The instructions spoken by our holy father, the greatly honored Apa Pachomius, the holy archimandrite, concerning a brother who, in the time of Apa Ebonh, became angry with a certain man. Pachomius brought him to Tabennese and spoke these words to him, while other elder fathers were present; and they rejoiced greatly in the peace of God. May his holy blessing and the blessings of all the saints come upon us, and may we all be saved. Amen.
My son, listen, become wise, and receive the instruction of truth. There are two ways. Either become capable of standing firm, or obey God as Abraham did. He left his own land, became a stranger, and lived in tents with Isaac in the land of promise as an exile. He obeyed and humbled himself, and he came into an inheritance. At last he was tested concerning Isaac; he proved stronger than the trial and offered Isaac as a sacrifice to God. Because of this, God called him, “My friend.”
Again, take upon yourself the humility of Jacob, his obedience, and his patient endurance, until he became a light, saw the Father of all, and was called “Israel.”
Again, take upon yourself the wisdom and obedience of Joseph. Strive earnestly under ascetic discipline and serve as a slave until you become a king.
My son, imitate the lives of the saints and conduct yourself according to their virtues. Wake up; do not be careless. Stir up the one who dwells within you, for whom you have taken responsibility. Rise; do not remain among the dead, and Christ will give you light. Let grace spring up within you. Of all the gifts of grace, long-suffering is what will reveal them to you, for by long-suffering the saints inherited the promises. Long-suffering is the glory of the saints.
Therefore be long-suffering, so that you may be counted among the saints as you believe that you will receive an imperishable crown. Thoughts trouble you? Endure them patiently until God gives you rest. Fasting? Continue in it with patient endurance. Prayer? Let it be unceasing in your dwelling, between you and God. Let your heart be at peace with your brother. Let virginity be in all your members and in your thoughts: purity of body and purity of heart. Keep your neck bowed in submission and your mind humble. Be gentle in the hour of anger. If thoughts or anxieties press upon you, do not lose heart, but endure them gladly, saying, “Though they surround me on every side, in the name of the Lord I will destroy them.” Then the help of God will come to you at once. You will drive them away, gladness will surround you, and the glory of God will walk with you.
Gladness accompanies the humble person, and you will be satisfied with what your soul desires. The ways of God are with the lowly of heart and the humble. For he said, “I look upon everyone who is lowly in heart and humble.” If you walk in the ways of the Lord, the Lord will watch over you and strengthen you. He will fill you with knowledge and understanding, and your remembrance will remain before him at all times. He will deliver you from the Devil and give you his peace at your end.
My son, I command you to watch, to be sober, and to understand the things that lie in wait for you. The spirit of faintheartedness and a state free from unbelief walk together. The spirit of falsehood and conduct and speech that are not deceitful walk together. The spirit of love of money, together with refraining from trade, not swearing falsely, works that are not evil, and envy, walk together. The spirit of vainglory and freedom from greed walk together. The spirit of fornication and impurity walk together. The spirit of enmity and absence of sorrow walk together.
Woe to the miserable soul in which these things take up residence and become its masters, driving it away from God. It loses control of itself and is tossed this way and that until it reaches the Tartarus of Amente.
My son, listen to me. Do not be careless. Give no sleep to your eyes and no slumber to your eyelids, so that you may escape like a goat from those who would shear it. My son, from my youth all these spirits often weakened me. When I went into the desert, they afflicted me so severely that my heart failed, and I thought I did not have enough strength to withstand the threat of the Serpent. He pursued me on every side. If I entered the battle, he closed in and fought me; if I tried to escape, he attacked me with insolence. My heart was filled with dark terror, and though I turned this way and that again and again, I found no rest. But when we fled to the feet of God with tears and humility, fasting and night vigils, the Enemy and all his spirits became powerless against me. The joy of God came to me, and at once I experienced his help. By his support he teaches the children of men his strength and his Christlike love.
My son, never speak abusively of anyone. Otherwise you may later see someone honoring that person and say, “This man’s trouble is over; now he is receiving rest.” Guard yourself carefully against such a thought, for it is very evil. God hates the person who honors him while hating his brother.
Anyone who says of himself, “I am something,” is nothing and only deceives himself. Who can help him? The arrogant person makes his heart like the heart of God and says, “No one can be compared with me.” Let him hear his Creator say, “You will go down into Amente. They will cast you down among the dead; worms will eat pieces from your body, and the Worm will surround you.” But the person who has acquired humility judges himself, saying, “My sins are greater than those of everyone else.” He does not judge anyone or abuse anyone. Who are you to judge a servant who does not belong to you?
As for the one who has fallen, his God is able to set him on his feet again.
My son, watch yourself and never abuse anyone. Practice every virtue and guard them carefully. If you are a stranger, keep to yourself. Do not rush into the company of others, and do not become entangled in their affairs. If you are poor, do not make yourself liable in any matter, lest people revile you; for poverty is an evil thing in the mouth of the wicked. Have you not heard it said, “When you are hungry, you will become distressed, and you will speak evil against the ruler and against the fathers”? Watch also lest a battle be stirred up against you because you lack something for the needs of the flesh and food makes you blameworthy. Instead, endure everything patiently, and God will work for you in secret.
Remember Habakkuk in Judea and Daniel in Chaldea, even though their circumstances were different, for one served in the palace. Remember especially Daniel: when he was in the pit and was meant to become food for wild beasts, God prepared a meal for him. Remember Elijah in the desert and the widow in Zarephath. Although famine scourged her, hunger pressed heavily upon her, and old age left her helpless, she did not lose heart. She struggled courageously, prevailed, and obtained the promise of God, and her household had abundance throughout the famine. Whether in abundance or poverty, merely giving bread is not the true power if need has already made you blameworthy. For it is written of the saints, “They suffer need, they are afflicted, they endure tribulation, but they boast in their troubles.” If you contend patiently in the struggle taught by the Scriptures, no form of bondage will master you, according to what is written: “Do not let yourselves be deceived by food and drink, or by a share in a festival, or by new moons or sabbaths, which are a shadow of the things that take place.”
Meditate always on the words of God. Endure sufferings patiently and give thanks in everything. Flee from human honor. Love the one who reviles you, in the fear of God. Let every person benefit you, and make yourself beneficial to everyone. Continue in good work and good speech. Do not turn back toward the one who runs behind you, lest God hate you. The crown belongs to those who persevere. Listen to God more and more, so that you may cause him to save you.
When you are sitting among the brothers, do not laugh even at the slightest obscene remark you hear. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego disregarded Nebuchadnezzar’s mockery. Because of this, he could not compel them through the songs and music of his instruments, nor deceive them with the food of his table. Therefore the flames of the furnace, rising forty-nine cubits high, were extinguished. These men did not turn toward what was crooked; they remained upright before the One who is upright, that is, God, and so he made them rulers over their enemies. Daniel likewise did not listen to the evil conversation of the Chaldeans, and therefore he became a chosen vessel of great value. The lions lay down and watched him with understanding, and their savage mouths were shut.
Therefore, my son, if you set God before you as your hope, he will become your helper in the hour of your struggle. Whoever sets out toward God must believe that he exists and that he gives a reward to those who seek him. These words were written for us so that we may believe in God and, from the least among us to the greatest, contend through fasting, prayer, and every other form of service—even until your mouth dries up from fasting. God will not forget these things; you will find them again in the hour of your need. Only humble yourself in everything. Hold back your speech, so that you may understand all things in peace. Do not train yourself to despise temptation. Bear every trial with gladness, because you do not know what honor may follow it. Do not pray, “Take this temptation away from me.” It is better for you to pray, weep, and groan until you are saved than to let go of your heart and allow yourself to be carried away captive.
Man, what will you do in Babylon? You will commit some shameful act in that foreign land because you have never been tested, and you will willingly cast God away from you. Therefore, my brother, do not let go of your heart. You may forget for a little while, but your enemies never sleep and never forget, by night or by day; they will use every device against you. Do not chase after greatness, lest you be humbled and your enemies rejoice over you. Pursue humility, for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. If you cannot stand on your own, attach yourself to someone who labors in the Gospel of Christ, and advance with him. Either govern yourself in obedience, or submit yourself to one who obeys. Either become strong enough that people may call you Elijah, or obey a strong man so that they may call you Elisha; for because Elisha obeyed Elijah, the spirit of Elijah came upon Elisha in a double portion. If you wish to live among people, become like Abraham living with Lot, and like Moses and Samuel.
If you wish to live in the desert, all the prophets have gone before you; become like them. They wandered in deserts, ravines, and caves of the earth. They suffered deprivation and endured tribulations, afflictions, and pains. Again it says, “The shades of those who were martyred and the spirits of those who endured trial and suffered tribulation will bless you.” When the thief spoke a single word on the cross, God forgave his sins and brought him into Paradise. See, then, how great your honor will be if you patiently endure temptation—the spirit of fornication, the spirit of pride, or any bodily passion. In short, you must struggle against the passions of the Devil so that you do not follow him. Jesus will graciously give you his promises. Watch yourself against sloth, for she is the mother of every vice.
My son, flee from lustful desire, for it produces wicked thoughts. It will not allow a person to know the mystery of God. It will make you a stranger to the language of the Spirit; it will not allow you to bear the cross of Christ, nor will it allow your heart to breathe the blessings of God. Watch against bodily laxity, which will make you a stranger to the good things of Paradise. Watch against defiling your body, which provokes God and his angels to anger.
My son, turn to God and love him. Flee from the Enemy and hate him, so that the graces of God may be with you and you may inherit as Judah, the son of Jacob, did. For he says, “Judah, your brothers will bless you; your hand will be upon the necks of your enemies, and the children of your father will bow before you.” Guard yourself against pride, for it is the beginning of every evil. The beginning of pride removes you from God, and hardness of heart follows after it. If you watch yourself concerning this, your resting place will be the Jerusalem of heaven. If the Lord desires you, he will give you glory. Watch yourself and do not let your heart become proud. Remain in humility, and you will remain in the glory God gives you. Watch and be sober. Blessed is the one who is found watching, for he will be appointed over his Lord’s possessions. He will enter the Kingdom with gladness, and the companions of the Bridegroom will love him because he was found keeping watch in his vineyard.
My son, be long-suffering in everything, for it is written, “Make every effort to present yourself to God as approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed.” Set out on your way to God like one who sows and reaps, and you will enter your storehouse of God’s good things. Do not turn away your face like the hypocrites. Deal firmly with the desires of your heart. Work for God and work for your own salvation. If the passion of love of money attacks you, or envy, hatred, or any other passion enters you, take to yourself the heart of a lion and the heart of a mighty warrior. Fight them and destroy them like Sihon, Og, and all the kings of the Amorites. The beloved Son, the Only-begotten, King Jesus, fights for you, and you will inherit the city of the enemy. Only cast every kind of pride out of yourself, and you will be strong.
Consider this: when Joshua son of Nun was courageous, God gave his enemies into his hand. If you become fainthearted, you make yourself a stranger to the law of God. Faintheartedness fills you with excuses for sloth, unbelief, and carelessness until you are destroyed. Be lionhearted. Cry out, “Who will separate us from the love of God?” If you say, “My outer person is perishing,” your inner person will nevertheless be renewed day by day. If you live in the desert, fight with prayers, fasting, and afflictions. If you live among people, be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. If someone strikes you, bear it from him and rejoice. Set your hope on God, and he will do what is good for you. As for you, do not dishonor the image of God, for he himself said, “I will give glory to the one who gives glory to me; the one who dishonors me I will dishonor.” And when people honor you, do not rejoice, for it is written, “Woe to you when all people honor you.”
Again he said, “Blessed are you when people curse you, persecute you, and revile your names as the names of evildoers.” See our fathers Barnabas and Paul: when people honored them, they tore their garments and wept, because they hated human glory. Peter and John likewise came out of the synagogue rejoicing after they had been beaten, because they had been considered worthy to suffer beating for the holy name of the Lord. They were hoping for the honor of heaven.
My son, flee from the comfort of this world so that you may enjoy the world to come. Do not be careless. Do not let one day after another pass without attention, or the vices will overtake you before you realize it. You will fall into a danger from which you cannot escape. These foul-faced things will surround you, seize you, carry you away with shameless boldness, and cast you into their place of darkness, filled with fear and tribulation. Do not grieve if someone insults you before others. Grieve and groan when you commit sin, for that is your true disgrace: to come under the blows brought by your sin. I earnestly command you to hate vainglory. Empty praise is the armor of the Devil, and by it he led Eve astray. He said to her, “Eat from the tree, for it will open your eyes and you will become like gods.” She listened and thought it was true. She fled from divine glory, and the glory proper to humanity was taken from her. When you pursue vainglory, it makes you a stranger to the glory of God. In Eve’s case, the Scriptures had not yet been written to teach her about this battle before the Devil tempted her. Therefore the Word of God came and took flesh from the Virgin Mary in order to secure the freedom of Eve’s race. But you have been instructed about this battle by the saints who came before you in the Holy Scriptures. Therefore, my brother, do not say, “I never heard about it,” or, “No one told me yesterday or the day before.” For it is written, “Their sound has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.”
Therefore, when you are honored, humble your own heart and give glory to God. When you are reviled, likewise give glory to God and thank him because you have been counted worthy of the portion of his Son and his saints. If they called your Lord “the deceiver,” the prophets “worthless men,” and others “mad,” how much more will they call us such things, since we are dust and ashes? Do not grieve when you are reviled, for this is a path to life. But if your own carelessness moves you to tears, then mourn. Those who wear scarlet will clothe themselves in dung because they were careless about the law of God and followed the desires of their hearts. Therefore, my son, weep before God at all times, for it is written, “Blessed is the one whom you have chosen and received to yourself; you have placed thoughts in his heart, a flood of tears, in the place you established.”
Acquire simplicity and innocence. Be like the gentle lambs around us, which say nothing when their wool is shorn. Do not wander from place to place saying, “I will find God here,” or, “I will find him there.” God says, “I fill the heavens; I fill the earth.” And again, “Even if you cross through the waters, I will still be with you, and the rivers will not overwhelm you.”
Know, my son, that God is within you, so that he may make you remain in his law and commandments. Look: the thief on the cross entered Paradise. Look: Judas was among the apostles and yet betrayed his Lord. Look at Rahab and her fornication: she is numbered among the saints. Look at Eve, who was deceived, and is in Paradise. Look at Job on the dung heap, compared with his God. Look at Adam, who transgressed the commandment, and is in Paradise. Look at the angels of heaven who were cast into the abyss. Look at Elijah and Enoch, who were taken into the kingdom of the heavens with all glory. Seek God; seek his face at all times. Seek him as Abraham did, who obeyed God and offered his son as a sacrifice to him, and whom God called “My friend.” Seek him like Joseph, who fought against defilement and eventually became king over his enemies. Seek him like Moses, who followed his God; God made him a lawgiver and taught him concerning his likeness. Daniel sought him, and God taught him great mysteries and delivered him from the mouths of the lions. The three holy men sought him and found him in the fiery furnace. Job took refuge in him, and he healed his wounds. Susanna sought him, and he delivered her from lawless men. Judith sought him and found him in the tent of Holofernes. All these sought him, and he delivered them—and many others as well.
As for you, my son, how long will you remain careless? What limit is there to your carelessness? As it was last year, so it is this year; as it was yesterday, so it is today. How long will you remain careless? When will you make progress? Be sober. Lift up your heart. You will certainly be made to stand before the throne of God, and you will have to give an account of what you did in secret as well as what you did openly. If you go to a place where there is spiritual warfare, it belongs to God, for the Spirit of God urges you: “Do not remain where there is a snare.” The Devil will try to bewitch you, saying, “I will be with you the first time; otherwise, what will you see? Will you not grieve?” Do not listen to his deceitful words, so that the Spirit of God may drive him away from you. Otherwise you will grow weak and sick like Samson. Foreigners will bind you with chains and cast you into the place of torment, the place of gnashing of teeth. You will become an object of mockery to them; they will rejoice over you, and with your eyes put out you will no longer know the way to your city, because you revealed your heart to Delilah—that is, to the Devil—who captured you by deceit when you rejected the counsel of the Spirit. You also see how Bathsheba drew the mighty David, and how she would have ruined him had he not quickly repented concerning the wife of Uriah. Moreover it is written, “You see my blow; be afraid.” You have been shown that God does not spare even his saints. Therefore be sober and remember what has been promised. Flee arrogance and separate yourself from it, lest it put out the eyes of your understanding, make you blind, and leave you unable to find the road to the city where you are to dwell.
Again, know the city of Christ and give him glory because he died for you. If a brother says something about you, why do you become angry and turn against him like a wild animal? Why do you not remember that Christ died for you? When your enemy—the Devil—whispers to you, you bend your ear toward him. He pours his stench into it; you open your heart and swallow the poison he pours into you. Miserable man, at that moment you become either a wild beast or a blazing fire, burning until all his wickedness consumes you. Empty your heart. Vomit out the evil poison of lawlessness within it, lest the venom spread through your whole body and you die. Man, do not nurse the few words your brother has spoken against you. Your enemy is seeking to swallow you and your soul. What then will you do? Will you become harsh toward your brother? Do not, my beloved. Do not give people cause to mourn over you. Instead, be sober. Patiently bear the blow of the one who strikes you. Be long-suffering with your brother, and do not frighten his heart because of bodily suffering.
My son, pay close attention to the words of the wise Paul and to what he said: “Bonds and tribulations await me in Jerusalem, but I do not count my life as anything, if only I may complete my course. I am ready to die in Jerusalem for the name of my Lord Jesus Christ.” Neither suffering nor temptation can prevent the saints from going to the Lord. Therefore take courage and act bravely. What have you to do with the Devil’s sluggishness? He flees before the patient endurance of the saints.
My son, why do you flee from Adonai, the Lord of Hosts? Why do you flee into the captivity of the Chaldeans? Why do you give your heart over to feast with demons? Guard yourself, my son, from fornication. Do not destroy a member of Christ. Do not listen to demons and make a member of Christ into a member of a prostitute. Remember tribulations and punishments. Keep the judgment of God before you. Flee every lust. Strip off the old man and his works, and put on the new man. Remember your need in the hour when you leave the body.
My son, flee to the feet of God, for he is the one who created you, and he suffered for you. For he said, “I gave my back to the scourges and my cheeks to blows of insult; I did not turn my face away from shame and spitting.” Man, what have you to do with the road to Egypt, or with drinking from this muddy Geon, the Nile? What have you to do with these muddy thoughts? Struggle until these sufferings cease from troubling you. Turn back and weep for your sins. For it is written, “If you set your sins before the soul, you will see the seed of a great plant.” You see, then, man, that transgression is evil and that sin produces many sufferings and necessities.