Creations

Translation from Greek, notes and afterword by Bishop Veniamin (Milov) Moscow, Novospassky Monastery, 1999 Venerable Gregory of Sinaite Seek the Lord on the way, that is, in the heart, through the implementation of the commandments. When you hear the words of John the Baptist, commandingly calling everyone to prepare the roads and straighten the paths, then mean here an indication of the commandments of the heart and deeds. It is impossible to follow the path of commandments and infallible feat correctly without heartfelt rightness. [Brief] information [about the life and work of St. Gregory of Sinaite] Our holy father Gregory was tonsured a monk on Mount Sinai and therefore called Sinaite. He enjoyed great fame during the reign of Andronikos Palaiologos, around 1330. Coming [from Sinai] to Mount Athos and walking around the [Athos] monasteries and deserts, he found there many [ascetics] adorned with wisdom and purity of morality. But they practiced only active life and were so inexperienced in guarding the mind, silence and contemplation that they did not even understand these names. In the monastery of Magula, located opposite the monastery of Philotheus, [Gregory of Sinait] found, [however], three monks, several engaged in contemplation. Their names are Isaiah, Cornelius and Macarius. Inflamed by divine zeal, [the monk] taught everyone not only the hermits, but also the monks, sobriety, guarding the mind and mental prayer. Moreover, within Macedonia he built three great laurels, passed through many towns and exhorted everyone with his divine instructions to perform mental, continuous prayer. Thanks to this, he converted many sinners [to Christ], made them worthy from unworthy, which is why he was the reason for them receiving the inheritance of the elect. The life of [Gregory Sinaite] was described in detail by his disciple, His Holiness Patriarch Callistus. Just as during his life [the monk] was primarily a universally famous teacher of sacred sobriety, so after his death he leads to him with the help of his real 1 writings. [Lastly] he introduces in the best and most perfect way into the secrets of the art of 2 intelligent inner prayer, shows the passions and pure 3 virtues and proclaims what are the signs of grace and what are the charms. In general, these works [of Sinaite], like no other work, are very useful for beginners, intermediate, and perfect [ascetics]. And what is the spiritual wealth hidden in them and how great it is - those who read them carefully will know. He [regarding] the acquisition of [the said wealth] will rejoice with truly indescribable joy. I. Very useful chapters like the saints of our father Gregory Sinaite, arranged in acrostics Their [general] acrostic is as follows: Various words about commandments, dogmas, threats and promises, as well as thoughts, passions, virtues; moreover, about silence and prayer. 1 To be to some extent rational or to become pure and incorruptible by nature, as it was before, is impossible [now for man] due to the dominance [over purity] of sensual irrational habits, and [over incorruptibility] - the state of corruption of the flesh. 2. The only ones who are intelligent by nature are those who have become saints through purity. None of the wise in words had pure reason; from the beginning they darkened their rational power with thoughts. The materialistic and loquacious 5 spirit of wisdom of this world, leading [man] with words to the breadth of knowledge and thoughts to the wildest reasoning, creates [himself in them] refuge, suffering a lack of essential wisdom, contemplation and single and inseparable knowledge. 3. Place the knowledge of the truth in the grace-filled feeling of it. The remaining thoughts 6 should be called expressions of ideas [of truth] and indicators of its objects. 4. Those who lose grace endure it for unbelief and carelessness and again find it [that is, grace] through faith and diligent seeking. With the help of these [the latter], they [morally] always move forward. From the opposite [unbelief and carelessness] they return completely. 5. There is a close similarity in being dead or insensitive, blinded rationally or not seeing bodily, since the dead have lost their life-giving and creative power, and the blind person has lost the Divine light, which imparts the ability to see and be visible. 6. Not many people receive strength and wisdom from God. [Strength] is the perceiver of 8 Divine blessings, and [wisdom] is their revealer. To assimilate [wisdom] and pass it on [to others] is a truly Divine and superhuman task. 7. The heart, alien to thoughts and moved by the Spirit, is the true sanctuary even before the future life. There 9 everything is done and spoken spiritually. Hence, the one who has not acquired such a [heart], although he is a stone suitable for the construction of the Divine Church thanks to certain virtues, is not a church and performs sacred acts [according to the will of] the Spirit. 8. Man was created incorruptible without moisture, as such he will be resurrected, [created] not without inclination [to evil], but not with inclination either. He had the power according to the volitional desire to change [negatively] or not. Desire has not yet assimilated the nature of perfect constancy. This [last] is the reward of future immutable deification. 9 . Decay is the product of the flesh. Eating food and regurgitating excess, proudly performing and sleeping are the natural properties of animals and livestock. Because of this, we, who through disobedience [to God] became like beasts, fell away from the God-given blessings inherent to us, turning from rational [creatures] into bestial ones and from divine ones into brutal ones. 10. There is a twofold paradise - sensual and spiritual, that is, Edenic and blessed. We are going to a very high place, rising to the very third heaven, as [spiritual] writers say. He [Eden] is neither unconditionally incorruptible, nor corruptible in the full 10th sense of the word. Being at the turn of 11 decay and incorruption, it always flaunts flowers 12 and is rich in unripe and ripened fruits. Rotting trees and overripe fruits, falling to the ground, become fragrant dust [in the Edenian paradise] and do not emit the smell of decay, like earthly plants. This comes from the great abundance of the grace of sanctification that is always pouring out there. In the middle of [paradise] 13 there passes the Ocean River, destined for its constant irrigation. [Streams] emerge from it and branch in four directions. By their flow, loose earth 14 and fallen leaves are carried away and delivered to the Indians and Ethiopians, whose arable land always floods Pishon and Geon, united together, until, once again divided, one irrigates Libya, the other the Egyptian country. 11. They say that all creation, which now passes away, was not originally subject to corruption. Subsequently, doomed to corruption, she submitted to vanity, as Scripture says, precisely for the man who enslaved her [to corruption] not voluntarily, but against her will - in the hope (see: Rom. 8:20) of the renewal of Adam, who had fallen into corruption. He who renewed [man] and sanctified him (although he [man] wears a corruptible body because of his temporary life), also renewed creation, 16 but has not yet freed it from corruption. Some people call the deliverance of creation from decay a change for the better, while others call it a complete transformation of the sensory. Scripture usually makes simple and thorough statements about certain difficult [to understand] subjects. 12. Those who receive grace are as those who have conceived and are filled 17 with the Spirit. They either reject the Divine seed by falling, or become widowed [in alienation] from God due to the connection with the enemy that lurks within them. The loss of grace results from the action of passions, and its complete deprivation is due to the admission of 18 sins. A multi-passionate and sin-loving soul, disconnected from grace and deprived of it, becomes a widow and becomes now and in the next century a dwelling place of passions, not to say [more strongly], a den of demons. 13. Nothing pacifies and tames anger like courage and mercy. They defeat the enemies besieging the city [of souls]: first - external, second - internal. 14. Many who keep the commandments [only] seem to be moving forward and, not reaching the city, remain outside it, because they walk unreasonably, mistaking for the right royal path the crossroads that lead astray from it, that is, the vices adjacent to virtues. The commandments [do not allow] either devastation or excess, but [demand the implementation of] a godly goal and only the Divine will. Otherwise, 20 the work [of those being saved] is in vain and, according to Scripture, the righteous ways of God are not carried out, because in any work one must consider 21 the purpose of its implementation. 15. Seek the Lord on the way, that is, in the heart, through [the implementation of] the commandments. When you hear the [words] of John [the Baptist], commandingly calling everyone to prepare the roads and straighten the paths (see: Mark 1:3), then mean here [a reference to] the commandments of the heart and deeds. It is impossible to follow the path of the commandments and the infallible 22 feats correctly without heartfelt rightness. 16. When you hear the testimony of Scripture about the rod and the club (see: Ps. 22:4), then understand by the prophetic word judgment and Providence, in the moral sense - psalmody and prayer, because we, judged by the Lord, are punished through the rod of punishment (see: 1 Cor. 11:32) for conversion [to God]. By punishing those who rise up against us with the rod of vigorous 23 psalmody, we become stronger in prayer. So, having in the hand of an active mind 24 a rod and a club, we will not stop punishing and being punished until, being under the [roof] of Providence, we will not finally escape the present and future judgment. 17. It is common for [the executors of] commandments to always prefer [over all] the greatest generational commandment about the memory of God, which reads: remember the Lord your God always (Deut. 8:18). For [violating] it, people died and through it they can be saved 25. Oblivion [of God] eradicates the Divine memory at the root and, eclipsing the commandments, thus exposes man [spiritually] completely naked. 18. Ascetics return to their original dignity through two commandments - obedience and fasting. From deeds opposite to them, all evil penetrated into the mortal race. Those who keep the commandments, by virtue of obedience [to the leader], quickly ascend to God, but through fasting and prayer - more slowly. Obedience is more appropriate for beginners, fasting for average people who have tasted speculation and are courageous. But maintaining true obedience to God in relation to the commandments is characteristic of very few, and for the most courageous it is extremely difficult. 19. The law of the Spirit of life (Rom. 8:2), according to the apostle, is that which speaks and acts in the heart, just as the [law of] the letter is carried out by the flesh. That [spiritual law] frees the mind from the law of sin and death. This [written] one allows one to secretly act as a Pharisee, and physically observe the law by fulfilling the commandments before [prying] eyes. 20. The collection of all the commandments, united and ordered by the Spirit (see: Eph. 4:16), is [sometimes] called a perfect or not yet perfected person - depending on his [moral] maturity 26. In this case, the commandments form, as it were, a body, virtues, like crystallized internal qualities 27, form bones, and grace forms a living soul that moves the body and carries out deeds according to the commandments. Carelessness and zeal for growth in Christ show whether someone is a child or an adult now and in the future [age]. 21. He who wishes to grow the body of the commandments, let him labor with great anguish 28 in search of the pure, rational milk of maternal grace. Hence, everyone who seeks and desires to increase in stature in Christ feeds on the milk [of grace]. Milk, which promotes growth, or, what is the same, wisdom, gives warmth from its breasts, and nourishing honey gives the perfect its joy for purification. Honey, they say, and milk is under Your tongue (Song. 4:11). Solomon called the nourishing and nurturing power of the Spirit milk, and His cleansing power honey. Hinting at the difference between [these] actions of the [Spirit], the great apostle said: “As babies I gave you milk to drink, and not solid food [nourished]” (see: 1 Cor. 3: 1-2). 22. He who seeks [the meaning] of the content of the commandments apart from [fulfilling] them and through reading or studying greedily strives to find it is like one who imagines a shadow instead of the truth. The words of truth in its bearers are [a sign of] actual participation in it. Those who are indifferent to the truth and not initiated into it, looking for its content 30, borrow it from “crazy” wisdom. The apostle called them spiritual, not having the Spirit, although they exalt themselves in the truth (see: 1 Cor. 2:14). 23. Just as the sensory eye, glancing at the letters, receives sensory perceptions from them, 31 so the mind, when it is purified and restored to its original 32 dignity, looks at God and receives Divine thoughts from Him. As the 33rd book, he [the mind] then has the Spirit, instead of the 34th reed pen, the thinking ability and language. My tongue, says [the Psalmist], is a feather of reed (see: Ps.44:2). Instead of ink, the mind has light. Immersing thought 35 in light and filling it with light, [the mind] by the Spirit imprints words in the pure hearts of those who listen. Then he will realize what has been said about how everyone will be taught by God (see: John 6:45) and how God will give knowledge to man, by prophecy and in the Spirit (see: Ps.93:10). 24. By the law of commandments we mean heartily manifested immediate faith, because from it every commandment flows and produces the enlightenment of souls, in which the following fruits of true and active faith then appear: abstinence, love and, finally, 36 God-given humility as the beginning and strengthening of love. 25. The true glory of 37 [intelligent] beings consists in the true knowledge of visible and invisible things: visible or sensible, invisible or mental, rational, spiritual and Divine. 26. The limit [of Orthodoxy] is pure contemplation and knowledge of the two dogmas of faith, that is, the Trinity and the Two: recognition of the Trinity [is] and contemplation of It as an unfused and indivisible Unit. The duality [recognition consists] in the acceptance and confession in Christ of two natures in one Person, that is, the One Son, before the incarnation and after the incarnation in two natures and wills - Divine and human - infinitely glorified. 27. Birth, ungeneracy and procession are three unchangeable and immutable properties of the Most Holy Trinity, [which] must be reverently confessed. The Father is unborn and without beginning, the Son is begotten and without beginning, and the Holy Spirit is emanating from the Father and given through the co-essential Son, as Damascene says. 28. Only grace-filled faith, manifested in fulfilling the commandments in the spirit, would be sufficient for salvation, if we preserved it, living and active in Christ. Now ignorance has taught pious [people] a verbal, dead and insensitive faith, and not a grace-filled faith. 29. The Trinity is a simple and uncomplicated Unit without any sensible quality 38. The Trinity in Unity, or the Trinitarian God, has a completely unfused combination in Persons. 30. The infinite God in everything is known and comprehended threefold. He contains everything and provides for everything through the Son in the Holy Spirit. And there is not a single [Person of the Holy Trinity] who is outside or separately from the other [Persons] anywhere thought, named and confessed. 31. Since in man there is a mind, a word and a spirit, existing in each other and on their own, and the mind is not separated 39 from the word and the word from the spirit so that the mind speaks verbally and the word is expressed with the help of the soul, then by virtue of this attribute 40 man bears a vague image of the inexpressible, primitive Trinity, briefly revealing thereby his [creation] in the image of God. 32. The Mind is the Father, the Word is the Son, and the Holy Spirit is truly the Spirit, as the figuratively God-bearing fathers teach, developing the dogmatic teaching about the Holy Superessential and Prenatural Trinity, about the One God in three Persons and who left us [as a heritage] true faith and an anchor of hope. To know the One God is, according to Scripture, the root of immortality, and to comprehend the power of the Trinitarian Unit is the whole truth. The gospel word proclaimed about this can be understood as follows: That they may know You, the only true God, in three Persons, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent, in two natures (John 17:3) 41. 33. Eternal punishments are varied, as are the rewards of the good. [Torment] takes place 42 in hell, or, according to the testimony of 43 Scripture, in a dark and gloomy land, in a land of eternal darkness (see: Job 10:22), where sinners live until judgment and where they will return after the [final] sentence. The words: let sinners return to hell (Ps.9:18) and let death rule them (Ps.49:15) mean nothing but [God’s] final determination and eternal damnation. 34. Fire, darkness, worm, tartar exist [already on earth] in heterogeneous voluptuousness, the all-consuming darkness of ignorance, in the unquenchable thirst for sensual pleasure, in the trembling and stench of fetid sin. These 44 pledges and thresholds of 45 hellish torments are still active here in sinful souls and arise in them as a result of [passionate] habit. 35. Habits of passions are the makings of torment, while the discovery of virtues are the [keys] of the Kingdom of Heaven. Commandments should be considered and called actions, and virtues - skills, just as vices, due to their stability, are called habits. 36. In eternity, rewards are equal to punishments, although many seem unequal. God's justice will reward some [people] with eternal life, and others - eternal torment. Both of them, going through the present century well or worse, will inherit 46 retribution according to their deeds. The quantity and quality of reward 47 will be consistent with the skills and manifestations of passions and virtues. 37. Lakes of fire are 48 2 voluptuous souls, in which, as in stinking swamps, the stench of 49 passions feeds the never-ending worm of debauchery, the unbridled lust of the flesh, [feeds] snakes, toads and leeches of frantic 50 passionate desires, criminal and disastrous thoughts and demons. Such a [spiritual] dispensation here finds a guarantee of future torment. 38. Just as the germs of [hellish] torment lurk invisibly in the souls of sinners, so the firstfruits of [heavenly] blessings are communicated and revealed in the hearts of the righteous through the Holy Spirit. The Kingdom of Heaven is a virtuous life, [as well as] torment [hellish] is passionate habits. 39. The coming night is, according to the word of the Lord, the darkness to come, when no one can work (John 9:4) 51. Or, according to another explanation, this is the Antichrist, called night and darkness, or, according to the moral interpretation, this is continuous carelessness [about salvation], which, like a hopeless night, mortifies the soul with the sleep of insensibility. Night [in the literal sense of the word] makes everyone sleepy and serves as an image of death by mortification. And the night of future darkness will intoxicate dead and senseless sinners with suffering 52. 40. The judgment of this world is the unbelief of the wicked, according to the Gospel saying: He who does not believe is already condemned (John 3:18), and is determined by the 53 judicial actions of the Washing in the correction and conversion of [sinners to God] and in the weighing of their good and evil intentions according to [external] manifestations according to the words: “Let sinners be rejected, those who went astray from their mother’s womb” (Ps. 57:4). In relation to unbelief, punishment and works, the righteous judgment of God appears [when] it punishes some, has mercy on others, crowns others or gives them over to torment, since the first are always wicked, the second believe, but are careless and therefore are punished philanthropically 54 . Those who are perfect in virtues and mired in vices will receive [their] retribution. 41. If our nature 55 with the assistance of the Holy Spirit is not preserved unsullied or pure, as it should be, then it cannot be one spirit and body with Christ, either now or in a future union. It is not characteristic of the omnipotent and connecting power of the Spirit to sew the rags of old passions to the new tunic of grace to replenish 56. 42. Equal dignity 57 in the sense of the image in Christ will be given to those who undeservedly received and preserved the renewal of the Spirit, inexpressibly experiencing 58 supernatural deification. But no one will be in Christ or a member of Christ unless he here becomes a bearer of grace, having within himself, according to the Apostle, an example of the knowledge of the truth (Rom. 2:20). 43. The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tabernacle built by God. It is [modeled on] the tabernacle of Moses, and has in two curtains an image of [the life of] the age to come. The first part [of the Kingdom of Heaven] will include all those sanctified by grace, and the second, as spiritual, will include only those who here, in the darkness of theology, being, as it were, priests, perfectly performed the sacred functions of the three powers of the soul. The last 60, having as their intercessor the [One] Jesus of the Trinity, the greatest of the priests and the first of the high priests, will penetrate into the God-created tabernacle and be illuminated with lightning-fast radiance. 44. The Savior called the various stages and states of moral maturity there [in paradise] many abodes. Although the Kingdom is one, it has 61 many differences 62 . In it there are [persons] heavenly and earthly in the sense of virtue [and different] visions and degrees of deification. Another is the glory of the sun, another of the moon and another of the stars. And star differs from star in glory, according to the apostle (1 Cor. 15:41), despite the fact that they all shine in one visible Divine sky 63. 45. As [almost] incorporeal and incorruptible, he little by little 64 becomes a cohabitant of the angels, who purified the mind with tears, resurrected the soul here by the Spirit, subdued the flesh to the mind and changed his by nature “clay” external image into the light-like and fiery face of Divine beauty, because incorruption is the drying up of bodily moisture and fullness. 46. Having been indescribably transformed from the soul into the spiritual, the incorruptible body, without moisture and heaviness, will remain [still] earthly, so that it will be at the same time earthly and heavenly in god-like subtlety. As it was originally created, so it will be resurrected in order to be conformed to the appearance of the Son of Man as a result of perfect participation in deification. 47. The land of the meek is the Kingdom of Heaven, or the Divine 65 state of the Son [of God], into which we have entered and are entering, having received the grace-filled birth of sonhood and renewal through the resurrection. Also, holy land is deified nature, or perhaps it is actually land purified for earthly beings in accordance with their dignity. According to another understanding, the earth, which constitutes the inheritance of the truly saints, is the imperturbable Divine silence of the superintelligent world. A race of righteous people will settle on it [this land], not disturbed or disturbed by anything that exists there. 48. The Promised Land is dispassion from which honey and milk flow, that is, the joy of the Spirit. 49. The saints in heaven mysteriously communicate to each other the inner word spoken in the Holy Spirit. 50. If we do not know how God created us, then we will not be aware of how sin has changed us 66. 51. Those who have reached the fullness of perfection in Christ are equal in terms of spiritual age. 52. Those who have hard work have rewards. The quantity and quality [of rewards], or what their size will be, will show the rank and state in which [the saints] will be. 53. According to incorruption and deification, the saints, as it is written, will be angelic minds and sons of the Resurrection of Christ (Luke 20:36). 54. In the next century, angels and saints, they say, will never cease to rise in the multiplication of talents and will never weaken in the pursuit of good, since that century does not allow [moral] weakening and deviation from virtue to vice. 55. Recognize the one who has now taken the likeness of the ages of Christ as a pledge as a perfected man. In the next century, the power of deification declares [man] perfect. 56. Dignity and adoration, equal to those of one’s peers, will be received in the future life by those who here [have reached] perfect spiritual age in virtue. 57. True glory, they say, is knowledge, or spiritual contemplation, or a thorough recognition of the dogmas and understanding 67 of the true faith. 58. Amazement is the complete elevation of the soul's powers to what is known, characteristic of the magnificent glory [of the Divine]. Or again: amazement is the pure and complete aspiration of the mind towards the boundless power that resides in the light. Ecstasy represents not only the admiration of spiritual powers to heaven, but also a complete frenzy of the feelings themselves 68. Jealousy 69 for God is twofold: it is spiritual intoxication, arousing the desire [for salvation]. 59. There are mainly two [types] of jealousy in the soul – heartfelt and frantic. The first belongs only to those who are enlightened, and the other to those who have already perfected themselves in love. Both [types of jealousy], when acting, distract the mind from feelings, since Divine jealousy is the intoxication of the spirit with that which is higher than natural reason 70, and thanks to it 71 [from a person] even the sense of external relations is stolen 72. 60. The beginning and cause of thoughts lie in the division by sin of man of a single and simple memory, which [thereby] destroyed the [continuous] remembrance of the Divine and, turning from simple to complex, from monotype to variety, doomed itself to destruction by its own personal forces. 61. The healing of primitive 73 memory from the insidious and disastrous memorization of thoughts is conditioned 74 by its return to primordial 75 simplicity. The instrument of evil - disobedience not only upset the simple mental memory of goodness, but also perverted all the powers of the soul, 76 weakening its natural attractions to virtue. Memory is completely healed by continuous and strengthened by prayer remembrance of God, which, having dissolved 77 with the spirit, is directed from natural objects to supernatural ones. 62. The cause of passions is sinful deeds, thoughts are passions, dreams are thoughts, thoughts are memory, memories are oblivion; the mother of oblivion is ignorance. The cause of ignorance is carelessness. Carelessness degenerates from passionate desire. The basis of 78 desires is random movement, movements are an impulse 79 to action; [a sinful] deed is a reckless 80 desire for evil and a disposition towards sensual and [passionate] sensations. 63. In the mind 81 thoughts are formed and act, in the irritable 82 force - brutal passions, in the will - bestial aspirations, in the mind 83 - fantastic ideas, in the mind - thoughts. 64. The attack of immoral 84 thoughts is like a 85 river flow. In [the form of] thoughts [they express] excuses 86 with which sinful agreement is allowed, flooding 87 the heart as if with a stormy 88 flood. 65. Consider fleeting pleasure [or] the filth of fornication and the burden of material acquisitions to be a deep swamp. Weighed down by them, the passionate mind is plunged through its thoughts into the abyss of despair. 66. Scripture often calls words about things thoughts, just as thoughts are words 89 . This happens because the supermaterial movement of any kind 90 is materialized and transformed by objects into images 91 . Thus, through “appearance” the [named] movement is cognized and expressed. 67. Thoughts 92 are the words of demons and the forerunners of passions, and 93 words and thoughts 94 are [the thresholds of] deeds, since it is impossible to do something good or evil that has not previously aroused [any] thought. Thought is the movement of a formless preposition [concerning] certain objects. 68. The matter of things produces pure thoughts, but the demonic impulse produces evil ones. So, when compared, natural thoughts and words differ from unnatural and supernatural ones. 69. Thoughts equally and instantly change from one to another: natural ones turn directly into unnatural ones and natural ones into supernatural ones. The reason for such mutual transformation and degeneration of material thoughts into demonic ones and those arising from the pretext into material ones are 97 thoughts [in themselves]. Just as Divine thoughts produce natural thoughts, these produce supernatural ones. In a word, each [mental movement] changes into what is akin to it, according to its four producing causes 98. 70. Note that their reasons precede thoughts; thoughts [come before] dreams, dreams - passions, passions - demons. [These phenomena], connecting one with another, form a kind of 99 chain, or order, among spirits who do not know the order. By itself - regardless of demons - nothing arises 100. Neither the imagination creates images without secret demonic power, nor does passion act, because Satan, although cast out [from heaven] and crushed, is exalted above us and is very strong thanks to our carelessness. 71. [Demons] fill the mind with images, or, better, they themselves take on a form in accordance with the [spiritual structure] of ourselves. They are expressed depending on the inclination of the soul towards the prevailing and active passion in it. The demons use this passionate skill as a condition for the reproduction of images in us. In dreams and in the waking state, they show us things related to a rich and varied fantasy. Demons of carnal passion are sometimes transformed into pigs, sometimes into donkeys, sometimes into misogynistic and fire-like horses, sometimes into extremely licentious Jews. [Demons] of anger sometimes turn into pagans, sometimes into lions; [demons] of timidity - in the Ishmaelites; [demons] of inconstancy - to the Edomites; [demons] of intemperance and drunkenness - to the Saracens; [demons] of self-interest - sometimes into wolves, sometimes into panthers; [demons] of cunning - sometimes into snakes, sometimes into vipers, sometimes they transform into foxes; [demons] of shamelessness - in dogs; [demons] of laziness - in cats. It happens that [demons of] fornication sometimes [take on the forms of] snakes, sometimes - crows and rooks. Since birds are spiritual 101, it is mainly air demons that turn into them. Due to the tripartite 102 soul, the imagination has a reason to change the images of spirits threefold. According to the strong-willed, irritable 103 and mental powers of the soul, the imagination represents demons in three ways - in the form of birds, animals and cattle. The three main leaders of passion always arm themselves against the three [spiritual forces], and, depending on what passion the soul is determined by, in the form of that, according to their affinity with it, they appear and attack us. 72. Demons of voluptuousness often approach like fire and burning coals, since voluptuous spirits ignite lustful desires and, introducing confusion into thinking, darken the soul. Actually, passionate pleasure is the cause of kindling, confusion and darkness. 73. The night of passions is the darkness of ignorance, or else: the night is the region that gives birth to passions, in which the prince of darkness reigns and in which the spirits [of evil] - these, in an allegorical sense, are the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the reptiles of the earth - roaring, greedily seeking to seize us as food. 74. During the action of passions, some thoughts precede and others follow them. Thoughts precede dreams, dreams are followed by passions. Passions go before demons, and demons follow passions. 75. The beginning and cause of passions is abuse. The [reason] for abuse is inclination, inclinations are the preponderance 105 of some volitional impulse 106 . The test of desire is a pretext, and the pretext is the demons, to whom Providence allows us to show what our arbitrariness is. 76. The deadly poison of the sting of sin is a passionate skill of the soul, because the character of the one who voluntarily enslaves himself to passions is unshakable and unchangeable. 77. Passions have different names. They are divided into mental and physical; bodily are divided into sorrowful and sinful; the mournful still fall into the painful and the nurturing. Also, mental passions are divided into irritable, volitional and mental. Mental ones are divided into rational and imaginative ones. Some of these passions arise as a result of abuse of the will, others are forced by necessity. These are the so-called non-blameable 107 passions, which the fathers call accompanying 108 and natural properties. 78. Some are bodily passions, and others are spiritual. Some are desirable, others are irritable 109; some are the passions of mental power, and others are the passions of the mind and reason. They are mutually connected and contribute to each other: bodily - to the volitional, mental - to the irritable, 110 and again the passions of the thinking force - to the mental, mental - to the rational and memory passions. 79. The passions of irritable power are: anger, vexation, loudness, 111 irascibility, insolence, arrogance, vanity and others. The passions of the will include: covetousness, debauchery, intemperance, gluttony, voluptuousness, love of money and self-love - more painful than all passions. Carnal passions [are]: fornication, adultery, uncleanness, licentiousness 112, injustice, gluttony, carelessness, absent-mindedness, covetousness, covetousness and others. The passions belonging to the mental realm [are as follows]: unbelief, blasphemy, cunning, deceit, curiosity, double-mindedness, slander, slander, condemnation, humiliation, blasphemy, hypocrisy, lies, foul language, idle talk, flattery, irony, vanity, man-pleasing, exaltation, perjury, idle talk and others. Passions of the mind: conceit, arrogance, self-praise, love of argument, indignation, complacency, contradiction, disobedience, daydreaming, a tendency to fiction and boasting, 113 love of fame, pride - the first and last of all evils. The passions of the intellect are as follows: wandering, frivolity, servility, darkness, blindness, deviations, excuses, consent, inclinations, transformations, rejections and the like. In a word, all unnatural evil has dissolved with the three spiritual forces, just as all good is naturally co-present in them. 80. Oh, with what amazement David cries out to God, saying: Thy knowledge is marvelous to me, high, I cannot comprehend it (Ps. 139:6). It is indisputable and incomprehensible - beyond my weak mind and my strength. How incomprehensible, further, in the formation of its composition is the body itself, 114 having in each of its forms a trinitarian and unified structure, adorned with septenary and dual numbers, arithmetically meaning time and nature, which, in turn, according to the current laws of nature, shows the glory of God in the bodily bearer of the Trinity splendor. 81. For moving members, the laws of nature are a kind of connections. Even the word our names their differences, because they represent numerous expressions of [our] own properties 115. Or again: natural law is the force of activity of each species and member. Just as God [animates] all creatures, so the soul activates the members of the body and moves each of them to its proper activity. Here we should ask why God-bearing men 116 sometimes call anger and passionate desire carnal forces, sometimes spiritual forces. We affirm [in the answer] that the words of the saints have no disagreement 117 for those who clearly understand them. In both cases, [the saints] reveal the truth and, where they follow, very wisely change the names of the passions [soul and body] thanks to their mysterious dual existence in the form of coexistence, 118 especially since the soul is still perfect here, and the body, growing under the condition of nutrition, is [obviously] imperfect. The soul, created rational and thinking, in itself, from the beginning of its creation, has the power of a certain desire and the power of irritability, 119 arousing courageous jealousy. But reckless irritability and insane attraction were not created with it, just as they were not originally in the flesh. [The flesh] was created incorruptible, without that moisture from which carnal desire and brutal rage arose. Following disobedience, when [man] fell under the corruption and carnal coarseness of 120 dumb animals, then, of necessity, irritability and carnal passion arose in him. And every time the flesh dominates in a person, so through rage and carnal desire he counteracts the desires of the soul. When this mortal submits to the rational, then [the one who is being saved] hastens in doing good according to the desire of the soul. [Now] as a result of the mixing and union with the soul of the incoming carnal properties, man has become like beasts of burden and, having subjected himself to the law of sin, by force of natural necessity has turned from rational to stupid and from man to beast. 82. The thinking soul 121 was created through a breath and thanks to the breathing of intelligent life into it. Together with it, God created not rage and animal carnal desire, but one active force of desire and zealous persistence of desire. Likewise, having created the body, [the Lord] did not put into it from the beginning irritability and unreasonable carnal lust. Subsequently, due to disobedience, it accepted mortality, decay and the traits of animals, to which it became like. Theologians say that the body was created incorruptible, and as such it will be resurrected, although now it is corruptible. Likewise, the soul is created dispassionate. But both - body and soul - were corrupted and co-dissolved according to the natural law of unification and influence on each other, and [the soul] gave itself up to passions and especially demons, [the body] became like dumb cattle by the properties of its condition and submission to decay. Acting in one direction, the forces of soul and body 122 formed one beast, senseless and unreasonable, with rage and carnal desire. Thus, according to Scripture, man joined the cattle and in all respects became like them 123 (Ps. 48:13). 83. Just as God is the cause and source of all good, so the beginning and foundation of virtues is a good intention or desire for the beautiful. The beginning of good is faith, especially Christ - the Stone of faith, Whom we have as the beginning and foundation of all virtues, on Whom we establish ourselves and build all that is good. He is the cornerstone connecting us to Himself, and the Pearl of great price. Looking for it, the monk, entering the depths of silence, by obedience to the commandments, as if sells all his own desires, in order to acquire [this Pearl] 125 while still on earth 124. 84. The virtues maintain mutual equality in that all are reduced to one, [have] one limit and fill the face of [one] virtue. But there are also [partial] virtues, and some are superior to others 126 insofar as 127 they embrace and concentrate in themselves the virtues either very many, or even all, such as Divine love, humility and Divine patience. About patience 128 The Lord says this: Through your patience save your souls (Luke 21:19). He did not say: “[Save] by your fasting, by your vigilance.” Patience I call that [state] which is in accordance with the will of God and is the queen of virtues, the basis of valiant deeds 129, peace in wars, silence in a storm and an unshakable stronghold for those who possess it. Those who have acquired it in Christ Jesus cannot be harmed by weapons, spears, advancing troops, the demonic horde itself, or the gloomy phalanx of opponents. 85. Although the virtues are reborn from each other, they all have their [root] origin, excluding the Divine [virtues], from the three powers of the soul. The beginning and cause of the four generic virtues between natural and Divine, from which and by which all the others are formed, that is, [the cause of] prudence, courage, chastity and truth, is Divine and theological wisdom, acting upon the excitement of the Spirit 130 and reflected in the mind in four ways. She manifests 131 virtues not all together, but each separately and in due time in accordance with desire: one - as light, another - as insightful power and never-failing inspiration, the third - as a sanctifying and cleansing force, and the last - as cheerful and refreshing dew of purity from the heat of passions. Wisdom allows, as mentioned above, to feel its manifestation to everyone according to the maturity [of his soul in goodness] and perfect [shows] perfect action. 86. Experiences in virtues do not yet impart to the soul perfect [moral] steadfastness with the help of personal zeal alone, if through grace [virtue] they do not transform into a significant internal disposition. Each virtue has its own unique talent and its own action, in which it can attract even those who do not want to be its accomplices by skill and the nature of goodness, and when it is given to us, it has been preserved firmly and unchangeably ever since. To perform [virtues] 132 people have the grace of the Spirit in their own members, like a living soul. Without it, the entire collection of virtues becomes dead. And those who seem to have [virtues] perfectly and implement them, [often have] only the shadow and ghost of the beautiful, and not the image of the truth. 87. There are four cardinal virtues: courage, prudence, chastity and truth. According to the degree of excess or deficiency in them, eight [mental qualities] are close to them, which we call and consider vices, and in the world - virtues. Courage is usually followed by insolence and timidity, prudence is followed by deceit and ignorance, chastity is followed by licentiousness and petrification, and truth is followed by self-interest and untruth or resentment. In the middle of them stand not only the fundamental and natural virtues, rising above excess and deficiency, but also the active ones. Some of the virtues, due to the correctness of reasoning, are expressed in [good] arbitrariness, 133 others are accompanied by perversion [of goodness] and conceit. The fact that the middle position is occupied by 134 real virtues is evidenced by a parable that says: “Let all good ways be corrected” (see: Proverbs 2:9). So, all virtues are united in the three powers of the soul, in which they are born and strengthened, having the four generic virtues as the foundation of their building, most of all Christ. Moreover, natural virtues are purified by active ones, and divine and supernatural [virtues] are taught by the favor of the Spirit. 88. Of the virtues, some are active, others are Divine, others are natural and spiritual. Active ones [represent the result] of free election, natural ones - of an internal nature, Divine ones - of grace. 89. Just as the origin of virtues takes place in our soul, so does the [source of] passions. But the former are naturally born in it, while the latter are born contrary to nature. The soul finds the reason for the generation of good and evil in the inclination of desire, which - like a point for drawing a line or an arrow on the yoke of a scale - in which direction it inclines, it receives influence and acts in that [direction]. The will is subject to a double action, because it contains both in itself, [namely]: good by birth, and evil by free inclination of the will. 90. Scripture calls the virtues youths (see: Song 1:2) due to their close connection with the soul, why they are contemplated with it as one spirit and body. The appearance of the 135 young woman serves as a symbol of love, and their clothing is evidence of the chastity and purity of these sacred virgins. Divine grace usually [tends] to create and unmistakably transform varieties of virtue in the strong [in spirit] in relation to their qualities and properties. 91. There are eight ruling passions: three great ones: gluttony, love of money and vanity - and five following them: fornication, anger, sadness, laziness and pride. Likewise, of the virtues opposite [passions], the three main ones are: poverty, abstinence and humility, and with them and after them follow [the rest]: purity, meekness, joy, courage, self-abasement and the whole series of virtues. It is not possible for everyone to study and realize the power, action and fragrance of each virtue and the [stench] of passion, but only for those who are active, working in word and deed, and who have received from the Holy Spirit the gift of knowledge and reasoning. 92. The virtues either act or are put into action [by us]. They act by settling with us at the appropriate moment, when, how and as much as they want. We manifest them out of free will, moral disposition and habit. But they are essential in themselves, and we are morally formed by them approximately 136, since the image of all our [good] actions is an imprint of the original. The spiritual is essentially assimilated by a few before the future immortal pleasure 137 . And here, in fact, we take upon ourselves and perform labors and exploits 138, and do not [possess] the virtues themselves. 93. He, according to Paul, ministers the gospel (see: Rom. 15:16), who, being a participant in it, can actively communicate Christ’s enlightenment to others. Like some seed, he scatters the Divine word on the spiritual fields of his listeners. Let your word, it is said, always be with grace, seasoned with the salt of Divine goodness (Col.4:6), so that it may bring grace to those who hear with faith (Eph.4:29). Having called teachers farmers, and those taught a cultivated field, [the apostle] very wisely depicts those as plowmen and sowers of the Divine word, and these as a fertilized, fruitful and rich land of virtues, because true sacred action is not only the performance of Divine works, but also [personal] participation and teaching of goods. 94. The word spoken orally for the teaching of others is different and does not flow equally from four sources 139, but in many ways. One word [comes] from teaching, another from reading, another from activity, and another from grace. But just as water, homogeneous in nature, is transformed into its inherent property in relation to the differences in the underlying earthly soil 140 and changes, as it is recognized by taste, now bitter or sweet, now salty or sour, so the spoken word, changing in accordance with the moral structure of everyone, is recognized in action and through it brings benefit. 95. The word is given to every rational being for pleasure, and from the word, like from some varied food, the perceiving soul [always] feels unequal sweetness. The scientific word is for her, as it were, an educator, morally forming her. The word from reading, as it were, fills her with water of calm, the word from activity saturates her, like a pasture rich in grass; the word of grace makes glad, like a cup overflowing [with wine] (see: Ps. 22:5). The indescribable, gracious joy from the word of grace enlightens [the soul], like oil that makes the face shine (Ps. 103:15). 96. The soul not only truly possesses life within itself, but when it hears about it in teaching from others, it feels them, if only both [teacher and listener] are governed by faith and love, that is, if one listens with faith, and the other enlightens with love, teaching words 141 about virtues without pride and vanity. Then the word from the teaching is accepted by the soul as an educator; [the word] from reading - as a nourisher, the word from activity - as the most skillful 142 beautifier of the bride's [appearance] and the enlightening word of the Holy Spirit - like the word of a joyful bridegroom, since every speech emanating from the mouth of God represents either words uttered by the lips of saints with the assistance of the Spirit, or a consequence of that sweetest inspiration from the Holy Spirit, which is not fed to everyone, but only to the worthy. Although all intelligent people enjoy the word, very few actually enjoy themselves here under the influence of the Spirit. Most 143 [people] know and assimilate in memory only the images of spiritual words, but they have not tasted the true bread of the future life, which consists in the sensation of God the Word. There [beyond the grave] only this one [bread] is offered in sufficient measure to all who are worthy for a variety of delights and is never exhausted, wasted or becomes scarce. 97. Without a spiritual sense it is impossible to tangibly feel 144 Divine sweetness. Just as one who has dulled the [bodily] senses makes them insensitive to sensory phenomena and does not see, hear, or smell, being relaxed or, better yet, half-dead, so one who has killed the natural spiritual forces through passions makes them insensitive to influences on them [from above] and [incapable of] participating in the mysteries of the Spirit. He who does not see, hear or feel spiritually is dead. Christ does not live in him, and he himself moves towards actions that are not Christlike. 98. Compared with mental forces, especially when they are healthy, feelings have an equal and the same, not to say identical, function. Thanks to those, these too live and act. They are both united by the life-giving 145 Spirit. On the other hand, a person becomes completely exhausted when he becomes infected with the root disease of passions and continuously lies in the hospital of negligence. The senses definitely 147 contemplate the sensual, [spiritual] forces - the mental, especially in the absence in them 148 of a satanic struggle counteracting the law of mind and spirit. When by the Spirit they are brought into unity, having become one-formed, 149 then they directly and essentially recognize the things Divine and human as they are by nature, clearly perceive the meaning in them and, as far as possible, purely contemplate the only cause of everything - the Trinity. 99. First of all, the silent person must have the following five virtues as a basis for building his actions silently: silence, abstinence, vigilance, humility and patience. There are three godly activities: psalmody, prayer and reading, and if you are sick, then handicrafts. The named virtues not only embrace all [others], but also form part of one another. [The silent person] should remain in the remembrance of God in the morning, in prayer and silence of the heart, and pray patiently for the first hour; then the second [hour] - to read, the third - to sing, the fourth - to pray, the fifth - to read, the sixth - to sing, the seventh - to pray, the eighth - to read, the ninth - to sing, at the tenth hour to refresh yourself with food, at the eleventh - to rest if the need arises, and at the twelfth [hour] to sing vespers. Thus virtuously walking his daily journey, he pleases God. 100. Like a bee, one should collect the most useful from all virtues. Thus, by taking from them little by little, [one can] form [in the soul] a huge collection of virtuous manifestations, from which the honey of wisdom is produced to the joy of the soul. 101. If you wish, listen to how it is easier to cross the period of night time. Night wakefulness has three orders: for beginners, intermediate and perfect. The first [statute] prescribes 150 half the night to sleep and half to stay awake, whether from evening to midnight or from midnight to morning. The second [statute] prescribes 151 to stay awake for one or two hours in the evening, then sleep for four hours and wake up in the morning, and sing and pray until about six hours in the morning. The first hour [of the day] one should sing and sit, silent, as said [above]. Next, you need to follow the order of the indicated activities by the hour 152 or constantly maintain continuous prayer, the habit of which organizes human life. Finally, the third [rule] consists of standing all night [in prayer] and staying awake. 102. Now let's talk about food. About a pound of bread is enough for anyone who has entered into the feat of silence. You can drink two cups of undissolved wine, three cups of water, and from the food supplies that you find, you can not consume as much as nature whimsically requires, but you must use it with self-restraint 153 only provided by Providence. The best and shortest rule guiding those who want to live properly is to perform three virtues out of feats - I mean fasting, vigilance and prayer - by which the most reliable foundation of all virtues is strengthened. 103. First of all, silence requires faith, patience, strength and strength, love from the bottom of the heart and hope. If a believer, whether due to ordinary carelessness or for some other reason, does not find what he is looking for here, then at his death 154 he cannot help but be fully convinced of the fruit of faith and deed and not see freedom through Christ Jesus, Who is the Redemption and Salvation of our souls, the God-man Word. But the unbeliever in all respects 155 will be condemned at his death. However, according to the word of the Lord, he is already condemned (see: Mark 16:16), since 156 enslaved to pleasures and seeking glory from people, and not from God, can he believe? (see: John 5:44). Such, although in words he seems to be faithful, 157, but, without noticing it, he deceives himself and hears [once] the words: “Because you did not accept Me into your heart, but rejected Me by your back, then I will also turn away from you.” So, the faithful must have bright hope 158 and believe God’s truth, testified in all the Scriptures, confessing his weakness, lest [otherwise] he incur double, inexorable condemnation. 104. Nothing contributes so much to contrition of the heart and humility of the soul as reasonable solitude and perfect silence. And nothing else that fundamentally 160 destroys the structure of silence and removes the Divine [protective] power from it, is the following passions: insolence, gluttony, verbosity, entertaining care 161, pride and the mistress of the passions - conceit. Whoever willingly gets used to them, with their growth, becoming more and more darkened, becomes [ultimately] extremely insensitive. And if [such a person] again frees himself [from passions] 162 and makes a beginning [of salvation] with faith and zeal, then he will again receive what he seeks, especially if he seeks it humbly. The reign in him 163 due to the carelessness of at least one of the named passions turns against him the whole host of evils, led by disastrous unbelief, and devastates his soul, which becomes, from demonic confusion and noise, like a second 164 city of Babylon, so that the last for him is worse than the first (see: Matt. 12:45). He then becomes a passionate enemy and accuser of the silent, always sharpening his tongue against them, like a razor and a two-edged sword. 105. The waters of passions that fill the muddy and troubled sea of ​​silence can only be crossed on a light and fast ship of unconditional non-covetousness and abstinence. From intemperance and love for things, streams of passions, flooding the earth of the heart and bringing rot and dirt of thoughts onto it, produce confusion in the mind, darkness in thoughts, burden in the body, and make the soul and heart careless, darkened and numb and deprive them of their natural mood and feeling. 106. Nothing contributes more to the relaxation, carelessness and madness of the soul of zealous ascetics than the nurse of passions - self-love. When it prefers bodily peace to achievements in virtue and considers the mind to be caring, if it does not voluntarily urge one to exhaust [the body] with labors in fulfilling the commandments 166 associated with little and light sweat, then it [self-love] usually makes the soul sluggish in following the path of silence and produces a strong and irresistible relaxation in its activity. 107. The best and primary doctor for those who are exhausted [in keeping] the commandments and firmly 167 decided to vomit out the 168 impenetrable darkness is unreasoning obedience in everything with faith. It is a life-giving and multi-component healing agent for those who drink it and a knife that immediately cleanses the scars of wounds. He who preferred the action of this [knife] to everything else, with faith and simplicity, cut off all passions with one blow. He not only achieved silence, but by obedience he already realized it, finding Christ, becoming and calling himself his imitator and slave. 108. Without organizing life and activity in contrition of the spirit, it is impossible to endure the heat of silence. He who weeps and reflects on pre-death and post-mortem horrors, before they occur on their own, will have humility and patience - these two foundations of silence. Without these [foundations], one who leads a silent life always has conceit as a counterpart to his carelessness. And from them sinful entertainment and enslavement multiply and plunge us into relaxation. Hence, intemperance - the daughter of carelessness - makes the body lethargic and powerless, and the mind darkened and coarsened. Then Jesus also hides from the crowd of thoughts and reasoning present in the area of ​​the mind. 109. It is impossible 169 to experience the torment of conscience now or in the next century 170 . This [test] concerns mainly those who here and there lack love and glory 171. Like some fierce executioner, punishing in various ways the persons subject to responsibility, [conscience] always raises 172 a sharp sword, that is, accusation and indignation, over the despotically naked [victims]. Conscience is also called jealousy because of its inherent [custom] influence on enemies, on the nature of the body and on the soul. And by others [it is called] natural ardor, which we are commanded to sharpen against our enemies, like a sharp sword. And if [conscience] victoriously subdues 175 [our] duality to unity, then the goal of its zeal 176 is then the ascension to God. But if the soul itself is subject to two - I mean sin and the flesh - then its end is assigned there [in eternity] to merciless torment for the fact that it brought itself to complete enslavement to its enemies. A soul that commits something shameful here destroys its virtuous state, is excommunicated and alienated from God. 110. Of all the passions, two are extremely severe and difficult - fornication and despondency, which, dominating the unfortunate soul, weaken it. They have mutual communication and a close connection with each other and are therefore indestructible, insurmountable and completely invincible. The first [prodigal passion] successfully grows in the area of ​​desires 177, but contains material for both inseparable by nature [parts of our being] - I'm talking about soul and body - spilling all its sweetness over all [bodily] members. The second [passion of despondency], gaining the upper hand over the dominant mind, envelops 178 the entire soul and body, like ivy, 179 making 180 our nature sluggish, relaxed and, as it were, broken by paralysis. Although [these two passions] are not completely suppressed before blissful dispassion, they are [temporarily] removed after the soul, having received in prayer the power of the Holy Spirit, imparting to it joy, strength and deep peace of heart, enjoys silence. [Prodigal passion] 181 is the beginning, mistress, queen and all-encompassing pleasure of pleasures. Its companion is laziness, which elevates the Pharaoh’s generals to an invincible chariot. Through them, [that is, through fornication and despondency], impulses to passions penetrated into the lives of us, the pitiful ones. 111. The beginning of mental prayer is the action, or purifying power, of the Holy Spirit and the mysterious sacred action of the mind, just as the beginning of silence is the withdrawal 182 [from ordinary worries], the middle is enlightening power and contemplation, and the end is ecstasy and admiration of the mind towards God. 112. The spiritual sanctuary is a rational 183 action of the mind, mystically performing sacred acts on the spiritual altar as a sign of betrothal to God and the partaking of the Lamb before future incomprehensible pleasure. Eating the Lamb of God on the mental altar of the soul does not mean only comprehending [Him] and being in communion with Him, but also being, as it were, the Lamb itself after accepting His image in the future. Here are only words; there we hope to receive the very objects of the sacraments. Archpriest Vladislav Sofiych, 2016 113. For beginners, prayer is like a fire of joy radiating from the heart, and for perfect ones it is like a gracious light acting [in the soul]. Or again: prayer is the preaching of the apostles, the act of faith, or better yet, immediate faith, the steadfastness of those who hope, manifested love, angelic movement, the power of the disembodied, their work and joy, the Gospel of God, the message of the heart, the hope of salvation, the sign of sanctification, the symbol of holiness, the knowledge of God, the revelation of baptism, the cleansing of the font 184, the betrothal of the Holy Spirit, the joy of Jesus, the joy of the soul, the mercy of God, a sign of reconciliation, the seal of Christ, a ray of the rational sun, the morning star of hearts, the affirmation of Christianity, the revelation of God's reconciliation, the grace of God, the wisdom of God or, better, the beginning of wisdom in itself, God's appearance, the occupation of monks, the way of life of the silent, the reason for silence, a sign of the angelic order of life. And, to say a lot, prayer is God, who works all things in all, because there is one action of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, who works 185 all things in Christ Jesus. 114. If Moses had not received the rod of power from God, he would not have become a god to Pharaoh and would not have defeated either him or Egypt. And the mind, if it does not have the power of prayer in its hand, will not be able to break sin and forces that are contrary to itself. 115. Those who speak or do anything without humility are like those who build a house in winter or without cement. To find and comprehend humility through experience and reason is the [happiness] of very few. Those who spread words about him are like those who measure the abyss. We, the blind, who have an adolescent understanding of this great light, will say little. True humility does not have a humble speech, nor a humble appearance, does not force one to think humbly, nor, in humility, reproach oneself. Although [all] these signs and images of humility [are] sort of its varieties, humility itself is grace and a gift from above. There are, as the fathers say, two humility: a) considering oneself the lowest of all and b) attributing one’s good deeds to God. The first is the beginning, the second is the end [of humility]. Those who seek it should be aware and have in mind three such [objects of reflection]: 1) that they are more sinful than all people, 2) more disgusting than all creation, as contrary to their nature, and 3) more miserable than demons, as demonic slaves. [The humble one] should say this: “Do I know exactly the sins of people, what they are and how many there are? Are they greater than or equal to my sins? Due to ignorance, we, soul, will consider ourselves lower than all people, like the earth and dust under their feet 186. And how can I not consider myself the most vile of all creatures, when they correspond to their nature with which they were born, but through immeasurable iniquities I have deviated from nature? Truly beasts and cattle are purer than me, a sinner. Therefore, I, who cast myself down to hell and lie [in it] before death, am lower than everyone. And who doesn’t know and doesn’t feel that a sinner is baser even than demons, as their slave, novice and heir of darkness are still here with them?! In fact, he, the unfortunate one, is more bitter than the demons and, controlled by them, will suffer through this, inheriting with them the abyss. Dwelling before death in earth, hell and the abyss! How dare you call yourself righteous, having turned yourself into a sinner, a wicked person and a demon through evil deeds? Woe to your deception and delusion, you demon-possessed, dirty dog, sent for this into fire and darkness!” 116. The wisdom given by the Spirit, according to theologians, is the power of intelligent, pure, angelic prayer, the sign of which is the mind, which in prayer does not see any image and does not see with the sensory eye either itself [that is, appearance], or anything else, but is often distracted from the senses by the light [acting] in it, because then the mind becomes immaterial, light-like and inexpressibly united with God into one spirit. 117. There are seven mutually inclusive and mutually generated, but different ways that lead and guide the humility sent down by God: silence, humility, humility, humble clothing, self-abasement, contrition of spirit and placing oneself [everywhere] among the latter. Reasonable silence gives rise to humility. Three types of humility flow from humility of mind: humble speech pronunciation, humility and poverty in clothing, and constant self-reproach. These three images [of humility] give rise to 188 contrition, produced by allowing trials and called providential punishment and humility through 189 demons. Contrition [by itself] easily places the soul [in its feelings] lower than everyone else and last of all, as servile to everyone. These two types bring perfect and God-given humility, called strength and perfection of all virtues. It attributes its correction to God. So, the first of all [images of humility] is silence, from which humility is born. This produces 190 three kinds of humility; three form one 191 – crushing. Contrition gives birth to the seventh type, or the image of the first humility, subordinate to all, which is called providential. Providential humility brings [into the soul] perfect, true, unimaginable humility sent by God. The first, [that is, providential humility], arises under such conditions. If a person, left to himself, is [morally] defeated, enslaved and experiences the domination of every passion and thought over himself, then, not meeting help either from business, or from God, and absolutely from no one, and almost falling into despair, he cannot, oppressed from everywhere, not be crushed. He considers himself the lowest of all and the last slave 193, worse than the demons themselves, as defeated by them and subject to their tyranny. This is providential humility. After it, 194 God gives from above the second - the highest - humility, which represents the Divine power that acts in everything and produces everything. Thanks to it, man, always seeing himself as an instrument of Divine power, accomplishes amazing divine deeds with its help. 118. Since we now have a tyrannical predominance of passions as a result of many temptations, it is impossible to find in our race the contemplation of the essential 195 spiritual light, the undreamy mind and the undistracted, true action of prayer, always flowing from the depths of the heart, the resurrection and aspiration to heaven of the soul, its Divine amazement and complete admiration, a complete spiritual emergence from these feelings of thinking, abstraction from one’s own powers of the mind, angelic spiritual movement along God's wave, directed towards the boundless and incomprehensible. Usually the mind dreams more not about unimportant objects, but about [significant] things prematurely. So, by destroying the small good dispensation he received from God, he becomes completely dead. Therefore, one should seek with careful reasoning and the temporary not prematurely, and not turn away from what is in one’s hands, dreaming of something else. It is not difficult for the mind by nature to construct dreamy ideas about the above and imagine 197 of them what has not yet been achieved. Because of this, considerable fear arises that such a person will not lose the spiritual treasure given to him and, deluded, will not lose his mind, turning 198 from a silent person into an idle dreamer. 119. Grace is not only faith, but also effective 199 prayer. It [grace], produced by the spirit through love, clearly shows true faith, having the life of Jesus. He who does not see faith operating in himself has acquired the opposite faith - dead and lifeless. Let him not even be called a believer who believes only in an unproven word, but does not have faith in the spirit and in fulfilling the commandments. So, one must demonstrate faith by success in [good] deeds or have it shining and acting in the light, as the divine apostle says: Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith from my works (James 2:18), emphasizing here that grace-filled faith is revealed by works according to the commandments, just as the commandments are fulfilled and shine through faith in grace. Faith is the root of the commandments, or, better, the source that waters them to increase. It bifurcates into confession and grace, remaining indivisible by nature. 120. The small and at the same time the great and shortest novice ladder has 202 five steps leading to perfection: the first [step] is renunciation [of the world], the second is submission [to monastic regulations], the third is obedience [in life], the fourth is humility, the fifth is love, which is God. Renunciation of hell raises up [morally] the lying and enslaved and frees [from the power of] matter. Submission finds Christ and serves Him, as He said: Whoever serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there will my servant also be (John 12:26). Where is Christ? [In heaven] sits at the right hand of the Father. The servant must be there, where is the One Whom he serves. [Let him remember this] who places his foot [on the 1st step] towards the ascent. Sometimes, [however], before ascending in these ways, a person already follows Christ and improves. Obedience, acting entirely according to the commandments, builds a ladder from various virtues and places them in the soul as steps. Taking the obedient one down from this [ladder], 203 elevating humility carries him upward - to heaven, transfers him to the queen of virtues - love and, leading him to Christ, presents him. So easily a true novice ascends to heaven along a short ladder. 121. To the royal palaces in heaven 204 there is no other shortest path through the small ladder of virtues, except [the path] of destroying the five passions opposite to obedience, namely: disobedience, contradiction, self-indulgence, self-justification and disastrous conceit. They are members and parts of a rebellious demon, who, absorbing his illegitimate children 205 from the novices, sends them into the abyss to the serpent. Disobedience is the mouth of hell, contradiction is its sword-sharp tongue, self-indulgence is its sharpened teeth, self-justification is its larynx, hell-referring conceit is the breath of its omnivorous womb. But whoever conquers the first by obedience cuts off the rest with one blow and with one degree [of virtues] quickly rises to heaven. A truly indescribable and incomprehensible miracle! And our philanthropic Lord accomplished it. [From now on] one can immediately ascend to heaven through one virtue or, better, a commandment, just as through one disobedience we fell and are being cast into hell. 122. Man is, as it were, a special dual world and is called, according to the divine apostle, new. Anyone who is in Christ, they say, is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). A person is called and exists by virtue as heaven, earth and everything. For him, as the Theologian notes, everything is said and every mystery is accomplished. Moreover, since, according to the apostolic word, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, powers, darkness of this age and against the heavenly spirits of the wickedness of the prince of the air (Eph. 6:12), then, according to this, in the nature of our spiritual powers, as in another great world, there must be our secret opponents. And indeed, against the three [forces of the soul] the three princes [of malice] make attacks, opposing the ascetics. Who [of them] makes progress in what and works on what, experiences struggle in that. The serpent, the prince of the abyss, takes military action against those who are attentive to the heart, as having [the basis] of his power on the passionate loins (see Job 40:11) and the navel 207. Through the voluptuous giant of oblivion, he throws [at them] searing clouds of fiery arrows and, having, as it were, some sea of ​​boundless lust, enters it, reptiles in it, agitates it, foams it, brings it to a boil and inflames [the tempted] to mix, flooding them with streams of pleasures, and overwhelms them with them to the point of insatiability. The prince of this world attacks those who strive for active virtue, as supporting 208 the struggle against irritable force. With the spell of all kinds of passions, through the giant of negligence, he cunningly wages [war] in irritable force, as if in another world - in a place of spectacles or an arena. He always conquers or is conquered by those who courageously oppose him, preparing for them either crowns or shame in the face of the angels. Directing his regiments at them, he fights against them [vigilantly]. The air prince admires those who occupy his mind with contemplation, presenting them with the fantastic while approaching with crafty air spirits the thinking and mental parts of the soul. Through the giant of unreason, he darkens the high mind with indignation, like another - mental - sky, falsely presenting foggy images and transformations of spirits, instilling fear with ghostly lightning, thunder, storm and crash. Obviously, each of the three princes, fighting with the corresponding force [of the three-part soul], opposes it. And whoever [of the demons] fights with which part of [the soul] competes against that part. 123. And they [spirits of evil] were once minds, but, having fallen from this immateriality and subtlety, each of them acquired some material roughness, having become fleshed out according to the order or property of action from which they received their qualities. Since the demons 209, like man, deprived of angelic bliss 210, lost [the ability] to enjoy the Divine, they began to experience sweetness, like us, in the earthly, having become in some way material due to the inclination to material 211 passions. And one should not be surprised at this, in view of the fact that our rational and thinking soul, created in the image of God, having forgotten God, has become bestial, insensitive and almost insane from the enjoyment of material affairs, because usually skill transforms nature and changes its actions in accordance with the free decision of the will. Some of the [evil] spirits are to some extent material, obnoxious, 213 unbridled, voluptuous, vengeful and, like some carnivorous animals, attracted to material pleasure and enjoyment. Like dogs to blood, so they show their love for tasting rot together with [other] animate [creatures]. Their flesh, pleasure and dwelling are material and gross. Other [demons] are dissolute and susceptible to carnal passion, like leeches, frogs and snakes in swamp water. Sometimes they change into fish, follow the caustic pleasure of debauchery, as if experiencing it experimentally, and swim in a sea of ​​​​intoxication. Being, as they say, lazy and pampered by nature, [these demons] rejoice in the pampering effect of unreasonable pleasures and always arouse in the soul waves of thoughts, unclean dreams, worries and storms. [Some demons], like airy spirits, are light and subtle. They distract the soul from contemplation, infuse [it] with a kind of sultry winds and dreams, and in order to seduce the soul they falsely turn into birds or angels. Drawing 214 in [human] memory the views of certain known objects, they transform and pervert all spiritual contemplation, especially those [ascetics] who struggle with them before purification and spiritual reasoning. There is nothing spiritual, whatever [demons] secretly transform themselves into in the imagination. In contrast to the internal [human] state, in the measure of moral height, they arm themselves and place in the souls what is inflicted, that is, charm instead of truth, fantastic images instead of contemplation. Scripture clearly testifies to this, saying that the spirits of evil become manifest [in the form of] beasts of the field, birds of the air and reptiles of the earth (see: Hos. 2:18). 124. Indignation of passions and carnal war, aroused against the soul, occur among us in five forms: sometimes the existing 215 is abused by the flesh; sometimes she strives for unnatural actions, as if they were characteristic of nature; sometimes, having become pleasant friends with demons, they sometimes turn them against the soul. It happens that the soul itself allows disorder, as if it has defined itself by passions. Finally, a struggle also arises from the envy of demons, which, for our humility, we are allowed to resist when by all the above-mentioned methods they do not achieve the [tempting] goal. 125. There are three main causes of spiritual warfare, which appear to us from everything and through everything: addiction, abuse of existing things and, by assumption, envy and the struggle of demons. Voluptuous excitement and restoration of flesh to soul and soul to flesh have the same character in skill and manifestation as the [rebellion] of the passions of the flesh against the soul and the valiant struggle of the soul against the flesh. Our enemy himself, being shameless, sometimes unexpectedly and without reason begins to boldly fight us. Do not, my friend, let the bloodthirsty leech drink blood from the arteries, because it can never vomit blood. Do not allow the serpent and the dragon to become satiated with dust, and you will easily crush the pride of the lion and the serpent. Sigh until, having laid aside earthly things 216, you take refuge in the highest dwelling and are transformed into the image of Jesus Christ, who created you. 126. The truly perfect flesh and self-love [embodied] are those who are always enslaved to pleasure and love of glory. Envy took root in them. Exhausted by gloating and overwhelmed by grief [over] the happiness of their neighbor, they slander the good [in him] as an evil and actual product of delusion, they do not accept and do not believe in what is from the Spirit, and due to lack of faith they are not able to see or know God. Such, in their blindness and lack of faith, will rightly hear there: I do not know you (Matthew 25:12). But the faithful one who asks [about salvation] must either, listening, believe in what he does not know, or study what he believes, and instruct those who receive [the sermon] with what he has learned with faith, increasing their talent without envy. If anyone does not believe in what he does not know, and disparages the incomprehensible, or teaches what he himself has not studied, slandering those who teach instruction from experience, he will receive his full share with those who have inherited 217 bitter bile as punishment. 127. According to the truly wise, an orator is one who briefly, through general knowledge 218, mentally embraces existing things. He separates and combines them, like one body, showing that they are equivalent 219 in difference and identity. Or again: the orator, rightly called thorough 220, is a truly spiritual [person], who, as a teacher of eloquence, with the commonly used words of an articulate voice, separates and unites the five different general and cumulative qualities of things united by the Word made man. Having comprehended them all, he not only reveals them to others with a pure demonstrative word, but, according to the expression of external teachers, he can even enlighten others with the contemplations revealed to him in the spirit. A true philosopher is one who, from [observing] objects, understands their cause, or from the cause has come to the knowledge of existing things through their unity, incomprehensible to the mind, and his immediate faith; who not only knows, but also experiences Divine things. Also, a true philosopher is one who has an active, contemplative and submissive mind. An excellent philosophical mind is characteristic of the one who has shown success in moral, natural and Divine philosophy, especially in the love of God, and [who] from moral philosophy is taught by God about God's affairs, from natural philosophy - speeches about nature, from Divine philosophy - contemplation and the indisputable truth of 221 dogmas. Further, the divine of the divine is that orator who separates truly existing things from existing and non-existent ones, explains the properties of those from these and, by Divine inspiration, discerns the properties of these on the basis of those. He [the speaker] recognizes the spiritual and invisible from the sensory and visible, and the sensory and visible world from the invisible and supersensible, because the visible is the image of the invisible and the invisible is the prototype of the visible. Some one says that images of unimaginable things and types of unformed things are presented to us, so that this [figurative world] will be spiritually revealed through that [non-figurative] one, and that one through this one, and [so that] we can clearly see [both worlds] together or one in the other, explaining 222 them with the word of truth. The speaker presents knowledge shining like the sun, not with mysterious and allegorical words, but through [his] spiritual knowledge and power. With the greatest expressiveness, he interprets and shows the properties of both worlds, since one of them serves as our guide, the other as the eternal Divine home, obviously prepared for us. The Divine philosopher is the one who, through activity and contemplation, directly united with God, became His friend and is called such, as having become friends with and loving the original 223, creative and true Wisdom above all other friendship, wisdom and knowledge. A philologist, and not a perfect philosopher (although fame secretly gave him the name of philosopher, as the great Gregory says), is one who loves and studies the wisdom [of the structure] of God’s creations, but, according to what was said at the end of this [creation], he does not exercise this wisdom vainly, [not] for the sake of praise and human glory, so as to be a lover not of matter, but of the natural wisdom of God. A scribe consists of 224 one who has studied the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God, who is actively engaged in the contemplation of God and remains in silence, who from the treasury of his heart brings forth new and old, that is, evangelical and prophetic, [teaching], New Testament and Old Testament, theoretical 225 and active, or legal and apostolic. The scribe spreads these new and old mysteries, having learned them through a godly life. So, a scribe is all practical and practices bodily activities. The divine speaker is the one who naturally occupies a middle position between knowledge and the properties of things and spiritually proves everything by the dividing power of the word. Finally, the true philosopher is the one who clearly and directly in himself has a supernatural union with God. 128. Without the Spirit, those who write, speak and intend to build the Church are soulish and do not have the Spirit (see: Jude 1:19), as the divine apostle said somewhere. They 226 fall under the curse of the one who asserted: “Woe to the wise before themselves and to the understanding before themselves” (see: Is. 5:21). And they speak from themselves, and not the Spirit of God, according to the word of the Lord (see: Matt. 10:20), speaks in them. Those who preach from their own thoughts before purification are led astray by the spirit of conceit. The parable says about this: “I saw a man who thought that he was wise. But a fool has more hope than he has” (see: Proverbs 26:12). And Wisdom also bequeaths to us: Do not dream about yourself (Rom. 12:16). Himself filled with the Spirit, the divine apostle declares, saying: We ourselves were unable to conceive anything of ourselves, but our ability is from God (2 Cor. 3:5). And again: “We speak as if from God in the presence of God in Christ” (see: 2 Cor. 12:19). The words of the above-mentioned 227 [proud people] are unpleasant and unluminous, because they pronounce them, borrowing not from the living source of the Spirit, but from their hearts as some kind of muddy swamp that feeds the snakes, leeches and frogs of carnal passions, arrogance and intemperance. The water of their knowledge is fetid, cloudy and lukewarm, and those who drink it, experiencing dizziness, disgust and nausea, turn away from it. 129. “We are the body of Christ,” says the divine apostle, “and members separately” (see: 1 Cor. 12:27). And again: One body and one Spirit (Eph.4:4), as they are called. Just as a body without a spirit is dead and insensitive, so one who has killed himself through passions through negligence about the commandments of baptism becomes alien to the action [of grace] and unenlightened by the Holy Spirit and Christ’s grace. By virtue of faith and rebirth, he has a spirit, but [the spirit] in him is motionless and inactive due to his spiritual mortification. [A person] has one soul, but many members of the body. And she owns everyone, gives them life and moves those who are capable of accepting life. Those members that have dried up due to some random illness, [those] she holds with her, but lifeless and insensitive, as if dead and motionless. So the Spirit of Christ, entirely abiding in all the members of Christ unfused 228 and acting, revives those of them who are able to be participants in the [gracious] life, and through the weakness of those who are separated from Him, humanely retains them as their own members. Therefore, every faithful 229 is a participant in the birth of the Spirit by faith, but remains without His action and unenlightened, having lost the light and life of Jesus due to carelessness and unbelief. And, despite the fact that every faithful member of Christ has the Spirit of Christ, nevertheless, others remain inanimate by the action and movement of grace, as incapable of receiving it. 130. We affirm that there are eight main 230 objects of contemplation: the first is God, the formless, beginningless, uncreated, the Cause of everything, the Trinity One and all-essential Deity; the second is the order and structure [of life] of intelligent forces; third – arrangement of the existing one; the fourth is the economic descent of the Word; fifth – general resurrection; sixth - the terrible second coming of Christ; the seventh is eternal torment; eighth – Kingdom of Heaven. The four [first objects of contemplation] are past and have already happened, and the four [last] are future and not yet realized. All of them are clearly contemplated and are [in memory] for those who, with the help of grace, have acquired complete purification of the mind. Let him who approaches them without light [grace] know that he is constructing fantastic images and not contemplations, deceiving himself and being deceived by a dreamy spirit. 131. Here, if possible, it is necessary to talk about charm, since due to the richness 231 and diversity of its intrigues and ambushes, it is not easily recognized by many and is almost incomprehensible. Charm, they say, is found in two forms, or, better, comes 232 and is reflected in relation to the dreams and actions [of people], although it has its beginning and reason in pride alone. The first type [of charm] is the beginning of the second, and the second is the beginning of the third or frenzy. The beginning of fantastic contemplation is conceit, which determines the presentation of the Divine under some image. Conceit follows charm, [leading] to delusion due to daydreaming. Dreamy charm gives rise to blasphemy, and after that, from extraordinary signs during wakefulness, it produces timidity, called trembling and confusion of the soul. Thus, after excessive pride comes delusion, after charm comes blasphemy, after blasphemy comes timidity, after timidity comes trembling, and after trembling comes an unnatural frenzy of the mind. This is the first image of the delights of dreams. The second type of charm in relation to actions is this. It has its origin in voluptuousness, usually born from natural carnal passion. From voluptuousness comes an unbridled impulse towards unspeakable immorality. He, having kindled all nature and darkened the ruling mind by connecting with imaginary idols, leads him into a frenzy and, intoxicated by his inflaming influence, makes him insane. [Then the charmer] tries to predict false prophecies, prophetically announces the visions of some saints and their speeches revealed through him, and, intoxicated by the excitement of passion, changes in character, like a demon possessed 233. Laymen who are deceived by delusion call them holy fools. [The charmers] settle down and stay at the churches of certain saints and proclaim something to people thanks to the fact that demons possess them, influence them and torment them. [Such persons] should be called in the full sense of the word 234 possessed, seduced and enslaved by charms, and not prophets prophesying the present and future. The demon of debauchery itself, having darkened their minds with a voluptuous fire, leads them into a frenzy, dreamily showing them some saints, presenting visions and various conversations. But it happens that the demons themselves come to them, oppress them with fear and, having subjected them to the yoke of Satan, 235 forcibly move them to sinful actions in order to keep them captives and slaves destined for torment until the end. 132. You need to know that delusion has three primary reasons why it arises in people: pride, demonic envy and punitive indulgence. The reasons for these [grounds of delusion] are the following: pride - frivolity, envy - improvement, punitive indulgence - sinful life. The delusion of envy and proud conceit is quickly healed, especially if someone humbles himself. But God sometimes allows delights in the form of punishment or provision to Satan for sin to continue until death. It happens that innocent people are given over to suffering in order to save them. You should know what the demon of conceit himself predicts [sometimes] in those who do not carefully watch their hearts. 133. All pious kings and priests will truly be anointed in the new grace 236, as the ancient ones once were. The latter were prototypes for our truth and not partly 237, but all foreshadowed all of us, because our kingdom and priesthood with those [ancients] do not have coincidence and homogeneity, although their images are the same. We are not distinguished by nature between anointing or grace and the call to anointing, but we have the same knowledge, faith and image. And from the word of truth it is clear and known that what is pure, dispassionate and all that is most holy in the present and future ages is entirely dedicated to God. 134. He now speaks with his lips wisdom and with the reflection of his heart - knowledge (see: Ps. 48:4), who clearly shows from the existing God the Word the Hypostatic Wisdom of God and the Father and [who] with his mind sees in things the imprints of prototypes 238 and with his lips, with the assistance of the living word, preaches wisdom from 239 wisdom, while [his] heart illuminates with the power of renewed spiritual knowledge. [He] through this knowledge can arouse faith in listeners and enlighten them. 135. The great opponent of truth, now leading 240 to the death of people, is delusion. Through her, dark ignorance reigned in the souls of the careless, alienating them from God, so that they do not know whether there is a God who aroused and enlightened us, or they know and believe in Him only by an unproven word, and not by deed, His appearance is learned not by us, but by the ancients alone. They attribute the testimonies of Scripture about God to other authors who did not express them, and they blaspheme the glory of God, as Scripture says (see: 2 Peter 2:10). They completely deny the knowledge of piety, explain the Scriptures only sensually, not to say Jewishly, and, rejecting the awakening of the soul still here through the resurrection, they madly strive to rest in their graves. With such seduction three passions are inseparable: unbelief, deceit and carelessness. They give birth to and support each other. Unbelief is the teacher of deceit, and deceit is the companion of carelessness, which leads to complete laziness 241. Or, on the contrary, carelessness is the breeder of deceit, as the Lord said: The wicked and lazy servant (Matthew 25:26). Deceit is the mother of unbelief, because everyone who is deceitful is unfaithful, but the unbeliever does not fear God. From lack of fear comes carelessness - the mother of negligence, due to which we do not care about any good and commit various evils. 136. True knowledge of God 242 and correct knowledge [of the truth] constitutes the perfect Orthodoxy of dogmas. Therefore, everyone should praise God like this: “Glory to Thee, Christ our God, glory to Thee! You became man for our sake, the all-essential God the Word. Great is the mystery of Your economy. Our Savior, glory to You! 137. According to the great Maxim, there are three great purposes for compiling impeccable and infallible writings: the first is for one’s memory; the second is for the benefit of others; the third is by virtue of obedience, according to which very many scriptures have been compiled for those who humbly seek the word [of the truth]. He who writes to please people, for glory and to demonstrate his virtues, loses, I say, his reward. He will not receive any benefit here, nor will he receive a blessed reward in the future, but he will be condemned as a flattering, covetous man selling the word of God. Anyone baptized into Christ must reach all the ages of Christ, because he has already anticipated their power and through the commandments can find and assimilate them. Conception [in the life of a Christian] is the pledge of the Spirit, birth is the action of joy, baptism is the cleansing power of the fire of the Spirit, transfiguration is the contemplation of the Divine light, crucifixion is the mortification of everything [sinful], burial is the guarding of Divine jealousy in the heart, resurrection is the life-giving awakening of the soul, ascension is the frenzy and rapture of the mind to God. Whoever has not acquired and felt [the named states] 243 is still a baby in body and spirit, although everyone would consider him an old man and active. 2. The suffering of Christ imparts life-giving mortification to those who [as it were] endure all of them, so that, by suffering [with Christ, they] may be glorified with Him. Suffering from [immoderate] pleasures acquires murderous mortification for those who receive them, because only the voluntary bearing of Christ’s suffering is the crucifixion of the crucifixion and the mortification of mortification. 3. To suffer for Christ means to endure everything that happens. Envy serves the innocent for good, but for us, the guilty, reproof turns and the Lord’s punishment opens our ears 244 to good. Therefore, to those who endure everything, the Lord promises a crown forever and ever. Glory to Thee, our God! Glory to Thee, Holy Trinity! For everything, glory to You! 4. Dejection - this hard-to-control passion - relaxes the body; in the exhausted body the soul 245 relaxes. When both [body and soul] become exhausted, then the state of the body changes from voluptuousness. Voluptuousness excites impure carnal desire, lustful carnal desire [causes] inflammation, inflammation - violent rebellion 246, rebellion sets in motion memory, memory - reverie, reverie - preposition, preposition - combination, combination - consent, and consent accomplishes the work either through the body or in a variety of ways. This is how a defeated man falls. 5. Patience in every matter gives birth to courage, courage - jealousy, jealousy - self-control, self-control - tension, tension in activity or its increase lulls the intemperance of the body and tames the voluptuousness of carnal desire. The taming of the desire [of the flesh] arouses melancholy, melancholy - love, love - indignation, indignation - ardor, ardor - awakening, awakening - zeal, zeal - prayer, prayer - silence. Silence gives birth to contemplation, contemplation - knowledge, knowledge - possession of secrets. The end of the mysteries is theology, and the fruit of theology is perfect love, [the fruit of] love is humility, humility is dispassion, and dispassion is foresight, prophecy and foreknowledge 247 . Here, no one has either perfect virtue or decreases vices at once, but has both virtue, which increases slightly, and evil, which little by little comes to nothingness. 6. Question: how does a sinful and non-sinful emission occur? Answer: sinful behavior occurs in three ways: from fornication, self-satisfaction 250 and agreement with thoughts. Non-sinful [emission] occurs seven times: through urine, from food that burdens [the stomach], from excitement, due to a cold drink and looseness of the body, from immoderate labor and, finally, due to various dreamy images excited by demons. For ascetics who have grown old in virtue, [emission] occurs in the first five ways mentioned above. Among the dispassionate, mucous matter flows unmixed only with urine, because as a result of many godly actions of purification and sanctification, they have, as it were, rare secret reasons [for emission] and they are given the grace of abstinence 251 from it. The last type - dreamy outflow in sleep - occurs 252 in passionate and physically weak people. However, this appearance, as involuntary, according to the fathers, is not sinful. According to Providence, the dispassionate is characterized by a sinless flow through [known] intervals of time, when the rest of the seminal matter is destroyed by Divine fire. For an ascetic-doer, the need [for flow] is manifold and liberation [from matter] is innocent 253 . The passionate is characterized by a twofold outflow: free 254 and conditioned 255, in accordance with daydreaming in sleep or while awake. Of [them], the first is blameless, while the second is sinful and requires penance. The dispassionate have one outflow and liberation of the body [from matter] - according to Providence, through the substance of urine. As excess [matter], destroyed by Divine fire, is poured out and destroyed according to the above [method]. For active and average people, I say, there are six reasons for the inevitable “fluid movement”, through which the body is cleansed and freed from tempting 256 substances and from natural and necessary needs, namely: heavy food, excitement due to a cold drink, weakness of the body 257, immoderate work. And finally, nature suffers [expiration] through its own 258 fault - from the envy of demons. Likewise, the weak and beginners have six passionate causes [outflow]: gluttony, idle talk, condemnation, vanity, and two more - agreement with dreams and attack of demons out of envy. Providence, which invariably watches over them 259, tends to free their nature from [the source of] depravity, alien excesses and animal 260 desires that have crept into it and teach them to carefully exercise humility and completely curb themselves in everything. 7. He who is in solitude and feeds on alms 261 must accept alms under seven conditions: first, ask for something useful; secondly, use it beneficially; thirdly, accept what you receive as if from God; fourthly, believe that God is a rewarder; fifthly, to be a doer of His commandments; sixthly, do not allow them to be neglected; seventhly, not to be greedy, but giving [alms to others] and compassionate. He who limits himself to such rules 262 rejoices in the fact that he is guided by God and not by people. III. his detailed discussion about silence and prayer, moreover about the signs of grace and delusion and about the difference between ardor and energy and how easy it is to fall into delusion without a guide We should, O standard-bearer Longinus, say, according to the great Teacher, that we do not need help from Scripture and various fathers, but thus be taught by God Himself. And they will, it is said, all be taught by God (John 6:45), that is, as if from Him and through Him. [Directly] not only we [the silent ones] were worthy to learn and study useful things, but also everyone who is a believer, so that the law of the Spirit is carried inscribed on the tablets of our hearts and we 263 are cherubically worthy to converse with Jesus through pure prayer, which is very wonderful. Since at the moment of rebirth we are infants who do not understand grace, do not see renewal and are not aware of the extraordinary greatness and glory that we have received, nor the duties to grow mentally and spiritually through [fulfilling] the commandments and to know rationally what we have accepted, then many of us, through carelessness and passionate habit, fall into insensibility and darkness. We do not remember whether God exists, or who we are and what we have become, having become sons of God, sons of Light, children and members of Christ. Are we, if we are already baptized as men, then only [being baptized] in water, and not feeling the Spirit? If we are renewed in the Spirit and, believing with an unproven, dead and inactive faith, we affirm that we are in doubt [regarding our grace], then we are truly 264 carnal, we live and act carnally. When we repent, we only outwardly 265, and do not realize, do not fulfill the commandments spiritually. And the grace that is worthy of some to be discovered after their many labors 266 we accept [obviously] as a deception. If we hear about its effect from others, then out of envy we assume that it is a charm. So until death we remain dead - living and acting not in Christ. And what we had, as a result of unbelief or despair during the departure [from this world] and judgment, but the Scriptures, is taken away from us (see: Mark 4:25), who did not think that the children should be like the father - God from God and spiritual from the Spirit. What is born of the Spirit, it is said, is spirit (John 3:6). But we are carnal, although we are destined to be faithful and heavenly, and as a result the Spirit of God does not dwell in us. That is why the Lord gave [us] up to plunder and captivity and multiplied the bloodshed, rightly wanting to improve us and teach us to believe or heal [our] evil with the most powerful healing means. 2. With the help of God, who gives the word to those who preach the gospel about spiritual 267 blessings, first of all it must be said about how someone can find or, better yet, has already found what he has acquired, that is, received through the baptism of Christ in the Spirit, according to the Apostle Paul, who affirmed: “Do you not know that Christ Jesus lives in our hearts?” (see: 2 Cor. 13:5). Then [let's say] how you can improve and then maintain what you have achieved 268. The best and closest 269 way [to the truth] is to speak briefly about the limit 270, which has an enormous breadth, together with the average that determines it. Many 271 indulged in the feat until they found what they were looking for, but did not move further and did not care about it. Such people are content with only the beginning that they have found and, stumbling, follow the wrong path. They think that they are walking on the right path, but [in fact] they are being carried away 272 from it. Others, having reached an average degree of enlightenment, became exhausted before the end, fell into carelessness, or, returning to their former ways, became beginners again due to a careless life. Some, having entered the measure of perfection, becoming equal in deeds to the average and beginners, fall and change to their previous [state] due to carelessness and conceit. The novice, average and perfect are characterized by: some - activity, others - enlightenment and the last - purification of the soul, or resurrection. How is action achieved? 3. The operation of the Spirit, which we have mysteriously received in baptism, is acquired in two ways. First of all, it should generally be said that the gift [of the Holy Spirit] is revealed by 273 fulfilling the commandments with the help of great and long-term labor, as the ascetic Mark 274 said. And since we keep the commandments, [the Spirit] clearly illuminates us with His characteristic brilliance. Secondly, the Holy Spirit appears in obedience through the knowledge and continuous invocation of the Lord Jesus, that is, through the memory of God. With the skill of the first way of life [the gift of grace] is found more slowly, with the skill of the second - faster, if [only] you diligently and patiently dig the earth in search of gold [grace]. And if we want to find and know the truth without wandering, then we will strive to have only one heart action, completely formless and unimaginable, and we will not dreamily, [as] in a mirror, see either the image or the outline of the face, apparently, of one of the saints, or contemplate the light, [since] charm, especially at the beginning, usually misleads the mind of the inexperienced with these ghosts. Let us take care 275 of only one thing, to have the action of prayer taking place in our hearts, warming and pleasing the mind and inflaming the soul to the inexpressible love of God and people. Therefore, whoever sees what happens from prayer [requires] considerable contrition and humility, especially since even among beginners, prayer is always a moving internal action of the Holy Spirit, at the beginning spreading from the heart like a fire of joy, and in the end manifesting itself as a fragrant light. 4. The signs of the beginning [of the action] of prayer in those who seek it correctly, and not as curious ones, are such, according to Wisdom, which said that it is acquired by those who do not experience it, and appears to those who believe in it (see: Pres. 1:2). In some, its [action] is expressed 277 as rising light, in others - as tremulous joy, in others - as joy, in others - as a mixture of joy and fear, in some - as awe and joy, sometimes - as tears and fear. The soul rejoices at the providence and mercy of God, fears and trembles at His coming, being guilty of many sins. For others, at first there occurs 278 indescribable contrition and extreme tension 279 of the soul, like grief giving birth and suffering in the pangs of birth, according to Scripture (see: Rev. 12:2), since the living and active Word, that is, Jesus, as the apostle says, goes to the separation of soul and body 280, joints and marrow (see: Heb. 4:12), in order to forcibly cut off the passions from all parts of the soul and bodies. In others [ascetics] shine through 281 indestructible peace and love towards everyone, in others - joy, which the fathers often call leaping 282, like the strength of the spirit, and the movement of a living heart. This [state] is also called the beating and breathing of the Spirit, inexpressibly turning from us to God (see: Rom. 8:26). Isaiah calls it the wave of the righteousness of God, the great Ephraim - the tip 283, and the Lord - the source of water flowing into eternal life (John 4:14). [The Lord] actually called the [grace] of the Spirit water, beating in the heart and spreading with great intense force. 5. Leaping 284, or joy, has two differences, namely: there is a joy of a calm nature, which is called the beating, sighing and reasoning of the spirit, and there is a stormy 285 joy of the heart, called the playing [of the spirit], an enthusiastic movement 286, or trembling 287, or the majestic takeoff of the living heart into the Divine airy sphere. Inspired by jealousy from the Divine Spirit and freed from the shackles of passions, the soul, before death, tries to rise to heaven, irresistibly striving to free itself from the heaviness [of the body]. This [experience] is called excitement, effervescence and excitement of the spirit [according to the words]: Jesus Himself was grieved in spirit, was greatly indignant and said: where have you laid him? ( John 11:33–34 ). The divine David points out the discord between great and small raptures, saying: The mountains leaped like rams, and the hills like lambs (Ps. 114:4). He said this about perfect and novice ascetics. [Otherwise] it would be incomprehensible if he remembered soulless, and not animated, 288 mountains and hills as jumping. 6. You should know that Divine fear does not have trembling, but trembling joy, which is formed through prayer in the flame of Divine fear. Here I mean the thrill not of joy, but of anger or punishment and abandonment [from above]; fear [I assume] is not from fear of anger or punishment, but from wisdom, which is called the beginning of wisdom. Fear, which the fathers call dual, is divided into three ways: introductory, perfect, and actually called trembling, that is, hesitation and contrition. 7. Trembling has diverse shades 289: one - from anger, another - from joy, the next - from carnal passion (when, due to an excess of blood near the heart, as they say, boiling occurs), another - from old age, also from sin or delusion, another - from the curse that fell on the human race through Cain. Moreover, at the beginning of the ascetic, the trembling of joy and the trembling of sin struggle. Trembling [by nature] is not the same for everyone. Its signs are twofold: firstly, tremulous delight in great joy and tears with which grace consoles the soul; secondly, immoderate heat, pride and soul-burning hardness of heart, exciting the members [of the body] to cohabitation or to bodily connection and love and causing depravity through the consent of the soul with dreams. 8. For every beginner, the action [of experience] is twofold and, without confusion, is accomplished in a dual way in the heart: one from grace and the other from delusion. The great Mark the Ascetic testifies to this, saying: “There is a spiritual action and there is a satanic action, unknown only to an infant.” And there is also a threefold warmth of action, kindled in people now by grace, now by delusion and sin, now by an overflow of blood, which Thalassius Africanus called dissolution and mixing, tamed and pacified by moderate abstinence. 9 . The action of grace is the power of the fire of the Spirit, which in the joy and gladness of the heart moves, strengthens, warms and cleanses the soul, stops thoughts as if for an hour and temporarily mortifies bodily movement. The signs and fruits [of grace] that reveal the truth and unshakably confirm us in it are as follows: tears, contrition, humility, abstinence, silence, patience, isolation 291 and other [virtues] of this kind. 10. The effect of delusion is the ignition of sin, inflaming the soul with pleasure, awakening a frenzied passionate desire for carnal cohabitation in bodily movement. According to Saint Diadochus, everything that is distinguished by unreasonable joy is disordered and meaningless, or everything that, according to a fair expression, is unnutritious, greatly promotes passion with lukewarm pleasures and gives lust, with the cooperation of an insatiable belly, the substance of inflaming pleasure. Hence [the effect of prelest] attracts and inflames one to carnal confusion and for that reason moves, burns and chains the soul to itself, so that a person, through skill in voluptuousness, little by little expels grace from himself. IV. His about Silence and two types of prayer There are two images of unity [with God] or, better, on both sides the entrances of mental prayer, moved in the heart by the Spirit. Thanks to them, either the mind anticipates prayer 292 there [in the heart], clinging, according to Scripture, to the Lord (see: Ps. 72:28), or the preceding manifestation of the action [of the Holy Spirit] attracts the mind with the fire of joy and binds it to the invocation and unity with the Lord Jesus. Although the Spirit acts on everyone in a unique way, as it wishes (see: 1 Cor. 12:11), according to the word of the apostle, it happens that for some one action of the Spirit precedes another, according to those images [of prayer] about which we spoke. Sometimes the action takes place in the heart - of course, when passions decrease and when Divine warmth 293 is revealed through the continuous calling of Jesus Christ, because our God, says Scripture, is a fire that consumes passions (Heb. 12:29). But sometimes the Spirit attracts the mind to Itself, placing it in the depths of the heart and freeing it from the habit of circling. Then he [the mind] is led captive no longer to Assyria from Jerusalem, but from Babylon to Zion and makes a better resettlement, so that he and the prophet say: “When the Lord returned the captivity of Zion [we were as if we were seeing in a dream]” (see: Ps. 126:1), and also: Jacob will rejoice and Israel will rejoice (Ps. 13:7), that is, the active and contemplative mind, with the help of God, conquering passions through activity. He sees God in contemplation as it is accessible to him. Then, in joy from Divine sweetness, the mind, as if invited to a most magnificent meal, sings: “You have prepared a table before my face in contrast to the demons and passions that oppress me” (see: Ps. 22:5). How to pray 2. Solomon said: In the morning, sow your seed - of course, prayer - and in the evening, do not let your hand rest, so that prayer, having an occasional break in its constancy, does not lose its [deserved] lot at the hour of hearing, because you do not know whether one or the other will be more successful (Eccl. 11:6). In the morning, sitting on a bench ¾ feet high 294, force the mind from the place of command, [or from the head], to descend into the heart and keep it there. Hanging your head as if from fatigue, 295 and experiencing sensitive pain in your chest, shoulders and neck [from tension], mentally or spiritually exclaim continuously: Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me. Then, through self-restraint and toil, often and as if with a sorrowful mood, always have the three names [just mentioned] constantly eaten like one food. Those who eat me, it is said, will hunger even more (see: Sir.24:23). Turning your mind to the other half of the prayer, say: Son of God, have mercy on me. Having read this half [of the prayer] many times, you should not often, out of laziness, change it [to the first]. And plants that are replanted frequently do not take root. Next, hold back the breath of your lungs so as not to breathe unnecessarily, since hearing sighs flying out of the heart darkens the mind, scatters thoughts and, expelling the mind from the heart 296, consigns it to the captivity of oblivion or, instead, imperceptibly sets it up to care about others, which should not be acquired. If you see the impurities of insidious spirits, that is, thoughts rising or transforming in your mind, do not be amazed, do not dwell on them, even if you remember 297 good explanations of some things, and do not delve into them, but, as far as possible, holding your breath, confining your mind in your heart and constantly repeating without interruption the invocation of the Lord Jesus, you will soon burn and push away the thoughts, invisibly scourging them Divine name. That’s why Climacus says: “In the name of Jesus, defeat your enemies, since there is no stronger weapon either in heaven or on earth.” 3. That you must hold your breath is evidenced by the hermit Isaiah and many others. Isaiah says: “Restrain the uncontrollable mind, which is crowded and scattered by the enemy’s 298 force, which after baptism returns again with other evil spirits to the lazy soul due to its carelessness.” And, as the Lord notes, the last is worse than the first (Matthew 12:45). Another [holy father] also teaches: “A monk should have the memory of God instead of breathing.” Or, in the words of another [ascetic], “you must have love for God that precedes your own breath.” And the New Theologian [instructs]: “Reduce the retraction of your nostrils so as not to breathe unnecessarily.” And the Climacus [says]: “Let the memory of Jesus unite with your breath, and then you will learn the benefits of silence.” The Apostle [testifies of the same thing]: It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. 2:20), acting and breathing Divine life. And the Lord says, taking an example from the blowing of the sensual wind: The Spirit breathes where it will (John 3:8). Since we, purified [by baptism], received the pledge of the Spirit and received, according to God’s brother James, the word as sown seed (cf. James 1:21), then all this, as if uniting with us, in some way adores us in an inseparable and unfused communion with God, filling us [spiritually] with [God’s] goodness. But as a result of neglecting the commandments, these guardians of grace, we again, through carelessness, fell into passions and, instead of the breath of the Holy Spirit, we were filled with the wind of evil spirits. Obviously, as the fathers say, laziness and improper breathing come from them. He who has acquired the Spirit and received cleansing from Him is inflamed by Him and inspired to Divine life, speaks, thinks and moves, according to the word of the Lord: You will not speak, but the Spirit of your Father will speak in you (Matthew 10:20). Likewise, one who has an opposing spirit and submits to its dominion 299 does and says the opposite [of the saint]. How should the psalms be sung? 4. Having become tired, says Climacus, let him get up and pray and, having sat down again, let him courageously continue the same work 300. Although he said this about the mind, that is, that what is noted should be done when [one] achieves the guarding of the heart, the same thing is appropriate to say about psalmody. It is reported that Barsanuphius the Great was asked how the psalms should be sung. The elder answered: “The hours and chants are church traditions. They are given to the favor of 301 for the agreement. But the hermits do not sing for hours, nor have hymns, but handicrafts, and private exercise 302, and an insignificant prayer rule. While standing in prayer, you must say the Trisagion, Our Father, pray to God for liberation from the old man and not dwell too much on the prayer rule 303, because your mind should be in [mental] prayer all day long.”304. By this, the elder showed that private exercise is heartfelt prayer, and short prayer is standing during psalmody. The great John Climacus definitely speaks [about this]. The work of silence, [in his words], the absence of worries in everything, non-slothful prayer, or standing and, thirdly, the constant work of the heart 305, safe from theft 306. This is the seat of prayer and also of silence. 5. Where does the difference come from, that some teach to sing a lot, others - a little, others - not to sing at all, but to do only some kind of handicraft, [mental] prayer 307, kneeling or some other painful work? The resolution of this [question] is as follows. Those who have gained grace through an active life, through many labors and years, have learned [to acquire grace] and instruct others. They do not believe and do not approve of those who, by the grace of God, skillfully achieved this [gift] in a short time and with warm faith, as Saint Isaac says. Therefore, robbed by unreason and self-conceit, they condemn such people and fully vouch for others that if something happens [that is different from them], then this is delusion, and not a manifestation of grace. They do not know that it is easy in the eyes of the Lord, according to Scripture, to quickly and suddenly enrich the poor (Sir.11:21). Or this is what the parable about grace says: the beginning of wisdom is to acquire wisdom (see: Proverbs 4:7). And the apostle reproaches his contemporary disciples who do not know about grace, saying: Or do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? Unless you are what you ought to be (2 Cor. 13:5), that is, due to your carelessness you are not being [morally] perfected. That is why [such persons], due to unbelief and arrogance, do not accept [as true] the extraordinary properties of prayer, which are uniquely produced in some by the Spirit. 6. Tell me this way [judge]: if someone fasts, abstains, stays awake, stands [in prayer], kneels, weeps, practices non-covetousness, is this not activity? Why do you say that without activity, following only the [rule] of psalmody, it is impossible to master prayer? Isn't this the case? I answer: if someone prays with his lips but wanders with his mind, what benefit does he gain? When one creates and the other destroys, nothing [comes from this] except labor. But just as someone works with his body, so he must also [work] with his mind, so as not to appear righteous outwardly 309, but in his heart to be filled with impurity and carelessness. The apostle affirms this, saying: “If I pray with my tongue, that is, with my lips, then my spirit, or my voice, prays, but my mind remains unfruitful” (1 Cor. 14:14). And one more thing: I want to say five words with my mind and so on (1 Cor. 14:19). The witness that [Paul] speaks about this is Climacus. In “A Word on Prayer,” he notes: “The great performer of great and excellent prayer says: “I would rather say five words with my mind,” and so on. There are many types of activities 310, but they are private. Heartfelt prayer, as a source of virtues, according to Climacus, is great and all-encompassing, through it every good is acquired. Noting the excellence of the [prayer] work, Saint Maximus says: “There is nothing more terrible than thinking about death and more magnificent than the memory of God.” And some, being darkened and lacking faith due to great insensibility and ignorance, at the present time do not even want to hear whether there is grace. 7. Those who sing a little, I think, do well by bowing 311 to moderation, because every measure, according to the sages, is excellent, so that [otherwise their] mind, having spent all its spiritual strength on activity, does not show its inattention in prayer and powerlessness in it. Therefore, [the silent ones], partly chanting psalms, but most of all, let them strive for prayer. Likewise, when the mind is disturbed by the continuous mental cry and persistent affirmation [of attention in prayer], then it should be given a little rest by freeing it from the constraint of silence into the space of psalmody. This is a wonderful order and the teaching of wise men. 8. Those who do not sing psalms at all do well, if they are [morally] mature. Such people do not need psalmody, but [should remain] in silence, unceasing prayer and contemplation, if they have achieved enlightenment. They are united with God and have no need to distract their minds from Him and throw them into confusion. Fall for a novice, says Climacus, is one’s own will, but for the silent one it is separation from prayer. The mind of such, when it departs from the memory of God as from a bridegroom, is occupied with the most insignificant matters, and commits adultery. Training and others in this order is not instilled in everyone. Among obedient simpletons and illiterate people, yes, because thanks to humility, [their] obedience has a share in every virtue. But [this science] is not given to the disobedient, whether they are simpletons or scholars, lest they inadvertently be exposed to delusion, since the self-willed are not able to avoid conceit, which is usually followed by delusion, as St. Isaac says. Some, without thinking about future harm, teach those who meet them to act according to their custom, [that is, through personal efforts], so that the mind gets used to the memory of God and loves it, which is impossible, especially for those living independently. Moreover, thanks to the impurity of their mind, not purified by tears due to arrogance, they reflect in it, as in a mirror, more shameful images of thoughts, and not prayer. The unclean spirits in their hearts, disturbed by the terrible name of God, gnashing their teeth, wanting to destroy their scourge. If a self-willed person hears or studies this work and wishes to master it, he will suffer in one of two ways: either he will fall into delusion if he forces himself and turns out to be incorrigible, or if he is careless, then throughout his entire life he will remain alien to [spiritual] growth 312. 9 . I will also say this as someone who knows a little from experience. When, silently, day or night, you sit, in humility, continually praying to God without thoughts, and the mind becomes exhausted from cries, [and] the body feels pain and the heart from the strong affirmation of the continuous invocation [in it] of Jesus will experience neither warmth nor joy 313, from which the zeal and patience of the ascetic are born, then, having risen, stand and sing the psalms alone or together with the disciple who lives by you, or engage in reasoning about some word [of Scripture], or the memory of death, or handicrafts, or something else, or, reading carefully, stand still in order to give the body labor. When you stand alone at psalmody, read the Trisagion, then also say a mental prayer mentally or mentally, listening to your heart with your mind. If you are overcome by despondency, read two or three psalms and touching troparia without singing, because such, as Climacus says, do not sing. For the silent ones, 314 for joy, the labor of the heart undertaken in piety is enough, as Saint Mark noted, and the warmth of the spirit given to them for joy and rejoicing. After [reading] the psalm, mentally or spiritually read the prayer and Alleluia without distraction. This is the charter of the holy fathers Barsanuphius, Diadochos and others. The psalms, according to the divine Basil, should be changed daily to stimulate zeal and so that the mind does not lose pleasure from the always monotonous singing 315. For even greater strengthening and jealousy, the mind should also be given freedom. If you are standing at psalmody with a faithful disciple, then let him read the psalms. But you, praying and secretly listening to your heart, beware of [absent-mindedness]. Despise all judgments of a sensual or rational nature that come from the heart with the assistance of prayer, because silence is the temporary putting aside 316 of undivine thoughts 317 and not from the Spirit in order not to lose more when paying attention to them. 10. You, who love God, pay careful attention to [the following] for information. When, while doing something, you see light, or fire, or any image outside or inside yourself - whether of Christ, or an angel, or someone else - do not accept it, so as not to suffer harm. Do not focus your attention on what you yourself visualize and do not allow your mind to depict it. All this, inappropriately imagined from the outside, leads to spiritual delusion. The true beginning of prayer is warmth of the heart, burning passions with unshakable love [for God], bringing joy and joy into the heart and confirming it with an undoubted message. Everything that comes into the soul, say the fathers, whether sensual or spiritual, [as soon as] the heart doubts it, not accepting it, arises 318 not from God, but is sent by the enemy. And if you notice your mind being drawn by some invisible force to the external or upward, do not believe it and do not allow it to be drawn, but immediately force it to your task. What comes from God, said Saint Isaac, comes naturally and unexpectedly. It is true 319 that sometimes the enemy within the natural loins dreamily modifies the spiritual as he wishes, offering one thing instead of another. Instead of warmth, it induces an uneven burning sensation, so that the soul is burdened with this kind of cunning; instead of fun, it arouses wordless joy and wet pleasure, which is why conceit and vanity clearly arise. [Although the enemy], hiding from the inexperienced, tries to present his seduction [under the image] of the action of grace, but time, experience and feeling usually reveal Satan 320 to those who are not completely unaware of his cunning. The larynx, according to the word of Scripture (see: Job 34:3), distinguishes food, that is, the spiritual taste clearly and unmistakably shows everything as it is. 11. Being an active person, says Climacus, read active Scriptures. For you, who follow them [the instructions], another reading is unnecessary. Always read about silence and about prayer itself 321 from Climacus, from Saint Isaac, from Saint Maximus, from the New Theologian, from his disciple Stiphatus, from Hesychius, from Philotheus of Sinai and from those who [wrote] about the same thing. Put aside the rest of the scriptures for a while, not as being rejected, but as being incompatible with [your] goal and removing the mind from prayer with their narrative. Let your reading be in private, [without] vanity in a voice, proceeding [without pretense] to the grace of pronunciation or sophistication of speech and without audio pleasure. While absent [from a meeting, one should not imagine oneself] as if present there, insensitively carried away by a passionate desire to please some [persons]. [Let not] your reading be insatiable, because moderation is the best thing in everything, neither fast, slow or careless, but reverent, decent, calm, harmonious, understandable, reasonable, spiritual and judicious. Strengthened by such [properties of reading], the mind receives strength and is able to 322 pray strongly. With the above-mentioned opposites to these [properties of reading], the mind acquires darkness, weakness and frenzy, so that the ability to think in the head suffers, and weakens in prayer. 12. Every hour pay attention to your inclination, carefully observing where it is drawn, whether it is pleasing to God 323 for the good itself and for the sake of spiritual benefit you sit, silent, or chanting psalms, or reading, or praying, or practicing any other virtue, so as not to be imperceptibly [spiritually] robbed. May you not appear according to the schema as a doer, but in the way of thoughts and actions, a seeker of pleasing people, and not pleasing God. The evil one has many wiles, and he secretly watches very keenly where our intentions are inclined. Unnoticed by many, he always strives to devalue 324 a matter unknown to us, so that what is done would not be according to God. But, although he inexorably fights and shamelessly approaches us, you, having a firm intention to [please] God, will not be plundered by him often, despite the involuntary compulsion [at times] to fluctuate the direction 325 of your will. In the same way, if someone is overcome through weakness involuntarily, he is quickly forgiven and praised by the One who knows the hearts and intentions [of people]. This passion, I mean vanity, does not allow the monk to improve in virtue, so he carries out 326 labors, and in old age turns out to be fruitless. Vanity always approaches all three and strips them of virtuous labors - I’m talking about the beginner, the average and the perfect [ascetics]. 13. Having learned from experience, I also affirm that a monk never has moral perfection without the following virtues: fasting, abstinence, wakefulness, patience, courage, silence, prayer, silence, crying and humility. These virtues give birth to and protect each other. Continuous fasting, drying up carnal passion, gives birth to abstinence, abstinence produces wakefulness, wakefulness - patience, patience - courage, courage - silence, silence - prayer, prayer - silence, silence - crying, crying - humility, humility, on the contrary, - crying. Going back in order, you will find that mothers give birth to daughters. In virtues greater than this, mutual subordination by origin does not exist. The opposite of these [virtues] is also quite obvious to everyone. 14. Here it is necessary to determine in order the labors and pain of [ascetic] activity and clearly show how each type of activity should be carried out 327 so that others, according to the instructions 328, not painlessly walking this path and not receiving the fruit, will not accuse either us or others of not being as [things are] as we said. Heart pain and bodily labor truly accomplish the work as it is 329. Through them, the action of the Holy Spirit is revealed, which in baptism is given to you and to every believer, but due to negligence about the commandments, it is buried by passions and, out of inexpressible mercy, awaits our repentance, so that at the end of the feat for our infertility we do not hear: Take his talent (Matt. 25:28) - and this: What he thinks he has will be taken away from him (Luke 8:18) - and not be sent to punishment as punishment. eternal torment in Gehenna. Any bodily and spiritual activity that does not have pain and labor does not bring any fruit, neither physical nor spiritual, to the person who undergoes it, because the Kingdom of Heaven, the Lord said, is perceived with compulsion, and those who use force delight it (Matthew 11:12). Here, under duress we mean an all-over painful bodily feeling. Often, many have worked painlessly or are working for a short time and, enduring the labor painlessly, not with seething zeal of heart, are said to be alien to purity and not participating [in the gifts] of the Holy Spirit due to the refusal of bitter labors. Those who perform many things carelessly and sluggishly, although sometimes they are very exhausted, as it seems, but they, deeply insensitive 330, never reap the fruits 331 because of the painlessness of [the labors]. A witness [of this] says: “Even if we had all the great [feats] in our lives, if we have not acquired a sick heart, then they all become counterfeit and corrupted” 332 . In the same way, when we, without tension, marching [toward heaven] and straying from despondency into entertainment, do not receive any benefit, then we become darkened, showing that in these [entertainments] we have found rest, which is not there, we are invisibly bound by insoluble fetters and become sedentary and inactive in all work, increasing effeminacy in ourselves, especially if we are beginners. The great Ephraim also testifies to this, saying: “Do work with pain in order to avoid the painful fast of frivolous labor. If, according to the prophet, our loins do not relax from the labor of fasting, if we are not overcome by illness, like one giving birth to a baby (see: Is. 21:3), from the intense affirmation of the heart [in prayer], then we will not give birth to the spirit of salvation on the earth of the heart (see: Is. 26:18),” as you have already heard. Considering ourselves to be something, we boast only of longevity [of exploits], being in a barren desert, relaxation [from work] and silence. At the time of death, we will undoubtedly experience the full fruit [of our life]. 15. It is impossible for anyone to study the science of virtues on their own, although some have used their own experience as a teacher. By themselves, and not by advice, those who have improved in their activities usually have, or, better yet, give birth to self-conceit. If the Son does not create anything of Himself, but, as the Father taught Him, so He does (see: John 5:19) and the Spirit does not speak from Himself (John 16:13), then is there anyone who has reached such a great height of virtues, at which he would not need the secret guidance 334 of himself from someone outside? Such a person in self-delusion seems to have more madness than virtue. Therefore, one should obey those who [experienced] have gone through the labors of active virtue, and observe under [their guidance] fasting [until one always feels] hunger, unpleasant abstinence, patient wakefulness, tiresome kneeling, taxing [body] motionless standing, continuous prayer, unfeigned humility, incessant contrition and sighing, wise silence, as if seasoned with salt, and in patience everyone. But one should not always live in peace or remain in continuous inactivity 335 before old age or illness. You, says Scripture, will eat from the labor of your hands (Ps. 127:2), and also [it notes]: The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who make effort (see: Matt. 11:12). Whoever strives intensely to carry out the above-mentioned types of activities will, with God, reap the fruits from them in a timely manner. V. His same about how the Silent One should sit during prayer and not finish it hastily Sometimes, to get more tired, sit on a bench, sometimes on a bed, but rarely, in moderation and only for rest; you must patiently remain in the sitting position according to the following remark of Scripture: they [the apostles] were constantly in prayer (see: Acts 1:4). One should not get up quickly due to negligence, because of painful sadness, mental crying and continuous affirmation of the mind [in prayer]. For behold, says the prophet, sorrow has come upon us, torment, like a woman in labor (Jer. 6:24). Therefore, with your head down and your mind gathered in your heart, if, of course, it is open, call on the Lord Jesus for help. Working [in prayer] and often feeling pain in your head and shoulders, bear it, seek the Lord in your heart with tension and jealousy. The Kingdom of Heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it away (Matthew 11:12). With these words, the Lord rightly emphasized the importance of these 336 works, since remaining in them with patience is the mother of diseases of the soul and body. How to read the prayer 2. Some of the fathers said [the prayer] like this: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me; others [read] half of it: Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me, which is easier due to the powerlessness of the mind. From himself, without the [Holy] Spirit, no [person] can call on the Lord Jesus purely and completely, unless he prays in the Holy Spirit, babbling more like a baby, unable to utter [words] separately. However, one should not often change the invocation of names out of laziness, but [it is important] to pronounce them with consistency and for a long time. Moreover, some teach to say prayers orally, others mentally. I believe - in one and the other [way], because sometimes, due to exhaustion, the mind is not able to utter a prayer, sometimes the lips. For this reason, one must pray in two ways: with the lips and with the mind. One must cry out quietly and calmly so that the voice, confusing the feeling and concentration of the mind, does not interfere with prayer. Until the mind, having become accustomed to [this] matter, receives strength from the Spirit and is perfected, until then it learns to pray undividedly and firmly. Then, [that is, in the power of the Spirit], there will be no need to say [the prayer] verbally, and it is impossible, because there is enough strength to perform the [prayer] exercise with just a healthy mind. How to keep the mind [from wandering] 3. Know that no one on his own can restrain himself with his mind (from absent-mindedness) unless he is restrained by the Spirit. As always moving, the mind is not unstable by nature, but is disposed to rotate due to our carelessness and from the beginning [of the Fall] has acquired a tendency towards absent-mindedness. When we, by breaking the commandments, separated from God, who regenerated us [in baptism], then we interrupted our unity with Him, and in our feelings we [lost] our rational sense of Him. Hence, the mind that has deviated and moved away from God is everywhere as a captive, and cannot establish itself [in the heart] otherwise than if it does not submit to God, does not put itself [depending] on Him, does not unite joyfully with Him, and unless it prays to Him often and intensely. Let the mind 337 each time, mentally confess what it falls into, immediately to the Forgiver of all, to those who contritely and humbly ask for forgiveness and always call on His holy name. [Not without reason, David] says: “Confess the Lord and call on His holy name” (see: Ps. 105:1). Constriction of breathing when closing the lips keeps the mind [from distraction], but only partially; [then] it dissipates again. So, when the effect of prayer comes [in the heart], then it will completely keep the mind near itself, will delight it and will not allow it to be captured. However, it also happens that 338 the mind and thought of the one praying and established in the heart wanders, worrying about strangers 339 . Thought is subject to no one except those who are perfect in the Holy Spirit and who have achieved undistractedness [of mind] in Christ Jesus. How to eliminate thoughts 4. None of the beginners will ever expel a thought unless God removes it. Only the strong tend to struggle with thoughts and reject them 340. But even these do not drive them out on their own, but move to resist them with God, as if clothed in His full armor. But you, when thoughts come, continually and diligently call on the Lord Jesus, and they will run away, unable to bear the warmth of the heart that comes from prayer, and will dissipate, as if scorched by fire. In the name of Jesus, says Climacus, scourge your enemies, because our God is a fire that destroys evil. The Lord, quick to help, will soon take vengeance for those who cry to Him with all their souls day and night. He who does not have the effect of prayer overcomes thoughts in a different way. God drives them away from him when he, imitating Moses, stands up and turns his hands and eyes to him (see: Ex. 17:11), then, sitting down again, patiently begins to say a prayer. This method is used by those who have not acquired the power of prayer. But prayer 341 is also powerful in influencing bodily passions—I mean fornication and despondency—cruel and heavy passions—often standing up, [prayerfully] stretching out his hands in order to protect against them. However, out of [fear of] delusion, he does not do this for long and sits down again, so that the enemy does not deceive his mind by showing some image of truth in the sky, since having a mind, even safe from falling, above, below, and in the heart, and everywhere keeping it intact is characteristic only of one pure and perfect. 5. Some say that [you should sing] little, others that you should sing a lot, and still others that you should not sing at all. To avoid confusion, do not sing often, nor do you stop singing altogether due to subsequent relaxation and carelessness, but imitate those who sing a little, because moderation in everything is the best, according to the words of the unwise sages. It is appropriate to sing a lot for those going through an active life due to their ignorance [of contemplation] and as a result of work, but not for those who are silent, who have enough strength to be in God alone and, praying to Him with all their hearts, refrain from thoughts. According to Climacus, silence is the deposition of thoughts about sensory and mental objects. Having spent all its strength on prolonged psalmody, the mind relaxes and is not able to pray strongly and patiently. At night, said Climacus, devote yourself more to prayer and less to psalmody. This is what you should do too. When you notice that prayer is active in you while you are sitting 342 [on the bench] and is continuously moving in your heart, never leave it until a certain time in order to get up to sing, until it providentially leaves you. Otherwise, leaving God inside, you will stand and conduct a conversation with Him outside, deviating from the heights to the earthly. In addition, you will create confusion [in the soul] and take the mind out of [the state of] peace. By its name, silence finds and work is carried out in peace and silence, especially since God is peace, rising above noise and confusion. Our singing, in accordance with the structure of life, should also be not carnal, but angelic. Singing with an exclamation of the voice symbolizes a mental cry and is given to us in case of carelessness and [spiritual] coarseness to renew the true mood. Only those who do not know that prayer, according to John Climacus, is a source of virtues, feeding the strength of the soul, like plants, it is appropriate to sing a lot, without measure, and always be busy with many varied exploits, until they grow in contemplation from extremely intense activity and acquire mental prayer operating within them. In general, the activity of silence is different and the activity of community is different. Everyone who remains in what he is called to will be saved. Therefore, I am afraid to write because of the weak, seeing that you are among them. Anyone who patiently prays 343 according to hearing or [book] teaching, without acquiring a guide, ruins [his work]. He who has tasted grace should, according to the fathers, sing moderately, practicing more in prayer, and while relaxing, sing or read the active [chapters] of the fathers. The ship does not require oars when the wind inflates the sails, since this wind provides a favorable breeze for easy navigation of the salty sea of ​​passions. When stopped in a calm state, [the ship] is set in motion by oars or a boat. Some, as an objection, refer to the holy fathers, or at least to the known 344 of them, in the sense that they performed all-night vigils and kept incessant psalmody. With this, in the light of 345 Scriptures, we will answer: not all ascetics have everything perfect, either due to a lack of zeal or lack of strength. The small for the great is in any case not insignificant, and the great for the small is not completely perfect. Therefore, not always - now or long ago, figures - and not everyone followed the same path or always firmly adhered to it to the end. Many from active life came to contemplation and stopped all [things], keeping sabbath 346 according to the spiritual law, and rejoiced in God alone, being satisfied by the grace of Divine food, which did not allow them to sing or practice anything else [except prayer]. They, having already partially reached the edge of desires, were at times in amazement, as if in the form of a guarantee [of eternal bliss]. Others were saved by activity until the end [of life], calming down in anticipation of future reward. Some were confirmed [of salvation] at their death, or after death exuded a fragrance as evidence of their salvation. [These are those] who, like everyone else, having the grace of baptism, thanks to ignorance and the captivity of their minds, while they lived, did not experience 347 [tangible] mysterious communion with God. Others are distinguished by their skill in both, that is, in singing and prayer, and thus spend their lives, possessing abundant grace as ever moving and not encountering obstacles in anything. Others in particular remained silent until the end. As if they were the only ones united with the One God, they, being simpletons, found complete contentment in prayer. Those who are perfect, as we have said, are able to do everything through Christ who strengthens them, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. To someone who asks about curbing the belly 6. What can I say about the womb - the king of passions? If you can kill him or make him half-dead, do not cut him any slack. It has subjugated me, beloved, and I, as its slave and tributary, serve it, the collaborator of demons and the receptacle of passions. Through him our fall occurs and through him our uprising occurs when it obeys good discipline. Through him we fell from the first and second Divine dignity, because, having been corrupted from the beginning, we are again restored in Christ. And now they have again become alienated from God by neglecting His commandments, which protect and increase grace in the perfection of [the soul]. Without knowing it, we are deceived into thinking that we are with God. Bodies have many differences in nutrition, as the fathers said. One [person] requires little, another requires a lot to maintain his natural strength. Everyone is content with food according to strength and habit. However, the silent one must always be hungry 348 without being satisfied. When the belly is burdened and the mind is clouded due to this, then [a person] is not able to say the prayer intensely 349 or purely. Under the influence of 350 fumes from many dishes, he tends to sleep, strongly desires to lie down quickly, and thanks to this, 351 in his sleep countless fantastic images attack his mind. In view of this, for those who wish to receive salvation and for the sake of the Lord force themselves to live in silence, as I think, ¾ pound of bread is enough, water or wine - three or four cups daily; One should eat little by little from all the nutritious foods that are accidentally available, avoiding satiety, so that by such wise consumption [of food, namely] tasting all [foods], one can move away from pride and, thanking God for everything, not show disdain for God’s creations, which are very beautiful. This is the reasoning of the prudent. For those who are weak in faith and soul, it is more beneficial to abstain from food 352. The apostle also commanded them to eat grains (see: Rom. 14:2), because they do not believe that God will preserve them. What can I tell you? You looked for rules [in nutrition], but it is very difficult for you, the old one. Young people can maintain weight and measurements in food. How can you keep that [rule]? When eating, you should observe freedom in everything. If you are overcome [by gluttony], repent, begin [to correct yourself] again and do not stop doing this every time, falling and rising, always reproaching yourself and not another, and you will have peace, wisely, according to the Scriptures, achieving victory through falls. However, do not overstep the boundaries that we outlined before, and it will be enough for you, since other foods do not strengthen the body as much as eating bread and water. That’s why the prophet, not counting anything else, said: “Son of man, eat your bread by the weight and drink your water by the measure” (see: Ezek. 4:9 et seq.). Nutrition 353 has three limits: abstinence, contentment and satiety. Abstinence is expressed 354 in the feeling of hunger even after eating; contentment is expressed in not starving or being burdened; satiety is expressed in a slight burden [of food]. After being full, eating is the door of gluttony, through which fornication enters. But you, having carefully understood what has been said 355, without transgressing boundaries, choose the best according to your strength, because, according to the Apostle, it is characteristic of those who are perfect to be satisfied and hungry, and to be strong in everything (see: Phil. 4:12-13). About beauty and many things 7. Look, I want you to know exactly about delusion, to beware of it, and so that, led by ignorance, you do not seriously harm yourself and destroy your soul. The free choice of man is easily inclined towards association with enemies, especially among the inexperienced, as those most persecuted by them. Near and around newcomers and self-willed demons usually deploy networks of thoughts and disastrous dreams and [prepare] ditches of downfalls, since their [spiritual] city is under the rule of foreigners. And one should not be surprised if one of the inexperienced is deceived, or falls into a frenzy of mind 356, or accepts and accepts delusion, or sees something alien to the truth, or speaks inappropriately due to inexperience and ignorance. Others, often expounding on the truth, ignorantly and imperceptibly saying one thing instead of another, are unable to correctly say how [this or that] matter stands. He frightens many, and brings censure and laughter to the silent ones with his insane activities. And there is nothing surprising in the fact that some beginner, after much work, falls into delusion. This has happened to many who seek God now and before. The memory of God, or mental prayer, is higher than all types of activity. She, like the love of God, is the head of virtues. But one who shamelessly and arrogantly desires to enter God and purely confess Him and who strives to acquire Him in himself, if allowed [from above], is easily killed by those - I mean demons - since he who arrogantly and boldly seeks something that does not agree with his personal 357 state is drawn vainly to achieving [the sought-after] prematurely. The Lord, who takes pity on people, often paying attention to how daring we are in [self-]exaltation, does not allow us to be tested, so that everyone, having recognized his own conceit, returns [to true asceticism] himself and before he becomes a disgrace 358 and a laughing stock for demons and weeping for people, especially when someone seeks this wondrous deed with patience, humility, and most of all with submission and asking the experienced, so that imperceptibly you would not reap thorns instead of wheat or 359 bitter instead of sweet, and instead of salvation you would not find destruction. The strong and perfect are the ones who always fight against demons and constantly stretch out the spiritual sword against them, which is the word of God (see: Eph. 6:17). The weak and beginners use reverent flight as a fortress, avoid single combat with fear and, not venturing into it prematurely, thereby save 360 ​​from death. But you, if, successfully 361 silently, expect to be with God, never accept anything sensual or spiritual that appears outside or inside [you], even if it is the image of Christ, or, apparently, an angel, or the appearance of a saint, or [at least] the light shines through and dreamily imprints on your mind. The mind itself has a natural ability to dream. He can easily build images of what he seeks from those who do not carefully listen to this and [thus] causes harm to himself. Such recollection of good and evil usually suddenly forms mental images and leads to daydreaming. Hence [such a person] 362 arbitrarily 363 becomes a dreamer, and not a silent one. Therefore, be careful whether you believe something because you are quickly carried away, before asking and doing a lot of research, even if it seems good, so as not to receive harm. Always remain indignant at dreams 364, keeping your mind constantly colorless, formless and formless. Often many were harmed and sent by God to test for the crown. Our Lord wants to test which way our free choice tends. But he who sees something mentally or sensually and accepts it without [the advice of] experienced people, even if [the appearance was] according to the will of God, is easily deceived or will be deceived in the future, as one who perceives [everything] thoughtlessly. A beginner needs to be attentive to the activity of the heart as non-deceptive, but still not accept anything else until the moment of pacification of passions. God is not indignant at the one who, strictly paying attention to himself, in order to avoid delusion, will not accept [signs] from Him without asking [experienced people] and much research, but rather praises him as wise, although he was indignant at some. However, not everyone should be asked, but one who is entrusted with the management of others, who shines in life and, being, according to Scripture, poor, enriches many (see: 2 Cor. 6:10). There were many inexperienced [leaders] who harmed many foolish ones, for whom they will stand trial after death. [The right] to lead others does not belong to everyone, but only to those who have been given divine reasoning, or, according to the Apostle, discernment of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10), dividing the word worse from the best with the sword. Everyone has his own reason and natural active or scientific reasoning, but not everyone [has] spiritual [reasoning]. Therefore, the wise Sirach said: Let those who live with you in the world be many, and let one of the thousand be your advisor (Sir.6:6). It is no small task to find a leader who is not mistaken either in words, or in deeds, or in thoughts. Whether someone is free from delusion is determined by whether he has evidence from the Divine Scriptures for his activity and his understanding of it, being humble in what he must reason about. Clearly comprehending the truth and being clean from what is incompatible with grace is no small task, because the devil usually shows his charm in the form of truth, especially to beginners, and transforms his insidiousness into the spiritual. As a result, one who diligently strives in silence to achieve pure prayer must go to [his goal] by asking experienced ones and in great trepidation and sadness, continuously mourning his own sins, grieving for them and fearing [hellish] torment, falling away from God and separation [from Him] now and in the future [age]. When the devil sees someone living in tears, he does not hesitate there, fearing 367 the humility produced by crying. If someone with conceit dreams of achieving high things, having acquired a satanic, and not a true desire, then [Satan] easily entangles him, as his servant, 368 with his nets. Therefore, keeping oneself in prayer and crying is the greatest weapon against falling into conceit from the joy of prayer, but, having chosen consoling sadness for oneself, to keep oneself unharmed. Prayer, free from [Jesus’] delusion, casting fire on the earth of our heart, is accompanied by warmth, burning passions like thorns, and creating silence and joy in the soul. Warmth comes not from the right or left side, not from above, but flows into the heart like a source of water from the life-giving Spirit. Desire to find it alone in your heart and to own it, always keeping your mind dreamless, naked from reasoning and thoughts, and do not be afraid, because He who said: Be of good cheer: it is I, do not be afraid (Matthew 14:27) - He Himself, Whom we are looking for, is with us and invariably protects us. When we call on God, we should not fear or complain. If some, having lost their reason, have become seduced into delusion, then know that they suffered this out of self-will and pride. And in obedience with questioning and humility, one who seeks God will never suffer loss of the grace of Christ, who desires all people to be saved. If a test happens to such a person, then it arises and is allowed to evaluate and crown it and is accompanied by the quick help of God through the means known to Him. Whoever lives correctly and treats others impeccably, avoiding man-pleasing and arrogance, [against] even the entire regiment of demons raised countless trials, would not harm him, as the fathers say. Those who move arrogantly and willfully [in life] are easily exposed to harm. Therefore, the silent one must always adhere to the royal path. Usually, excess in everything is unhindered by conceit, which gives way to charm. In prayer, moderate not only the breathing of the nostrils, as the inexperienced do, but also the breathing of the mind by some closing of the lips to prevent harmful arrogance. There are three virtues of silence that should be carefully preserved and hourly recognized whether we always preserve them, so that somehow, robbed of oblivion, we do not begin to walk in life outside of them. They are as follows: abstinence, silence and self-abasement, that is, humility, generating and protecting each other. From them prayer arises and continually increases. The beginning of the action of grace in prayer is revealed differently in different people, since in us, in the words of the Apostle, the diverse division of the gifts of the Spirit according to His will is noticed and recognized (see: 1 Cor. 12:11), revealed in us in the image of Elijah the Tishbite 369. Namely, the spirit of fear comes to some, destroying the mountains of their passions and crushing their cruel hearts like stones, so that from fear their flesh is, as it were, nailed with nails and becomes dead. In others, shock or joy appears, which the fathers very clearly called leaping. And among the first [this leaping] is also found inside as immaterial and essential, but it itself is impersonal, insignificant and sensually indefinite. For others, especially those who have perfected themselves in prayer, God produces a subtle, peaceful and complete breath of light when Christ, according to the Apostle, mysteriously dwells in the heart (see: Eph. 3:17) and manifests itself in the spirit. Therefore, on Mount Horeb God told Elijah that the Lord is not in this or that, not in the private actions of beginners, but in a subtle breath of light - there is the Lord, who showed the perfection of prayer. Question: What will someone do when a demon transforms into an angel of light and deceives a person? Answer: Because of this [phenomenon], a person needs a lot of prudence in order to recognize the difference between good and evil. Do not frivolously trust 370 to the images that quickly appear, but, being slow, accept the good and reject the bad with much testing. You must first evaluate and consider, and then believe. Know that the actions of grace are obvious, and although the demon changes, it cannot arouse meekness, friendliness, humility, hatred of the world, or the cessation of [carnal] pleasures and passions, which constitutes the action of grace. The demonic 371 actions [are]: pride, arrogance, intimidation and all kinds of evil. By these actions you can recognize whether the light that shines in your soul is from God or from Satan. Friedax is similar in taste to mustard and vinegar is similar in color to wine. But by tasting the larynx recognizes and determines the difference between each [of these things]. Likewise, the soul, if it has reasoning, can, through the sense of the mind, cognize the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the illusory dreams of Satan. The scientific merit of the Slavic and Russian translations of the works of St. Gregory of Sinaite From the 14th century to the present day, only five works of St. Gregory of Sinaite have survived. Their original text is Greek. In the 150th volume of the Ming Patrology, published in 1865, they are entitled as follows: 1. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. 2. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἕτερα κεφάλαια. 3. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἴδησις ἀκριβὴς περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ προσευχῆς. 4. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς. 5. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ περὶ τοῦ πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι τὸν ἡσυχάζοντα εἰς τὴν εὐχὴν καὶ μὴ ταχέως ἀνίστασθαι 372. The creations of the monk contain invaluable lessons that determine the normal course of life of ascetics - activists and contemplatives. In 1824, on the pages of the 16th book of the magazine “Christian Reading”, for September, a translation into Russian of the work of St. Gregory “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος” was first published. The author of the translation is unknown. Following this, in the second half of the 19th century, the Athonite Panteleimon Monastery, in a series of books “Philokalia”, translated by Saint Theophan from Greek into Russian, published three works of Saint Gregory of Sinaite: “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος”, “Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς”, “Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι”. In addition to the two aforementioned Russian translations, we also know the Slavic translation of all five works of Saint Gregory of Sinaite, made by the famous Russian ascetic Venerable Paisius Velichkovsky. It was published at the Moscow Synodal Printing House in 1793. Reprints of it were published twice: in 1822 and 1832 under Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow 373. The following must be said about the scientific merit of Saint Theophan's translation. The great reclusive saint, with his translation work, in fact, pursued not strictly scientific interests, but the satisfaction of the moral needs of the wide mass of believers of various levels of mental development. “Our collection,” notes St. Theophan the Recluse in the preface to the fifth volume of the Philokalia he translated, “has in mind not mental, but almost exclusively active life” 374. The quoted words of the saint correspond to the critical review of his famous biographer P. A. Smirnov about the Russian “Philokalia”, which says: “The translation of the “Philokalia” made by the Right Reverend Theophan is free, free, and it can rightly be called a paraphrase of the original” 375. Satisfying precisely the needs of the believing soul, St. Theophan actually gave society in the Russian “Philokalia” a clear, but at the same time too simplified in content and phraseology, inaccurate translation of the works of St. Gregory. The translation techniques of Saint Theophan in handling the original text of the works under consideration are characterized by significant freedom. In the work “Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς” the saint left the entire first chapter completely untranslated. He often presents the thoughts of St. Gregory briefly. In order to maintain the count of 137 chapters in the work “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος,” he often translates one or two initial phrases of a particular chapter, and the rest is deliberately omitted. Thus, in the discussion of Saint Gregory of Sinai about Eden, Saint Theophan omitted details concerning the vegetation and irrigation of Eden 376. For clarity, he paraphrases the reverend’s obscure remark about the reasons for the biblical designation of words about things by the term “thoughts” and thoughts by the term “words” 377 . The pages of his translation do not contain excerpts from the teachings of St. Gregory about the multi-significant structure of the human body and the laws of bodily activity 378, about the nature of demons and their relationship to people 379, and the philosophical characteristics of the “divine orator, philosopher, scribe” 380 are completely omitted. From the long tirade of St. Gregory of Sinaite: “...μετεωροπορίαν τοῦδε τοῦ παντός, ἔκστασιν διανοίας ἐν πνεύματι ὁλικὴν τῶν αἰσθήσεων, ἁρπαγὴν νοὸς τῶν οἰκείων δυνάμεων, ψυχῆς κίνησιν ἀγγελικὴν θεοκίνητον πρός τε τὸ ἄπειρον καὶ τὸ ἄναντες κινουμένην..." - St. Theophan keeps in translation only the following words: "... in the spirit there is a complete frenzy and God-moving angelic soul excitement" 381. The advice of St. Gregory of Sinaite on the position of the body of the silent when performing the Jesus Prayer, comments on the 6th verse of the 11th chapter of Ecclesiastes and thoughts on the consequences of improper breathing of the person praying 382 are also omitted by St. Theophan. When transmitting into Russian the contents of the first chapter of the creation “Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι,” the saint limits himself to some general phrases, and in chapter 3 of the same work the words: Πλὴν ἔστιν ὅτε τοῦ νοὸς προσευχομένου καὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ ἱσταμένου, καὶ ἡ διάνοια ῥέμβεται, ἄλλα μελετῶσα - concisely translates with the phrase: “It happens, however, even after this there is a floating of thoughts” 383. Following his goal, Saint Theophan the Recluse, in translating the works of St. Gregory of Sinaite, did not always comply with the requirements of literalness, arbitrarily cutting off the translated passages and preserving in them only freely conveyed thoughts. To illustrate, here are a number of Greek phrases that are missing in Bishop Theophan’s translation: ...? ἱστορήσαντες φάσκουσι... Οὔτε οὖν τελείως ἐστὶν ἄφθαρτος, οὔτε πάντῃ φθαρτός 384. Ἔθος γὰρ τῇ Γραφῇ ἁπλῶς περὶ τῶν τέως ἀπόρων ποιεῖν τὴν κατάφασιν καὶ ἀπεριέργως 385. ...Ταπείνωσις, ἡ τῆς ἀγάπης ἀρχή... 386 → τὸ ζωτικὸν συγκέκραται πνεῦμα. Ἀῤῥωστεῖ γὰρ κυρίως ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὅτε τὴν γενικὴν τῶν παθῶν ἀσθένειαν ἐπιφέρει, ἐν τῷ νοσοκομείῳ τῆς ῥᾳθυμίας ἀεὶ κατακείμενος 387 . As for individual Greek words and entire expressions from the original of the works of St. Gregory that were not translated by the saint, examples of such omissions can be indicated in many places in the Greek text of the works. In the work “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος” the following chapters have omissions: 8 (published by χωρὶς χυμοῦ); 10 (issued διηνεκῶς and starting with the words ὅθεν διερχόμενος to the end of the chapter); 11 (released φασίν; ἀνθρώπῳ; κἂν φθαρτὸν φέρῃ σῶμα διὰ τὴν πρόσκαιρον ζωήν); 18 (issued προσευχῆς); 19 (released by νοῶν); 27 (issued συναϊδίου); 29 (issued ἄποιος and περιχώρησιν); 30 (issued ἀπερίγραπτος γάρ); 32 (issued by ἀληθῶς); 39 (issued from the words ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡ νὺξ ὑπνῶσαι until the end of the chapter); 41 (issued πρὸς συμπλήρωσιν); 42 (issued by ὑπερφυῆ); 47 (issued from the words ἢ τυχὸν καὶ καθαρθεῖσα to the words ἢ κατ’ ἄλλην 388 and from the words μηδενὸς τῶν ἐν τοῖς until the end of the chapter); 58 (issued by ἡνωμένα and from the words of ἔρως δὲ ὁ διττός until the end of the chapter); 67 (issued ὥσπερ καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων οἱ λόγοι καὶ τὰ νοήματα); 69 (issued from the words αἴτιοι δέ εἰσι until the end of the chapter); 70 (issued with the words εἰ γὰρ καὶ πέπτωκεν until the end of the chapter); 71 (issued ἐγρηγορότως); 78 (issued with the words τὰ μὲν σωματικά until the end of the chapter); 79 (issued ἀδικία); 81 (issued from the words νόμος φυσικός to the words ζητητέον δὲ τίνι; from the words διὰ τὴν ἀῤῥήτως to the words ἡ ψυχὴ γὰρ καθ’ αὑτήν; from the words ὅτε γὰρ συνεφύρησαν); 82 (issued ἐπικρατείᾳ τῆς φθορᾶς); 85 (issued ἐν τοῖς φυσικοῖς; τῶν θεολόγων) 86 (issued from the words ὥστε δύνασθαι to the words καὶ ὅτε ἡμῖν δοθῇ); 87 (issued εἴτ’ οὖν μειονεξία); 89 (issued ὥσπερ τι κέντρον and from the words ὑποκείμενον γάρ ἐστιν until the end of the chapter); 90 (issued from the words ἔθος γὰρ τὰ θεῖα until the end of the chapter); 92 (issued from the words εἴπερ τύπος to the words ἐπειδὴ ὀλίγοις λίαν); 93 (issued by κατὰ Παῦλον; μάλα σοφῶς and from the words of ἱερουργία γὰρ κυρίως until the end of the chapter); 94 (issued καὶ διαφόρως; ἐκ τεσσάρων εἰδῶν); 96 (issued by ἐναργῶς); 103 (issued φησί); 110 (issued ἀδιορίστως; ταλαίπωρον); 115 (issued νεανικῶς and from the words ὄντως καὶ χείρων to the words γῆν δὲ καὶ ᾅδην); 118 (issued νεκρὸς ἐκ πάντων γένηται); 122 (issued from the words καὶ γὰρ καὶ οὐρανὸς to the words ἐπειδὴ γάρ; issued ὀμφαλοῦ; ἄβυσσου; δύνων; πάλην and from the words τὰς παρατάξεις αὐτοῦ to the words ὁ δὲ ἄρχων); 123 (issued from the words καὶ τὰ μὲν πνεύματα εἰσὶν ὑλώδη until the end of the chapter); 124 (issued τὰ παρὰ φύσιν); 126 (issued with the words χρὴ γὰρ τὸν ἐρωτῶντα until the end of the chapter); 129 (issued καθὼς καὶ ἐκλήθητε; ἀμιγῶς); 131 (issued ὅντινα 389 τρόμον καὶ κλόνον ψυχῆς); 133 (issued from the words οὔτε γὰρ κατ’ ἐκείνους to the words δηλοῖ δὲ καὶ ἐμφαίνει); 134 (issued from the words ὡς τοὺς λόγους τῶν ἀρχετύπων until the end of the chapter); 135 (issued from the words οἳ καὶ ὡς μὴ εἶναι to the words τὰ τρία ταῦτα πάθη). The same incompleteness of content characterizes the chapters of the second work of St. Gregory of Sinaite translated by St. Theophan: (issued by ὅτι δὲ ὀφείλεις κρατεῖν τὴν ἐκπνοὴν μάρτυς; according to καὶ τὸν ἔμφυτον λόγον before the words τῶν ἐντολῶν δὲ ὡς); 5 (issued from the words ἀλλὰ μόνην τὴν εὐχὴν to the words ἔστι δὲ ἡ λύσις; issued δὲ μὴ παραδεχόμενοι τοῖς ἐπιστημονικῶς); 10 (released by τούτων καὶ τῦφον ὁρᾶσθαι τικτόμενον; 390 τὴν αὐτοῦ πλάνην ἡγεῖσθαι βιάζοιτο); 11 (issued ἐπιεικῶς; εὐσταθῶς; συνετῶς; εὐρύθμως; λογικῶς); 13 (issued from the words ταύτης οὖν τῆς ἀλληλογενεσιουργίας until the end of the chapter); 14 (issued by ἐν ζεούσῃ προθυμίᾳ καρδίας; from the words of ἴσως δ’ ὅτε καὶ ἀπόνως to the words of ὑπὸ ἀκηδίας εἰς περισπασμούς); 15 (issued ὡς ἐν ἅλατι 391 ἠρτυμένην). Finally, in the work “Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι” in the translation of the saint, in comparison with the original text, the chapters are somewhat shortened: 2 (issued from the words ὅπερ εὐκολώτερόν ἐστι to the words οὐκ ὀφείλει δὲ συχνῶς); 3 (issued from the words ἐξομολογεῖσθε γάρ to the words ὅτε οὖν ἔλθῃ); 5 (issued from the words ἀποκρινόμεθα τούτοις to the words διότι οὐ πάντες εἰσίν; issued ὡς πάντες; ὡς εἴπομεν); 7 (issued from the words καθορᾶται καὶ γινώσκεται to the words ἔν τισι μὲν πνεῦμα; from the words κράτει τὸν ἀνασασμόν to the words τρεῖς δὲ ἀρεταί). In some cases, Saint Theophan, at his own discretion, allowed repetitions, additions and explanations of what was clear without commentary and what did not raise doubts or difficulties. For example, instead of the two words of the 22nd Psalm quoted by St. Gregory of Sinaite, the rod and the club, Saint Theophan the Recluse translates the whole phrase of the psalmist: “Your rod and the club are my mentor” 392 (Ps. 22:4). He translates the Greek concept ἀνείδεος into Russian in two words: “invisible” and “formless” 393. And in general, he often inserts his explanations into the context of the patristic speech. This is his personal explanatory phrase: “[You must say] either Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me, or change [these words] and say [another part of the Jesus Prayer]” 394. Sometimes some brief Greek expression prompts the saint to translate it at length. "Οὐχὶ ταῦτα πράξεις εἰσίν;" - St. Gregory exclaims in one place. And Saint Theophan, instead of these words, makes his own remark, saying: “We do not affirm this, but the fact that, in addition to an active life, mental activity is also required, without which it is impossible to succeed in prayer” 395. Along with arbitrary additions to the text in the translation, there are many sentences with incorrect placement of words that remain with the Slavic construction of speech, allowing one to reinterpret the true meaning of the content of many chapters of the works of St. Gregory the Sinaite. “Anger,” we read in one place in the translation, “is tamed and replaced with cordiality by nothing other than courage and mercy” 396. Or let’s take for consideration the following phrases of St. Theophan the Recluse: 1. I exist in a smart place for the people of thoughts and thoughts - διάνοιαν τόπῳ 397. 2. [Man] acquired a certain kind of material fatness, calving himself according to rank and action, with which he was effectively qualified - τὴν τάξιν ἢ ἐνέργειαν σωματούμενος, οὗ ἐνεργῶν πεποίωται 398 . 3. Madness is more than virtue, which seems to have such in self-delusion - Ἀπόνοιαν μᾶλλον, ἢ ἀρετὴν δοκῶν ἔχειν ἠπάτητα 399 . In addition to the incorrect placement of words, the translation of St. Theophan is riddled with Slavicisms. When translating the works of St. Gregory of Sinaite, he often used either new word formations that he himself produced, or words borrowed from the Slavic lexicon. These are the concepts: ἱερουργός - priest 400, χηρεύοντες ἐκ Θεοῦ - widowed by God 401, ἤρκει - dominated 402, ἡ ἁρμονία – reconstruction 403, κυματουμένη – excited 404, ἐνέργεια πράξεως – action of the case 405, ἡ γεννητικὴ τῶν παθῶν ἐπικράτεια – passion-generating area 406, κοινωνοῦσι – variably combined 407, ἀνθρωπαρέσκεια – word of mouth 408, ἀληθεύουσι – truth 409, γαλήνη – silence 410, ἀροτήρ – oratay 411, φιλοϋλίας - love 412, ναρκῶσαν - stupefaction 413, οὐλὰς τῶν τραυμάτων - wound ulcers 414, καύσωνα – var 415, τριστάτης – tristat 416, φθέγγεσθαι – speaking 417, ἀνάτασιν – grief prostrate 418, ὑψοποιός – highly creative 419, ἔνεδραν – cutting off 420, βίαν – need 421, ἐπίπονον – painful 422, οἰκειωσάμενος – adopted 423, ἀπλανής – not lost 424. Such words have not acquired, so to speak, the rights of citizenship in the modern Russian language. They are a kind of archaisms or neologisms, although they do not distort the thoughts of St. Gregory of Sinaite. It would be unfair to classify their use as shortcomings of the entire saintly translation. Saint Theophan the Recluse as a translator has another drawback. He puts inaccurate content into Greek terms and concepts and therefore too freely conveys the meaning of Greek words and phrases into Russian. Thus, the saint translates ἐκυρίευσεν with the word “taken away” 425, σηπόμενα – crumbling or rotting – with the word “falling” 426, αἰνιττόμενος – to hint, to speak secretly – with a verb “indicate” 427, φαίνονται – are – the word “take root” 428. Further, the expression ἢ κόλασιν διδοῦσα - giving over to torment - St. Theophan translates with the words “sending to hell” 429, πνεύματα - spirits - with the concept of “demons” 430, ὑστερεῖται - suffers a deficiency - with the word “sins” 431, νόθους - illegitimate - brings closer to the concept of “deceitful” 432. Without striving for literal translation, Saint Theophan often allowed freedom in the translation of both individual words and entire sentences. To specifically see how much he sometimes deviates from the original, let’s compare a number of Greek passages and their parallel Russian translation. 1. Λήθη γὰρ τὴν θείαν ἐξ ἀρχῆς μνήμην ἀπώλεσε – Oblivion of God destroys us 433 . 2. Δεῖ δὲ νοεῖν καὶ ἀποκαλεῖν τὰς μὲν ἐντολάς, ἐνεργείας 434, τὰς δὲ ἀρετάς, ἕξεις. Actions according to the commandments must be understood and called good deeds, and virtues - good dispositions rooted in skill. Likewise, sinful deeds and dispositions differ from each other 435. 3. There are two types of frenzy in the spirit of 436. 4. Τὰ υπάρχοντα θελήματα – Desires 437. 5. Τοὺς κόπους γὰρ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τοὺς τύπους οὐ τὰς ἀρετὰς κυρίως ἐνεργοῦμεν καὶ ἀπολαμβάνομεν - The largest part of us only have certain similarities of virtues, and not their very essence 438 . 6. Σύγχυσιν μὲν τῷ νοΐ, θόλωσιν δὲ τῇ διανοίᾳ - [Passion] clouds the mind, darkens the heart 439. 7. Ὡς γὰρ δήμιός τίς ἐστι φοβερὸς τοὺς ὑπευθύνους πολυτρόπως κολάζων, καὶ τὸν ζῆλον ἢ ἔλεγχον ὡς ῥομφαίαν ἄτομον τυραννικῶς ἀπογυμνῶν ἀεὶ φαίνεται – She [conscience], holding the sword of jealousy and accusation naked, tortures the guilty without pity 440. 8. Οὐδ’ ἐμεῖν αἷμα δυνηθείη ποτέ – [Leech] insatiable 441 . 9 . Πῶς οὖν λέγεις χωρὶς πρακτικῆς, τὴν ψαλμῳδίαν προβαλλόμενος μόνον, προσευχὴν κρατῆσαι ἀδύνατον; - How do you think and say that we propose to succeed in prayer without an active life? 442 Often the laconicism of the saint's translation does not embrace the richness of Greek thought. The tendency of Saint Theophan the Recluse to simplify the text as much as possible is often reflected in the accuracy of the translation of not only minor, but also its most significant details. As a result, the translation of the saint, useful as a guide to salvation, is little adapted to the needs of objective science. Undoubtedly, the St. Petersburg Russian text of the work of St. Gregory “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος”, published in 1824, is more faithful to the Greek original and more scientifically satisfactory. However, here too there are many major shortcomings, such as the translator’s ignorance of patristic terminology and the assignment of inaccurate meanings to ascetic terms. The unknown author of the St. Petersburg translation renders the term προσβολή - preposition - with the words “tide” (chap. 64), “presentation” (ch. 65) and “suggestion” (ch. 76:79). The concept ἡσυχία - silence - is used in the meaning of “peace” (chap. 83, 99, 106, 107, 110, 111, 113) and “solitude” (ch. 104:108); ἡσυχάζων – silent – ​​is identified with the concepts of “monk” (chapter 99), “ascetic of peace” (chapter 104) and “silent” (chapter 113). He translates the terms νοερὰ προσευχή - mental prayer - and πλάνη - charm - with the words “spiritual prayer” (chap. 111) and “deception” (ch. 123:126). Disregarding patristic terminology, the author of the St. Petersburg translation is extremely inaccurate in the translation into Russian of certain commonly used words and expressions. He simultaneously assimilates the word λόγος to mean mind and understanding (chapter 2), χηρεύοντες - widows - translates by participle “not having at all” (chapter 12); ὁλόκληρος δικαιοσύνη - complete truth - brings closer to the concept of “complete perfection” (chapter 32); θέωσις – deification – is sometimes taken as the concept of “Divinity” (chapter 46); ἔρως and ἀγάπη are translated by the noun “love” (chap. 59), and the expression δεῖ ἀποκαλεῖν and the numeral ἑπτά is mistakenly translated by the words “not to be called” and the numeral “five” (ch. 3:117). To clearly confirm the extent to which the St. Petersburg Russian text of the work “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος” does not comply with the elementary scientific requirements of exact correspondence to the original, let us compare several quotes from the Greek and their corresponding translations, taken from the named work. 1. Προσβολῆς ἀνείδεος κίνησις – Imageless representation (chapter 67). 2. Εἶδος ἀρετῆς συμπληροῦσιν - A form suitable for virtue (chapter 84). 3. Ἄνευ πενθικῆς ἐργασίας καὶ πολιτείας - Without heartfelt contrition (chap. 108). 4. Δι’ ὧν αἱ ἀφορμαὶ τῶν παθῶν τῷ βίῳ τοῖς ἀθλίοις ἡμῖν ἐπεισῆλθον - They [fornication and laziness] give the opportunity for passions to intensify in us (chap. 110). 5. Τοὺς μὲν γὰρ λόγους, ἐνταῦθα, τὰ δὲ πράγματα τῶν μυστηρίων ἐκεῖσε - Here we have the letters of the sacraments, and there the being (chap. 112). 6. Ἡ ἀκολασία... θολώσασα τῷ τῶν ἰνδαλμάτων συνουσιασμῷ - Aspiration that disturbed the mind with visual representations (chapter 131). 7. Μεθ’ ἧς ἡ συγκατάθεσις τῆς ἁμαρτίας – From this comes sin (chapter 64). 8. He [the venerable] made many sons of the Kingdom 444. In these passages of the St. Petersburg translation, the translator’s desire to express himself elegantly and concisely is noticeable. For this reason, he incorrectly conveys the content of Greek phrases in Russian. This is a significant flaw that entails distortion of the original text. The St. Petersburg translation also shortens the Greek original of the creation “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος.” He omits chapter 11 from it. Because of this, the counting of the Russian translated chapters does not coincide with the Greek counting until chapter 19. Chapter 18 of the said Greek work in the St. Petersburg translation is divided into two chapters - 17 and 18. Only from the Russian translated chapter 19 is the division in the Russian and Greek texts identical. As for the minor abbreviations of the Greek original of the creation “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος”, they can be indicated in the following translated chapters: 9 (issued περιττωματεῖν καὶ γαυριᾶν); 15 (actually, this issue is in chapter 16) (released by ἐν χειρί); 24 (issued by τέλος); 71 (issued from the words ποικίλην οὖν καὶ πολύμορφον to the words ἐναέριοι δαίμονες); 86 (issued by τῇ ἕξει); 93 (issued by εὔσταχυν); 96 (issued by θυόμενος); 97 (issued πρὸς ἐνέργειαν); 103 (issued ὀπίσω τοῦ νώτου σου); 104 (issued ὡς ὀξεῖαν); 105 (released by ψυχὴν θάλασσα); 122 (issued by νοερῶς); 125 (issued δράκοντος); 127 (issued ἐκ τούτων; ἐκείνων); 128 (released by που); 130 (issued ἀνάρχου); 135 (issued by ἐντεῦθεν). These are the St. Petersburg and Feofanovsky translations of the works of St. Gregory the Sinaite, which are not distinguished by either completeness or accuracy. The translation of the Venerable Elder Paisius Velichkovsky is free from these shortcomings. He translated, with some editions, all five works of St. Gregory of Sinaite, placed in the Patrology of Min 445. The Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky, in his autobiographical notes, defines the principles that he laid as the basis for his translation works: “To achieve the desired clarity [of Slavic speech], my first duty was to carefully preserve the spelling properly in all words of the singular and plural and did not leave a single word without it, unless by mistake or oblivion; in other words, I used that type of translation that is called literal” 446. Excessive admiration for the letter of the Greek text to the point of the desire to keep cases in Slavic speech intact, the arrangement of Greek words and other features of purely Greek phraseological construction imparted considerable intricacy to the Slavic translation in many of its places. Some thoughts of St. Gregory of Sinaite in the Slavic transmission are completely incomprehensible without the help of the Greek original. For example, the following Slavic quotes are unclear: 1. The origin of the royal right paths, that is, similar to the virtues of evil, melts away from the earth, and proceeds unsuccessfully. 2. Wisdom from her breasts gives warmth to Christ as a baby towards the return. 3. To have an equivalence to the image existing in Christ will be prenatural deification, then there will be unspeakable suffering. 4. Terror is a perfect exaltation for those who have understood and are united by the magnificent glory of spiritual powers. 5. They imagine our mind, but moreover they imagine from ourselves and are attributed, out of habit, to those who have passions in the soul. 6. Usually, Divine grace transforms, but it is also brought to the same level and to the kindred undeception in those who are able to create things. 7. The most elegant and short way of speaking about the extremes with the environment is a reduction, many having breadth 447. When reading such sentences, you can get confused in obscure phrases characteristic of the Slavic phraseology of St. Paisius Velichkovsky. He incompletely expresses the true thought of St. Gregory of Sinaite, using cumbersome constructions of Slavic speech and introducing into it a number of new words, such as grief-bearing - ἄναντες 448, naturalistic - φυσιολογικός 449, kinship - ἡ ἀλληλογενεσιουργία 450. Despite the desire to preserve all the Greek verbal nuances on the pages of the translation, the Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky sometimes betrays his translation method. Some Greek expressions are not accurately translated into Slavic. For example, the word διαφθαρεῖσα 451 is translated by the monk with two verbal participles: “corrupted” and “fallen to corruption”; the expression Ἱεράρχην ἔχοντες πρὸς τὴν Τριάδα 452 is replaced by a more complete Slavic phrase: “The Priest in the Trinity has the property of the Intercessor”; words ἐπιθυμητικὸν ἐκκαίουσι, τὸ δὲ διανοητικὸν συγχέοντες 453 assimilates what does not belong to them meaning: “the desirable is liquefied, the violent is outraged, and the verbal is embarrassing.” Further, ἀκρασία 454 has the meaning of “unbridled”, διὰ τὴν ἀδυναμίαν 455 is expressed in the words: “due to weakness and infancy.” However, the presented examples of some lengthiness of speech are rare exceptions in the Slavic translation under consideration. Usually the Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky is lexically brief. He even often leaves untranslated not only individual Greek words, but also entire phrases and chapters containing the original comments of St. Gregory of Sinaite on the texts of the Holy Scriptures, as well as his speech about wet dreams and the rules for the use of alms by the silent. In the work of Saint Gregory of Sinaite “Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος” the Monk Paisius shortened the chapters: 10 (issued from the words ἔστιν οὖν ὁ τῆς Ἐδέμ 456 to the end of the chapter); 71 (issued from the words ποικίλην οὖν before the expression ἔχει δὲ τὴν αἰτίαν; 73 (issued from the words ἐν ᾧ τὰ θηρία τοῦ ἀγροῦ until the end of the chapter); 79 (issued by φιλοζωΐα); 80 (issued by the words τριαδικὴν ἐν ἑκάστῳ by the end of the chapter); μὲν πνεύματα to the words τὰ δὲ κοῦφά τινα; from the words περὶ γὰρ τούτων ἡ Γραφή to the end of the chapter, released εἰς πετεινά); 127 (issued by πέντε); 135 (issued by ψιλῷ). Then, in Slavic, chapters 5 and 7 of the work “Εἴδησις ἀκριβής” (in Chapter 5 was released from the words δηλοῖ δὲ τὴν διαφοράν until the end of the chapter; in Chapter 7 - ὅταν καθ’ ὑπερβολὴν γένηται ζέσις, ὥς φασι, τοῦ περὶ καρδίαν αἵματος... καὶ ἄλλος ὁ τῆς κατάρας, διὰ τοῦ Κάϊν 457 δοθεὶς τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει); Chapter 3 of the essay “Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς” (issued by καὶ δῆλον ἡ ? chapter 5 of sayings “Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι” (issued by ἐν τῇ πολλῇ ψαλμῳδίᾳ). Chapters 6 and 7 of the work “Ἕτερα κεφάλαια” are completely absent in the Slavic translation. The noted omissions were made by the Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky, undoubtedly, not by accident, but for some of his ascetic reasons, and they cannot be considered a shortcoming of the translation itself. His translation errors are most likely due to excessive literalism or, on the contrary, in some places due to the inaccurate use of Greek terms. Some freedom of treatment of the Greek text by the Monk Paisius is revealed, by the way, when he translates the concept θεωρία 458 into the Slavic language with the term “beautiful vision”, ἐκταράττων θολοῖ 459 translates it with the word “outrages”, ἔστιν ἰδεῖν γινομένην 460 – with the word “it happens”, ἀληθῶς 461 – with the noun “truth”, μὴ φοβοῦ 462 – with the word “do not be afraid”. Saint Paisius inaccurately translated the following two phrases from Saint Gregory of Sinaite into Slavic: 1. ... Ὁ φόβος... εἰσαγωγικὸν καὶ τὸν τέλειον... καὶ τρόμον δεῖ κυρίως καλεῖν... – There is introductory fear, which is also complete and wrathful, and trembling is truly worthy of being called 463. 2. Καθαροὶ γεγονότες, τὸν ἀῤῥαβῶνα τοῦ πνεύματος... - Having received Christ through baptism, the betrothal of the Spirit 464. Thus, the Slavic translation of the works of Sinaiti is not entirely satisfactory due to the complexity and difficulty of understanding the text. In view of all that has been said, we offer a new experience of a complete Russian translation of the works of St. Gregory of Sinaite, in which special terms adopted in Orthodox ascetic literature are retained. Thus, ἔρως, in contrast to ἀγάπη - love - we translated the word “jealousy” 465, retained the shades of λογισμός - thought and ἔννοια - thought - and retained in our translation a number of the following Greek terms with a special ascetic meaning: νῆψις 466 - sobriety, πλάνη - charm, προσβολή - preposition, ἡσυχία - silence, ἡ νοερὰ προσευχή - mental prayer, σκίρτημα - leaping. Explanatory or implied words in the proposed Russian text of the works of St. Gregory of Sinaite are placed in direct brackets. Bishop Veniamin (in the world Viktor Dmitrievich Milov) was born in Orenburg in 1887. He graduated from the Vyatka Theological Seminary, studied at the Kazan Theological Academy, and completed his education at the Moscow Theological Academy. In 1920, in the Moscow St. Daniel Monastery, on the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, he was tonsured a monk with the name Benjamin, on Bright Week he was ordained a hierodeacon, and in the fall, on the day of remembrance of St. Sergius of Radonezh, by Bishop Peter (Polyansky) - a hieromonk. Upon his elevation to the rank of archimandrite, Father Veniamin was appointed vicar of the Moscow Intercession Monastery, where he spent almost ten years, opposing the reforms of church life introduced by the “progressive clergy” at that time, trying to save the monastery churches and buildings from destruction. Before the monastery was closed, he was exiled to Solovki, where he stayed until 1932. In 1946, Archimandrite Veniamin was enrolled in the brotherhood of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and headed the departments of patrolology and pastoral theology at the Moscow Theological Academy, and since 1948, after defending his master’s thesis on the topic “Divine love according to the teachings of the Bible and the Orthodox Church,” he became a professor and inspector of Moscow theological schools. In 1949, Father Veniamin was again arrested and deported to Kazakhstan, and after his release in 1954, he served at the parish - in the Elias Church near Serpukhov, Moscow Region. In 1955, Archimandrite Veniamin was consecrated bishop and appointed to the Saratov See. As a strict ascetic, the bishop demanded from the clergy of the diocese a righteous life and deanery in everything. He often celebrated the Divine Liturgy, and the churches were crowded with worshipers. Vladyka stayed at the Saratov See for only six months. On August 2, 1955, on the day of remembrance of the holy prophet Elijah, he died suddenly before the liturgy. A zealous servant of God, a true ascetic, a famous theologian and preacher, His Grace Veniamin was buried in the city cemetery in Saratov. Bishop Veniamin wrote the following works: “The experience of adapting the “Dogmatics” of Metropolitan Macarius (Bulgakov) to the needs of a modern theological school”; “The Fall of Human Nature in Adam and the Rebellion in Christ (according to the teachings of St. Macarius the Great, an Egyptian ascetic of the 4th century)”; "Readings on Liturgical Theology"; “Collected lectures on pastoral theology and asceticism”; “Trinity flowers from the spiritual meadow. From the memoirs of Archimandrite Kronid (Lyubimov), former governor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra.” One of the Bishop’s first theological works was his candidate’s dissertation “The Life and Teachings of St. Gregory of Sinaite,” written upon graduating from the MTA. Part of it was a new translation from Greek into Russian of five works of St. Gregory. The full translation is published for the first time. Τῶν παρόντων – lit.: existing. Πρακτικὸν τρόπον – lit.: active method. Ἠθικῶν – lit.: moral. Ἄνωθεν – lit.: from time immemorial or free: from childhood. Μεθεκτική – lit.: accomplice. Ἀνθοῦντα – lit.: blooming. We have omitted the word “here” because it is unnecessary. Literally, it should be translated as follows: “Here, in the middle of [paradise]...” Ῥευστή – current, changing. Ἐγκυμονοῦντες – lit.: pregnant, not idle. Τὰς τρίβους εὐθείας ποιεῖν. Ἀνδρικῆς – lit.: courageous. Τὴν προκοπήν – lit.: prosperity. Ὡς ποιοτήτων ἕξεις – lit.: skill of qualities. Ἐν τοῖς μετόχοις – lit.: in accomplices. Νοήματα – lit.: thoughts, intentions, decisions. Ὑπόδειγμα – lit.: example. We omitted in Chap. 32 words ἢ πάλιν for the sake of coherence of speech. The word “these” has been replaced for clarity by the word “which as”. Τῆς μετοχῆς – lit.: participation [in retribution]. We have omitted the words “as” and “so” in the last sentence. Πάσχων – lit.: testing. Μέτοχος – lit.: participant. We do not preserve the periodic structure of Greek speech: with the word “last” we begin a new phrase, and in the Greek original one sentence stretches to the end of the chapter. We left out the conjunction “since” because it was unnecessary before the words “it contains.” Οἵους ἐποίησεν ἡ ἁμαρτία – lit.: what sin has done. Αὐτῆς τῆς αἰσθήσεως – lit.: the feeling itself. Τῶν φύσιν φρενῶν – lit.: natural thoughts. Δι’ ἧς – lit.: through this. Ἑαυτῆς δυνάμεις – lit.: her powers. Μήτηρ – lit.: parent. Ἐνέργεια – lit.: action. Ἡ προσβολή – lit.: throwing, approaching, touching. Καλύπτουσα – lit.: hiding. Κυματουμένη – lit.: worried. Τῶν τοιούτων – lit.: of this kind or of this kind. Μορφοῦται δὲ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων εἰς εἶδος καὶ μεταπλάττεται. Ὥσπερ – lit.: equally. Ψιλούς – lit.: naked. Τετραχῶς διῃρημένην αἰτίαν. Οὐδὲν ἐνεργεῖ καθ’ αὑτό, ἀλλ’ ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἐνεργεῖται. Τῆς θελητικῆς ἕξεως – lit.: volitional state. Τῇ παχύτητι – lit.: thickness, fullness. “Καθάπερ” at the beginning of the chapter is left without translation in order to avoid the prolongation of periodic speech. Τῶν ἀμφοτέρων – lit.: both of them. Ἀνδραγαθημάτων [ἀνδραγαθημάτων – corrected by us from ἀνδραγαθημάτος in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. Πνευματοκίνητος [πνευματοκίνητος – corrected by us from πνευματοκίνητως in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. Ἐνεργεῖ – lit.: valid. Τοῦ ἐνεργεῖν αὐτάς – lit.: to accomplish them. Τυπικῶς – lit.: figuratively. Ὀλίγοις λίαν – lit.: very few. Τοὺς τύπους – lit.: not “feats”, but “images”. Εἰδῶν – lit.: types or beginnings. Ἡδύτατον – lit.: the sweetest. Οἱ πολλοί – lit.: many. We replaced this word to eliminate the tautology. Γενικήν – lit.: generic. Ὅτε μάλιστα οὐκ ἔστι ἐν αὐταῖς. We have omitted the extra introductory word “says,” since before that there are already introductory words “according to the word of the Lord.” Due to the repetition of conjunctions at the beginning of sentences, we have released “if” before the words “reign in it” and “then” in the middle of the phrase. Ἄλλην – lit.: to some. We have released the word “especially” that is constantly repeated by St. Gregory. We replaced the word “actively” with the concept “firmly”. Ἐμεῖν – lit.: to vomit, to vomit. Ἐν αἰσθήσει – lit.: in feeling. Ἡ δόξα – lit.: glory, opinion, assumption. Φαίνεται [φαίνεται – corrected by us from φαίνετε in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. We translate the verb “influence” into the noun “impact”. We translated “victorious” instead of “having won.” Ἀνδρείας – lit.: courage. We've left out the redundant word "all". It should be translated in full: “... our whole nature.” Ὑποκάτω τῶν ποδῶν αὐτῶν [ὑποκάτω – we have corrected from ὑπό κάτω in the publication. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. We have omitted the word “all” used by St. Gregory due to its repetition before. Full translation: “...the slave of all.” We replaced the words “by virtue of which” with the words “after it.” Ἀναπλάττειν – lit.: to form. Ἐνεργουμένη – lit.: produced. Κέκτηται – lit.: possesses. Ἐχόντων – lit.: with those who have. Ἀποδεικτικῷ. We have transferred the words “justly called solid” from the previous phrase for ease of understanding [In the text of the Chapters for the edition of Patrologia Graeca T. 150 (col. 1289C) these words are rendered as follows - ἀποδεικτικὸς λεγόμενος. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. Τοιοῦτοι - lit.: these [τοιοῦτοι - corrected by us from τοιοῦτι in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. Τοιούτων – lit.: such. Ἐν τῇ ἀνακαινίσει – lit.: in renewal. Ἧς ἡ ὀκνηρία σύμβολον – lit.: which is a sign of complete lethargy. That is, for the beginners and the weak. Ὁ γὰρ ἐν τούτοις τοιοῦτος. We moved the word “directly” to the beginning of the phrase, but in fact it appears in the original with the following phrase: “...we are directly, cherubically honored.” Τοιαῦτα – lit.: such. Σύντομος – lit.: short. Τὰ ἄκρα – lit.: extreme. We have omitted the word “because” at the beginning of the sentence. Ὁ ἅγιος Μάρκος – lit.: Saint Mark. Before the words “we will take care” we released the conjunction “but”. We released at the beginning of Ch. 5 words: “You should know that.” Ἅλμα – lit.: jumping. Before the word “trembling” we released “or”. Αἰσθητῶν – lit.: feeling. Σπιθαμιαίᾳ – lit.: one span (½ cubit or 25 cm). Ἐμπόνως – lit.: hardworking. Ἀναφαίνωνται – lit.: appeared. Ladder. Sl. 27, ch. 23. We retain the term “doing” adopted in the translation of Climacus’s works. Ladder. Sl. 27, ch. 46. Due to the repetition of the word “labor” twice in the first phrase of Ch. 5 We are releasing one of them due to unnecessary reasons. Τετιμηκότες [τετιμηκότες – corrected by us from τιμηκότες in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. We translate Εἰ (“if”) with the word “truth” to avoid periodic speech. Ὑπομένει – lit.: endures. Ἐξ ἀκοῆς – lit.: by hearing. The fruits are meant to be ascetic without a specific designation. St. Gregory’s periodic speech begins with the words “let the mind.” We break it down into sentences. Ἔστιν ὅτε – lit.: it happens when. Ὁ ἔχων τὴν τῆς προσευχῆς ἐνέργειαν – lit.: having the effect of prayer. Ἐν προσευχῇ πάσχων – lit.: patient in prayer. Τινας – lit.: some. Μὴ κοινωνήσαντες – lit.: did not have. Διαφεύγουσι - lit.: avoid [Διαφεύγουσι - corrected by us from διαφεύγκυσι in the publication. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. Ὁ τοιοῦτος – lit.: such. Πρὸς αὐτό – lit.: indignant at that. Τῶν ἐναντίων – lit.: from the opposite. Δειλιῶν – lit.: fearing. Κατά τὸν τύπον Ἠλιοῦ τοῦ Θεσβίτου. Μὴ ἐπιδίδου – lit.: do not indulge. Migne J.-P. Patrologiae cursus completus. Series graeca. Paris, 1865. T. 150. (Hereinafter referred to as PG). See: Life and writings of the Moldavian elder Paisius Belichkovsky. M., 1892. P. 4. Philokalia. 2nd ed. M., 1900. T. 5. P. 180–237. Smirnov P.A. The life and teachings of the Right Reverend Theophan. 2nd ed. M., 1915. P. 374. See: PG. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 10. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 118; cf.: Philokalia. T. 5. P. 207, 208. See: PG. Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς. Cap. 2. PG. Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι. Cap. 3; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 218. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 10. Ibid. Cap. 11 [ἀπεριέργως – corrected by us from ἀρεριέργως in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 24. ἢ – corrected by us from ἡ in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith. ὅντινα – corrected by us from ὃν τινα in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith. ἐνεργοῦσιν – corrected by us from ἐνεργοῦσαν in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith. ἅλατι – corrected by us from ἅλατη in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 16; cf.: Philokalia. T. 5. P. 183. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 130; cf.: Philokalia. T. 5. P. 213. Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι. Cap. 2; cf.: Philokalia. T. 5. P. 217. In the phrase of St. Theophan that we quote, our explanatory words are in direct brackets. Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς. Cap. 2.; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 230. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 13; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 182. Philokalia. T. 5. P. 203; cf.: Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 108. Philokalia. Τ. 5. pp. 210–211; cf.: Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 123. Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 237; cf.: Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς. Cap. 15. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 7; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 181. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 12; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 182. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 28; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 185. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 41; cf.: Philokalia. T. 5. P. 188. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 64; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 191. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 62; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 190. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 73; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 192. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 78; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 193. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 79; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 193. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 81; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 194. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 84; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 196. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 93; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 198 [ἀροτήρ – corrected by us from ἀροτῆς in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 105; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 202. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 107; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 203. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 108; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 203. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Sar. 110; cf.: Philokalia. T. 5. P. 204. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 117; cf.: Philokalia. T. 5. P. 206. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 118; cf.: Philokalia. vol. 5. P. 207. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 120; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 209. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 131; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 214. Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς. Cap. 14; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 236. Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι. Cap. 3; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 224. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 1; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 180. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 10; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 181 [σηπόμενα – corrected by us from σίπομενα in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith.]. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 21; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 184. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 36; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 186. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 40; cf.: Philokalia. vol. 5. p. 187. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 72; cf.: Philokalia. vol. 5. p. 192. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 109; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 203. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 121; cf.: Philokalia. vol. 5. P. 209. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 17; Compare: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 183. Ἐνεργείας – corrected by us from ἐνεργείς in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 35; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 187. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 59; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 190. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 83; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 195. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 92; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 198. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 125; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 211. Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς. Cap. 6; cf.: Philokalia. Τ. 5. P. 230. Christian reading. St. Petersburg, 1824. Book. 16. September. PG. Notitia, col. 1237; cf.: Preface to the work of St. Gregory of Sinaite // Christian Reading. 1824. Book. 16. September. P. 114. See: Philokalia, or Words of the main principle of sacred sobriety, collected from the writings of the holy and God-inspired fathers, in which the mind is purified, enlightened and perfect by moral action and contemplation. M. 1832. Biography of Russian ascetics of piety of the 18th and 19th centuries. M., 1907. Book. 9. September. P. 473. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 14, 21, 42, 58, 71, 90; Εἴδησις ἀκριβής. Cap. 2. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 118. Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς. Cap. 13. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 11. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 43. Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι. Cap. 2. Ἐδέμ – corrected by us from ἐδὲμ in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith. Κάϊν – corrected by us from Κάιν in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith. Κεφάλαια δι’ ἀκροστιχίδος. Cap. 57. Πῶς δεῖ καθέζεσθαι. Cap. 7. Περὶ ἡσυχίας καὶ δύο τρόπων τῆς προσευχῆς. Cap. 3. The Monk Paisiy Velichkovsky translates ἔρως with the term “zeal,” and Saint Theophan the Recluse sometimes with the word “zeal,” and sometimes with the concept of “love.” Νῆψις – corrected by us from νήψις in the edition. – Editorial of the ABC of Faith. You might be interested in: