Слово 27. О священном безмолвии души и тела

1. We, being always as if bought and serf slaves of unclean passions, from our own experience partly know the seduction, custom, will and deceit of the spirits that rule over our poor soul. But there are other people who have a clear knowledge of the machinations of demons through the action of the Holy Spirit, who delivered them from the torment of these adversaries. For it is another thing to judge the joy of health by the painful sensations of illness; But it’s another thing, through complacency in health, to recognize and discern the sorrow that comes from illness. Therefore, we, as weak ones, are now afraid to philosophize in this word about the haven of silence, knowing that at the meal of good brotherhood there is always a certain dog, trying to snatch the bread from it, that is, the soul, and holding it in its jaws, run away and devour it in silence. So, so that our word does not give place to the dog of hell, and guilt to those who seek guilt (that is, a reason for those tempted by the untimely desire for silence), we believe that we should not now talk about peace with the courageous warriors of our King who are in battle. Let us only say that those who courageously strive in the community will also be woven with crowns of peace and silence. However, if you wish, for at least one concept of silence, let’s talk about it briefly, so as not to upset some by the fact that, speaking about other subjects, we will skip this one without any word about it. 2. Silence of the body is decency and improvement of morals and bodily feelings; the silence of the soul is the orderliness of thoughts and an unstealthable thought. 3. The lover of silence has a certain courageous and strict thought, which stands vigilantly at the door of the heart, and kills or reflects incoming thoughts. He who is silent in the feeling of his heart knows what I have said; and whoever is still a baby in silence has not tasted this good and does not know. 4. A spiritually intelligent silent person has no need for verbal instructions; for instead of words he is enlightened by deeds themselves. 5. The beginning of silence is to reflect every noise of enemies, as disturbing the depths of the heart; and the end of silence is not to be afraid of their worries 111, but to remain without feeling for them. A silent person, who leaves his cell with his body, but does not go out with words (for conversations), is meek, and is all a house of love. He who does not indulge in verbosity is also immovable in anger; the opposite of this is obvious by itself. 6. A silent person is one who tries to keep an incorporeal being within the confines of a corporeal house 112. The feat is rare and amazing. 7. A cat guards a visible mouse; and the mouse is the invisible thought of the silent man. Do not reject this comparison; if otherwise, then you have not yet learned what silence is. 8. A solitary monk is not saved in the same way as a monk living with another monk. For the solitary person needs great sobriety and an undistracted mind. Those who live with another are often helped by their brother; and an Angel will help the silent one. 9. The Intelligent Powers of heaven will serve the silent soul, and lovingly abide with him; I will keep silent about the opposite to you. 10. The depth of dogma is unsearchable; and it is not easy for a silent mind to venture into it. 11. It is not safe to swim with clothes on, nor is it safe for anyone who has any passion to touch Theology. 12. The cell of the silent man contains his body; inside it lies the church of the mind. 13. One who is suffering from spiritual passion and who is attempting to remain silent is like one who has jumped off a ship into the sea and thinks to safely reach the shore on a board. 14. For those who struggle with bodily lust, silence is appropriate in due time, if they only have a guide. For a solitary life requires angelic strength. I am talking here about the true silent ones in body and soul. 15. The silent man, having become lazy, begins to speak falsely, urging people with some hints to convince him to leave his silence, and, leaving his cell, he blames demons for this, not knowing that he himself was his own demon. 16. I saw the silent ones who insatiably saturated their burning desire for God with silence, and generated in themselves fire with fire, zeal with zeal, and lust with lust. 17. The Silent One is the earthly image of the Angel, who, on the charter of love, by handwriting with diligence, freed his prayer from laziness and negligence. The silent one is the one who clearly cries out: “My heart is ready, O God” (Ps. 56:8). The silent one is the one who says: “I sleep, but my heart watches” (Song. 5:2). 18. Close the door of the cell to the body, the door of the mouth to conversations, and the inner door of the soul to evil spirits. 19. Silence and the heat of the sun at noon reveal the patience of the navigator, and the lack of vital needs reveals the patience of the silent man. The former, out of cowardice, bathes in water, and the latter, out of despondency, seeks crowds. 20. Do not be afraid of the noise of demons’ leaping; for crying knows no fear, and does not come to horror. 21. Those whose mind has learned to truly pray speak with the Lord face to face, as if into the ears of a king. And those who pray with their lips fall to Him, as if in front of the whole congregation. Those who are in the world, when they pray, are like those who, amid the rumors of all the people, beg the king. If you have learned the art of prayer from your own experience, then my word is clear to you. 22. Sitting on high, observe, if only you know it; and then you will see how and when, from where, how many, and what kind of thieves want to come in and steal your grapes. 23. When this guard gets tired, he gets up and prays; and then he sits down again and courageously takes on the first task. 24. Someone who had experienced what I said wanted to enter into a subtle and detailed discussion about this subject; but he was afraid that through this he would lead the workers into laziness, and that with the sound of his words he would not frighten those who were zealously desiring to begin this work. 25. Whoever enters into a detailed and subtle discussion about silence arms the demons against himself; for no one can explain their outrages and deceits better than he. 26. He who has comprehended silence has learned the depth of the mysteries; but I would not have entered it if I had not first seen and heard the breath of demonic winds and the disturbance of waves of temptation; or maybe he sprayed himself with them. What we said is confirmed by the Apostle Paul; for if he had not been caught up into paradise, as into silence, he could not have heard the unspeakable words. The ear of the silent will receive wondrous revelations from God; That’s why all-wise silence speaks through Job: “Will not my ear receive marvelous things from Him?” ( Job 4:12 ). 27. A true silent person, not wanting to lose the sweetness of God, withdraws from all people, without hatred towards them, just as others diligently draw closer to them. 28. “Go” and squander your “possessions” quickly (for the word: “sell” takes time) “and give to the poor” (Matthew 19:21), so that through prayer they will help you in finding silence; and take up your cross, bearing it with obedience; and firmly enduring the burden of cutting off one’s will; then “come” and follow me to copulation with the most blissful silence; and I will teach you the visible work and residence of the intelligent Forces. They will not be satisfied forever and ever, praising the Creator: so the one who ascended to the sky of silence will not be satisfied, praising the Creator. The immaterial will not care about matter; neither will those living in the body, like the incorporeal, care about food. The former do not feel the need for food; but the latter will not require human help in food. Those are careless about money and acquisitions, and these are careless about demonic bitterness. There is no desire for a visible creature in those on high; there is no desire in those who philosophize on high to see the sensual; the angels will never cease to succeed in love; the silent ones will not cease to strive daily to imitate them. However, the wealth of their success is unknown: the zeal for ascension is not unknown either. And they will not stop until they reach the most exalted dispensation of the Seraphim: and the latter will not stop stretching forward until they become Angels. Blessed is he who hopes to enjoy such high bliss; Blessed is he who is worthy of it in the next century; but the one who already enjoys this bliss is an Angel. About different types of silence 29. Everyone knows that in all sciences and in all arts, those who practice them have different degrees of knowledge and different intentions; for not everyone achieves everything perfectly, due to lack of diligence or lack of natural strength. Some enter the haven of silence, or, better to say, into this abyss and depth due to the incontinence of their tongue, or because of bad bodily habits. Others, being very prone to irritability, cannot control it, living in a crowded environment, and therefore go to the desert. Others because, out of pride, they consider it better to sail of their own free will rather than under the guidance of a superior. Some because in the midst of substances they cannot restrain themselves from cravings and addictions 113; and others because through a solitary life they wish to acquire greater zeal and diligence. Some in order to secretly torment themselves for their sins; and others to gain glory for themselves through a solitary life. Others, finally (if only the Son of Man, having come, finds such on earth), combined with silence to enjoy the love of God, to quench the thirst of this love, being attracted by its sweetness. But they did this not before giving divorce to all despondency, because union with this passion, in relation to silence, is considered fornication. 30. According to the small intelligence given to me, like an unskillful architect, I built a ladder for climbing. Let each one consider himself to what degree he stands. Is it out of self-rule that he seeks silence, or for human glory, or because of the weakness of the tongue, or because of indomitable irritability, because of a multitude of addictions, or in order to suffer torment for sins, in order to acquire greater zeal for the exploits of virtue, or in order to add fire to fire in the love of God? The first will be the last, and the first will be the last. Of these eight types of silence, seven form the week of this life, and some of them are pleasant to God, and others are unpleasant; the eighth species, without a doubt, bears the stamp of the future century. 31. Observe, O solitary monk, the times when and what animals come to you; if not, then you won’t be able to put decent networks on them. If despondency, having received a divorce, has completely retreated from you, then you will have no need for handicrafts, but if it still attacks you, then I don’t know how you will remain silent. 32. Why did the venerable Tabennisiotians not have such lamps as the Sketeans had? Whoever can understand this, let him understand; but I can’t talk about it, or rather, I don’t want to 114. 33. Among those who are in the depths of silence, some diminish passions; others spend most of their time in psalmody; others patiently remain in (mental) prayer; others stretch to vision. Go through these activities like a ladder, that is, gradually. He who is able to contain in the Lord, let him contain (Matthew 19:12). 34. There are lazy people who, having entered a hostel, find in it many conveniences and great food for their laziness, and through this come to complete destruction. But there are also those who abandon their laziness, being excited by the example of those living with them. However, this happens not only to the careless, but also to the zealous. 35. The same can be said about the silence of the desert dwellers. The desert accepted many well-skilled, and then rejected them as unskillful, denouncing their voluptuousness, to which they were subjected through self-indulgence. But she, having accepted some who were not entirely skilled, made them careful and burning with jealousy, instilling in them fear and care of their own answer for the burden of their sins. 36. Let none of those who are hypocritically subject to irritability and arrogance, hypocrisy and memory-loathing ever dare to see even a trace of silence, lest he reach a frenzy of mind, and that’s all. If someone is clean from these passions, he will learn what is useful; however, thinking that he himself cannot achieve this. 37. The signs, indications 115 and properties by which those who pass through silence with reason are recognized are: an undisturbed mind, a purified thought, admiration for the Lord, the idea of eternal torment, remembrance of the nearness of death, insatiable prayer, a vigilant guard, mortification of fornication, ignorance of addiction, mortification of oneself to the world, aversion from gluttony, the beginning of Theology, reasoning source, the community of tears, the destruction of verbosity, and all this, incompatible with being in a crowd. 38. On the contrary, the signs of those who pass through silence not according to reason are: extreme lack of the above-mentioned wealth, increase in anger, retention of remembrance, decrease in love, increase in arrogance; I’ll keep silent about the rest. 39. Having spoken about the true and untrue silent ones, it is necessary to set out here the properties of those who remain in obedience; especially since my word extends especially to them. 40. The signs of those who were legally, non-adulterously and unhypocritically combined with beautiful and God-bearing obedience, according to the teaching of the God-bearing Fathers, are these - achieved, however, in due time, although every day (if only we dedicated the day to the Lord) we extend henceforth, accepting spiritual growth and prosperity: - increase in beginner humility, diminishment of irritability - and how will it not diminish when the bile is exhausted? - impoverishment of mental darkness, kindling of love, alienation of passions, liberation from hatred, reduction of lust as a result of reproof, ignorance of despondency, increase in zeal, disposition towards mercy, avoidance of pride. This is prosperity worthy of being sought by all, although few obtain it. If there is no water in a source, then it can no longer be called a source. And those who have understanding will understand the rest. 41. The wife, who did not keep the bed clean, desecrated the body; and the soul that did not keep the covenant (obedience) desecrated the spirit. The first crime is followed by reproaches, hatred, beatings, and, worst of all, divorce. The crime of the latter is followed by: desecration, oblivion of death, insatiable gluttony, intemperance of the eyes, the search for vain glory, immeasurable sleep, petrification of the heart, confusion of the spirit, disobedience, contradiction, partiality, unbelief, uncertainty of the heart, verbosity, and freedom of address, the worst of all these, but what is most pitiful is a heart alien to tenderness for than in the inattentive there follows complete insensibility, the mother of falls. 42. Of the eight main spirits: five demons 116 fight the silent ones; and three with those undergoing obedience 117. 43. He who is silent and struggling with despondency often suffers a great loss, because he wastes the time of prayer and vision on various tricks in the fight against this passion. 44. One day, while sitting in my cell, I fell into such despair that I almost thought of leaving it. But some strangers came and told me, as a speechless person, a lot of praise; and the thought of corruption immediately left me, being driven away by vanity... I was surprised how the treadmill demon of vanity resists all spirits. 45. Observe constantly the various trends, soaring, bowing and changes of this inseparable companion of your mind (i.e., the spirit of despondency), and see: how and where does he tilt you with these movements? Those who have acquired silence through the Holy Spirit know how to consider these subtleties. 46. ​​The preliminary work of silence is the suspension of care for all blessed and impermissible things; for whoever opens the entrance first will, without a doubt, fall into the last ones. The second thing is prayer without laziness (i.e., psalmody); and the third is guarding the heart without stealing. It is impossible in the natural order of things for someone who has not learned letters to read and study books; and it is even more impossible for one who has not acquired the first to go through the last works with reason. 47. Going through the middle of these activities, I was 118 in the middle degree of vision, and (An Angel) enlightened me when I longed for greater revelations. And again, having been in the same measure, I asked him: “What was (the Lord) like before He took on the visible image of human nature?” But the Prince of Heavenly Powers could not teach me this; and he was not allowed to. Then I asked him to reveal to me what state He is in now? “In what is proper to Him,” he answered, and not in these.” I asked again, “What is His station and sitting at the right hand of the Father?” He answered: “It is impossible to understand this mystery by hearing.” I begged him to lead me to what my desire was taking me to. But he said: “That time has not come yet, because the fire of incorruption is not yet enough in you.” However, I do not know and cannot say whether I was in the body or outside the body when all this happened to me 119. 48. It is inconvenient to drive away the midday sleep, especially in the summer; then only handicraft can be permissible. 49. I learned that the demon of despondency precedes the demon of fornication, and prepares the way for it, so that, by firmly relaxing and plunging the body into sleep, it allows the demon of fornication to produce defilements in a silent state, as if in reality. If you courageously resist these spirits, then they will certainly raise a strong battle against you, so that you abandon the feat of silence, as completely useless for you. But nothing proves victory over demons as much as the fierce battles they wage against us. 50. When you leave solitude, keep what you have collected; for if the doors in the cage are open, then the birds that were in the gate fly out. And then there will be no benefit to us from silence. 51. A little hair troubles the eye, and a little care destroys silence; for silence is the putting aside of all concerns that are not related to the matter of salvation, and the rejection of all concerns, even those that are apparently well-founded. 52. Truly, he who has achieved silence will not care about his body; for He who promised to take care of him is false. 53. Whoever wants to present a pure mind to God, but confuses himself with worries, is like someone who has tightly fettered his feet and is trying to walk quickly. 54. Rare are people who have completely studied worldly wisdom; and I will say that there are even fewer who know the Divine wisdom of true silence. 55. He who has not yet known God is incapable of silence, and is exposed to many troubles on this path. Silence destroys the unskilled; for they, having not tasted the sweetness of God, spend all their time in captivity and plunder, in despondency and soaring. 56. He who has tasted the sweetness of prayer runs among crowds like an onager. For what else but prayer causes him to be like an onager, and free from any community of people? 57. He who is possessed by passions spends time in the desert in constant meditation on them, as the holy elder George of Arselaita spoke and taught, who is not unknown to you, most honest father. Once teaching my obscene soul and instructing it to silence, he said: “I noticed that in the morning most of the demons of vanity and carnal lust come to us; at midday the demons of despondency, sadness and anger; and in the evening the stinking tormentors of the womb.” 58. Better is a non-covetous novice than a silent one distracted by cares. 59. He who has intelligently entered into silence, and yet does not see the daily gain, is either not as silent as he should be, or is being robbed by conceit. 60. Silence is continuous service to God and standing before Him. 61. May the memory of Jesus 120 be united with your breath; and then you will know the benefits of silence. 62. The fall of the novice is his own will; and for the silent one - abandonment of prayer 121. 63. If you rejoice that people come to your cell, then know that you are busy with despondency and not serving God. 64. Let your example of prayer be the widow presented in the Gospel, who was wronged by her rival; and the image of silence is the great and equal-angelic silent Arseny. When in solitude, remember the life of this equal-angel; and see how he sent away those who came to him many times without showing himself to them, so as not to lose more. 65. I learned that demons teach reckless travelers to often come to the true silent ones, so that through these visitors they can at least slightly hinder good workers. Notice such, O beloved, and do not be afraid to sadden these lazy ones with pious reproof; Perhaps, because of this grief, they will stop wandering. But be careful that with such an intention you do not needlessly sadden the soul that comes to you out of thirst to draw water. And in everything you need the lamp of reasoning. 66. The life of the silent, and monastics in general 122, must be controlled by conscience and reason. He who follows this path with reason, does all his endeavors, broadcasts, thoughts, walking, movements, and everything that he does for the sake of the Lord and to please Him, in the feeling of the soul and, as it were, before the face of the Lord. If he is robbed in this, then he still does not live according to the rules of virtue. 67. “I will open,” says someone, “my prayer in the psalms” and my will, due to the imperfection of my reasoning (Ps. 48:5). And I will lift up my will to God in prayer, and I will wait for my notification from Him. 68. Faith is the wing of prayer; not having this wing, my prayer will return to my depths again. Faith is the indestructible fortress of the soul, unshaken by any blessed worries. A believer is not one who thinks that everything is possible with God, but who believes that he will receive from Him everything he asks. Faith also receives what it does not dare to hope for, as the example of the prudent thief on the cross showed. The mother of faith is work and a right heart; for the latter makes it certain, and the former creates it. Faith is the mother of the silent; and if he does not believe, how will he remain silent? 69. A prisoner imprisoned in a dungeon fears the executioner; and the one who is silent in his cell gives birth to the fear of God; and it is not so much the first who fears the human judgment seat as the second fears the judgment seat of the Eternal Judge. You need to have a lot of fear in silence, O most wonderful one; for nothing better than it drives away despondency. The condemned always awaits the hour when the judge comes to prison; the true worker of silence waits for immediate death to come. The first is burdened with sorrow; and for the second, the source of tears does not dry up. 70. If you acquire the rod of patience, then the dogs of hell will sooner stop being shameless in front of you. Patience is a painful feeling of the soul, which cannot be overcome by blessed needs. The patient is a worker who does not fall, who even through falls achieves victory. Patience is purpose for oneself and the expectation of daily sorrow. Patience is cutting off excuses and paying attention to yourself. The worker of silence does not need bodily food so much as patience, for through the second he receives a crown, but through the first he often plunges himself into destruction. The patient husband died before his death, making his cell a coffin for himself. Patience is born of hope and crying. Lacking these two virtues, the silent person is a slave of despondency. 71. A warrior of Christ must know which enemies he should drive away from afar, and which ones he should allow to fight him. This struggle is sometimes the reason for our crown; sometimes renunciation of the struggle makes us obscene. But this cannot be learned with words alone; because we do not all have the same skills, and not to the same extent. 72. Observe with special attention in order to see the cunning of one of the spirits of evil, which, whether you stand or walk, whether you sit or are in motion, whether you are eating or praying, whether you are sleeping, constantly fights against you. 73. Not all the loaves baked from the heavenly wheat of this spiritual work have the same appearance. Some constantly keep in their memory these words of David: “I will foresee the Lord before me” (Ps. 15:8); others: “through your patience gain your souls” (Luke 21:19); others: “watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41); others: “Prepare the outcome of your deeds” (Proverbs 24:27); others: “humble yourself and save me” (Ps. 114:6). Some: “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy” (Rom. 8:18), against the glory to come; others, finally, always consider these words with their minds: “let him not snatch away and deliver” (Ps. 49:22). All of them flow, but only one of these receives honor without difficulty 123. 74. He who succeeds does not give up doing not only in the waking state, but also in sleep. Therefore, some, even during sleep, shame the demons who come to them, and teach chastity to the prodigal women who appear to them in dreams. Do not expect visits, and do not prepare for them in advance; for the structure of silence is such that everything should be simple and easy. 75. No one, who wants to create a pillar and cell of silence, begins to do this unless he first considers it and tests it with prayer, if he has what is necessary to accomplish it, so that, having laid the foundation, and not being able to complete it, he will not be a laughing stock for his enemies, and a stumbling block for other spiritual workers. 76. Consider the sweetness that comes: is it not poisoned by bitter doctors, or even by the insidious murderers of human souls? 77. During the night, devote most of your time to prayer, and assign less time to psalmody. During the day, prepare again according to your strength. 78. Reading the Holy Scriptures can enlighten and collect the mind; for they are the words of the Holy Spirit, and in every way admonish those who read. Being a worker, read the active books of the fathers; for by doing this in practice, reading other things becomes unnecessary. Try to learn reason and the work of salvation more from works, and not from books alone. Before receiving spiritual power, do not read books alien to orthodoxy, because they are full of darkness and darken the minds of the weak. 79. Often one cup of wine reveals its taste: and one word of the silent man reveals all his inner work and structure to those who can know it. 80. Vigilantly watch with your spiritual eye the exaltation; for among seductions there is nothing more destructive than this passion. 81. When you leave your solitude, guard your tongue; for he can squander the fruits of many labors in a short time. 82. Try to be incurious; for nothing defiles silence more than curiosity. 83. Offer those who come what they need for their soul and body. If they surpass us in wisdom, then let us show our wisdom by silence; if, in spiritual age, they are brothers equal to us, then we can moderately open the door of our word. However, it is better to think that everyone is superior to us. 84. I wanted to completely forbid bodily activities during prayer time 124 for those who are still infants in their exploits; but he who carried sand all night in the field of his clothes held me back 125. 85. As opposed to the dogma of faith about the holy and uncreated and worshiped Trinity, the doctrine about the incarnation of the One of the same all-sung Trinity; for what in the Trinity should be understood as a plural number, then in Christ is understood as a singular number, and what is unique in That is understood as plural in This 126: so other educational feats are appropriate for silence, and others for communal obedience. 86. The Divine Apostle says: “Who has understood the mind of the Lord?” (Rom.11:34). I say: who has known the mind of a man who is silent in body and spirit? The power of a king lies in wealth and a multitude of subjects: the power of a silent man lies in the abundance of prayer. That is, obvious attacks. Contain spiritual forces: mind, thought, etc. unentertained in the body, as in the house. In the Slavic translation: “those who are unable to move away from substances in the midst of substances.” Some retire into silence because they consider it impossible, seeing food, drinks, clothes, faces, and the like, to retain their desires and cut them off. (Modern Greek translation of “The Ladder” by Athanasius of Crete, p. 432.) Elijah of Crete resolves this question this way: “The Tabennisiotians were cenobitic monks, but the hermits were silent. And silence is a great thing and is responsible for great success for those who can accommodate it. Climacus doesn’t want to talk about this for the sake of the weakest; that is, so that they do not prematurely strive for silence. For according to the teachings of the venerable fathers, not everyone can enter into silence, but only those who have been trained and established in monastic life, and who have proven well-skilled in spiritual warfare, and who ascend from the community, like experienced warriors, to the highest field - to silent life, which is considered the height of asceticism and the life of the perfect.” (PG 88, p. 1117.) In Slavic translation: “field”. Pride, vanity, laziness, sadness and covetousness. Gluttony, anger and lustful passion. Rev. John Climacus is talking about himself here. Once standing in prayer with great zeal and reverence, I was delighted with my mind, and found myself with the Angels who are among God and people, and they pray to Him for them, and they are enlightened and strengthened in what is pleasing to God. And the Angel of the Lord approached me, enlightened me and explained to me those great and hidden mysteries that I thirsted and wanted to know. Then the thought came to me to ask him about something else, and I said to him: “What was Christ, that is, the Son of God, before he descended, became incarnate, took on human nature and became man?” But he answered me that it is impossible to explain this to me and that I cannot comprehend it, since even the angels cannot comprehend God’s nature and radiance, and reveal what it is, and that my mind cannot accommodate and accept such high understandings as those associated with this rough and heavy flesh. Then I, leaving the first question, asked him to tell me at least what state Christ is in now. The angel told me that He is in His proper nature, and has both Divinity and humanity together, and is a perfect man, and therefore is called the God-man, in addition to the earthly human properties that He had before the resurrection. I again asked him to tell me: “How is He with the Father; for the Evangelist says that he sits at the right hand of God, and Stephen says that he stands at His right hand?” The angel answered me: “The soul connected with the flesh cannot hear this.” I, again prompted by a great fiery desire to learn something about the greatness of the Divine, asked him to lead me, so that I could see the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. But the angel told me: “The time has not yet come and the hour has not come for you to become immortal by Divine grace and the power of the All-Holy Spirit, Who has the power to resurrect humanity, immortalize it and free it from the previous burdens and from the needs that it had in temporary life.” I don’t know and can’t say for sure whether I was in the body or outside the body when I saw all this. Only the Lord knows this. (Modern Greek translation of “The Ladder” by Athanasius of Crete, pp. 438–439.) This ancient paternal expression means a prayerful invocation, and not a simple remembrance of the name of Jesus. Translated by Elder Paisius: prayers are distanced. In new glory transl.: more than solitary ones. In Greek In another translation, the word “without difficulty” is assigned to the next chapter. In Slavic translation: “in assemblies.” I wanted to completely cut off handicrafts during prayer time for the young and weak silent ones; but that father (Pachomius the Great with his elder Reverend Palamon) held my hand, who carried sand on himself all night to drive away sleep and learn to stay vigilant. (Modern Greek translation of “The Ladder” by Athanasius of Crete, p. 450.) In another translation note: “t. i.e. in the Trinity there are three Persons, and in Christ there is one Person; in the Trinity there is one nature, and in Christ there are two natures.” You might be interested in: