Sayings of St. Anthony the Great and legends about him

“The Sayings of St. Anthony the Great and Legends about Him” concern pressing issues of Christian asceticism. For example, Rev. Anthony discusses three types of body movement: natural, from indiscriminate eating, from demons; about love for one's neighbor: “For if we gain a brother, we gain God; and if we seduce a brother, then we sin against Christ.” Most of the sayings are dedicated to monastic asceticism, the essence of which is briefly summarized in the following teaching of the monk: “Always have fear before your eyes; remember Him who kills and gives life (1 Samuel 2:6). Hate the world and everything in it; hate all carnal comfort; renounce this life in order to live for God; remember what you promised to God, for He will require it from you on the day of judgment. Hunger, thirst, get ready, keep a vigil, weep, weep, sigh in your heart; test yourself whether you are worthy of God; despise the flesh, that you may save your souls.” Bodily asceticism is unthinkable without “spiritual” work, the main role in which is given to prayer. The main and essential feature of the moral and ascetic teaching of St. Anthony is the unity of “practice,” that is, the rich spiritual experience of labor, overcoming physical adversity, bodily infirmities and various everyday obstacles, and “theory,” that is, prayerful contemplation. Contents From the Philokalia About renunciation of the world The following legend preserved by Cassian concerns the same subject (Col. 24, ch. 11:10). The force that drives and supports deeds Leaders of jealousy How to kindle jealousy? Feats, and good deeds in particular The final goal of everything and the height of perfection The perfection of St. Anthony and glory in heaven From the “ancient Patericon” From the “skete Patericon” 1. Whoever wants to successfully accomplish the feat of monasticism must completely settle accounts with the world, and leave all its blessings, and get out of it by deeds, and cut off all attachment to things. This truth was impressively instilled by Saint Anthony in one brother, who, having renounced the world and distributed everything he had to the poor, kept a little with himself in case of need and came to Saint Anthony. The elder, looking at him, recognized what was in it and told him: “If you want to be a monk, go to such and such a village, buy meat, cut it into thin pieces and, taking off your robe, hang it on your shoulders and arms - and so come here.” The brother did as the elder told him; and then dogs, birds and hornets surrounded him and covered his whole body with wounds. When he came again to the elder, this one asked him if he had done what he was ordered; He complained and showed his wounds. Then Saint Anthony said to him: “This is what happens to those who, leaving the world, keep even a little of their property with them: the demons will cover him with wounds, and, tormented, he will fall in battle” (Ven. 20; Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1099). The following legend, preserved by Cassian 1, concerns the same subject (Col. 24, ch. 11:10). A brother came to Saint Anthony, thinking that there was no need to leave the world, and began to say: “The one who labors in a city or village, doing everything that is required to achieve spiritual perfection, has more value.” Saint Anthony asked him: “Where and how do you live?” He answered: “I live in the house of my parents, who provide me with everything I need. This relieves me of all worries and concerns, and I am constantly occupied only with reading and prayer, without any distraction of the spirit with anything extraneous.” Saint Anthony asked him again: “Tell me, my son, do you mourn with them in their sorrows and do you rejoice in their joys?” He admitted that he experiences both. Then the elder said to him: “Know that in the next century you will share the fate with those with whom you share joy and sorrow in this life. And not only is the way of life you have chosen harmful for you because, due to the almost daily change of everyday events, you immerse your mind in incessant thoughts about earthly things, but also because it deprives you of the fruit that you would have received if you yourself, with the labor of your hands, obtained food for yourself, following the example of the Apostle Paul, who, even among the labors of preaching the Gospel with his own hands, obtained what he needed for himself and for those with whom he was with. him, - as he said this to the Ephesians: you yourselves know that these hands will serve my demand and those who are with me (Acts 20:34). He did this for our edification, to give us an example, as he wrote to the Thessalonians: Do not commit disorder among you, nor do you waste your bread, but labor and toil night and day, so that we do not burden anyone with you: not as you are not the imams of power, but give yourself the image of a lady to you, so that you may be like us (2 Thess. 3:7-9). That is why we, having the opportunity to take advantage of the benefits of our relatives, prefer to earn our living by the sweat of our brow rather than provide ourselves with it from our relatives. We would gladly choose the latter if we could consider it more useful. Moreover, know that if, being healthy, you live at someone else’s expense, then you are eating up the property of the poor and weak.” 2. General answers to the question: what to do? He who has left the world enters a completely new area of ​​life, which, although, of course, is not completely unknown to him, nevertheless presents many aspects that involuntarily raise the question: what to do? And how should one live? Saint Anthony was asked this question more than once, and here are his answers: 3. Abba Pamvo asked him about this, and he answered him: “Do not trust in your own righteousness; truly repent of past sins; bridle your tongue, your heart and your belly” (Patr. graec.; t. 40, p. 1093., Dov. tale. 6). 4. This is what he said on this same issue to Abba Pimen 3: “The most glorious thing of all things that a person can do is to confess his sins before God and his elders, to condemn himself and to be ready to face every temptation until his last breath” (Patr. ib. 1084; Venerable tale. 4). 5. Someone else asked him: “What should I do to please God?” Saint Anthony answered: “Wherever you go, always have God before your eyes; Whatever you do, have evidence of it in the Holy Scriptures; and no matter where you live, do not leave there soon. Keep these three commandments and you will be saved” (Act. 3; Patr. ib. 1083). 6. He instilled in another student: “Take aversion to your belly, to the demands of this age, to evil lust and to human honor: live as if you were not in this world, and you will find peace” (Patr. lat., t. 73, p. 1049). 7. This is what, as St. Athanasius writes, Abba Anthony said to the brethren who came to him: “Always have fear in your own eyes; remember the One who kills and gives life (1 Samuel 2:6). Hate the world and everything in it; hate all carnal comfort; renounce this life in order to live for God; remember what you promised to God, for He will require it from you on the day of judgment. Hunger, thirst, get ready, keep a vigil, weep, weep, sigh in your heart; test yourself whether you are worthy of God; despise the flesh in order to save your souls” (Ven. Tale 33 and in the Life). 8. A similar detailed indication of what a monk should do is given by Saint Cassian. “For a long time,” he says, “the wondrous instruction of Blessed Anthony has been circulating that a monk, striving for the highest perfection, should not limit himself to imitation of one of the successful fathers; because in no one can all kinds of virtues be found in perfection. But one is adorned with knowledge; another is strong in sound reasoning; the third is firm with unshakable patience; some are distinguished by humility, others by abstinence, others by grace-filled simplicity of heart; This one excels others in generosity, and this one in mercy, that one in vigilance, and this one in silence or hard work. Therefore, a monk who wants to make a spiritual honeycomb must, like a wise bee, borrow every virtue from the one who is most mastered with it, and put it in the vessel of his heart, not paying attention to what someone does not have, but looking closely at that virtue and assimilating that one, being jealous of how someone is distinguished” (Inst. p. V. 1, 4). The force that drives and supports deeds If you make a list of all of the above, you will find a fairly spacious field for exploits. The question is, what force moves the worker and supports him in his labors? This power is zeal for salvation, glory for the sake of the name of God, ready for anything. There is this jealousy - the monk has all the exploits in progress. She’s gone – everything has stopped. 9 . Therefore, when one day a brother who lacked this zeal came to Saint Anthony and asked him to pray for him, the great elder answered him: “Neither I nor God will take pity on you if you do not take care of yourself and pray to God” (Ven. Tale 16). 10. For the same reason, he advised keeping oneself in constant attention to God and in vigilance, praising it as a great virtue if someone works tirelessly for the Lord throughout his entire life and stands guard against the wiles of the tempter until his last breath (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1083). 11. Therefore, he urged not to slack off on anything, but to always preserve with patience the same spirit of zeal, saying: “A monk who strives for several days and then slacks on himself, then struggles again and is again negligent—such a monk is as good as doing nothing and will never achieve the perfection of life, for lack of constancy of zeal and patience” (Patr. lat., t. 73, p. 1049). 12. Therefore, he called the seeker of ease not understanding his rank and his goals, and all the failure of the monks resulted from a lack of zeal for labor. “Because,” he said, “we do not succeed because we do not know our rank and do not understand what the work we are embarking on requires, but we want to achieve virtue without difficulty. Therefore, as soon as we encounter temptation in our place, we move to another, thinking that there is somewhere a place in which there is no devil. But he who has learned that there is warfare does not allow himself to weaken, but constantly fights, with God’s help” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1093). 13. The word of St. Anthony on this subject is wonderful for those who do not want one thing and cannot do another. One day some brethren came to Saint Anthony and said to him: “Give us instructions on how to be saved.” The elder answered them: “Have you heard the Scripture? And this is very good enough for you.” But they said: “We also want to hear something from you, father.” Then the elder told them: “The Gospel says: if someone strikes you on the right side of your cheek, turn to him the other side too (Matthew 5:39).” They tell him: “We can’t do this.” The elder said: “If you cannot substitute another, then at least endure the blows of one.” “We can’t do that either,” they answered. “If you can’t do that,” said the elder, “at least don’t pay blow for blow.” The brothers said: “We cannot do this either.” Then Saint Anthony said to his disciple: “Prepare a little brew for them: they are sick. If you can’t do one thing and don’t want another, then what will I do for you? We need to pray (to ourselves or others about them) so that the spirit of jealousy - moral energy - awakens in them” (Ven. Tale 19). Jealousy itself is sometimes blind and can take directions that are inconsistent with the goals of the life we ​​have begun. Therefore, it must be protected by leaders. Who are these leaders? Saint Anthony indicates two of them: his reasoning and the advice of experienced people. 15. This subject is indicated by the following saying. A blacksmith, taking a piece of iron, looks ahead at what to do: a scythe, a sword or an ax. Likewise, we must reason in advance about what virtue we should begin to practice, so as not to work in vain (Ven. Tale 35). The closest thing would be, of course, to being guided by your own reasoning, if you always had enough of it for everything and everyone. But as this cannot be said, there is a more reliable and safer guide - the advice of experienced ones. 16. In this sense, Saint Anthony says: “I know monks who, after many labors, fell and were exposed to madness, because they trusted in their own works and despised the commandment of Him who said: ask your father, and he will tell you (Deut. 32:7)” (Ven. Tale 37). 17. And again: the Holy Scripture says: those who have no control fall like leaves (Prov. 11:14) - and commands not to do anything without advice, so that even spiritual drink, which gladdens the heart of a person, does not allow drinking without advice, when it says: do nothing without advice (Sir. 32:21) and: “Drink wine with advice.” A person who goes about his business without advice is like an unfenced city, into which no one wants to enter and steal its treasures (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1098). 18. Saint Anthony considered asking others such a saving thing that even the teacher himself turned the question to his student, who had succeeded, but he did as he said. For they say that when Abba Anthony received a written invitation from Emperor Constantius to come to Constantinople, he turned to Paul the Simple 4 with the question: “Should I go?” And when he said: “If you go, you will be Anthony, and if you don’t go, then you will be Abba Anthony,” which did not approve of such a journey, he calmly remained in place (Ven. Tale 32). 19. He advised everyone else to do the same, saying: “A monk, if possible, should ask the elders about every step he takes in his cell, and about every drop of water he drinks. I know some monks who fell because they thought alone, on their own, to please God” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1082; Venerable tale. 38). 20. Saint Anthony did not approve of trust in his judgment. Is it not because he praised Abba Joseph 5, who said in response to one question from Scripture: “I don’t know,” because this, in addition to humility, also expressed distrust of his own mind? It was like this: the elders came to Saint Anthony, and Abba Joseph was with them. The elder, wanting to test them, offered them a saying from Scripture and began to ask each one, starting with the youngest: “What does this saying mean?” Each spoke according to his own strength, but the elder answered each: “No, I didn’t recognize it.” After everyone, he says to Abba Joseph: “What do you say about this saying?” “I don’t know,” Joseph answered. Abba Anthony says: “Abba Joseph got on the path when he said: “I don’t know” (Ven. Tale 17). 21. However, he advised others to trust, not without restrictions. We must first make sure that the elder is right-minded and experienced - and then trust his word and unquestioningly accept his advice. The sign by which this can be recognized is the agreement of his word with the word of God. “We must look,” he said, “at what is commanded. If anyone shows you anything that is in accordance with the commandments of our Lord, accept it with humility and try to observe it, so that the word of the apostle may be fulfilled in us: obey one another in the fear of God (Gal. 5:13; Eph. 5:21). On the contrary, if someone shows you something that is contrary to the Divine commandments, then tell the one giving the instruction: is it righteous to listen to you rather than to listen to God? (Acts 4:19). It is fitting to obey God rather than man (Acts 5:29). Let us also remember the word of the Lord: My sheep hear My voice, but do not follow strangers... for they do not know the voice of strangers (John 10:5). In the same way, Blessed Paul convinces, saying: “If we, or an angel from heaven, preach the good news to you, let him be accursed (Gal. 1:8).” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1083). The reason for such a restriction was probably given by the Arians, who attracted others to themselves with the appearance of piety and then fed them with the poison of their false teaching. Or perhaps this was the reason for this, that some took it upon themselves to lead others without having experienced much themselves. In this case, they had the custom of saying: the ancient fathers went into the desert and there, having healed their souls through their many labors, they understood how to heal others. Therefore, returning from there, they became saving doctors for others. If one of us happens to go out into the desert, then before we ourselves become healthy, we take upon ourselves the care of others, from which our former weakness returns to us and we suffer the last handful of the first (Luke 11:26), for which reason the word comes to us: doctor, heal yourself first (Luke 4:23) (Patr. lat., t. 73, p. 1053). Nothing in a person stands exactly, but sometimes strengthens and sometimes weakens. Likewise, jealousy flares up and then goes out. In the latter case, you need to warm it up so that it doesn’t go out completely. What and how? Firstly, the memory of death. Saint Anthony repeatedly told everyone to imprint in their minds and hearts that this day that we are living is the last. 22. Secondly, by bringing to mind what will happen after death. In order to imprint this thought in the souls of his students, he told them what was revealed to him, as Athanasius the Great tells about it in his biography. One day, before eating food, at about the ninth hour, having stood up to pray, Saint Anthony felt within himself that he was delighted with his mind and, most surprisingly, he saw himself, as if he were beside himself and someone seemed to be lifting him through the air; in the air there are some gloomy and terrible faces that tried to block his path to ascension. Anthony's guides resisted them, but they approached as if with rights, demanding an account whether Anthony was subject to their power in anything. They had to give in, and they were getting ready to keep score. But when they wanted to count from the very birth of Saint Anthony, his guides opposed it, saying: what was from birth, the Lord blotted out when he made a monastic vow; keep count from the time he became a monk and made a vow to God; but in this regard, his accusers could not convict him of anything, so they retreated, and the path to Anthony’s ascent became free and unobstructed. After this, Saint Anthony began to feel that he was again entering into himself, and then he became completely the same Anthony. But he had already forgotten about food and spent the rest of that day and night in sighs and prayers, marveling at how many enemies we would have to fight and with what difficulty a person would have to walk through the air. Then the words of the Apostle Paul about the prince of the power of the air came to his mind (Eph. 2:2). For the enemy has the power in the air to engage in combat with those passing through it, trying to block their path. This is why the apostle advised most of all: accept all the weapons of God, so that you may be able to resist in the day of cruelty (Eph. 6:13) and let the enemy be put to shame, having nothing to say reproachfully about us (Titus 2:8). 23. This is how Saint Athanasius narrates, and although it was not noticed anywhere later that Saint Anthony told others about this, one should not doubt it, because it was necessary to know about what he saw not so much for him as for others. About another vision concerning the same subject, it was noted that he told it to others. Saint Athanasius writes: Saint Anthony once had a conversation with the brethren who came to him about the state of the soul after death and about where its location would be. The next night, Someone from above calls him, saying: “Get up, go out and look”; Anthony goes out (for he knew who ordered him) and, raising his gaze, sees some kind of giant, ugly and terrible, whose head touched the clouds. And then some birds rose from the ground, of which the giant blocked the path of some, while others flew over him and, having passed him, were already comfortably ascending the mountain. At the latter he gnashed his teeth, but at the former he rejoiced. An invisible voice said at this: “Antony! Understand what you have seen.” Then his mind opened, and he realized that this is the passage of souls from the earth and that this giant is our primordial enemy, who holds back the careless and those who obeyed his suggestions and forbids them to go further, but cannot detain the zealous and those who did not listen to him, and they pass above him. Saint Anthony took this vision as a reminder to himself and began to make even greater efforts to succeed in his feats of resistance to everything of the enemy. For the same purpose, that is, to excite greater zeal for the purity of life, he told others about this vision. Abba Kronius 6 says that Saint Anthony once spoke about this vision before a large gathering. Moreover, he added that Saint Anthony, before this vision, prayed for a whole year so that it would be revealed to him what happens after death to the souls of the righteous and sinners; that the giant’s arms were stretched out across the sky, and under him lay a lake the size of the sea, into which the birds fell, which he hit with his hand (Palladium, chapter 24). In the Latin "Fatherism" in the story about this, the idea is given that the birds were then only hit by the giant and fell into the lake when they themselves stopped in the air below his hands, not having the strength to rise above them; and those who were strong to rise above his hands and head, on those he only gnashed his teeth, watching how they then soared to heaven and were received by the Angels (Patr. lat., t. 73, p. 1044). 25. No less powerfully can it drive away laziness and excite energy and the following vision, which Saint Anthony himself talks about. “I prayed to God,” he says, “to show me what kind of cover surrounds and protects the monk. And I saw a monk surrounded by fiery lamps, and many Angels watched over him like the apple of his eye, protecting him with their swords. Then I sighed and said: this is what is given to the monk! And despite this, the devil overcomes him - and he falls. And a voice came to me from the Merciful Lord and said: the devil cannot overthrow anyone: he no longer has any power after I, having assumed human nature, crushed his power. But a person falls from himself when he indulges in negligence and indulges his lusts and passions. I asked: is every monk given such a covering? And I was shown many monks protected by such protection. Then I cried: blessed is the human race, and especially the army of monks, which has a Lord so merciful and so humane! Let us be zealous for our salvation and, having driven away all negligence, diligently carry out our labors, so that we may be worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Patr. grace., t. 40, p. 1083). 27. With these and other reminders, that is, about death and what will happen after death, the fear of God is kindled, which is the third causative agent of jealousy. Saint Anthony called for the fear of God, as we have already seen, in a rich saying: “Always have the fear of God, fear the One who kills and gives life.” In another short saying, he points to the fear of God as the source of readiness and suitability for all virtues. “The fear of God,” he says, “is the beginning of all virtues and the beginning of wisdom. Just as light, entering a dark house, disperses its darkness and illuminates it, so the fear of God, when it enters the human heart, drives away the darkness and kindles in it jealousy for all virtues” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1084). 28. Therefore, he warned in every possible way against losing this fear. “Don’t leave the cell,” he said, “or you will lose the fear of God. For just as a fish, taken out of water, dies, so the fear of God dies in the heart of a monk if he leaves his cell to wander outside” (ibid.). 29. But all these supports of jealousy act coercively, attracting from the outside, although they are arranged inside. It is necessary to acquire the internal triggers of jealousy, so that it itself flows from the heart like a spring of water. The heart is brought to this by: 1) sensations of the sweetness of life according to God. Until this feeling is formed, our jealousy is unreliable. Therefore, when one brother asked Saint Anthony: “Why, when God, throughout Scripture, promises the soul the highest blessings, the soul is not constantly steadfast in seeking them, but deviates towards the transient, corruptible and unclean?” - he answered: “Whoever has not yet tasted the sweets of heavenly blessings has not yet cleaved to God with all his heart, and therefore returns to perishable things. But until someone achieves such perfection, he must work for God out of submission to His holy will, so that he says to the prophet: “I was beastly with You” (Ps 72:23), that is, I worked for You like a cattle animal” (Patr. lat., t. 73, p. 1056). 30. Hence: 2) love for God is an even stronger motivator of jealousy. Saint Anthony himself knew that love is stronger than fear, and he said: “I no longer fear God, but I love Him (that is, I am not motivated by fear to behave, but by love), for fear drives out love (1 John 4:18)” (Ven. Tale 32). 31. And he convinced others that above all else they should cultivate in themselves the love of God as an indestructible and never-falling force. So, when his brethren once asked him: “What better way can you please God?” - he answered: “The work most pleasing to God is the work of love. It is fulfilled by the one who constantly praises God in pure our thoughts, excited by the memory of God, the memory of the promised blessings and of everything that He was pleased to do for us. From the remembrance of all this, complete love is born, as it is prescribed: love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength (Deut. 6:5) and as it is written: As the tree desires the fountains of water, so desires my soul for Thee, O God (Ps. 41:2). This is the work by which we must please God, so that the words of the Apostle may be fulfilled in us: who will separate us from the love of God? Is it tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or trouble, or the sword? It is nothing (Rom. 8:35, 39)” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1094). 32. From this or together with it come: 3) the joy of doing good and being in the orders of God, which in turn become a stimulus to jealousy. This includes the following saying of St. Anthony. They asked him: “What is joy in the Lord?” He replied: “To fulfill any commandment with joy, for the glory of God, is what joy in the Lord is. For when we fulfill His commandments, we should rejoice; on the contrary, when we do not fulfill them, we should be sad. Therefore, let us try to fulfill the commandments with joy of heart, so that we can mutually comfort ourselves in the Lord. Only at the same time let us be careful in every possible way, so that, while rejoicing, we do not become exalted with pride, but place all our trust in the Lord” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1095. A similar thought is found in Basil the Great). Feats, and good deeds in particular Thus, guided and inflamed jealousy turns to exploits, both physical and mental, and to any good deed. 33. How much you need to exhaust your flesh, Saint Anthony indicated in the general instruction on exploits (see paragraph 7) and in calculating the causes of the movement of lust (see extracted paragraph 18), among which there is also feeding enough of the flesh, which (as a means against such movements) indicates the exhaustion of the body by fasting (Ven. Tale 22). Saint Anthony commanded to be very strict with the body (see paragraph 7) and condemned any indulgence. Therefore, he treated unfavorably those who go to the bathhouse. “Our fathers,” he said, “never washed their faces, but we go to the baths of the world” (Alpha. Pater., v. 4). 34. After taming the flesh, he attached great importance to curbing the tongue. He put this feat along with pilgrimage, saying: “Our pilgrimage is to keep our lips shut” (ibid., p. 4, reverse). 35. Those who say whatever comes into their heads are like a courtyard without a gate, into which whoever wants to enter, goes to the stall and unties the donkey. Although this idea was not expressed by Saint Anthony, it was, of course, approved in his presence and by him (Ven. Tale 18). 36. And he attached even greater importance to sitting in his cell. “Just as fish,” he says, “stay on land for a long time, die, so monks, being outside their cells for a long time or staying with worldly people, lose their love of silence. Therefore, just as a fish rushes into the sea, so we must rush to the cell, so that, while remaining outside it, we do not forget about inner vigil” (Ven. Tale 10). 37. In general, he advised keeping himself in his cell so strictly that the cell for the monk would be a Babylonian furnace, burning everything unclean in him (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1086). 38. However, he also allowed some relaxation in the tension of his exploits, as can be seen from the answer to his hunter. They say that someone, while catching wild animals in the desert, saw that Abba Anthony was joking with the brethren, and was tempted. The elder, wanting to assure him that it is sometimes necessary to give some relief to the brethren, tells him: “Place an arrow on your bow and draw it.” He did so. The elder tells him: “Tighten it some more.” He still pulled it. Again he says: “Tighten it some more.” The hunter answered him: “If I pull the bow too much, it will break.” Then the elder said to him: “So it is in the work of God: if we strain the strength of the brothers beyond measure, they will soon be upset. Therefore, it is sometimes necessary to give at least some relief to the brethren.” The hunter, having heard this, was moved and left the elder with edification. And the brethren, strengthened by this, returned to their place (Act. Tale 13). Moreover, such sayings and legends have been preserved in which spiritual deeds or dispositions of the heart are indicated that determine success. These are: The ascetic needs it so much that, since it is not there, then he himself has no value. Thus, the brethren praised one monk to Saint Anthony. When this monk came, Saint Anthony wanted to test him to see if he could bear the insult, and seeing that he could not bear it, he said to him: “You are like a village that is beautiful in front, but plundered by robbers in the back” (Ven. Tale 15). 40. Patience is needed because we need temptations. And Saint Anthony said: “No one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven without temptation; without temptations, no one would have been saved” (Ven. 5). He taught this by example, for everyone knew how long he prayed. We know, his disciples said, that the blessed elder sometimes became so deep in prayer that he stood there the whole night, and when the rising sun stopped his fiery prayer in admiration of the mind, we heard him say: “Why are you bothering me, sun? It’s as if you are rising to distract me from the Divine intelligent light” (Patr. lat., t. 73, p. 848). So, when the brother asked Saint Anthony: “What should I do with my sins?” - he answered: “Whoever wants to be freed from sins will be freed from them by crying and groaning; and whoever wants to tune in to virtue will tune in with tearful crying. Psalmody itself is lamentation. Remember the example of Hezekiah, the king of Judah, who, as written in Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 38), for crying not only received healing from an illness, but was also honored with an increase in life for 15 years, and whom the power of God struck to death when an enemy army of 185 thousand found, for the sake of the tears he shed. Saint Peter the Apostle wept and received forgiveness for having sinned against Christ by denying Him. Mary, for watering the Savior’s feet with tears, was honored to hear that this would be proclaimed everywhere along with the preaching of the Gospel” (Patr. lat., t. 73, p. 1055). 43. Saint Anthony found no place for laughter in the life of the monk, and when his disciples asked him: “Can we ever laugh?” - answered: “Our Lord condemns those who laugh when he says: Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep (Luke 6:25). So, a faithful monk should not laugh, we should even more so cry for those who blaspheme the name of God, for the reason that they transgress His law and spend their entire lives mired in sins. Let us weep and cry, constantly begging God that He will not allow them to harden in their sins and death will not find them before repentance” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1096. Similar to Basil the Great: Kr. rights. 31). 44. Humility, which attracts protection from above and protects from all falls. “I saw,” said Saint Anthony, “one day all the enemy’s networks spread across the earth, and with a sigh I said: who can escape them? But I heard a voice saying to me: humility” (Ven. Tale 7). 45. Therefore, he later inspired: “If we fight a good fight, then we must humble ourselves extremely before the Lord, so that He, who knows our weakness, covers us with His right hand and protects us; for if we exalt ourselves with pride, He will take His protection from us - and we will perish” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1090). 46. Another time he said: “Just as pride and exaltation of the mind cast the devil from the heights of heaven into the abyss, so humility and meekness elevate a person from earth to heaven” (ibid., p. 1081). 47. Therefore, so that the feat of, for example, silence does not lead to pride, he advised giving it a self-deprecating meaning. “If anyone,” he said, “takes upon himself the feat of silence, let him not think that he is passing through some virtue, but let him keep it in his heart that he is silent because he is not worthy to speak” (Patr. lat. 73, p. 1051). 48. Saint Anthony also inspired that the Lord Himself guides us internally in such a way that He hides our goodness from us in order to keep us in humble feelings about Himself. He used to say: “If the miller does not close the eye of the animal turning the wheel, then his business will not go well. This animal would become dizzy and fall, unable to work. So, according to God’s dispensation, we receive cover so that we do not see our good deeds, so that, while we please ourselves for them, we do not become proud and lose the fruit of all our labors! This happens when we are left overwhelmed by unclean thoughts, in which we cannot help but condemn ourselves and our thoughts. And in such a situation, thinking about our kindness cannot take place; and, consequently, our little good is hidden and is not visible because of these unclean thoughts” (paraphrase, ibid., p. 1037). 49. How destructive conceit is was strikingly demonstrated by the fall of the young ascetic after the miracle he performed. Past the place where this young man labored, the elders walked to Saint Anthony and became extremely tired. He called wild donkeys and ordered them to carry these elders to Saint Anthony. When the elders told Saint Anthony about this, he replied: “This monk, it seems to me, is a ship full of cargo; but I don’t know if he will get into the pier.” And indeed, having dreamed of himself, he fell after a while. Having seen this, Saint Anthony said to his disciples: “Now that young ascetic has fallen. Go and have a look." They went and saw him sitting on the mat and mourning the sin he had committed (Act. Tale 94) 7 . 50. But as much as conceit is harmful, humiliation is just as salutary, on the contrary. This represents the example of a shoemaker, about whom St. Anthony had instructions from above. Saint Anthony was praying in his cell and heard a voice saying to him: “Anthony! You have not yet come to the extent of such and such a shoemaker in Alexandria.” Saint Anthony went to Alexandria, found this shoemaker and convinced him to reveal what was special about his life. He said: “I don’t know that I have ever done any good, why, getting out of bed in the morning, before I sit down to work, I say: everyone in this city, from small to large, will enter the Kingdom of God for their good deeds; I alone will be condemned to eternal torment for my sins. I repeat this same thing with all the sincerity of my heart in the evening before I go to bed.” Hearing this, Saint Anthony realized that, for sure, he had not yet reached such a measure (Patr. lat. 73, p. 785). 51. Is this not the reason why he then often repeated the admonition: “We must always reproach and blame ourselves for everything and do it sincerely, for whoever reproaches himself is justified and glorified by God” (ibid.). 53. Another time they asked him again: “How should one serve the brethren?” He answered: “Brethren who want to serve the brethren, let them serve them as servants to their masters, and as the Lord served Peter, to whom He rendered the last service, being his Creator. By this the Lord showed that if those who reject the service rendered to them are not blameless, then all the more worthy of condemnation are those who consider it low to serve the brethren. If the first will not have a part with the Lord, as the Lord said to Peter, then what can be said about the last?” (Patr. graec., t. 40, p. 1095). 54. And in general he said: “From your neighbor is life and death. For if we gain a brother, we gain God; and if we seduce a brother, then we sin against Christ” (Ven. Tale 9). 55. Compassion and leniency for those who fall. In the monastery of Abba Elijah, a temptation happened to one brother. He was kicked out of there, and he went up the mountain to Abba Anthony. Abba Anthony, keeping him with him for some time, sent him to the monastery from which he came. But the brothers drove him away again. He again came to Abba Anthony and said to him: “The brothers did not want to accept me, father!” Then the elder sent him with these words: “A storm overtook the ship at sea, it lost its cargo and with difficulty saved itself; and you want to drown what was saved near the shore.” The brethren, hearing that Abba Anthony had sent their brother to them, immediately accepted him (Ven. Tale 21). 56. In one monastery they slandered a brother for fornication, and he came to Abba Anthony. The brethren from the monastery also came to heal him and take him back to them. They began to accuse him of why he did this; and the brother defended himself, saying that he did nothing of the sort. Abba Paphnutius Cephalus also happened to be here. He told them this parable: “On the bank of the river I saw a man who was stuck knee-deep in mud. Some came to give him help and buried him up to his neck.” Abba Anthony said after this: “This is truly a man who can save and heal souls!” The brothers, touched by the words of the elders, bowed to their brother and, on the advice of the elders, took him back to themselves (Ven. Tale 29). 57. St. Anthony’s thought about who can have true brotherly love is remarkable. He said: “A person can never be truly good, no matter how much he desires it, unless God dwells in him; for no one is Good, only God is one” (Patr. lat. 73, p. 785). The final goal of everything and the pinnacle of perfection 58. This infusion of God, or life in God, is the final goal of all ascetic labors and the pinnacle of perfection. God Himself showed this to Saint Anthony when he received such a revelation in the desert: “There is in the city someone like you, a doctor of skill, who gives his excess to the needy and daily sings the Trisagion with the Angels” (that is, with the perfection of love for one’s neighbor, he lives in God and walks before God) (Ven. Tale 24). The Perfection of Saint Anthony and Glory in Heaven 59. They said about Abba Anthony that he was a seer, but, avoiding the rumors of people, he did not want to divulge this; both present and future events of the world were revealed to him (Act. Tale 30). 60. One elder asked God to see his fathers (in glory); and he saw them all except Abba Anthony. He asked the one who showed him: “Where is Abba Anthony?” He answered: “Anthony is where God is!” One day the brethren from Skete went to Abba Anthony. Having boarded the ship to sail to it, they found one old man setting off in the same direction. The brothers did not know him. Sitting on the ship, they talked about the sayings of the fathers and from Scripture; They also talked about their handicrafts. The old man remained silent. Entering the pier, they learned that the elder was also going to Abba Anthony. When they came to Anthony, he told them: “You have found a good companion in this old man.” He also said to the elder: “You have found good brothers too, Abba.” “They are good,” answered the elder, “but their yard does not have a gate: whoever wants to, comes to the stall and unties the donkey.” He said this because they said whatever came to their minds (4:1). Abba Anthony said: “I think that the body has a natural movement, innate to it; but it does not act when the soul does not want - and there is only one movement in the body without lust. There is another movement that comes from nourishing and heating the body with food and drink. The heat of the blood arising from them produces excitement in the body. That is why the Apostle Paul said: do not get drunk with wine, in it there is fornication (Eph. 5:18); Likewise, the Lord in the Gospel said to His disciples: take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be burdened with gluttony and drunkenness (Luke 21:34). Among ascetics there is also another movement, which comes from the cunning and envy of demons. So, you need to know that movements in the body are of three kinds: one natural, another from indiscriminate eating, and the third from demons” (5, 1). The Monk Abba Anthony, while once in the desert, fell into despondency and great darkness of thoughts and said to God: “Lord! I want to be saved, but my thoughts do not allow me. What should I do in my sorrow? How will I be saved? And soon Anthony got up and went out - and behold, he sees someone similar to himself, who was sitting and working, then got up from work and prayed; then he sat down again and twisted the rope 9; then he began to pray again. It was the Angel of the Lord sent to instruct and strengthen Anthony. And the Angel said to Anthony: “Do this and you will be saved!” Hearing this, Anthony had great joy and boldness - and by doing this, he was saved (7: 1). Abba Macarius the Great once came to Abba Anthony in the mountain. When he knocked on the door, Anthony came out and asked, “Who are you?” “I am Macarius,” he answered. Anthony closed the door and left, leaving the elder. But when he saw Macarius’ patience, he opened the door for him, greeted him and said: “Having heard about your affairs, I have long wanted to see you.” He received him with love and calmed him down, for Macarius was very tired. When evening came, Abba Anthony wet several palm branches for himself. Abba Macarius told him: “Let me wet it for myself.” “Wet it,” answered Anthony. Macarius, having made a large bunch of branches, wet them. Having sat down in the evening, they weaved, talking about the benefits of the soul. And [Makarii’s] rope descended through the hole into the cave. Blessed Anthony went into the cave in the morning and, seeing the size of Abba Macarius’s rope, was surprised and, kissing his hands, said: “Great power comes from these hands!” (7, 14). The brother asked the elder: “What should I do, father? I do not perform any monastic work, but I am in great carelessness: I eat, drink, sleep, I have shameful thoughts and strong indignation, moving from task to task, from thoughts to thoughts.” The elder said: “Sit in your cell and do whatever you can without embarrassment. I wish for little that you can do now, just as Abba Anthony once performed great feats in the desert. And I am confident that he who stays in his cell for the sake of the name of God and watches his conscience is himself in the place of Abba Anthony” (7, 39). Some brethren went to Abba Anthony to tell him about certain phenomena that they had seen, and to find out from him whether they were true phenomena or from demons. There was a donkey with them, and it fell along the way. As soon as they came to the elder, he preceded them and said: “Why did a young donkey fall on your road?” The brothers asked him: “How did you know about this, Abba?” “The demons showed me,” the elder answered them. Then the brothers say to him: “We came to ask you about this: we see phenomena, and they are often true, are we not mistaken?” The elder showed them from the example of the donkey that they were descended from demons (10:2). Abba Anthony, penetrating into the depths of God’s destinies, asked, saying: “Lord! Why do some live a little and die, while others live to a ripe old age? Why are some poor while others live rich? Why do the wicked get rich and the godly poor? Then a voice came to him saying: “Antony! Pay attention to yourself! These are the judgments of God, and it is of no use to you to know them” (15:1). Abba Anthony said to Abba Pimen: “This is what a person does, to lay his sin on his head before God and expect temptations until his last breath” (15:2). Abba Anthony said: “A monk, if possible, should frankly tell the elders how many steps he takes or how many drops he drinks in his cell, so as not to somehow sin in this.” The brother who sinned in this found a secluded and quiet place in the desert and asked his father, saying: “Let me dwell in it; I trust in God and your prayers, for I expect to work hard.” And his Abba did not allow him, saying: “I truly know that you have to work a lot, but because you do not have an elder, you cannot hope that your new work will please God, and because you dare to think that you are doing something completely monastic, you are ruining your work and reasoning” (11, 2). A certain brother came to Abba Sisoes 10 at the mountain of Abba Anthony. And while they were talking, the brother said to Abba Siso: “Father! Have you not achieved the measure of Abba Anthony?” The elder answers: “How can I achieve this holy measure? If I had one of Abba Anthony’s thoughts, I would be like fire. However, I know a person who (albeit) with great difficulty can carry his thoughts” (15, 59). Three of the fathers were in the habit of going to Blessed Abba Anthony every year. And two of them asked him about his thoughts and the salvation of his soul, but one was always silent, asking nothing. After a long time, Abba Anthony said to him: “You’ve been coming here for so long and you never asked me.” And he, answering, said to him: “It is enough for me just to look at you, father” (17:5). Abba Anthony said: “The time is coming when people will go mad, and if they see someone who is not mad, they will rise up against him and say: “You are going mad,” because he is not like them.” Abba Macarius once went to Abba Anthony and, after talking with him, returned to Skete. The fathers came out to meet him. The elder, talking with them, said: “I told Abba Anthony that you have no offering here 11.” The fathers began to talk about something else and did not ask the elder what Anthony answered. And the elder did not tell them. Then one of the elders remarked: “So, if the fathers see that the brethren forget to ask about a matter that is useful for them, then it is their duty to start talking about it. But if the brethren do not force them to continue the conversation, then they stop speaking, so as not to show that they are speaking when they are not asked, and so that their words do not remain empty.” Abba Anthony predicted to Abba Ammon 12, saying: “You will succeed in the fear of God!” Then he took him out of his cell, pointed him to a stone and said: “Scold this stone and beat it.” Ammon did it. Abba Anthony asked him: “What, the stone didn’t say anything?” “Nothing,” answered Ammon. “You too will come to this measure,” Abba Anthony told him then. Which is what happened. Some brothers came to Abba Anthony and offered him words from the Book of Leviticus. The elder went into the desert, and Abba Ammon, who knew his custom, secretly followed him. The elder went a long distance, stood in prayer and cried out in a loud voice: “God, send Moses, and he will explain these words to me!” And a voice came to him, speaking to him. Abba Ammon said about himself that although he heard the voice speaking to Anthony, he did not understand the power of the words. Abba Anthony said: “I have never preferred my own benefit to that of my brother.” Abba Anthony once came to Abba Ammon in Mount Nitria, and when they saw each other, Abba Ammon said: “The brethren have multiplied through your prayers, and some of them want to build cells for themselves in the distance so that they can remain in silence. At what distance do you order the cells to be built? Abba Anthony answered: “Let’s eat food at nine o’clock and then let’s go walk through the desert and see the place.” They walked through the desert until the sun set. Then Abba Anthony says: “Let’s say a prayer and put a cross here so that those who want to build can build here. Those there, if they want to visit those here, let them come here, having eaten their small piece at the ninth hour, and let those here do the same, going there; and they will not be entertained by mutual visits.” The distance was twelve miles 13. Translation and compilation by Saint Theophan the Recluse. Anticipating the publication of his translation of these legends, the saint writes: “Such sayings and legends are placed in large numbers in the Memorable Legends, but besides these there are others that are given in the 40th volume of Patr. graec. and in our “Alphabetic Patericon”; others are also given by Cassian; there are several in different articles in fatherly collections.” Here they are placed by the compiler “in some order, similar to the previous rules. First come the legends relating to the movement from the world, with which asceticism begins, and then come all the other sayings and legends in the order of the hermit’s life.” Published by: Philokalia. T. 1. pp. 101–120. – Approx. ed. Published from: Ancient patericon, set out in chapters. Ed. 3rd. M., 1899 (Reprint: M., 1991). Published from: Skete Patericon. M., 2001. S. 112, 125, 297–298, 316, 334, 353–354. See about him in the note “Reverend Paphnutius”. See about him in the application “ABVA PAMVO” The Monk Pimen the Great asceticised with his brothers Paisius and Anuvius in the same cell in the Skete. After many years of strict solitary asceticism, when even the ruler of the country and his own mother were denied visits, the Monk Pimen began to accept those who came to him for advice. Thus, Emperor Theodosius the Great (reigned 370–395) visited him, disguised as a simple warrior. Having become famous for his holiness and thought of God, Pimen the Great departed to the Lord around 450, having lived for almost 110 years. His memory is August 27 / September 9. – Approx. ed. See about him in the appendix “PAUL THE SIMPLE”. A student of Anthony the Great, who labored in the Skete. Tales about him are preserved in the “Ancient” and “Skete” patericons. – Approx. ed. See about him the Appendix “About the Nitrian Deserts” 1 In the “Skete” and “Ancient” patericon it is added: “Seeing the elder’s disciples, the monk told them: “Tell the elder to beg God to give me ten days of life, and I hope to cleanse my sin.” But not even five days passed before he died.” – Ed. About him see REVEREND PAPHNUTIUS Weaving ropes from palm branches was often the main handicraft of ascetics, as it provided the opportunity for independent existence and did not interfere with simultaneously practicing the Jesus Prayer; and the material was always at hand: palm trees grew or were specially planted near the caves, the fruits of which the ascetics ate. They made baskets, bags, matting, bedding, ship gear, and clothing material from palm leaves. Handicraft saved the hermits from despondency, and such low work saved them from pride. – Approx. ed. The Venerable Sisoes the Great first had spiritual guidance from the Venerable Horus (August 7/20), a disciple of Anthony the Great, in the wilderness of Skete, and then asceticised on Mount Anthony. From early youth he renounced the world and spent about 72 years in strict asceticism. With his exploits, Abba Sisoes pleased the Lord so much that he acquired the gift of driving away unclean spirits and raising the dead. He died at a ripe old age around 429. His memory is July 6/19. – Approx. ed. We are talking about the Eucharistic offering. Apparently, the monastery did not serve liturgy. – Approx. ed. About Abba Ammon, bishop, see AMMON OF NITRIUS - Approx. ed. We are talking about the establishment of monastic life by the Monk Ammon of Nitria in the Kellia desert. See about him on AMMON OF NITRIA - Approx. ed.