rejoice you man as long
as you are young and your heart to be glad in the days of your youth and walk in the path of
your heart and after your eyes show to you, but be you knowing that, for all of these, God will
bring you to His judgment, Banish away the trouble from your heart and remove the
sufferings far from your body, for the childhood and the youth are futility.”
260
54. The not-exceeding of the food, it consists in the

smaller quantity of the delectation; and the lack of decreasing of
the words, in the better quality of the silence.
55. You clean your innards with the fire of the not-
satiation with foods and try your heart with the restraint from
words; and you will have in the service of the good ones both
the lust and the wrath.
56. The pleasure from bellow the belly decreases in the
ones who toil, the body losing its vigor, but it still remains the
one of the throat, within the one who doesn`t reach at
punishing it as ought. You must therefore strive on yourself to
remove the dishonor of the consequences, by quenching the
cause, lest being you there stranger from the virtue of the
restraint, to be covered in shame.
57. The ascetic must know when and with which food he
must nourish his body as on an enemy; when to caress it like
on a friend; and when to take care of it as of a sick one; lest, by
not noticing, to reckon the enemy`s things as being of the
friend, and the friend`s things to ascertain them on the account
of the enemy, and again the things of this one to reckon them
as being of the sick one. This is because at the time of the
temptation, each of them will wage war to him, after he has
given offence to everyone.
58. When the one who feeds himself, he reckons more
valuable the food than the delectation, the grace of the tears
coming to him starts comforting him and making him forget
about any other pleasure, as one which is overwhelmed by the
unparalleled greater pleasure of the tears.
59. To the one who becomes wide the tears have been
stopped. But they spring out to the one who loves the narrow
path.
60. Neither the sinner nor the righteous one is outside
sadness. But the first one, because he hasn`t totally left the
evil; and the second one, because he hasn`t reached yet the
consummation the true good).
61. Prayer and the silence are virtues which depend on
us, through our power. And the fasting and the vigil are virtues
which don`t depend on us, but, most of the time, on our body`s
temperament. Therefore the ascetic must occupy on himself
with what is easier to him.
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62. The patience is the house of the prayer, because it is

kept within it. And the humbleness is its matter, for it
nourishes itself out of it.
63. The one who doesn`t suffer into toils 415, he won`t be
honored with praises; and the one who before accepting the
pleasure he sees the pain, he will get rid of its bitterness.
64. Do not let on yourself tied to what is small, and you
won`t slave to what is big. This is because the bigger evil
doesn`t come to existence before the small one.
65. Looking at the bigger ones you will be feared by the
smaller ones. But you will be despised by these ones if you
won`t think at those ones.
66. You won`t reach at the greater virtues if you won`t
touch the top of the thing which are in your power.
67. Within the ones where the mercy and the truth rule,
within those ones master also everything that is pleasant to
God. This is because the truth doesn`t judge anybody
mercilessly; and the mercy doesn`t direct itself with love
towards any man without truth.
68. By uniting the restraint with the simplicity, you will
make on yourself partaker to the happiness from there.
69. You won`t cut off the passions which wage war to you
if you won`t let, firstly, uncultivated the field out of which they
are nourished.
70. Some people strive to clean only the matter of the
body, and other also the one of the soul. The first ones have
achieved power only against the sin with the deed; the others
also against the passion; against the lust, though, very few of
them.
71. The bad matter of the body is the addiction (the
libidinous tendency)416; of the soul it is the sweet suffering (the
voluptuousness)417; and of the mind the tendency towards
passion418. The first one is characterized by touching; the
second one, by the other senses; and the last one, by the
contrary mood.
72. The voluptuous is close to the libidinous; and the one
tending towards passion, he is close to the voluptuous one. But
the dispassionate one is far from all these ones.
415
G.P.: The one who doesn`t bear the words.
416
Εμπάθεια.
417
Ηδυπάθεια.
418
Προσπάθεια.
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73. Libidinous is the one within whom the power of the

sin is stronger than the rationality, even though he doesn`t
commit sin for the time being; voluptuous, the one within whom
the work of the sin is weaker than the rationality, even though
he suffers inside. And tending towards passion it is the one who
is stuck more through liberty than through bondage, to the
material means. And dispassionate is the one who doesn`t know
everywhere the difference between these ones.
74. The libidinous disposition is being lost from the soul
through fasting and prayer; the voluptuousness, by taking vigil
and through silence; the tendency towards passion, through
appeasement and attention. And the dispassion it is born out of
remembrance of God.
75. From the lips of the dispassion the words of the
eternal life flow as the bee wax 419. Therefore who will be found
worthy to glue his lips on the lips of that one and to dwell in its
bosom and to share the sweet fragrance of its vestments,
namely to sweeten on himself with the laws of the virtues,
which are above all the aromatics of the sensitive knowledge?
76. Disrobed of the (bodily) love`s shirt are, maybe, many;
of the ones of loving the adornment, a few. And of the ones of
the vain glory, the last one, are only the dispassionate ones.
77. Every soul will be disrobed of the seen body; but of
the sin`s body, only a few of the ones who enjoyed the pleasure
of the life from here420.
78. Everybody will become dead from alive. But to the sin
will die only the ones who hated it with their whole soul.
79. Who will see on himself disrobed of sin, before the
due death of the body? And who has known on himself and his
nature, as he is, before the future disrobing?
II
Heads about Prayer
419
Proverbs: 6: 23; Song of Songs: 4: 11; John: 6: 69.
420
Greek Philokalia: but of the sin`s body, the one who little rejoiced on himself of the
pleasures of the life from here.
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The Soul Wounded by the Love of the Groom It Is

United by the Prayer with the Groom, Even From
Here
80. To the rational soul placed at the border between the

sensitive and the intelligible lights, through the sensitive one it
has been entrusted to the soul to see and to do the body`s
things, and through the intelligible one, the things of the ghost.
But because the intelligible light has been darkened, and the
sensitive one has become clearer for the habituation from the
beginning, it can`t fully look at the godlike things. Therefore
necessarily the soul is at the border between darkness and
light, moving towards darkness through deed and affection, and
towards light through the cogitation`s imagination.
81. The passionate mind cannot enter inside the narrow
gate of the prayer, before leaving the cares caused by lusts, but
relentlessly and painfully he will agitate on himself next to the
porches of the prayer.
82. Let the prayer to remain in the mind, as in the
sunray. This is because without it, the cares from the senses`
world, wandering like some waterless clouds, they separate the
mind from its shininess.
83. The power of the prayer is the willing hunger of foods.
And the power of the hunger consists in not listening and not
seen anything from the worldly things, if there is not a perforce
necessity. The one who doesn`t take care of these things he
hasn`t fortified the building of the fasting, and he has
determined the building of the prayer to crumble down.
84. If the mind has not detached on itself from all the
senses` things, it cannot ascend to height and it cannot know
its worthiness (dignity).
85. The prayer, empowered by tears, gets out from the
soul all the thoughts which are its enemies; but they are
brought again by the mind`s scattering, empowered by the levity
towards the law. The one who has banished this one, he has
banished also the all-causing evil of the daring (at speaking).
86. The fasting is the symbol of the day, for it is seen; and
the prayer, of the night, for it is hidden. Therefore the ones who
occupies on himself with both these ones, according to each
264
one, he will arrive to the city of the views, “from where have run
away all the pain, and the sadness and the sighing” 421.
87. The spiritual work can be done also without the deed
of the body. Blessed is therefore the one who reckons the
immaterial work better than the material deed. This is because
through it he has fulfilled the lack of the deed, by living the
hidden life of the prayer, the one shown to God.
88. The godlike Apostle urges us to endure in faith, to
rejoice into hope and to persevere into prayer 422, for remaining
inside us the good of the joyfulness. If it is so, the one who
doesn`t endures, he isn`t a faithful one; the one who doesn`t
rejoice, he isn`t with a good hope, for he has rejected the cause
of the joy, the prayer, by not persevering into it.
89. If the mind living from the beginning in worldly
thoughts, has gained so much love for them, how much
friendship wouldn`t have achieved towards the prayer, by
ceaselessly living into it? This is because in what it tarries, he
says, in that thing it uses to widen on itself.
90. Like leaving its dwelling place from yore, the mind has
forgotten the shininess from there, so it must forget again the
things from here and to run towards that dwelling place,
through prayer.
91. The mind will be towards the prayer that cannot
comfort it like a little child towards the breasts of his mother
which have become could. And towards the one that is
otherwise, as a little child asleep with pleasure in his mother`s
arms.
92. “There, he says, (in the crying bed of the virtuous life,
like the bride from the Song, the bride will also say a prayer,
421
Isaiah: 51: 1: KJB: “Therefore the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with
singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and
joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.”; ROB: “And thus the saved ones of the Lord
will return and they will come to Zion, in songs of victory and an eternal joy will crown their
head. The joy and the gladness will come upon them, and the pain, the sadness and the
sighing will go far from them.”
422
Romans: 12: 12: KJB: “Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in
prayer;”; ROB: “Rejoice into hope; in sufferance be you patient; to prayer persevere.”
265
towards her groom) I will give you my breasts” 423, if you will
totally come to me.
93. Cannot make friendship with the prayer, the one who
doesn`t rejected the whole matter, except the life and the
clothing424. Go out from all the other things, you who want to be
only with the mind.
94. The witness of the loving of God mind, it is the prayer
of a sole thought; of the thoughtful thought, it is the word at its
time; and of the liberated feeling, the taste of a sole kind.
Through these three ones on says that are strengthened the
soul`s ones.
95. The nature of the one who is praying must be
softened and to be made well tender, just like of the children,
for to those ones, likewise to this one, to receive easily the
development which comes out of praying. Therefore don`t be
careless, you who wants to accompany yourself with this.
96. Not everybody have the same purpose in prayer, but
one has this, other has that. One prays that, if it is possible, his
heart to be always with the prayer; other, to ascend even above
prayer. And other prays to not be interrupted by thoughts in
when praying. But all of them pray either to be guarded into the
good things or to not be taken into the evil things.
97. If nobody remains not-humbled into prayer (this is
because the one who prays is broken into humbleness), the one
who behave with haughtiness in the outside things he doesn`t
pray into humbleness.
98. The one who prays thinking at the widow who moved
the judgment against the cruel oppressor 425, he won`t ever
weaken due to the delay of the promised goods.
99. The prayer won`t remain into the ones who tarries at
the things thought inside and to the spoken things outside. But
the prayer will come back to the one who cuts off the many
things.
423
Song of Songs: 7: 13: KJB: “The mandrakes give a smell, and at our gates are all manner
of pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved.”; ROB: “You
come tomorrow to the vineyard to see if the vine shoots out, if the apple trees are in buds, if
they are close to flourish. And there I will give my caresses to you.”
424
I Timothy: 6: 8: KJB: “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.”; ROB:
“But, having food and clothing, we will be satisfied with these ones.”
425
Luke: 18: 3: KJB: “And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying,
Avenge me of mine adversary.”; ROB: “And there was, in that city, a widow, who was
coming to him, saying: Do justice to me towards my adversary.”
266
100. If the words of the prayer won`t penetrate to the

deeps of the soul, the tears won`t be allowed to roll down of the
cheeks.
101. The ears of the wheat will sprout up to the plowman
if the seeds haven`t been thrown to the surface of the earth (in
plain sight). And to the monk the tear will spring out if he
penetrates with toil the prayer`s words.
102. The prayer is the key of the Kingdom of Heavens.
The one who has this one as it should he sees the goods
ordered on behalf of the friends of the Kingdom. But the one
who doesn`t have daring towards that one, he sees only the
things from here.
103. Te mind during the prayer cannot say with daring
towards God: “You have broken my ties, to You I will bring
sacrifice of praising”426, if it doesn`t break, due to the longing for
the higher one, the ties of the fear, of the idleness, of the much
sleeping and of the greediness of food, out of which is born the
committing of the sin.
104. The one who is scattered during the prayer he stays
outside the first veil. Inside reaches the one who makes the
prayer of a sole thought427. But in the Holy of the Holies looks
only the one who together with the peace of the natural
thoughts (rationalities) he contemplates the things from around
the being which exceeds any mind and has been found worthy
of some luminous apparition from there.
105. When the soul, by resting from the outside things,
unites with the prayer, then the prayer, surrounding the soul
like a flame, it makes the soul totally burning, like the fire does
to the iron. The soul is the same but cannot be touched any
longer by the touching from outside, likewise the burning iron
cannot be touched.
106. Blessed is the one who has been found worthy to
show on himself thus in the present life and his statue, of clay
by nature, he sees it burning through grace.
107. On the beginners, the law of the prayer weighs on
them as a harsh master; but to the advanced ones it is as love,
that pushes the hungry one to a rich feast.
426
Psalms: 116: 17: KJB: “I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon
the name of the Lord.”; 115: 17: ROB: “To You I will bring sacrifice of praising and the
name of the Lord I will call.”
427
Namely the concentrated one.
267
108. On the ones who occupy on themselves well with the

doing, the prayer either overshadows them as a cloud 428, that
defends them from the fiery thoughts, or it cools them down
with a dew of tears, showing them spiritual visions.
109. The song is a sweetness of the guitar, touched by
somebody from outside. And the soul, is during the prayer
doesn`t come in his help the mysterious speaking into Ghost, it
is not easily pricked. “For to pray as it is ought, we don`t
know”429. To this is brought, the one who prays, by the Ghost.
III
Heads about Knowledge
The Mind is Lightened through the Knowing

Contemplation, Being Lifted to Height by Reading
These Words
110. The one who occupies on himself with the knowledge

(the gnostic) he must know that his mind is sometimes in the
country of the meanings, sometimes in the one of the
thoughts430 and sometimes in the one of the feeling.
111. Not being the mind into meanings, it surely is into
thoughts; and by being into thoughts, it isn`t into meanings.
But being into feeling, it is with everything.
112. Through meaning, the mind crosses through the
intelligible ones; through thought, the rationality, towards the
428
Exodus: 14: 19: KJB: “And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel,
removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and
stood behind them:”; ROB: “The rose up the Angel of the Lord, who was going before the
camp of the sons of Israel, and he moved on himself behind them; and the pillar of cloud
raised from before them and stood behind them.”
429
Romans: 8: 26: KJB: “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not
what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered.”; ROB: “Also the Ghost comes to help our weakness, for
we don`t know how to pray as it is ought, but the Ghost Himself prays for us with untold
sighs.”
430
The meanings (νοήματα) are the mind`s intuitions of the intuitions of the understanding,
and the thoughts (λογισμοι) are the concepts of the rationality formed discursively. In the
other ascetic writing, the thoughts are the passionate cogitations.
268
rational ones; and through imagination, the feeling, towards the

ones which are to do.
113. The mind gathering on itself, it doesn`t see any
longer anything from the ones of the feeling, or from the ones of
the thought, but empty minds and godlike rays, springing out
peace and joyfulness.
114. Something else is the meaning of the thing,
something else its rationality and something else what falls
under feeling. The first one is the being; the second one is the
accident, and the last one is the discerning of the object 431.
115. The mind by cutting many ways, it proves to be
not-satiated. But gathering on itself on a sole one, that one of
the prayer, before finishing it the mind it appears to be
distressed, urging on the one who imparts himself of it, to
detach on himself from the ones out of which he has come out.
116. The mind descended from the one from above, it
won`t go back there, if won`t totally disregard the ones from
below, through the occupation with the godlike ones.
117. You won`t be able to determine the soul to be only
with the thoughts from around the soul, even if you will force
your body to live in loneliness, always cogitating to its own
wickedness. This is because only in time, out of the mercy of
God, you will be able to turn yourself back to the first honor of
your noble origin (at the first dignity of your nobility).
118. The one who occupy on himself with the doing he
easily can subdue his mind to the prayer, and the
contemplative, the mind`s prayer: the first one by withdrawing
the feeling from the seen images and the other one by moving
his soul to the rationalities hidden into images 432. The first one
convinces his mind to forget433 the bodies` rationalities, and the
other one to cogitate to the bodiless ones. And bodiless are the
rationalities of the bodies, their characteristics and their
beings434.
431
We haven`t seen before this characterizing of the meaning, of the rationality and of the
perception.
432
G.P. 90: in words.
433
G.P. 90: to cogitate.
434
The active one doesn`t want to know everywhere about things, because being
unconsummated he can easily be tempted by them. He doesn`t cogitate any longer. “He
subdues his mind to the prayer”. The contemplative can cogitate again, because he has
liberated on himself from lust. But by turning back to the things, he doesn`t occupy on
himself with their surfaces, but with their rationalities. He doesn`t renounce to cogitation for
prayer, but he takes the prayer to the help of a clean cogitation. “He subdues the prayer to the
269
119. When you will liberate your mind from the pleasure
(voluptuousness) of the bodies, of the money and of the foods,
anything you will do it will be reckoned to you as clean gift,
brought to God; and it will be given to you to open the eyes of
your heart and to be able to clearly look at the rationalities 435 of
God, written into it, above any honey and bee wax 436, through
the sweetness from within them.
120. You won`t be able to elevate your mind above bodies,
above money and above the lust for foods which aren`t perforce
necessary, if you won`t introduce it in the clean country of the
righteous ones, in which there springs out the memory of the
death and of God, which erase from the earthly heart any sort
of the lust.
121. Nothing is more fearsome than the thought of the
death and nothing more wonderful than the remembrance of
God. This is because the first one brings savior sadness; and
the other one give joyfulness. “I remembered God, says the
Prophet, and I gladdened myself”437. And the wise man says:
“Remember the last things and you will not commit sin” 438. But
it is impossible to somebody to achieve the second one until he
hasn`t tried the pressure of the first one.
122. Until the mind haven`t seen with the uncovered face
the glory of God439, he cannot tell to the soul in his feeling: “And
I will rejoice into the Lord440, I will delight on myself into His
mind”.
435
The laws.
436
Psalms: 19: 11: KJB: “More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold:
sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”; 18: 11: ROB: “Desired they are more than the
gold, and more than the stone of a great price; and sweeter than the honey and the
honeycomb.”
437
Psalms: 115: 52: KJB: “I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord; and have comforted
myself.”; 113: 52: ROB: “I remembered Your judgments from ever, O Lord, and I was
comforted.”
438
Ecclesiastes: 12; 13: KJB: “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and
keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”; ROB: “Behold on short,
everything that you have heard is this: Fear God and keep His commandments! This is the due
thing to every man.”
439
II Corinthians: 3: 18: KJB: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord.”; ROB: “And we all, looking like at a mirror, with the face unveiled, the glory of the
Lord, we are being transformed in the same way from glory to glory, like from the Lord`s
Ghost.”
440
Psalm: 9: 2: KJB: “I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou
most High.”; ROB: “I will rejoice and I will gladden on myself of You; I will sing Your
270
salvation”441. This is because the cover of the love for the self
lays down over his heart, to not be unveiled to him the
foundations of the world, which are the rationalities of the
things. And this cover he won`t be able to remove it without
willing and unwilling toils.
123. The leader of the people of Israel cannot see the
Promised Land, which is the lack of passions, after fleeing from
Egypt, that is the sin with the work, neither after crossing the
sea, namely of the slavery through lust and affection, but only
after living in the desert, placed between the deeds and the
moves of the sin, sending ahead his seeing and researching
power442.
124. The ones who sit into wilderness, namely in the not-
working of passions, they have the goods of that blessed land
only from hearing. And the ones who have taken a look at the
things from it, of course only with the imagination of the soul,
they have reached at the contemplation of the seen ones. At
last, the ones who have been found worthy of entering into it,
they have been satiated with the whole feeling of the
rationalities which flow out of it as a milk and as a honey,
namely the first and the second contemplation443.
125. The one who still has the natural movements of the
body he hasn`t crucified on himself yet with Christ; neither has
he buried on himself with Him, the one who drags after him
thoughts and memories of the soul. Therefore how will resurrect
together with Him one like this one, towards walking into the
renewal of the life?444
126. The more comprising virtues of the soul being three:
the fasting, the prayer and the silence, the one who wants to
detach on himself (a little) from the prayer, he must rest on
name, You the most high One.”
441
Psalm: 104: 34: KJB: “My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in
the Lord.”; 105: 34: ROB: “Pleasant be to Him my words, and I will gladden
myself of the Lord.”
442
Deuteronomy: 2: 26; 31: 2; 34: 1.
443
The first contemplation only by sight it is flowing and passing like the milk is. The second
one by possession it is considered like the honey. More probably, though, it is about the
rationalities of the Providence and of the Judgment, according to the head 161.
444
Romans: 6: 4: KJB: “Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as
Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in
newness of life.”; ROB: “So we have buried on ourselves with Him, into death, through
Baptism, like Christ resurrected from dead, through the glory of the Father, so also be us
walking into the renewal of the life.”
271
himself in somewhat natural contemplation; the one who wants

to detach on himself from silence, in a moral conversation; and
the one who is fasting, in the second given food445.
127. Whilst the mind is in its own things 446, it guards the
likeness, being good and together suffering (merciful). And when
it reaches in the things of the feeling, if it descend at the
appropriate time and according to the decency, giving and
receiving teaching, being strengthened again, it turns back to
itself. But if it descends meaninglessly, and unnecessarily, it
will be like an improvident general, who loses much of his
power, by fighting.
128. The paradise of the dispassion hidden within us it is
the icon of the future paradise, which will receive the righteous
ones. But will be outside paradise all the ones who couldn`t
reach inside it.
129. The sensitive sun doesn`t send its rays in the closed
house; and the intelligible one doesn`t let its rays in the soul
which doesn`t have the senses closed up towards the seen
things.
130. Gnostic (knower) it is the one who does his descends
with greatness and the ascensions of his soul with humbleness.
131. The bee wanting on itself after orchards, it gathers
from there the matter of the honey; and the soul by scrutinizing
the centuries, it gathers from there the diverse sweetness into
cogitation.
132. The stag that has eaten snakes, it runs to the spring
of the waters to quench the venom; and the soul wounded by
the godlike arrows it is attracted by the relentless love towards
the One Who has wounded it.
133. During the lonely life there emerge simple
thoughts447; and of the much thinned 448 soul the thought got far
from it and are coming to that soul only mind empty of bodies,
which are showing to him, unveiling to him, the rationalities of
the Providence and of the Judgments, as some foundations of
the earth449.
445
It is the food for the body, also given by God and allowed only in the second place, after
the food of the morning.
446
The Greek Philokalia: in the godlike ones.
447
Thoughts without passion.
448
In the original text we have: much torn apart (τη δε πσλυσχεδει ψυχη), but maybe is a
mistake.
449
Psalms: 17: 16: KJB; 17: 16: ROB. The idea is from Saint Maximos the Confessor. Empty
mind are the Angels.
272
134. During the life in the couple, the man and the
woman they cannot see simply, because this thing is possible
only in the lonely life, during which, for the likeness to Christ,
there won`t be known the difference between man and woman.
135. The thoughts450 aren`t either of the rational part of
the soul (because there isn`t thought in the beats), or in
(because there isn`t either in Angels). But being fruits of the
rational part and using the imagination as a ladder, they climb
towards the mind from the feeling, announcing to the mind the
things of the feeling, and they descend towards the feeling from
the mind, putting forth to this one the mind`s things.
136. When the sin is endangered like a ship by the
torrent of the tears, the evil thoughts emerge as one which come
out of deep and try to rescue the ship.
137. The thoughts gather around the soul according to its
present state, either as some pirates who want to sink the soul
down, or as some oarsmen who want to help the soul seeing it
endangered. The first ones tow to offshore the inappropriate
thoughts, the others, by turning the helm, the push the ship to
tranquil shores.
137451. The thought of the vain glory, being the seventh
one, the soul that wants to reject it as being the last one, if
won`t disrobe also the thought from before this last one, the
soul won`t be able to put on the eighth one, which comes after
them and which the godlike Apostle calls it “heavenly dwelling
place”452. This one can be put on through sight only by the ones
who disrobed for it the material things.
139453. To the consummated prayer can come close the
angelic thoughts; to the middle one, the spiritual thoughts; and
to the beginner one, the rational-natural thoughts.
140. Like the good lot of the seed used to appear through
the wheat-ear, likewise the cleanness of the contemplation it is
shown through prayer. The first one has for chasing away the
gatherer of seeds birds, the casings which fence it like some
spears; the second one, the thoughts which philosophize in
temptations to banish the temptations away.
450
The concepts, the reasoning.
451
This is the numbering from the original text where the head 137 is doubled (E. l. t.`s n.).
452
II Corinthians: 5: 2: KJB: “For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with
our house which is from heaven:”; ROB: “For that`s why we also sigh, into this body,
desiring to put on our dwelling place from heavens,”
453
See footnote 21.
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141. The ones saw by the soul, for doing, are silvery, like
the wings of the dove; and the cogitated ones, for
contemplation, are golden454. This is because the thus not-
beautified soul, it cannot fly and it cannot rest where the
dwelling place of the ones who rejoice themselves is455.
*
IV
Heads about Doing and Contemplation
Here Is And Orchard Full of the Fruits of the

Doing and of the Spiritual Contemplation
142. It was yore commanded to the old ones to bring the

first fruit of the field and of the mill to the temple 456. And now
we must bring to God, as first fruit of the working life, the
restraint and the truth, and of the contemplative life, the love
and the prayer. Through those ones we cut off the impulses of
the irrational lust and of the wrath; through these ones, the
vain thoughts and the plots from them457.
143. The beginning of the working life is the restraint and
the truth; the middle: the righteousness and the humble
cogitation; and the end: the peace of the thoughts and the
sanctification of the body.
144. The doing consists in not do simply the good things,
but to do them as it ought, the doer deciding by himself the
time and the measure for the things that must be done.
145. The contemplation consists in looking at the bodies
as they are, but also their rationalities towards what he is
looking at.
146. Neither the doing is firm without contemplation, nor
is the contemplation true without doing. This is because both
454
Psalms: 68: 14: KJB: “When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in
Salmon.”; 67: 14: ROB: “When the heavenly Emperor will scatter the kings in His country,
they will be white as the snow on Salmon.”
455
Psalms: 85: 7: KJB: “Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation.”; 84: 7:
ROB: “Show to us, O Lord, Your mercy and Your salvation give it to us.”
456
Exodus: 22: 23, 25.
457
Philokalia: The plots from the neighbor.
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the doing must be rational and the contemplation must be doer;

this is because through the first one, the sin to be powerless,
and through the second one, the virtue to be strong in desiring
the kindness.
147. The target of the ones who occupy on themselves
with the doing, it is the killing of the passions; and of the ones
who occupy on themselves with the knowledge it is the
contemplation of the virtues.
148. Like the matter is towards the shape so is the doing
towards the contemplation; and like the eye is seen on the face
so the contemplation out of doing.
149. In the stadium of the doer virtue are running many.
But only one takes the crown: the one who wants to reach at its
end through contemplation.
150. The one who occupies on himself with the doing he
drinks into prayer the drink of the pricking, but the
contemplative gets drunk with the strongest cup 458. The first
one philosophizes into the ones of the nature. The other one
forgets even on himself into prayer.
151. To the one who occupies on himself with the doing it
is not allowed to persevere much into the spiritual
contemplation. This is because he feels like one who is
somebody`s guest and he quickly leaves that house.
152. The ones who occupy on themselves with the doing,
when praying they enter like under some gates under the
commandments of God; the contemplatives enter through
singing like in the courtyards of the virtues. The first one give
thank for they have been unchained, the others for the also
have taken into slavery the ones who have been waging war to
them.
153. The power of the contemplation must be at the level
of the doing power. Otherwise it would be like a ship, which, not
having appropriate sails, it suffer either danger from the fury of
the winds for the sails` measureless, or damage from the winds
for their smallness in comparison to the ship.
154. You reckon the pious thoughts like some oarsmen of
the mental ship. They oars would be the living powers of the
soul, the wrath and the lust, the will and the free choice. The
one who occupies on himself with the doing he always needs
these ones, but the contemplative doesn`t always need them.
458
Psalms: 50: 5: KJB; 49: 5: ROB // 23: 5: KJB; 22: 5: ROB.
275
This is because in order of praying, these one by taking farewell

from everything, he places on himself at the helm of the
knowledge and he takes vigil during the whole night of the
contemplation, bringing praises to the Keeper of everything.
And by catching from somewhere some song of love, he sings it
to his soul, looking from distance the raisings of the sea and
being amazed by the godlike judgments and justices.
155. The one who is in the middle between doing and
contemplation, he doesn`t guide his ship neither only with the
oarsmen nor only with the mental sails, but he fulfills the need
of a good floating through both of them, enduring with joy both
the toils of the doing, for the moderation of the contemplation
and the rationalities of the contemplation for being helped by
doing.
156. Having his nature in harmony to the decision of his
will, the contemplative commits the floating tirelessly as being
driven by the flowing of the water. And the ones who occupies
on himself with the doing, having the affection of the nature
opposite to the decision of the will, he suffer a big swirl of
thoughts and it lacks only a little to reach at despair, due to the
burden.
157. The field that isn`t well cultivated it doesn`t use to
turn to the sower the seed multiplied and clean. Likewise either
the ones who occupies on himself with the doing, he won`t see
the fruit of his prayer much and clean, if he won`t take care of
the prayer with heed and without pride.
158. The cogitation ceaselessly trodden by the prayer`s
traces, it resembles to the often trodden soil. This is because
that one is leveled and this one is straight, being able to receive,
the first one, gentle feet, and the other one, clean prayers.
159. Within the material things, the mind has
together-worker, the thought; in the immaterial ones, if won`t
reject it, it will have it as a thorn that pricks it.
160. The one who occupies on himself with the doing he
has as covering to his heart in the time of the prayer, the
knowledge of the sensitive ones, which he can remove it due to
his affection towards them. Only the contemplative, not
depending on them, he can see, partially, with the uncovered
face, the glory of God459.
459
II Corinthians: 3: 18: KJB: “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the
Lord.”; ROB: “And we all, by looking as in a mirror, with the uncovered face, the glory of the
276
161. The prayer united with the spiritual contemplation it

is the Promised Land where flows like some milk and like a
honey the knowledge of the rationalities of the Providence and
of the Judgment of God. And the one united with some natural
contemplation, it is Egypt, where it emerges, in the ones who
are praying, the memory of the thicker lusts. Finally, the simple
prayer is the manna from desert, that, for its lack of diversity,
to the ones who don`t endure, it closes due to the lust the
promised goods; and to the ones who persevere night to this
narrowed food, it causes a higher tasting, which lasts460.
162. The doing united with the contemplation will be
reckoned as the body united with the cogitating ghost; and
without contemplation, like the body united with the willing
ghost.
163. The feeling is the courtyard of the rational soul, the
cogitation is the narthex, and the mind is the hierarch. In the
courtyard there is stopped the mind interrupted by
inappropriate thoughts; in narthex, the mind interrupted by
appropriate thoughts; and the mind that has been found worthy
to enter in the godlike altar, it is not interrupted by any of
these.
164. In the house of the doing soul it is crying and
weeping, due to the tiredness461. In the one of the contemplative
soul there is heard a voice of joy and of confession, due to the
knowledge.
165. The doer wants to untie on himself, due to the toils,
and to be with Christ. And the contemplative wants better to
remain into body, both due to the joyfulness that he receives
out of prayer and for the profit that comes from here to the
neighbor.
166. At the more educated one the contemplation
predominate the doing; and in the ones who are thicker to the
mind, the doing predominates the contemplation. But both of
Lord, we are transformed in the same image from glory to glory, as from the Ghost of the
Lord.”
460
Solomon`s Wisdom: 16: 20: ROB (this Book is not present in King James Bible (E. l. t.`s
n.)): “But You fed your people with angelic food and You sent ready-made bread from
heavens, without toil, and that had the whole sweetness and was pleasant to everybody.”
461
Ezekiel: 2: 10: KJB: “And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without:
and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe.”; ROB: “And he unveiled
before me, and I saw that it was written on both sides: crying, weeping, and grief was written
in it.”
277
them reach at a good end. Quickly will be seen this, though, at

the ones in whom the contemplation predominates the doing.
167. The paradise is the contemplation of the intelligible
ones. The one who occupy on himself with the knowledge (the
gnostic) enters inside this one by praying, as in his house; and
the doer is like a passer-by, who wants to see inside, but he is
not allowed, because it is still standing the separating wall of
his spiritual age.
168. The bodily passions resemble to the beasts; and the
spiritual ones, to the birds. The doer can chase away the first
ones from the rational vine. But he can chase away the birds
until he reaches at the spiritual contemplation, regardless how
much will strive for guarding the ones from inside.
169. The doer cannot elevate on himself higher than the
moral beauty, except, like Abraham the Patriarch, will come out
also him from the law of the nature, as from his land, out of his
life grown with it in affection, as out of a family. This is because
in this way he will receive as a seal the cutting off of the
voluptuousness (of the pleasure), which is a cover placed on us
since birth, which doesn`t allow to be given a consummated
liberty.
170. Like the colt doesn`t like on spring time to stay at
mangle and to eat the things from there, likewise the young
mind cannot suffer for long the narrowness of the prayer, but it
enjoys better, as that one, to get out at the width of the natural
contemplation, which is in psalmody and reading.
171. Like the doer life it has its vital power girdled like
some waists, with fasting and with taking vigil, likewise the
contemplative virtue makes its knower powers as some kindled
candlesticks, through silence and prayer. The first one gives to
those ones the thought (the discursive reasoning) as a
pedagogue, and the other one gives to its powers the inward
rationality as guiding.
172. The unconsummated mind it is now allowed to enter
in the full of fruits vine of the prayer, but only and barely to the
simple sounds of the psalms, as a poor at leaves462.
173. Like not all the ones who reach having a dialogue
with the emperor they can also stay at the same table with him,
462
Deuteronomy: 24: 21. The stranger is allowed to enter into vineyard after the master has
harvested it, to collect what he still manage to find. Through prayer it is understood here the
prayer of a sole thought; through psalms, the psalmody or the read or the singed prayer.
278
likewise the ones who reach at the meeting with the prayer
won`t rejoice all of the contemplation from it.
174. Like the silence at good time it is the brake of the
anger, likewise eating with measure it is the brake of the lust,
and the one thought prayer it is the brake of the unsettled
thoughts.
175. Both the one who wants to dive in the deep from
bellow (on the bottom of the ocean) for the sensitive pearl and
the one who wants to cross through the deep from above for the
intelligible pearl, to surface it, if they won`t disrobe on
themselves, the first one of light, the other one of feeling, they
won`t succeed in what they are searching for.
176. The mind that is during the time of the prayer inside
its cogitation, it will be like the bridegroom who speaks to his
bride in the wedding chamber. And the one who is not let to
enter, staying outside shouts out with sighs: “Who will take me
inside of the city?”463 Or: “Who will guide me to there, to not be I
looking any longer at vanities and at liar insanities” 464 in the
time of the prayer?
177. The prayer without the pricking of the heart it is
considered by the mind like it is considered by the throat the
food without salt.
178. The soul that is still searching for the prayer, it is
like the woman in the birth pains; and the soul that has
reached at prayer it is like the woman who has given birth and
it is full of joy for that birth.
179. Yore the Amorite who was living in the mountain,
rushing in upon the ones who were striving to cross that
mountain, was hurting them465; now the evil forgetfulness
chases away the ones who try to climb at the higher prayer of
the simplicity, before cleaning.
180. The devils have much enmity against the clean
prayer. These ones are beaten up not by the multitude of the
463
Psalms: 60: 9: KJB: “Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into
Edom?”; 59: 10: ROB: “Who will take me to the fortified city? Who will advise me to
Edom?”
464
Psalms: 40: 4: KJB: “Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not
the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”; 39: 6: ROB: “Blessed is the man whose hope is the
name of the Lord and he hasn`t look at vanities and to liar insanities.”
465
Numbers: 14: 45: Deuteronomy: 1: 44.
279
psalms, as an army from outside, but the dialogue of the three

ones: of the mind, and of the rationality with the feeling.
181. The simple prayer appears to the ones who are
praying466, supporting them like the bread 467; the one united
with some contemplation, like the oil that fattens them up 468;
and the one without image, like a wine with good fragrance, of
which, the ones who impart themselves they aren`t any longer
satisfied469.
182. It is said that the wild donkey laughs at the crowd of
the city; and that the rhinoceros cannot be tied up by
anybody470. Likewise the mind that reigns over the nature and
over the rationalities of the nature, it laughs at the vanity of the
thoughts when it prays, and it cannot be taken into mastery by
anything of the ones submitted to the senses.
183. The one who shakes the stick against dogs, he stirs
them up against himself. Likewise stirs up the devils the one
who strives to pray cleanly.
184. The one who lives in ascesis, he must narrow his
feeling to a sole sort of food; and the mind, to the prayer of a
sole thought. Becoming in this way not depending on passions,
it will reach there, to be kidnapped to the Lord, in the time of
the prayer.
185. They who are dominated by the passion of the
pleasure, being they earthly, when they are praying they have
their thoughts as some frogs, which steal them away. They who
have the passions more appeased, they have their
contemplations like some nightingales, which entertain them
with their flight from a branch to another, namely from a
contemplation to other one. And the dispassionate ones they
466
Philokalia: τοις ευχομένοις. G.P. 90: τους αρχομένους: to the beginners.
467
Psalms: 107: 5: KJB: “Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.”; 106: 5: ROB: “They
were hungry and thirsty; their soul was fainting in them;”
468
Psalms: 13: 5: KJB: “But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy
salvation.”; 12: 5: ROB: “And I hoped towards Your mercy; my heart will rejoice of Your
salvation.”
469
II Corinthians: 5: 13: KJB: “For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether
we be sober, it is for your cause.”; ROB: “For, if we went besides ourselves, it is for God, and
if we are with the mind whole, it is for you.”
470
Job: 39: 5, 9: KJB: “Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of
the wild ass? // Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?”; ROB: “Who
has set free the wild donkey and untied it from the manger? // Will the wild buffalo to enter to
you as servant and to spend the night next to your mangers?”
280
enjoy much silence and tranquility from thoughts, during the

prayer.
186. Yesteryear Mary, the sister of Moses, looking at the
falling of the enemies, taking up her cymbal led the victory song
of the singers471. And now the greatest of virtues, the love, rising
itself up to praise the soul that has overcome the passions, it
uses the contemplation ad a guitar and doesn`t cease praising
God, rejoicing with the ones from around itself.
187. When the words of the Psalms are stopped during
the prayer from their reeling, in the heart of the one who is
praying, then the heart, as a good field, starts to show its fruits:
the seeing of the bodiless ones, like some roses; the limpidity of
the bodies, like some lilies; the diversity of the godlike
judgments, difficult to contemplate, like some violets.
188. The flame chained into matter, it becomes carries of
light, and the soul untied from matter it reaches to be bearer of
God. That one grows up until burning out; and this one, until
the end of the godlike love.
189. The soul that consummately rejected on itself and
has totally consecrated on itself to the prayer, it doesn`t come
down when it wants, once it is above creation, but when will
consider that as being right, the One Who bears all our things
with scales and with measure.
190. When the laziness is banished away from the soul
and the cunningness is shaken away from the thought, the
mind ending to be empty, through simplicity and not-crafted
life, and not having any cover of shamefulness, “it sings new
song to God”, and gives thanks singing with gladness,
celebrating from before the beginning of the future life.
191. When the soul that prays starts to be under a more
godlike work, it speaks also like the bride from the Song
towards her friends, things like these: “By little Brother has
sent his hand through the window and my heart has flinched of
Him”472.
471
Exodus: 15: 20: KJB: “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in
her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dances.”; ROB: “Then
Miriam, the prophetess, took the tambourine in her hand, and after her there went out all
women with tambourines and dancing.”
472
Song: 5: 4: KJB: “My beloved put in his hand by the hole of the door, and my bowels were
moved for him.”; ROB: “My loved one has stretched his hand through the window and my
heart has flinched.”
281
192. Like the soldier liberated from war he downloads

from himself the burden of the weapons, likewise the doer
discharges from himself the thoughts, coming to contemplation.
This is because neither that one needs weapons but to war nor
this one needs thoughts except if he descends to the ones which
fall under the senses.
193. The doers look at the bodies to know their place; and
the contemplatives for knowing their nature. But only those
ones who occupy on themselves with the knowledge (the
gnostics) look at the rationalities of both of them.
194. Within the rationalities of the bodies are being
known the bodiless ones; and within the bodiless ones is known
the Word (the Rationality) from above being, towards which
every striving soul hurries to be liberated.
195. The rationalities of the bodiless ones are like bones
covered by the ones submitted to the senses. They are seen by
nobody if they haven`t reached outside the addiction after the
sensitive ones.
196. The soldier lays down the weapons when he leaves
the war; and the contemplative, the thoughts, when he is
liberated towards the Lord.
197. The general, if he remains without prey in the war,
he is discontent. Likewise the doer, if he remains when praying
without the spiritual sight (contemplation).
198. The stag runs to the springs of the bodily waters,
when it is bitten by a beast; and the soul runs to the rays of the
bodiless ones, when is wounded by the most-sweet arrow of the
prayer
199. Neither the bodily eye can see the wheat grain nor
the doer mind can see its own nature, if they won`t disrobe,
that one of husk, and this one of the affection that covers it.
200. Like the stars hide on themselves when the sun rises
up, likewise the thoughts when the mind turns back to its
kingdom.
201. After the end of the creature, the spiritual
contemplations, overflowing upon the mind like some rays of
the sun, which descend from heavens, it seem to come to it
from outside, though they belong to it; and these rays envelop it
due to its cleanness.
202. The contemplative mind when descends from
heavens, brought back by the nature`s needs, it can speak like
the ones who said: What`s more wonderful than the godlike
282
beauty? What thought fills up with joy more than the one of the
greatness of God? What longing is so powerful and so difficult to
bear than the one that is born from God in the soul cleaned of
all sins and that shouts out from its deep: “I`m wounded by
love”?473
203. The one who does not get tired by walking of the
traces of God through prayer, and who does not want to see a
man, he can say: “My heart has been kindled within me and fire
will burn within my thought”.
204. Let the doer soul saying after rejecting the evil, like
the bride from the Song of Songs, towards the devils and the
evil thoughts, which force it to look again at vanities and at liar
insanities: “I have disrobed my coat, how will I put it on again? I
have washed up my feet, how will I soil them again?”474
205. The loving of God soul dares to ask Him: “Tell me,
You good Shepherd, where do You graze Your sheep and where
do You rest at noon Your lambs? For by following to these ones,
to not go myself astray from the flocks of Your friends” 475.
206. The doer soul, trying to keep the prayer`s word and
not being able to, shouts out also, like the bride from the Son of
Songs: “During the nights I have been searching for my beloved
one in the bed and I haven`t found him” 476. I shouted out his
name, but he didn`t hear me. “I will get myself up” through even
more perseverant prayer and “wandering through the city, on
streets, on market places, I will search for the one Whom I love”;
maybe I will find the One Who is in everything from here and
outside everything, and I will satiate on myself when his glory
will appear to me.
473
Song of Songs: 2: 5; 5: 8.
474
Song of Songs: 5: 3: KJB: “I have put off my coat; how shall I put it on? I have washed
my feet; how shall I defile them?”; ROB: “The coat I have taken it off, how will I put it on
again? I have washed my feet up, how will I soil them again?”
475
Song of Songs: 1: 7: KJB: “Tell me, O thou whom my soul loveth, where thou feedest,
where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon: for why should I be as one that turneth aside by
the flocks of thy companions?”; 1: 6: ROB: “Tell me, my beloved one, where do you graze
your sheep? Where do you lodge at noon? Why must I vainly go astray to the flocks of your
companions?”
476
Song of Songs: 3: 1-2: KJB: “BY night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loveth: I
sought him, but I found him not. // I will rise now, and go about the city in the streets, and in
the broad ways I will seek him whom my soul loveth: I sought him, but I found him not.”;
ROB: “During the night in bed I`ve been searching for the beloved one of my soul, I`ve been
searching for him, but behold, I haven`t found him. // I will get myself up, I said to myself,
and I`ll run to the market place, on the streets, and thoroughly I`ll search for the beloved of
my soul. I have searched for him, but I haven`t found him anymore.”
283
207. When my soul starts to be entirely only tears out of

the joyfulness of the prayer, by also daring, shouts out like the
bride towards her bridegroom: “Let my little brother to come
down into his garden”; and let him eat the worked comforting of
my tears as some expensive fruits477.
208. When the doer soul starts knowing, wondering, the
Maker out of the greatness and out of the beauty of the
creatures, and to delight on himself of the joy caused by them,
it shouts out also full of amazement: “How beautiful have you
made on yourself my bridegroom 478, paradise of my Father!
Flower of the field and cedar like the cedars of Lebanon! Under
its shade I wanted to be and I sat, and the fruit proved to be
sweet in my throat”479.
209. If the one who receives and emperor within his
house it is so proud, so famous and full of whole joy, the more
is the soul that receives, after it has cleaned itself, the Emperor
of emperors, according to the not-liar promise of That One 480.
But such a soul owes to provide on itself with awe, by casting
out everything that doesn`t seem appropriate for the resting of
That One and by placing inside everything that is towards His
pleasure.
210. The one who expects to be summoned tomorrow by
the emperor, what else can he care about, than to cogitate at
the words which can be pleasant to that one? By taking the
soul care of this, won`t show itself unprepared at the judgment
from there.
477
Song of Songs: 4: 16: KJB: “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my
garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his
pleasant fruits.”; ROB: “Awake, northern wind, come southern wind, and blow through my
garden and stir up their perfumes; and let my beloved one come and enter in his garden and to
pick up its expensive fruits, to eat.”
478
Song of Songs: 1: 15: KJB: “Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast
doves’ eyes.”; ROB: “How beautiful are you, my love! And how cute are you! The meadow
of green grass is our bed.”
479
Song of Songs: 2: 3: KJB: “As the apple tree among the trees of the wood, so is my
beloved among the sons. I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was
sweet to my taste.”; ROB: “Like the apple tree is amongst trees, so is my darling lad amongst
lads. I love staying in the shadow of the apple tree; sweet is its fruit in my mouth.”
480
John: 14: 23: KJB: “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with
him.”; ROB: “Jesus answered and said: If somebody loves Me he will guard My word, and
My Father will love him, and We will come and make dwelling place at him.”
284
211. Blesses is the soul that, by waiting for the Lord to

come tomorrow, doesn`t notice the tiredness of the day, neither
of the night, knowing that tomorrow He will come.
212. God sees on everybody. But God is seen only by the
ones who don`t contemplate anything during the prayer. And
how many are seeing God, they are also being heard by Him;
and how many aren`t being heard, they neither are seeing Him.
But blessed is the one who believes that he is being seen by
God. His feet won`t budge when he forces on himself to be
pleasant to Him.
213. The goods of the Kingdom, that is within us, which
the loving of beauty eye hasn`t seen and the loving of honor ear
hasn`t heard them and to the empty of Holy Ghost heart they
haven`t come up481, are the earnest of the goods which will be
given to the righteous ones in the future kingdom, by God; and
the one who doesn`t delight on himself with these ones, which
are the fruits of the Ghost, he won`t be able to reach at rejoicing
of those ones.
214. The thoughts of the ones who occupy on themselves
with the doing are like the deer. This is because as those ones,
either they are high in the mountains, due to the fear of
hunters, or are low in valleys, for the sake of those ones, so also
these ones they cannot stay always in the spiritual
contemplation, for they fewness, neither always in the natural
ones, because they do not aim always the resting. But of the
contemplative ones they despise the views from below (the
pedestrian contemplations).
215. The dew drops inebriate the land`s furrows; and the
lachrymose sighs which spring out from heart they inebriate the
sentiments of the soul into prayer.
216. Nobody will reach at the contemplation of the
godhead cogitated into Trinity if he won`t come up above the
material two-ness and above the neighboring unit. But he won`t
reach higher than these ones if he hasn`t made his mind
unitary in the cogitated things.
217. It is not so difficult to be stopped the course of the
river for not flowing downwards as difficult is to the ones who is
481
I Corinthians: 2: 9: KJB: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither
have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love
him.”; ROB: “But as it is written: “The ones which the eye hasn`t seen and the ear hasn`t
heard, and to the heart of the man haven`t ascended, these ones God has prepared to the ones
who love Him.”
285
praying to restrain when he wants the rushing in of the mind,

for not scatter him in the seen ones, but to gather on himself
towards the ones from above and related, even if this thing is
characteristic to the nature, whilst the other one is against
nature.
218. The ones who have cleaned on themselves by
sending their mind inside the seen things they are filled up with
so much amazement and joy than they can`t comprise anything
of the earthly ones, even if around them would be piled up all
the things which seem worthy to be done.
219. It is enough to the said the laws of the nature for
making us wondering much. But, by being understood, they are
like some flourished orchards which bring out from the clean
flowers as out of heavenly nectar, the sweetness of the spiritual
feast.
220. Through the dewy flowers of the orchards the bees
are humming around the bee hive queen; and the cogitating
powers of the soul, reach at a ceaseless repentance,
surrounding the soul, they toil482 together with the soul for the
desired ones.
221. In the seen world the man is seen like another
world, and in the cogitated (intelligible) world, the thought. This
is because the man is the herald of the sky and of the earth and
of the ones within the middle; and the thought is the interpreter
of the mind and of the feeling and of the ones from around
them. Without man and thought, both worlds would be mute.
222. The one who is taken into slavery for a while he
doesn`t run back with such a joy when he is released, like the
mind turns back with nimble feet towards the heavenly ones, as
towards its own ones, when it is released from the material ties
(affections).
223. The one who is not praying with heed but scattered,
he considers the psalm as barbarian483, but he is also a
barbarian to the psalm; and both of them are considered
insanity by the devils.
224. Aren`t they one and the same the ones to whom the
world has been crucified and the ones who has crucified on
themselves to the world484? To the first ones are nails the fasting
482
G.P. 90: they want.
483
I Corinthians: 14: 11: gibberish.
484
Galatians: 4: 14: KJB: “And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor
rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.”; ROB: “And you have not
286
and the taking vigil; and to the others the poverty and the
despising. But without the second ones, the toils for the first
ones are useless.
225. Nobody can pray cleanly while he is dominated by
the passion of the love for beauty and of the love for honor. This
is because the lusts (the affections) and the thoughts of the
vanity, by moving on themselves with familiarity around these
ones, they wrap him like some ropes, pulling, like on a tied
sparrow, the mind trying to fly away during the prayer.
226. It is impossible to the mind to have peace during the
prayer if it hasn`t made friendship the restraint and the love.
This is because the first one it fights to scatter the enmity of the
body against the soul, and the second one against the enmity
counter the neighbor, for the sake of God. That`s why by
coming the Peace, which overwhelms any mind485, has promised
to make a dwelling place in the one who has made peace with
himself486.
227. The one who strives on himself to enter into the
Kingdom of God, he must abound with the deed of the
righteousness into the good things; into giving alms, by giving
out of what is lacks to him; and in the toils for peace, by
stealing that patience according into the Lord.
228. Neither into the one who is in lack with the virtue,
due to his carelessness, nor into the one in whom the virtue it
exceeds, due to his self-appreciation, they won`t be inside the
shore of the dispassion. This is because neither one of them has
reached to be imparted of the goods from righteousness,
between them and those ones staying in the middle the lack
and the surplus.
229. The earth which doesn`t give to the plowman the
multiplied seed, it cannot make the plowman rich, by giving
him back only the seed, or even a small adding. Likewise, on
despised my trial, that was in my body, neither have you becomes disgusted, but you have
received me like on an angel of God, as on Jesus Christ.”
485
Philippians: 4: 7: KJB: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep
your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”; ROB: “And let the peace of God, which
overwhelms any mind, to guard your souls and your thoughts, into Jesus Christ.”
486
John: 14: 23: KJB: “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my
words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with
him.”; ROB: “Jesus answered and said to him: If somebody loves Me he will keep My word,
and My Father will love him and We will come to him and We will make dwelling place at
him.”
287
the doer, the thing done, it cannot make him righteous, if his
striving won`t be, towards God, bigger than his will.
230. Not all the ones who love their neighbor they can
also hate him. And something else is to envy the accretion of
that one, and something else is to impede 487 his increasing. But
the last stage of the sin consists in not be only bitten by the
gifts of that one, but also in gossiping his good characteristics,
as they wouldn`t be like that.
231. Others are the bodily passions and others are the
ones of the soul; others are the ones according to the nature
and others are the counter to the nature one. The one who
rejects the first ones but he doesn`t take care of the last ones, it
is like the man who erects high and thick enclosure against the
wild beasts, but he rejoices of the birds which eat the grapes of
the rational vine, the really beautiful ones.
232. First the soul imagines the evil, then the soul lusts
for it, and then the soul is penetrated by pleasure or by
sadness, and then it sees it with the senses and then the soul
enters in seen or unseen touching with the evil. All of these are
accompanied by thoughts, except the first movement, which if it
isn`t accepted, the whole evil after it will remain not-worked.
233. The ones who have come close to dispassion they are
budged only by hallucinations; the ones with the passions
appeased, by lusts; the ones dominated by voluptuousness,
they are budged by affections. In the feeling of the evil are the
ones who make abuse of the necessary ones, but with sadness;
and in touch with the evil are the ones who accompany it
without sadness.
234. The pleasure dwells in all the body`s limbs. But it
doesn`t appear to everybody equally troubling. But some of the
limbs enjoy more the lusting part of the soul, other the anger
and again others the things which depends on the cogitation.
The first ones are troubled by the covetousness of the belly, the
second ones by anger, and the third ones by cunningness, the
cause of all the evil passions.
235. It is necessary to be the senses opened like the gates
of the city. But it is also necessary to not be allowed to enter
through the opening in the same time with the necessary ones
also the peoples who want the enemies and who become causes
of fight.
487
Within the text: to not impede.
288
236. The pleasure is the fruit of the lust; and anger of the
wrath; and the evilness of the envy. But cannot reach at peace
with the last ones he who doesn`t fight against the chieftains.
Neither can enter in the shore of the appeasement of the
passions the one who fulfills the commandments forcedly.
237. The ones who reject the attacks, they don`t let to
enter the thoughts to the rational vine like some wild beasts
and to damage its fruits. And the ones who accompany them
without sweeten on themselves they simply let them come in,
but they don`t let them at all to touch the vine`s fruits. The
ones who talk sweetly with the passions through the thoughts
but they do not come to approval, they resemble to the ones
who let the wild beast to enter inside the field and of the
enclosure, but they don`t allow the beast to satisfy on itself with
the vine`s grapes. But then they find it stronger than their own
power and they often reach at the approval of the passions 488.
238. The one who still needs to take care of the enclosure
through restraint, he hasn`t reached yet at simplicity. This is
because the consummated one, he says, he doesn`t restrain on
himself (but the one who is still fighting) 489. He resembles to the
ones who has vine, or field, but not in the middle of other vines
or fields, but somewhere in a corner. That`s why he needs much
guarding and watchfulness. But the vine of the one who has
reached at simplicity it cannot be touched from any side,
identically to that one of an emperor or of another fearsome
master, who makes the thieves and the by-passers trembling,
just by hearing his name only.
239. Many climb on the cross of the evil suffering but few
of them accept also its spikes. This is because many submit on
themselves to the willing toils and troubles, but to the ones
which come unwillingly, only those ones submit on themselves,
who consummately have died to this world and to the resting
out of it490.
240. Many have disrobed all the skin clothes. But the last
one, that one of the vain glory, it has been disrobed only by the
ones who have despised the mother of it, namely the desire to
be pleasant to themselves.
488
The four stages of Hesychios: attack, accompanying, consenting, deed, here they become
five: attack, accompanying, dialogue, consenting and deed.
489
The words in parentheses can be found only in the Greek Philokalia.
490
In G.P. 90: In the middle of the last sentence it has: Many are the servants of the willing
obedience, but of the unwilling shame only the ones who have quenched the love for honor.
289
241. The one who rejects and doesn`t accept the praise
from the people and the resting of the body, he has disrobed
even the last coat of the vain glory. This one has been found
worthy to put on even from here the brightness of the dwelling
place from heavens, sought with many sighs.
242. Something else is the work and something else is the
thing done. The last one shows the finished sin; the first one
shows only the sweet addiction which is worked inside, but not
outside, like the ones who haven`t been removed from their
land, but they pay tribute to the masters their own thoughts.
243. If the taste is dominated by pleasures it is
impossible to not be followed also by the other senses, even if
the ones from bellow the belly of the colder ones seem to be
tranquil, like the ones of the aged ones, who don`t receive the
heat any longer, due to exhaustion.
244. The lusting part of the soul is proven as it is in
foods, in countenances and in voice, in the willing impulses, of
otherwise into taste, in sight and in hearing, like it uses them
well or wrong, or what is in the middle between these two ones.
245. In the ones who aren`t advised by fear, the thoughts
are in a great scattering, like the sheep without shepherd 491.
But when they are guided, or driven from the back by fear, the
thoughts are in good order and inside the enclosure.
246. The fear is the daughter of the faith and the
guardian of the commandments. The one who hasn`t gain the
mother of it he won`t be found worthy of being the sheep
pastured according to Lord`s will.
247. Some people have only the beginnings of the goods,
other their middle, and other their ends. Without these ones,
each of them will be as a simple soldier or as a clerk without
payment. And that`s why the first one guards only and barely
his house against the ones who try to plunder it, and the other
one doesn`t have the due honor in what he is doing.
248. The ones who urge us to consent to the pleasures of
the throat, until we are not-consummated, they do something
resembling to the ones who command us to scrape our almost
491
I Kings: 22: 17: KJB: “And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that
have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to
his house in peace.”; III Kings: 22: 17: ROB: “And he said: “Behold, I am seeing all the
Israelites scattered throughout the mountains, like the sheep that do not have shepherd. And
the Lord said: They have not a Lord, to turn back each of them in peace to their home.”
290
healed wounds, or to scratch the sores for the pleasure cause

by them to us, or to eat meals which increase our warmth, or to
bring down the enclosure of the vine and to let coming in, like a
wild beast, the body`s thought, which to break the good
thoughts lie on some grapes. We must not listen to these ones,
neither to like the meaningless flattering of the people and of
the passions. But let`s rather fortify the enclosure of the
restraint until the beasts will cease, namely the bodily passions,
to howl, or the vain thoughts to descend like some birds to
damage the vine, namely the soul guided by those views into
Christ Jesus our Lord, to Whom be the glory, forever and ever,
Amen.
The Miserable Monk Named Consummation 10
Theophanous The enlightening of 9

the heart
The stranger 8
brightness
Ladder The contemplation
of the mysteries
7
The peace of the 6
291
thoughts
The heart`s tears 5
The holy work 4
The heart`s warmth 3
I`m presenting here, of the godlike The clean prayer 2
The godlike 1
gifts, which through trying was ascension
known by the Ghost bearer ones
First, the most-clean prayer starts,

Out of which some warmth emerges.
After that, it is the stranger and the holy work.
Then the godlike tear on the heart springs out.
After it, a peace from the multitude of all the thoughts,
Out of which to the mind cleanness shout out,
Together with the sight of the most-high mysteries.
And in an untold way, after this one, a stranger brightness.
And from now on, furthermore, the endless consummation.
This is because this stage has a borderless width,
Even if it is composes only of one verse.
So at the beginning of the ladder, on the lowest stair,

Only the clean prayer, we see that is appears to us.
But it is of very much sorts.
And if you would want to count to all these ones
To a great length the word will stretch.
Think the same thing about everything, my beloved one.
But teacher in them is only the trying above words.
The ladder that increases towards the top, in such a strange
manner,
It is a tenth of stairs, a revival of the life in a wonderful way,
A tenth of stairs, that withers the life from within the soul.
For one of the Ghost bearers says to us like this:
The one who doesn`t toil from here to gather the life,
With vain hope let him not deceive
On Himself, that he will take this one beyond.
Ten stairs, the philosophy of the deification,
Ten stairs, the fruit of all the Scriptures,
Ten stairs, the unveiling of the consummation,
Ten stairs, towards heaven ascended,
292
Ten stairs which make us see God.

The ladder it seems to us too short, taken along its length.
Within heart, though, with it if the man will try,
Richness not-comprised into the world he will find for himself,
A godlike spring gushing out stranger life.
For this ladder is a great teacher to us.
Good is that everyone to see his own measures into thought,
By looking attentively at the ladder with the ten gifts.
If you reckon that you also are steadfastly stay on it,
Tell us on which stairs you are finding on yourself staying,
To the profit of us, the ones who are far away from it.
But, if you want to learn something precious about these ones,
Leave the care of all things,
Both of the meaningless ones and of the blessed ones.
This is because without the rejection of the care you cannot
learn anything.
And only by trying and not of speaking it comes out this
knowledge.
And for keeping in mind I am giving now to you towards
knowledge,
This word, kept from the Holy bearers of God,
Even though it will penetrate with difficulty to your hearing.
The one who isn`t on one of the mentioned stairs,
Or not always he has been striving on himself towards these
ones with his thought,
In the moment of his death and in the perspective of dying,
He will be engulfed by fear, with tremble of scare,
And stranger he won`t be to the last fierce dread.
My verses have ended in a fearsome word.

But it is of a great profit that is has happened like so.
For the ones who don`t repent and don`t do the good things,
Of which the first one I am, poor me,
They have a great cause to fear, as it should.
And the ones who has ears to hear, let him hear well.
Hear and understand also you, the one who have written these
things.
How have you dared to say these things,
You man who has nothing out of them,
How haven`t you feared teaching about them?
293
Haven`t you heard about Zenoah and the things which he

suffered,
When he dared to lift the godlike Ark of Covenant?
For I am not speaking in this manner towards teaching others,
But to condemn on myself stringer,
By knowing the high crowns of the ones who strive on
themselves
And how only me, into everything, by myself I deprive on myself
of fruits.
Romanian Versification
By Monk Agathon
294

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Priest Professor PhD.

Academician DUMITRU STĂNILOAE

OR COLLECTION FROM THE WRITINGS

TRANSLATION1, INTRODUCTION AND

Motto: “When he (Fr. Dumitru

In this volume we have put together the writings of

the East. The multitude manuscripts of the Academy of the

Thalassius the Libyan

Thalassius was the abbot of a monastery from the

A characteristic note of these 400 heads is that their

The Pious and Bearer of God Our Father

Thalassius the Libyan

About Love, Restraint, and that Living

THE FIRST HUNDRED

1. The entire intense longing towards God, it ties the

8. Of the non-hypocritical love it hangs the true word,

42. If you want to achieve the salvation, reject yourself

55. The mind cleaned as much as it is possible, it feels

72. The conscience doesn`t judge only on the ones who

88. The evil suspicion darkens the cogitation and it

The Pious and Bearer of God Our Father

THE SECOND HUNDRED

1. If you want to deliver yourself at once from sins,

13. Let`s fight for the commandments, for delivering

27. The sensitive woman it symbolizes the active soul,

feeling. But the knowledge of the intelligible ones it is only of

54. Consummated mind is that one which has been

87. The passionate souls are spiritual dusks, because to

THE THIRD HUNDRED

1. About the One good by nature, you think the good

16. The patience is the soul`s love for toils. It consists of

31. It often happens that the mind to remain

46. The memory about the evilness it is leprosy to the

78. The good treasury is the habituation with the

91. Master of everybody, Christ, I pray You to liberate

THE FOURTH HUNDRED

Of which acrostic is this one: Despite all these, you pray

13. God built the rational and mental being able to

42. The one who doesn`t accept the advice he doesn`t

57. The beginning of the doing is the faith in Christ; and

83. The being, the godhead, the kindness and

Hesychios the Sinaite

the two hundred heads “About Watchfulness and Virtue”41. In

According to J. Hausherr, Hesychios belongs, together

The rules of the internal war, which is being waged by

Hesychios the Sinaite

Short Word Useful to the Soul and Savior, about

The So-called Words about Resistance and Prayer 47

THE FIRST HUNDRED

1. The watchfulness is a durable spiritual method,

called the emergence, as a simple thought, of some evil things,

deeds. Therefore also the desertions are for it and the

12. Our embodied Lord and God showed to us as example

fruit from there, but the consummated darkening of the mind

resistance and with the calling of Jesus Christ and you

by not being cut off by us willingly, it uses to become angry on

38. Let`s learn from Christ the humble cogitation; from

acceptance) of the mind to be between the two sorts of thoughts

accompanying, consent, deed).