Глава XX. О знаменоносцах 27

1. Abba Ammon talked about how he killed a basilisk: he once went into the desert to draw water from a well and saw a basilisk. Then he fell on his face and said: Lord! Either I have to die or he does. And by the action of the power of Christ the basilisk immediately dissolved. 2. One brother from Skete came to Abba Ammun and said to him: my father sends me to obey, but I am afraid of fornication. The elder said to him: at the very time when temptation comes to you, say: God of hosts, through the prayers of my father deliver me! So one day the girl locked the door behind him, but he shouted loudly: God of my father, deliver me! And immediately he found himself on the way to Skete. 3. One day a ruler came to Pelusia and wanted to demand a universal tribute from the monks, the same as from the laity. On this occasion, all the brethren gathered to Abba Ammonoth and decided that some of the elders should go to the emperor. Abba Ammonotha tells them: there is no need for such work, but rather keep silence in your cells and fast for two weeks, and by the grace of Christ I alone will do this work. The brethren dispersed to their cells, and the elder remained silent in his. When fourteen days had passed, the brothers complained about the elder, for they did not see him go out anywhere. They said: the elder ignored our matter. On the fifteenth day, the brethren gathered together, as agreed before, and the elder came to them, having in his hands a letter under the royal seal. Seeing this, the brothers were amazed and asked the elder: when did you bring it, Abba? The elder answered: Believe me, brothers, that this night I went to the king, and he wrote me this letter. From him I went to Alexandria and registered it with the rulers and then returned to you. Having heard him, the brothers, overcome with fear, bowed to him. So their work was completed, and the ruler no longer disturbed them. 4. Abba Dula, a student of Abba Vissarion, said: we once walked along the seashore. I became thirsty and said to Abba Vissarion: I am extremely thirsty. The elder said a prayer and said to me: drink from the sea. The water became sweet, and I drank. Then I filled the vessel with water - I would not have wanted to drink more later, but the elder said: here is God, and everywhere is God. 5. One of the fathers was sitting in his cell. The demon came and, entering the old man’s bedroom, read the book of Numbers. Then, getting bored, he transformed into a poor man and went out, limping, to the old man with a staff and a basket. The elder says to him: can you read? He answered: we know the Old Testament. The elder asked: don’t you know the New? And the demon, as soon as he heard about the New Testament, immediately disappeared. One who wears a sign, a sign of initiation into the schema, a schema-monk. You might be interested in: