Refutor (I

The ascetic treatise “Refutor” (or “Refutor”) (394-399, Egypt) provides valuable evidence of the use of Holy Scripture in the monastic environment of the 4th century for individual prayer. The work was written by Evagrius of Pontus at the request of close monastic friends and consists of 8 books, each of which is dedicated to one of the main passions (thoughts): gluttony, fornication, love of money, sadness, anger, despondency, vanity and pride. The author considers cleansing from passions as a spiritual battle with demons who instill evil thoughts in a person and try in every possible way to incline him to sin. The author contrasts each passion with certain quotations from the Holy Scriptures, which define the nature of each thought. The person praying is encouraged to meditate on them in order to strengthen the corresponding virtue. The quotations are arranged in order of the biblical books, from Genesis to Revelation. Most of the quotations are taken from the Psalms, the Book of Proverbs, the Book of Ecclesiastes, and the Book of Job. This publication presents the first two books of the treatise (against the thoughts of gluttony and fornication). *The title of the work in Greek is ᾿Αντιρρητικός. *The title of the work in Latin is Antirrheticus. Contents Prologue Book 1 [which presents 69 refutations] against the thoughts of the [demon] of gluttony From the book of Genesis From Exodus From Deuteronomy From Samuel From the Book of Kings From [Psalms] David From the Proverbs of Solomon From Job From Micah From Habakkuk From Isaiah From Daniel From the Gospel of Luke From Acts From 1 Corinthians From Second Corinthians From Ephesians From Philippians From First Thessalonians From Second Thessalonians From Hebrews From First Timothy From James From John Book 2 [which presents 65 refutations] against the thoughts of [the demon] fornication. From the Exodus From Deuteronomy From the [book] of Judges From the [book] of Samuel From the Proverbs of Solomon From Ecclesiastes From the Song of Songs From Job From Jeremiah From the [book] Lamentations of Jeremiah From the [book of the prophet] Daniel From the Epistle of Jacob [1.] Of the rational nature, which is under heaven (Eccl. 1:13), part of it fights, part of it helps those who fight, and part of it opposes those who fight, stubbornly rebelling and waging war against them. Those who fight are the people who help them - the angels of God, and their opponents - the crafty demons (οι πονηροι δαιμονες). Not because of the severity of the strength of the enemies, not because of the negligence of the helpers, but because of the relaxation of the fighters, the knowledge of God disappears and perishes among them (η θεου γνωσις). [2] Our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave [us] everything for the sake of our salvation, gave us [also] the power to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). He conveyed to us, along with the rest of His teaching, what He Himself did when He was tempted by the devil (see: Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13). During the struggle, when demons fight against us and throw their arrows at us (cf. Eph. 6:16), let us answer them with words from Holy Scripture, so that unclean thoughts (μιαρους λογισμους; cf. Matt. 15:19), taking root in us, do not take over the soul and defile it with sin real deeds, and did not plunge her into the death brought by sin. For the soul that sins will die (cf. Ezek 18:4). If a person’s mind does not have a firm and clear thought (λογισμος ορθος) so that he can respond to the evil demon, then sin is committed easily and quickly. Ecclesiastes wisely proclaims this to us when he says: For the trial (ἀντίρρησις) does not come quickly to those who do evil (πονηρὸν) (Eccl. 8:11). 2 Moreover, Solomon also says in his Proverbs: Do not answer a fool according to (πρὸς) his foolishness, lest you be like him. But answer a fool in spite of (κατὰ) his foolishness, lest he appear wise in his own eyes (Prov. 26:4–5). 3 That is, a man who committed foolishness and was angry with his brother responded to the foolish 4 in proportion to his foolishness and, thus, became like demons, for their anger is like the rage of a dragon (Deut. 32:33). But he who maintains self-control and says: “It is written: Cease wrath and forsake wrath (Ps. 36:8),” answered the fool in spite of his foolishness, rebuking the demon for his foolishness and showing him that he knows that there is an antidote [against him] according to the [Holy] Scripture. [3] So, the sayings necessary to refute our enemies, that is, cruel demons, cannot be quickly found in the hour of temptation, since they are scattered throughout the Holy Scriptures and are difficult to immediately recall. Therefore, we have carefully selected words from the Holy Scriptures so that we can arm ourselves with them and forcefully drive out the Philistines, standing firm in battle as warriors and warriors of our victorious King Jesus Christ. [4] Let us also understand this, my beloved, that as much as we resist the demons in opposition and refute them with the word [of Scripture], in the same way they become even more embittered against us. We learn this from Job, who said: When I begin to speak, they pierce me (Job 6:4), and also from David, who said: I was at peace. When I spoke to them, they were at enmity with me without guilt (Ps 119:7). But we must not be swayed by them; on the contrary, we must resist them by relying on the strength of our Savior. For if we put our trust in Christ and keep His commandments, we will cross the Jordan and take the city of palm trees (Deut. 34:3). 5 In this battle we need the weapon of the spirit (cf. Eph 6:11-13), which is true faith and, secondly, knowledge, which is perfect fasting, hard-won victories, humility, silence to be moved only barely or not to be moved at all, and unceasing prayer (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:17). I would be surprised if there were such a man who could struggle in the battle that takes place in our minds, or would be crowned with the crown of righteousness (Tim. 4:7-8), while being satisfied with bread and water, which quickly arouse in a person the rage that leads him to contempt and neglect of prayer and fellowship with heretics. 6 For Saint Paul said: Everyone who strives abstains from everything (1 Cor 9:25) and shows all meekness towards all people (cf. Titus 3:2), lifting up clean hands in every place without anger or evil intentions (cf. 1 Tim 2:8). [5] Therefore it becomes us, as we labor at this task, to arm ourselves with the weapon of the spirit (cf. Eph 6:11–13) and show the Philistines that we will fight sin to the point of blood (cf. Heb 12:4), casting down evil plans and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2 Cor 10:4–5). We should be zealous to appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10) not just as a monastic person, but as a monastic mind. For a monastic person is one who has withdrawn from sin, which consists in deeds and deeds, and a monastic mind is one who has withdrawn from mental sin, which stems from thoughts that dwell in our mind, and who, during prayer, sees the light of the Holy Trinity. 7 [6] Now, however, the time has come, by the power of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 5:4), to fight first against the thoughts of the demon of gluttony, and after them, against the thoughts of seven other demons, about which I already wrote in order at the beginning of the book on monastic life. 8 [For this book] I made every effort to open my mouth (Ps. 119:131), in order to cry to God, to His holy Angels, to my Angel and to my own suffering soul. In order to openly set forth all the hardships and temptations of the ascetic (monastic) life, which the Holy Spirit [first] taught to David through the Psalms, and then passed on to us through the blessed fathers. 9 These trials are indicated in Scripture by all the [various forms of] enmity that arise from the [tempting] thoughts that these eight demons instill in us. But [in this book] a “contradiction” (ἀντίρρησιν) from the Holy Scripture is written down and presented, which eliminates each of the [tempting] thoughts. Book 1, [which presents 69 refutations] against the thoughts of the [demon] of gluttony 1. Against the thoughts that exist that without the labor of fasting, cultivating reasonable land, one can achieve success: Issachar wished for good, resting in the midst of his inheritance. And he saw that the resting place was good and the land was fertile, then he subjected his shoulder to labor and became a farmer (Gen. 49:14-15) 10. 2. Against the thought that tells me: “Do not torment your soul with frequent fasting, it will not bring you any benefit and will not purify your mind”: He made a brass laver and a brass stand for it from the mirrors of the fasting women who fasted at the door of the tabernacle of the testimony on the day on which he set it up (Ex. 38:26) 11.. 3. Against thoughts that arouse in us the desire to eat meat on a holiday and advise us to also eat because of illness in the body: And tell the people: “Cleanse yourself for tomorrow and eat meat. ...Do not eat for one day, or two, or five days, or ten days, or twenty days. You will eat for a month of days until it [the meat] comes out of your nostrils. And you will be sick because you did not obey the Lord who is among you” (Num. 11:18–20). 4. Against the thought that seeks to be satisfied with food and drink and does not pay attention to the harm resulting from filling the belly: When you have eaten and are satisfied, take heed to yourself, lest you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery (Deut. 6:11–12) 12. 5. Against the thought that tells me: “The commandment of fasting is difficult”: For this commandment that I give you this day is not burdensome and is not far from you (Deut. 30:11). 6. Against the thought that wants to be satisfied with food and drink and believes that nothing bad comes from them for the soul: And Jacob ate and was satisfied, and his beloved kicked; grew fat, became thick and wide, and left God who created him, and withdrew from God his Savior (Deut. 32:15) 13. 7. Against the thought of gluttony, which prompts me to eat, I write until the ninth hour 14: Let God do this and that to me, and even more if I eat bread or anything else before the sun sets (2 Samuel 3:35). 8. Against a thought that makes me worry and makes me worry about the lack of bread, butter and other things we need: Thus says the Lord: “The jar of flour will not run dry, and the jar of oil will not be shortened, until the day that the Lord gives rain on the earth” (1 Kings 17:14). 9 . Against the soul that wants to follow the path of the saints, filling itself with bread and water: And the king of Israel said: “Take Micaiah and send him to the Emir, the ruler of the city, and tell Joash the king’s son to put him in prison and to eat the bread of affliction and the water of affliction until I return in peace” (1 Kings 22:26-27 LXX). 10. Against the thought that tells us: “Look, the supplies that we have collected will not be enough either for us or for the brothers who will come to us”: For this is what the Lord says: “They will eat and leave [a little].” And they ate and left [a little], according to the word of the Lord (2 Kings 4:43–44). 11. Against the thought that embitters me for living in the straits of poverty: The Lord feeds me, and I will lack nothing (Ps. 22:1). 12. Against the thought that, even when there is no need, [forces] to collect more grain than necessary, under the pretext of hospitality: I was young, and now I am old, and I have not seen the righteous forsaken or his seed seeking bread (Ps. 37:25). 13. Against the thought that cares about food and clothing, but neglects the care of the truth: For I will declare my iniquity, and I will take heed (µεριµνήσω) to my sin (Ps. 37:19). 14. Against thoughts that advise us and say: “Don’t live so strictly; with fasting and constant labor you will exhaust your weak body": And he will work forever, and will live to the end, so as not to see corruption (καταφθοράν), when he sees the wise men dying (Ps. 49:10). 15. Against the thought that tells me: “Do not exhaust yourself so mercilessly and do not burden your soul with vigil”: God will not despise a contrite and humble heart (Ps. 50:19). 16. Against the mind that worries about food and drink and diligently looks for where to get them: Cast your worries on the Lord, and He will support you (Ps. 54:23) 15. 17. Against the thought that tells me: “Vigil does not bring you any benefit; on the contrary, it gathers many thoughts against you”: I stayed awake and became like a sparrow living alone (μονάζον) on the housetop (Ps. 102:8 LXX) 16. 18. Against the thought that reproaches us for abstaining from oil, and which does not remember that David did so and said: My knees are weak from fasting, and my flesh is changed from lack of oil (Ps. 109:24) 17. 19. Against thoughts that prevent us from leading our way of life, instilling fear in us and saying: “A miserable death comes from strict fasting”: I will not die, but I will live, and I will tell about the works of the Lord (Ps. 117:17). 20. Against thoughts that persuade me to retreat a little from frequent vigils and give a little rest to my weak and pitiful body: I will not go under the roof (σκήνωµα) of my house, I will not go up to the bed of my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes, nor lethargy to my eyelids, nor rest to my churches, until I find a place for the Lord, a tabernacle for the God of Jacob (Ps. 131:3-5). 21. Against thoughts that predict the imminent onset of famine or some other disaster: The Lord will not starve the soul of the righteous, but will overthrow the life of the wicked (Prov. 10:3 LXX). 22. Against the thought that instills in me a desire for wine under the pretext that water harms the liver and spleen: He who delights in wine feasts (ἐν οἴνων διατριβαῖς) will leave dishonor in his strongholds (Prov. 12:11a LXX) 18. 23. Against the thought that is bound by concern for the desire for food and rejects concern for achievements in virtue: Everyone who is thrifty has abundance, but he who pleases and is careless will be in need (Prov. 14:23 LXX) 19. 24. Against the thought that grieves at simple food and dry bread: Better is a piece of stale bread with pleasure in peace, than a house full of many blessings and unjust sacrifices with strife (Prov. 17:1 LXX) 20. 25. Against thoughts that convince us to show mercy to our body on a holiday by offering it several delicious dishes: Pleasure is not good for a fool, and even more so if a servant begins to rule with arrogance (Prov. 19:10 LXX) 21. 26. Against the thought that, in the absence of a serious illness, persuades us to drink wine and instills in us pain in the stomach and intestines: Wine is an intemperate thing, and drunkenness leads to insolence, and anyone who gets stuck in it is not a wise man (Prov. 20:1) 22. 27. Against the thought that captivates our mind, so that we bind ourselves to fasting and our ascetic lifestyle with a vow, which is alien to the monastic lifestyle: It is a snare for a person to hastily dedicate anything of his own to [God], for after a vow comes repentance (Prov. 20:25). 28. Against the thought that hinders us, suggesting not to give from our bread to the needy, telling me: “This man can [find mercy] anywhere, but we cannot even approach someone else’s door”: The merciful will be blessed, because he gives to the poor of his bread (Proverbs 22:9). 29. Against thoughts that flatteringly approach us on a holiday and say that we could taste meat and wine at least once in a long period of time: Do not be a wine drinker and do not join the communities of those who are satiated with meat; Because every drunkard and fornicator will become poor and will be dressed in torn clothes, and everyone who is sleepy will be dressed in rags (Prov. 23:20-21) 23. 30. Against a thought that reminds us of the delicious dishes of the past and recalls the pleasant cups of wine that we held in our hands and from which we drank when we reclined at meals: Do not get drunk with wine, but converse with righteous people and converse as you walk, for if you fix your eyes on the cups and vessels (of wine), then later you will walk nakeder than bleaching wood, and finally (such) will be stretched out like one wounded by a serpent, and poison will pour out in him like an asp (Proverbs 23:31-32). 31. Against thoughts that prompt us to fill our bellies with bread and water beyond measure: Do not bring the wicked into the pasture of the righteous, and do not be enticed by the filling of the belly (Prov. 24:15). 32. Against the thought that arises in us out of shame before our fathers, when they convince us to relax our fast on a holiday and eat some vegetables: For there is shame that sin brings, and shame that is glory and grace (Sir.4:21). 33. Against the demonic slander, which flatteringly convinces me and tells me with promises: “You will no longer suffer harm from food and drink, because your body is weakened and withered from prolonged fasting”: The weeping enemy promises everything with his lips, but in his heart he plots deceit (Proverbs 26:24). 34. Against the thought that proves to me that the commandments of God are difficult, and tells me that they bring much difficulty and suffering to the body and soul: A wound from a friend is safer than the voluntary kisses of an enemy (Proverbs 27:6). 35. Against a thought that, despite the absence of illness, requires a little wine and says to me: “Listen, it was for the sake of people that wine was created”: Everything that He has created is good in its time (Eccl. 3:11). 36. Against a thought that reminds me of past feasts and libations and calls me to return to this custom: It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting (Eccl. 7:2). 37. Against the vainglorious thought that convinces us to go beyond what is right for us - say, to hang heavy bags around our loins and go into the desert to stay there in the open air, eating roots; who further advises us to avoid the mere sight of people who try to console us and from whom we receive comfort: Do not be too righteous and do not show yourself to be too wise, lest you lose your mind (Eccl. 7:16). 38. Against thoughts that remind us of past prosperity and point us to difficulties that have arisen now: If we receive good things from the hand of the Lord, will we not endure bad things? ( Job 2:10 ). 39. Against the thought that arises in our souls when we go to our relatives according to the flesh and [there] offer a table covered with dishes: Get up and leave, for you have no rest here because of uncleanness (Mic. 2:10). 40. Against the thought of gluttony, which on holidays depicts to me many people reclining at an exquisite meal, rejoicing and rejoicing: And I will rejoice in the Lord and rejoice in God my Savior (Hab. 3:18). 41. Against thoughts that remind us of the pleasures of a meal filled with all kinds of dishes, and praise these things as better than the monastic life: Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who consider darkness to be light, and light to be darkness, who consider bitter to be sweet, and sweet to be bitter! (Isa.5:20). 42. Against the thoughts of a soul that is tired and exhausted from hunger due to the small amount of bread and scarcity of water: And the Lord will give you bread of sorrow and scanty water, and those who deceive you will no longer come near you, for your eyes will see those who deceive you. And your ears will hear words behind you deceptively saying: This is the way, let us go along it either to the right or to the left (Is. 30:20-21). 43. Turning to the Lord in case of illness of the body, weakened by frequent fasting, and to your own soul, filled with evil thoughts of intemperance, [say]: Remember me, O Lord, and visit me, and avenge me on my persecutors; Do not destroy me according to Your long-suffering; You know that for Your sake I bear reproach (Jer. 15:15). 44. Turning to the Lord about a demon that chills the stomach and all the tendons of the body, and casts great weakness into the body, as if from hunger and a long illness, [say]: Look, Lord, for I am troubled, my bowels (ἡ κοιλία) are troubled within me, and my heart is turned over within me (Pl. 1:20). 45. Against the thoughts of the soul, which is not content with bread for food and water for drinking, but at the same time desires vegetables, and does not remember the sorrow from the seeds that Daniel and his companions ate: And Daniel said to Hamelsar, whom the elder of the eunuchs had assigned to Daniel, and Hananiah, and Azariah, and Mishael: “Try your servants until ten days: let them give us food from the seeds of the field and water to drink. And let our faces and the faces of the young men eating from the king’s table appear before you, and as you see, so do to your youths.” And he listened to them and tested them until ten days. At the end of ten days, their faces turned out to be more beautiful and stronger in body than those youths who ate from the royal table. Then Hamelsar removed their food and their drinking wine and gave them seeds (Dan.1:11-16). 46. Against the soul who, in times of temptation, wants to find strong armor: Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil, and, having fasted for forty days and forty nights, he finally became hungry (Matthew 4:1-2). 47. Against thoughts that worry about food and clothing under the pretext of hospitality, illness and prolonged bodily suffering: Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will wear. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing? (Matthew 6:25). 48. Against the soul in the bondage of gluttony, which thinks that the path of [human] life is accompanied by bodily pleasures and delicacies: For strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few find it (Matthew 7:14). 49. Against the thought that prevents us from giving to the needy any of our food or clothing under the pretext: “Then these things will not be enough for us or for them” or “There is someone weaker or more needy than this person, and we should give to him and not to him, because this one is lazy and wants to eat and be clothed without working”: Whoever has two coats, give to the poor, and whoever has food, do the same (Luke 3:11). 50. Against the soul that loves and desires to gather food and clothing for itself alone: Yet those who believed were together and had everything in common. And they sold their estates and all their property, and distributed it to everyone, according to each person’s need (Acts 2:44-45). 51. Against the soul that faints in sorrows arising from the lack of bread and water [say]: Through much tribulation we must enter the Kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). Apostle: From the Epistle to the Romans 52. Against thoughts that persuade us to take little care of our flesh in eating and drinking: Do not turn cares for the flesh into lusts (Rom. 13:14). 53. Against thoughts that encourage us to console ourselves with the small pleasure of eating vegetables: The weak eat vegetables (Rom. 14:2). From 1 Corinthians 54. Against the thought that during the harvest season arouses in us the desire to eat from these fruits: All ascetics abstain from everything: those to receive a perishable crown, but we – an incorruptible one (1 Cor. 9:25). From Second Corinthians 55. Against thoughts that arise in us as a result of severe hardships and gradually weaken the strength of the soul: We are oppressed on every side, but not constrained; we are in desperate circumstances, but we do not despair; we are persecuted, but not abandoned; we are cast down, but we do not perish. We always carry in our body the deadness of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body (2 Cor. 4:8-10). 56. Against the thought depicting before our eyes illness of the stomach, liver and spleen and bloating in the abdominal cavity (navel): Therefore we do not lose heart; but even if our outer man is decaying, our inner man is being renewed day by day (2 Cor. 4:16). 57. Against the thoughts that arise in us as our whole body gradually becomes unusable: For we know that when our earthly house, this hut, is destroyed, we have a dwelling from God in heaven, a house not made with hands, eternal (2 Cor. 5:1). 58. Against the thought that evokes compassion in us and convinces us to give something to the poor, and then depresses and saddens us because of the thing that we gave: Not with grief or coercion; For God loves a cheerful giver [and will supply his lack of works] (2 Cor. 9:7; Proverbs 22:8-9). 59. Against the thought that depicts before us the severe weakness that can arise from fasting and the diseases associated with it, and convinces us to taste a little boiled food: For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Cor. 12:10). 60. Against the thought that longs to be filled with wine on a holiday: Do not get drunk with wine, which causes debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord (Eph. 5:18-19). From the Epistle to the Philippians 61. Against the thoughts because of which our soul, on the one hand, does not want to earn food for itself through our own labor, but also refuses to receive something from our relatives, because they are poor and live at a great distance, and advises us to meet our needs at the expense of others: The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Phil. 4:5-6). 62. Against thoughts that predict hunger and lack of bread for me and fill me with shame at the thought that I will have to receive help from others: I know how to live in poverty, and I know how to live in abundance. In everything and everywhere I have been taught to be satisfied and to be hungry, to abound and to be in need. I can do all things through Him [Christ] who strengthens me ( Phil. 4:12–13 ) 24 . From 1 Thessalonians 63. Against the thought that prevents us from working with our own hands and encourages us to expect to receive what we need from others: We beseech you, brethren, to prosper more and to strive diligently to live quietly, to do your own thing and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; so that you may act decently towards those outside and not lack for anything (1 Thessalonians 4:10-12). From Second Thessalonians 64. Against thoughts that prevent us from working with our hands, but encourage us to eat bread and be satisfied: If anyone does not want to work, he should not eat (2 Thess. 3:10). 65. Against the thought that claims that monastic life is difficult and extremely burdensome, that through suffering it cruelly exhausts our body and does not benefit the soul: Any punishment (παιδεία) at the present time seems not to be joy, but sadness; but afterwards he brings to those who are taught the peaceful fruit of righteousness (Heb. 12:11). 66. Against the thought that leads to zeal in eating and neglects compassion for those in need: Do not forget also to do good and be sociable, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God (Heb. 13:16). From First Epistle to Timothy 67. Against the thought that, in the absence of stomach pain and serious illnesses, advises us to drink wine, offering us the instruction of the blessed apostle, which he offered to Timothy in his letter on this matter: Keep yourself clean. From now on, drink more than just water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent illnesses (1 Tim 5:22-23). 68. Against thoughts that turn us to the world and its [everyday] commandments: Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God? So, whoever wants to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4). 69. Against the thought that believes that the commandment to fast is burdensome: And His commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith (1 John 5:3–4). Blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has given us victory over the thoughts of the demon of gluttony! Book 2, [which presents 65 refutations] against the thoughts of [the demon] fornication. II.1. Against the lustful thought that portrays a married woman in my mind: You shall not covet your neighbor's wife (Exodus 20:17). II.2. Against the thought of sadness that arises in us due to the numerous temptations from fornication that overtake us and destroy our hope, telling us: “What good do you expect after all these labors?”: If you really listen to My voice and do everything I tell you, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My angel will be your leader and will bring you to the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Girgashites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I will destroy them (Exodus 23:22-23). II.3. Against the thought that assumes that in one hour the evil thoughts of fornication will disappear from the heart: I will not drive them out in one year, lest the land be desolate and the beasts of the earth multiply against you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you until you increase in number and inherit the earth (Exodus 23:29–30). II.4. Against the lustful thought that comes and says: “A young man will never be able to get rid of the desires of fornication and bring to God thoughts purified from it”: Everyone who is counted (επισκεψιν) from twenty years old and upward must give an offering to the Lord (Exodus 30:14). II.5. Against the lustful thought, which says: “A young man is not guilty if he commits adultery or if he joyfully receives unclean thoughts”: And the Lord said to Moses: “If anyone sins against Me, I will blot him out of My book” (Exodus 32:33). II.6. Against a thought that is not jealous about preserving the soul, protecting it from the fornication inherent in it, but speaks and commits impiety with the woman depicted (φανταξομενης) before his eyes: Listen, O Israel, and try to do this, so that it may go well with you, and so that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, told you that He would give you a land flowing with milk and honey (Deut. 6:3). II. Against thoughts that strive through a dirty desire to get closer to the demon of fornication: Fear the Lord your God, and serve Him only, and cleave to Him, and swear by His name (Deut. 6:13). II.8. Against the soul that is tormented day and night by thoughts of fornication, losing hope of winning victory over them: If you say in your heart: “These nations are greater than I; how can I drive them out?” Do not be afraid of them, remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and all Egypt (Deut. 7:17–18). II.9. Against the thoughts of the soul, oppressed by lustful thoughts, which divide the evil passion of fornication into various images, collect unclean thoughts, set them in motion, [then] cling to one of these enslaving thoughts and make it persist in the weakened soul: Know now that the Lord your God goes before you like a consuming fire; He will destroy them and cast them down before you, and you will drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the Lord told you (Deut. 9:3). II.10. Against the thoughts that soon turn [the ascetic] to food whenever the spirit of fornication, mockingly playing with us, gives us, as it were, a small respite, and thus a [false] hope that we have reached the borders of chastity: There you do not have to do everything, as we do here now, everyone, what seems right to him; for you have not yet entered into the place of rest and inheritance that the Lord your God is giving you (Deut. 12:8-9). II.11. Against a soul shaken and shaken by the demon [prodigal] who has touched its members; all those who have been tempted by this demon, say in your mind: [Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people kept by the Lord, who is the shield that protects you, and the sword of your glory? Your enemies subjugate you, and you trample on their necks (Deut. 33:29). II.12. For a soul that, because of sadness, becomes despondent and can no longer bear the unclean thoughts that defile it, pray: Arise, for this is the day on which the Lord will deliver Sisera into your hands; The Lord himself will go before you (Judges 4:14). II.13. Against thoughts fueled by prodigal thoughts, but not wanting to completely shake them off, not realizing the shackles of sin and the tricks of the evil one: And Delilah said: “The Philistines have overtaken you, Samson!” And he, waking up from sleep, said: “I will go out, as every other time, and shake them off me.” And he did not know that the Lord had departed from him. The Philistines took him and gouged out his eyes, brought him to Gaza and bound him with two copper chains, and he ground in the house of the prisoners (Judges 16:20–21). II.14. To the Angel of the Lord, who suddenly appeared in my mind, and cooled the lustful thought and drove out of it, and all the thoughts that surrounded it: My heart rejoiced in the Lord; my horn is exalted in my God; My mouth is opened wide against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation (1 Samuel 2:1). II.15. Against the unclean demon of the prodigal, who appeared to me at night in a nasty vision in the likeness of a woman, but who was unable to force my soul to his dirty desires: The bow of the mighty is broken, but the weak are girded with strength; the well-fed work from bread, and the hungry rest (1 Samuel 2:4–5). II.16. Contrary to the soul, which does not want to flee from unclean desire, but persists, remains in the thoughts of Naash the Ammonite, which is translated as “serpent”: 25 And all the inhabitants of Jabesh said to Nahash, Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you. And Nahash the Ammonite said to them: I will make an alliance with you, but in order to gouge out the right eye of each of you and thereby bring dishonor on all Israel (1 Samuel 11:1-2). II.17. Against the demon of fornication, who with his thoughts wants to spoil and desecrate my chastity: God save me, so that I may give you the inheritance of my fathers! (1 Kings 21:3). II.18. [From the book] Chronicles Contrary to the soul, which believes that it is being tempted by the prodigal demon beyond its strength: Then the land began to give silver at the word of Pharaoh, and everyone, according to authority, demanded silver and gold from the people of the land as tribute to Pharaoh Necho (2 Chronicles 36:4a). II.19. To the Lord about lustful thoughts that show us vile visions at night: And he said: My God! I am ashamed and afraid to raise my face to You, my God, because our iniquities have become higher than our heads, and our guilt has increased to heaven. From the days of our fathers we have been in great guilt until this day, and because of our iniquities we, our kings, our priests, were delivered into the hands of foreign kings, under the sword, into captivity, and to be plundered and put to shame, as is the case now (1 Ezra 9:6–7). II.20. In relation to the soul, which, after a severe struggle with lustful thoughts, has acquired chastity and purity: The land into which you are going to take possession of it is an unclean land, it is defiled by the uncleanness of foreign nations, their abominations, with which they filled it from mouth to mouth with their uncleanness (1 Ezra 9:11). 26 II.21. To the Lord about the multitude of unclean thoughts, when they torment us and force our mind to be distracted by [images of] various persons: Lord! how my enemies have multiplied! Many are rebelling against me; Many say to my soul: “He has no salvation in God.” But You, O Lord, are a shield before me, my glory, and You lift up my head (Ps 3:2–4). II.22. To the soul that does not know that violent power (θυμοῦ) resists lustful thoughts, because rage comes from fire, and unclean thoughts are born from water: When you are angry, do not sin: consider in your hearts on your beds, and be quiet (Ps. 4:5; cf. Eph. 4:26). 27 II.23. Against unclean thoughts that linger in us and often present shameful (βδελυκτα) images in our imagination, and through this bind our mind, arousing shameful desires for our [private] parts of the body: Depart from me, all you who practice iniquity, for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping, the Lord has heard my supplication; The Lord will accept my prayer (Ps 6:9-10). II.24. To the Lord about the demon of fornication, which, if it cannot harm us through the desire of our body, presents to our mind [the image of] a monk committing a vicious (fornication) sin: The enemy had no weapons at all, and You destroyed the cities; their memory perished with them. But the Lord abides forever; He has prepared His throne for judgment (Ps. 9:7-8). II.25. To the Lord about the vile demon of fornication, which openly approaches the thighs of those who are in a hurry to move away from it, suddenly seizing the mind through frenzy (δια μανιας), and extremely weakening (αλλοιων) the soul through an abundance of strong fornication thoughts - when this demon tempts us, it will be extremely useful for us to immediately get up [from our place], and walk around our cell, back and forth, with very hasty steps - let those who are able to understand understand: Enlighten my eyes, may I not fall asleep in the sleep of death; Let not my enemy say, “I have overcome him.” May my persecutors not rejoice if I waver (Ps. 12:4–5). II.26. Against the soul who believes that lustful thoughts are stronger than God’s commandments given to us to eradicate this passion: I scatter them like dust before the wind, I trample them like the dirt of the streets (Ps. 17:43). II.27. To the Lord about a demon who suddenly rushed to the body, but could not overcome the prudence [of the ascetic], through the unclean thoughts communicated to him, and win: And You turned my mourning into rejoicing, took off my sackcloth and girded me with joy, so that my soul may praise You and not be silent (Ps 29:12-13). II.28. Against the thought that tells me: “The demon of fornication will disgrace you if you resist him”: Let those who seek my soul be ashamed and disgraced; let those who plot evil against me turn back and be covered with dishonor (Ps 34:4). II.29. Against the thought (διαλογισμον) threatening me: “Another demon of fornication will be sent against you, more serious, cruel and strong than the first, and he will easily force your soul and bring (ελκυσει) it to a sin committed in practice”: Let them be like dust before the wind, and let the Angel of the Lord drive them away; Let their path be dark and slippery, and let the Angel of the Lord pursue them (Ps 35:5-6). II.30. Against the soul that, during the oppression of lustful thoughts, rejects sackcloth and does not remember that this is exactly what David did for our instruction (παιδειαν), saying: But I, when they oppressed me, dressed in sackcloth and humbled my soul with fasting (Ps 34:13). II.31. Against a soul saddened by the fact that unclean lustful thoughts persist in it, and not expecting victory over them, because it sees that one of the vile images (ειδωλων) has taken hold in its mind (διανοιαι), constantly annoying it: And a little while longer, and the sinner will not be there, and you will look for his place and will not find it (Ps 37:10). II.32. Against the demon of fornication, who, resembling [appearing] in the guise of a beautiful naked woman, in her depraved gait and obscene movement of her whole body, makes many lose common sense, forcing them to forget about their best intentions: For this, God will completely destroy you, uproot you and remove you from your village, and remove your root from the land of the living (Ps 51:7). II.33. Against the thought that prophesies to me that I will fall from chastity and be disgraced before people: Let all who hate Zion be ashamed and turn back! Let them be like the grass on the housetops, which withered before it was plucked up (Ps 129:5-6). II.34. Against the prodigal demon, who at night in a dream involved me in unclean deeds, and during the day returns and in his thoughts reproaches us and mocks us: Therefore, I will laugh at your destruction, I will rejoice when destruction comes to you. And when rebellion suddenly befalls you, a terrible disaster will come like a storm, when sorrow and distress will come upon you and destruction will overtake you (Proverbs 1:26-27). II.35. Against thoughts that make us linger in conversations with a married woman under the pretext that she often visits us or that she will receive spiritual benefit from us: Do not be with a stranger for long (Proverbs 5:20). II.36. Against the thought in which the appearance of a beautiful woman is imagined and which seeks earnestly to talk with her or to do something bad that would be indecent, as St. John, 28 the prophet of Thebaid, told us: May the desire for beauty not overcome you, may you not be caught by your eyes and may you not be carried away by her eyelashes. For the price of a harlot is the price of one loaf of bread (Proverbs 6:25–26). II.37. Against the thought that convinces me that the sight of a harlot will not harm us: Will anyone take fire into his bosom and burn (his) clothes? Or will someone walk on hot coals and not get their feet burned? Thus, he who enters a married woman will not remain guiltless, nor will anyone who touches her (Proverbs 6:27–29). II.38. Against a soul that does not realize the causes of temptation, and also does not understand that the demon of fornication, being defeated and leaving us, leaves in us perfect chastity: As silver and gold are tested in the furnace, so God tests the hearts of the elect (Proverbs 17:3). II.39. Against unclean thoughts that tempt and turn us back to sin, which we have repented of many times before the Lord: Just as a dog is disgusting when it returns to its vomit, so is a foolish person who returns to his sin out of malice (Proverbs 26:11). II.40. Against the thought that reminds us of the house in which we [lived], having given many fruits to Satan: The heart of the wise is in the house of sorrow, and the heart of the foolish (ἀφρόνων) is in the house of joy (εὐφροσύνης) (Eccl. 7:4). II.41. Against the soul that encounters temptations from unclean thoughts and does not want to drive them away through hunger and thirst; vigil and prayer: If the spirit of the ruler overtakes you, then do not leave your place, for healing (ἴαμα) will stop great sins (Eccl. 10:4). 29 II.42. To the holy angels about unclean thoughts remaining in the soul: Do not look at me that I have turned black, for the sun has scorched me (Song. 1:6; LXX). II.43. Against the soul that believes that it is unnatural for it to maintain sharpness of mind and not wander in its thoughts: For Job said: perhaps my sons have sinned and blasphemed God in their hearts (Job 1:5). 30 II.44. Against a soul that is tested by the demon of fornication with an extremely great and unspeakable temptation, and is surprised at how shameless and undaunted this demon is: Isn't human life on earth a test? and isn’t it the same as (the life of) an everyday mercenary his life? ( Job 7:1 ). II.45. Against the thought that predicts to me that demons of fornication will come and touch our members, inflaming them: During the day darkness will overtake them, and at noon they will grope as in the night (Job 5:14). II.46. Against the demon of fornication, which encouraged Israel to gather straw and reeds instead of grain: I do not want to be wicked before the Lord and before the Almighty to violate the truth. But He rewards people according to the deeds of each of them (Job 34:10–11). 31 II.47. Against the soul, which does not know where these burning [prodigal] thoughts are sent against us: From his [Leviathan's] mouth come out like burning lamps and scatter like fiery sparks. From his nostrils comes smoke from the fire of the coals of the furnace (Job 41:10–11). II.48. Against the lustful thought that tells me: “I do not linger and am not destroyed by hunger, thirst, or strict fasting”: But he will destroy your seed with famine, and destroy your remnant (Isaiah 14:30). II.49. Against the demon, who advises me in my thoughts that I should marry a woman and become the father of sons, and that I should not resist lustful thoughts, hunger and thirst: For a fool will speak foolish things, and his heart will devise vain things, to do iniquity and speak lies against the Lord, to scatter the souls of the hungry and to make desolate the souls of the thirsty (Isaiah 32:6). II.50. To the Lord about the prodigal demons who take excuses from the Scriptures from what is written in them: And you, Lord of hosts, who test righteously, who know the inside and the heart! (I pray to you), may I see Your vengeance on them, for I have entrusted my protection to You (Jeremiah 20:12). II.51. To the Lord about the lustful thoughts that linger in me: Look, O Lord, at my humiliation, for the enemy has become exalted! ( Lamentations 1:9 ). II.52. To the Lord about the demon who at night aroused a lustful thought in my soul and distorted the whole image of [my] face: Look, Lord, and see how dishonored I am! ( Lamentations 1:11 ). II.53. Against the soul that has fallen into vile night visions: Arise, study at night, at the beginning of your watch, pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord (Lamentations 2:19). II.54. To the Lord about the lustful demon, who, through the passion of desire, imprints in my thoughts a vision of vile images: I have called on Your name, O Lord, from the deepest pit. You have heard my voice, do not close Your ear from my prayer. You came near to help me on the day on which I called on You; You told me: “don’t be afraid”! ( Lamentations 3:55–57 ). From [the book of the prophet] Daniel II.55. Against the prodigal demon, who, when his thoughts are thwarted, begins to examine and touch the [shameful] members of the body - those who have been tempted by this demon know what I am talking about - those who fight him must, during the attack, spend most of the night and day in the cell and pray, and sleep only a little and in a sitting position; wear rough sackcloth and not be satisfied with bread and water; Let those who fight in this contest understand that when by the power of God they overcome this demon, they will be chaste and will not be corrupted: They will separate you from people and your life will be with wild beasts, and they will feed you with grass like oxen, and the dew of heaven will water your body, and seven times will pass over you, until you know that the Most High owns the kingdom of man and gives it to whomever He wants (Dan. 4:22). II.56. Against the thought of [the prodigal demon], which exposes [us] through images of [shameful] men and women, strives to commit sin: Anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28). 32 II.57. Against the soul that, being tempted by lustful thoughts, does not want to watch and pray: Watch and pray so that you do not fall into temptation (Matthew 26:41). Apostle: [From the Epistle to] Corinthians II.58. Against thoughts that sometimes lead us to the square (αγορας), and then force us to wander outside [the agora] in hot places (των αγορων περιφερεσθαι ημας αναγκαζοντας): Do not be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate (μαλακοι), nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor 6:9-10). II.59. Against thoughts that affirm in our hearts a lust (desire), which the Lord looks upon as already accomplished: 33 Let us not commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them perished (1 Cor 10:8). 34 II.60. Against unclean thoughts that are transmitted to us in a dream, but during the day begin to cause the appearance of (impure) images in our thoughts: Know this, that no fornicator, or unclean person, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God (Eph 5:5). II.61. Against the thought that believes that temptations come from God: When tempted, no one should say: God is tempting me; because God is not tempted by evil and does not tempt anyone Himself, but everyone is tempted by being carried away and enticed by his own lust (James 1:13–14). II.62. Against the soul, which does not know that from its own desires (lusts), it falls into all kinds of temptations from demons: Where do you get hostility and strife? Is it not from here, from your lusts that war in your members? (James 4:1). II. Against the thoughts of a soul that cannot bear the touch of a demon that suddenly descended between the thighs, entered them from below and ignited: Beloved! do not shy away from the fiery temptation that is sent to you to test you, as a strange adventure for you, but as you participate in Christ’s sufferings, rejoice, and at the revelation of His glory you will rejoice and triumph (1 Peter 4:12-13). II.64. Against the thoughts of the soul, which succumbs to grief and sadness and believes that it alone is exposed to such grave temptations: Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him with firm faith, knowing that the same sufferings are happening to your brothers in the world (1 Pet. 5:8-9). II.65. Against the thought that threatens me and says: “You will suffer from demons with unspeakable evil,” which I do not want to write openly, so as not to be hindered by the jealousy of those competing, and not to bring terror to those who have just retired from the world, and not to seduce the inexperienced who are in the world; For truly I have seen demons perform many unspeakable deeds, which perhaps it is not fitting for most people to speak of; for I was seized with great amazement at the patience of the holy angels, how they did not burn and destroy them in the flame of unquenchable fire: The Lord knows how to deliver the godly from temptation, and to reserve the wicked for the day of judgment for punishment (2 Pet. 2:9). Blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who has given us victory over the thoughts of the demon of fornication! In this excerpt in trans. LXX stands for the word ἀντίρρησις, which is convenient for Evagrius, and his argument is based on this. In Heb. The text uses the word “pitgam”, meaning “court”, “sentence”. Wed. note by P. Yungerov: “Greek. ἀντίρρησις - glory. bickering, dispute, i.e. questions and answers, such as happen in court; in our opinion: private court and ordeal.” Compare: “So, it is true that no one can be deceived by the devil unless he wants to give his consent of his own free will. Ecclesiastes expresses this clearly in these words: judgment on evil deeds is not carried out quickly; This is why the hearts of the sons of men are not afraid to do evil (Eccl. 8:11). So, from here it is obvious that everyone sins because, when attacked by evil thoughts, he does not immediately reject them with contradiction (contradictionis). For it is said: Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).” Cassian. Collat. VII.8 // SC. 42. P. 255; Rus. transl.: St. John Cassian the Roman. Interviews, VII.8 // Prp. John Cassian the Roman. Scriptures. Minsk, 2000. P. 350. Passage LXX makes a distinction between answering a fool “in proportion” (πρὸς) to his stupidity and answering a fool “in spite of” (κατὰ) his stupidity, and it is this distinction that Evagrius seeks to further clarify. The Syriac translator apparently misunderstood the special meaning of the word κατὰ and therefore erroneously corrected the text. Here, to the demonic excuse. That is, Jericho. Compare: Evagrius On Thoughts, 20. In this context, “heretics” can be considered not only people, but even demons who impose “heretical” thoughts that are alien to “firm faith,” fasting and peace of mind (ησυχια; γαληνη) (this is essentially what the whole Antirrhetic is about: demons are heretics, because they lead one away from firm faith and lead to heresy, the death of the monk). O. Gabriel (Bunge) comments on this point as follows: “The basis of all Christian asceticism, however, is the “right faith.” It is “faith in Christ,” which refers to the saving work of God (οικονομία), and faith in the “adored and holy Trinity” that brings us into the realm of “theology.” It is therefore not surprising that Evagrius warns in this context against “habitual communication with heretics.” In numerous passages from his writings, Evagrius talks - partly in autobiographical form - not only about meetings, but even about clashes with heretics, some of whom, apparently, had already made their way into Orthodox communities. He expressly warns against quarrels, which give rise to disputes with them, primarily, probably, because they promote the vice of anger and thus harm “pure prayer.” Evagrius deliberately avoided quarrels, although the demons who were in the background of all heresies sometimes managed to lure him into a trap." Bunge G. Evagrios Pontikos: der Prolog de Antirrhetikos // St. Mon 39. 1997. S. 94–95. See Evagrius. Thoughts, 1,3, 12,17, etc. Evagrius refers to the Praktik, in which he lists eight thoughts or demons in chapter 6. Indeed, although such an extensive work by Evagrius as “Antirrhetic” is the first to record and systematize enormous material from the Holy Scriptures to refute demonic excuses (it lists 487 temptations, each of which is contrasted with a text from the Holy Scriptures from the book of Genesis to Revelation that refute them, and classified according to eight evil thoughts), but this tradition can be recorded already in the Apothegms, starting with St. Anthony the Great. For example: “A brother, whose thoughts urged him to leave his place, told Abba Anthony [about this]. The elder said to him: “Go, sit in your cell. Let your thought go wherever it wants; just don’t let your body go out of the cell. Finally, it will become hungry and come at the hour of eating food [thought], demanding food from you. If it (the body) says to you around this hour: “Eat yourself some bread”; you tell it in turn, while awake: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (cf. Matt. 4:4; Luke 4:4). And it will say to you: “Drink a little wine, like blessed Timothy” (cf. 1 Tim. 5:23); answer him: “Remember the children of Abinadab, who kept the commandment of their father." If it brings you a dream, do not accept it, for it is written in the Holy Gospel: Watch and pray (Matthew 46:21); and it is also written: “They fell asleep and did not receive any benefit" (Compare Ps. 76:6). Feed your soul with the words of God, vigils, prayers, most of all, the unceasing memory of the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and in this you will find victory over evil thoughts.” To this place we can offer the following interpretation of the presbyter Rufinus, which follows the spirit of the interpretations of the Holy Scriptures by Origen and Evagrius himself: “In the previous discussions we have discerned that the lust of man can be represented by Reuben, anger by Simeon, and misdirected wisdom by Levi. But we have also shown that man repents of sins in the form of Judas, and is largely converted in the form of Zebulun. In Issachar, which means “reward,” we see that a person is already expecting a reward for himself for good work. Because he not only threw away evil, but also desired goodness, and even rests in the midst of destinies. In the middle is the one who, according to the admonition of Wisdom, does not turn aside to the right or to the left (Prov. 4:27; cf. Deut. 5:32), which means keeping a straight line and following the path of virtue. Therefore, in a moral sense, we should understand inheritances as God’s commandments, through which the heavenly inheritance is acquired. Consequently, a person who has already been converted also hopes for a reward for his labors, and he always rests in the midst of inheritances, that is, in the midst of the commandments of God, seeing that rest is good and that the earth is fat. After he ceased and completed the struggle that was waged within his thoughts - for the flesh desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit what is contrary to the flesh (Gal. 5:17), - his spirit rested in God. And then he saw that rest was good, so that Jesus could now say to him: go and rest a little (Mark 6:31). When did he see that the earth was fat? When he cleansed his flesh of vices and lusts, then he saw that this land was fat and fertile and that it, without a doubt, bears the fruits of justice in good labors. After all, seeing this, he bowed his shoulder to bear the burden and became a farmer. The farmer of his land should be considered the one who constantly furrows and digs up the fields of his soul and the virgin soil of his heart with the plow of the Word of God and the ploughshare of the Scriptures, and who irrigates the nursery of faith, love, hope and justice from the springs of Israel and uses all the science of agriculture on the arable land of his soul.” Rufinus of Aquileia. About the blessings of the patriarchs. II, 14 (Quoted from BCOTs VZ. T.2. pp. 417–419). It should be noted that Evagrius quotes the text of the Holy Scriptures according to the Greek translation of the Seventy (LXX), which differs from the Russian Synodal translation not only in expressions, but, sometimes, also in the order of verses in the LXX - this is the 26th verse of the 38th chapter, while in Sin. 8th verse 38: And he made the laver of brass, and the socket thereof of brass, with graceful images adorning the entrance of the tabernacle of meeting (Ex. 38:8). In the LXX text and the Church Slavonic text that follows it, we read: αὐτοῦ χαλκῆν ἐκ τῶν κατόπτρων τῶν νηστευσασῶν͵ αἳ ἐνήστευσαν ?? αὐτήν· (Ex.38:26 LXX), and accordingly: this laver shall be made of copper, and it shall stand of copper from the mirrors of the fasting women, even after fasting at the door of the tabernacle of the meeting, on the same day I will set it up: (Ex. 38:26 TsYA). In modern Russian translation (RBO, 2011) this passage reads as follows: He also made a vat and a stand for it; This was used for the copper of those mirrors that the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting had (Ex. 38:8 PSA). Regarding “mirrors”, see: Lopukhin’s Explanatory Bible (commentary to the 8th verse of the 38th chapter). Regarding “fasting women”, see the remark of St. Philareta (Drozdova): “70, speaking about fasting women like those who fasted, do not give us any correct concept.” Philaret of Moscow (Drozdov), saint. About the Pentateuch of Moses // Reading in the society of lovers of spiritual enlightenment. P. 617 [https://ekzeget.ru/bible/ishod/glava-38/stih-8/]. καὶ φαγὼν καὶ ἐµπλησθεὶς πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ͵ µὴ ἐπιλάθῃ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ σου τοῦ ἐξαγαγόντος σε ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου ἐξ οἴκου δουλείας (Deut.6:11–12 LXX); and when you are poisoned and filled, take heed to yourself, lest your heart be enlarged, lest you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of work (Deut. 6:11–12 TsYA). Compare: “Even a spiritual person, having undergone saturation, loses his spirituality, loses, as it were, the very ability to know God and serve Him. “When Jacob was satisfied,” says the Holy Scripture, calling the true servant of God Jacob, “the beloved was satisfied and rejected. Become thicker and wider: and forsake God who made him, and depart from God his Savior” (Deut. 32:15). An ascetic comes to this state when he excludes the feat of fasting from his feats. The whiteness and darkness imparted to the body by abundance and indiscriminateness in food are little by little communicated by the body to the heart and the heart to the mind. Then these spiritual eyes, heart and mind, become dull; eternity is hidden from them; earthly life seems endless to the painful eye. The earthly wandering is directed according to concepts and feelings, and the unfortunate blind wanderer, together with the rejected serpent, walks on his belly, and devours the earth all the days of his earthly belly (Gen. 3:14). Violation of fasting threatens a disciple of Christ with falling away from Christ.” St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Teaching for the Second Week of Lent // Ascetic Sermon [Cit. from: https://ekzeget.ru/bible/vtorozakonie/glava-32/stih-15/]. Those. until 15:00 in the afternoon, since, according to custom, the ancient ascetics ate food at this time. However, there were exceptions. The most zealous monks, like Abba Pavmo, ate food only once a day and then at the end of the day. Abba Paisius could say about himself that the sun never saw him eat. St. John Cassian quotes the words of Abba Moses, who believed that eating at the 9th hour is the most optimal solution, since it makes the spirit cheerful during evening and night services. “It seems,” writes the largest expert on ancient Eastern monasticism, Dom Lucien Regnier († 2003), “for a long time, eating at the ninth hour in the daily routine of a hermit was the most common custom. True, one or another monk, as an exception, could, for some reason, postpone the meal until the evening. Regnier L. Daily life of the desert fathers of the 4th century. M., 2008. pp. 116–117. Words of St. Cyril [from Katena]: The expression - placing care on the Lord - does not mean a state of complete painlessness and insensibility, but when, with care, according to the strength of each, we place everything on the help of God, which can both strengthen our weakness and crown with a good ending. So, it is good that the psalmist leads us to reverence, because the Lord, who brings everything into being with His ineffable power, can give food to everyone when we place our hope in Him. What does it mean to have hope? Having removed the mind from everything worldly, take care of pleasing only Him. Quote from: Explanatory Psalter by Euthymius Zigaben. P. 430, approx. 2. Extracts from the Catenas and other patristic interpretations of the Psalter, which occupy almost half of this work, were made not by Zagaben himself, but by St. Nikodim Svyatogorets, during his translation of the Explanatory Psalter into modern Greek. language See: Theoclitus of Dionysian, monk. Venerable Nicodemus the Holy Mountain. Life and works. M., 2005. P. 345. Wed. comment by Rev. Hesychia of Jerusalem: “The wonderful fruit of vigil (which makes us live like a sparrow solitary on the roof) has shown us that what others seem despicable, it brings an excellent and blissful life. For he who solitates, like a bird, does not care about food or clothing, and is not afraid of evil, for he lives on the roof and is above those who are evil. One can, of course, think that the psalmist is talking about that roof, about which the Lord also spoke, telling about the end of the world: but let him who is on the roof not come down to take his clothes (cf. Mark 13:15), that is, whoever has reached the height of dispassion and contemplation should not turn his thoughts to anything earthly.” Quote with no. changes from: Explanatory Psalter by Euthymius Zigaben. P. 787, approx. 1. Wed. spiritual and moral interpretation of this verse by St. Maximus of the Confessor: “Whoever abstains from all evil and fasts from sensual idols that enter the soul through every sense, weakens the knees of the sinful law, I mean the skills that support the passions, which cannot more easily slip through (invade) the actions of the evil ones and commit absurd and destructive atrocities. The flesh here signifies the power of desire (lust), and the worthless oil means the tender acts of pleasure that fatten it. “So, whoever cuts off the reason for pleasure changes the flesh, that is, turns the power of lust to God.” Quote from: Explanatory Psalter by Euthymius Zigaben. P. 871, approx. 1. Whoever is sweet in the presence of wine will leave dishonor in his strongholds (Prov. 12:11 TsYA). That is: “He who loves to find pleasure in drunkenness will leave dishonor in his house - he will bring him to dishonorable ruin. Some people go broke and fall into poverty due to a combination of unfavorable circumstances beyond their control - for example, from a fire, from thieves, others - through their own fault - due to idleness and drunkenness. In the first case there is no dishonor for the impoverished; in the latter, poverty is shameful.” Bishop Vissarion (Nechaev). Quote from: https://ekzeget.ru/bible/pritci-solomona/glava-12/stih-11/. In everyone who cares there is abundance: but he who is covetous and carefree will be in poverty (Prov. 14:23 TsYA). Compare: Better is a piece of dry bread, and peace with it, than a house full of slaughtered cattle, with strife (Prov. 17:1 Sin). Here, by servant we must understand the stomach or body, which for Evagrius and other representatives of Eastern monasticism is the servant of the mind. Compare: “The mind is the master, and the flesh is the slave. Therefore, do not serve the slave beyond measure with gluttony, lest, having forgotten her measure, she becomes arbitrary and does not dare to raise a weapon against the owner. Therefore, Solomon, knowing the foolishness of the body, said: sweetness does not benefit the fool, and if a slave begins to possess his master with annoyance (Prov. 19:10). St. Neil of Sinai. Letters, I. 157 // Venerable Neil of Sinai. Ascetic letters. M., 2000. P. 129. ἀκόλαστον οἶνος καὶ ὑβριστικὸν µέθη͵ πᾶς δὲ ὁ συµµειγνύµενος αὐτῇ οὐκ ἔσται σοφός. Wed. comment by Rev. Nila: “The wise Solomon says in parable: “Every drunkard and fornicator will become poor, and everyone who is sleepy will be clothed in rags” (Prov. 23:21); drowsy, calling someone slow, weak and lazy for any useful work. And he who despises God’s decrees leaves the robe of holy knowledge, as the Evangelist John writes, “all unsewn, worn out from above” (John 19:23), and the bright robe of incorruptibility, and puts on the torn, multi-stitched and ugly rags of violent and useless questions, coldness and evil spirits.” St. Neil of Sinai. Letters, III. 123 // Decree. Op. P. 373. Compare: “If you need food or clothing, do not be ashamed to accept it if others give it to you. For this is a form of pride." Evagrius. Image of monastic life, 4 // Philokalia. T. 1. M., 2010. P. 556. Likewise, in “Practice” Evagrius writes: “The love of money inspires [the thought] of a long old age, weakness of hands that are no longer able to work, future hunger and illness, the sorrowful hardships of poverty and how shameful it is to accept from others [everything] necessary.” Evagrius. A Word on Spiritual Work, 9 // Works of Abba Evagrius. Ascetic and theological treatises. M., 1994. 97. In the text LXX Heb. The name “Nahash” (Nahaš – serpent) is rendered in Greek. Ναας, but its meaning was known. So, for example, the early Gnostic sects, the so-called. snake worshipers, or servants of the serpent (τοῦ ὄφεως λειτουργῶν), as St. ironically calls them. Hippolytus of Rome (Ref. X.9.1), were called “Naasenes” or “Ophites”, and not “Nahashites”, as it should have sounded in Hebrew. language. Evagrius sees in the name of Nachash the Ammonite a symbol of the devil-serpent. At first glance it may seem surprising and the question arises: why these particular verses of Scripture? But according to the logic of Evagrius, victory over lower passions is only the beginning of the path and the first steps. There are more fierce demons ahead, especially vanity, which can plunge you back into the abyss of lower passions, devaluing everything that the ascetic has achieved. In his essay “On Thoughts,” Evagrius writes: “Very effective in relation to such (i.e., prodigal) thoughts is the boiling of the furious principle [of the soul], when it is directed against the demon - he fears this rage most of all, if it rebels against his thoughts and destroys the mental ideas [instilled] by him. This is what the words mean: “Be angry and do not sin” (Ps. 4:5). Evagrius of Pontus. About thoughts, 16 // At the origins of the culture of holiness. Monuments of ancient church ascetic and monastic writing / Vsup. article, trans. and comment. A.I. Sidorova. M., 2002. pp. 422–423. Rufinus in “The Lives of the Desert Fathers” writes the following: “Himself distinguished by almost incredible abstinence, Evagrius advised the brethren who labored in taming the flesh, in repelling the carnal dreams that arose under the influence of demons, to abstain from excessive consumption of water. [He said:] If the body is filled with excess water, it gives rise to more dreams and seductive thoughts and thus gives evil spirits ample access. Rufin. The life of desert fathers. About Evagrius. About the same thing in the “History of Egyptian Monks.” Those. St. John of Lycopolis. Palladius, who in 394 undertook a trip to Thebaid to see St. John (see Lavsaik, 35), conveys the following words to St. John of Lycopolis: “I have been in this cell for forty-eight years. I didn’t see a woman’s face, I didn’t know the money,” and so on. When the “servant of God Pimenia” came to him to see her, Saint John did not go out to her, but communicated indirectly (Lavsaik, 35.13–14). Evagrius mentions this to John back in Ant. V.6 and VII.19. Compare: “If the anger of the boss rises against you (Eccl. 10:4), - if it seems that he is mastering you, it is because you have succumbed to him; for just as sin reigns in the mortal body of the one who is inclined to submit to his lust (Rom. 6:12), and [just as] if mammon rules over someone, then he plunges his thoughts into a passion for silver, so the one who submits is subject to power, like a slave.” Didim. Comm. On Eccles // BCOC VZ. T. 9. P. 288. In the same spirit, this verse is interpreted by St. Cyril of Jerusalem and Blessed. Jerome. See also there. pp. 288–289. A little differently in the LXX text: πρὸς θεόν. In the Peshit this passage reads as follows: “God forbid that we commit iniquity, and He forbid that we commit sin; Repay him according to a man’s deeds.” (translated by Archim. Theodore (Yulaev)). Compare: Evagrius of Pontus. About thoughts, 25. Wed. Numbers 25:9, which indicates 24,000 dead.