Беседа 17. 725 Того же мар Исаака. О том, чем сохраняется сокровенное трезвение в душе. И откуда сонливость и холодность входят в разум, и угашают в душе святую горячность, и умерщвляют стремление к Богу ради духовных и небесных наслаждений. 726

1. There is no way for the enemy 727 to hinder those who desire good things, unless there is a place for his cunning deceit 728 in those who love good things themselves. The point is this: to every impulse to desire something good, at the very beginning of its occurrence, a certain jealousy is added, reminiscent of hot coals in its warmth. 729 She usually, like a wall, surrounds this impulse of desire and drives away from it every possible obstacle or hindrance; for it possesses great power and inexpressible strength for the complete strengthening of the soul, 730 so that it does not weaken or waver under the influence of all kinds of troubles. And this first is the power of holy desire, planted in the nature of the soul, 731 that is, the impulse excited by the “irritable” force, 732 which is natural for the soul, 733 which God naturally placed in us so that it would guard the limits of nature, sending the power of its impetuosity 734 to fulfill the natural desire of the soul, that is, virtue: without this virtue is not cultivated. 735 This is called “jealousy.” 2. This is what he gives to the soul, stimulating, inflaming and strengthening it from time to time, 736 so that he despises the body in the sorrows and terrible temptations that encounter it, so that he confidently gives himself over to death 737 and resists the forces of the rebel 738 for the sake of fulfilling what the soul especially loves. 739 3. For a man clothed in Christ, somewhere in his book, called this zeal “a dog” and “a guardian of the law of God,” which is virtue. 740 Virtue is the fulfillment of God's laws. 741 4. This power of jealousy is strengthened, awakened and ignited in order to protect the house, for two reasons; 742 also weakens, falls into dormancy and neglect for two other reasons. 743 The first reason for its ignition and excitement 744 is the emergence of a certain fear in a person, 745 for he fears for the virtue that he has either acquired or should acquire, lest it be stolen or destroyed by some accident that happens to it. And this divine Providence awakens in all true workers of virtue for sobriety and constant zeal of the soul, so that it does not slumber. 5. When this fear arises in nature - that “dog” about which we spoke 746 - night and day, like a red-hot furnace, it flares up and awakens nature. Like a cherub, 747 he stays awake and surveys the surroundings at every moment. And, as the man says, if a bird flies nearby, he jumps up and barks with an indescribably piercing force. 6. When fear comes from the body, it is from Satan; for he doubted his faith in the Providence of God: 748 he forgot about how God remembers those who care about virtue, 749 and cares about them 750 at every moment. 7. As the Holy Spirit said through the mouth of the prophet: The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry; 751 and the thought of the Lord 752 is on those who fear Him. 753 And, as if on His behalf, he speaks to the workers of virtue in another place: No evil will befall you, and no plague will come near your dwelling. 754 For He will command His angels concerning you, and they will bear you up in their hands, 755 and also other things written in verses. 8. So, when this fear is because of the soul - because of events that can happen to virtue - unless it is stolen and damaged by one reason or another, then this is a thought from God and a beautiful thought; and from the Providence of God - this sadness and fear in the soul, 756 and trembling, tormenting the mind with its care. 9 . The second reason 757 for the strengthening and ignition of the “dog” is when the desire for virtue in the soul especially increases. For the greater the soul’s desire for what it loves, that is, for the divine thought, the more natural jealousy in relation to it is inflamed. 758 10. And of the reasons for weakening and drowsiness, its first 759 is when lust becomes dull and diminishes in the soul; the second is when a certain self-confident thought 760 enters the soul and takes up residence, so that a person is confident and very often thinks 761 that he does not need to be afraid of anything that can harm him. And then 762 he throws away the weapon of jealousy and becomes like an unguarded house, the “dog” sleeps, leaving his guard. 11. For because of such a thought, most of these mental houses are robbed: this happens when the radiance 763 of the flame of holy knowledge that is in the soul is darkened. 764 Why is this, if not either some subtle thought of the imagination creeps into the soul, or a person is inclined to indulge too much in caring about the physical, or he has too frequent encounters with the world. 765 12. Whenever an ascetic agrees to meet the world, his soul immediately weakens. Especially with a woman, and also if many people visit him: when looking at them, the soul is necessarily overwhelmed by vanity. In short, whenever the mind-helmsman 766 meets the world, he is likened to a captain, 767 who, with a soft fair wind, 768 calmly sailed across the sea towards the harbor - and suddenly found himself thrown onto the reefs. 769 This conversation is also available in the 1st volume of the works of St. Isaac: see Abba Isaac the Syrian Words of asceticism. Sergiev Posad, 1911. pp. 143–146 (Word 32). In the Bejan edition this discourse is numbered 55, in the Greek printed edition it is numbered 61. In the notes to our translation of this Discourse we point out some of the most significant discrepancies between the original Syriac and the Greek translation. Greek “kill the desire for God from the warmth of spiritual and heavenly things.” Or “resistive force” (saqublyuta), i.e. the devil. Or "opportunities". Greek “unless the evil one finds a place.” Lit. “to strengthen the whole soul.” Greek “And this jealousy has great strength and inexpressible power in order to surround the soul at every hour.” Greek “naturally implanted in the nature of the soul.” Rev. Isaac follows the traditional division of the soul into three parts. Wed. note 58 to Conversation 1. Lit. "for her". Greek “This jealousy is a thought driven by the irritable force inherent in it (i.e., the soul).” Greek “sending the thought of his freedom.” The Syriac word hipa, literally meaning a rushing stream of water, is rendered in Greek by the word eleutheria, “freedom.” Greek “in fulfillment of the natural desire inherent in the soul: it is virtue, which cannot be cultivated without good.” Greek “And it is called jealousy, because it moves, excites, inflames and strengthens a person from time to time.” Greek “so that he always gives up his soul to death.” Lit. “met the forces of the rebel”, i.e. the devil. Greek “and answered the apostate power.” Wed. Evagrius. Additional chapters 10 (ed. Frankenberg, 430). Greek “For virtue is called the law of God.” Lit. “its heat and vigilance.” Greek “Namely, its awakening and ignition occurs when a certain fear arises in a person.” According to Bodleian reading syr.e.7, "of which they speak." Greek "like cherubim." Wed. Gen.3:24. The Peshitta speaks of “cherubim” (singular), while the Hebrew Bible and Septuagint speak of “cherubim” (plural). Hence the discrepancy between sir. and Greek text by Rev. Isaac. Greek the text here has a lacuna, as a result of which the phrase loses coherence: “And this fear when it happens, because of which he doubted the Providence of God in his faith.” Greek "about those who strive for virtue." Or “the purpose of the Lord.” Greek "the power of the Lord" (according to the Septuagint reading). This ends the quotation from the psalm in Greek. translation by Rev. Isaac. The following phrase is missing. Ps.90:10–12 (abbreviated). This is where the Greek phrase ends. text. Greek “For as much as lust grows in the soul, so does that dog, which is natural zeal for virtue, become inflamed.” Greek “The first reason for its cooling.” Lit. “a certain thought of confidence (audacity).” Greek “a certain thought of exaltation and insolence.” Greek “man hopes, thinks and imagines.” Or “luminosity”, “enlightenment”. Greek “The purity of that illumination and holy knowledge that is in the soul is darkened.” In the British Library manuscript, Add.14633, it is added in the margin: “O womb, mistress of vices!” It is this reading that the Greek follows. translation, in which this passage reads like this: “either he talks too often with the world and its lusts, or from the womb, the mistress of all vices.” Sire. hawna (anoza. The word (anoza) has two meanings: 1) helmsman, navigator, captain; 2) fugitive, fugitive slave. In Greek translation - o drapeteuon (fugitive). Sire. qubarnita is a translation from the Greek. kybernetes (captain, helmsman). Lit. “with a soft breeze blowing from behind.” Greek “And if I should say briefly, the mind of a fugitive, whenever he encounters the world, is like a helmsman moving in silence on the sea, and suddenly running into rocks and being shipwrecked. To our God be glory, power, honor and splendor forever. Amen". You might be interested in: