THE CROWN of MONKS
by THE ABBOT SMARAGDUS

(0593B) SMARAGDI ABBATIS DIADEMA MONACHORUM. (Ex Biblioth. Patr. max. tom. XVI.)

PROLOGUE

 (0593B) PROLOGUS R. P. SMARAGDI. ^0593C

THIS modest book [represents] our labor at collecting, with the assistance of Christ, sayings of many orthodox fathers, collecting the most choice and sweetest-smelling flowers while browsing through their flowering meadows. From their flower-strewn field, full as it is of the Lord’s blessings, we have collected the things we ascertained as necessary for monks, and have endeavored to bring them together in this little book. The things we have in mind are such as may win the hearts of mature monks, arousing them to a keener and loftier yearning for the heavenly country. And they are also such as may both strengthen and instill fear into the hearts of weak monks, leading them to amendment and a life more in keeping with the Rule.

Hunc modicum Operis nostri libellum de multorum dictis orthodoxorum, opitulante Christo, collegimus Patrum, et per eorum discurrentes florentia prata, bene olentes (veluti ad manum) collegimus flosculos: atque de illorum florigero, benedictionibusque Domini pleno, ea (quae necessaria monachis esse perspeximus) collegimus agro, et in hoc parvo studuimus congregare libello. Ea videlicet, quae perfectorum monachorum corda demulceant, et ad desiderium patriae coelestis avidius sublimiusque erigant: infirmorum quoque monachorum corda confirment et terreant, ad regularemque perducant emendationem.

And as it is written in the Rule of Saint Benedict: As soon as the brethren have arisen from the evening meal, let all be seated in one place, and let one brother read the Conferences or Lives of the Fathers, or at least something that may edify the hearers (RB 42. 3). That is why we have brought together in this little book a limited amount from the conferences of the fathers, from the accounts of their lives and their institutions, and a large amount from various doctors, and have formed the whole into a hundred chapters. Monks have the custom of reading the Rule of Saint Benedict each day at the morning chapter meeting; we would like this book to be read at their evening chapter meeting. We read in the same Rule of Saint Benedict that whatever good work we begin we should beseech God with earnest prayer to bring it to perfection (see RB Prol. 4). For this reason we consider in the first chapter of this book the duty of prayer. . . .

Et quia in regula beati Benedicti scriptum est, Mox ut surrexerint fratres a coena, ^(0593D) sedeant omnes in unum, et legat unus collationes vel vitas Patrum, aut certe aliquid quod aedificet audientes: ideo nos et de collationibus Patrum, et de conversationibus et institutionibus eorum modicum, et de diversis Doctoribus in hoc libello congessimus plurimum, et sic eum in centum capitulis consummavimus totum. Et quia mos est monachorum, ut regulam beati Benedicti ad capitulum legant quotidie matutinum: volumus ut iste libellus ad eorum capitulum quotidie legatur vespertinum. Et quia in eadem beati Benedicti legimus regula, ut quidquid inchoamus bonum a Deo illud perfici instantissima deposcamus oratione; propterea in hoc libello de orationis officio capitulum ponimus primum.

CHAPTER 1 On Prayer

  (0594C) CAPUT PRIMUM. De oratione.

CHAPTER 1
On Prayer

  (0594C) CAPUT PRIMUM. De oratione.

The remedy for those who are hot with the enticements of the vices is this: every time they are stung by any vice let them apply themselves to prayer, because frequent prayer extinguishes the attack of the vices. The mind must do this intently and perseveringly, ever asking and knocking, until with the very strength of our intent we overcome the importunate suggestions of fleshly desires that din at the door of our senses.

Hoc est remedium animae ejus, qui vitiorum tentamentis exaestuat, ut quoties quolibet vitio tangitur, toties ad orationem se subdat, quia frequens oratio vitiorum impugnationem exstinguit. Tam perseveranter intendere oportet animum nostrum orando, atque pulsando, quousque importunas desideriorum carnalium suggestiones, quae nostris obstrepunt sensibus, fortissima intentione superemus:

And we must keep up the fight until we overcome by our persistence. Negligent prayers cannot obtain what they ask even from a mere human being.

ac tandiu insistere, quousque persistendo vincamus. Nam negligentes orationes nec ab ipso homine impetrare valent quod volunt.

When people pray they call the Holy Spirit to themselves; and when the Spirit comes, straightway the demons’ temptations, that immerse themselves deep in human minds, being unable to endure his presence, take flight. Prayer is a matter of the heart, not of the lips. God does not pay attention to the words of the one praying, but he looks at the person’s heart.

Quando quis orat, sanctum ad se spiritum advocat: at ubi venerit, confestim tentamenta daemoniorum, quae se ^(0594D) mentibus humanis immergunt, praesentiam ejus ferre non sustinentes, effugiunt. Oratio cordis est, non labiorum. Neque enim verba deprecantis Deus intendit:

Now if the heart prays quietly and the voice is silent, even if it escapes the notice of human beings it cannot remain hidden from God, who is present to the conscience. It is better to pray with the heart in silence without the sound of the voice than to use only words without a stretching out of the mind. (Isidore, Sent 3. 7. 1–4;CCSL 111:220–21; PL 83:671B–72B)

sed orantis cor aspicit. Quod si cor tacite oret, et vox sileat, quamvis homines lateat, Deum latere non potest, qui conscientiae praesens est. Melius est autem cum silentio orare corde sine sono vocis, quam solis verbis sine intentu mentis.

It is not our words that speak in God’s most secret ears, but our desires.

Voces apud secretissimas aures Dei non faciunt verba nostra, sed desideria.

For if we ask for eternal life with our mouth but do not long for it with the heart, even though we call out aloud we are silent. But if we long for it from the heart, then even though we are silent with our mouth, we cry out loud while keeping quiet. That is why in the desert the people make a great noise with their voices, and Moses remains silent from the noise of words; and yet though silent, he is heard by the ear of the divine kindness. To him God says, Why do you call out to me? (Exod 14:15). So the secret cry is within, in desire. It does not reach human ears, but it fills the hearing of the Creator. (Gregory, Mor 22. 17; CCSL 143B:1122–23; PL 76:238C 2)

Aeternam etiam vitam si ore petimus, nec tamen corde desideramus, clamantes tacemus. Si vero desideramus ex corde, etiam cum ore conticescimus, tacentes clamamus. (Greg., Moral. l. XXII, c. 18.) Hinc est quod in eremo ^(0595A) populus vocibus perstrepit, et Moyses a strepitu verborum tacet: et tamen silens, aure divinae pietatis auditur. Cui dicitur: Quid clamas ad me (Exod. XIV)? Intus est ergo in desiderio clamor secretus, qui ad humanas aures non pervenit, et tamen auditum conditoris replet.

One must never pray without groaning, for the remembrance of sins engenders mourning. For when we pray we bring to mind our fault, and then we know more truly that we are guilty. And so when we stand before God we ought to groan and weep as we remember how grave are the crimes we have committed, and how horrible are the punishments of hell that we fear. The mind should keep itself after prayer in the condition it is in when it offers itself in prayer. For prayer brings no profit if we again commit what we are now asking pardon for. Those who do not repeat by sin what in prayer they ask to have washed away, doubtless receive in their prayers the desired effect. . . . For we truly pray when we do not think of anything else. . . .

Nunquam est sine gemitu orandum.Nam peccatorum recordatio moerorem gignit. (Huc usque Greg.) Dam enim oramus, ad memoriam culpam reducimus: et magis reos tunc nos esse cognoscimus. Ideoque cum Deo assistimus, gemere et flere debemus, reminiscentes quam gravia sint scelera quae commisimus, quamque dira inferni supplicia, quae timemus. Mens qualem se in oratione offert, talem post orationem conservet. Nam nihil proficit oratio, si denuo committitur, ^(0595B) unde jam venia postulatur. Ille enim precis desideratum effectum sine dubio percipit, qui quod orando ablui postulat, delinquendo non iterat. Tunc ergo veraciter oramus, quando aliunde non cogitamus.

Our belief is that we really obtain the divine gifts we ask for when our prayer involves a simple loving presence.

Nam revera, tunc impetranda divina munera credimus; quando simplici affectu assistimus, cum oramus.

When we stand to pray . . . we must keep watch and apply ourselves wholeheartedly to our prayers, so that every fleshly and worldly thought departs. The mind must not have any other thought than what it is praying for. For this reason the priest . . . prepares the brothers’ and sisters’ minds by saying, “Lift up your hearts, ” so that when the people respond, “We lift them up to the Lord, ” they may be warned that they must not have any other thought than the Lord. 4 One who is being subjected to injury ought not to cease praying for those who are inflicting the injury;otherwise, according to God’s sentence, one sins by not praying for one’s enemies (see Matt 5:44). Just as a remedy applied to a wound brings no healing if the iron weapon is still lodged in it, so prayer is of no benefit if resentment is still in the mind or hatred remains in the heart. . . .

Quando autem stamus ad orationem, vigilare et incumbere ad preces toto corde debemus, ut cogitatio omnis carnalis et saecularis abscedat: nec quidquam tunc aliud cogitet animus, quam id solum quod precatur. Ideo et sacerdos fratrum praeparat mentes dicendo: Sursum corda, ut dum plebs respondet: Habemus ad Dominum, admoneatur, nihil aliud se quam Dominum cogitare debere. Qui laeditur, non desistat orare pro se laedentibus, ^(0595C) alioquin juxta Dei sententiam peccat, qui pro inimicis non orat (Matth. V). Sicut nullum proficit in vulnere medicamentum si adhuc in eo ferrum sit, ita nihil proficit oratio illius, cujus adhuc dolor in mente, vel odium manet in pectore.

Libentius sacrificium orationis accipitur, quod (in conspectu misericordis judicis,) proximi dilectione conditur. Quod tunc veraciter quisque cumulat, si hoc etiam pro adversariis impendat. Tantus esse debet orantis erga Deum affectus; ut non desperet precis effectum. Inaniter autem oramus, si spei fiduciam non habemus. Petat ergo (ait Apost. Jacob.) unusquisque in fide, nihil dubitans (Jacob. I). Et Dominus, Omnia quaecunque petitis in oratione, credentes accipietis (Matth. XI).

Venit quidam senex aliquando in montem ^(0595D) Sinai, et cum exiret inde, occurrit ei frater in via, et ingemiscens dicebat seni: Affligimur, Abba, propter siccitatem, quia nobis non pluit. Et dixit ei senex: Quare non oratis et rogatis Deum? Et ille respondit: Et oramus et deprecamur assidue Deum, et non pluit. Et dixit senex: Credo quia non oratis attentius. Vis autem scire quia ita est? Veni, stemus pariter ad orationem. Et extendens in coelum manus oravit, et statim plavia descendit. Quod cum vidisset frater ille, timuit; et procidens adoravit senem Nam et Dominus discipulis ait: Habete fidem. Amen dico vobis, quia quicunque huic monti dixerit, tollere et mittere in mare, et non haesitaverit in corde suo, quodcunque dixerit, fiet ei (Matth. XI).

Quod ^(0596A) et factum precibus beati Patris Gregorii Neocaesariensis legimus. Qui cum volens aedificare Ecclesiam in loco apto, videretque eum angustiorem esse quam res exigebat, venit nocte ad locum, et genibus flexis oravit Dominum, ut montem longius juxta fidem petentis ageret. Et mane facto, reversus invenit montem tantum spatii reliquisse structoribus Ecclesiae, quantum opus habebat.

Nam et sancta Scholastica manus et caput in mensam posuit, et ut plueret, oravit: et statim pluvia super illos de coelo descendit. (Rufin. lib. VII Hist.) 

Nam et proinde tardius justorum exaudiuntur orationes: ut dum differuntur, majoribus praemiis cumulentur. Oratio namque privatis locis opportunius funditur, dum Deo tantum teste depromitur. Neque enim conciliat ^(0596B) Deum multiplex orantis sermo: sed plura, sinceraque orationis intentio.

Interrogaverunt quidam Abbatem Macharium dicentes: Quomodo debemus orare? Et dixit eis senex: Non opus est multum loqui in oratione, sed extendere manus frequenter, et dicere: Domine, sicut vis, et sicut scis, miserere mei.

Hinc beatus Benedictus ait: Non in mutiloquio, sed in puritate cordis, et compunctione lacrymarum, nos exaudiri sciamus. Et ideo brevis debet esse et pura oratio, nisi forte ex affectu inspirationis divinae gratiae protendatur. In conventu tamen omnino bre vietur oratio.

2 On the Discipline of Psalmody

CHAPTER 2
On The Discipline of Psalmody

(0596B) CAPUT II. De disciplina psallendi. 

FOR it is necessary to obey Him with all our efforts, Who admonishes us through the prophet, saying, Sing psalms wisely (Ps 46(47):7), that is, let us not seek what strikes the ear but what gives light to the heart. And what we sing with the tongue let us carry out in what we do.

Oportet enim nisibus totis obedire illi, qui nos ^(0596C) per Prophetam admonet dicens: Psallite sapienter (Psal. XLVI), id est, non quaeramus sonum auris, sed lumen cordis: et quod lingua cantamus, opere compleamus. (Basil. Reg. brev., 279.) 

Those persons sing wisely who understand what is being sung in the psalms.

Cantat et sapienter, qui quod psallit intelligit.

For no one act wisely who does not understand what he is doing. Just as with all foods it is by the sense of taste that we distinguish the savor, so likewise for the words of Holy Scripture prudence and understanding fulfill this role.

Nemo enim sapienter agit, qui quod operatur non intelligit. Quod enim est in omnibus cibis gustus, quo dignoscitur cujus saporis sit, hoc est et in verbis sanctae Scripturae, prudentia et sensus.

So if one applies his soul to every word of the psalmody, as the sense of taste is applied in discerning the savor of various foods, he has fulfilled the saying, Sing psalms wisely (Ps 46(47):7). See RBas 279; PG 31:1279 (1280) A; and RBas 110; CSEL 86:137

Si quis ergo ita animam suam intendat in singula verba psalmodiae, sicut gustus intentus est in discretione saporis ciborum: iste es qui complevit quod dicitur, Psallite sapienter (Psal. XLVI).

It is good to pray always with the heart, and it is good to glorify God by spiritual hymns with the sound of the voice as well. To sing only with the voice without the heart’s attention is nothing. But as the apostle says, Admonish one another, and with thanksgiving in your hearts sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God (Col 3:16).

Bonum est corde semper orare, bonum etiam sono vocis, Deum spiritualibus hymnis glorificare. Nihil est sola voce canere, sine cordis intentione. ^(0596D) Sed sicut ait Apost: Commonentes vosmetipsos, psalmis, hymnis, et canticis spiritualibus, in gratia cantantes in cordibus vestris Deo (Coloss. III).

This means, singing psalms with the heart and not only with the voice. Elsewhere he says, I will sing psalms with the spirit, and I will sing psalms with the mind also (1 Cor 14:15).

Hoc est, non solum voce, sed corde psallentes. Unde et alibi: Psallam spiritu, psallam et mente (I Cor. XIV).

As we are guided aright by prayers, so we find delight in our study of the psalms. For singing psalms is useful for consoling sad hearts, making minds more grateful, delighting the fastidious, arousing the sluggish and inviting sinners to lament. Though the hearts of carnal people may be ever so hard, as soon as the sweet tone of a psalm is heard it bends their mind to a loving reverence.

Sicut orationibus regimur, ita psalmorum studiis delectamur. Psallendi enim utilitas tristia corda consolatur, gratiores mentes facit, fastidiosos delectat, inertes exsuscitat, peccatores ad lamenta invitat. Nam quamvis dura sint carnalium corda, statim ut psalmi dulcedo intonuerit, ad affectum pietatis animum eorum inflectit.

Although it is not the melody (modulatio) of the voice that should move the Christian so much as the divine words that are said there, somehow a greater compunction of heart is born from the singer’s melody (modulatio).

Dum enim Christianum non vocis modulatio, sed tantum verba divina quae ibi dicuntur, debeant commovere, nescio quo tamen ^(0597A) pacto quam modulatione canentis major nascitur compunctio cordis.

For there are many who, deeply touched by the sweetness of the chant, bewail their faults and are moved even to tears by the very charm and delightfulness of sung psalmody. Only in the present life is prayer poured forth as a remedy for sins,

Multi enim reperiuntur qui cantus suavitate commoti, sua crimina plangunt, atque ex ea parte magis flectuntur ad lacrymas, ex qua psallendi insonuerit dulcedo suavissima. Oratio in praesenti tantum pro remedio peccatorum effunditur,

Whoever performs the service of this work faithfully and with an attentive mind is in some way joined to the angels. (And so in another place the same psalmist says, ) In the presence of the angels I will sing psalms to you (Ps 137(138):1). Here is shown the power of psalmody; those who with a pure heart sing psalms among their fellow humans also seem to be singing on high with the angels. (Cassiodorus, Ex. ps. 137(138):1; CCSL 98:1237; PL 70:980A;ACW:53, 367). And so the apostle says, Admonish one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing in your hearts (Col 3:16).

Cujus operis ministerium quicunque fideliter intentaque mente exsequitur, quodammodo Angelis sociatur. Unde et in alio loco idem Psalmographus ait: In conspectu Angelorum psallam tibi (Psal. CXXXVII). Psalmodiae hic virtus ostenditur, ut qui puro corde inter homines ^(0597B) psallit, etiam sursum cum Angelis canere videatur. Hinc et Apostolus ait: Commonentes vosmetipsos, psalmis, hymnis, et canticis spiritualibus: cantantes in cordibus vestris Deo (Coloss. III).

Therefore we must sing, and sing psalms, and praise the Lord more with the mind than with the voice. This precisely is what singing in your hearts means. (Jerome, In Eph 5:19) For when the voice of the psalmody expresses the intention of the heart, through it the way to the heart is made ready for almighty God, for him to infuse the mysteries of prophecy or the grace of compunction into the attentive mind.

Et canere igitur, et psallere, et laudare Dominum magis animo, quam voce debemus. Hoc est quippe quod dicitur cantantes in cordibus vestris. Vox etenim psalmodiae cum per intentionem cordis agitur, per hanc omnipotenti Deo ad cor iter paratur, ut intentae menti, vel prophetiae mysteria, vel compunctionis gratiam infundat.

And so it is written:A sacrifice of praise will honor me, and there is the way by

Unde scriptum est: Sacrificium laudis honorificabit me, et illic iter est quo ostendam illi salutare Dei (Psal. XLIX).

Et illud: Cantate Domino, psalmum dicite nomini ejus, iter facite ei, qui ascendit super occasum: Dominus nomen illi (Psal. ^(0597C) LXVII). Ipse etenim super occasum ascendit, qui mortem resurgendo calcavit.

we prepare a path for the One to Whom we sing, so that He will come to our hearts and inflame us with His loving grace

Cui dum cantamus, iter facimus, ut ad nostrum cor veniat, et sui nos amoris gratia accendat.

CHAPTER 3 On Reading

CHAPTER 3
On Reading

 (0597C) CAPUT III. De lectione. 

We are made clean by prayer and instructed by reading. Both are good if both can be done; if not, it is better to pray than to read.

Orationibus mundamur, lectionibus instruimur. Utrumque bonum, si liceat: si non liceat, melius orare quam legere.

One who wishes to be always with God must frequently pray and frequently read.

Qui vult cum Deo semper esse, frequenter debet orare, frequenter et legere.

For when we pray, we speak with God;

but when we read, God speaks with us.

Nam cum oramus, ipsi cum Deo loquimur:

 cum vero legimus, Deus nobiscum loquitur.

All progress comes from reading and meditation. For what we do not know we learn by reading; and what we have learned we preserve by means of meditation.

Omnis profectus, ex lectione et meditatione procedit. Quae enim nescimus, lectione discimus: quae autem didicimus, meditationibus conservamus.

The reading of the Holy Scriptures confers this twofold gift: it instructs the mind’s understanding, and it brings the one who is withdrawn from the world’s vanities to the love of God. (Isidore, Sent 3. 8. 1–4a, 5, 7; CCSL 111:229–30; PL 83:679A–80A)  Application to reading has two elements: the first is, how the Scriptures may be understood; the second, how to use and value what they say. It is reasonable for humans to be eager to understand what they read, and then to be able to bring to light what they have learned. . . .

Geminum confert donum ^(0597D) lectio sanctarum Scripturarum. Sive quia intellectum mentis erudit; seu quod a mundi vanitatibus abstractum hominem, ad amorem Dei perducit. (Isid. l. III, Sent. c. 8.) Geminum est etiam lectionis studium. Primum quomodo intelligantur scripturae: secundum, qua utilitate, vel dignitate dicantur. Nam rationabiliter erit quisque prius promptus ad intelligendum quae legit, deinde idoneus ad proferendum quae didicit.

God’s law contains both reward and punishment for those who read it. The reward is for those who keep his law by living well; the punishment is for those who despise his law by their evil living. 1

Lex enim Dei, et praemium habet, et poenam legentibus eam. Praemium, in iis qui eam bene vivendo custodiunt; poenam vero, in iis qui eam male vivendo contemnunt.

Sacred Scripture calls its readers’ minds to the heavenly homeland , and changes their hearts from earthly desires to embrace things above;

Scriptura sacra lectoris sui animum ad coelestem patriam vocat, atque a terrenis desideriis ad superna ^(0598A) amplectenda cor legentis immutat,

it exercises them by its more obscure sayings, entices little ones with its humble form of words . . . and by the habit of reading takes away any distaste from the reader.

dictisque obscurioribus exercet, et parvulis humili sermone blanditur: et usu legendi fastidium tollit lectori.

Those it assists with its humble words it lifts up by sublime ones. Sacred Scripture in some 1  On Reading 11 way grows with its readers:it becomes familiar to its unskilled readers , and yet the learned always find new things there. 2 God says to the prophet Ezekiel, O mortal, eat whatever you find (Ezek 3:1). For whatever is found in Sacred Scripture is to be eaten. Its less important parts make for simplicity of life, while its more important parts build up a discerning understanding. 3 By reading the precepts of Sacred Scripture, we who were lying dead in our faults are brought back to life.

Quia nimirum quos verbis humilibus adjuvat, sublimibus levat. Scriptura sacra aliquo modo cum legentibus crescit, a rudibus lectoribus quasi recognoscitur, et tamen a doctis semper nova reperitur. Ad Ezechieiem prophetam dicitur: Fili hominis, quodcunque inveneris comede (Ezech. III). Quidquid enim in sacra Scriptura invenitur, edendum est: quia et ejus parva simplicem componunt vitam, et ejus magna subtilem aedificant intelligentiam. Praecepta Scripturae sacrae legendo, reviviscimus, qui mortui in culpa jacebamus.

And so the psalmist says to Almighty God, I will never forget your words, for in them you have given me life (Ps 118(119):93). . . . In the darkness of the present life Holy Scripture has become light for our journey. Thus Peter says, You do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a murky place (2 Pet 1:19). 4

Unde Omnipotenti Domino per Psalmistam dicitur: In aeternum non obliviscar ^(0598B) sermones tuos: quia in ipsis vivificasti me (Psal. CXVIII). Sancta Scriptura in tenebris vitae praesentis facta est nobis lumen itineris. Hinc enim Petrus ait: Cui benefacitis intendentes, quasi lucernae lucenti in caliginoso loco (II Petr. I).

When readers find the message of Sacred Scripture uninteresting, the sense of the divine word does not arouse their minds or shine forth in their thoughts with any intellectual grasp of its light. But if they search for well-ordered ways of right living, and find through the heart’s step how they may position themselves to do a good work, the profit they derive from the sacred message is in proportion to the progress they have made in its company.

Cum legenti cuilibet sermo Scripturae sacrae tepidus videtur, sensus divini eloquii ejus mentem non excitat, et in cogitatione sua nullo intellectu luminis emicat. At vero si bene vivendi ordines quaerat, et per gressum cordis inveniat quemadmodum pedem boni operis ponat, tantum in sacro eloquio profectum invenit, quantum apud illum ipse profecerit.

What generally happens is that if those inflamed by the grace of heavenly contemplation devote their whole attention to heavenly things, they come to realize that the words of Sacred Scripture are indeed mystical.

Plerumque fit, ut Scripturae sacrae verba esse mystica quisque sentiat, si accensus supernae contemplationis gratia, semetipsum ad coelestia suspendat.

For the wonderful and unutterable power of the sacred message is recognized when the reader’s mind is penetrated with heavenly love.

Mira enim atque ineffabilis ^(0598C) sacri eloquii virtus agnoscitur, cum superno amore legentis animus penetratur.

2 Taio, Sent 3. 40;PL 80:896CD, quoting Gregory, Mor 20. 1;CCSL 143A:1003; PL 76:135BC. 3 Taio, Sent 3. 40;PL 80:896D, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 10, 2;CCSL 142:145; PL 76:886CD. 4 Taio, Sent 3. 40; PL 80:897A, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 7, 16. 17; CCSL 142:93; PL 76:848BC. 5 Taio, Sent 3. 40;PL 80:897AB, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 7. 8;CCSL 142:87–88; PL 76:843D–44AB. In the third sentence, Taio has changed Gregory’s second person singular to the third person singular, and mystica replaces coelestia, “heavenly. ” . . . (Isid. , l. II Sent. c. 3

CHAPTER 4 On Love of God and of Neighbor

CHAPTER 4
On Love of God and Neighbor

 (0598C) CAPUT IV. De dilectione Dei et proximi.

Charity consists in the love of God and of neighbor. We preserve the love of God in ourselves when we are not separated from charity towards our neighbor. Those who cut themselves off from association with their brothers and sisters are deprived of a share in divine charity.

Charitas in dilectione Dei et proximi consistit. Servat autem in se dilectionem Dei qui a charitate non dividitur proximi. Qui a fraterna societate secernitur, a divinae charitatis participatione privatur.

Nor can anyone love God who is known to err in love of neighbor. Christ is both God and man. So anyone who hates another does not love the whole Christ. 1 Although some may seem to be sharers (in Christ) by their faith and holy works, yet because they are deprived of the charity of fraternal love, they do not grow in virtue. For as the apostle says, If I hand over my body so as to burn, but do not have love, it profits me nothing (1 Cor 13:3). Without the love of charity, despite believing rightly, one cannot arrive at beatitude.

Nec poterit Deum diligere, qui noscitur in proximi dilectione errare. Christus, Deus et homo est. Totum ergo Christum non diligit, qui hominem odit. (Isid. ibid.) Quamvis ergo nonnulli fide atque operibus sanctis videantur esse participes: tamen quia privantur charitate fraternae dilectionis, nullum habent incrementum virtutis. Nam (sicut ^(0598D) Apostolus ait): Si tradidero corpus meum ut ardeam, charitatem autem non habuero, nihil mihi prodest (I Cor. XIII). Sine amore charitatis quamvis quisque recte credat, ad beatitudinem pervenire non potest.

The reason is that, so great is the power of charity, without it not even prophecy and martyrdom are believed to count for anything. No prize weighs as much as charity. Charity holds first place among the virtues. And so the apostle calls charity the bond of perfection (Col 3:14), because all the virtues are bound together with it as bond. 2 Obedience consists first of all in charity. This charity comprises two precepts:that God is to be loved, and the neighbor as well. And right behavior is made perfect by the fulfillment of the Ten Commandments , so that when people begin to do good they no longer do evil. 3

Quia tanta est charitatis virtus, ut etiam prophetia et martyrium sine illa nihil esse credantur. Nullum praemium charitate pensatur. Charitas enim virtutum omnium obtinet principatum. Unde et vinculum perfectionis charitas ab Apostolo dicitur (Coloss. III) eo quod universae virtutes ejus vinculo religentur. (Huc usque Isid.) Prima virtus obedientiae in charitate est. Quae videlicet charitas in duobus praeceptis distinguitur, ut Deus et proximus diligatur: et recta operatio ex decalogi completione ^(0599A) perficitur, ut cum bona agi coeperint, mala jam nulla perpetrantur.

1 Isidore, Sent 2. 3. 7; CCSL 111:98; PL 83:603B. 2 Isidore, Sent 2. 3. 1–3; CCSL 111:96–97; PL 83:602CD–3A.

There are two precepts of charity, namely, love of God and love of neighbor, (and through these precepts the sayings of Sacred Scripture cause us to live, because we grasp the love of God and of neighbor in the divine words). Through love of God love of neighbor is begotten, and through love of neighbor love of God is nourished. One who does not bother to love God is clearly unable to love neighbor. We progress more fully in love of God if we are bound beforehand in the bosom of that same love by charity towards our neighbor. Therefore because love of God gives rise to love of neighbor, the Lord when about to say through the law:You shall love your neighbor, prefaced it by saying, You shall love the Lord your God (Matt 22:37-39; Luke 10:27; Deut 6:5).

Duo sunt praecepta charitatis, dilectio videlicet Dei, et dilectio proximi, per quae nos sacrae scripturae dicta vivificant: quia dilectionem Dei et proximi capimus in eloquiis divinis. (Greg., Moral. l. VII, c. 10.) Per amorem Dei amor proximi gignitur, et per amorem proximi amor Dei nutritur. Nam qui amare Deum negligit, profecto diligere proximum nescit. Tunc plenius in Dei dilectione proficimus, si in ejusdem dilectionis gremio prius proximi charitate ligamur. Quia ergo amor Dei amorem proximi generat, dicturus per legem Dominus: Diliges proximum tuum, praemisit dicens: Diliges Dominum Deum tuum (Math. XXII; Luc. X; Deut. VI),

His purpose was first to establish firmly in the soil of our heart the root of his love so that afterwards brotherly love might sprout forth through the branches. . . . Love of God grows together with love of neighbor, as John bears witness when he upbraids (certain people) and says, How can those who do not love their brother or sister whom they see, love God whom they do not see? (1 John 4:20). This divine love is born of fear but it changes into genuine affection as it grows (see 1 John 4:18). Almighty God often makes known how far someone is from charity for God and neighbor, or what progress someone has made in it.

ut videlicet in ^(0599B) terra pectoris nostri prius amoris sui radicem sisteret, quatenus per ramos postmodum dilectio fraterna germinaret. Amor Dei proximi amore coalescit, sicut testatur Joannes, qui quosdam increpat dicens: Qui non diligit fratrem suum quem videt, Deum, quem non videt, quomodo potest diligere? (Greg. loc. cit.) Quae tamen divina dilectio per timorem nascitur, sed in affectum crescendo permutatur. Saepe omnipotens Deus, ut quantum quisque a charitate Dei et proximi longe sit, vel in ea quam profecerit, notum facit (I Joan. IV).

Arranging everything in a wonderful order, some he presses down through scourges, and others he supports by successes. And when for a while he forsakes certain ones, he reveals the evil that lies hidden in the hearts of others. Generally in fact it is the very ones who court us when we are happy who assail us when we suffer misfortune. 4 We make our journey on earth without stubbing our foot if we love God and neighbor with our whole mind.

Miro ordine cuncta dispensans, alios per flagella deprimit, alios successibus fulcit. Et dum quosdam temporaliter deserit, in quorumdam cordibus quod malum latet, ostendit. Nam plerumque ipsi nos miseros ^(0599C) insequuntur, qui felices sine comparatione coluerunt. Inoffenso pede iter nostrum in terra agitur, si Deus et proximus integra mente diligantur.

For we do not really love God if our neighbor is excluded, nor do we really love our neighbor if God is not included

Nec Deus enim vere diligitur sine proximo, nec proximus vere diligitur sine Deo.

3 Taio, Sent 1. 32; PL 80:761CD. 4 Taio, Sent 1. 32; PL 80:761D–62AB, quoting Gregory, Mor 7. 24; CCSL 143:352–53; PL 75:780CD–81AC. 14 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel

We read of the Holy Spirit being given twice to the disciples: first, by the Lord while he was dwelling on earth (see John 20:22-23), afterwards by the Lord presiding in heaven. . .

Sanctus Spiritus secundo legitur discipulis datus: prius a Domino in terra degente (Joan. XX), postmodum a Domino, coelo praesidente (Act. II).

In terra quippe datur spiritus, ut diligatur proximus: e coelo vero, ut diligatur Deus. Sed cur prius in terra, postmodum e coelo, nisi quia patenter datur intelligi, quod juxta Joannis vocem: Qui fratrem suum quem videt non diligit, Deum quem non videt, quomodo potest diligere (I Joan. IV)? Amemus et amplectamur proximum, qui juxta nos est, ut pervenire valeamus ^(0599D) ad amorem illius qui super nos est. Meditetur mens in proximo, quod exhibeat Deo, ut perfecte mereatur in Deo gaudere cum proximo. Tunc enim ad illam supernae frequentiae laetitiam perveniemus, de qua nunc sancti Spiritus pignus accepimus, si ad istum finem, scilicet ad dilectionem Dei et proximi, toto amore tendamus. Omne mandatum de sola dilectione est, et omnia unum praeceptum sunt. (Greg. hom. 27 in Ev.) Quia quidquid praecipitur, in sola charitate solidatur. Praecepta ergo Dominica, et multa sunt, et unum. Multa per diversitatem operis, unum in radice dilectionis. Qualiter dilectio Dei et proximi sit tenenda, ipse insinuat, qui in plerisque Scripturae suae sententiis, et amicos jubet ^(0600A) diligi in se, et inimicos diligi propter se. Diligamus ergo, dilectissimi fratres, Dominum Deum nostrum sicut ille praecepit; scilicet, ex toto corde, tota anima et tota virtute nostra diligamus, quia ille prior dilexit nos (Deut. VI; Matth. XXII; Luc. X). Sic enim Joannes ille, qui super illum dilectionis fontem in coena recubuit, in epistola sua ait: Fratres, diligamus Dominum, quoniam ille prior dilexit nos (I Joan. IV). Neque enim poterat Dominum fragilitas humana diligere, nisi ille primum naturam diligeret nostram. Dilexit etiam nos prius quam essemus, et ideo ut essemus creavit, vivificavit, nutrivit, custodivit, et ad lavacrum regenerationis perduxit, renovavit, gubernavit, et ad intelligibilem aetatem perduxit. Haec enim omnia nobis misericorditer, et per nimiam dilectionem ^(0600B) perfecit. Aperiamus ergo oculos cordis nostri, dilectissimi fratres, et in tantum nos a Jesu Christo Domino nostro cognoscamus esse dilectos, ut pro nobis ejus sanguinem fusum non dubitemus. Suspendamus corda nostra ad dilectionem Creatoris nostri, et non ad modicum aut ex aliquo: Sed ex toto corde, tota anima, et tota virtute diligamus eum (Deut. VI; Matth. XXII; Luc. X), et nullius rei dilectionem praeponamus dilectioni Domini nostri Jesu Christi. Ipse enim ait: Qui diligit patrem aut matrem plusquam me, non est me dignus (Matth. X). Vere enim si Deum toto corde diligamus, dilectioni ejus nec parentum, nec amicorum, nec filiorum dilectionem praeferre debemus. Sed si diligimus Dominum, necesse est ut (sicut nosmetipsos) diligamus ^(0600C) et proximum, quia in his duobus praeceptis tota lex pendet et Prophetae (Matth. XXII; Rom. XIII). Ergo legem et Prophetas non implet, qui Deum proximumque non diligit. Scriptum est enim. Hoc mandatum habemus a Deo, ut qui diligit Deum, diligat et fratrem suum (I Joan. IV). Et in hoc cognoscent omnes quia mei estis discipuli, si dilectionem habueritis ad invicem (Joan. XIII). Et illud: Charissimi, diligamus nos invicem, quoniam charitas ex Deo est. Et omnis qui diligit fratrem suum, ex Deo natus est, et cognoscit Deum (I Joan. IV). Si diligas invicem, Deus in nobis manet, et charitas ejus in nobis perfecta est (Ibid.). Beata est ergo dilectio charitatis, quae omnes amplectitur, omnes diligit, omnes fovet. Vere beata, quae nutrit virtutes, et delet peccata. Opprimit ^(0600D) iram, excludit odia, expellit avaritiam, comprimit rixam, et fugat pariter omnia vitia. Omnia tolerat, omnia credit, omnia sperat (I Cor. XIII). Inter opprobria secura est, inter iras placida, inter odia benefica, in veritate firma. A pravis impugnatoribus non diripitur, a latronibus non furatur, ab incendio non crematur, ab haeresi non dividitur. Individua stat, inexpugnabilis manet, inexplicabilis durat, inconcussa perseverat, incorrupta laetatur. Ligamentum est enim omnium virtutum, glutinum animarum, concordia mentium, et societas electorum. Ne adversitatibus frangatur, fortiter mentem roborat: ne prosperitatibus elevetur, caute temperat: ne ab ira superetur, rationabiliter reprimit. ^(0601A) Vere haec (ut video) nobilissima et excellentissima virtus est. Teneamus ergo eam, fratres, virtute qua possumus, ut nobiscum sit, nobiscum maneat, nobiscum surgat, nobiscum pergat, nobiscum laetetur et convivetur. Decet enim in fratrum congregatione tam regiam jugiter inesse virtutem.

17 CHAPTER 5 On the Observance of God’s Commandments

i.

CHAPTER 5
On the Observance of God’s Commandments

(0601A) CAPUT V. De observatione mandatorum Deii

A fter the practice of love, let us see what the very author of love orders us to observe. For he says, If you love me, keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to dwell with you forever (John 14:15-16). Let us then direct our attention, friends, to how much our Lord Jesus Christ loves us, who requires from us love for him with a promise, and says that the Holy Spirit will remain with us forever if we follow up love for him with keeping his commandments. He bestows on us all good things, and to will what is good and do it is the first thing he gives us.

Post exsecutionem dilectionis, videamus quid nobis observandum ipse auctor praecipiat dilectionis. Ait enim: Si diligitis me, mandata mea servate, et ego rogabo Patrem, et alium Paracletum dabit vobis, ut maneat vobiscum in aeternum (Joan. XIV). Attendamus ergo, fratres, quantum nos diligat Dominus noster Jesus Christus, qui cum promissione a nobis ^(0601B) suam exigit dilectionem, et Spiritum sanctum dicit nobiscum esse in aeternum mansurum, si post dilectionem suam mandata ejus servaverimus.

We are highly esteemed by him so that we may highly esteem him; we are loved by him so that we may love him. We are known so that we may know; we are helped so that we may work, and by working be enriched with the virtues. So if the love of God and of neighbor delights us, the result is that we do what he has ordered, for our love is measured by what we do. One who does not faithfully fulfill God’s commandments cannot sincerely love him. For he says, Any who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Those who do not love me do not keep my words (John 14:23).

Ab ipso enim nobis omnia bona largiuntur, et velle bonum et operari, ab illo prius donatur nobis. Diligimur enim ab illo; ut diligamus illum; amamur ab eo, ut amemus eum. Cognoscimur, ut cognoscamus: adjuvamur ut operemur, et operando virtutibus ditemur. Ergo si nos dilectio Dei proximique demulcet, consequens est ut faciamus quod ille praecepit. Quia in tantum diligimus, in quantum facimus. Neque enim potest sincere Deum diligere, qui mandata ejus fideliter non implet. Ipse enim ait: Si quis diligit me, sermonem meum servabit. Et Pater meus diliget eum, et ad eum veniemus, et mansionem apud eum ^(0601C) faciemus. Et qui non diligit me sermones meos non servat.

John the Apostle, filled with the love of God, also says, By this we can be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, “I have come to know him, ” but does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in such a one; but whoever does keep his word, truly in this person the love of God has been perfected (1 John 2:3-5). 18 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Job also says of himself, My foot has followed God’s steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandments of his lips, and I have hidden in my bosom the words of his mouth (Job 23:11-12). . . . And admonishing the Israelite people the Lord himself says about love of him and the observance of his commandments: And now, Israel, hear the statutes and ordinances that I am teaching you today to observe, so that you may do them and live (Deut 4:1) in them. Observe and be careful lest you ever forget the Lord your God, and neglect to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today (Deut 8:11). And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you? Only to fear the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to love him, to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep his commandments and his decrees that I am commanding you today, so that it may be well with you (Deut 10:12-13). If you will only hear . . . and observe all his commandments . . . the Lord will set you higher than all the nations that live on the earth . . . Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb, and the fruit of your ground . . . The Lord will send a blessing upon your barns, and upon all the works of your hands (Deut 28:1, 3, 8). 1 And so John the Apostle says, By this we know that we love God’s children, when we love God and keep his commandments. For the love of God consists in this, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not burdensome (1 John 5:2-3). The Lord himself also says this: Any who love me will keep my word (John 14:23). So the proof of love lies in its being manifested in work. For we truly love God if we observe his commandments and firmly keep ourselves from self-will. Clearly, those who pour themselves out through unlawful desires do not love God; in their own will they contradict God. 2 1 Smaragdus, Via reg 2, adapted to a monastic audience; PL 102:937C–38C. 2 Bede, In 1 Jo 5:2-3. . .

Joannes quoque Apostolus dilectione Domini repletus, in Epistola sua ait: In hoc scimus quoniam cognovimus eum, si mandata ejus observamus (Joan. XIV). Qui dicit se nosse Deum et mandata ejus non custodit, mendax est, et in eo veritas non est. Qui servat verbum ejus, vere in hoc charitas Dei perfecta est (I Joan. II). De se quoque Job ait: Vestigia Dei secutus est pes meus. Viam ejus custodivi, et non declinavi ex ea. A mandatis labiorum ejus non recessi, et in sinu meo abscondi verba oris ejus (Job. XXIII). Ipse quoque Dominus de dilectione sui, atque mandatorum suorum observatione, populum Israeliticum admonens, dicit: Et nunc Israel audi praecepta et judicia, quae ego doceo te hodie, ut faciens ^(0601D) ea vivas in eis (Lev. XVIII). Observa et cave, ne quando obliviscaris Domini Dei tui, et negligas mandata ejus atque judicia, et caeremonias quas ego praecipio tibi hodie (Deut. VIII). Et nunc Israel, quid Dominus Deus tuus petiit a te, nisi ut timeas Dominum Deum tuum, et ambules in viis ejus, et diligas eum ac servias ei in toto corde tuo, et in tota anima tua, custodiasque mandata et caeremonias ejus, quas ego praecipio tibi hodie, ut bene sit tibi (Deut. X). Si autem audieris, ut facias omnia mandata ejus, faciet te Dominus excelsiorem cunctis gentibus quae versantur in terra. Benedictus eris in civitate, et benedictus in agro, benedictus fructus ventris tui, et fructus terrae tuae. Mittet Dominus super cellaria tua, ^(0602A) et super omnia opera manum tuarum, benedictionem (Deut. XXVIII). Hinc et Joannes Apostolus ait: In hoc cognoscimus quoniam diligimus natos Dei, cum Deum diligamus, et mandata ejus faciamus. Haec enim charitas Dei, ut mandata ejus custodiamus, et mandata ejus gravia non sunt (I Joan. V). Hoc et ipse Dominus ait: Si quis diligit me, sermonem meum servabit (Joan. XIV). (Greg. hom. 30 in Ev.) Probatio ergo dilectionis, exhibitio est operis. Vere enim Deum diligimus, si mandata ejus observantes, a nostris nos voluntatibus coarctamus. Nam qui adhuc per illicita desideria defluit, profecto Deum non amat, quia ei in sua voluntate contradicit.

CHAPTER 6
On Fear

  (0602A) CAPUT VI De timore^(0602B)

19 CHAPTER 6 On Fear I t is written: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Ps 110(111):10). The fear of the Lord is glory and boasting, and gladness and a crown of exultation. The fear of the Lord will delight the heart, and will give gladness and joy and length of days (Sir 1:11-12). Fear the Lord, and turn away from evil (Prov 3:7), because for those who fear the Lord it will be well at the end;on the day of their death they will be blessed . . . To fear the Lord is the fullness of wisdom (Sir 1:13, 20). 1 What begets wisdom is the fear of the Lord; it is riches, and life and glory. The fear of the Lord drives out sin (Sir 1:27). Fear represses vice, and makes a person cautious and careful. For a person who is without fear cannot be justified (Sir 1:28). Where there is no fear there is dissolute living. Where there is no fear there is gross profanity. 2 Where there is no fear crimes abound. 3 Those who fear the Lord do not disbelieve his word, and those who love him will keep his ways. . . . Those who fear the Lord will prepare their hearts (Sir 2:18, 20), and in his presence will sanctify their souls. Those who fear the Lord will keep his commandments, and will have patience until his inspection (Sir 2:18, 20-21). The fear of the Lord means not to despise the righteous poor, and not to extol the unrighteous rich. For David says, Serve the Lord with fear, and make exultation for him with 1 A string of scriptural quotations to illustrate what fear of God means and entails. 2 Isidore (Synon 2. 26) has ibi perditio mortis est, “there is death’s perdition”; Smaragdus has ibi sceleratio est. 3 See Isidore, Synon 2. 26; PL 83:851B. Some phrases are direct from Isidore. 20 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel trembling (Ps 2:11). And, Fear the Lord, all you his holy ones, for those who fear him want for nothing (Ps 33(34):9). And, Happy are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways (Ps 127(128):1). Moses also says, After the Lord your God you must walk, him you must fear, his precepts keep, and him obey (Deut 13:5 LXX). The apostle also says, With fear and trembling work out your own salvation (Phil 2:12). Again Solomon says, The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom, making peace complete, and the enjoyment of health (Sir 1:20). Both are gifts of God (Sir 1:23). You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not turn aside from him, or else you will fall. You who fear the Lord, trust in him, and your reward will not be made empty (Sir 2:7-8). You who fear the Lord, love him; and your hearts will be enlightened (Sir 2:10). Blessed is the one who is given the fear of the Lord as a possession. The fear of the Lord is like a paradise of blessing, and they covered a person beyond all glory (Sir 40:28). 4 And in praise of fear Solomon furthermore says, The fear of the Lord adds days (Prov 10:27). Let us therefore, brothers, fear the Lord, but with that fear which, being holy, lasts forever (Ps 18(19):9); with that chaste fear which to the days of this time will add eternal days for us, perpetual days, immortal and everlasting days. In fact, it will add one day that is without evening or ending, a day full of happiness and joy, brim full of unfailing light, supported by the company of angels, a day uninterrupted by night, unobscured by darkness, a day unclouded, that summer’s heat does not make unbearable, nor winter’s cold render sluggish; it will be one unending day that we will have together with the saints, in common with the angels, an eternal day with both. May it bestow on us, with all happiness and joy, fellowship with the angels; may it make us companions of the patriarchs, count us among the number of the prophets, and make us in boundless joy companions of the apostles. 5 (And because the apostle John says in Scripture:) There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear. . .

Scriptum est enim: Initium sapientiae timor Domini (Psal. CX). Timor Domini gloria, et gloriatio, et laetitia, et corona exsultationis. Timor Domini delectabit cor: et dabit laetitiam et gaudium, in longitudinem dierum (Eccli. I). Time Dominum, et recede a malo, quia timenti Deum bene erit in extremis, et in diebus consummationis illius benedicetur (Prov. III). Plenitudo sapientiae, timere Deum (Eccli. I). Generatio sapientiae, timor Domini, divitiae, et vita, et gloria. Timor Domini expellit peccatum, et reprimit vitium, cautum facit hominem atque sollicitum. Nam qui sine timore est, non poterit justificari. Quia ubi timor non est, ibi dissolutio vitae est. Ubi timor non est, ibi sceleratio est. Ubi timor non est, ibi scelerum abundantia est. Qui timent Dominum, non ^(0602C) erunt incredibiles verbo illius: et qui diligunt eum, conservabunt viam ejus. Qui timent Dominum, praeparabunt corda sua, et in conspectu illius santificabunt animas suas. Qui timent Dominum custodient mandata ejus, et patientiam habebunt usque ad inspectionem ejus (Eccli. II). Timor Domini, non despicere justum hominem pauperem, et non magnificare virum pejorem divitem. David enim dicit: Servite Domino in timore, et exsultate ei cum tremore (Psal. II). Et, Timete Dominum, omnes sancti ejus, quoniam nihil deest timentibus eum (Psal. XXXIII). Et, Beati omnes qui timent Dominum: qui ambulant in viis ejus (Psal. CXXVII). Moyses quoque ait: Post Dominum Deum vestrum ambulate, et ipsum timete, et praecepta ejus custodite, et acquiescite illi (Deut. XIII ^(0602D) juxta LXX). Apostolus quoque dicit: Cum timore et tremore vestram ipsorum salutem operemini (Phil. II). Iterum Salomon ait: Corona sapientiae timor Domini, replens pacem et salutis fructum: utraque autem sunt dona Dei (Eccli. I). Metuentes Dominum sustinete misericordiam ejus, et non deflectatis ab illo, ne cadatis. Qui timetis Dominum, credite illi: et non evacuabitur merces vestra. Qui timetis Dominum, diligite illum: et illuminabuntur corda vestra (Eccli. II). Beatus cui donatum est habere timorem Dei. Timor Domini sicut paradisus benedictionis, et super omnem gloriam operuerunt illum (Eccli. XL). In timoris etenim laude adhuc Salomon ait, Timor Domini apponet dies (Prov. X). Timeamus, ergo fratres, illo timore Domini, ^(0603A) qui sanctus permanet in saeculum saeculi (Psal. XVIII); illo casto timore qui nobis ad dies temporis hujus adjiciat dies aeternos, dies perpetuos, dies perennes et immortales, imo diem unum sine vespera et infinitum, diem felici gaudio plenum, indeficienti luce refertum, angelico comitatu suffultum; diem inquam, quem nox non interpolat, tenebrae non obscurant, nubilum non offuscat, importabilem non efficit calor aestatis, pigrum non reddit frigus hiemis; dies qui nobismet unus erit cum sanctis, communis cum angelis, aeternus cum utrisque; qui nobis cum felici gaudio consortium tribuat angelorum, et socios faciat patriarcharum, in numero computet prophetarum, in exsultatione socios faciat apostolorum. Et quia apostolus Joannes in canonica dicit: ^(0603B) Timor non est in charitate, sed perfecta charitas foras mittit timorem, et quia timor poenam habet, et qui timet, non est perfectus in charitate (I Joan. IV), necesse est duos discrete et diligenter intelligamus timores. Duo sunt igitur timores. Unus quo timent homines Deum, ne mittantur in gehennam. Ipse est timor ille, qui introduxit charitatem, sed sic venit ut exeat. Si enim adhuc propter poenas times Deum, nondum amas, quem sic times: non bona desideras, sed mala caves. Sed ex eo quod mala caves, corrigis te, et incipis bona desiderare. Cum bona desiderare coeperis, erit in te timor sanctus, ille scilicet, ne ipsa bona amittas, non ne mittaris in gehennam, sed ne te deserat praesentia Domini, quem amplecteris, quo aeterno frui desideras. Frater ^(0603C) quidam interrogavit senem dicens: Quomodo venit timor Domini in animam? Et dixit senex: Si habet homo humilitatem, et paupertatem, et non judicet alterum; sic venit in eum timor Dei. Dixit quidam senex: Timor et humilitas, et egestas victualium, et planctus maneat in te. Et alius senex dixit illud: Quidquid odio habes, alii ne facias (Tob. IV). Si odio habes eum qui tibi male loquitur, ne tu male loquaris de aliquo. Si odio habes eum qui tibi calumniam facit, ne tu calumniam facias alicui. Si odio habes eum qui te in contemptu ducit, aut injuriis appetit, nihil tu horum facias cuiquam: Qui ergo verbum istud custodire potest, sufficit ei ad salutem. Dixit quidam senex: Vita Monachi haec est. Operatio, obedientia, meditatio, et ut non judicet, ^(0603D) non obloquatur, non murmuret. Scriptum est enim: Qui diligitis Dominum, odite malum. Monachi vita haec est, non ingredi cum injustis, neque videre oculis suis mala, neque curiose agere, neque audire inania, neque aliena rapere, sed magis sua tribuere, neque superbire corde, neque cogitatione malignari, neque ventrem implere, sed cum discretione omnia agere (Psal. XCVI). Ecce in his est monachus. Dixit Abbas Jacob: Quia sicut lucerna obscurum cubiculum illuminat, ita timor Domini, si venerit in cor hominis, illuminat eum, et docet omnes virtutes et mandata Dei. Interrogaverunt quidam patrum Abbatem Macharium Aegyptium, dicentes: Quomodo et quando manducas, et quando jejunas, ^(0604A) corpus tuum siccum sic est? Et dixit eis senex: Sicut lignum in manu hominis quo frutices in igne versantur arescit, ita si homo habuerit mentem suam in timore Dei, ipse timor Dei ossa ejus consumit.

  (0604A) CAPUT VII. De sapientia quae Christus est.

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23 CHAPTER 7 On the Wisdom That Is Christ T he fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom (as Scripture says), and to fear the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; and the fullness of wisdom and the root of wisdom is the fear of the Lord (Sir 1:18a, 14, 16, 20 in that order). Let us, then, dearly beloved, fear the Lord and prepare our souls to receive wisdom, so that living wisely, (reverently and justly, we may merit to possess with wisdom itself an eternal kingdom). For so it is written:Those who keep her will be justified by her (seeWis 6:11), and she will easily be seen by those who love her, and found by those who seek her (Wis 6:12). For it is written: The desire for wisdom leads to perpetual kingdoms (Wis 6:20). . . . For this reason Solomon says, 1 I prayed, and understanding was given me; I called on God, and the spirit of wisdom came to me. . . . I chose to have her rather than light. . . . I loved her more than health and all beauty . . . because her light cannot be extinguished. All good things came to me together with her, and through her hands a reputation beyond measure. I rejoiced in them all, because this wisdom goes ahead of me . . . for she is an unfailing treasure for humans; those who made use of it became sharers in friendship with God. . . . There is in her a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, undefiled, distinct, agreeable, loving the good, keen, irresistible, beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, possessing all power, overseeing all things, and receiving all spirits, intelligible. . . . For wisdom is more mobile than all things mobile. . . . For she is a breath of the power of God, and a pure outflow of 1 Smaragdus, Via reg 4; PL 102:941D–42C. 24 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel the glory of Almighty God. . . . For she is the brightness of eternal light, the spotless mirror of God’s majesty, and the image of his goodness (Wis 7:7, 10bac, 11-12, 14, 22-26). She is (as it is said) more beautiful than the sun, and excels every arrangement of the stars. Compared to light she is found superior; for night succeeds light, but wisdom conquers malice (Wis 7:29-30). As it is said:She reaches mightily from end to end, and she orders all things agreeably. . . . For she teaches self-control and wisdom, 2 justice and courage;nothing in life is more profitable for men and women than these (Wis 8:1, 7). For wisdom is a great treasure, and one who finds her will find life, and one who possesses her will have the crown of immortality. She it is that makes people stable in faith, 3 assured in speech, pleasant in conversation, cheerful in giving, humane in mercy, agreeable in responding, clever in distinguishing, meek in prosperity, fearless in adversity, keen in thought, brilliant in deed, 4 candid in appearance, brave in conflict. “Where then does wisdom come from?And where is the place of understanding ? It is hidden from the eyes of all the living. . . . God understands the way to it, and he knows its place. . . . For he said to humankind, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord is itself wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding’” (Job 28:20-23, 28). Let us love her, then, my friends, so that we may be loved by her. . . . For the wisdom that is Christ says, I, wisdom, live in counsel, and I am present among learned thoughts. . . . Mine is counsel and impartiality ; mine is prudence and mine fortitude. . . . I love those who love me, and those who watch for me early will find me. With me are riches and honor. . . . My fruit is better than gold and the precious stone. . . . I walk in the ways of righteousness . . . to make rich those who love me, and to fill their treasuries (Prov 8:12, 14, 17-21). For God loves those who love wisdom. (Wisdom prepares life for her children, ministers justice to those who prize her, and bestows prudence on those who love her. ) In temptation she walks with such 2 Smaragdus’s text here reads sapientiam instead of theVulgate’s prudentiam. 3 Here the Diadema has stabiles in fide; the Via regia has stabiles in regno, “stable in kingship (or kingdom). ” 4 Here the Diadema has perlucidos; the Via regia has placidos, “placid. ” On theWisdomThat Is Christ 25. . .

Corona sapientiae (ut ait Scriptura) timor Domini est, et initium sapientiae, timere Deum, et plenitudo sapientiae, et radix sapientiae timor Domini est (Eccli. I). Timeamus ergo, charissimi, Dominum, et animas nostras praeparemus, ad excipiendam sapientiam, ut sapienter, et pie, et juste viventes, cum ipsa sapientia, regna mereamur possidere perpetua. Sic enim scriptum est: Qui custodierint illam, justificabuntur ab ea, et facile videbitur ab iis qui diligunt eam, et ^(0604B) invenietur ab iis qui quaerunt illam (Sap. VI). Scriptum est enim: Concupiscentia itaque sapientiae deducit ad regna perpetua (Ibid.). Propterea ait Salomon: Optavi, et datus est mihi sensus: invocavi, et venit in me spiritus sapientiae, et proposui pro luce habere illam. Super salutem et omnem pulchritudinem dilexi illam, quoniam inexstinguibile est lumen illius. Venerunt autem mihi omnia bona pariter cum illa, et innumerabilis honestas per manus illius, et laetatus sum in omnibus, quoniam antecedebat me ista sapientia. Infinitus enim thesaurus est hominibus, quo qui usi sunt, participes facti sunt amicitiae Dei. Est enim in illa spiritus intelligentiae, sanctus, unicus, multiplea, subtilis, mobilis, disertus, incoinquinatus, certus, suavis, amans bonum, acutus, quem nihil vetat benefaciens, ^(0604C) humanus: stabilis, secutus, omnem habens virtutem, omnia prospiciens, et qui capiat omnes spiritus intelligibilis. Nam omnibus mobilibus, mobilior est sapientia. Vapor est enim virtutis Dei et emanatio claritatis omnipotentis Dei sincera. Candor est enim lucis aeternae, et speculum sine macula Dei majestatis, et imago bonitatis illius (Sap. VII). Est enim (ut dicitur) haec speciosior sole, et super omnem stellarum dispositionem luci comparata invenitur prior. Luci enim succedit nox, sapientia autem vincit malitiam (Ibid.). Ut enim dicitur: Attingit a fine usque ad finem fortiter, et disponit omnia suaviter. Sobrietatem enim et sapientiam docet, et justitiam et virtutem quibus utilius nihil est in vita hominibus (Sap. VIII). Thesaurus enim magnus est sapientia, quam qui invenerit, ^(0604D) inveniet vitam: et qui possederit illam, immortalitatis habebit coronam. Ipsa est enim quae stabiles facit in fide, certos in verbo, dulces in eloquio, hilares in dato, in misericordia humanos, in respondendo suaves, in discernendo sagaces, in prosperitate mites, in adversitate securos, acutos in sensu, perlucidos in facto, candidos in vultu, et fortes in conflictu (Ibid.). Unde ergo sapientia venit, et quis est locus intelligentiae? Abscondita est ab oculis omnium viventium. Deus intelligit viam ejus, et ipse novit locum illius. Ipse enim dixit homini: Ecce timor Domini, ipse est sapientia, et recedere a malo intelligentia (Job. XXVIII). Diligamus ergo eam, fratres, ut diligamur ab ea. Ipsa enim sapientia quae Christus ^(0605A) est, dicit: Ego sapientia habito in consilio, et eruditis intersum cogitationibus. Meum est consilium et aequitas, mea est prudentia, mea est et fortitudo. Ego diligentes me diligo, et qui mane vigilaverint ad me, invenient me. Mecum sunt divitiae et gloria. Melior est fructus meus auro et lapide pretioso. In viis justitiae ambulo, ut ditem diligentes me, et thesauros eorum repleam (Prov. VIII). Diligit enim Deus illum qui diligit sapientiam. Sapientia enim filiis suis vitam praeparat, diligentibus se justitiam ministrat, amantibus se prudentiam donat. In tentatione cum illo ambulat, et iter directum illi praeparans, absconsa sua denudat, illi scientiam et intellectum prudentiae thesaurizat. Ergo qui tenuerit illam, vitam haereditabit aeternam.

  (0605B) CAPUT VIII. De prudentia.

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26 CHAPTER 8 On Prudence P rudence is the ornament of all the virtues, the glory of our words, the distinction of our speech, as it is written: To the prudent person teaching is a golden ornament, and like a bracelet on the right arm (Sir 21:24). Prudence guards the mouth, governs behavior, controls the heart, moderates the tongue, assesses all our words and weighs up our affairs. For so it is written:The words of the prudent will be weighed in the balance (Sir 21:28). Hence Paul also says, Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person (Col 4:6). Brothers and sisters, let us, too, love this outstanding virtue, so that it may provide direction of spirit and strengthen the mind’s discretion . (For thus it is written:The wise person is governed by much prudence (Prov 14:29)). 1 Let us love prudence, that it may direct our steps in what we do and set in order our thinking activity. For it is written: The prudent direct their steps (Prov 15:21Vulgate). Let us love prudence, that it may build us a spiritual house, and raise it up and strengthen it once built. For it is written: By wisdom a house will be built, and by prudence it will be strengthened (Prov 24:3). Let us love prudence, so that it may provide us with the adornment of upright behavior and virtues in plenty, put firmly in our mouth the law of truth, adorn in all sorts of ways wise and understanding speech, place in our speech an ornament of gold, and confer on our lips a gift of silver;may it set a constant guard over our behavior and award fitting glory. 2 1 This is the only quotation not found inVia reg 4;some of the later quotations come from earlier inVia reg 4. 2 Smaragdus, Via reg 5; PL 102:945B–46A. The passage has adaptations, omissions , and additions appropriate to his monastic readership. . . .

Prudentia namque ornamentum est omnium virtutum, gloria verbi, decusque sermonis, sicut scriptum est: Ornamentum aureum prudenti, doctrina, et quasi brachiale in brachio dextro (Eccli. XXI). Prudentia custos est oris, gubernatio actionis, temperantia cordis, moderatio linguae, omniumque statera verborum, et ponderatio rerum. Sic enim scriptum est: Verba prudentium statera ponderabuntur (Eccli. XXI). Hinc et Paulus ait: Sermo vester semper in gratia sale sit conditus, ut sciatis quomodo oporteat vos unicuique respondere (Col. IV). Diligamus et nos, fratres, hanc clarissimam virtutem, quae nobis gubernationem animi disponat, et discretionem mentis confirmet. ^(0605C) Sic enim scriptum est: Qui sapiens est, multa gubernatur prudentia (Prov. XLI). Diligamus prudentiam quae gressus operis nostri dirigat, et actus cogitationis disponat. Scriptum est enim: Vir prudens dirigit gressus suos (Prov. XV). Diligamus prudentiam quae nobis spiritalem aedificet domum, et aedificatam sublimiter roboret. Scriptum est enim: Sapientia aedificabitur domus, et prudentia roborabitur (Prov. XXIV). Diligamus prudentiam, quae nobis ornamenta morum, et copiam ministret virtutum, quae ori nostro legem veritatis insinuet, et sermonem sapientiae et intellectus multipliciter adornet, sermonibus nostris aureum ornamentum imponat, et labiis nostris munus argenteum conferat: moribus nostris jugem custodiam, congruam ministret et gloriam.

  (0605D) CAPUT IX. De simplicitate.

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27 CHAPTER 9 On Simplicity G reat indeed is the virtue of prudence, but it needs to be tempered by the virtue of simplicity. For thus says the Lord in the Gospel:Be prudent as serpents and simple as doves (Matt 10:16). And the Lord says to the devil about the simple man Job: Have you considered my servant Job?There is none like him on the earth, simple, upright, who fears God and shuns evil (Job 1:8). 1 So let us love this great virtue, friends;it proceeds from the treasury of the Most High, and though it belongs to all Christians, it is especially necessary for monks, who must adorn what they purpose in life with courtesy and simplicity. 2 For it is written: Think of the Lord in goodness and seek him in simplicity of heart, because he is found by those who do not put him to the test, and manifests himself to those who have faith in him (Wis 1:1-2). Let us then love simplicity of heart, so that it may direct our actions into the way of salvation. It is written: The simplicity of the upright will direct them (Prov 11:3). Let us obey the words of Paul, the outstanding preacher, who admonishes us, saying, I wish you to be wise in what is good, simple in what is evil (Rom 16:19). 3 For prudence in striving for what is good must continually sharpen the hearts of the elect, and simplicity temper the sharpness of prudence , so that prudence may not exceed the measure of uprightness, or simplicity grow sluggish through being deceived by ignorance. 4 1 Smaragdus, Via reg 6; PL 102:946B. 2 No source traced for this passage;it may be an editorial addition of Smaragdus for this work. 3 Possibly Smaragdus’s adaptation with editorial addition of a couple of sentences fromVia reg 6. 4 Smaragdus, Via reg 6; PL 102:946CD. 28 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel For we read of Jacob: He was a simple man, living in his house (see Gen 25:27), because all who avoid being scattered in exterior cares and concerns are simple in their thinking and stand firm in the dwelling of their conscience . . . lest they covet many things outside and, having become strangers to their thoughts, withdraw from themselves. 5 Let us, then, run by the paths of simplicity, so that through it we may deserve to reach our eternal homeland more quickly, and there merit to receive the garment of immortality and the rewards of simplicity. 6 5 Gregory, Mor 5. 11; CCSL 143:232; PL 75:690A. 6 Smaragdus, Via reg 6; PL 102:946D. The text is adapted and the word order slightly changed. . . .

Magna est quidem prudentiae virtus, sed necesse est ut simplicitatis virtute temperetur. Sic enim Dominus in Evangelio ait: Estote prudentes sicut serpentes, et simplices sicut columbae (Matth. X). Et de Job simplici viro, Dominus ad diabolum ait: Nunquid considerasti servum meum Job, quod non sit similis ei super terram, simplex, rectus, et timens Deum, et recedens a malo (Job. I)? Diligamus ergo, fratres, hanc magnam virtutem, quae de Altissimi thesauro prodit, quae quamvis omnibus Christianis, maxime autem necessaria est monachis, qui vitae propositum simplicitatis ornare debent officio. ^(0606A) Scriptum est enim: Sentite de Domino in bonitate, et in simplicitate cordis quaerite illum, quoniam invenitur ab iis qui non tentant illum: apparet autem eis qui fidem habent in illum (Sap. I). Diligamus ergo simplicitatem cordis, ut ab illa actus nostri dirigantur in viam salutis. Scriptum est enim: Simplicitas justorum diriget eos (Prov. XI). Obediamus verbis Pauli praedicatoris egregii, qui nos admonet, dicens: Volo vos sapientes esse in bono, simplices in malo (Rom. I). Debet enim electorum corda prudentia in bonum jugiter acuere, et simplicitas ab acumine prudentiae temperare, ne aut prudentia modum rectitudinis excedat, aut simplicitas ignorantiae fallacia torpescat. (Greg., l. V, Moral., c. 3.) De Jacob enim legitur: Quod esset vir simplex, et in domo habitans ^(0606B) (Gen. XXV), quia nimirum omnes qui in curis exterioribus spargi refugiunt, simplice in cogitatione, atque in conscientae suae habitatione consistunt, ne dum ad multa foris inhiant, a semetipsis alienati cogitationibus recedant. Curramus ergo per simplicitatis itinera, ut ad perennitatis per eam citius pervenire mereamur patriam, ubi immortalitatis stolam et simplicitatis recipere mereamur praemia.

  (0606B) CAPUT X. De patientia.

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29 CHAPTER 10 On Patience C oncerning this virtue of patience the Lord says, In your patience you will possess your souls (Luke 21:19). . . . And his disciple Paul says, As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with deep compassion, kindness, humility, modesty, and patience (Col 3:12-13), bearing with one another in love (Eph 4:1). Solomon also says, A man’s learning is known by his patience, and his boast is to overlook offenses (Prov 19:11). . . . In his preaching James the apostle says, Patience brings the work to perfection, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (Jas 1:3-4). And Paul again says, Admonish the restless, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient towards all (1 Thess 5:14). 1 Therefore, dearly beloved, let us run all along this way of patience and let us love it, because there is nothing on it to make us stumble;it will in the future repay those who run all along it with complete and eternal joy. For great is the virtue of patience, my friends, which does not injure but rather loves those from whom one suffers injury; it forgives injuries to the one causing them, and does not return them; it does not hurt others when it could, but spares them. For the root and guard of all virtues is patience. Through patience we possess our 1 Smaragdus, Via reg 7; PL 102:947AB, with the required adaptations and an inversion in the order of scripture quotations. The Proverbs 19:11 quotation replaces the Via regia’s Proverbs 25:15, which is more applicable to kings and rulers:Patientia lenitur princeps, et lingua mollis frangit duritiem, “With patience a ruler may be soothed, and a soft tongue breaks down resistance. ” 30 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel souls (see Luke 21:19). The Lord showed that patience is the guard of our condition, because he taught that by it we possess ourselves. 2 True patience is to bear evils from others with equanimity, and not to be moved3 by any sorrow against one who inflicts evils. 4 It is the virtue of patience that commends us to God, (guards us from all evils, ) and preserves us. This virtue it is that tempers anger, curbs the tongue, and governs the mind; this it is that keeps the peace, exercises discipline (with moderation), crushes the onset of unlawful desire, represses violence, and extinguishes the flame of enmity. Patience restrains the power of the rich, assists the poor in their need. . . . It makes people humble in prosperity and brave in adversity and meek in response to injuries and insults. . . . It conquers temptations and bears with persecutions. . . . It is patience that fortifies the foundations of our faith, lifts our hope high, and directs the actions of our life. It patiently governs us so that we may be able to hold fast the way of Christ . . . and makes us inflexible in our resolve to persevere as children of God. . . . 5 Dearly beloved, we must joyfully esteem this virtue and embrace it with all our strength. 6 For we shall speedily receive the fruit of patience and its reward if we persevere in its company to the end. For thus says James the apostle: Behold, the judge is standing before the door! (Jas 5:9), and will bestow on you the rewards of patience, and on your adversaries the penalty they deserve. Before the door, he says, because the Lord Jesus Christ is near to us, and is ready to forgive our faults when we pray, and to bestow the rewards of patience. 7 2 Smaragdus, Via reg 7; PL 102:947B. The last sentence is from Gregory, Past 3. 9; PL 77:60D. 3 Gregory’s text has morderi, “to be bitten or vexed, ” whereas Smaragdus has moveri. 4 Gregory, Hom ev 35. 4;CCSL 141:324;PL 76:1261D–62A;see CS 123:305. The Migne and CCSL text of Gregory has Patientia vero, “But patience”;Smaragdus has Patientia autem vera. 5 Cyprian, De pat 20; PL 4:659C–60A. 6 Smaragdus, Via reg 7;PL 102:947BC. This section is quoted with the required adaptations, and omitting several of the repeated ipsa est that mark the more florid style of the passage in Smaragdus’s earlier work. 7 See Bede, In Jac 5:9; CCSL 121:219; PL 93:38A; see CS 82:59. On Patience 31 They used to say about Abba Isidore. . .

De hac virtute patientiae sic Dominus ait: In patientia vestra possidebitis animas vestras (Luc. XXI). Et Paulus discipulus ejus dicit: Induite vos sicut electi Dei, sancti et dilecti viscera misericordiae, benignitatem, ^(0606C) humilitatem, modestiam, patientiam, supportantes invicem in charitate (Col. III; Ephes. IV). Salomon quoque ait: Doctrina viri per patientiam noscitur, et gloria ejus est iniqua praetergredi (Prov. XIX). Jacobus Apostolus praedicans ait: Patientia autem opus perfectum habeat, ut sitis perfecti et integri, in nullo deficientes (Jac. I). Et Paulus iterum dicit: Corripite inquietos, consolamini pusillanimes, suscipite infirmos, patientes estote ad omnes (I Thess. V). Curramus ergo, dilectissimi fratres, per hanc patientiae viam, et diligamus eam, quia non habet offendiculum, sed plenum et aeternum per se currentibus in futuro retribuet gaudium. Magna est enim, fratres, virtus patientiae, quae laedentes se non laedit, sed diligit: quae injurianti se injurias remittit, non reddit: ^(0606D) cui nocere potest non nocet, sed parcit. Radix enim omnium et custos virtutum, patientia est. Per patientiam vero possidemus animas nostras (Luc. XXI). Custodem igitur conditionis nostrae patientiam Dominus esse monstravit: quia in ipsa possidere nosmetipsos docuit. (Greg., past. Curae p. III, adm. 10; Cypr. de bono Pat.) Patientia autem vera, est aliena mala aequanimiter perpeti: et contra eam qui mala irrogat, dolore nullo moveri. Patientiae ergo virtus est, fratres, quae nos Deo commendat, et a malis omnibus custodit, et servat. Ipsa est quae iram temperat, linguam refrenat, et mentem gubernat. Ipsa est quae pacem custodit, disciplinam moderate peragit, libidinis impetum frangit, violentiam ^(0607A) comprimit, et incendium simultatis exstinguit. Coercet potentiam divitum, refovet inopiam pauperum, facit humiles in prosperis, fortes in adversis, contra injurias et contumelias mites. Tentationes expugnat, persecutiones tolerat. Ipsa est quae fidei nostrae fundamenta fortiter munit, incrementa spei nostrae sublimiter provehit, et actus vitae nostrae dirigit. Ipsa nos ut tenere possimus viam Christi, patienter gubernat, et ut filii Dei perseveremus, immobiliter confirmat. Hanc enim virtutem, fratres dilectissimi, cum gaudio diligere, et totis viribus amplecti debemus. Cito enim fructum patientiae, ejusque praemium recipiemus, si cum illa usque in finem perseveremus. Sic enim et Jacobus apostolus ait: Ecce judex ante januam assistit, et vobis praemia patientiae, et ^(0607B) adversariis vestris poenam quam merentur, restituat (Jacob. V). Ante januam dicit, quia proximus nobis est, et paratus Dominus Jesus Christus, et ad dimittenda nobis rogantibus delicta, et ad reddenda patientiae praemia. Dicebant de abbate Isidoro, qui erat presbyter in Scythia: quia si quis habuisset fratrem infirmum, aut pusillanimem, aut injuriosum, et volebat eum expellere foras, ille dicebat: Adducite eum ad me. Et apprehendens, cum patientia sua curabat animum fratris illius. Venerunt aliquando latrones in monasterium cujusdam senis, et dixerunt ad eum: Omnia quaecunque in cella tua sunt tollere venimus; et ille dixit: Quantum vobis videtur, filii, tollite. Tulerunt ergo quaecunque invenerunt in cella, et abierunt. Obliti sunt autem ibi ^(0607C) saccellum qui erat absconditus in cella. Senex vero secutus est, post eos clamans et dicens: Filii, tollite quod obliti estis in cella. Illi vero admirantes patientiam ejus, revocaverunt et restituerunt omnia in cella ejus. Et poenitentiam egerunt omnes ad invicem dicentes: Hic vere homo Dei est.

  (0607C) CAPUT XI. De humilitate.

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32 CHAPTER 11 On Humility A lthough this virtue of humility should be characteristic of all Christians, it should especially find a dwelling and a resting place in the hearts of monks. Hence Isidore says that the highest virtue of a monk is humility;his supreme vice, pride. Anyone may judge himself a monk when he considers himself the least, even though he performs great acts of virtue. Those who leave the world and follow the virtues laid down in the precepts without humility of heart, fall more heavily from the heights because they are thrown down further through their being exalted by the virtues than they would have slipped through the vices. The conscience of God’s servant must always be humble and sorrowful, so that through humility he may not give way to pride, and through a beneficial sorrow his heart may not grow slack and wanton. 1 Of this supreme virtue the Lord says, (A)ll who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted (Luke 18:14). (And the apostle James says, ) Let the humble brother boast in his exaltation (Jas 1:9). Because every brother who humbly suffers adversities for the Lord will be lifted up to receive from him the rewards of the kingdom. 2 (And so the blessed apostle Peter says, ) God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (1 Pet 5:5; also Jas 4:6 and see Prov 3:34). 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 19. 1–2, 3b; CCSL 111:249–50; PL 83:694AB. 2 Bede, In Jac 1:9; CCSL 121:185; PL 93:12C; see CS 82:11. On Humility 33 He means all, 3 both the elders and the young folk, it seemingly being his aim subtly to encourage the mutual practice of the virtue of humility, the former in guiding, and the latter in obeying. . . . So he teaches all to introduce humility towards one another by example and also by word, because he knew well that the vice of pride is to be guarded against by all, seeing that it cast the angels down from heaven. He goes on to expound what the grace is that he promises will be given to the humble, saying, Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in the time of visitation (1 Pet 5:6). He bestows this grace on the humble, so that the more they are humbled on his account in time of combat, the more gloriously he may exalt them in time of recompense. 4 And so the psalmist says, The Lord is near to those of troubled heart, and he will save the humble of spirit (Ps 33(34):18). Now all humility is not so much in speech as in the mind; our conscience will know that we are humble, so let us never think that we know anything, or understand anything, or are anything. It is remarkable how the king and prophet David maintained humility when he said, O Lord, my heart is not exalted, nor are my eyes raised on high (Ps 131(132):1). He also says, A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit (Ps 50(51):17). And again, See my humility and my toil, and forgive all my sins (Ps 24(25):18). So if the humbled heart is a sacrifice to God, that person offered sacrifice who said, O Lord, my heart is not exalted, 5 and so forth. If some hermit who spends his time in his cell were to say things like this, he would shine with praise for great patience; but because a king robed in purple and outstanding among prophets said it, let the Church, spread throughout the world, praise his example of humility. Humility rises to take a place of honor among distinguished virtues, because royal majesty has stooped to take it on. 6 3 Smaragdus has omitted the words in Bede citing Peter that supply the connection :“Manifest humility towards one another, all of you. ” 4 Bede, In 1 Pt 5:5-6;CCSL 121:257–58;PL 93:65D–66AB;see CS 82:116–17. Smaragdus has brought the opening scripture quotation from later in this passage. 5 Augustine, En in ps 130; PL 37:1706. 6 Passage quoted in part by Smaragdus in his Commentary, 4. 3; CS 212:267. 34 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Abba Anthony said, “I saw all the snares of the. . .

Haec virtus humilitatis, quamvis omnium esse debeat Christianorum, maxime autem in cordibus habitare, et requiescere debet monachorum. Unde Isidorus ait (Sent. l. III, c. 19): Summa monachi virtus, humilitas; summum vitium ejus, superbia est. Tunc autem se quisque monachum judicet, quando se minimum existimaverit, etiam cum majora virtutum ^(0607D) opera gesserit. Qui mundum deserunt, et tamen virtutes praeceptorum sine cordis humilitate sequuntur, isti quasi de excelso gravius corruunt, quia deterius per virtutum elationem dejiciuntur, quam per vitia prolabi potuerunt. Semper conscientia servi Dei humilis esse debet et tristis, scilicet ut per humilitatem non superbiat, et per utilem moerorem cor ad lasciviam non dissolvat. (Huc usque Isid.) De hac summa virtute Dominus ait: Omnis qui se exaltat humiliabitur, et qui se humiliat exaltabitur (Luc. XVIII). Hinc et Jacobus apostolus ait: Glorietur autem frater humilis in exaltatione sua (Jacob. I). Quia omnis frater qui adversa humiliter pro Domino suffert, sublimiter ab illo regni praemia percipiet. Hinc et beatus ^(0608A) Petrus apostolus ait: Quia Deus superbis resistit, humilibus autem dat gratiam (I Petr. V). Omnes enim dicit, seniores scilicet, et adolescentes, quibus invicem videtur humilitatis insinuare virtutem: et his videlicet regendo, et illis humiliter obsequendo. Omnes ergo humilitatem in alterutrum vel exemplo, vel etiam verbo docet insinuare, quia nimirum omnibus superbiae vitium (quod angelos de coelo dejecit) noverat esse cavendum. Et quae sit gratia, quam humilibus promittit donandam, sequenter exponit dicens: Humiliamini igitur sub potenti manu Dei, ut vos exaltet in tempore visitationis (I Petr. V). Hanc ergo gratiam humilibus tribuit, ut quo magis humiliati fuerint tempore certaminis propter ipsum, eo gloriosius exaltentur tempore retributionis ab ipso. ^(0608B) Hinc Psalmista ait: Juxta est Dominus iis qui tribulato sunt corde, et humiles spiritu salvabit (Psal. XXXIII). Omnis autem humilitas non tam in sermone quam in mente est, ut humiles nos conscientia noverit, et nunquam nos vel scire vel intelligere, vel esse aliquid existimemus. Mirabiliter enim culmen humilitatis rex et propheta David retinebat, cum diceret: Domine, non est exaltatum cor meum, neque elati sunt oculi mei (Psal. CXXX), etc. Ipse iterum ait: Sacrificium Deo spiritus contribulatus (Psal. L). Et iterum: Vide humilitatem meam et laborem meum, et dimitte omnia delicta mea (Psal. XXIV). Si ergo humiliatum cor sacrificium Deo est, sacrificium obtulit quando dixit: Domine, non est exaltatum cor meum, etc. Quod si aliquis eremita cellulae suae vacans, ^(0608C) talia diceret, magna patientiae laude fulgeret, sed quia hoc purpuratus rex et eximius prophetarum dicebat, humilitatis ejus exemplum per universum mundum diffusa laudet Ecclesia. Quae ideo maxime inter virtutes eximias humilitas honorata consurgit, quoniam eam dignatio majestatis assumpsit. Dixit abbas Antonius (Athan. in Vit. Anton.): Vidi omnes laqueos inimici tensos in terra, et ingemiscens dixi: Quis putas transiet istos? Et audivi vocem dicentem: Humilitas. Dicebat abbas Serapion: Quia multos labores corporales plusquam filius meus Zacharias feci, et non perveni ad mensuras humilitatis et taciturnitatis ejus. Abbas Moyses dixit fratri Zachariae: Dic mihi, quid faciam? At ille tollens cucullam de capite suo, misit illam sub pedibus suis, et conculcans ^(0608D) eam dixit. Nisi ita conculcatus fuerit homo, non potest monachus esse. Interrogatus senex, quare inquietaretur a daemonibus, respondit: Quia arma nostra abjecimus, quae sunt contumeliae, humilitas, paupertas et patientia. Interrogatus senex, quid esset perfectio, respondit: perfectio hominis est humilitas. Quantum enim quis ad humilitatem profecerit, et inclinatus fuerit, tantum elevabitur ad profectum, quia humilitas magnum opus est et divinum. Via autem humilitatis haec est, ut labores corporales assumere debeat homo, et habeat seipsum peccatorem et ponat se subjectum in omnibus, et non attendat aliena peccata, sed sua semper aspiciat, et deprecetur pro illis sine intermissione Deum.

(0609A)  (0609) CAPUT XII. De pace.

35 CHAPTER 12 On Peace N one exalt themselves more with God than those who for God’s sake humble themselves in their own estimation. The humble are exalted by God so as to be called children of God and heirs of Christ. Only let them pursue peace, because the children of peace must seek and pursue peace. This is the thrust of the apostle’s admonition when he says, Pursue peace with everyone, and the holiness without which no one will see God (Heb 12:14). The Lord himself also says in the Gospel: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God (Matt 5:9). Among his divine commands and saving teachings, when he was very near his passion the Savior entrusted this precept and commandment to us to keep, saying, My peace I give to you; my peace I entrust to you (John 14:27). 1 When ascending into heaven, the Lord left us this inheritance, and commanded us through his most faithful king and prophet David to pursue it. He said, Turn away from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it (Ps 33(34):14). If we are willing to pursue this with a sincere heart, we shall be heirs of Christ. But if we desire to be Christ’s heirs, we must live in Christ’s peace. If we are God’s children we must be peaceful. For God’s children must be peaceful and humble, meek in mind, simple in heart, pure in word, innocent in spirit, having the same mind and heart, cleaving faithfully and with one mind to one another. 2 1 Perhaps Smaragdus is relying on memory and misquoting. TheVulgate has Pacem relinquo vobis, pacem meam do vobis, “Peace I leave to you, my peace I give to you. ” 2 Smaragdus, Via reg 17; PL 102:957CD. . . .

Nemo se apud Deum magis exaltat, quam qui se apud semetipsum propter Deum humiliat. Ad hoc enim a Deo humilis exaltatur, ut filius Dei et haeres Christi vocetur. Tantum est ut pacem sequatur, quia pacem quaerere debet et sequi, filius pacis. Taliter enim nos admonens Apostolus dicit: Pacem sequimini cum omnibus, et sanctimoniam, sine qua nemo videbit Deum (Heb. XII). Ipse quoque Dominus in Evangelio ait: Beati pacifici, quoniam filii Dei vocabuntur (Matth. V). Nam inter sua divina mandata et magisteria salutaria, passioni jam proximus, hoc nobis praeceptum atque mandatum commendavit Salvator custodiendum. Ait enim: Pacem meam do vobis, pacem meam commendo vobis (Joan. XIV). ^(0609B) Hanc nobis haereditatem ascendens Dominus in coelum reliquit, et sequi eam per suum fidelissimum regem David atque Prophetam mandavit. Ait enim: Declina a malo, et fac bonum: inquire pacem, et persequere eam (Psal. III). Si hanc enim sincero corde sequi voluerimus, Christi haeredes erimus. Si autem Christi haeredes cupimus esse, in Christi pace debemus versari. Si filii Dei sumus, pacifici esse debemus. Pacificos enim esse oportet Dei filios et humiles, mente mites, corde simplices, sermone puros, animo innocentes, affectu concordes, fideliter sibimet ac unanimiter cohaerentes.

  (0609B) CAPUT XIII. De obedientia.

36 CHAPTER 13 On Obedience T he blessed apostle Peter speaks in this way about obedience: Therefore with the loins of your minds girded up, and sober in all things, 1 put complete hope in the grace that is offered to you, in the revelation of Jesus Christ, like obedient children. (1 Pet 1:13-14). He rightly wants those he referred to in the preface (of his letter) as chosen (for sanctification by the Spirit, )2 for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood (1 Pet 1:2) to be obedient children. 3 Therefore obedience, when it faces adversity, must regard some of this as due to itself, while prosperity it must regard as in no way due to itself; this attitude is the more real in adversity the more perfect is the mind’s detachment from the present glory which it receives by divine influence. 4 We are commanded (by theAlmighty Lord) to observe obedience until death, asTruth says, I can do nothing by myself. As I hear, I judge (John 5:30). As he hears, he judges. Then he will also be obeying his Father when he comes as judge of this world. In case obedience to the end of the present life may seem laborious to us, our Redeemer points out that he observes it even when he comes as judge. What wonder is it, then, if sinful humans submit to obedience during the brief space of the present life, when the mediator between God and man, even when rewarding 1 In omnibus, “In all things, ” is an addition of Smaragdus. 2 Not in Bede (see next note) at this point, but inserted by Smaragdus. 3 Bede, In 1 Pt 1:13-14;CCSL 121:230–31;PL 93:45D–46A;see CS 82:77–78. 4 Taio, Sent 3. 31;PL 80:888BC, quoting Gregory, Mor 35. 14;CCSL 143B:1794; PL 76:767A. On Obedience 37 the obedient, does not abandon obedience? We must know that evil is never done through obedience, but sometimes through obedience we must leave off some good we are doing. There was no evil tree in paradise that God forbade man to touch (see Gen 2:17). Man was created good, but so that he might become better through the merit of obedience, God saw fit to keep him from a good thing. This was so that what he did would be so much more virtuous; by not engaging with the good thing, he should show himself more humble in subjection to his Maker. 5 . . . For it is written:Obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Sam 15:22). And rightly is obedience put before sacrifices, because through sacrifices the flesh of another is slain, whereas by obedience one’s own will is slain. Humans placate God the more quickly when they repress the pride of their own will before God’s eyes and immolate themselves with the sword of his command. 6 Hence when Abba Basil was asked how the brothers should obey one another, he replied, “As servants of the Lord, according as the Lord ordered:The one who wants to be great among you, let him become least of all and servant of all . . . just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve” (see Matt 20:26-28 and Mark 10:43-45). 7 A certain old man planted a dry stick in the desert, and wanting to test a brother’s obedience, said to him, “Water that stick every day until it bears fruit. ”Now water was a long way away from them. When the brother had done this for three years that stick became green and bore fruit. The old man took some of its fruit, brought it to the church and told the brothers, “Take and eat the fruit of obedience. ”8 An old man used to say that God seeks nothing so much from those who are beginning their monastic life as the labor of obedience. 9 5 Taio, Sent 3. 31; PL 80:888CD, quoting Gregory, Mor 35. 14; CCSL 143B:1793–94; PL 76:766AB. 6 Taio, Sent 3. 31;PL 80:889A, quoting Gregory, Mor 35. 14;CCSL 143B:1792; PL 76:765BC. 7 RBas 115; PG 31:(1161) 1162A and RBas 64; CSEL 86:101. 8 PL 73:948AB (3); see also PG 65:203 (204)C (1); Sayings, 73 (85–86), 1. 9 PL 73:950D–51A (15). 38. . .

De obedientia sic beatus Petrus apostolus dicit: ^(0609C) Propter quod succincti lumbos mentis vestrae, sobrii in omnibus, perfecte sperate in eam quae offertur vobis gratiam, in revelatione Jesu Christi, quasi filii obedientiae (I Petr. I). Recte filios obedientiae vult illos existere, quos in praefatione, in sanctificationem Spiritus, in obedientiam et aspersionem sanguinis Jesu Christi dixerat electos (Ibid.). Debet ergo obedientia et in adversis ex suo aliquid habere, et rursum in prosperis ex suo aliquid omni modo non habere, quatenus et in adversis tanto sit verior, quanto a praesenti ipsa (quam divinitus percipit) gloria, funditus ex mente separatur. Ab omnipotente Domino obedientia usque ad mortem servanda praecipitur, sicut Veritas ait: Non possum ego a meipso facere quidquam, sed sicut audio, judico (Joan. V). Ipse ^(0609D) sicut audit, judicat. Tunc etiam obediet patri, cujus judex hujus venerit saeculi. (Greg. Moral. l. XXXV, c. 22, 23.) Ne nobis usque ad praesentis vitae terminum obedientia laboriosa appareat, Redemptor noster indicat, qui hanc etiam cum judex venerit, servat. Quid ergo mirum, si peccator homo obedientiae in praesentis vitae brevitate se subjicit, quando hanc mediator Dei et hominum etiam cum obedientes remunerat, non relinquit? Sciendum est, nunquam per obedientiam malum fieri, aliquando autem debet per obedientiam bonum quod agitur intermitti. Neque enim mala in paradiso arbor exstitit, quam Deus homini ne contingeret interdixit (Gen. II). Sed ut melius per obedientiae meritum homo bene conditus ^(0610A) cresceret, dignum fuerat ut hunc etiam a bono prohiberet, quatenus tanto verius hoc quod ageret virtus esset, quanto et a bono cessans, auctori suo se subditum humilius exhiberet. Scriptum est enim, Melior est obedientia quam victimae (Eccle. IV). Obedientia quippe victimis jure praeponitur, quia per victimas aliena caro, per obedientiam vero voluntas propria mactatur. Tanto igitur quisque Deum citius placat, quanto ante ejus oculos repressa arbitrii sui superbia, gladio praecepti se immolat. Hinc abbas Basilius (Reg. brev. disp., interr. 115) interrogatus, quomodo sibi invicem fratres obedire deberent, respondit: Sicut servi Domini, secundum quod praecepit Dominus: Quia qui vult in vobis esse magnus, fiat omnium novissimus et servus: sicut filius hominis ^(0610B) non venit ministrari, sed ministrare. (Cass. de Instit. l. IV, c. 23, 27.) Plantavit quidam senex lignum aridum in eremo, et volens obedientiam fratris probare, dixit ei: Per singulos dies riga lignum istud, donec fructum faciat. Erat autem longe ab eis aqua. Quod cum fecisset frater ille per tres annos, lignum illud viride factum est, et fructum attulit. Sumens autem ex fructu ejus senex, detulit ad Ecclesiam, et dixit fratribus: Accipite et manducate obedientiae fructum. Dicebat senex, quod nihil sic quaerit Deus ab iis qui initium habent conversionis, quomodo obedientiae laborem. Quidam saecularis renuntiavit saeculo, et venit in monasterium, adducens secum filium suum parvulum. Quem abbas tenens, infantulum osculabatur, et dixit patri ejus: Amas hunc? ^(0610C) Et ille respondit, Etiam. Et iterum dixit illi: Diligis eum? Et respondit, Etiam. Postea dixit illi Abbas: Tolle ergo si amas eum, et mitte illum in furnum ardentem. Et tenens eum pater suus, jactavit in furnum ardentem, et statim factus est furnus velut ros. Ex quo facto acquisivit sibi gloriam in tempore illo, quemadmodum Abraham patriarcha. Dixit senex: Quia frater qui ad obedientiam patris spiritalis animam dederit, majorem mercedem habet, quam ille qui eremo solus recesserit: quia ii qui se in eremum relegant, arbitrio suo de saeculo recesserunt; hic autem ordo, qui se ad obediendum dedit, omnes voluntates suas abjiciens, pendet ad Deum et ad jussionem spiritualis patris, propterea et majorem gloriam ab aliis habet. Quapropter, o filii, bona est ^(0610D) obedientia, quae propter Deum fit. Intendite ergo, filii, virtutis hujus aliqua ex parte vestigium. Obedientia salus est omnium fidelium. Obedientia genitrix est omnium virtutum. Obedientia regni coelorum inventrix est. Obedientia coelum aperiens, et hominem de terra elevans. Obedientia cohabitatrix est angelorum. Obedientia sanctorum omnium cibus est. Ex hac enim ablactati sunt, et per hanc ad perfectionem venerunt.

  (0610D) CAPUT XIV. De contemptoribus mundi.

39 CHAPTER 14 On Those Who Despise the World T he saints fly from what is dear to lovers of the world as if from things adverse to them, and rejoice in the world’s adversities more than they delight in prosperity. There is general agreement that those to whom this world offers prosperity and every comfort are strangers to God. For God’s servants, all the things of this world are felt to be harmful. The result is that while they experience adversity they are aroused to desire heaven more ardently. Great favor with God lights up one who is contemptible to this world. The reality is that one whom the world hates must be loved by God. . . . This is why holy persons yearn to despise the world and bring the movement of their mind back to things above, so that they can gather themselves together in the place from which they have slipped, and draw themselves up from the place where they have been dispersed. . . . Those who after renouncing the world pant after the heavenly country with holy desires are raised above their concern for earthly things as though by wings; with groans they regard the place they have slipped into, and with great joy apply their mind to the goal they will arrive at. 1 Holy persons who entirely renounce the world die to this world to such a degree that they find their delight in living for God alone; and the more they withdraw from this world’s manner of living, 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 16. 1–3, 5, 7a; CCSL 111:244–45; PL 83:691CD–92AB. 40 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel the more they contemplate with the keen point of their mind the presence of God and the numerous assembly of the angels. The life of the monk is a road without disordered desire or love for one to stumble over or stop at. For while each monk withdraws from association with the world, disordered desire does not bind him because he does not yield consent, nor does it torment him when he experiences it. It is good to be removed from the world in body, but much better to be so by choice. Both ways belong to the perfect man. The one who is separated from this world in body and heart is perfect. The wild ass, as Jeremiah says, despises the city (see Jer 2:24), and monks the general way of life of the citizens of the world. They desire the adversities of our life and look down on its prosperity, so that when they despise this life they may find the future life. 2 2 Isidore, Sent 3. 17. 1, 3–5; CCSL 111:246–47; PL 83:692D–93A–C. . . .

(Isid., l. III Sent. c. 16.) Ea quae saeculi amatoribus chara sunt, sancti velut adversa refugiunt, plusque adversitatibus mundi gaudent, quam prosperitatibus delectentur. Alienos constat esse a Deo, ^(0611A) quibus hoc saeculum ad omne commodum prosperatur. Servis autem Dei cuncta hujus mundi contraria sunt, ut dum ista adversa sentiunt, ad coeleste desiderium ardentius excitentur. Magna apud Deum refulget gratia, qui huic mundo contemptibilis fuerit. Nam revera necesse est, ut quem mundus odit, diligatur a Deo. Sancti viri ideo contemnere cupiunt mundum, et motum mentis ad superna revocare, ut ibi se recolligant, unde defluxerunt, et inde se subtrahant, unde dispersi sunt. (Ibid., loc. cit.) Qui post renuntiationem mundi ad supernam patriam sanctis desideriis inhiat, ab hac terrena intentione, quasi quibusdam pennis sublevatus erigitur, et in quo lapsus erat per gemitum conspicit, et ubi pervenerit cum gaudio magno intendit. (Isid., lib. III Sent., ^(0611B) c. 17.) Sancti viri funditus saeculo renuntiantes, ita huic mundo moriuntur, ut soli Deo vivere delectentur, quantumque ab hujus saeculi conversatione se subtrahunt, tantum internae mentis acie praesentiam Dei, et Angelicae societatis frequentiam contemplantur. Via sine offendiculo, vita monachi, sine cupiditatis et amoris impedimento. Dum enim quisque a consortio mundi abstrahitur, nec cupiditas eum obligat consentientem, nec cruciat sentientem. Bonum est corporaliter remotum esse a mundo, sed multo est melius voluntate. Utrumque autem viro perfecto. Ille autem perfectus est, qui huic saeculo corpore et corde discretus est. Onager, ut ait Jeremias, contemnit civitatem (Jer. II), et monachi communem saecularium civium conversationem. Hi adversa ^(0611C) vitae nostrae appetunt, prospera contemnunt, ut eum dum ab eis haec vita despicitur, futura inveniatur.

  (0611C) CAPUT XV. De poenitentia.

41 CHAPTER 15 On Repentance A ll sinners when they repent should heave a double sigh: that is, for not doing the good they should have done, and for doing the evil they should not have done. When we do not rise up to good works, we must bewail ourselves in these two ways, because we did not do what was right, and we did what was wrong. Through blessed Moses . . . the order is given for one turtledove to be offered for a sin offering, and another for a burnt offering (see Lev 5:7). A whole burnt offering is called a holocaust. So we offer one turtledove for a sin offering when we utter sighs for faults; we make a holocaust of the other when we burn with the fire of sorrow, setting ourselves completely alight, because we neglected what was good. 1 Blessed Job, making progress after the scourges, and striking himself in great self-reproach says, Therefore I reprove myself, and do penance in dust and ashes (Job 42:6). . . . To do penance in dust and ashes is to recognize, after contemplating the Supreme Being, that one is nothing but dust and ashes. . . . In sackcloth the harshness and compunction for sins is shown, while in ashes is shown the dust of the dead. For this reason both are customarily used for penance, so that in the sackcloth of compunction we may know what we have done through our faults, and in the dust of ashes ponder what we have become through judgment. 2 1 Taio, Sent 3. 42;PL 80:904CD, quoting Gregory, Mor 32. 3;CCSL 143B:1628– 29; PL 76:635C–36C. 2 Taio, Sent 3. 42; PL 80:904D–5A, quoting Gregory, Mor 35. 5. 6; CCSL 143B:1777–78; PL 76:753AB. 42 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel All faithful people well know that their thoughts are subjected to searching inquiry in the judgment, and so before the judgment they search into and closely examine themselves interiorly. They do this so that they may more calmly await the strict judge, who will come only to find the heart he draws near to examine already punished for its fault. 3 For when we ourselves punish the fault, he in no way judges it in the final examination. Paul witnesses to this when he says, But if we were to judge ourselves, we would not be judged (1 Cor 11:31). 4 Unless we wash it away with repentance, what we do outwardly is kept hidden in the secret of God’s judgments, so that one day it may come out to the glare of judgment even from the seal of secrecy. But when we are wasted by the scourge of discipline for the evils we have done, and lament these through repentance, he takes note and cures our iniquity, because he does not leave things unpunished here, nor does he save them up for the judgment of punishment. 5 Let the just judge themselves carefully in this life, so that they may not be judged by God with everlasting condemnation. People exact judgment of themselves when through worthy repentance they condemn their wrongful deeds. The bitterness of repentance causes the mind to examine more closely its deeds, and to remember with weeping the gifts of God that it has despised. There is nothing worse than to become aware of a fault and not bewail it. All sinners must have a twofold lament in repenting: through negligence they have failed to do good, and have done evil through sheer boldness. They have not done what they should have, and have done what they should not have. Those persons do worthy penance who bewail their guilt by fitting satisfaction, condemning and weeping over what they have done, deploring it the more profoundly the more willful has been the sinning. Those persons do worthy penance who so deplore past 3 Taio, Sent 3. 42; PL 80:905AB, quoting Gregory, Mor 4. 14; CCSL 143:181; PL 75:651BC. 4 Taio, Sent 3. 42; PL 80:905B, quoting Gregory, Mor 12. 16; CCSL 143A:641; PL 75:996B. 5 Taio, Sent 3. 42; PL 80:905C, quoting Gregory, Mor 12. 17; CCSL 143A:641; PL 75:996CD. On Repentance 43 evils as not to commit them again in the future. For one who bewails a sin and then commits it again is like someone who washes an unbaked brick: the more he washes it, the more mud he makes. . .

Omnis peccator in poenitentia duplum habere gemitum debet, nimirum quia et bonum quod oportuit non fecit, et malum quod non oportuit, fecit. Cum ad bona opera non assurgimus, necesse est ut nosmetipsos dupliciter defleamas, quia et recta non fecimus, et prava operati sumus. Per beatum Moysen unus turtur pro peccato, alter vero offerri in holocaustum jubetur (Lev. V). Holocaustum namque totum incensum dicitur. Unum ergo turturem pro peccato offerimus, cum pro culpa gemitum damus. De altero vero holocaustam facimus, cum pro eo ^(0611D) quod bona negleximus, nosmetipsos funditus accendentes, igne doloris ardemus. Beatus Job post flagella proficiens, et semetipsum in magna redargutione discutiens dicit: Idcirco ipse me reprehendo et ago poenitentiam in favilla et cinere (Job. XLII). (Greg. in c. Job, XLII, 1. XXXV, c. 2.) In favilla enim et cinere poenitentiam agere est, contemplata summa essentia, nihil aliud quam favillam se cineremque cognoscere. In cilicio asperitas et compunctio peccatorum, in cinere autem pulvis ostenditur mortuorum. Et idcirco utrumque adhiberi ad poenitentiam solet, ut in compunctionis cilicio cognoscamus quid per culpas fecimus, et in favilla cineris, perpendamus quid per judicium facti sumus. Fidelis ^(0612A) quisque dum cogitationes in judicio exquiri subtiliter non ignorat, semetipsum introrsus discutiens, ante judicium vehementer examinat, ut districtus Judex eo jam tranquillius veniat, et cor quod discutere appetit, pro culpa punitum cernat. Quia eam dum nos punimus, ipse nequaquam in extremo examine judicat. Paulo attestante qui ait: Si nosmetipsos dijudicaremus, non utique judicaremur (I Cor. XI). (Greg. ibid.) Quod exterius agimus (nisi poenitentia) interveniente diluamus, in secreto judiciorum Dei sub quadam occultatione servatur, ut quandoque etiam de sigillo secreti, exeat ad publicum judicii. Cum vero pro malis quae fecimus, disciplinae flagello atterimur, et haec per poenitentiam deflemus, iniquitatem nostram signat et curat, quia nec multa hic ^(0612B) deserit, nec in judicio puniendo servat. Bene se judicet justus in hac vita, ne judicetur a Deo damnatione perpetua. Tunc autem judicium de se quisque sumit, quando per dignam poenitentiam sua prava facta condemnat. Amaritudo poenitentiae facit animum sua facta subtilius discutere, et dona Dei, quae contempsit, flendo commemorare. Nihil autem pejus quam culpam agnoscere, nec deflere. Duplicem habere fletum debet in poenitentia omnis peccator. Sive quia per negligentiam bonum non fecit, seu quia malum per audaciam perpetravit. Quod enim oportuit non gessit, et gessit quod agere non oportuit. Ille poenitentiam digne agit, qui reatum suum satisfactione legitima plangit, condemnando scilicet atque deflendo quae gessit, tanto inde plorando profundius, ^(0612C) quanto exstitit in peccando proclivius. Ille poenitentiam digne agit, qui sic praeterita mala deplorat, ut futura iterum non committat. Nam qui plangit peccatum, et iterum admittit peccatum, quasi si quis lavet laterem crudum, quem quanto magis eluerit, tanto amplius lutum facit. Quamvis quisque sit peccator et impius, si ad poeaitentiam convertatur, consequi veniam posse creditur. Festinare debet ad Deum poenitendo unusquisque dum potest, ne si dum potest noluerit, cum tarde voluerit, omnino non possit. Proinde Propheta ait: Quaerite Dominum dum inveniri potest: invocate eum, dum prope est (Isa. LV). Si quando quis peccare potest, poenitet, vitamque suam vivens ab omni crimine corrigit, non dubium ^(0612D) quin moriens ad aeternam transeat requiem. Qui autem prave vivendo poenitentiam in mortis agit periculo, sicut ejus damnato incerta est, sic remissio dubia. Quamvis per poenitentiam propitiatio peccatorum sit, sine metu homo esse non debet, quia poenitentiae satisfactio divino pensatur judicio, non humano. Proinde quia miseratio Dei occulta est, sine intermissione flere necesse est. Neque enim unquam oportet poenitentem habere de peccatis securitatem. Nam securitas negligentiam parit, negligentia autem saepe incautum ad vitia transacta reducit. Dum per poenitentiam expulsa fuerint ab homine vitia, si forte post haec intercedente securitate, quaelibet culpa subrepserit, confestim delectationes pristinae ^(0613A) vitiorum avidius irrepunt, pulsantesque hominem in consueta opera gravius pertrahunt, ita ut sint novissima illius pejoru prioribus (Matth. XII).

  (0613A) CAPUT XVI. De confessione.

44 CHAPTER 16 On Confession J ames says, Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be saved (Jas 5:16). But in this saying there needs to be this distinction, that we confess our daily less grievous sins to our equals, and believe that we are saved by their daily prayer. Next, according to the law we bring to the priest the uncleanness of more serious leprosy, and following his judgment let us be careful to be purified in the manner and for the length of time he has commanded (see Lev 13). 1 (And so David also says, ) Reveal your way to the Lord and trust in him (Ps 36(37):5). The thickness of sins is a kind of veil with which our way, that is, our life, is clothed and enveloped in darkness as with a garment. This is what we reveal when we very promptly confess our dark sins. 2 (David again says, ) Confess to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy is forever (Ps 106(107):1). . . . He indicates this confession for applying the medicine in fullness. 3 Now there is no doubt that this also pertains to the public praise of the Lord, since divine compassion shows itself more glorious in pardoning one who confesses than 1 Bede, In Jac 5:16; CCSL 121:222; PL 93:39D–40A; see CS 82:62. 2 Cassiodorus, Ex ps 36(37):5; CCSL 97:326; PL 70:258D. Quoted in Commentary, 7. 44–45; CS 212:295. The word tenebrosa, “dark, ” does not occur in the last phrase of Cassiodorus. 3 Cassiodorus has ad medicinam poenitudinis, “for the medicine of repentance”; Smaragudus has plenitudinis. On Confession 45 it is to one who lives without offending. 4 . . . And lest the sheer number of their faults terrify any, he adds for he is good. Who would hesitate to have recourse to him, on hearing that he can come very swiftly to their aid? . . . He added, for his mercy is forever. In order that human negligence, having heard that the Lord is good, may not hang back from attentive and careful supplication, he mentions the cause of the remedy, so that by the Lord’s gift they may hasten to make speedy confession. 5 Let us, then, brothers, confess to our Lord, for he is good and forgives sins. That people acknowledge their iniquity, and by vocal confession lay bare what has been acknowledged, are testimonies of humility. It is a customary vice of the human race to slip and commit sin, and then not to admit the sin committed by confessing it, but rather to defend it by denying it, and thus to multiply the proven fault by defending it. 6 The signs of a true confession are that when any say they are sinners, they do not contradict someone else who says the same about them. It is written: The righteous in the beginning is his own accuser (Prov 18:17). . . . We must take the utmost care to admit of our own accord the evils we have done, and not deny them when others charge us with them. It is indeed the vice of pride for people to deign, as if of their own accord, to confess what they disdain to have others say about them. 7 4 In Smaragdus’s Expositio in Regulam S. Benedicti, CCM 8:183 (Commentary): quam viventi sine confessione praestare, “than to one who lives without confessing. ” Cassiodorus and Diadema have sine offensione. 5 Cassiodorus, Ex ps 105(106):1; CCSL 98:958; PL 80:754D–55AB. Quoted in Commentary, 7. 46; CS 212:296. 6 Taio, Sent 3. 48; PL 80:905D–6A, quoting Gregory, Mor. 22. 15; CCSL 143B:1113; PL 76:230D. 7 Taio, Sent 3. 48;PL 80:906B, quoting Gregory, Mor. 22. 15;CCSL 143B:1115– 16; PL 76:232D–33A. . . .

Hinc Jacobus ait: Confitemini alterutrum peccata vestra, et orate pro invicem, ut salvemini (Jac. I). In hac autem sententia illa debet esse discretio, ut quotidiana leviaque peccata alterutrum coaequalibus confiteamur, eorumque quotidiana credamus oratione salvari. Porro gravioris leprae immunditiam, juxta legem Sacerdoti pendamus, atque ad ejus arbitrium, qualiter et quanto tempore jusserit, purificari curemus (Lev. XIII). Hinc et David ait: Revela Domino viam tuam, et spera in eo (Ps. XXXVI). Velum quoddam est densitas peccatorum, unde via, id est vita ^(0613B) nostra tenebrosa, amictus circumdatione vestita est. Hanc revelamus, quando delicta nostra tenebrosa promptissime confitemur. Item ipse David: Confitemini Domino quoniam bonus, quoniam in saeculum misericordia ejus (Ps. CV). Confessionem istam, ad medicinam plenitudinis applicandam designat. Sed et hoc quoque ad praeconium Domini pertinere non dubium est, quando major est gloria pietatis, confitenti parcere, quam viventi sine offensione praestare. Et ne aliquis de culparum suarum numerositatibus terreretur, addit quoniam bonus. Quis enim dubitet ad eum recurrere, quem sibi audit posse celerrime subvenire. Addidit, quoniam in saeculum misericordia ejus. Audito bono Domino, ne se humana negligentia a studiosa et sedula supplicatione ^(0613C) suspenderet, remedii causam dicit, ut ad confessionem celerem Domini debeat munere festinare. Confiteamur ergo, fratres, Domino nostro, quia bonus est, et peccata dimittit. (Greg., Moral. l. XXII, c. 13.) Humilitatis testimonia sunt, et iniquitatem suam quemque cognoscere, et cognitam voce confessionis aperire. Usitatum humani generis vitium est, et labendo peccatum committere, et commissum non confitendo prodere, sed negando defendere, atque convictum defendendo multiplicare. Indicia verae confessionis sunt, si unusquisque cum se peccatorem dicit, id de se dicenti etiam alteri non contradicit. Scriptum est: Justus in principio accusator est sui (Prov. XVIII). Curandum summopere est, ut mala ^(0613D) quae fecimus et sponte fateamur, et haec aliis arguentibus, non negemus. Superbiae quippe vitium est, ut quod se quisque fateri quasi sua sponte, dignatur, hoc sibi dici ab aliis dedignetur.

  (0613D) CAPUT XVII. De compunctione

46 CHAPTER 17 On Compunction C ompunction of heart is humility of mind with tears, arising from the remembrance of sin and fear of judgment. For those who are converted that sense of compunction is more perfect that repels all the longings of fleshly desires, and mustering all their mind’s ability to apply itself fixes their attention on the contemplation of God. It is well known that there is a twofold compunction inspired by God that affects the soul of each of the elect, that is, when it considers the evils it has done, or when it sighs deeply with the desire for eternal life. There are four kinds of feeling by which the just person’s mind is pierced with a salutary disgust: the memory of past sins, the calling to mind of future punishments, the consideration that one is a pilgrim for the duration of this life, the desire for the heavenly homeland—so as to be able to reach it as quickly as possible. When men and women are pierced with sorrow to the point of tears by the remembrance of sins, let them know that they are being quickened by the presence of God; when they blush inwardly at the thought of what they have lost they are already punishing themselves by judging themselves and repenting. For Peter wept when Christ looked at him (see Luke 22:61). And the Psalm also says, He looked down (see Ps 32(33):13), and the earth reeled and rocked (Ps 17(18):7). 1 David says about this virtue of compunction: My tears have been my food by day and by night (Ps 41(42):3). The soul is nourished by its 1 Isidore, Sent 2. 12. 1–5; CCSL 111:118–19; PL 83:613B–14A. Isidore may have conflated Psalm 96:4, Vidit, et commota est terra with Psalm 32:13’s respexit, and words from Psalm 17:7, commota est, et contremuit terra. On Compunction 47 mourning when in its weeping it is lifted up to heavenly joys and yet it bears inwardly the groaning of its sorrow;but it receives a strengthening food from the force of love that flows out through its tears. 2 Every elect person’s mind puts before its eyes on the one part the strictness of justice, on the other the fault’s deserts. It considers the punishment it would deserve should the compassion of the one who spares fail, who is accustomed to deliver people from eternal punishments through the lamentations of the present time. Through the coming of the Holy Spirit, Almighty God afflicts the minds of carnal people (which formerly roamed about on this world’s waves) with the grief of repentance, so that, with their pride crushed, those who were previously lifted up by the high wave of vanity and prosperity in the sea of this world may lie in a wholesome humility. 3 There are four qualities by which the souls of the upright are vehemently afflicted in compunction: when they remember their evil actions while considering where they have been; or fearing the sentence of God’s judgments, they search into themselves and think about where they will be;or paying close attention to the evils of the present life they think sorrowfully of where they are; or when they contemplate the good things of the heavenly homeland, and being not yet in possession of them they mournfully gaze at where they are not. 4 (Hence the psalmist says, ) He has given us tears to drink in full measure (Ps 79(80):5). Those who deplore the sins they have committed must take care to wash away the evils they have done with full lamentation, in order not to be bound tightly by the debt incurred through what they have perpetrated, and fail to undo it by the weeping of their satisfaction. It is indeed written: He has given us tears to drink in full measure (Ps 79(80):5). That is to say, everyone’s mind is to drink the tears of its compunction as it remembers how parched and far from God it has become through its faults. 5 2 Gregory, Mor 5. 8; CCSL 143:227; PL 75:686C. 3 Taio, Sent 3. 45; PL 80:900D–901A; a note in PL 80 says that this section is not found in Gregory. 4 Taio, Sent 3. 45;PL 80:901B, quoting Gregory, Mor 23. 21;CCSL 143B:1175; PL. . .

(Isid., l. II Sent., c. 12.) Compunctio cordis est humilitas mentis cum lacrymis, exoriens de recordatione peccati, et timore judicii. Illa est conversis perfectior compunctionis affectio, quae omnes a se carnalium desideriorum affectus repellit, et intentionem suam toto mentis studio in Dei contemplationem defigit. Geminam constat esse compunctionem, qua propter Deum anima cujusque electi afficitur, id est, vel dum operum suorum mala considerat, vel ^(0614A) dum desiderio aeternae vitae suspirat. Quatuor autem sunt qualitates affectionum, quibus mens justi taedio salubri compungitur, hoc est, memoria praeteritorum facinorum, recordatio futurarum poenarum, consideratio peregrinationis suae in hujus vitae longinquitate, desiderium supernae patriae, quatenus ad eam quantocius valeat pervenire. Cum quisque peccatorum memoria compungitur ad lamenta, tunc Dei se vivificari sciat praesentia, quando ex eo quod se amisisse recolit, interius erubescit suoque judicio poenitendo jam punit. Nam tunc Petrus flevit, quando in eum Christus respexit (Luc. XXII). Unde et Psalmus: Respexit, inquit, et commota est, et contremuit terra (Psal. XCVI). De hac compunctionis virtute David ait: Fuerunt mihi lacrymae meae panes ^(0614B) die ac nocte (Psal. XLI). (Huc usque Isid.) Luctu suo anima pascitur, cum ad superna gaudia flendo sublevatur, et intus quidem doloris sui gemitum tolerat: sed eo refectionis pabulum percipit, quo hinc vis amoris per lacrymas emanat. Electi uniuscujusque mens ponit ante oculos illinc districtionem justitiae, hinc meritum culpae. Conspicit quo supplicio digna sit, si parcentis pietas desit, qui per lamenta praesentia ab aeterna eruere poena consuevit. Omnipotens Deus mentes carnalium (quae prius in hujus mundi fluctibus vagabantur) per sancti Spiritus adventum in moerore poenitentiae aflligit, ut coutrita superbia salubriter in humilitate jaceant, quas prius in hoc mari saeculi, alta vanitatis et prosperitatis suae unda sublevat. (Greg. Mor. l. XXIII, ^(0614C) c. 21.) Quatuor sunt qualitates, quibus justi viri anima in compunctione vehementer aflicitur. Aut cum malorum suorum reminiscitur, considerans ubi fuit: aut judiciorum Dei sententiam metuens, et secum quaerens cogitat ubi erit: aut cum mala vitae praesentis solerter attendens, moerens considerat ubi est: aut cum bona supernae patriae contemplatur, quae quia necdum adipiscitur, lugens conspicit ubi non est. Hinc Psalmista ait: Potum dedit nobis in lacrymis in mensura (Psal. LXXIX). Providendum est iis qui peccata suorum operum deplorant, ut consummata mala perfecto diluant lamento, ne plus astringantur in debito perpetrati operis, et minus solvant in fletibus satisfactionis. Scriptum quippe est: Potum dedit nobis in lacrymis in mensura. Ut ^(0614D) videlicet uniuscujusque mens tantum poenitendo, compunctionis suae bibat lacrymas, quantum se a Deo meminit aruisse per culpas.

  (0614D) CAPUT XVIII. De spe et formidine electorum.

48 CHAPTER 18 On the Hope and Dread of the Elect T he upright person’s mind generally deplores the wrong it remembers having done, and not only forsakes the wrong done but also punishes it with most bitter tears. Yet while it remembers what it has done it is sore afraid of judgment. All the elect have already been fully converted, but they do not yet lift themselves up in full security, because while they think about how strict the final examination is, they waver anxiously between hope and dread; and also because they do not know what the just judge will hold against them and what he will loose when he comes. For they remember how great is the wrong they have committed, but do not know whether they have worthily bewailed their actions. And they fear that the grossness of their fault exceeds the measure of their repentance. Generally truth already relaxes the blame, but the afflicted mind, exceedingly anxious for itself, still wavers concerning pardon. So holy people receive mercy even here, but do not know that they have received it because they forsake their sin by correcting it and repenting, but are still very afraid of the strict judge regarding retribution for it. All the just freely sing the mercies of the Lord in eternity, where there is no longer any doubt about pardon for sin, where the remembrance of its fault no longer torments the secure mind, and where the heart does not waver under fear of sentence but exults in freedom because of forgiveness. 1 1 Taio, Sent 3. 46; PL 80:902D–3AB, quoting Gregory, Mor 4. 36; CCSL 143:215–16;PL 75:677CD–78A. For the last sentence see alsoTaio, Sent 5. 35;PLS 4:1677. On the Hope and Dread of the Elect 49 (Those oppressed by fear and dread) are to be admonished (and encouraged) to regard as granted the mercy they are asking for, lest they perish by force of immoderate affliction. For the Lord would not in kindness set before the eyes of the delinquent sins for them to lament, had he wanted to smite them himself in strictness. It is certain that he has willed to hide from his judgment those whom he has made their own judges, anticipating them by showing mercy. . . . Thus Scripture says through Paul: But if we were to judge ourselves, we would not be judged (1 Cor 11:31). 2 2 Taio, Sent 3. 46; PL 80:903CD, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 29; PL 77:108AB. . . .

Plerumque mens justi jam quidem quod perverse se egisse meminit, deplorat, et jam prava acta non solum deserit, sed amarissimis etiam lamentis punit. Sed tamen dum eorum quae egit reminiscitur, gravi judicii pavore terretur. Electus quisque jam se perfecte convertit, sed adhuc se perfecte in securitate non erigit, quia dum quanta sit districtio extremi examinis pensat, inter spem et formidinem sollicitus trepidat: quia judex justus veniens, quid ^(0615A) de perpetratis reputet, quid relaxet, ignorat. Nam quam prava commiserit meminit, sed an commissa digne defleverit, nescit: ac ne culpae immanitas modum poenitentiae transeat metuit, et plerumque culpam jam veritas relaxat, sed mens afflicta adhuc de venia (dum valde sibi est sollicita) trepidat. Sanctus ergo vir etiam hic misericordiam suscipit, sed suscepisse se nescit, quia peccatum suum homo jam corrigendo et poenitendo deserit, sed tamen adhuc districtum judicem de ejus retributione pertimescit. Illic ergo justus quilibet misericordias Domini libere in aeternitate cantat, ubi jam de peccati venia dubietas non est, ubi jam securam mentem culpae suae memoria non angit, ubi non sub reatu animus trepidat, sed de ejus indulgentia liber exsultat. Admonendi ^(0615B) sunt timore formidinis oppressi, ut de misericordia quam postulant praesumant, ne vi immoderatae afflictionis intereant. (Greg., past. Curae p. III, adm. 30.) Neque enim pie Dominus ante delinquentium oculos flenda peccata opponeret, si per semetipsum ea districte ferire voluisset. Constat enim quod suo judicio abscondere voluit, quos miserando praeveniens, sibimetipsis judices fecit. Hinc per Paulum dicitur: Si nosmetipsos dijudicaremus, non utique judicaremur (I Cor. XI)

  (0615B) CAPUT XIX. De iis qui ad delictum post lacrymas revertuntur.

50 CHAPTER 19 On Those Who after Shedding T ears Return to Sin T hey are mockers, not penitents, who still do what they repent of; they seem not to implore God with subjection, but proudly to mock at him. Like a dog that returns to its vomit is a fool who reverts to his folly (see Prov 26:11 and 2 Pet 2:22). Many shed tears unceasingly, yet do not cease to sin. We see some who receive tears for repentance, and do not produce its effects; through inconstancy of mind they at one time shed tears at the remembrance of sin, and at another again commit the very things they have lamented when the old habit comes to life again. Those who wish both to mourn the past and to attach themselves to worldly actions are not cleansed, because they still do what they could bewail by repenting. Isaiah says to sinners, Wash; make yourselves clean (Isa 1:16). They wash themselves and are clean who bewail the past and do not commit again what would need to be lamented. They wash themselves and are not clean who bewail what they have done but do not forsake it, and after tears repeat what they have lamented. Somewhere else the divine word rebukes the soul that repents and then sins again, saying, How exceedingly vile you have become, retracing your ways (Jer 2:36 Vulg). Therefore all who deplore past faults must maintain this frame of mind, and bewail what they have committed in such wise as not again to commit what would need to be lamented. 1 1 Isidore, Sent 2. 16. 1–4a; CCSL 111:128–29; PL 83:619BC. OnThoseWho after SheddingTears Return to Sin 51 It is written in the book of Ecclesiasticus: One who washes after touching a corpse, and touches it again, how does the washing bring benefit? (Sir 34:30). Those who do not guard innocence of life after shedding tears neglect to keep clean after their bath. For they wash but are quite unclean who unceasingly bewail what they have done, but who again commit what they need to lament. Those wash after touching a corpse who are cleansed of sin by their tears;but those who are eager for their fault after shedding tears touch the corpse after washing. 2 Hence Solomon says, Like a dog (is) one who repeats his folly (see Prov 26:11). So when a dog vomits it obviously throws up the food that was making it feel ill; but when it returns to the vomit that made it feel relieved, it is again weighed down. Those who bewail their sins throw off in confessing it the wickedness by which they miserably sated themselves and that depressed their inmost mind; they take it up again when they repeat it after their confession. The sow washes by wallowing in the mud, and is made even dirtier (see 2 Pet 2:22). Those who bewail a sin committed but do not forsake it become guilty of more serious fault;they despise the very pardon they could have obtained by weeping, and roll as if in muddy water, because while they withdraw cleanness of life from their weeping they make even their very tears unclean before the eyes of God. 3 2 Taio, Sent 4. 37; PL 80:953C, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 30; PL 77:110C. Taio places the quotation from Ben Sirach at the beginning, whereas it comes halfway through in Gregory. 3 Gregory, Past 3. 30; PL 77:110AB. . . .

(Isid., l. II Sent., c. 16.) Derisor est, non poenitens, qui adhuc agit quod poenitet: nec videtur Deum poscere subditus, sed subsannare superbus. Canis ^(0615C) reversus ad vomitum, et poenitens ad peccatum (Prov. XXVI). Multi enim lacrymas indesinenter fundunt, et peccare non desinunt. Quosdam videmus accipere lacrymas ad poenitentiam, et effectum poenitentiae non habere, quia inconstantia mentis, nunc recordatione peccati lacrymas fundunt, nunc vero reviviscente usu ea quae fleverint iterando committunt. Qui et praeterita vult plangere et actionibus saecularibus incubare, iste mundationem non habet, quoniam adhuc agit, quae poenitendo deflere possit. Isaias peccatoribus dicit: Lavamini, mundi estote (Isai. I). Lavatur itaque et mundus est, qui et praeterita plangit, et flenda iterum non admittit. Lavatur et non est mundus, qui plangit quae gessit nec deserit, et post lacrymas ea quae fleverat repetit. Sic denique ^(0615D) et alibi animam poenitentem atque iterum delinquentem sermo divinus increpat dicens: Quam vilis es facta nimis, iterans vias tuas (Jer. II). (Huc usque Isid.) Quisquis ergo culpas praeteritas plorat, hunc necesse est modum teneat, et sic admissa defleat, ne iterum flenda committat. Scriptum est in libro Ecclesiastico: Qui baptizatur a mortuo, et iterum tangit illum, quid proficit lavatio ejus (Eccli. XXXIV)? (Greg., past. Curae p. III, adm. 31.) Post lavacrum mundus esse negligit, quisquis post lacrymas vitae innocentiam non custodit. Lavantur enim et nequaquam mundi sunt, qui commissa flere non desinunt, sed rursum flenda committunt. Baptizatur scilicet a mortuo, qui mundatur fletibus a peccato, sed post ^(0616A) baptisma mortuum tangit, qui culpam post lacrymas appetit. Hinc Salomon ait: Sicut canis qui iterat stultitiam suam (Prov. XXVI). Canis ergo cum vomit, profecto cibum qui pectus deprimebat projicit: sed cum ad vomitum revertitur, unde levigatus fuerat, rursus oneratur. Et qui admissa plangunt, profecto nequitiam de qua male satiati fuerant, et quae mentis intima deprimebat, confitendo projiciunt, quam post confessionem dum repetunt, resumunt. Sus vero in volutabro luti dum lavatur, sordidior redditur (II Petr. II). Et qui admissum plangit peccatum, nec tamen deserit, pene graviori se culpae subjicit: qui et ipsam quam flendo impetrare potuit veniam contemnit, et quasi in lutosa aqua semetipsum volvit, quia dum fletibus suis vitae munditiam subtrahit, ^(0616B) ante Dei oculos sordidas ipsas etiam lacrymas facit (Huc usque Greg.).

  (0616B) CAPUT XX. De vita vel conversatione monachorum.

52 CHAPTER 20 On the Life and Way of Living of Monks M onks are to be advised always to be circumspect, showing reverence for the monastic habit in behavior, speech, and thought; they are to forsake completely the things of the world, and present before the eyes of God by their conduct what they proclaim to human eyes by their habit. When passing prosperity smiles upon those chosen as monks, they ignore the world’s favor as though not aware of it, and with firm step inwardly tread upon things that outwardly lift them up. Chosen monks do not create a din with cries typical of wrongful behavior; they are not seized with turbulent and passionate desire for temporal things, but they escape being overly concerned with the inevitable cares of the present life. Though they often do good, monks still feel the paternal strokes so that they may come to the inheritance, brought closer now to perfection in that the discipline of the one who each day lovingly strikes purges them even of very small things. 1 True monks2 who fully renounce the world die to this world so completely that they find their delight in living for God alone; the more they withdraw from this world’s mode of life, the more they 1 Taio, Sent 2. 46; PL 80:847C–48A; see Gregory, Mor 5. 11; CCSL 143:231; PL 75:680AD. 2 Isidore’s sancti viri, “holy men” (Sent 3. 17, 1) is replaced by Smaragdus with veri monachi. On the Life andWay of Living of Monks 53 contemplate with the mind’s inner eye the presence of God and the innumerable assembly of the angels. 3 The more they despise themselves and abase themselves outwardly , the more they feed inwardly on the contemplation of revelations . For those whom the valley of humility keeps outwardly in lamentation, the ascent of contemplation raises up inwardly. 4 For some precepts are given to the faithful living an ordinary life in the world, while others are given to those who renounce the world. The former are told to conduct all their affairs well, the latter to leave all their possessions. The former are bound by general precepts, which the latter transcend by their more perfect living. The perfect are only satisfied by denying all that is theirs and themselves as well. But what is it to deny oneself, if not to renounce one’s own desires?What, if not for one who was proud to be humble, who was angry to study to be meek? For even if people renounce all they possess but do not renounce their bad habits, they are no disciples of Christ. Those who renounce their property deny what is theirs;those who renounce their bad habits deny themselves. Hence the Lord says, If any want to come after me, let them deny themselves (Matt 16:24). 5 3 Isidore, Sent 3. 17. 1; CCSL 111:246; PL 83:692C–93A. 4 Gregory, Mor 30. 19: CCSL 143B:1534; PL 76:559B. See end of chapter 29. 5 Isidore, Sent 3. 18. 1–2; CCSL 111:247–48; PL 83:693CD–94A. . . .

Admonendus est monachus, ut reverentiam habitus sui in actu, in locutione, in cogitatione sua semper circumspiciat, atque ea quae mundi sunt, perfecte deserat, et quod ostendit humanis oculis habitu, hoc ante Dei oculos moribus praetendat. Electi namque monachi cum eis transitoria prosperitas arridet, favorem mundi quasi nescientes dissimulant, et forti gressu interius ea unde exterius sublevantur calcant. Electi monachi nullis pravae actionis clamoribus perstrepunt, nullo cupiditatum temporalium turbulento appetitu rapiuntur, sed curis praesentis ^(0616C) vitae necessariis immoderatius occupati refugiunt. Saepe bona agentes monachi, paterna adhuc flagella sentiunt, ut tanto perfectiores ad haereditatem veniant, quanto eos pie ferientis disciplina quotidie etiam de minimis purgat. Veri monachi funditus saeculo renuntiantes, ita huic mundo moriuntur, ut soli Deo vivere delectentur, quantumque ab hujus saeculi conversatione se subtrahunt, tantum interna mentis acie praeentiam Dei et Angelorum frequentiam contemplantur: quantoque magis se exterius despiciendo dejiciunt, tanto amplius interius revelationum contemplatione pascuntur. Quos enim exterius in fletu continet convallis humilitatis, eos interius sublevat ascensus contemplationis. (Isid., l. III Sent., c. 18.) Alia sunt enim praecepta quae dantur ^(0616D) fidelibus communem in saeculo vitam degentibus, atque alia saeculo renuntiantibus. Illis enim dicitur ut sua omnia bene gerant, istis ut sua omnia derelinquant. Illi praeceptis generalibus astringuuntur; isti praecepta generalia, perfectius vivendo, transcendunt. Ad perfectum non sufficit, nisi abnegatis omnibus suis, etiam seipsum abneget. Sed quid est seipsum abnegare, nisi voluptatibus propriis renuntiare? Ut qui superbus erat, sit humilis; qui iracundus, esse studeat mansuetus. Nam si ita quisque renuntiet omnibus quae possidet, ut suis non renuntiet moribus, non est Christi discipulus. Qui enim renuntiat rebus suis, sua abnegat; qui vero renuntiat moribus pravis, semetipsum abnegat. Unde et Dominus: Qui ^(0617A) vult, inquit, post me venire, abneget semetipsum (Matth. XVI).

  (0617A) CAPUT XXI. De iis qui quietam diligunt vitam.

54 CHAPTER 21 On Those Who Love a Quiet Life B ecause holy people seek nothing belonging to this world, their hearts are surely free from tumultuous emotions. With the hand of a holy way of life they cast out of the resting place of the heart all the disordered movements of the desires; they despise all passing things, and do not suffer the haughty boldness of thoughts born thereof. For they seek only the eternal fatherland, and because they love none of the things of this world, they enjoy great tranquility of mind. There is great rest of mind in driving out of the hidden place of the heart the disturbances of earthly desires, and single-mindedly panting after the eternal fatherland and loving intimate quiet. David sought withdrawal from the tumult of temporal affairs when he said, One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I seek after: that I may live in the house of the Lord (Ps 26(27):4). And when he said, Behold, I went far away in flight;I abode in solitude (Ps 54(55):7), he was persevering in his plan to withdraw. 1 Abba Anthony said, “He who sits in solitude and is at peace is freed from three kinds of war, that is, of hearing, speech, and sight. ”2 Abba Arsenius prayed as follows:“Lord, direct me towards salvation . ”And a voice came to him saying, “Arsenius, flee from human beings, keep silence, be at peace, and you will be saved. ”3 1 Taio, Sent 3. 13; PL 80:864C–65B, quoting Gregory, Mor 4. 30; CCSL 143:203–4; PL 75:668CD–69C. 2 PL 73:858A (2); see also PG 65:(77) 78C (11); Sayings, 2 (3), 11. 3 PL 73:858A (3a); see also 73:801A (190a); PG 65:87 (88)BC (1–2); Sayings, 8 (9), 1–2. OnThoseWho Love a Quiet Life 55 Abba Moses said, “A person who flees from human beings is like a mature grape, while the one who lives with human beings is like an unripe grape. ”4 Abba Nilus said, “One who loves quiet remains impervious to the enemy’s arrows;one who mixes with the multitude will receive frequent wounds. ”5 4 PL 73:859C (10); see also PG 65:283 (284)C–(285) 286A (7); Sayings, 118 (140), 7. 5 PL 73:859C (11); see also PG 65:(305) 306C (9); Sayings, 129 (154), 9. . . .

(Greg., Mor. l. IV, c. 34). Sancti viri quia nihil hujus mundi appetunt, nullis procul dubio in corde tumultibus premuntur. Omnes quippe inordinatos desideriorum motus a cubili cordis manu sanctae conversations ejiciunt, et qui transitoria cuncta despiciunt, ex iis nascentes cogitationum insolentias non patiuntur. Solam namque aeternam patriam appetunt, et quia nulla hujus mundi diligunt, magna mentis tranquillitate perfruuntur. Magna requies mentis est, a secreto cordis terrenorum desideriorum tumultus expellere, et una intentione aeternae ^(0617B) patriae in amorem intimae quietis anhelare. A tumultu rerum temporalium David secessum quaerebat, cum diceret: Unam petii a Domino, hanc requiram, ut inhabitem in domo Domini (Psal. XXVI). Et illud: Ecce elongavi fugiens, et mansi in solitudine (Psal. LIV). Fugiens elongat, qui a turba desideriorum temporalium in alta Dei contemplatione se sublevat; manet vero in solitudine, qui perseverat in remota mentis intentione. Dixit abbas Antonius: Qui sedet in solitudine et quiescit, a tribus bellis eripitur, id est, auditus, locutionis et visus. (Sim. Metaph. in Vita Arsen.) Abbas Arsenius oravit dicens: Domine, dirige me ad salutem; et venit ei vox dicens: Arseni, fuge homines, tace, quiesce, et salvus eris. Dixit abbas Moyses: Homo fugiens homines, similis est ^(0617C) uvae maturae: qui autem cum hominibus conversatur, sicut uva acerba erit. Dixit abbas Nilus: Impenetrabilis manet a sagittis inimici, qui amat quietem; qui autem miscetur multitudini, crebra suscipiet vulnera.

  (0617C) CAPUT XXII. De electis omnia relinquentibus.

56 CHAPTER 22 On the Chosen Who Leave All A t the end of the world those who are now judged unjustly for God’s sake will come with God as judges. Then their light will shine the more widely as the hand of the persecutors now restricts them more harshly. Then it will be obvious to the eyes of the reprobate that those who of their own will left all earthly things were supported by a heavenly power. . . . All who, roused by the goad of divine love, have here left possessions will no doubt obtain there the summit of judicial power, so that those who now of their own free will chastise themselves in view of judgment, will then come together with the judge. 1 Our Redeemer decrees the sentence of judgment with the Church’s holy preachers, as he says in the Gospel, In the regeneration, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his majesty, you who have left all things and followed me will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt 19:28). 2 All who are perfect now in the Church learned the uprightness of their perfection through the Gospel. United to our Redeemer, 3 1 Taio, Sent 2. 21;PL 80:806C–7A, quoting Gregory, Mor 10. 31;CCSL 143:575; PL 75:950CD–51A. Taio and the CCSL text have spontanea paupertate, “by voluntary poverty” where Smaragdus has spontanea voluntate, “of their own free will. ” 2 Taio, Sent 2. 21;PL 80:807AB, quoting Gregory, Mor 6. 7;CCSL 143:290;PL 75:734BC. The Scripture text inserts reliquistis omnia et, “you have left all things and” before secuti estis me, “(you) have followed me. ” 3 Gregory has tunc ejus corpori uniti, “then united to his body”;Taio:Redemptori ergo nostro uniti (see next note). On the ChosenWho Leave All 57 and joined to his majesty, those whose aim now was to do perfect works according to the Gospel precepts will appear with him as judges. Those who in this world obeyed the Lord’s precepts will afterwards come with him as judges to judge the peoples, as it is said to the preachers who leave all: You will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 4 It is certainly right that those who at God’s words completely forsake the present world should with God make the reckoning about the peoples in judgment. And they should afterwards come with God as judges who were his servants in voluntary poverty and in peace. 5 (It is written:) He called on the heavens above and on the earth, that he might judge his people (Ps 49(50):4). He indeed calls on the heavens above when those who left all that was theirs and held to a heavenly mode of life are called to sit with him in judgment, and when they come with him as judges. The earth is also called above when those who were obligated to earthly acts sought in them heavenly rather than earthly profits. He says to them at the end, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you covered me (Matt 25:35-36). 6 The chosen who leave all are not judged, but reign;they go beyond the precepts of the law by the perfection of their virtue. Not at all content with doing only what the divine law lays on everyone, with all-consuming desire they long to show forth more than they were able to hear in the general precepts. 7 4 Taio, Sent 2. 21;PL 80:807B, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 2, 18;CCSL 142:27– 28; PL 76:803BC. 5 Taio, Sent 2. 21;PL 80:807BC, quoting Gregory, Mor 11. 22;CCSL 143A:605: PL 75:969C. Near the end, Taio and Gregory have prece; this has become pace in Smaragdus. Gregory does not have in voluntaria paupertate. 6 Taio, Sent 2. 21; PL 80:807C, quoting Gregory, Mor 15. 31; CCSL 143A:772; PL 75:1100C. 7 Taio, Sent 2. 21;PL 80:807CD, quoting Gregory, Mor 26. 27;CCSL 143B:1305; PL 76:379D–80A.

(Greg. Mor. l. XI, c. 30). In fine saeculi cum Deo judices venient, qui nunc pro Deo injuste judicantur. Tunc eorum lux tanto latius emicat, quanto eos nunc manus persequentium durius angustat. Tunc reproborum oculis patescet, quod coelesti potestati subnixi sunt, qui terrena omnia sponte reliquerunt. Quia quisquis stimulo divini amoris excitatus, hic possessa reliquerit, illic procul dubio culmen judiciariae ^(0617D) potestatis obtinebit, ut simul tunc judex cum judice veniat, qui nunc consideratione judicii sese spontanea voluntate castigat. Redemptor nester judicii sententiam cum sanctis Ecclesiae praedicatoribus decernit, sicut ipse in Evangelio dicit: Vos qui reliquistis omnia, et secuti estis me, in regeneratione cum sederit Filius hominis in sede majestatis suae, sedebitis et vos super duodecim sedes, judicantes duodecim tribus Israel (Matth. XIX). Omnes qui in Ecclesia modo perfecti sunt, perfectionis suae rectitudinem per Evangelium didicerunt. Redemptori ergo nostro uniti, ejusque majestati conjuncti, cum eo judices videbuntur, qui modo perfecta opera juxta Evangelica praecepta secuti sunt. Qui in hoc saeculo praeceptis ^(0618A) Domini paruit, cum illo postmodum ad judicandos populos judex veniet, sicut cuncta relinquentibus praedicatoribus dicitur: Sedebitis et vos super duodecim thronos, judicantes duodecim tribus Israel. Rectum quippe est, ut cum Deo de populis in judicio disputent, qui ad verba Dei praesens saeculum perfecte derelinquunt. Et illi cum Deo postmodum judices veniant, qui ei modo in voluntaria paupertate, vel in pace familiares exstiterunt. Scriptum est: Advocavit coelos sursum, et terram, ut discerneret populum suum (Psal. XLIX). (Greg., Mor. l. XV, c. 15.) Coelos quippe sursum advocat, cum ii qui sua omnia relinquentes, conversationem coelestis vitae tenuerunt, ad consedendum in judicio convocantur, atque cum eo judices veniunt. Terra etiam sursum vocatur, ^(0618B) cum ii qui terrenis actibus obligati fuerant, in eis tamen plus coelestia quam terrena lucra quaesierunt: quibus in fine dicitur: Hospes eram, et collegistis me, nudus et operuistis me (Matth. XV). Electi viri omnia relinquentes, non judicantur et regnant, qui etiam praecepta legis perfectionis virtute transcendunt, quia nequaquam hoc solum quod cunctis divina lex praecepit implere contenti sunt, sed praestantiore desiderio plus appetunt exhibere quam praeceptis generalibus audire potuerunt.

  (0618B) CAPUT XXIII. De mortificatione monachorum.

58 CHAPTER 23 On the Mortification of Monks T he apostle Paul says, Consider yourselves indeed dead to sin but alive to God (Rom 6:11). For sin does not reign in a dead person, or the desire for sin live there;fleshly concupiscence is immediately extinguished in that person, rage subsides, anger ceases, hatred is put to flight, and all vices at the same time fall quiet. And this is what it means to die to sin and to live to Christ. The apostle likewise says, For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). 1 Christ was crucified, died and was buried for our sake; let us crucify our wills and lustful desires in his likeness. . . . Christ has been crucified to sin, not partly but entirely, so that we may live to God. . . . That person lives to God who follows the footsteps of Christ by humility, holiness and compassion. 2 A monk is mortified when he chastises his body by continual fasts, when he tempers his appetite within the limits of what is necessary , when he not only keeps himself from more delicate foods but also exercises temperance in the more ordinary types of food, when he allows nothing to his fleshly nature out of sheer desire, but does so out of the need to sustain life. 3 When spiritual monks fully seek their own mortification, the closer they are brought to their end and the more ardent they show themselves in work. So they do not grow faint in working, rather they grow in spite of their labors, and the closer they reckon the 1 No source traced for this passage. 2 Primasius, In ep Pauli (ad Rom 6); PL 68:444A, 443D, 445C. 3 Julianus Pomerius, Vita contem 2. 22:PL 59:467C;adapted by Smaragdus;see ACW:4, 94. On the Mortification of Monks 59 rewards to be, the more pleasant it is for them to exert themselves in work to the point of perspiring. 4 (All monks, when they leave the world, ) do not cease to punish their wrongful deeds with weeping. They afflict themselves with a heavy sadness, because here they have been cast far away from the face of their Creator, and are not yet in the joys of the eternal country . 5 Sometimes monks do not arrive at contemplating6 what they desire, so that their slowness meantime may serve to expand their capacity for what they desire as their minds unfold. By a remarkable arrangement it happens that the things involved, which could have diminished in importance, grow many times over through the delay. Most monks seek to mortify themselves in the present world in such a way that, if possible, they may contemplate the face of their Creator; but their desire’s realization is deferred in order for it to progress, and it is nursed in the bosom of their slowness only in order to grow. 7 Good monks withdraw completely from the restless and urgent desire of this world, abandoning the din of worldly activity, and through the pursuit of quiet their minds, intent on the virtues, sleep as it were a watchful sleep. No (monk) is brought to interior contemplation except by carefully withdrawing from exterior involvement . Hence the Truth itself says, No one can serve two masters (Matt 6:24). And Paul too says, No one serving God as a soldier gets involved in worldly affairs; the aim is to please the person enlisting (2Tim 2:4). The Lord warns through the prophet saying, Be still, and know that I am God! (Ps 45(46):10), because interior knowledge is by no means conceived unless one ceases from exterior involvement. 8 4 Taio, Sent 2. 45; PL 80:846D, quoting Gregory, Mor. 5. 5; CCSL 143:223; PL 75:683B. 5 Taio, Sent 2. 45;PL 80:845C, quoting Gregory, Mor. 5. 3; CCSL 143:220;PL 75:681A. 6 Smaragdus has ad contemplanda desideria. Taio following Gregory (see next note) has ad concepta desideria, “(do not arrive) at the desires they have conceived. ” 7 Taio, Sent 2. 45; PL 80:846C, quoting Gregory, Mor 5. 4; CCSL 143:222; PL 75:682D–83A. 8 Taio, Sent 2. 45; PL 80:847AB, quoting Gregory, Mor 5. 31; CCSL 143:257; PL 75:709D–10A. 60 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Hence Paul again says, If we have died with him, we will also live with him (2 Tim 2:11). But. . .

Paulus apostolus ait: Existimate vos mortuos quidem esse peccato, viventes autem Deo (Rom. VI). In mortuo enim non regnat peccatum, neque cupiditas ^(0618C) vivit peccati: exstinguitur enim continuo in eo concupiscentia carnis, conquiescit furor, cessat ira, fugatur odium, et omnia simul conquiescunt vitia. Et hoc est mori peccato, et vivere Christo. Item ipse Apostolus ait: Mortui enim estis, et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo (Colos. III). Propter nos Christus crucifixus, et mortuus, et sepultus est: et nos ad ejus similitudinem voluntates et cupiditates nostras crucifigamus. Christus autem non ex parte, sed integer est crucifixus peccato, ut vivamus Deo. Ille autem vivit Deo, qui Christi vestigia humilitate, sanctificatione et pietate sectatur. Mortificatur monachus, quando corpus suum jejuniorum continuatione castigat, quando intra necessarium modum suum temperat appetitum, quando non solum ^(0618D) a delicatioribus cibis, sed etiam a vilioribus temperans, se suspendit, quando nihil carni suae pro desiderio, sed pro sustentandae vitae necessitate permittit (Greg., Mor. l. V, c. 3). Cum spirituales monachi plene mortificationem suam appetunt, quanto magis fiunt viciniores ad finem, tanto se exhibent ardentiores in opere. Laborando ergo non deficiunt, sed magis adversum labores crescunt, qui cum jam praemia propinquiora considerant, eo in opere delectabilius exsudant. Omnes monachi saeculum relinquentes, punire flendo non desinunt quae deliquerunt. Gravi se moerore affligunt, quia longe huc a facie conditoris projecti, adhuc in aeternae patriae gaudiis non sunt. Nonnunquam monachi idcirco ad contemplanda ^(0619A) desideria minime perveniunt, ut ipsa interveniente tarditate ad eadem desideria laxato mentis sinu dilatentur: et quae extenuari implicata poterant, magna dispositione agitur, ut repulsa multiplicius crescant. Plerique monachorum sic in praesenti saeculo se mortificare appetunt, ut jam perfecte si liceat conditoris sui faciem contemplentur, sed eorum desiderium differtur ut proficiat, et a tarditatis suae sinu nutritur, ut crescat. Bonus monachus ab hujus mundi inquieta concupiscentia se penitus subtrahit, ac terrenarum actionum strepitum deserit, et per quietis studium ejus mens virtutibus intenta, quasi vigilans dormit. Unusquisque monachus ad contemplanda interna minime perducitur; nisi ab iis quae exterius implicant, studiose subtrahatur. Hinc enim ^(0619B) per semetipsam Veritas dicit: Nemo potest duobus dominis servire (Matth. VI). Hinc Paulus ait: Nemo militans Deo implicat se negotiis saecularibus, ut ei placeat cui se probavit (II ad Tim. II). Per Prophetam Dominus admonet dicens: Vacate et videte, quoniam ego sum Deus (Ps. XLV), quia videlicet nequaquam notitia interna concipitur, nisi ab externa implicatione cessetur. Hinc iterum Paulus ait: Si commortui sumus, et convivemus (II ad Tim. II). Si enim mortui sumus cum Christo, credimus quia simul vivemus cum eo (Rom. VI): quia sicut in Adam omnes moriuntur, ita et in Christo omnes vivificabuntur (I Cor. XV). Nam et si sustinemus pro illo tribulationes, sicut et ille sustinuit pro nobis, conregnabimus cum illo: quia oportet nos per multas tribulationes ^(0619C) introire in regnum Dei (II Tim. II). Mortui enim estis, et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo (Col. III).

  (0619C) CAPUT XXIV. De vita contemplativa.

61 CHAPTER 24 On the Contemplative Life T he active life entails good works done with integrity, while the contemplative life is the beholding of things above. The former is common to the many, but the latter belongs to the few. The active life makes good use of worldly things, while the contemplative life renounces the world and delights in living to God alone. Those who first make progress in the active life duly ascend to contemplation. For those who are found serviceable in the former are rightly raised up in the latter. . . . As those who have been buried are deprived of all earthly business, so those who apply themselves to contemplation turn away from active occupations. . . . Holy people go forth from the retirement of contemplation to activity in public, and again they return from the public domain to the retirement of intimate contemplation, so that they may praise God inwardly where they have received from him the strength to work outwardly for his glory. As it is the eagle’s custom always to fix its eye on the sun’s ray, and only to turn aside from it to get food, so also, holy people sometimes come back from contemplation to active life, considering the former to be beneficial in the highest degree, and yet the humble realities of the latter to be to some extent necessary because of our neediness. 1 In the contemplative life the mind exerts itself greatly when it raises itself to heavenly things, when it extends the soul in spiritual 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 15. 1–3a, 5a, 6–7; CCSL 111:241–42; PL 83:689C–91A; see Gregory, Mor 9. 32; CCSL 143:489; PL 75:384D. 62 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel matters, when it endeavors to transcend all that seems bodily, and when it narrows itself so as to expand. Sometimes indeed it conquers, and overcomes the resistance of its darkness and blindness, and subtly and by stealth attains something of the uncircumscribed light. But at once it is beaten back towards itself, and from that light to which it passes over with longing it returns sighing to the darkness of its blindness. 2 It is written in the book of Genesis:Abraham buried his wife in a double tomb (see Gen 23:19). The active life is like a tomb, because it protects those who are dead from crooked works;but the contemplative life buries them more perfectly, because it separates completely from all the activities of the world. 3 A certain brother went away to the cell of Abba Arsenius; he looked through the window and saw the old man as though totally on fire in contemplation. That brother was worthy to gaze on such things. 4 They used to say about Abba Sisoes that unless he quickly lowered his hands when he stood at prayer, his mind was caught up into higher things. So if there happened to be some brother praying with him, he hastened to lower his hands in case his mind was seized and his attention held. 5 A certain old man said that assiduous prayer quickly corrects the mind. 6 A certain father said, “Just as it is impossible to see one’s face in water that is stirred up, so also the soul can only pray contemplatively to God if it has been purged of alien thoughts. ”7 2 Taio, Sent 3. 21: PL 80:877CD, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 2. 2, 12; CCSL 142:232–33; PL 76:955:AB. 3 Taio, Sent 3. 21:PL 80:877D, quoting Gregory, Mor 6. 37;CCSL 143:325;PL 75:760C. 4 PL 73:978A (1a); see also PG 65:95 (96)C (27); Sayings, 11 (13), 27a. 5 PL 73:942D (11); see also PG 65:(428) 427 B; Sayings, 198 (236), 1, where Sisoes is Tithoes. 6 PL 73:942D (12). 7 PL 73:942D–43A (13). . . .

Activa vita, innocentia est operum bonorum, contemplativa speculatio supernorum. Illa communis multorum est, ista vero paucorum. Activa vita, mundanis rebus bene utitur, contemplativa vero mundo renuntians, soli Deo vivere delectatur. Qui prius in activa vita proficit, ad contemplationem bene conscendit. Merito enim in ista sustollitur, qui in illa utilis invenitur. Sicut sepultus ab omni negotio terreno privatur: ita contemplationi vacans, ab occupatione actuali avertitur. Viri sancti sicut a ^(0619D) secreto contemplationis egrediuntur ad publicum actionis, ita rursus ab actionis manifesto ad secretum intimae contemplationis revertuntur: ut intus Deum laudent, ubi acceperunt unde foris ad ejus gloriam operentur. (Greg., Moral. l. IX, c. 23). Sicut aquilae moris est semper oculum in radium solis infigere, nec deflectere, nisi escae solius obtentu: ita sancti a contemplatione ad actualem vitam interdum reflectuntur, considerantes illa summa sic esse utilia, ut tamen ista humilia sint paululum nostrae indigentiae necessaria. Magna est in contemplativa vita mentis contentio, cum sese ad coelestia erigit, cum in rebus spiritalibus animum tendit, cum transgredi nititur omne quod corporaliter videtur, cum ^(0620A) se angustat ut dilatet; et aliquando quidem vincit, et reluctantes tenebras suae caecitatis exsuperat, et de incircumscripto lumine quiddam furtim subtiliter attingit: sed statim ad semetipsam protinus reverberatur, atque ab ea luce ad quam respirando transit, ad suae caecitatis tenebras suspirando redit. In libro Genesis scriptum est: Sepelivit Abraham conjugem suam in sepulcro duplici (Greg., Moral. l. VI, c. 25). Activa quasi sepulcrum est, quia a pravis operibus mortuos tegit; sed contemplativa perfectius sepelit, quia a cunctis mundi actionibus funditus dividit. Frater quidam abiit ad cellam abbatis Arsenii, et attendit per fenestram, et vidit senem in contemplatione totum quasi igneum. Erat autem frater ille dignus, qui talia intueretur. Dicebant de abbate Sysoi, ^(0620B) quia nisi cito deponeret manus suas quando stabat ad orationem, rapiebatur mens ejus in superiora. Si ergo contingebat cum eo aliquem fratrem orare, festinabat cito deponere manus, ne raperetur mens ejus, et moraretur. Dixit quidam senex, quod assidua oratio cito corrigit mentem. Dixit quidam Patrum: Quia sicut impossibile est ut videat quis faciem suam in aqua turbida, sic et anima (nisi purgata faerit a cogitationibus alienis) contemplative non potest orare Deum.

  (0620B) CAPUT XXV. De regni coelestis desiderio.

63 CHAPTER 25 On Desire for the Heavenly Kingdom L oud is the cry of the saints, great their desire; the less one cries out, the less does one desire. The more fully we pour ourselves into our desire, the louder is the cry we express into the ears of the unbounded Spirit. 1 Often our desires, while not being quickly carried out, are receiving a favorable hearing, and what we ask to be speedily fulfilled fares better because of the delay itself. . . . Our desires are stretched by delay so as to make progress; they thus reach their full strength for what they are destined to receive . They are stirred up in the contest so as to be abundantly rewarded with greater prizes in the time of recompense. The toil of the fight is protracted, so that the crown of victory may grow. 2 In as much as the just desire to cling to heavenly things through a ray of contemplation, they shrink from becoming established on the earth, where they know that they are strangers and pilgrims, as Paul says, Our way of life is in heaven (Phil 3:20). 3 With the sword of the sacred word, holy people unceasingly render themselves dead to importunate desires for temporal things, 1 Taio, Sent 3. 37; PL 80:895A, quoting Gregory, Mor 2. 7; CCSL 143:66; PL 75:560B. 2 Taio, Sent 3. 37;PL 80:895BC, quoting Gregory, Mor 26. 34;CCSL 143B:1291; PL 76:368D–69A; see Hom ev 25. 2; CCSL 141:207; PL 76:1190C; see CS123, 189–90. 3 Taio, Sent 3. 14; PL 80:866BC. 64 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel to useless cares and to the love of extreme and noisy disturbances; they hide themselves within in the fold of their mind before the face of God. And so the psalmist rightly says, In the shelter of your presence you hide them from human plots (Ps 30(31):20) . . . so that their mind, while it tends totally to the love of God, may not uselessly be torn by any disturbance. The apostle Paul by contemplation had seen disciples as dead and as if hidden in the tomb, and used to tell them: for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God (Col 3:3). Those who seek to mortify themselves become extremely cheerful on finding the rest of contemplation. Let them hide themselves within the fold of intimate love so as to be hidden from the world like one annihilated, all disturbances arising from exterior things being lulled to sleep. 4 Sometimes the upright person’s mind is admitted to a certain unusual sweetness of inner flavor, and is at once somehow influenced and renewed by a spirit of ardor;the more it tastes of certain things, the more it is filled with longing for them. It desires to have within itself what it inwardly judges to be sweeter than itself. 5 Abba Theonas said, “Because our mind is impeded and called back from the contemplation of God, we are led captive in fleshly passions. ”6 Abba Arsenius said to a certain brother, “However great your virtue, strive to ensure that your inner work is according to God and conquers the passions of the outer man. ”7 Abba John used to say that he had once made a piece of interwoven handle for two baskets, and used it all on one basket, but did not realize it. For his mind was occupied in the contemplation of God. 8 Abba Serapion said, “Just as the emperor’s soldiers, when they stand before him, do not dare look to the right or the left, so the 4 Taio, Sent 3. 14;PL 80:867BC, quoting Gregory, Mor 5. 6;CCSL 143:224–25; PL 75:684BC. 5 Taio, Sent 3. 14;PL 80:868A, quoting Gregory, Mor 23. 21;CCSL 143B:1176– 77; PL 76:277B. 6 PL 73:934B (12); see also PG 65:(197) 198C; Sayings, 69 (80), 1. 7 PL 73:933B (1a); see also PG 65:(89) 90BC (9); Sayings, 9 (10), 9. 8 PL 73:934C (14); see also PG 65:207 (208)AB (11); Sayings, 75 (87), 11. On Desire for the Heavenly Kingdom 65 monk, if he stands in the sight of God and is at every hour intent on fear of him, there is nothing with which the adversary is able to frighten him. ”9 Abba Hyperechius said, “Let your thought be. . .

Magnus clamor sanctorum, magnum est desiderium: tanto enim minus quisque clamat, quanto minus desiderat. Et tanto majorem vocem in aures ^(0620C) incircumscripti spiritus exprimit, quanto se in ejus desiderium plenius fundit. Saepe enim nostra desidederia (quia celeriter non fiunt) exaudiuntur, et quod impleri concite petimus, ex ipsa melius tarditate prosperatur. Desideria nostra dilatione extenduntur, ut proficiant: proficiunt, ut ad hoc quod perceptura sunt, convalescant. Excitantur in certamine, ut majoribus cumulentur praemiis in retributione. Labor protrahitur pugnae, ut crescat corona victoriae. Justi viri quantum in coelestibus per contemplationis radium inhaerere desiderant, tantum in terra aedificari refugiunt, ubi se peregrinos et hospites noverunt, Paulo attestante qui ait: Nostra autem conversatio in coelis est (Phil. III). (Greg., Mor. l. V, c. 3). Sancti viri ab importunitate desideriorum temporalium ^(0620D) et inutilium curarum, ac ab amore perstrepentium perturbationum, semetipsos sacri verbi gladio mortificare non desinunt, atque intus se ante faciem Dei in sinu mentis abscondunt. Unde recte per Psalmistam dicitur: Abscondes eos in abscondito vultus tui, a contradictione hominum (Psal. XXX), ut mens eorum dum in amorem Dei tota tenditur, nulla inutiliter perturbatione laceretur. Paulus apostolus per contemplationem, mortuos et quasi in sepulcro absconditos discipulos viderat, quibus dicebat: Mortui enim estis, et vita vestra abscondita est cum Christo in Deo (Col. III). Qui enim mortificare se appetit, valde ad inventam requiem contemplationis hilarescit: ut exstinctus mundum lateat, et cunctis ^(0621A) exteriorum rerum sopitis perturbationibus, intra sinum se intimi amoris abscondat. Aliquando mens justi ad quamdam inusitatam dulcedinem interni saporis admittitur; et raptim aliquo modo ardenti spiritu afflata renovatur, tantoque magis inhiat quanto magis quaedam et degustat, atque hoc intra se appetit, quod sibi dulcius habere intrinsecus sentit. Dixit abbas Theonas: Quia impeditur mens nostra, et revocatur a contemplatione Dei, propterea captivi ducimur in carnalibus passionibus. Dixit abbas Arsenius cuidam fratri: Quantacunque tibi virtus est, conare ut interius opus tuum secundum Deum sit et vincat exterioris hominis passiones. Dicebat abbas Joannes: Quia fecerat aliquando plectam ad duas sportas, et expendit eam in unam sportam, et non ^(0621B) intellexit. Erat enim mens ejus occupata in contemplatione Dei. Dixit abbas Serapion: Quia sicut milites imperatoris (cum ante ipsum stant) non audent ad dexteram aut sinistram respicere: ita monachus si stat in conspectu Domini, et intentus est omni hora in timore ejus, nihil est de quo adversarius eum terrere possit. Dixit abbas Hypericius: Cogitatio tua semper sit in regno coelorum, et cito in haereditatem accipies illud. Dixitque iterum: Vita monachi juxta imitationem angelorum fiat, comburens atque consumens peccata. Dixit abbas Matois: Quanto magis se approximat homo ad Deum, tanto amplius se peccatorem videt. Isaias enim propheta videns Dominum, miserum se et immundum dicebat (Isa. VI). Dixit quidam senex: Sicut nemo audet laedere ^(0621C) eum, qui juxta imperatorem est, ita Satanas non poterit nobis aliquid nocere, si anima nostra inhaeserit Deo.

  (0621C) CAPUT XXVI. De remissa conversatione monachorum.

66 CHAPTER 26 On the Lax Way of Life of Monks A lax monastic life leads many back into their former errors, and enfeebles them when it is time for being alive. . . . Those whose monastic life is lukewarm do not notice that idle words and empty thoughts are harmful. But if they awake from sluggishness of mind they at once become afraid of things they used to consider of no importance, thinking them dreadful and fearful. . . . Every one of this world’s arts has its eager lovers who are very ready to exercise them. And this is so because the work involved has an immediate recompense. But the art of divine love has hangers-on who are mostly languid, lukewarm, and frozen hard in laziness and sloth. The reason for this is that the result of their toil is delayed for a future not a present recompense. And so when the recompense of a reward does not immediately result from their toil, their hope all but disappears and they grow listless. Hence great glory is prepared for those who by sure and steady growth bring to completion the beginnings of a good monastic life;they are made ready to receive a reward all the more glorious in proportion as they more firmly begin and complete the labors of a hard journey. Certain people in the first ardor of conversion gird themselves to acquire virtues. Progress is within reach, but as they apply themselves immoderately to earthly affairs, the dust of the basest desires clouds their vision. 1 1 Isidore, Sent 2. 10. 1a, 2, 4–5a; CCSL 111:112–14; PL 83:610CD–11A. On the LaxWay of Life of Monks 67 There are some who, after a wayward life, are eager to follow holy ways, but before good desires can grow strong in them, as we have said, some good fortune of the present world befalls them and involves them in exterior affairs. This draws their mind away from the ardor of their deepest longing, extinguishes it as though with cold, and kills all that seemed to be in them from their late fervor. If a weak and lukewarm monk has begun perhaps to do something good, before he grows strong in it through long practice he slips back into exterior things and wrongly abandons what he seemed rightly to have begun. The heart grows exceedingly cold in earthly acts if it has not yet been made firm through interior gifts. 2 It is especially to be noted that this generally happens to monks who do not follow God in pure and simple attachment, because it is written in the book of blessed Job: The gathering of the hypocrite is sterile (Job 15:34). They would not lose the good they have begun if they had not been hypocrites. Hypocrites gather good works, but their gathering is itself sterile, because they do not aim, through what they do, to receive the proceeds in eternal payment. To human eyes they appeared to be prolific and vigorous in their good works, but in the sight of the hidden judge they appear unfruitful and arid. 3 The depraved minds of monks do not cease turning over within themselves the hustle and bustle of temporal affairs, even when they are free from work. They keep vividly portrayed in their thought the things they love, and although they may do nothing exteriorly, in their inmost selves they toil under the burden of restlessness even when at rest. If the administration of these affairs is entrusted to them, they abandon themselves entirely. 4 2 Taio, Sent 2. 47;PL 80:848BC, quoting Gregory, Mor 12. 53;CCSL 143A:665; PL 75:1014D–15A. Some of the same quotation occurs inTaio, Sent 4. 37;PL 80:953B. 3 Taio, Sent 2. 47;PL 80:849BC, quoting Gregory, Mor 12. 53;CCSL 143A:666; PL 75:1016A. Gregory’s haec semper eis eveniunt qui Deum . . . non sequuntur, “these things always happen to those who do not follow God, ”becomes plerumque monachis hoc evenire consuevit qui Deum . . . non sequuntur, “this generally happens to monks who do not follow God. ” 4 Taio, Sent 2. 48;PL 80:849D–50A, quoting Gregory, Mor 5. 11;CCSL 143:231; PL 75:689C. Taio has pravae monachorum mentes where Gregory has pravae etenim mentes, “for depraved minds. ” 68 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel When we are intent on worldly cares, we become inwardly less perceptive as we seem outwardly more zealous. With the. . .

(Ibid., l. II Sent., c. 10.) Multos remissa conversatio in pristinos errores reducit, ac vivendi tempore resolvit. Tepidus in conversatione otiosa verba et vanas cogitationes noxias esse non conspicit. Quod si a torpore mentis evigilaverit, ea quae levia existimabat, confestim quasi horrenda atque atrocia pertimescit. Omnis ars saeculi hujus strenuos amatores habet, et ad exsequendum promptissimos. Et hoc proinde fit, quia praesentem habet operis sui remunerationem. Ars vero divini amoris plerosque ^(0621D) habet sectatores languidos, tepidos, pigritia et inertia congelatos. Sed hoc proinde, quod labor eorum non pro praesenti, sed pro futura remuneratione differtur. Ideoque dum eorum laborem mercedis retributio non statim consequitur, spe pene dissoluta languescunt. Unde et magna illis gloria praeparatur, qui bonae conversationis et vitae principia augmento solidiori consummant, atque eo ad promerendam retributionem clariores praeparantur, quo firmius duri itineris labores et inchoant et consummant. (Greg., Mor. l. XII, c. 26.) Quidam primo conversionis calore ad virtutes se accingunt: accedente vero progressu, dum immoderate terrenis rebus incumbunt, pulvere infimi appetitus obscurantur. ^(0622A) Sunt nonnulli qui post perversa itinera sanctas vias sectari appetunt, sed priusquam in eis, ut diximus, desideria bona roborentur, quaedam illos praesentis saeculi prosperitas accipit, quae eos rebus exterioribus implicat, et eorum mentem, dum a calore intimi ardoris retrahit, quasi ex frigore exstinguit, et quidquid in eis de sero fervore apparere videbatur, interficit. Si quid boni fortasse infirmus ac tepidus monachus agere coeperit, priusquam in eo per longitudinem temporis convalescat, ad exteriora dilabitur, et perverse deserit quae recte inchoasse videbatur. In terrenis quippe actibus valde frigescit animus, si necdum fuerit per intima dona solidatus. Sciendum summopere est quia plerumque monachis hoc evenire consuevit (qui Deum puro ac simplici ^(0622B) studio non sequuntur) quod in libro beati Job scriptum est: Congregatio hypocritae sterilis (Job. XV). (Greg., Mor. l. XII, c. 27.) Coepta enim bona non amitterent, si hypocritae non fuissent. Congregant vero et hypocritae bona opera, sed eorum sterilis est ipsa congregatio: quia per hoc quod agunt, fructum recipere in aeterna retributione non appetunt. Fecundi ac virides in suis operibus humanis oculis videntur, sed in conspectu occulti judicis infecundi et aridi apparent. Pravae monachorum mentes temporalium rerum tumultus intra semetipsos versare non cessant, etiam cum vacant. In cogitatione enim servant depicta quae amant, et quamvis nihil exterius faciant, apud semetipsos tamen sub pondere inquietudinis quieti laborant. Quibus si earumdem ^(0622C) rerum administratio praebeatur, semetipsos funditus deserunt. Curis enim saecularibus intenti, tanto insensibiliores intus efficimur, quanto ad ea quae foris sunt studiosiores videmur. (Gregr., hom. 17 in Evang.) Usu et cura terreni desiderii obdurescit animus, et dam ipso suo usu durus efficitur per actionem saeculi, ad ea emolliri non valet, quae pertinent ad charitatem Dei. Sancta Ecclesia de membris suis infirmantibus dicit: Posuerunt me custodem in vineis, vineam meam non custodivi (Can. I). Vinea quippe nostra, actiones sunt, quas usu quotidiani laboris excolimus. Sed custodes in vineis positi, nostram vineam minime custodimus: quia cum extraneis actionibus implicamur, ministerium actionis nostrae negligimus. Dixit abbas Sysois: Esto contemptibilis, ^(0622D) et voluntates tuas post tergum tuum projice. Esto liber et securus a saecularibus curis, et habebis requiem. Dixit senex: Vita monachi haec est: operatio, obedientia, meditatio, ut non judicet, non detrahat, non murmuret, neque curiose agat, neque audire aliena delectet. Scriptum est enim: Qui diligitis Dominum, odite malum (Psal. XCVI).

  (0622D) CAPUT XXVII. De abstinentia.

69 CHAPTER 27 On Abstinence T his is the perfect and reasonable fast:when our outer person fasts, the inner person prays. Prayer penetrates heaven more easily through fasting. For then being made spiritual, one is joined to the angels and is more freely united to God. Through fasting even the hidden dimensions of the heavenly mysteries are revealed , and the secrets of the divine sacrament are opened wide. In this way, Daniel, through the revealing angel, deserved to come to know deep mysteries (see Dan 10:3ff. ). For this virtue shows the manifestations of the angels and their pronouncements. Fasts are strong weapons against the temptations of the demons, who are quickly overcome through abstinence. Hence also our Lord and Savior forewarns us to overcome their incursions by fasts and prayers when he says, This kind of demon is only cast out through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29). The unclean spirits make their way in especially where they see more of food and drink. As long as the saints dwell in the life of this world, they bear a body parched from their desire for heavenly dew. So we read in the psalm: My soul has thirsted for you; in how many ways my flesh thirsts for you (Ps 62(63):2). The flesh thirsts for God when it abstains and grows dry through fasting. Abstinence both quickens and kills: it quickens the soul, but it slays the body. Fasts are acceptable to God with good works. But those who abstain from food and yet act crookedly imitate the demons, who do not have food and yet are never lacking in wantonness. That person rightly abstains from food who fasts from acts of malice and worldly ambitions. . . . A fast that is refreshed in the evening with a great 70 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel intake of food is not thought much of. That is not to be regarded as abstinence, when delicious fullness of belly follows. A fast that is compensated for with pleasure in the evening is scorned. 1 When we tame our bodies through abstinence, what else are we showing the almighty Lord than fleshly sacrifices? As Paul says, (I appeal to you) to present your bodies as a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1). 2 The distinguished psalmist David, to show that there is no abstinence without concord, says, Praise him with tambourine and chorus (Ps 150:4). In the tambourine a dry skin resounds, while in a chorus voices sing in concord. What else is designated by the tambourine than abstinence , and what by the chorus than the concord of charity? One who abstains in such a way as to abandon concord, praises indeed with the tambourine, but does not praise in chorus. 3 A certain old man said, “I cut off from myself fleshly delights so that I may cut away even the occasions of wrath. For I know that it always fights against me on the side of pleasures, disturbs my mind and drives out my understanding. ”4 Abba John the Dwarf said, “If some king wishes to take possession of the city of his enemies, he first takes possession of their water and food, and thus his enemies being in danger from hunger and thirst submit to him. If a person lives in fasting and hunger, his enemies who vex his heart are first weakened. ” 5 1 Isidore, Sent 2. 44. 1–4, 8, 10–11a; CCSL 111:189–92; PL 83:651A–52B. The last few sentences are quoted or alluded to in Smaragdus’s Commentary, 4:12 and 4:36; CS 212:175–77, 205–6. 2 Taio, Sent 3. 10; PL 80:862C, quoting Paterius, Expositio 5. 9; PL 79:778BC. 3 Taio, Sent 3. 10; PL 80:862CD, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 8, 8; CCSL 142:106; PL 76:858A; see Past 3. 22; PL 77:89C. 4 PL 73:866B (14, where Evagrius introduces the saying). 5 PL 73:867A (19);see also 772:A (66), where the saying, with minor variations, is attributed to Abba Moses; PG 65:(205) 206A (3); Sayings, 73–74 (86)3. . . .

Hoc est perfectum et rationabile jejunium, quando noster homo exterior jejunat, interior orat. Facilius per jejunium oratio penetrat coelum. Tunc enim homo spiritalis effectus, angelis conjungitur, Deoque liberius copulatur. Per jejunium etiam occulta mysteriorum ^(0623A) coelestium revelantur, divinique sacramenti arcana panduntur. Sic namque Daniel, angelo revelante, mysteriorum sacramenta cognoscere meruit. Haec enim virtus et angelorum manifestationes et eorum annuntiationes ostendit. Jejunia, fortia tela sunt adversus tentamenta daemoniorum. Cito enim per abstinentiam devincuntur. Unde etiam Dominus Salvator noster, eorum incursus jejuniis et orationibus praemonet superare dicens: Hoc genus daemoniorum non ejicitur, nisi per orationem et jejunium (Marc. VI). Immundi enim spiritus illuc sese magis injiciunt, ubi plus vident escae et potus. Sancti quandiu in hujus saeculi vita inhabitant, desiderio superni roris corpus suum aridum portant. Unde et in Psalmo: Sitivit in te anima mea, quam multipliciter tibi caro ^(0623B) mea (Psal. LXII). Caro enim tunc Deum sitit, quando per jejunium abstinet et arescit. Abstinentia et vivificat et occidit: vivificat animam, corpus necat. Jejunia cum bonis operibus Deo acceptabilia sunt. Qui autem a cibis abstinent et prave agunt, daemones imitantur, quibus esca non est, et nequitia semper est. Ille autem bene abstinet a cibis qui a malitiae actibus, et a mundi jejunat ambitionibus. Spernitur jejunium quod in vespero repletione ciborum reficitur. Neque enim reputanda est abstinentia, ubi fuerit ventris saturitas subsecuta. Spernitur jejunium quod in vespero deliciis compensatur. Cum nostra corpora per abstinentiam domamus, quid aliud quam carnalia sacrificia omnipotenti Domino exhibemus? Sicut per Paulum dicitur: Ut exhibeatis corpora ^(0623C) vestra hostiam viventem (Rom. XII). Egregius psalmista David nullam esse abstinentiam sine concordia designans, ait: Laudate eum in tympano et choro (Psal. CL). In tympano etenim corium siccum resonat, in choro autem voces concorditer cantant. Quid enim per tympanum, nisi abstinentia, et quid per chorum, nisi charitatis concordia designatur? (Greg., Past. Curae p. III, adm. 23.) Qui itaque sic abstinentiam tenet, ut concordiam deserat, laudat quidem in tympano, sed non laudat in choro. Dixit quidam senex: Propterea amputo a me delectationes carnales, ut etiam iracundiae occasiones abscindam. Scio enim eam semper adversus me pugnare pro delectationibus, et conturbare mentem meam, et intellectum meum expellere. Dixit abbas Joannes ^(0623D) pusillae staturae. Quia si voluerit rex aliquis civitatem inimicorum tenere, prius aquam tenet et escas eorum, et sic inimici siti et fame periclitantes, subjiciuntur ei. Si in jejunio et fame conversetur homo, inimici ejus qui sollicitant animum, prius infirmantur.

  (0623D) CAPUT XXVIII. De continentia.

71 CHAPTER 28 On Continence C ontinence is given by God (seeWis 8:21), but ask and you will receive (see Matt 7:7; Mark 11:24; Luke 11:9-10). It is granted when one beats in God’s direction with inner groaning. Virginity is a twofold benefit, because in this world it lets go of worldly solicitude, and in the world to come it receives the eternal prize of chastity. Isaiah testifies that virgins are happier in eternal life when he says, The Lord says this to eunuchs, I will give them, in my house and within my walls, a place and a name better than sons and daughter; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not perish (Isa 56:4-5). There is no doubt that those who persevere in chastity and virginity become equal to God’s angels. We must love the beauty of chastity; the delight of it, once tasted, is found sweeter than the delight of the flesh. For chastity is the fruit of sweetness, the inviolate beauty of the saints. Chastity is security of mind and health of body. For incorruption of body is of no benefit where there is not integrity of mind, and to be clean of body is of no avail to one who is defiled in mind. 1 An old man said that peace of mind and reserve of speech and secret meditation bring forth chastity. 2 The glory of a monk consists in abstinence from food and from much speaking. 3 1 Isidore, Sent 2. 40. 1, 3–5a, 8; CCSL 111:176–78; PL 83:643B–44B. 2 PL 73:880A (25). 3 PG 34:443A and PL 103:452B;from Pseudo-Macarius, Ep ad mon;see Clavis 313, 1843. 72 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Abba Poemen said, “As a prince’s official stands by him ever ready, so must the soul be ever ready against the spirit of fornication. ”4 AbbaAnthony used to say, “It is well to know that there are three bodily movements:one is natural, the second comes from being full of food, while the third is from the attack of the demons. But against all of these it is good to observe what is written:Keep your heart with all care” (Prov 4:23). 5 4 PL 73:876A (8); see also 769C (59); PG 65:(325) 326B; Sayings, 142 (169), 14. 5 PL 873D–874A (1c and 2b); see also PG 65:83 (84)AB (22); Sayings, 5 (6), 22, abbreviated. . . .

A Deo datur continentia, sed petite et accipietis (Sap. VIII, Matth. VII, Luc. XI). Tunc autem tribuitur, quando ad Deum gemitu interno pulsatur. Geminum est bonum virginitas, quia et in hoc mundo sollicitudinem saeculi amittit, et in futuro aeternum castitatis praemium percipit. Virgines feliciores esse in vita aeterna Isaias testatur, qui ait: Haec dicit Dominus ^(0624A) eunuchis: Dabo eis in domo mea et in muris meis locum, et nomen melius a filiis et filiabus, nomen sempiternum dabo eis, quod non peribit (Isa. LVI). Nec dubium quod qui casti perseverant et virgines, angelis Dei efficiantur aequales. Amanda est pulchritudo castitatis, cujus degustata delectatio, dulcior invenitur quam carnis. Castitas enim fructus suavitatis est, pulchritudo inviolata sanctorum. Castitas securitas est mentis, et sanitas corporis. Nihil prodest incorruptio carnis, ubi non est integritas mentis, nihilque valet mundum esse corpore ei qui pollutus est mente. Dixit senex, quia securitas et taciturnitas et occulta meditatio, pariunt castitatem; gloriatio monachi, abstinentia escarum et a multiloquio linguae. Dixit abbas Poemen: Sicut spatarius principis ^(0624B) assistit ei continuo semper paratus, ita oportet animam semper esse paratam adversus spiritum fornicationis. Dicebat abbas Antonius: Scire convenit quod sunt tres corporales motus: unus quidem naturalis, alter autem ex plenitudine ciborum, tertius vero ex daemoniorum impugnatione. Sed contra hos omnes bonum est custodire quod scriptum est: Omni custodia serva cor tuum (Prov. IV).

  (0624B) CAPUT XXIX. De tolerantia divinae correptionis.

73 CHAPTER 29 On Bearing Divine Correction S inners must not murmur at the scourges of God, because they are brought to amendment especially through being corrected. Now all people bear their suffering more easily if they dispel the evils for which a just retribution is inflicted on them. Those who suffer evils should learn not to murmur, even if they do not know why they suffer them;and they should think that they are suffering justly because they are being judged by one whose judgments are never unjust. Those who endure scourges and murmur against God find fault with the justice of the one who judges. Those who acknowledge that it is from the just judge that they suffer what they endure, even if they do not know for what precisely they are suffering, are already justified by the fact that they accuse themselves and praise God’s justice. By a divine judgment and for their great profit the minds of the just are troubled by various temptations caused by the passions. If they thank God for this, and accept that they deserve it for their fault, what they put up with from passion will be imputed to them as virtue, because they both recognize divine justice and understand their own fault. 1 The minds of the just not only weigh what they bear, but already fear what remains. They see the kind of things they suffer in this life, and fear lest they suffer weightier things hereafter. They mourn because they have fallen from the joy of paradise into the exile of this blindness; they fear lest, when exile is left behind, eternal death 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 4. 1–2, 5; CCSL 111:202–3; PL 83:659BC–60AB. 74 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel may follow. Therefore they already bear the sentence in punishment, but still dread the threats of the eternal judge for their fault. (Rightly then) does the psalmist say, Your anger has swept over me; your terrors have overwhelmed me (Ps 87(88):16). After the anger of the interior judge passes, terrors also disturb us, because we already suffer one thing from condemnation and we still dread something else from eternal vengeance. 2 The glory of a monk is patience in his trials . . . and longsuffering with charity. 3 The more holy persons despise themselves and abase themselves outwardly, the more they feed inwardly on the contemplation of revelations. For those whom the valley of humility keeps outwardly in lamentation, the ascent of contemplation raises up inwardly. 4 2 Gregory, Mor 7. 6; CCSL 143:338; PL 75:769D–70A. 3 Pseudo-Macarius, Ep ad mon; PL 103:452AB; see Clavis 313, 1843. 4 Gregory, Mor 30. 19; CCSL 143B:1534; PL 76:559B. See chapter 20. . . .

(Isid., lib. III Sent., cap. 4.) Murmurare in flagellis Dei peccator homo non debet, quia maxime per hoc quod corripitur, emendatur. Unusquisque autem tunc levius portat quod patitur, si sua discusserit mala, pro quibus illi infertur retributio justa. ^(0624C) Discat non murmurare qui mala patitur, etiamsi ignorat cur mala patitur; et per hoc juste se pati arbitretur, pro eo quod ab illo judicatur cujus nunquam injusta judicia sunt. Qui flagella sustinet, et contra Deum murmurat, justitiam judicantis accusat. Qui vero se cognoscit a justo judice pati quod sustinet, etiamsi pro quo patitur ignorat, per hoc jam justificatur quod et seipsum accusat et Dei justitiam laudat. (Greg. in c. IV Job, lib. V, c. 26; Isid., lib. III Sent., cap. 4; Gregor., lib. VII, c 3 Moral.) Ad magnam utilitatem divino judicio mens justi diversis passionum tentationibus agitatur, pro quibus si Deo gratias egerit, suaeque culpae quod talibus dignus sit, imputaverit, hoc quod ex passione tolerat ei pro virtutibus reputabitur, quia et divinam ^(0624D) agnoscit justitiam, et suam culpam intelligit. Justorum mens non solum perpendit quod tolerat, sed jam pavet quod restat. Videt qualia in hac vita patitur, metuit ne post haec graviora patiatur. Luget quia in hujus caecitatis exsilium a paradisi gaudio cecidit: timet ne et cum exsilium relinquitur, mors aeterna subsequatur. Jam ergo sententiam tolerat in poena, sed minas adhuc aeterni judicis formidat ex culpa. Recte ergo per Psalmistam dicitur: In me transierunt irae tuae, et terrores tui conturbaverunt me (Psal. LXXXVII). Interni quippe judicis postquam irae pertranseunt, etiam terrores conturbant, quia jam aliud de damnatione patimur, et adhuc aliud de aeterna ultione formidamus. (Huc usque Greg.) Gloriatio ^(0625A) autem monachi patientia in tribulationibus ejus, et longanimitas cum charitate. Sancti viri quanto magis se exterius despiciendo dejiciunt, tanto amplius interius revelationum contemplatione pascuntur. Quos enim exterius in fletu continet convallis humilitatis, eos interius sublevat ascensus contemplationis.

  (0625A) CAPUT XXX. De flagellis Dei.

75 CHAPTER 30 On the Scourges of God T here is order in God’s compassion; here it first cleanses one of sin through scourges, and afterwards frees from eternal punishment. The elect of God are worn away by the sorrows of this life, so that becoming more perfect they may gain the rewards of the future life. God in no way spares the delinquent; he either smites sinners with a temporal scourge for their purging, or leaves them to be punished with an eternal judgment, or else they repent and punish in themselves their wrongdoing. And so it is that God does not spare the delinquent. Through temporal scourges the just advance to eternal joys. And so the just must rejoice in punishments, and the impious be afraid in prosperity. God does not withdraw mercy and justice from the just or the reprobate. Here he judges the good through affliction, and there he rewards them through compassion ;here he rewards the evil through clemency in time, while there he punishes them through eternal justice. For in this life God spares the impious, and does not spare the elect; in that life he will spare the elect, but will not spare the wicked. Because they are loved by God, people are all the more taken to task with the scourge should they sin, for Amos the prophet says, You only have I known of all the nations of the earth;therefore I will visit all your iniquities upon you (Amos 3:2). For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and chastises every child whom he receives (Heb 12:6). It is very necessary for the just to be tempted in this life by the vices, and to be beaten with the scourge, in order not to become proud of their virtues while being pounded by the vices. While they are being worn away by sorrow whether of heart or body, they are 76 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel being drawn away from love of the world. . . . God deals more harshly with his chosen in this life, so that while fiercer blows of the scourge are lashing them, they may not find delight in any diversion of the present life, but unceasingly desire the heavenly homeland where a sure rest is in store for them. 1 The sick must be admonished to think themselves God’s children , since the scourges of discipline chastise them. If he were not planning to give the inheritance to the children he has corrected, he would not bother to instruct them through annoyances. . . . The stones (of the Lord’s sanctuary) have been struck repeatedly on the outside, so that in the actual construction of the temple they may be put in place without the sound of the hammer (see 1 Kgs 6:7); that is, we are now struck repeatedly with scourges on the outside, so that afterwards inside we may be put in our place in God’s temple without discipline and striking, inasmuch as the striking may now cut away whatever in us is excessive, and then only the harmony of charity may bind us in the building. . . . The sick are to be warned to preserve the virtue of patience, and thus never cease to consider how many evils our Redeemer bore from those he had created. . . . Why is it thought harsh for people to endure scourges from God for their evil deeds, if God endured such great evils from them in return for good things? Or who in their right mind would be ungrateful for being struck, if he who came here without sin did not depart from here without being scourged?2 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 1. 2–6, 10–11a, 12; CCSL 111:194–96; PL 83:653BC–54BC. 2 Taio, Sent 3. 53: PL 80:909A, B, D–10A, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 12; PL 77:67D. 68AB. 69C, D. . . .

(Isid., lib. III Sent., cap. 1.) Ordinata est miseratio Dei, quae prius hic hominem per flagella a peccatis emundat, et postea ab aeterno supplicio liberat. Electus enim Dei doloribus vitae hujus atteritur, ut perfectior vitae futurae praemia lucretur. Nequaquam Deus delinquenti parcit: quoniam peccatorem ^(0625B) aut flagello temporali ad purgationem ferit, aut judicio aeterno puniendum relinquit, aut ipse in se homo poenitendo punit quod male admisit; ac proinde est quod Deus delinquenti non parcit. Justi per temporalia flagella ad aeterna proficiunt gaudia. Ideoque et justus in poenis gaudere, et impius in prosperitatibus timere debet. Neque justo neque reprobo Deus misericordiam et justitiam abstrahit. Nam et bonos hic per afflictionem judicat, et illic remunerat per miserationem; et malos hic remunerat per temporalem clementiam, et illic punit per aeternam justitiam. In hac enim vita Deus parcit impiis, et tamen non parcit electis; in illa parcet electis, non tamen parcet iniquis. Plus corripitur flagello, quia a Deo diligitur, si peccaverit, dicente Amos propheta: ^(0625C) Tantummodo vos cognovi ex omnibus nationibus terrae, idcirco visitabo super vos omnes iniquitates vestras (Amos III). Nam quem diligit Dominus corripit, flagellat autem omnem filium quem recipit (Heb. XII). (Isid. ibid.) Valde necessarium est justum in hac vita et vitiis tentari, et verberari flagello, ut dum vitiis pulsatur, de virtutibus non superbiat: dum vero aut animi aut carnis dolore atteritur, a mundi amore retrahitur. (Isidor., loco citato.) Durius circa suos electos in hac vita Deus agit, ut dum fortioribus flagelli stimulis feriuntur, nullo oblectamento praesentis vitae delectentur, sed coelestem patriam, ubi certa requies exspectatur, indesinenter desiderent. Admovendi sunt aegri, ut eo se Dei filios sentiant, quo illos disciplinae flagella castigant. Nisi enim correptis ^(0625D) filiis haereditatem dare disponeret, erudire eos per molestias non curaret. Lapides sanctuarii Domini extra tunsi sunt, ut in constructione templi absque mallei sonitu ponerentur (III Reg. VI): quia videlicet nunc foris per flagella tundimur, ut intus templo Dei postmodum sine disciplina et percussione disponamur, quatenus quidquid in nobis est superfluum, modo percussio resecet, et tunc sola nos in aedificio concordia charitatis liget. Admonendi sunt aegri quatenus patientiae virtutem servent, ut incessanter quanta Redemptor noster ab iis quos creaverat pertulit mala considerent. Cur itaque asperum creditur, ut a Deo homo toleret flagella pro malis, si tanta Deus ab hominibus pertulit mala pro bonis, ^(0626A) Aut quis sanae intelligentiae de percussione sua ingratus existat, si ipse hinc sine flagello non exiit, qui huc sine peccato venit.

  (0626A) CAPUT XXXI. De infirmitate carnis.

77 CHAPTER 31 On the Weakness of the Flesh W hen God sees certain people refusing to be corrected of their own accord, he touches them with the stings of adversities , and when he foresees that certain ones can sin greatly against their salvation, he scourges them with weakness of body lest they sin. So it is more useful for them to be broken by bouts of feebleness than to remain in good health unto their condemnation. It is just as well for stronger and healthy persons to be sick and not sin, lest through the vigor of their health they be soiled by unlawful desires of lust and unchastity. It is a pernicious kind of health that leads one to disobedience, and it is a healthy sickness that through divine correction breaks the mind away from its hardness. 1 Saint Syncletica said that the devil . . . by searching out certain weaknesses uses them against one whom he intends to tempt, so that making monks pusillanimous by their means he may disturb the charity they had towards God. But although the body is cut to pieces and set on fire with strong fevers, furthermore, even if the affliction is unbearable, if you who bear these things are indeed a sinner, call to mind the pains, the eternal fire, and the torments of judgment in the future age, and thus you will not grow faint because of what happens in the present;moreover, you will even rejoice that God has visited you, and will have that very famous saying on your tongue: The Lord did indeed chastise me, but he did not hand me over to death (Ps 117(118):18). If you are iron, hope in the fire employed on 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 3. 2, 5, 7; CCSL 111:201–2; PL 83:658B–59AB. 78 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel you . . . because if you are just and you suffer these things, you will advance from great things to greater. You are gold, but you will be more refined through fire. . . . If you are chastised with fevers or the rigors of cold, be mindful of what scripture says, We went through fire and through water; and he2 brought us to refreshment (Ps 65(66):12). If weakness is irksome to us, let us not grow sad, as though we cannot stand to pray or sing psalms aloud from bodily weakness or wound. All these things will be useful for us for destroying the desires of the body, because it is to counteract base pleasures that fasts and labors are appointed for us. So if sickness restrains these excesses, there is reason to observe these things. The body’s deadly vices are cut away by sickness as by a large dose of strong medicine, and this is great virtue when weaknesses are patiently borne with and thanksgiving is offered to God. If we lose our eyes, let us not bear it reluctantly. We have lost a means of self-exaltation, and with interior eyes we gaze on the glory of the Lord. Have we become deaf? Let us not be concerned, because what we have lost is the ability to hear vain things. Our hands have been rendered weak by some suffering, but we have our interior hands ready against the enemy’s temptations. Weakness grips our whole body, but health grows for our inner person. 3 2 TheVulgate and Hebrew texts and translations have the verb in the second person: and you brought us to refreshment. Smaragdus may have had a memory lapse while quoting this verse from Psalm 65(66). 3 PL 73:895CD–96A–C (16 with omissions and 17);see also 792D–93A (157) and 1044D–45A (1); PG 65:423 (424)A–D (7 & 8); Sayings, 194 (231–32), 7 and 194–95 (232), 8. Of the four Latin collections only Pe follows the Greek in attributing this saying to Syncletica. See also chapter 70, note 5. . . .

(Isid., lib. III Sent., cap. 3.) Quosdam videns Deus nolle proprio voto corrigi, adversitatum tangit stimulis; quosdam etiam praesciens multum peccare posse in salutem, flagellat eos corporis infirmitate, ne peccent, ut eis utilius sit frangi languoribus ad salutem, quam manere incolumes ad damnationem. Qui valentiores sunt et sani, utile est illis infirmari et non peccare, ne per vigorem salutis illicitis sordidentur cupiditatum et luxuriae desideriis. Est perniciosa sanitas quae ad inobedientiam hominem ducit, ^(0626B) est et salubris infirmitas, quae per divinam correptionem mentem a duritia frangit. Dixit sancta Syncletica, quia diabolus infirmitates quasdam expetendo adversus eum qui tentandus est adhibet, ut per eas pusillanimes faciens monachos, conturbet charitatem eorum, quam habebant ad Deum. Sed quamvis concidatur corpus, et febribus validis inflammetur, insuper etiamsi intolerabilis sit afflictio, si quidem peccator es qui haec sustines, recordare futuri saeculi poenas, aeternum ignem et judicialia tormenta, et ita non deficies ab eis quae in praesenti contingunt: insuper et gaudebis quia visitavit te Deus, et illud famosissimum dictum in lingua habeto, id est, Castigans castigavit me Dominus, et morti non tradidit me (Psal. CXVII). Si ferrum es, spera adhibitum ^(0626C) tibi ignem, quia si justus es, et haec pateris, de magnis ad majora promoveris. Aurum es, sed per ignem probatior eris. Si febribus, si rigore frigoris castigaris, memor esto quod Scriptura dicit: Transivimus per ignem et aquam, et duait nos in refrigerium (Psal. LXV). Si infirmitas molesta nobis fuerit, non contristemur, tanquam qui pro infirmitate et vulnere corporis non possumus stare ad orandum aut psallendum ad vocem. Haec autem omnia nobis proficient ad destruenda corporis desideria, quoniam jejunia et labores propter turpes delectationes nobis constituta sunt. Si igitur aegritudo ista retundit superflua, de his observandis ratio est. Sicut enim magno et forti medicamine exitialia ab aegritudine corporis vitia reciduntur, et haec est magna virtus, ^(0626D) quando infirmitatibus tolerantia adhibita, et gratiarum actio Deo fuerit missa. Si amittimus oculos, non feramus graviter. Extollentiae enim instrumentum amisimus et interioribus oculis gloriam Domini speculamur. Surdi facti sumus, non curemus, quia auditum vanum amisimus. Manus nostrae ex aliqua passione debilitatae sunt, sed interiores paratas habemus adversus inimici tentationes. Infirmitas totum corpus nostrum tenet, sed interiori homini nostro sanitas crescit.

  (0626D) CAPUT XXXII. De tribulatione justorum.

79 CHAPTER 32 On the T ribulations of the Just T he upright should recognize that they are being tested, not cast down, by adversity. Holy persons are more in dread of the world’s favors than of adversities, because the world’s favors cast down God’s servants, while adversities instruct them. That is why the constancy of holy persons should bear adversities in such a way that it cannot be broken. The eyes of God are especially upon the just when heavenly providence allows them to be afflicted by the wicked. For when they are tested by present tribulation, eternal joys are being prepared for them. All this life’s tribulations are compared with waters that pass by. The reason is that if some tribulation happens in this life, it does not last but quickly passes. Those who think diligently of the rewards of the future life bear with equanimity all the evils of the present life, because they temper the bitterness of this life with the sweetness of that life, and on account of the eternity of that life they despise the passing brevity of this. And because those who are burdened with bodily pain do not long for the evils of disordered desire and impurity and the rest of the vices, the temptation of the world is of more benefit to salvation than its prosperity. From prosperity one goes to the worse, and from the pain of temptation one advances to the better. Everyone must prepare the mind for temptation (see Sir 2:1). Temptation weighs less heavily when it is expected, but it presses harshly if it comes unexpectedly. It is for the wise to take thought beforehand against all adversities;and nothing should happen that their deliberations do not anticipate. 1 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 58. 1–5, 6b–9; CCSL 111:316–17; PL 83:730B–D. 80 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel The reason that the upright are allowed to be afflicted by the unjust is that when they hear of the future good things they long for, they may suffer even present evils that cause them to shudder, and torment may impel them to an easier departure when love summons them. 2 The psalmist David says, You are my refuge from the pressure that surrounds me, my exultation; redeem me from those who surround me (Ps 31(32):7). See how he mentions pressure as though in the night, and yet in the midst of the distress he calls his deliverer his exultation. Outside it was indeed night when pressure surrounded him, but within, songs resounded when he was consoled with joy. 3 When all the chosen tell how they are surrounded by pressures, and yet call God their exultation, no doubt they as it were sing a song in the night so that they may happily come to the day of the next life. 4 A certain old man said, “If the temptation comes to someone (for tribulations are multiplied on every side) to become pusillanimous and murmur, 5 do not become pusillanimous and take it amiss if some weakness of the body overtakes you, because God himself is taking thought for you concerning everything. You do not live without him, do you?You must then bear patiently, and ask him to give you what is expedient, that is, that you may do his will;sit with patience, eating what you have in charity. ”6 2 Taio, Sent 3. 16;PL 80:870A, quoting Gregory, Mor 26. 13;CCSL 143B:1280– 81; PL 76:360BC. 3 Taio, Sent 3. 16;PL 80:870A, quoting Gregory, Mor 26. 16;CCSL 143B:1284; PL 76:362D–63A. 4 Taio, Sent 3. 16;PL 80:870B, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 9, 32;CCSL 142:141; PL 76:884D. The last clause is not in Gregory at that place. 5 PL 73:897A (22, the first sentence only). 6 PL 73:904C (45). See Wisdom, 27, 81. . . .

(Isid., lib. III Sent., c. 58.) Justus in adversis probari se recognoscat, non dejici. Viri sancti plus ^(0627A) formidant prospera mundi quam adversa, quia Dei servos prospera mundi dejiciunt, adversa vero crudiunt. Ideoque sancti viri constantia ita portare debet adversa, ut frangi non queat. Tunc magis sunt Dei oculi super justos, quando eos affligi ab iniquis providentia superna permittit. Nam tunc eis gaudia disponuntur aeterna, quando praesenti tribulatione probantur. Omnes vitae hujus tribulationes aquis comparantur praetereuntibus. Propterea quia si quid in hac vita tribulationis acciderit, non stat sed celeriter transit. Qui vitae futurae praemia diligenter excogitat, mala omnia vitae praesentis aequanimiter portat: quoniam ex illius dulcedine hujus amaritudinem temperat, et ex aeternitate illius brevitatem hujus despicit transitoriam. Quia vero qui in dolore ^(0627B) gravantur carnis, cupiditatis et luxuriae et vitiorum caeterorum mala non appetunt, plus prodest saluti tentatio saeculi quam prosperitas. Nam ex prosperitate in deterius itur, ex tentationis dolore in melius proficitur. Unusquisque ad tentationem animum praeparare debet. Minus enim dum speratur, tentatio gravat; dure autem premit, si non sperata advenerit. Sapientis est contra omnia adversa ante meditari; nec evenire casus debet, quem non consilia ejus praeveniant. (Haec Isid. loc. citato.) Haec causa est quod ab injustis justi sinuntur affigi, ut scilicet dum futura audiunt bona quae cupiunt, patiantur etiam mala praesentia quae perhorrescunt; atque ad faciliorem exitum dum amor provocat, cruciatus impellat. David Psalmista ait: Tu es mihi ^(0627C) refugium a pressura quae circumdedit me, exsultatio mea, redime me a circumdantibus me (Psal. XXXI). Ecce quasi in nocte pressuram nominat, et tamen liberatorem suum inter angustias exsultationem vocat. Foris quidem nox erat in circumdatione pressurae, sed intus carmina resonabant de consolatione laetitiae. Electus quisque dum circumdari se pressuris narrat, et tamen Deum sibi exsultationem nominat, procul dubio quasi carmen in nocte cantat, ut ad subsequentis vitae diem felix perveniat. Dixit quidam senex: Si venerit homini tentatio (undique enim multiplicantur tribulationes) ut pusillanimis fiat et murmuret, tu tamen si te occupaverit infirmitas corporis, noli pusillanimis fieri, neque moleste suscipias, quia ipse Dominus pro te cogitat de omnibus. ^(0627D) Nunquid sine ipso vivis? Patienter ergo ferre debes, et rogare eum ut donet tibi quae expediunt, hoc est, ut quod voluntas ipsius est facias, et sede cum patientia manducans quod habes in charitate.

  (0627D) CAPUT XXXIII. De tentationibus.

(Isid., lib. III Sent., cap. 5.) Multis calamitatum tentationibus mens justi in hac vita pulsatur, unde et optat ab hoc saeculo funditus evelli, quo et aerumnis careat, et fixam illic securitatem inveniat. Non amplius tentat electos diabolus, quam Dei voluntas permittit. Tentando autem sanctorum profectibus servit. Etsi nolens, utilitati tamen sanctorum servit diabolus, quando eos tentationibus suis non decipit, ^(0628A) sed potius erudit. Sollicite hostis insidias intelligere pariter et cavere Dei servum oportet, sicque innocentia vitae existere simplicem, ut tamen oporteat cum simplicitate esse prudentem. Qui prudentiam simplicitati non miscet, juxta prophetam, Columba est seducta, non habens cor (Oseae VII). Sed ideo columba, quia simplex; ideo autem cor non habens, quia ignara prudentiae est. In oculis electorum terror ejus vilis est. Ab incredulis ut leo timetur; a fortibus in fide ut vermis contemnitur, atque ad momentum offensus repellitur. Diabolus enim serpens est lubricus, cujus si capiti, id est primae suggestioni, non resistitur, totus in interna cordis (dum non sentitur) illabitur. Tentationum diabolicarum initia fragilia sunt, quae si non caveantur, sed per usum in consuetudinem ^(0628B) transeant, in novissimis fortiter convalescunt, ita ut aut nunquam aut cum difficultate vincantur. Cum in tota vita diabolus praevaricari hominem cupiat, amplius tamen molitur in fine decipere. Hinc est quod in principio contra protoplastum serpenti est dictum (Gen. III): Et tu insidiaberis calcaneo ejus; quia nimirum hominem quem diabolus in cursu praeteritae vitae non decipit, in novissimis supplantare disponit. Proinde quamvis quisque sit justus, nunquam tamen tutum est ut sit in hac vita securus, sed semper humilis caveat, semperque ne in fine ruat sollicitus pertimescat. Diabolus sanctos homines non tenendo possidet, sed tentando persequitur. Nam quia non in eis intrinsecus regnat, contra eos extrinsecus pugnat; et qui interius amisit dominium, ^(0628C) exterius commovet bellum. Diabolus quando decipere quemquam quaerit, prius naturam uniuscujusque intendit, et inde se applicat, unde aptum hominem ad peccandum inspexerit. Ex ea parte homines diabolus tentat, qua eos per excrescentem humorem facile inclinari ad vitia conspicit, ut secundum humoris conspersionem adhibeat et tentationem. Lege Balaam, qui in figura diaboli contra populum Domini ex ea parte praecipit perniciosos praetendere laqueos, ex qua sensit eos facilius esse lapsuros (Num. XXIV). Nam et qui aquam alicubi deducit, non eam per aliam partem mittit, nisi ubi impetum ejus intendit. Aliud est intrare in mentem cujusquam diabolum, aliud vero inhabitare. Nam et in corda sanctorum ingreditur, dum malas suggestiones insinuat; sed non ^(0628D) habitat in eis, quia in suum corpus non eos traducit (Al., transducit). Qui vero in corpore ejus sunt ipsos inhabitat, quia ipsi sunt templum ejus. Etsi subrepat mentibus electorum diabolus, non autem in eis requiescit, sicut in cordibus reproborum, nam calore fidei mox excitatur, ut exeat ab electis. Nonnulli jam avido ore diabolus devoraverat, rursus divini judicii occulta miseratione ab ejus ore eripiuntur et saluti restituuntur. Nam saepe multos quos antiquus hostis luxuriae voragine mersos tenuit, potentia divina per poenitentiam ab ejus faucibus traxit. Multa justus adversa in anima patitur instigatione daemonum, sed talibus tentamentis perire vitae aeternae non potest, quia pius Dominus ad damnationem culpae ^(0629A) non reputat, quod de suae majestatis permissu nolens qui patitur portat. Nam ibi peccamus ubi per cupiditatem vel voluntatem deflectimus. Ubi vero violenter addicimur, etsi facinus aut flagitium non est, miseria tamen pro flagitio et facinere est. Sed qui Deum pro irrogata laudat miseria, commisso procul dubio caret facinore.

  (0629A) CAPUT XXXIV. De multimodis peccatis.

84 CHAPTER 34 On the Manifold Ways of Sinning T here are four ways in which sin is committed in the heart, and four ways in which it is acted out in deed. It is committed in the heart by the suggestion of demons, by the delight of the flesh, by the consent of the mind, and by the selfdefense of pride. It is committed in deed now secretly, now openly, now from habit, now from hopelessness. And so by these steps sin is committed in the heart and acted out in deed. Sin is committed in three ways: from ignorance, from weakness, and on purpose. 1 It is more serious to commit a fault from weakness than from ignorance, and more serious to sin on purpose than from weakness . For a person sins on purpose who does evil with enthusiasm and with deliberation of mind. But one sins from weakness who is caught by surprise or while in a hurry. They sin more badly and on purpose who not only do not live good lives themselves but divert from the truth (if they can) even those who do. . . . There are light sins which are purged by beginners with daily satisfaction, but which are avoided by the perfect as great crimes. Now what must people do about great crimes, when the perfect mourn even any light sins as most serious?2 1 Isidore, Sent 2. 17. 2, 3a;CCSL 111:130;see Gregory, Mor 4. 27 passim;CCSL 143:193–97; PL 75:661–64. Again the whole of this chapter comes from Isidore’s Sententiae; detailed references are given to the CCSL edition in this and the following footnotes, but see PL 83:619–25 passim. 2 Isidore, Sent 2. 17. 4; 18. 3; CCSL 111:131–33; PL 83:620B. 621A. On the ManifoldWays of Sinning 85 After having experience of lesser sins one must not proceed to greater ones, in case those who did not know how to correct themselves3 for small things are struck harder for great crimes. By a divine judgment those who disdain to curb their lesser misdeeds slip into more serious ones. Many fall from one crime into another; though they have knowledge of God they neglect to fear him, and him whom they know through intellectual knowledge they do not reverence through their action. And so by a divine judgment they are allowed to commit things deserving of punishment, and as punishment they add a worse sin to the sin they have committed. Often one sin is the cause of another sin;while it is being committed, another arises from it as though it were its offspring, as lust is usually born from the belly’s gluttony. As punishment for one sin another is committed when God abandons someone;in return for one sin a person falls into worse sin, so that the sinner becomes even filthier. Therefore the first sin is the cause of the second, and the second is the penalty for the first. So earlier sins are the cause of crimes that follow, and those that follow are the penalty of the earlier ones. The penalty itself for earlier sins is called hardening, and it comes from divine justice. Hence the prophet says, You have hardened our heart, so that we do not fear you (Isa 63:17). 4 It is one thing not to sin out of love for God’s love, another not to sin out of fear of punishment. Those who do not sin out of love for charity toward God are in horror of all evil, embracing the good of justice; sin does not delight such as these, even should they be promised impunity for the sin. But those who repress vices in themselves only from the pain of punishment, although they may not complete the work of sin have the wish to sin alive in them, and they grieve because they know that what the law prohibits is not allowed them. 3 Smaragdus’s text has qui . . . corrigi non noverunt; the CCSL reading is qui . . . corrigi noluerunt, “who refused to be corrected. ” 4 Isidore, Sent 2. 19. 1–5a;CCSL 111:133–34;PL 83:621B. 622A. The full Isaiah text is actually a question, “Why, O Lord, have you made us wander from your ways, (why) have you hardened (etc. ) . . . ?” 86 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Those who do justice out of love receive the reward of their good work, but not so those. . .

(Greg., lib. IV, c. 26, in cap. III Job.) Quatuor modis committitur peccatum in corde, quatuor perpetratur et opere. Admittitur in corde, suggestione daemonum, delectatione carnis, consensione mentis, defensione elationis. Committitur opere, nunc latenter, nunc palam, nunc consuetudine, nunc desperatione. ^(0629B) Istis ergo gradibus et corde delinquitur, et opere perpetratur. (Isid., lib. II Sent., cap. 17, 18, 19, 21, 25.) Tribus modis peccatum geritur, hoc est, ignorantia, infirmitate, industria. Gravius est infirmitate quam ignorantia delinquere: gravius industria quam infirmitate peccare. Industria namque peccat qui studio ac deliberatione mentis malum agit. Infirmitate autem, qui casu vel praecipitatione delinquit. Nequius autem et de industria peccant, qui non solum non bene vivunt, sed etiam et bene viventes (si possunt) a veritate divertunt. Sunt peccata levia quae ab incipientibus quotidiana satisfactione purgantur, quae tamen a perfectis viris velut magna crimina evitantur. Quid autem homines de magnis sceleribus agere debent, quando etiam perfecti levia quaeque delicta ^(0629C) quasi gravissima lugent? Experimento minorum peccatorum majora committi non debent peccata, ne durius feriantur pro magnis sceleribus, qui de parvis corrigi non noverunt. Judicio autem divino in reatum nequiorem labuntur, qui distringere minora sua facta contemnunt. Multi a crimine corruunt in crimen, qui Dei cognitionem habentes, timorem ejus negligunt, et quem noverunt per scientiam, per actionem non venerantur. Ideoque sinuntur divino judicio punienda committere, et in poenam commisso facinori facinus deterius addere. Saepe peccatum alterius peccati causa est, quod dum committitur, aliud ex ipso quasi sua soboles oritur: sicut nasci solet libido ex nimia ventris ingluvie. Poena vero peccati peccatum admittitur, quando pro merito ^(0629D) cujusque peccati Deo deserente in aliud peccatum deterius itur, de quo amplius qui admiserit sordidetur. Ergo praecedens peccatum causa est sequentis peccati, sequens vero peccatum poena est praecedentis delicti. Praecedentia itaque peccata sequentium sunt criminum causa, ut illa quae sequuntur sint praecedentium poena. Praecedentium peccatorum poena ipsa vocatur induratio, veniens de divina justitia. Hinc est quod ait propheta: Indurasti cor nostrum, ne timeremus te (Isa. LXIII). Aliud est non peccare amore dilectionis Dei, aliud timore supplicii. Qui enim amore charitatis Dei non peccat, horrescit omne malum, amplectendo justitiae bonum; nec cum delectat peccatum, etiamsi sceleris impunitas promittatur. ^(0630A) Qui vero sola poena supplicii in se vitia reprimit, quamvis non expleat opus peccati, vivit tamen in eo voluntas peccandi, doletque sibi illicitum, quod lex prohibere dignoscitur. Ille ergo mercedem boni operis percipit, qui amando justitiam facit, non is qui eam solo metu poenarum invitus custodit. Omne peccatum antequam admittatur, amplius pertimescitur. Quamvis autem grave sit, dum in usum venerit, leve existimatur, et sine ullo metu committitur. Istis fomitibus quasi quibusdam gradibus coalescit omne peccatum. Cogitatio namque prava delectationem parit, delectatio consensionem, consensio actionem, actio consuetudinem, consuetudo necessitatem. Sicque his vinculis homo implicatus quadam catena vitiorum tenetur astrictus, ita ut ab ^(0630B) ea evelli nequaquam valeat, nisi divina gratia manum jacentis apprehendat. Peccatum admittere, cadere est in puteum. Consuetudinem vero peccandi facere, os putei est coangustare, ne is qui ceciderit valeat exire. Sed interdum etiam tales Deus liberat, dum eorum desperationem ad conversionem libertatis commutat. Ipso enim miserante, peccata dimittuntur, quo protegente fit ne in deterius peccando eatur. Propterea metuendum est confidentibus ita posse salvari, ne forte dum exspectamus a vitiis sanari, et vitia multiplicemus, et salutem non adipiscamur. Ergo studeamus aut non cadere, aut cito conversi a lapsu consurgere. Mora peccandi immanitatem facit sceleris. Unde et propheta: Vae, inquit, qui trahitis iniquitatem in funiculis vanitatis, et quasi ^(0630C) vinculum plaustri peccatum (Isa. V). Trahit enim iniquitatem ut funiculum, qui tardat converti ad Deum. Trahere enim iniquitatem est moram facere iniquitati. Unde et Psalmista: Prolongaverunt iniquitates suas: Dominus justus concidit cervices peccatorum (Psal. CXXVIII).

  (0630C) CAPUT XXXV. Ut post ruinam quis surgere queat.

87 CHAPTER 35 That after Ruin One May Rise T hose who have experience of sins of the flesh should fear (to sin), at least after suffering shipwreck, and should dread the recognized perils of being lost. . . . (Those who have fallen must be told) to consider their past sins and avoid those that threaten, so that they should call to mind the faults they have committed and blush at the thought of being stained by future faults. Those who have experience of sins of the flesh are to be warned to consider with watchful care how after sins God opens wide the bosom of his tender love to us as we return to him, saying to us through the prophet, Your eyes shall see your Teacher and your ears shall hear the word of someone behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it” (Isa 30:20-21). (Almighty) God follows behind us, as it were, and warns us, because even after fault he persuades us to return to him. He calls back one who has turned away, he does not regard the sins committed, he opens wide the bosom of his tender love to the one who returns. So we hear the voice of one behind us warning us, if after sins we return (with humble and contrite heart). Therefore we must blush at the tender love of the one who calls if we do not wish to fear his justice, because there is so much greater depravity in despising him when he still does not disdain to call even when despised. 1 Through Micah the prophet the Lord says, And you shall come to Babylon. There you shall be set free (Mic 4:10). By Babylon we under1 Taio, Sent 4. 3; PL 80:914A. BC. 915AB, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 28; PL 77:104B—5D passim. 88 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel stand confusion. For often those who have fallen in the confusion of the vices and then, blushing for the evils they have perpetrated turn back to repentance, raise themselves from their falls by their good living. And what else have these done than come to Babylon and there been set free? Sometimes people, ashamed of the evils they have done, rise up against themselves and by doing good return to the state of rectitude. And so one who by divine grace is shown to be saved even from confusion is set free in Babylon. Therefore the prophet speaks to the (people of the) transmigration when he upbraids those who have fallen from a state of rectitude to the vices of error in the transmigration. 2 A brother asked an old man, “What happens if a monk falls into sin and is afflicted on its account because from being a proficient he has arrived at a worse state, and then labors until he rises again?”The old man said in answer, “A monk who rushes into temptation is like a house that has collapsed. If he is sober in his thinking he rebuilds it, finding materials at hand useful for the building: foundations laid, stones and sand and all else necessary for the work of building; and in this way its fabric quickly advances. The monk, if he falls into temptation and is converted to the Lord, is like this; he has a great deal at his disposal: meditation on the divine law, psalmody, manual work—these are the foundations of the spiritual edifice. ”3 2 Taio, Sent 4. 3; PL 80:915BC, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 10, 22; CCSL 142:155; PL 76:894D–95A. 3 PL 73:877CD–78A (18, slightly abbreviated); see Wisdom, 8–9, 36. . . .

(Greg., Past. Curae part. III, adm. 29.) Peccata carnis experti, saltem post naufragium peccare metuant, et perditionis suae discrimina vel cognita perhorrescant. Dicendum est lapsis ut praeterita peccata considerent, atque imminentia devitent, quatenus transactas culpas ad memoriam revocent, et pollui in futuris erubescant. Admonendi ^(0630D) sunt peccata carnis experti, ut vigilanti cura conspiciant post delicta nobis ad se redeuntibus Deus quomodo sinum suae pietatis expandat, dicens nobis per prophetam: Erunt oculi tui videntes praeceptorem tuum, et aures tuae audient verbum post tergum monentis. Haec est via, ambulate per eam, etc. (Isa. XXX). Omnipotens Deus quasi post tergum nos subsequens monet, quia etiam post culpam ad se redire persuadet. Aversum revocat, commissa non respicit, revertenti sinum pietatis expandit. Vocem ergo post tergum monentis audimus, si post peccata humili et contrito corde revertimur. Debemus igitur pietatem vocantis erubescere, si justitiam nolumus formidare, quia tanto graviori improbitate contemnitur, quanto ^(0631A) et contemptus adhuc vocare non dedignatur. (Greg., hom. 10, lib. I, super Ezechiel.) Per Michaeam prophetam Dominus dicit: Et venies usque ad Babylonem, ibi liberaberis (Mich. IV). Babylon quippe confusio interpretatur. Saepe enim qui postquam in confusione vitiorum ceciderit, erubescens mala quae perpetravit, ad poenitentiam redit, seque a suis lapsibus bene vivendo, erigit. Quid ergo iste, nisi usque ad Babylonem venit, et ibi liberatus est? Nonnunquam quisquam erubescens mala quae fecit, contra se erigit, et bene operando ad statum rectitudinis redit. In Babylone itaque liberatus est, qui per divinam gratiam ostenditur etiam de confusione salvatus. Propheta ergo ad transmigrationem loquitur, cum illos increpat, qui a statu rectitudinis ad erroris ^(0631B) vitia in transmigratione ceciderunt. Frater interrogavit senem dicens: Si incurrerit monachus in peccatum, et affligatur pro eo quia de profectu in deteriorem statum pervenerit, et laboret donec resurgat? Respondens autem senex dixit: Monachus in tentationem incurrens, sic est tanquam domus quae cecidit. Et si sobrius fuerit in cogitatione sua, reaedificat eam inveniens materias ad aedificium profuturas, habens posita fundamenta, et lapides et arenam, et caetera quae sunt aedificationi necessaria, et ita velociter ejus fabrica proficit. Ita est monachus, si in tentationem ceciderit, et conversus fuerit ad Dominum, habet plurimum apparatum, meditationem divinae legis, psalmodiam, opus manuum, quae sunt fundamenta aedificii spiritualis.

(0631C)  (0631) CAPUT XXXVI. De cogitatione.

89 CHAPTER 36 On Thought T here are two ways of sinning, namely, in deed and in thought; one is called iniquity, which is performed in deed, the other injustice, which is committed in thought. The doing must first be cut off, and afterwards the thinking; first the wrong works, afterwards the crooked desires. Works proceed from thought, and thought in turn is born from works. Even if people are free from evil works, they will not be free of blame for the malice of wrongful thinking on its own. And so the Lord says through Isaiah, Take away the evil of your thoughts from my eyes (Isa 1:16). For it is not only by our acts that we sin;we also sin by our thoughts if we unlawfully take delight in those that come to us. For just as a female viper is destroyed if torn by the offspring in her womb, so too if our thoughts are nourished within they kill us, and when conceived interiorly they consume us with the poison of vipers and destroy our soul with a cruel wound. Divine enlightenment comes to people, and they are immediately attacked and troubled by shameful thoughts. But God’s servants judge in the fear of God and reject the temptations, and by introducing good thoughts repel shameful ones. Great watchfulness is to be employed in guarding the heart, because both good and evil have their origin there. As it is written, out of the heart come evil intentions (Matt 15:19), and so if we first resist the wrongful thought, we do not incur a fall in what we do. 1 1 Isidore, Sent 2. 25. 1–4, 7–8; CCSL 111:142–44; PL 83:626BC. 627AB. 90 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Generally our good works let us know what purity of life we are fashioning in our thinking. Almost all good works proceed from our thought, but some flashes of thought also spring forth from our work. Just as our work issues from the mind, so again is the mind trained by our work. 2 It is very necessary for the mind’s eye to be called back immediately to works already done when thought strays beyond the usual. 3 (Sometimes sin is committed only in thought, ) and because the fault is not acted out, repentance falls short of causing torment. The thought of affliction quickly sets the mind straight, whereas just the thought of iniquity defiles it. 4 Often what has been wiped out by tears in the sight of the judge returns to the mind through thought, and the fault previously conquered tries to insinuate itself again and bring delight; it is renewed by the age-old struggle and its long knocking, so that what was formerly in the body afterwards lodges in the mind as an importunate thought. When nothing is done exteriorly, but sin is committed within only in thought, the mind binds itself by a strict guilt, unless it cleanses this with anxious laments. 5 Generally a crowd of earthly thoughts closes the ear of the heart with its din;within the secret place of the mind, the more the voice of the presiding judge goes unheard, the less the sound of confusing cares is curbed. 6 Sometimes in the very sacrifice of our prayer importunate thoughts press upon us, and these can snatch away or stain what in us we are immolating to God with tears. 7 All who long for unlaw2 Taio, Sent 4. 13; PL 80:926BC, quoting Gregory, Mor 10. 15; CCSL 143:556; PL 75:935D–36A. 3 Taio, Sent 4. 13; PL 80:926C, quoting Gregory, Past 2. 9; PL 77:22A. 4 Taio, Sent 4. 13; PL 80:926D, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 29; PL 77:109C. The bracketed clause is in Taio but not in Gregory in this passage. 5 Taio, Sent 4. 13;PL 80:927A, quoting Gregory, Mor 9. 55;CCSL 143:514;PL 75:904AB. 6 Taio, Sent 4. 13;PL 80:927AB, quoting Gregory, Mor 23. 20;CCSL 143B:1172; PL 76:273B. 7 Taio, Sent 4. 13; PL 80:927D, quoting Gregory, Mor 16. 42; CCSL 143A:829; PL 75:1146CD. OnThought 91 ful things or who wish to seem to be something in this world are hindered by the dense tumult of thoughts in their heart. 8 The sea signifies the human mind, and the mind’s thoughts are like the sea’s waves;at. . .

(Isid., l. II Sentent., c. 25.) Bipartita est causa peccandi, id est, opere et cogitatione, quorum unum iniquitas dicitur, quod opere geritur; aliud injustitia, quod cogitatione admittitur. Prius autem actio resecanda est, postea cogitatio; prius prava opera, postmodum desideria. Vicissim autem a cogitatione opera procedunt, et ab opere cogitatio nascitur. Quamvis et si ab opero malo quisque vacet, pro solius tamen pravae cogitationis malitia non erit innocens. Unde et Dominus per Isaiam: Auferte, inquit, malum cogitationum vestrarum ab oculis meis (Isai. II). Non enim solum factis, sed et cogitationibus delinquimus, si eis illicite occurrentibus delectemur. ^(0631D) Sicut vipera a filiis in utero positis lacerata perimitur, ita nos cogitationes nostrae intra nos enutritae occidunt, et conceptae interius vipereo veneno consumunt, animamque nostram crudeli vulnere perimunt. Dum unusquisque divina illuminatione pervenitur, statim molestiis turpium cogitationum pulsatur. Sed Dei servus judicio timoris Dei tentamenta a semetipso rejicit, bonisque introjectis cogitationibus turpes a se repellit. Magna observatio circa cordis est custodiam adhibenda, quia aut bonae aut malae rei ibi consistit origo. Nam, sicut scriptum est. ex corde exeunt cogitationes malae (Matth. XV), unde si prius pravae cogitationi resistimus, in lapsum operis non incurrimus. (Huc usque Isid.) Plerumque ^(0632A) ex bonis operibus discimus quantam vitae munditiam in cogitatione construamus. Pene cuncta bona opera ex cogitatione prodeunt, sed sunt nonnulla cogitationis acumina, quae ex operatione nascuntur. Nam sicut ab animo opus sumitur, ita rursus ab opere animus eruditur. Valde necesse est ut cum cogitatio extra usum ducitur, protinus mentis oculus ad opera transacta revocetur. In sola nonnunquam cogitatione delinquitur, et quia usque ad opus non pervenit culpa, neque ad cruciatum pervenit poenitentia. (Greg., Mor. lib. X, c. 39; lib. XVI, c. 20; lib. IV, c. 33; lib. II, c. V.) Sed cogitata afflictio mentem citius erigit, quia nimirum tantummodo cogitata iniquitas polluit. Saepe namque hoc quod a conspectu judicis jam fletu interveniente deletum est, ^(0632B) ad animum per cogitationem redit, et devicta culpa ad delectationem rursus inserpere nititur, atque in antiquo certamine diutina pulsatione reparatur, ita ut quod prius erat in corpore, hoc importuna cogitatione postmodum versetur in mente. Cum nihil foris opere agitur, sed sola intus cogitatione peccatur, districto se reatu mens obligat, nisi hoc sollicitis lamentis tergat. Plerumque aurem cordis terrenarum cogitationum turba dum perstrepit, claudit; atque intra secretarium mentis quanto minus curarum tumultuantium sonus compescitur, tanto amplius vox praesidentis judicis non auditur. Nonnunquam in ipso orationis nostrae sacrificio importunae se cogitationes ingerunt, quae hoc rapere vel maculare valeant quod in nobis Deo flentes immolamus. Omnes qui vel illicita ^(0632C) appetunt, vel in hoc mundo videri aliquid volunt, densis cogitationum tumultibus in corde comprimuntur. Mare significat mentem hominis, et quasi fluctus maris sunt cogitationes mentis, quae aliquando per iram tumescunt, per Dei gratiam tranquillae fiunt, per odium cum amaritudine defluunt. Mens quippe humana quot tentationes patitur, quasi tot flatibus movetur. Plerumque mentem hominis tumultus cogitationum deprimit, ira perturbat, et cum recedit ira, succedit inepta laetitia. Frater quidam interrogavit quosdam Patrum utrum polluitur homo quando res sordidas cogitat? Et alii dicebant: Etiam polluitur; non possumus salvari nos, qui idiotae sumus. Sed hoc pertinet ad salutem, si ea quae cogitamus corporaliter non fecerimus. Dixit quidam senex: Non ^(0632D) quia intrant cogitationes malae in nos, condemnamur ex eo: sed si male utimur cogitationibus et illis assensum praebemus. Fit enim ut et per cogitationes naufragium patiamur, et pro cogitationibus coronemur.

  (0632D) CAPUT XXXVII. De sermone.

92 CHAPTER 37 On Speech W hen we do not avoid small morally questionable words, we slide imperceptibly into great sins of the tongue. When we freely and without fear commit certain acts that are not serious, we slip into worse and dreadful crimes through the habit of sinning. Vain words must not be found in the mouth of Christians. Just as good conversations correct bad morals, so bad conversations corrupt good morals (1 Cor 15:33). A guard is placed over the mouth (see Ps 140(141):3) when people acknowledge that they are not just, but sinners (which is closer to the truth). They put their hand over their mouth (see Job 40:4) who cover the tongue’s excesses with good works. They put their hand over their mouth who cover the faults of evil speech with the veil of good behavior. There are four considerations to guide us in our need to foresee what, when, to whom, or how one should speak. . . . One who humbly announces what is right says something good and does it well. . . . One who does not feign charity speaks well from the heart. One who announces the truth speaks well with the mouth. One who edifies others with good examples speaks well with deeds. . . . The evil respond to good things with evil, and to favorable things with the opposite. The good respond to evil things with good, and to adverse things with the opposite. We must respond with the courage of patience when subjected to verbal insults, so that the urge to reply with a word that wounds is defeated by the strength of endurance and departs. 1 1 Isidore, Sent 2. 29. 1, 5–7, 14, 17a, 18, 22–23; CCSL 111:147–51; PL 83:629A–31B. On Speech 93 One of the fathers used to say that, sometimes when the seniors were sitting and talking about edifying things, there was among them one with insight who saw angels moving their hands and washing them. But when the talk had become worldly, the angels went away, and pigs full of foul odors wallowed in their midst and defiled them. But when they resumed speaking about edifying things, the angels came again and began washing them. 2 The old men once came to Abba Anthony, and Abba Joseph was also with them. Wishing to test them, Anthony began talking about the Sacred Scriptures. He began asking the younger ones what this or that word meant. And all of them spoke according to their ability. But he said, “You have not yet found it. ” But after all had spoken, he said to Abba Joseph, “What do you say about this word?”And he replied, “I do not know. ”Abba Anthony said, “Truly, only Abba Joseph has found the way; his answer was that he did not know. ”3 A certain brother asked an old man, “If one of the brothers reports to me conversations from outside, do you want me, Abba, to tell him not to do so?”And the old man answered him, “No. ”And the brother said, “Why?”The old man replied, “Because we ourselves could not observe it. ” And the brother said, “What then must be done?”And the old man answered, “If we choose to observe reserve in speech, that very way of acting will be enough for our neighbor. ”4 2 PL 73:993B (3); see Wisdom, 62, 228; see PL 73:762CD (36) for a much longer version. 3 PL 73:953C (4); PG 65:79 (80)D (17); Sayings, 3–4 (4), 17. 4 PL 73:964B (59); see also 1050D–51A (30, 2). . . .

(Isid., lib. II Sent., cap. 29.) Cum quaedam parva vitiorum verba non evitamus, magno linguae prolabimur crimine, et dum facta quaedam non gravia libere ac sine metu committimus, ad pejora scelera horrenda peccandi consuetudine labimur. Vani sermones in ore Christiani esse non debent. Nam sicut malos mores bona colloquia corrigunt, ita prava colloquia bonos mores corrumpunt (I Cor. XV). Custodia ori ^(0633A) ponitur (Psal. CXL), dum quisque non se justum, sed (quod magis verum est) peccatorem fatetur. Manum super os ponit (Job. XXXIX), qui bonis operibus linguae excessum operit. Manum super os ponit, qui malae locutionis culpas bonae actionis velamine tegit. Quadrimoda est dicendi ratio, qua praevidendum est, quid, quando, cui vel quomodo, aliquid proferatur. Bonum quippe bene loquitur, qui ea quae recta sunt humiliter annuntiat. Corde bene loquitur, qui charitatem non simulat. Ore bene loquitur, qui veritatem annuntiat. Factis bene loquitur, qui alios bonis exemplis aedificat. Mali mala respondent pro bonis, et adversa pro prosperis. Boni bona respondent pro malis, et prospera pro adversis. Adversus convicium linguae fortitudo adhibenda est patientiae, ^(0633B) ut tentatio verbi quae foris impugnat, tolerantiae virtute devicta discedat. Dicebat quidam Patrum quia dum sederent aliquando seniores, et loquerentur sermonem de aedificationibus, erat inter eos unus providus, et vidit angelos manus agitantes et lavantes eos. Ut autem locutio venisset saecularis, discedebant angeli, et volutabantur porci in medio eorum pleni fetoribus, et polluerunt eos. Cum autem rursus loquerentur de aedificatione, venientes iterum angeli lavabant eos. Venerunt ergo aliquando senes ad abbatem Antonium, et erat cum eis etiam abbas Joseph. Volens autem abbas Antonius probare eos, movit sermonem de Scripturis sanctis, et coepit interrogare a junioribus quid esset hoc aut illud verbum? Et singuli eorum dicebant, prout poterant. Ille ^(0633C) autem dicebat: Necdum invenistis. Post omnes vero dixit abbati Joseph: Tu quomodo dicis verbum hoc? Et ille respondit: Nescio. Et dixit abbas Antonius: Vere abbas Joseph solus invenit viam, qui nescire se respondit. Frater quidam interrogavit senem dicens: Si quis fratrum attulit ad me de foris sermones, vis, abba, dicam ei ut non eos afferat ad me? Et respondit ei senex: Noli. Et dicit frater: Quare? Respondit senex: Quia nec nos potuimus id custodire. Et dixit frater: Quid ergo debet fieri? Et respondit ei senex. Si volumus taciturnitatem servare, sufficit proximo modus ipse.

  (0633C) CAPUT XXXVIII. De taciturnitate.

94 CHAPTER 38 On Reserve in Speech T he tongue is to be discretely curbed, but not bound without possibility of being loosed. For it is written: The wise will be silent until the right moment (Sir 20:7). When they consider it opportune, they lay aside restrictive silence and make themselves useful by speaking appropriately. About restrictive silence and speech, it is said through Solomon: (There is) a time for keeping silence, and a time for speaking (Eccl 3:7). Discretion is needed in deciding when to change from one to the other, in case when the tongue should be restrained it pours out useless words, or when it can usefully speak it refrains out of laziness. When he considers how very useful is reserve in speech, the psalmist says, Post, O Lord, a guard over my mouth, and a sentry at the door of my lips (Ps 140(141):3). He does not ask for a wall to be set on his mouth, but a door that, of course, can be opened and closed. We must, then, speak carefully, so that speech opens the mouth discreetly and at the fitting time, and reserve of speech closes it when that is fitting. 1 All are to be warned that if they love their neighbors as themselves , they are not to keep silence with them about something on which they rightly censure them. The medicine of the word contributes to the salvation of both when wrongful behavior is restrained by the one who administers the medicine, and the one who takes it has the heat caused by the pain reduced as the wound is lanced. 1 Taio, Sent 3. 43;PL 80:899AB, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 14;PL 77:72CD–73A; dispersed in Mor 7. 37; CCSL 143:380; PL 75:801BC–2AB. On Reserve in Speech 95 It is as if people who look upon their neighbors’ evils and yet keep silence withdraw the use of medicine from wounds they can see; they thus become the cause of death, because they refused to attend to the virus when they could have done so. 2 A certain brother asked a very young monk, “Is it better to speak or to be silent?”The boy said to him, “If the words are idle, let them be; if they are good words, do not spin them out unduly, but come quickly to the point of what you are saying, and then keep quiet. ”3 A certain old man said, “Pay attention to reserve of speech, and do not think about anything;attend to your thinking, whether resting in bed or rising with the fear of God. If you do this, you will not fear the assaults of the evil ones. ”4 Abba Poemen said, “Abba Moses asked Brother Zachary when he was dying:‘What do you see?’And he said to him, ‘There is nothing better than keeping silence, Father. ’ He said to him, ‘It is true, my son; keep silence. ’”5 A certain person said to Abba Ammon, “If there is need to speak with a neighbor, do you think I should speak with him about the Scriptures or about the words and sayings of the seniors?”And the old man said to him, “If you cannot keep silence, it is better for you to speak about the words of the seniors than about Scripture. For there is no small risk here. ”6 An old man said, “If a man has words but not works, he will be likened to a tree that has leaves but no fruit. For just as a tree full of fruit is also full of green leaves, so speech follows a man who has good works. ”7 2 Taio, Sent 3. 43; PL 80:899D–900A, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 14; PL 77:72C. 3 Wisdom, 33, 105. 4 PL 73:939C (47). 5 PL 73:957BC (18a); PG 65:179 (180)C (5); Sayings, 58 (68), 5. 6 PL 73:936B (20b); PG 65:127 (128)C (2b); Sayings, 27 (31–32), 2b. 7 PL 73:928A (84);see also Wisdom, 35, 120. For a similar saying see PG 65:231 (232)C (4); Sayings, 89 (104), 4. . . .

Lingua discrete frenanda est, non insolubiliter ^(0633D) obliganda. Scriptum namque est: Sapiens tacebit usque ad tempus (Eccli. XX), ut nimirum cum opportunum considerat, postposita censura silentii, loquendo quae congruunt in usum se utilitatis impendat. De tacendi atque loquendi censura per Salomonem dicitur: Tempus tacendi, et tempus loquendi (Eccli. III). Discrete quippe vicissitudinum pensanda sunt tempora, ne aut cum restringi lingua debet, per verba inutiliter defluat, aut cum loqui utiliter potest, semetipsam pigre restringat. (Gregor., lib. VII Mor., cap. 26.) Quanta sit utilitas taciturnitatis Psalmista considerans ait: Pone, Domine, custodiam ori meo, et ostium circumstantiae labiis meis (Psal. CXL). Non enim poni ori suo parietem, sed ostium ^(0634A) petit, quod videlicet aperitur et clauditur. Unde et nobis caute dicendum est, quatenus os discrete et congruo tempore vox aperiat, et rursum congruo taciturnitas claudat. Admonendi sunt enim singuli ut si proximos sicut se diligunt, minime illis taceant unde eos juste reprehendunt. Vocis medicamine utrorumque saluti concurritur, dum ab illo qui infert actio prava compescitur, et ab hoc qui sustinet doloris fervor vulnere aperto temperatur. (D. Greg. Pastor. Curae p. III, admon. 15.) Qui proximorum mala respiciunt, et tamen in silentio linguam premunt, quasi conspectis vulneribus usum medicamini subtrahunt, et eo mortis auctores fiunt, quo virus quod poterant curare noluerunt. Frater quidam interrogavit parvulum monachum dicens: Bonum est loqui, ^(0634B) an tacere? Dicit ei puer ille: Si sunt verba otiosa, dimitte ea: si autem bona sunt verba, non diu pertrahas, sed cito incide quod loqueris, et quiesce tu. Dixit senex quidam: Taciturnitati operam da, et nihil cogites, et intende cogitationi tuae, sive quiescens in lecto, sive surgens cum timore Dei, et haec faciens, malignorum impetus non timebis. Dixit abbas pastor: Quia interrogavit abbas Moyses fratrem Zachariam tempore quo moriebatur, dicens: Quid vides? Et ille dixi ei: Nihil melius quam tacere, Pater. Dixit ei: Verum est, fili, tace. Dixit quidam abbati Ammoni: Si sit necessitas cum vicino loquendi, videtur tibi ut de Scripturis cum eo loquar, an de verbis et sententiis seniorum? Dixitque ei senex: Si non potes tacere, bonum est magis ut de verbis ^(0634C) seniorum loquaris, quam de Scriptura. Periculum enim est non parvum. Dixit senex: Quia homo si verbum quidem habeat, opera autem non habeat, assimilabitur arbori habenti folia, fructum autem non. Sicut enim arbor fructibus plena etiam foliis viridis, ita et sermo consequitur hominem qui habet opera bona.

  (0634C) CAPUT XXXIX. De multiloquio.

96 CHAPTER 39 On Much Speaking I t is written: In much speaking you will not avoid sin (Prov 10:19). And: One who talks too much harms his own soul (Sir 20:8). And: A talkative man will not be directed upon the earth (Ps 139(140):11). And if we are lifted up in much speaking, we are not absolved in the presence of the Lord. So it is better to ask for this from the Lord and say, Post, O Lord, a guard over my mouth, and a sentry at the door of my lips (Ps 140(141):3). And: Do not turn my heart to evil words (Ps 140(141):4). Those who devote themselves to much speaking are to be warned to look closely and see how from being upright they are going to their ruin when they fall away through a multiplicity of words. The human mind is like water; when surrounded by an enclosure it is gathered to higher things, because it is seeking that from which it descended;when released it loses itself, because it scatters itself uselessly through the lowest things. When it becomes dissipated from its censoring silence by superfluous words, it is carried outside itself as by so many streams. From there the mind is not able even to return to itself interiorly, because being scattered through much speaking it shuts itself out from the secret place of intimate consideration. It exposes the whole of itself to the wounds of the enemy who lies in ambush, because it does not surround itself on all sides with a fortification to guard it. It is written in Proverbs: Like an open city without walls round about, is one who cannot control his spirit in speaking On Much Speaking 97 (Prov 25:28). Because it does not have the silence of walls, 1 the city of the mind is open to the darts of the enemy, and when by words it throws itself outside itself, it shows itself open to the adversary. 2 Generally the slothful mind that falls into the ditch is pushed there by degrees. When we neglect to beware of idle words we come to harmful ones; first we like talking about other people’s affairs, then through detraction our tongue bites into their lives, and finally it breaks out into open insults. The unbridling of the tongue sows dissension, gives rise to quarrels, sets alight the torches of hatred and extinguishes peace of heart. That anyone who is a slave to much speaking cannot hold to the uprightness of justice, the prophet testifies when he says, The talkative man will not be directed upon the earth (Ps 139(140):11). And Solomon says again, In much speaking you will not avoid sin (Prov 10:19). And the prophet Isaiah says, The cultivation of righteousness is peace (Isa 32:17). He means that the mind’s righteousness is forsaken when one does not refrain from immoderate speech. And so James says, If any think they are religious, yet do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is empty (Jas 1:26). Wayward people are hasty of speech and light of mind; they neglect silence and draw out the matter they are speaking about, and what is lightly conceived by the mind is straightway expressed by the light-minded tongue. Truth itself admonishes us when it says, On judgment day, people will have to give an account for every idle word they have spoken (Matt 12:36). An idle word is one that lacks the motive of rightly meeting a need or the intention of being lovingly useful. Therefore if an account is exacted for idle speech, let us estimate the penalty for much speaking, in which we sin through harmful words. 3 1 Smaragdus here has murorum silentium, whileTaio (Sent 4. 26) and Gregory (Past 3. 14: Mor 7. 37) read murum silentii, “a wall of silence, ” which yields a better sense. 2 Taio, Sent 4. 26;PL 80:942CD, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 14;PL 77:73BC;Mor 7. 37; CCSL 143:379; PL 75:800C–801A. 3 Taio, Sent 4. 26;PL 80:943A–C, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 14;PL 77:73BC–74A; Mor 7. 37; CCSL 143:378–79; PL 75:800A–C. 98 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Abba Sisoes once said, “Really believe that for these last thirty years I have been beseeching God on account of sin, and I say. . .

Scriptum est: In mutiloquio non effugies peccatum (Prov. X). Et: Qui multis utitur verbis, laedit animam suam (Eccli. XX). Et, vir linguosus non dirigetur super terram (Psal. CXXXIX). Et si in multiloquio extollamur, coram Domino non absolvimur. Unde melius est ut illud Dominum rogantes dicamus: Pone, Domine, custodiam ori meo, et ostium circumstantiae labiis ^(0634D) meis (Psal. CXL). Et: Non declines cor meum in verba malitiae (Ibid.). (Gregor., lib. VII, c. 25, in c. VI Job.) Admonendi sunt multiloquio vacantes, ut vigilantes aspiciant, quanto a rectitudinis statu depereunt, dum per multiplicia verba dilabuntur. Humana etenim mens aquae more circumclusa, ad superiora colligitur, quia illud repetit unde descendit, et relaxata deperit, quia se per infima inutiliter spargit. Qui supervacuis verbis a silentii sui censura dissipatur, quasi tot rivis extra se ducitur, unde et redire interius mens ad sui cognitionem non sufficit, quia per multiloquium sparsa a secreto se intimae considerationis excludit. Totam vero se insidiantis hostis vulneribus detegit, quia se munitione custodiae non circumcludit. ^(0635A) In Proverbiis scriptum est (Cap. XXV): Sicut urbs patens et absque murorum ambitu, ita vir qui non potest in loquendo cohibere spiritum suum. Quia enim murorum silentium non habet, patet inimici jaculis civitas mentis, et cum se per verba extra semetipsam ejicit, apertam se adversario ostendit. (Gregor., Pastor. Curae p. III, admon. 15.) Plerumque per quosdam gradus desidiosa mens in foveam lapsa impellitur, et dum otiosa verba cavere negligimus, ad noxia pervenimus, ut prius loqui aliena libeat, et postmodum detractionibus vitam eorum de quibus loquimur mordeat, ad extremum vero usque ad apertas lingua contumelias erumpat. Per effrenationem linguae seminantur stimuli, oriuntur rixae, accenduntur faces odiorum, pax exstinguitur cordium. (Greg., Moral. ^(0635B) l. VII, c. 37.) Quia multiloquio quisque deserviens, rectitudinem justitiae tenere nequaquam possit, testatur Propheta qui ait: Vir linguosus non dirigetur super terram (Psal. CXXXIX). Hinc Salomon iterum ait: In multiloquio peccatum non deerit (Prov. X). Isaias propheta ait: Cultus justitiae silentium (Isa. XXXII). Videlicet indicans quia mentis justitia desolatur, quando ab immoderata locutione non parcitur. Hinc Jacobus ait: Si quis putat se religiosum esse, non refrenans linguam suam, sed seducens cor suum, hujus vana est religio (Jacob. I). Pravi quidem homines, sicut in sensu leves sunt, ita in locutione praecipites, et reticere pertractando negligunt quae loquuntur, sed quod levis conscientia concipit, levior protinus lingua producit. Per semetipsam nos Veritas ^(0635C) admonet dicens: Omne verbum otiosum quod locuti fuerint homines, reddent de eo rationem in die judicii (Matth. XII). Otiosum quippe verbum est, quod aut ratione justae necessitatis, aut intentione piae utilitatis caret. Si ergo ratio de otioso sermone exigitur, pensemus quae poena multiloquio maneat, in quo etiam per noxia verba peccatur. Dixit aliquando etiam abbas Sysois: Crede, crede, quia ecce triginta annos habeo, quod non deprecor Deum propter peccatum, sed orans hoc dico: Domine Jesu Christe, protege me a lingua mea: et usque nunc per singulos dies corruo per ipsam et delinquo. Abbas Macharius major in Scythi dicebat fratribus: Post missas Ecclesiae fugite fratres. Et dixit ei unus frater: Pater, quo habemus fugere amplius a solitudine ^(0635D) ista? Et ille respondebat digitum suum ponendo in ore, dicens: Istud est quod fugiendum dico. Et sic intravit in cellam suam, et claudens ostium, sedebat solus. Dixit abbas Sysois: Quia peregrinatio nostra in hoc est ut teneat homo os suum. Dixit abbas Hyperitius: Monachus qui non retinet linguam suam in tempore furoris, neque passiones caeteras poterit aliquando prohibere. Dixit abbas Longinus abbati Lucio: Habeo tres cogitationes: unam, ut ad peregrina pergam. Et respondit ei senex: Si non tenueris linguam, quocunque perrexeris, non eris peregrinas. Sed refrena hic linguam tuam, et eris etiam hic peregrinus. Frater interrogavit abbatem Sysoi, dicens: Desidero custodire cor meum. Dicit ei senex: Et quomodo ^(0636A) possumus custodire cor nostrum, si lingua nostra januam apertam habuerit? Frater interrogavit abbatem Pastorem dicens: Quomodo oportet monachum sedere in cella: Et respondit: Quantum ad id quod in manifesto est, hoc est, ut faciat opus manuum, et semel comedat, et taceat, et meditetur. Occulte enim proficere potest in cella, hoc est, ut redarguat semetipsum de propriis excessibus unusquisque in omni loco ad quem perrexerit.

  (0636A) CAPUT XL. De collatione.

99 CHAPTER 40 On Holding Conference A lthough reading is useful for instructing, greater understanding comes from holding conference. For to hold conference is better than to read. Conferring brings learning possibilities. When questions have been put forward they can be dealt with without delay, and often the hidden truth is established by raising objections. For what is obscure or doubtful is quickly seen by conferring. Just as conferring usually instructs, so contention destroys. Contention generates quarrels when the feeling for truth is lost sight of, and by fighting with words it even blasphemes God. Reading needs the help of the memory. If this is somewhat slow by nature, frequent meditation serves to sharpen it, and assiduous reading focuses it. By reason of its length, prolonged reading often obliterates the reader’s memory. But if reading is short, once the book is put down the mind goes over the passage, and then one reads without toil. We reflect upon the things we have read, and they do not drop out of the memory. Quiet reading is more agreeable to our senses than reading aloud. For the intellect gains more instruction when the reader’s voice is quiet and the tongue moves in silence. Reading aloud tires the body, and the keenness of the voice is blunted. 1 Abba Pelagius said, “It behooves the soul that is living according to the will of Christ either to learn faithfully what it does not know, 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 14. 1–2, 4a, 7–9; CCSL 111:239–40; PL 83:688B. 689AB. 100 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel or to teach openly what it does know. But if, although it can do both, it refuses to, it labors under the sickness of madness. A disdain for doctrine is the beginning of departure from God. ”2 Abba Poemen said, “A man who complains is no monk; one who detracts from a brother is no monk; one who is inclined to anger is no monk. 3 But one who is truly a monk is always humble and quiet and full of charity, has the fear of God before his eyes, and guards his heart. ”4 When asked what is meant when we read, “the road is narrow and confined, ” an old man replied, “‘The road is narrow and confined’ (see Matt 7:14) means that people are to do violence to their thoughts, and for God’s sake cut off their own desires. This is also what is written: Behold, we have left everything and followed you” (Matt 19:27). 5 An old man said, “A monk must daily, morning and evening, think within himself what he has done of the things God wills, and what he has not done. Acting in this way for his whole life and doing penance, he can be a monk. ”6 An old man said, “Whether you sleep or rise or do anything else, if God is before your eyes, the enemy will not be able to frighten you, and if such an attitude abides in a man, the power of God also abides in him. ”7 2 PL 73:924A (67); Smaragdus has Abba Pelagius; PL 73 has Abba Palladius. 3 PL 73:922A (54); see also PG 65:343 (344)BC (91); Sayings, 151 (179), 91. 4 PL 74:391C (82). 5 PL 73:927CD (81); see Wisdom, 35, 117; PG 65:123 (124)A (11); Sayings, 24 (28), 11. The Greek text says that the old man is Abba Ammonas. 6 PL 73:938D (39); see Wisdom, 39, 132; PG 65:307 (308)C (5); Sayings, 130 (155), 5. Abba Nesteros in the Greek. 7 PL 74:385C (24). . . .

(Isid., lib. III Sent., cap. 14.) Cum sit utilis ad instruendum lectio, adhibita tamen collatione, majorem intelligentiam praebet. Melius est enim conferre quam legere. Collatio docibilitatem facit, ^(0636B) Nam propositis interrogationibus cunctatio rerum excluditur, et saepe objectionibus latens veritas approbatur. Quod enim obscurum est aut dubium, conferendo cito perspicitur. Sicut instruere solet collatio, ita contentio destruit. Haec enim relicto sensu veritatis, lites generat, et pugnando verbis, etiam in Deum blasphemat. Lectio memoriae auxilio eget. Quod si fuerit naturaliter tardior, frequenti tamen meditatione acuitur, ac legendi assiduitate colligitur. Saepe prolixa lectio longitudinis causa memoriam legentis oblitterat. Quod si brevis sit, submotoque libro sententia retractatur in animo, tunc sine labore legitur: et ea quae lecta sunt recolendo, memoria minime excidunt. Acceptabilior est sensibus ^(0636C) lectio tacita, quam aperta. Amplius enim intellectus instruitur, quando vox legentis quiescit, et sub silentio lingua movetur. Nam clare legendo, et corpus lassatur, et vocis acumen obtunditur. (Huc usque Isid.) Dixit abbas Pelagius: Oportet animam secundum Christi voluntatem conversantem, aut discere fideliter quae nescit, aut docere manifeste quod novit. Si autem utrumque cum possit non vult, insaniae morbo laborat. Initium enim recedendi a Deo, fastidium doctrinae est. Dixit abbas Pastor: Quia qui querulus est, monachus non est; qui fratri suo detrahit, monachus non est; qui iracundus est, monachus non est; qui autem vere monachus est, semper est humilis et quietus, et charitate plenus, et timorem Dei prae oculis habet, et cor suum custodit. ^(0636D) Interrogatus senex quid est quod legitur, via angusta et arcta, respondens senex, ait: Angusta et arcta via est, ut cogitationibus suis homo violentiam faciat, et abscidat propter Deum voluntates suas. Hoc est etiam quod scriptum est: Ecce nos reliquimus omnia, et secuti sumus te (Matth. VII). Dixit senex: Debet monachus quotidie mane et sero cogitare in semetipso, quid fecit eorum quae vult Deus, et quae non fecit: et ita tractans omnem vitam suam poenitentiam agendo, monachus esse potest. Dixit senex: Dormiente te, aut surgente, vel aliud quid faciente, si fuerit Deus ante oculos tuos, in nullo te inimicus poterit deterrere, et si talis cogitatio manserit in homine, etiam Dei virtus manet in eo.

  (0637A) CAPUT XLI. De dilectione proximi, et correctione fraterna.

101 CHAPTER 41 On Love of Neighbor and Fraternal Correction T wo things must be observed with regard to love of neighbor: first, not to do evil, and second, to do good. First, that a person guard against inflicting hurt and so learn to do all that is good. Friendship is the association of minds, and it begins with two persons. There cannot be love between less than two persons. Friends are truly loved if they are loved not for their own sake but for God. Those who love friends for their own sake embrace them in a foolish way. That person is much immersed in the earth who loves in a fleshly way one destined to die and more than is proper. 1 One who is still a slave to the contagion of the vices must not correct another’s vices. It is wrong for people to upbraid in others what is still worthy of censure in themselves. Those who truly wish to heal and correct their neighbors’weaknesses should aim to be useful to them and to admonish with a humble heart those they desire to correct;and they should do this from a sense of compassion because of a danger they have in common, so that they themselves may not be subject to temptation. Spiritual persons wait for the amendment of another’s sin, whereas the impudent deride and insult sinners. As far as concerns them they think such people beyond healing; they do not bend their heart towards the mercy of fellow-feeling, but from their superior position detest and deride them. 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 28. 1–2, 5a, 5b in part; CCSL 111:265–66; PL 83:702A–C. 102 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Most people consider the correction they administer to be a duty of charity, while most who are corrected out of charity take it as an insult and an injury. And so it comes about that they are made worse by the very thing that could have made them better had they obeyed. The upright accept reproofs of their faults as being for their health as often as they are given. . . . To the wicked truth is burdensome and the discipline of justice is bitter;they only take delight in things pleasing to their own weakness. . . . The hearts of the crooked are slippery when it comes to consenting to evil, but are exceedingly hard when it comes to consenting to the good. . . . Of such Solomon says, Those who instruct scoffers do themselves injury (Prov 9:7). Of the good he says, Teach the righteous and they will hasten to accept (Prov 9:9). The evil turn in hatred against the ones who correct them. 2 But if we keep silent from rebuking them because we dread the hatred this might stir up against us, we are without doubt no longer seeking God’s gain but our own. It must by all means be known that sometimes the crooked when they are rebuked become worse, and pursue us with great hatred. 3 It is they whom we spare and not ourselves if love for them makes us stop rebuking them. So we must sometimes of necessity bear in silence with what they are, so that they may learn by seeing in us what they are not. 4 There is no need at all for the just to be afraid that when people are corrected they may utter insults, but rather that being drawn to hatred they may become worse. 5 Care is to be taken above all that fondness for speaking does not unduly stretch the tongue and bring us to make a sport of detraction, in case malice should arouse hatred and incline us to hurling curses. 6 2 Isidore, Sent 3. 32. 1–3, 5–6a, 8a, 9, 10b, 10a; CCSL 111:269–71; PL 83:704A–5A. 3 Smaragdus’s insertion seems to be, “. . . and pursue us with great hatred. ” 4 Taio, Sent 4. 22;PL 80:939A, quoting Gregory, Mor 20. 21;CCSL 143A:1038; PL 76:165CD. 5 Taio, Sent 4. 22; PL 80:939AB, quoting Gregory, Mor 8. 42; CCSL 143:434; PL 75:842C. 6 Taio, Sent 4. 22;PL 80:939B, quoting Gregory, Mor 10. 6;CCSL 143:540;PL 75:923C. On Love of Neighbor and Fraternal Correction 103 And so Solomon says, Rebuke the wise, and they will love you; the foolish, and they will hate you all the more (Prov 9:8. . .

Duo sunt erga dilectionem proximi conservanda; unum ne malum quis inferat, alterum ut bonum impendat. Primum ut caveat laedere, sequens ut discat totum patrare. Amicitia est animorum societas. Haec quippe a duobus incipit. Nam minus quam inter duos dilectio esse non poterit. Tunc vere amicus amatur, si non pro se, sed pro Deo ametur. Qui vero pro se amicum diligit, insipienter eum amplectitur. Multum in terra demersus est, qui carnaliter hominem moriturum plus diligit quam oportet. (Isid., lib. III Sent., cap. 32.) Non debet vitia aliena corripere, qui adhuc vitiorum contagionibus servit. Improbum est enim arguere quemquam in alio, ^(0637B) quod adhuc reprehendit in semetipso. Qui veraciter vult sanare ac corripere fraternam infirmitatem, talem se praestare fraternae utilitati studeat, ut eum quem corripere cupit, humili corde admoneat; hoc faciens ex compassione quasi communis periculi, ne forte et ipse subjiciatur tentationi. Sicut viri spirituales alieni peccati emendationem exspectant, ita protervi delinquentibus deridendo insultant. Et quantum in ipsis est, eos insanabiles putant, nec declinant cor ad compatiendi misericordiam, sed supervenientes detestantur atque blasphemant. Plerique correptionem suam officium charitatis existimant. Plerique vero hoc ipsum quod ex charitate corripiuntur ad injuriae contumeliam trahunt. Unde evenit ut ex eo deteriores efficiantur, per quod ^(0637C) emendari obediendo potuerunt. Salubriter accipiunt justi quoties de suis excessibus arguuntur. Iniquis molesta est veritas, et amara disciplina justitiae; nec delectantur nisi placentia propriae imbecillitatis. Corda reproborum lubrica sunt ad malum consentiendum et fluxa, ad bonum vero consentiendum durissima. De talibus Salomon ait: Qui erudit derisorem, ipse sibi facit injuriam (Prov. IX, XV). De bono autem: Doce justum (inquit) et festinabit accipere. In odium enim contra corripientem se, vertitur malus. (Greg. lib. XX, c. 21, Expos. mor., in Job cap. XIX). Sed si ab increpatione illius idcirco reticemus, quia contra nos insurgere odia formidamus, non jam lucra Dei, sed nostra procul dubio quaerimus. Sciendum magnopere est quod nonnunquam cum redarguuntur pravi, deteriores ^(0637D) existunt, nosque magnis odiis insequuntur. Ipsis ergo et non nobis parcimus, si ab eorum redargutione pro eorum amore cessamus. Unde necesse est nobis ut aliquando toleremus tacendo quod sunt, quatenus in nobis discant videndo quod non sunt. Non est omnino justo timendum, ne dum quisque corripitur, contumelias inferat, sed ne tractus ad odium, pejor fiat. Cavendum summopere est ne immoderate linguam loquacitas pertrahat, eamque ad lasciviam obtrectationis extendat, ne odium malitia excitet, et usque ad jacula maledictionis inclinet. Hinc Salomon ait. Argue sapientem, et amabit te, insipientem, et adjiciet odisse te. Qui diligit disciplinam, diligit sensum. Nam qui odit arguentem se, ^(0638A) stultus est (Prov. IX, XII). Sed quia Apostolus ait: Corripite inquietos, consolamini pusillanimes, suscipite infirmos, patientes estote ad omnes (I Thess. V), necesse est ut hic pia Patrum correptionis ponamus exempla. Offendit aliquando frater in congregatione, et expulsus est foras. Expulsus autem de congregatione, misit se in carectum, et flebat ibi. Contigit autem ut alii fratres euntes ad abbatem pastorem, audirent eum plorantem. Qui descendentes ad eum, invenerunt eum magno labore constrictum, et rogaverunt eum ut iret ad senem illum solitarium, et non acquievit, dicens: In hoc loco moriar ego. Venerunt autem fratres ad abbatem Pastorem, et narraverunt ei de eo. Et rogavit eos, ut irent ad eum dicentes: Abbas Pastor vocat te ad se. Quod cum ei dixissent, ^(0638B) perrexit ad eum. Et videns eum senex afflictum, surrexit et osculatus est eum. Et adgaudens ei rogabat ut sumeret cibum. Qui et ita fecit. Frater interrogavit abbatem Pastorem dicens: Feci peccatum grande, et volo triennium poenitere. Dixit autem ei abbas Pastor: Multum est. Et dixit ei frater: Jubes unum annum. Et dixit iterum senex: Multum est. Qui autem praesentes erant, dicebant usque ad quadraginta dies. Senex iterum dixit: Multum est. Et adjecit dicens: Ego puto quia si toto corde homo poenitentiam agat, etiam triduanam poenitentiam suscipiat Deus. Interrogavit abbas Joseph abbatem Pastorem. dicens: Quomodo opus est jejunare? Et dixit abbas Pastor: Ego volo ut quotidie quis manducans, paululum subtrahat sibi ne satietur. Et dixit ei abbas ^(0638C) Joseph: Ergo quando eras juvenis, non jejunabas biduanas? Dixit senex: Crede mihi, frater, quia et triduanas, et hebdomadam. Sed haec omnia probaverunt senes magni, et invenerunt quia bonum est quotidie manducare, parum sibi subtrahendo, et ostenderunt nobis viam hanc regalem, quia levior est et facilis.

  (0638C) CAPUT XLII. De zelo pastoris officii.

105 CHAPTER 42 On the Zeal of the Pastor’s Office A ll the spiritual zeal of the teacher parches his heart, 1 because it tortures him when he sees any weak person abandoning eternal things and finding delight in temporal things. There is no sacrifice as powerful with almighty God as zeal for souls, as the psalmist says, Zeal for your house has consumed me (Ps 68(69):9). Just how pleasing to almighty God the parching of the heart that spiritual zeal causes is plainly shown when the law orders choice flour to be offered in sacrifice. It is written: It shall be sprinkled with oil and roasted on a griddle; and the priest who by law succeeds his father shall offer it warm as a very sweet odor to the Lord, and the whole will be burnt on the altar (Lev 6:21-22). The choice flour is roasted on the griddle when the clean mind of the just is burnt through the ardor of holy zeal. The order is for the clean mind to be sprinkled with oil, and that happens when through the depths of charity and mercy it burns and shines in the sight of almighty God. . . . So the command is for it to be offered warm as a most sweet odor to the Lord, because if zeal does not have love, the choice flour that is offered from the griddle has lost its heat. Particular note is to be taken of who is commanded to offer the choice flour, namely the priest who by right succeeds his father. That priest succeeds his father by right who shows himself to be a son of 1 PL 76 has animam, “soul, ” where Smaragdus has animum, “mind” or “heart. ” 106 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel almighty God by his conduct, and who is not in disagreement with his deepest nobility by the unworthiness of his works. This nobility is ordered to be burnt whole on the altar so that it may become a holocaust. The choice flour on the griddle is the clean mind of the just afflicted by spiritual zeal, which is parched through its solicitude for souls, and is reputed to be not only a sacrifice but also a holocaust to the Lord. So let us take an iron griddle, and put it as an iron wall between us and the city (see Ezek 4:3), that is, let us take up strong zeal, so that we may find this afterwards a strong defense between us and the soul of our hearer. For we are going to find this iron wall then if we now hold it strongly, by teaching, guarding, persuading, rebuking, soothing, frightening, sometimes by acting gently, and sometimes also more severely. 2 It is necessary for those moved by zeal for rectitude to attend to this above all, lest anger get beyond the mind’s control; but in regard to punishment of sin considering the time and the measure, let them restrain and more carefully hold back the disturbance of the surging mind, repress animosity, and dispose with equity the heated movements, so that they may become more just avengers of others, as persons who have previously conquered themselves. Those moved by zeal for rectitude should correct the faults of wrongdoers in such a way that the ones correcting should first grow through patience, and make their judgment while looking beyond their fervor. They should act like this in case, roused by excessive zeal for rectitude, they wander far from rectitude. 3 2 Taio, Sent 2. 46; PL 80:829D. 830B–D, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 12, 29, 30; CCSL 142:200–203; PL 76:932A–33AB. 3 Taio, Sent 2. 46; PL 80:831D–832A, quoting Gregory, Mor 5:45; CCSL 143:280–81; PL 75:727BC. . . .

(Greg., in Ezech. lib. I, hom. 12.) Omnis spiritualis zelus doctoris animum frigit, quia valde cruciatur dum infirmos quosque aeterna deserere, rebus temporalibus delectari conspicit. Nullum quippe omnipotenti Deo tale est sacrificium, quale est zelus animarum, sicut Psalmista ait: Zelus domus tuae comedit me (Psal. LXVIII). Quantum frixura cordis quae ^(0638D) pro spirituali zelo agitur, omnipotenti Domino placet, aperte ostenditur, cum offerri per legem simila in sacrificio jubetur. Scriptum quippe est: In sartagine oleo conspersa frigatur, offeretque eam calidam in odorem suavissimum Domino sacerdos, qui patri jure successerit, et tota cremabitur in altari (Levit. VI). Tunc simila in sartagine frigitur, cum munda mens justi per zeli sancti ardorem crematur. Quae conspergi oleo praecipitur, id est, cum per charitatis et misericordiae viscera in conspectu omnipotentis Dei ardet et lucet. Unde et calida in odorem suavissimum Domino offerri praecipitur, quia si amorem zelus non habet, ea quae de sartagine offertur, calorem simila amisit. Notandum valde est quis similam ^(0639A) offerre praecipitur, videlicet sacerdos patri jure successerit. Ille enim sacerdos patri jure succedit qui esse se omnipotentis Dei filium moribus demonstrat, et qui a nobilitate intima, operum suorum ignobilitate non discrepat. Quae in altari tota cremari praecipitur, ut videlicet holocaustum fiat. Simila itaque in sartagine est munda mens justi in zeli spiritualis afflictione, quae per sollicitudinem animarum frigitur, et non solum sacrificium, sed etiam holocaustum Domino esse deputatur. Sumamus ergo sartaginem ferream, et ponamus eam murum ferreum inter nos et civitatem (Ezech. IV), id est, assumamus zelum fortem, ut inter nos et auditoris nostri animam inveniamus hanc postmodum fortem munitionem. Tunc enim hunc murum ferreum inventuri sumus, ^(0639B) si nunc eum fortiter tenemus, videlicet docendo, custodiendo, suadendo, increpando, mulcendo, terrendo, aliquando leniter, aliquando etiam severius agendo. (Huc usque Greg.) Necesse est ut hoc ante omnia qui zelo rectitudinis movetur, attendat, ne ira extra mentis dominium transeat: sed in ultionem peccati tempus modumque considerans, surgentis animi perturbationem subtilius retractando restringat, animositatem reprimat, et motus fervidos sub aequitate disponat, ut eo fiat justior ultor alienus, quo prius exstitit victor suus. Qui zelo rectitudinis movetur, sic culpas delinquentium corrigat, ut ante ipse qui corrigit, per patientiam crescat, ut fervorem suum transcendendo dijudicet, ne intemperanter excitatus ipso zelo rectitutidinis, longe a rectitudine ^(0639C) suberret.

  (0639C) CAPUT XLIII. De doctrinae discretione.

107 CHAPTER 43 On Discretion in Doctrine O ne and the same teaching is not to be used for everybody, but let the exhortations of teachers vary according to characters . A sharp rebuke corrects certain people, but a gentle exhortation corrects others. Just as experienced doctors use different medications for the various illnesses of the body, so that for different wounds the medicine is different, so also the Church teacher will employ the remedy of teaching befitting each one, and will proclaim what each one needs according to age, sex, and occupation. The first virtue is that of prudence, which ought to teach us how to assess a person. . . . We must act in one way towards those who are entrusted to our rule if they commit an offense, and in another way with those who are not entrusted to us. If the latter are upright we must show them reverence, but if they commit a fault they are to be corrected only out of charity, as occasion allows, but not with severity, as those entrusted to us are to be ruled. 1 Withdraw teaching and preaching, and you punish people who deserve it. For a deserving hearer, the ability to speak is granted to a teacher. It rests in the divine power for God to give a word of teaching to whom he wishes, or to withdraw it. And this is done either for the speaker’s or the hearer’s deserts, so that now the word is taken from the teacher because of the people’s fault, and now it is granted for the deserts of both. 1 Isidore, Sent 3. 43. 1–2, 4a, 6; CCSL 111:285–86; PL 83:711D–12A. C. 108 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Those who receive the office of teaching should sometimes pass over in silence the deeds of a neighbor that they do not think they can correct at once. For if they are able to correct and pretend not to notice, they are really complicit in another’s error. Generally holy teachers, being unable to amend the wicked because of the pertinacity of the evil, decide to keep silence in their regard; but not being able to bear the warmth of the spirit that drives them, they burst out in reproaches of the wicked. 2 Those who are presiders3 are condemned for the wickedness of subjects if they do not instruct them when they are ignorant nor rebuke them when they sin. The Lord says through the prophet: I have given you to the house of Israel as a sentinel. If you do not speak so that the wicked guard themselves from their wicked ways, they shall die for their iniquity; but their blood I will require at your hand (Ezek 3:17a, 18). The presider must take care of those who are perishing, so that they may either be corrected from sins by his rebuke or, if they are incorrigible, be separated from the Church. 4 One who is not corrected when reproved with a kindly word must be more sharply upbraided. For things that cannot be healed with mildness must with sorrow be cut off. One who, being secretly admonished, neglects to be corrected for sin is to be publicly rebuked, because the wound that cannot be healed in secret has to be amended openly. Public sins are not to be purged with a hidden correction. Those who openly do harm are to be openly rebuked, so that while they are being healed by an open scolding, those who have done wrong by imitating them may be corrected. While one is being corrected, many are amended. For it is better for one to be condemned for the salvation of many, than that many be imperiled for one person’s dissoluteness. Therefore the word that corrects is to be uttered for wrongdoers as their health demands. But if there is need to sprinkle some health-giving medicine with a word of 2 Isidore, Sent 3. 44. 1–2a, 5–6; CCSL 111:287–88; PL 83:713A–C. 3 Where Isidore, has sacerdos, “priest or bishop, ” or its plural in this passage, Smaragdus has substituted qui praeest, “the presider or superior, ” or its plural, thus adapting the teaching to a monastic context. 4 Isidore, Sent 3. 46. 1a, 4; CCSL 111:290–91; PL 83:714C–15A. On Discretion in Doctrine 109 rebuke, one must retain mildness in the heart. Teachers sometimes wound their subjects with harsh rebukes without. . .

(Isid., lib. III Sent., cap. 43, 44, 46.) Non omnibus una eademque doctrina est adhibenda, sed pro qualitate morum diversae sint exhortationes doctorum. Nam quosdam increpatio dura, quosdam vero exhortatio corrigit blanda. Sicut periti medici ad varios corporis morbos diverso medicamine serviunt, ita ut juxta vulnerum varietatem medicina diversa sit: sic et doctor Ecclesiae singulis quibusque congruum doctrinae remedium adhibebit, et quid cuique oporteat pro aetate, pro sexu ac professione annuntiabit. Prima quippe prudentiae virtus est, eam quam docere oporteat aestimare personam. Aliter est agendum ^(0639D) erga eos qui nostro committuntur regimini, si offendunt, atque aliter cum iis qui nobis commissi non sunt. Qui si justi sunt, venerandi sunt; si vero delinquunt, pro sola charitate, ut locus est, corripiendi sunt, non tamen cum severitate, sicut ii qui nobis regendi commissi sunt. Pro malo merito plebis aufertur doctrina praedicationis. Pro bono merito audientis, tribuitur sermo doctori. In potestate divina consistit, cui velit Deus doctrinae verbum dare, vel cui auferre. Et hoc aut pro dicentis aut pro audientis fit merito, ut modo pro culpa plebis auferatur sermo doctori, modo vero pro utriusque (Al., utilibus) meritis tribuatur. Qui docendi accipit officium, interdum ad tempus facta proximi taceat, quae statim ^(0640A) corrigere nequaquam existimat. Nam si corrigere potest et dissimulat, verum est quod consensum erroris alieni habeat. Plerumque sancti doctores pro mali pertinacia, quia iniquos emendare nequeunt, his tacere disponunt: sed calorem spiritus quo aguntur ferre non sustinentes, iterum in increpationem prosiliunt iniquorum. Qui praesunt, pro subditorum iniquitate damnantur, si eos aut ignorantes non erudiant, aut peccantes non arguant: dicente Domino ad prophetam: Speculatorem te dedi domui Israel. Si non fueris locutus, ut se custodiat impius a via sua, ille in iniquitate sua morietur, sanguinem autem ejus de manu tua requiram (Ezech. III). Qui praeest curam debet habere de iis qui pereunt, ut ejus redargutione aut corrigantur a peccatis, aut si ^(0640B) incorrigibiles existunt, ab Ecclesia separentur. Qui blando verbo castigatus non corrigitur, acrius necesse est ut arguatur. Cum dolore enim abscindenda sunt, quae leniter sanari non possunt. Qui admonitus secrete corrigi de peccato negligit, publice arguendus est, ut vulnus quod occulte sanari nescit, manifeste debeat emendari. Manifesta peccata non sunt occulta correctione purganda. Palam enim sunt arguendi qui palam nocent, ut dum aperta objurgatione sanantur, ii qui eos imitando deliquerant, corrigantur. Dum unus corripitur, plurimi emendantur. Melius est enim ut pro multorum salvatione unus condemnetur, quam pro unius licentia multi periclitentur. Ita ergo delinquenti sermo est proferendus, sicut ejus qui corripitur expostulat salus. Quod si ^(0640C) opus est aliquam medicamenti salutem verbo increpationis aspergere, lenitatem tamen corde opus est retinere. Doctores nonnunquam duris feriunt increpationibus subditos, qui tamen a charitate eorum quos corripiunt, non recedunt. (Huc usque Isid.) Magna est disciplinae magisterii subtilitas discretionis, quatenus quisque rector culpas delinquentium discrete noverit parcere, et pie resecare. Qui autem sic dimittunt peccata ut non corrigant, aut sic quasi corrigendo feriunt, ut non dimittant, discretionis spiritum habent. Scriptum est in libro Genesis: Sirecte offeras, et recte non dividas, peccasti (Gen. IV, juxta LXX). (Gregor., lib. III Expos. mor., c. 9 et 10, et l. I super Ezech., hom. 11.) Oblata recte dividere, est quaelibet bona nostra studia discernendo pensare. ^(0640D) Quod nimirum qui agere dissimulat, etiam recte offerens peccat. Saepe quod bono studio gerimus, dum discernere caute negligimus, quo judicetur fine, nescimus; et nonnunquam hoc fit reatus criminis, quod putatur causa virtutis. Recte ergo offerimus, cum bono studio bonum opus agimus; sed recte non dividimus, si habere discretionem in bono opere postponamus. Dixit abbas Antonius: Sunt quidam conterentes corpora sua in abstinentia, et quia non habent discretionem, longe facti sunt a Deo. Dicebat abbas Daniel quia quantum corpus virescit, tantum anima exsiccatur; et quantum siccatum fuerit corpus, tantum anima virescit. Dixit abbas Pastor: Malitia nequaquam expellit malitiam, ^(0641A) sed si quis tibi malefecerit, bene fac ei, ut per bonum opus tuum destruas malitiam illius. Interrogatus est quidam senex a quodam fratre dicente: Quomodo possum invenire Deum? Utrum in jejuniis, an in laboribus, an in vigiliis, an in misericordia? Et respondit: In his quae enumerasti, et in discretione. Dico enim tibi quia multi afflixerunt carnem suam, et quia sine discretione faciebant hoc, abierunt vacui nihil habentes.

  (0641A) CAPUT XLIV. De donis divinis.

111 CHAPTER 44 On Divine Gifts B y the secret regulation of an inner judgment Almighty God grants to one the word of wisdom, to another full faith, to another gifts of healing, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues (see 1 Cor 12:9-10). Our Creator and Mover arranges all things in such a way that those who could be lifted up because of the gift they have are humbled because of the virtue they do not have. And so it comes about that when he lifts someone up through a grace bestowed, he also subjects one person to another by bestowing a different gift. The Almighty Lord1 so arranges all things that every single thing belongs to everyone separately and, when a need of charity occurs, everything belongs to everyone individually. What individuals have not received they possesses in other people, so that they may humbly make available for another’s possession what they themselves have received. 2 Holy Church is the body of its heavenly head; in it one is the eye by seeing high things, another is the hand by performing right things, another the foot by running everywhere, another the ear by 1 Smaragdus here has omnipotens Dominus, whereas Taio has introduced the quotation from Gregory with omnipotens Deus. 2 Taio, Sent 3. 19; PL 80: 872CD–73BC, quoting Gregory, Mor 28. 10; CCSL 143B:1412–13;PL 76:460D–61A–C. In the second sentence of the previous paragraphTaio has replaced Gregory’s Sic cuncta moderatur, “He arranges all things, ”with atque ita fit. 112 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel understanding the message of the precepts, another the nose by discerning the stench of evil things and the fragrance of good things. For in the manner of the bodily members they exercise for one another the offices they have received, thus making one body out of them all. 3 By a wonderful plan our Author and Mover bestows on this one those things that he denies to another, and denies to another things that he bestows on the former. And so all who try to do more than has been given are endeavoring to go beyond the limits set for them. If every member of the faithful4 (whose gift perhaps is only to treat of the hidden aspects of the precepts) attempts to shine with miracles as well;or if those whose gift is heavenly power only for performing miracles also strive to open up the hidden things of the divine law, they are stretching out their foot over a precipice and not attending to the limits of the measure set for them. 5 They used to say ofAbba Hor that he never lied, swore, or cursed anyone, and he did not speak to anyone if it was not necessary. 6 At one time Abba Hilarion came from Palestine to Abba Anthony at the mountain, and Abba Anthony said to him, “You are welcome, light-bringer, who rise in the morning. ”And Abba Hilarion said to him, “Peace to you, column of light, who sustain the whole earth. ”7 A certain abba said that a certain solitary had lived in the desert forty years. When questioned by Abba John he replied, “From the time I began to be a solitary, the sun has never seen me eating. ”“Nor me being angry, ” replied Abba John. 8 3 Taio, Sent 3. 19;PL 80:873C, quoting Gregory, Mor 28. 10;CCSL 143B:1414; PL 76:462BC. 4 Taio expands Gregory’s ut fortasse is cui tantummodo datum est, “so that perhaps one (whose gift is only to treat of the hidden aspects of the precepts)” to Unusquisque fidelium (cui tantummodo datum est). 5 Taio, Sent 3. 19;PL 80:874A, quoting Gregory, Mor 28. 10;CCSL 143B:1414; PL 76:462C. 6 PL 73:1008A (7); see also PG 65:(437) 438B (2); Sayings, 206 (246), 2. 7 PL 73:973D (4); see also PG 65:(241) 242C; Sayings, 94, 1bis; (111), 1. 8 PL 73:867C (24b);see also PG 65:243D (244D)–246A (245A) (4b); Sayings, 97 (113–14), 4b. The solitary is identified as Abba Paësius in the Apophthegmata. On Divine Gifts 113 They used to say of Abba Arsenius that he would keep vigil all night, and when towards morning he wished to sleep, he used to say to sleep, “Come. . .

Omnipotens Deus interni judicii secreto moderamine: Alii sermonem sapientiae, alii plenam fidem, alii gratiam sanitatum, alii operationem virtutum, alii prophetiam, alii discretionem spirituum, alii genera ^(0641B) linguarum, alii interpretationem sermonum tribuit (I Cor. XII). (Greg. l. XX Moral. in Job. c. 18 et 11.) Creator noster ac dispositor sic moderatur cuncta, ut qui extolli poterat ex dono quod habet, humilietur ex virtute quam non habet. Atque ita fit ut cum per impensam gratiam unumquemque sublevat, etiam per disparem alteri alterum subdat. Omnipotens Dominus sic cuncta moderatur, ut dum singula quaeque sunt omnium, interposita quadam charitatis necessitudine, fiant omnia singulorum: et unusquisque sic quod non accepit in altero possideat, ut ipse alteri possidendum quod accepit humiliter impendat. Sancta Ecclesia superni sui capitis corpus est, in qua alius alta videndo, oculus, alius recta operando, manus, alius ad cuncta discurrendo, pes, alius praeceptorum ^(0641C) vocem intelligendo, auris, alius malorum fetorem, bonorumque fragrantiam discernendo, naris est. Qui enim corporalium more membrorum, dum vicissim sibi accepta officia impendunt, unum de semetipsis omnibus corpus reddunt. Miro consilio auctor ac dispositor noster huic illa largitur quae alii denegat, alii haec denegat quae isti largitur. Mensuras itaque sibi positas egredi nititur, quisquis posse plus quam acceperit conatur. Unusquisque fidelium (cui fortasse tantummodo datum est praeceptorum occulta disserere) si tentat etiam miraculis coruscare: aut is quem supernae virtutis donum ad sola miracula roborat, etiam divinae legis pandere occulta contendat, in praecipitio pedem porrigit, qui mensurarum suarum limitem non attendit. Dicebant ^(0641D) de abbate Hor quod neque mentitus est unquam, neque juravit, neque maledixit hominem, neque (si necesse non fuit) locutus est alicui. Venit aliquando abbas Hilarion, de Palaestina ad abbatem Antonium in montem, et dixit ei abbas Antonius: Bene venisti, lucifer, qui mane oriris. Et dixit ei abbas Hilarion: Pax tibi, columna lucis, quae sustines orbem terrarum. Dixit quidam abbas quod habitaverit in eremo quadraginta annis solitarius quidam; qui interrogatus a Joanne abbate, respondit: Quia ex quo coepi solitarius esse, nunquam me vidit sol manducantem. Respondit ei abbas Joannes: Nec me irascentem. Dicebant de abbate Arsenio quod tota nocte vigilabat, et quando volebat circa mane dormire, dicebat ^(0642A) somno, Veni, serve male. Et subripiebat parum somni sedendo, et statim surgebat.

  (0642A) CAPUT XLV. De gratia Dei.

114 CHAPTER 45 On the Grace of God B y the grace of almighty God we can indeed attempt good works, but we cannot complete them if he who gives the order does not provide the help. . . . We must know that the evil we do belongs only to us, whereas the good we do belongs both to Almighty God and to us. For he who goes before us by inspiring us to will, follows after with his help so that we do not will in vain but are able to perform what we will to. With grace anticipating and good will following, what is almighty God’s gift becomes our merit. Paul explains this well in a short sentence when he says, I worked more than all of them (1 Cor 15:10). For fear of appearing to attribute to his own power what he had done, he added, Not I, but the grace of God that is with me (1 Cor 15:10). 1 Sometimes God does not withdraw his grace from us when we sin, so that the human mind may rise up to the hope of the divine forgiveness. . . . For all good things are given to us by him, with grace anticipating us. . . . A person’s progress is God’s gift; no one can do anything unaided, but can be amended by God. . . . The prophet testifies to this when he says, I know, O Lord, that the way of humans is not in their control, nor is it for them to walk and direct their steps (Jer 10:23). Spiritual grace is not distributed to all, but it is given only to the chosen. . . . Different gifts of grace are given to 1 Taio, Sent 2. 30; PL 80:820BC, quoting Gregory, In Hiez 1. 9. 2; CCSL 142:123–24; PL 76:870B. CD. On the Grace of God 115 different persons, and they are not given a possession as a result of which they have no need of anyone else. No doubt it can happen that those whom some surpass by the excellence of their virtues, may by God’s sudden prevenient grace2 come before them by a shortening of the process of acquiring holiness; and so while they are last by the time of their conversion, they are suddenly made first by reaching the summit of virtue. When people receive some good, let them not desire more than they have merited, in case when they try to seize the positions of others they lose what they have already merited. Those who, not content with their own position, steal that of someone else disturb the whole order of the body. 3 A brother asked a certain senior, “If I am in some place, and distress comes upon me, and I have no one to entrust myself to and reveal the suffering of my soul, what am I to do?”The old man said to him, “Believe in God, because he will send his grace and meet your need, if you ask him in truth. ”And he added, “I heard that such a thing happened in Scetis. There was a certain one there who was enduring temptations, and not having the trust in anyone to confess to, he packed his bag intending to leave. In the night the Lord’s grace appeared to him in the form of a virgin, who told him, ‘Do not go anywhere, but remain here with me; for none of the evils you have heard about will happen to you. ’ He believed her words and remained, and his heart was immediately restored to health. ”4 2 Smaragdus’s text here reads: repentina praeveniente gratia. Isidore has repentina praeventi gratia, “prevented by a sudden grace. ” 3 Isidore, Sent 2. 5. 1a, 2b, 3a, 3c, 6a, 8–10; CCSL 111:99–102; PL 83:604A– C–605AB. 4 PL 73:905AB (47); see Wisdom, 27, 83. . . .

(Greg., l. I super Ezech., hom. 9.) Ex omnipotentis Dei gratia ad bona opera conari quidem possumus, sed haec implere non possumus, si ipse non adjuvat qui jubet. Sciendum est quia mala nostra solummodo nostra sunt. Bona autem nostra, et omnipotentis Dei sunt, et nostra. Quia ipse aspirando nos praevenit ut velimus, qui adjuvando subsequitur, ne inaniter velimus, sed possimus implere quod volumus. Praeveniente gratia, et bona voluntate subsequente, hoc quod omnipotentis Dei donum est fit meritum nostrum. Quod bene Paulus brevi sententia explicat ^(0642B) dicens: Plus illis omnibus laboravi (I Cor. XV). Qui ne videretur suae virtuti tribuisse quod fecerat, adjunxit: Non autem ego, sed gratia Dei mecum (Ibid.). (Isid. l. II Sent., c. 5.) Interdum peccantibus nobis suam Deus gratiam non retrahit, ut ad spem divinae propitiationis humana mens consurgat. Ab illo enim nobis omnia bona, gratia praeveniente, donantur. Profectus hominis donum Dei est, nec a se potest quisquam, sed a Deo corrigi, testante propheta, qui ait: Scio, Domine, quia non est hominis via ejus, nec viri est ut ambulet et dirigat gressus suos (Jer. X). Spiritualis gratia non omnibus distribuitur, sed tantummodo electis donatur. Munera gratiarum, alii ista, alii vero donantur illa, nec datur habere ita uni ut non egeat altero. Posse fieri non est dubium, ut ii ^(0642C) quos quidam virtutum excellentia antecedunt, Dei repentina praeveniente gratia, quosdam compendio sanctitatis praeveniant, ut dum sunt conversione postremi, subito efficiantur virtutis culmine primi. Dum quisque aliquod bonum accipit, non appetat amplius quam quod meruit, ne dum alterius membri officium arripere tentat, id quod meruit perdat. Conturbat enim corporis ordinem totum, qui non suo contentus officio, subripit alienum. Frater interrogavit quemdam senem dicens: Si fuero in loco aliquo, et nata mihi fuerit tribulatio, et non habuero cui me committam, et indicem illi passionem animae meae, quid facio? Dicit illi senex: Crede in Deum, quia ipse mittet gratiam suam, et satisfaciet tibi, si in veritate rogaveris eum. Et addidit dicens: Audivi ^(0642D) enim quia in Scythi tale aliquid factum est. Erat ibi quidam qui sustinebat tentationes, et non habens fiduciam in aliquo cui confiteretur, paravit sero peram suam ut discederet. Et ecce nocte apparuit ei gratia Domini in specie virginis, et rogabat eum dicens: Nusquam vadas, sed sede hic mecum; nihil enim malum tibi fiet ex iis quae audisti. Qui credens verbis ejus sedit, et sanatum est statim cor ipsius.

  (0642A) CAPUT XLVI. De bonis subjectis.

116 CHAPTER 46 On Good Subjects S ubjects are to be admonished not to censure rashly the life of their superiors if they happen to see them doing something deserving of censure. They may rightly contradict evils, and then finish up sinking lower through an impulse of pride. Subjects are to be admonished not to become less reverent toward their superiors when they consider their faults. If any of these faults are very serious, let them personally exercise discernment, so that bound by the fear of God they do not refuse to bear the yoke of reverence under them. 1 Subjects of good disposition are to be admonished to rejoice in the good things of others, and so desire to have them as their own; they are to praise their neighbors’ deeds, loving them so as to multiply them by imitating them. They should do this in case, while in the arena of this present life being ardent supporters at another’s contest but slothful spectators, they remain without a prize after the contest. The reason for this would be that now they do not join in the contest. So they would then gaze with sad eyes at the palms waved by those in whose toil they are now too slothful to join. We sin greatly if we do not love the good that others do, but we get no reward if we do not imitate as much as we can the things we love. 2 The good things that belong to others and that we love in them are ours, even if we cannot imitate them; and whatever they love in us becomes their property. 3 1 Taio, Sent 2. 42; PL 80:841AB, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 4; PL 77:55C. 2 Taio, Sent 2. 42; PL 80:842AB, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 10; PL 77:62D–63A. 3 Taio, Sent 2. 43; PL 80:843A, quoting Gregory, Past 3. 10; PL 77:63C. On Good Subjects 117 Those who in the bosom of holy Church advance by means of great virtues must not look down on the life of their superiors when they see them applying themselves to exterior things;that they themselves securely penetrate interior things is due to the help of those who toil exteriorly against the storms of this world. For what grace and brightness would their fine linen retain if rain were to touch it? Or what splendor and brightness would their scarlet or hyacinth cloth show if dust were to soil them? Therefore let their outer wear be of the texture of sackcloth, strong against dust, and the color within be hyacinth, suitable for comeliness. Let those who apply themselves only to spiritual things adorn the Church. Let those burdened by the labor of bodily things protect the Church. Therefore in no way should one who within holy Church already shines spiritually murmur against his church leader who is dealing with exterior things. For if you in your sheltered life shine interiorly like scarlet cloth, why do you accuse the sackcloth that is protecting you?4 Abba Joseph asked Abba Poemen, saying, “Tell me how to become a monk?”And the old man said, “If you wish to find rest both in this world and in the world to come, in every situation say, ‘What am I?’And do not judge anyone. ”5 A brother asked Abba Poemen, saying, “What am I to do, because I become faint of heart while I am sitting?”The old man said to him, “Judge no one, despise no one, do not condemn or slander anyone, and God will give you rest, and your sitting will be without disturbance. ”6 A certain holy man, when he had heard of someone sinning, wept bitterly and said, “He today, I tomorrow. But however anyone may sin before you, do not judge; but judge yourself a greater sinner than he. ”7 4 Paterius, Expositio 2. 41; PL 79:741C, quoting Gregory, Mor 25. 16; CCSL 143B:1263–64; PL 76:347AB. 5 PL 73:910B (5); see also PG 65:227 (228)C (2); Sayings, 87 (102), 2. 6 PL 73:911A (8); see also 779CD (100); 1056A (2a). 7 PL 73:1039C (3) see Wisdom, 52–3, 196. 118 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel Often seniors do something by way of exception, and juniors think it a mistake. Often the strong say many things that the weak pass judgment on because of ignorance. . . . And so some subjects extend their. . .

(D. Greg., pastor. Curae p. III, admon. 5, 11.) Admonendi sunt subditi ne praepositorum suorum vitam temere, si quid eos fortasse agere reprehensibiliter vident, reprehendant, ne unde recte mala redarguunt, ^(0643A) inde per elationis impulsum in profundiora mergantur. Admonendi sunt subditi, ne cum culpas praepositorum considerant, contra eos audaciores fiant: sed sic (si qua valde sunt eorum prava) apud semetipsos dijudicent, ut tamen divino timore constricti, ferre sub eis jugum reverentiae non recusent. Admonendi sunt benevoli subditi, ut sic alienis bonis congaudeant, quatenus habere et propria concupiscant, sic proximorum facta diligendo laudent, ut etiam imitando multiplicent, ne (si in hoc praesentis vitae stadio ad certamen alienum devoti fautores, sed pigri spectatores assistunt) eo post certamen sine bravio remaneant, quo nunc in certamine non laborant, et tunc eorum palmas afflicti respiciant, in quorum nunc labore otiosi perdurant. Valde peccamus; ^(0643B) si aliena bene gesta non diligimus, sed nil mercedis agimus; si ea quae diligimus, in quantum possumus, non imitamur. Nostra nimirum sunt bona aliorum, quae (et si imitari non possumus) in aliis amamus, amantium fiunt, quaeque amantur in nobis. (Greg. lib. XXV Expos. mor., c. 22.) Qui igitur magnis virtutibus in sanctae Ecclesiae sinu proficiunt, praepositorum suorum vitam despicere non debent, cum vacare eos rebus exterioribus vident: quia hoc quod ipsi securi intima penetrant, ex illorum adjumento est, qui contra procellas hujus saeculi exterius laborant. Quam enim candoris sui gratiam retineret, si byssum pluvia tangeret? Aut quid fulgoris atque claritatis coccus vel hyacinthus ostenderet, si haec susceptus pulvis foedaret? Sit ergo desuper textura ^(0643C) cilicii fortis ad pulverem, sit interius color hyacinthinus, aptus ad decorem. Ornent Ecclesiam qui solis rebus spiritalibus vacant. Tegant Ecclesiam, quos et labor rerum corporalium gravat. Nequaquam ergo contra rectorem suum exteriora agentem murmuret is qui intra sanctam Ecclesiam jam spiritualiter fulget. Si enim tu secure interius, ut coccus, rutilas, cilicium quo protegeris, cur accusas? (Huc usque Greg.) Interrogavit abbas Joseph abbatem Pastorem dicens: Dic mihi quomodo monachus fiam? Et dixit senex: Si vis invenire requiem et in isto saeculo et in futuro, in omni causa dic: Quid sum ego? Et non judices quemquam. Frater interrogavit abbatem Pastorem dicens: Quid faciam, quia pusillanimis fio dum sedeo. Dicit ei senex: Nullum ^(0643D) judices, nullum spernas, neque condemnes, nullique detrahas, et Deus tibi praestat requiem, et erit sessio tua sine perturbatione. Vir quidam sanctus cum audisset quemdam peccantem, flevit amare, et dixit: Iste hodie, ego crastino. Verumtamen qualiter vis peccet aliquis ante te, non judices: sed judica magis temetipsum peccatorem, quam illum. Saepe aliquid a majoribus dispensatorie agitur, quod a minoribus error putatur. Saepe multa a fortibus dicuntur, quae idcirco infirmi dijudicant, quia ignorant. Unde et nonnulli subditi contra hoc manum reprehensionis mittunt: sed a vita protinus ipsa, sua temeritate deficiunt. Levites ergo quasi adjuvans manum tetendit: sed delinquens vitam perdidit (II Reg. 6), quia ^(0644A) dum infirmi quique fortium facta corripiunt, ipsi a viventium sorte reprobantur.

  (0644A) CAPUT XLVII. Ut thesaurus monachi in coelo collocetur.

119 CHAPTER 47 That the Monk’s Treasure Is to Be Located in Heaven T he Lord admonishes us saying, Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust drives out1 (Matt 6:20). (And as to how everyone may come to the perfection of their monastic life, ) he again says, If you wish to be perfect, go, sell all you possess, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasures in heaven;then come, follow me (Matt 19:21;Mark 10:21;see Luke 12:3334 ). Let us, then, place our treasure in heaven, beloved, where we are not to fear any enemy or attacker. (Let us place the treasure of our works and virtues in heaven, ) where we are not to fear the hidden thief (or the violent plunderer). For our homeland is paradise. Since we are going to receive them afterwards in our homeland, we must lay up now the manifold treasures of the virtues, (where after the end of this world we may deserve to receive fruit a hundredfold. For the saints, says the prophet, will possess a double portion in their land (see Isa 61:7), that is, they will have happiness of mind and also of body in the land of the living:When the Lord Jesus Christ will transform the body of our lowliness, now conformed to the body of his glory (Phil 3:21)). For there a great number of people dear to us is waiting for us; a large crowd of parents, brothers, and sisters longs to see us, secure already of their own immortality, but still anxious for our salvation. There the choir of patriarchs and the order of prophets, apostles (and virgins, ) and the ranks of all the saints long to behold 1 Smaragdus here has exterminat, where theVulgate has demolitur, “demolishes. ” 120 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel us. Oh, how great is the joy, to arrive at the fellowship of all the saints, to come to the happy embrace of them all! Oh, how supreme and perpetual is the happiness, there to behold the glorious choirs of apostles, and to see the sacred order of prophets abounding in joy, and to be right there among the white ranks of virgins, martyrs and confessors!2 Abba Hyperechius said, “The monk’s treasure is voluntary poverty . Therefore, brother, store up treasure for yourself in heaven, because the ages are for endless rest. ”3 Abba Evagrius used to say, “When you sit in your cell, gather your mind to yourself and remember the day of death, and then you will see what it means to mortify your body. Think of the destruction , accept the sorrow, avoid the vanities of this world. Be modest and solicitous, so that you may be able always to remain in the same resolve of quiet, and you will not grow feeble. . . . Remember also the good things that are laid up for the just. Have confidence before God the Father and his Christ, in the presence of the angels and the powers and all the people of the kingdom of heaven, and think of its gifts, its rest and its joy. Rejoice over the good things laid up for the just, and exult for joy, and hasten to enjoy these things. ”4 2 Smaragdus, Via reg 13, with the customary adaptations to a monastic audience; PL 102:953D–54B; see Cyprian, De mortalitate, at the end; PL 4:624AB. 3 PL 73:891A (14); see also PG 65:(429) 430D (6); Sayings, 200 (238), 6. 4 PL 73:860D–61AB (3); PG 65:173 (174)D (1bis); Sayings, 54 (63–64), 1. Smaragdus or his source in using this apophthegm has abbreviated it, omitting the meditation on hell and the judgment of the wicked that it contains. . . .

Dominus nos admonet dicens: Thesaurizate vobis thesauros in coelo, ubi nec aerugo, nec tinea exterminat (Matth. VI). Et quomodo unusquisque ad perfectionem monachatus perveniat, ipse iterum dicit: Si vis perfectus esse, vade, vende omnia quae habes, et da pauperibus, et habebis thesauros in coelo, et veni et sequere me (Matth. XIX, Marc. X, Luc. XIX). Thesaurum ergo nostrum, fratres, in coelo ponamus, ubi hostem et expugnatorem non timeamus. Thesaurum itaque operum vel virtutum nostrarum collocemus in coelo, ubi non timeamus occultum furem, neque ^(0644B) violentum raptorem. Patria enim nostra paradisus est. In patria vero nostra postmodum recepturi, multiplices nunc bonarum virtutum debemus condere thesauros, ubi post finem hujus saeculi centuplicatos mereamur recipere fructus. Sancti enim, dicit propheta, in terra sua duplicia possidebunt (Isa. VI), id est, in terra viventium beatitudinem mentis simul habebunt et corporis: Ubi Dominus Jesus Christus reformabit corpus humilitatis nostrae, configuratum corpori claritatis suae (Phil. III). (Cyprian., lib. de Mortalit. in fine.) Magnus enim nos illic charorum exspectat numerus; parentum, fratrum atque sororum copiosa turba videre desiderat, de sua jam immortalitate secura, sed adhuc de nostra salute ^(0644C) sollicita. Ibi chorus patriarcharum, numerus prophetarum, apostolorum, virginum, et omnium cernere nos desiderat cuneus sanctorum. O quam grandis laetitia est, ad istorum omnium sanctorum pervenire consortium, ad istorum omnium felicem venire complexum! O quam summa et perpetua felicitas, illic apostolorum gloriosos cernere choros, et exsultantium prophetarum numerum videre sacratum, et inter virginum, martyrum et confessorum candidatum cuneum interesse sanctorum. Dixit abbas Hyperitius: Thesaurus monachi est voluntaria paupertas. Thesauriza ergo tibi, frater, in coelo, quia ad requiescendum sine fine sunt saecula. Dicebat abbas Evagrius: Cum sedes in cella, collige ad te sensum tuum, et memor esto diei mortis, et tunc videbis corporis tui ^(0644D) mortificationem. Cogita cladem, suscipe dolorem, devita mundi istius vanitates. Esto modestus et sollicitus, ut possis semper in eodem quietis proposito permanere, et non infirmaberis. Memorare etiam et bona quae sunt justis reposita. Fiduciam habe ante Deum Patrem et Christum ejus, coram angelis, et potestatibus, atque omni plebe regni coelorum, et dona ejus cogita, et requiem, et gaudium. Super bona vero justis reposita gaude, et exsulta, et laetare, et his quidem frui festina.

  (0644A) CAPUT XLVIII. De consilio.

121 CHAPTER 48 On Counsel S olomon admonishes us about this virtue of counsel, saying, My child, listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may be wise for the future (Prov 19:20). My child, do nothing without counsel and you will not repent after acting (Sir 32:24). (For the astute person does everything with counsel (Prov 13:16). ) Those who take advice for all they do are endowed with much wisdom (Prov 13:10). Where counsel is lacking, plans go wrong, but where advisers are many, they succeed (Prov 15:22). The heart is delighted with ointment and various odors, and the soul is sweetened by the good counsels of a friend (Prov 27:9Vulgate). War is begun with planning, and where there are many counselors there is safety (Prov 24:6). (The knowledge of the wise will abound like a flood, and their counsel remains like a spring of life (Sir 21:13). ) Good counsel is something quite important, and very necessary for monks. (Therefore all who have wished to climb to the heavenly homeland have loved the virtue of counsel on earth. )1 . . . Through this virtue of counsel the martyrs delivered up their mortal bodies to death in order to receive eternal life from the Lord. Through this virtue of counsel the virgins and confessors persevered to the end in the service of the Lord. 2 1 This last sentence is proper to the Diadema, and at this point Smaragdus omits a long list of examples from the Old Testament of counsel given and received by kings and leaders. 2 Smaragdus, Via reg 20; PL 102:959A–60A. The Scripture quotations vary slightly in order and wording. 122 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel The heart’s weighty counsel banishes all wandering and inconstancy . There are souls that fleetingly desire now this, now that. And so, since he does not regard these light fluctuations of mind as unimportant, Almighty God turns his gaze from wandering hearts; but when by grace he does have regard, he fixes wandering minds in the stability of counsel. When Almighty God mercifully deigns to regard the light-minded movements of humans, he forthwith forms them in mature constancy, and with the regard of heavenly grace suddenly brings their hearts to the seriousness of counsel. 3 In every work you think of doing, think first of God, and examine carefully if what you are thinking is according to God. And if it is right in God’s presence, do it; but if it is not right, cut it off from your soul. 4 So, beloved, let us do all that we do with counsel, because it is written: Before every work let a truthful word go before you (Sir 37:20); and in everything beseech the Most High that he may direct your way in truth (Sir 37:19). If the great Lord wills it, he will fill you with the spirit of understanding;he will send you words of wisdom like the rain (Sir 39:89 ), and he will open your mouth in prayer and direct your counsel in the good, and your memory will not be blotted out for ever (see Sir 39:6-7, 9). 5 At the beginning of his monastic life, Abba Evagrius came to a certain old man seeking counsel, and said to him, “Tell me, Abba, a word by which I may be saved. ”And he said to him, “If you want to be saved, when you go to anyone do not speak first before he inquires of you. ” Pierced by this word, Evagrius said, “Believe me, I have read many books, and I have never found such learning. ”And he went out greatly benefitted. 6 3 Taio, Sent 3. 49; PL 80:906CD, quoting Gregory, Mor 19. 5; CCSL 143:961; PL 76:100BC. The last clause seems to be Taio’s addition. 4 Pseudo-Basil, Admonitio 12; PL103:694A. 5 Smaragdus, Via reg 20;PL 102:960AB. The Scripture quotations vary slightly in order and wording. 6 PL 73:915CD (19);see also PG 65:171 (172)D (7); Sayings, 53 (62), 7. In the Alphabetical Sayings this apophthegm is under the name of Abba Euprepios. On Counsel 123 Abba Poemen said, “He who teaches and does not do what he teaches is like a canal; it can slake the thirst of all who come to it and wash their stains, yet it cannot cleanse itself, but all filth and uncleanness is in it. . .

De hac nos virtute consilii Salomon admonet dicens: Audi, fili, consilium, et suscipe disciplinam, ut ^(0645A) sis sapiens in novissimis tuis (Prov. XIX). Fili, sine consilio nihil facias, et post factum non poenitebit (Eccli. XXXII). Astutus enim omnia agit cum consilio (Prov. XIII). Et qui agunt cuncta cum consilio, multa reguntur sapientia (Ibid.). Nam dissipantur cogitationes, ubi non est consilium (Prov. XV). Ubi vero plures sunt consiliarii, confirmantur. Unguento et variis odoribus delectatur cor, et bonis amici consiliis anima dulcoratur (Prov. XXVII). Cum dispositione initur bellum, et erit salus ubi multa consilia sunt (Prov. XXIV). Scientia sapientis tanquam inundatio abundabit, et consilium illius sicut fons vitae permanet (Eccli. XXI). Magna etenim res est bonum consilium, et monachis valde pernecessarium. Hanc igitur consilii virtutem dilexerunt omnes in terra qui ad coelestem voluerunt ^(0645B) conscendere patriam. Per hanc virtutem consilii martyres ut aeternam a Domino reciperent vitam, morti mortalia sua tradiderunt corpora. Per hanc consilii virtutem virgines et confessores in servitio Domini usque in finem perseveraverunt. Grave autem consilium cordis, omnem inconstantiam vagationis expellit. Sunt animae quae levi motu nunc ista, nunc illa desiderant. Omnipotens ergo Deus, quia ipsas leves fluctuationes mentium non leviter pensat, vagationem cordis relinquendo dijudicat: sed cum per gratiam respicit, vagam mentem in consilii stabilitatem figit. Cum Deus omnipotens leves motus hominis misericorditer dignatur aspicere, hunc protinus constantiae maturitatem format, atque supernae gratiae respectu cor ejus ad ^(0645C) gravitatem consilii repente perducit. In omni opere quod cogitas facere, primum cogita Deum, et si secundum Deum est quod cogitas, diligenter examina. Et si est rectum coram Deo, perfice illud; si vero perversum fuerit, amputa illud ab anima tua. Et nos ergo, fratres, omnia quae agimus, cum consilio agamus, quia scriptum est: Ante omnia opera verbum verax praecedat te, et ante omnem actum consilium stabile: et in his omnibus deprecare Altissimum, ut dirigat in veritate viam tuam. Si enim Dominus magnus voluerit, spiritu intelligentiae replebit te, et quasi imbres, mittet tibi eloquia sapientiae suae, et aperiet os tuum in oratione, et diriget consilium tuum in bono, et usque in saeculum non delebitur memoria tua (Eccli. XXXVII, XXXIX). Venit in initio ^(0645D) conversationis suae abbas Evagrius ad quemdam senem, quaerens consilium, et dicit ei: Dic mihi, abba, sermonem quo salvus fiam. Ille autem dixit ei: Si vis salvus fieri, quando vadis ad aliquem, non prius loquaris antequam ille te inquirat. Evagrius autem compunctus in hoc sermone, dixit: Crede mihi, multos codices legi, et talem eruditionem nunquam inveni. Et multum proficiens exiit. Dixit abbas Pastor: Qui docet et non facit quae docet, similis est canali, quae omnes ad se venientes satiat, et sordes eorum lavat, seipsam autem purgare non potest, sed omnis spurcitia et immunditia in ea est. Frater interrogavit abbatem Pastorem dicens: Quid est illud quod scriptum est: Qui irascitur fratri suo sine ^(0646A) causa (Matth. V). Et ille respondit: Ex omni re qua te gravare voluerit frater tuus, ne irascaris adversus eum donec oculum tuum dextrum ejiciat: alioquin sine causa irasceris ei. Si autem aliquis vult te separare a Deo, pro hoc irascere.

  (0646A) CAPUT XLIX. De sanctificatione cordis et corporis.

124 CHAPTER 49 On the Sanctification of Heart and Body A mong other things, Paul speaks as follows to the Thessalonians about sanctification: This is the will of God, your sanctification :that you abstain from fornication (1Thess 4:3). This is the will of God, he says; that is, this is pleasing to God, that you be sanctified in heart and also in body. If this had not been pleasing to him, he would not have ordered us, saying, Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy (Lev 19:2; see Lev 20:7). But truly and without any doubt, the holiness and splendor by which those who are holy and splendid become holy with God consists in the sanctification of our same Creator, as it is written:Holiness and splendor are in his sanctification (Ps 95(96):6). Hence also the Lord says, Keep my statutes, and observe them; I am the Lord who sanctify you (Lev 20:8). Although this virtue of sanctification must be in all Christians, it is especially fitting and becoming to the priestly order. For this reason the Lord also says to Moses, You shall clothe Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, so that they may exercise the priesthood for me (Exod 30:30). Let not a priest defile himself for the dead (Lev 21:1), for he is holy to his God, and he offers the show bread (see Lev 21:7-8). Therefore they shall be holy, for I the Lord, who sanctify you, am holy (Lev 21:8). For indeed, unless a priest offers sacrifice to God with heart and body sanctified, it will not be agreeable to him, who knows the priest’s heart to be polluted with the contagion of fornication. Hence in this place too the apostle exhorts not only the Thessalonians (1 Thess 4:3) but all who believe in Christ to abstain from On the Sanctification of Heart and Body 125 fornication; because as through humility of mind chastity of the flesh is safeguarded, so through pride of heart one enters into the uncleanness of impurity. 1 That is why the demons associate familiarly with the sexually impure and the proud more than with the rest of sinners, because through impurity of the flesh the devil binds them up with his own chains, so that separated from God and associated with the demons, they cannot possess the kingdom of heaven with the saints. 2 John the Apostle also says this about this virtue of sanctification : And all who have this hope in him sanctify themselves, just as he is holy (1 John 3:3). Many say they have hope of heavenly life in Christ, but they make this confession empty by their negligent living. Those who are careful to apply themselves to good works show a clear sign of heavenly hope, being certain that they will only reach likeness to God in the future if they imitate God’s holiness in the present by sanctifying themselves, that is, by renouncing impiety and worldly desires, and by living lives that are sober, upright, and godly (Titus 2:12). . . . Those who have hope in God sanctify themselves as much as they can by looking towards him3 and in everything entreating his grace, who says, Without me you can do nothing (John 15:5), and by saying to him, Be my helper, do not forsake me (Ps 26(27):9). 4 . . . Therefore he makes us holy, just as he is holy (1 John 3:3). But he is holy in virtue of eternity, we are holy in virtue of faith. 5 In olden times bishops, priests, and deacons were ordained as men having only one wife (see 1Tim 3:2);but now, since purity has increased in distinction because of its connection with holiness, the rule of the sacred canons prohibits them from all carnal intercourse. In the OldTestament priests withheld themselves from intercourse with their wives only when they were ministering at the altar. But 1 No source traced for this passage. 2 See Isidore, Sent 2. 39. 4; CCSL 111:171; PL 83:640D. 3 Bede’s text (In 1 Jo 3:3) has quantum potest ipse nitendo, “as much as he (they) can by striving”; Smaragdus has quantum potest ipsum intuendo. 4 Bede, In 1 Jo 3:3; CCSL 121:302–3; PL 93:99D–100A; see CS 82:186–87. 5 Bede, In 1 Jo 3:7; CCSL 121:304; PL 93. . .

Inter caetera de sanctificatione sic Paulus in Epistola ad Thessalonicenses ait: Haec est voluntas Dei sanctificatio vestra, ut abstineatis a fornicatione (I Thess. IV). Haec est voluntas Dei, dicit, id est, hoc placet Deo, ut vos corde pariter sancitificati sitis et corpore. Nisi enim ei hoc placuisset, nobis non imperasset dicens: Sancti estote, quia et ego sanctus sum, Dominus Deus vester (Lev. XIX et XX). Sed vere ^(0646B) et absque ulla dubitatione, sanctimonia qua sanctimoniales et magnificentia qua magnifici apud Deum efficiuntur sancti, in sanctificatione ejusdem nostri creatoris consistit, sicut scriptum est: Sanctimonia et magnificentia in sanctificatione ejus (Psal. XCV). Hinc et Dominus ait: Custodite praecepta mea, et facite ea, ego Dominus qui sanctifico vos (Lev. XX). Quae virtus sanctificationis, quamvis omnibus inesse debeat Christianis, maxime tamen ordini convenit et condecet sacerdotali. Unde et Dominus Moysi ait: Vesties Aaron et filios ejus, et sanctificabis illos, ut sacerdotio fungantur mihi (Exod. XXVIII). Et ne contaminetur sacerdos in mortibus, quia consecratus est Deo suo, et panes propositionis offert. Sit ergo sanctus, quia et ego sanctus sum Dominus, qui sanctifico ^(0646C) vos (Lev. XXI). Vere enim nisi corde et corpore sanctificato Deo sacrificium a sacerdote offeratur, non erit ei gratum, qui cor illius a fornicationis contagio cognoscit esse pollutum. Unde et hoc in loco non solum Thessalonicenses (I Thess. IV), sed et omnes hortatur Apostolus in Christo credentes, ut se abstineant a fornicatione: quia sicut per humilitatem mentis custoditur castitas carnis, ita per superbiam cordis in immunditiam itur libidinis. (Isid., l. II Sentent., c. 39.) Et ideo luxuriosis atque superbis familiariter se plus quam caeteris peccatoribus consociant daemones, quia per luxuriam carnis suis eos diabolus constringit catenis, ut a Deo separati daemonibusque sociati, regnum coelorum habere non possint cum sanctis. De hac sanctificationis virtute ^(0646D) sic et Joannes apostolus ait: Omnis qui habet spem hanc in eo, sanctificat se, sicut et ille sanctus est (I Joan. III). Multi se dicunt spem habere vitae coelestis in Christo, sed hanc confessionem negligenter vivendo evacuant. Manifestum autem de se indicium supernae spei exhibet, qui bonis operam dare actibus studet, certus quia non aliter ad similitudinem Dei quis in futuro perveniet, nisi Dei sanctitatem in praesenti se sanctificando (id est, abnegando impietatem et saecularia desideria, sobrie autem et juste, et pie vivendo (Tit. II)) imitetur. Qui habet spem in Domino, sanctificat se (quantum potest) ipsum intuendo, et ejus per omnia gratiam flagitando qui ait: Sine me nihil potestis facere (Joan. XV), eique dicendo: Adjutor ^(0647A) meus esto, ne derelinquas me (Ps. XXVI). Ergo sanctificat nos, sicut et ipse sanctus est (I Joan. III). Sed ille sanctus aeternitate, nos sancti fide. Tempore enim antiquo, episcopi, presbyteri et diaconi unius uxoris viri ordinabantur (I Tim. III): modo autem (quia sanctitatis causa crevit munditia) ab omni carnali consortio omnes illos sacrorum regula prohibet canonum. Nam et in Veteri Testamento (Exod. XXVIII) eo tempore tantum quo sacerdotes praesto erant altari, ab uxorum suarum se continebant concubitu: nunc autem (quia quotidie corpus Domini aut conficiendum nobis est ad altare, aut sumendum) a carnali concubitu quotidie nobis est abstinendum. Hinc Paulus Timotheum admonet, dicens: Exemplum esto fidelium in sermone, in conversatione, ^(0647B) in charitate, in fide, in castitate (I Tim. IV). Qui enim aliis in sermone exemplum debet praebere, modum locutionis non debet ignorare, sed diligenter debet attendere, quid, cui, quando vel quomodo debeat loqui, ut sermo ejus non fatuus, sed, secundum Domini praeceptum, sale sapientiae sit conditus (Matth. IX). Ille in conversatione bonum aliis praebet exemplum qui caste, pie et juste vivit in hoc saeculo (Luc. XIV). Ille in charitate aliis bonum praebet exemplum qui Deum ex toto corde, tota mente, tota virtute diligit, et proximum sicut semetipsum (Deut. VI; Matth. XXII; Luc. X). Ille in fide bonum praebet exemplum, qui recte credendo bene vivit, et bene vivendo fidem rectam custodit. Ille in castitate aliis bonum praebet exemplum, qui castitatis pulchritudinem ^(0647C) diligens, non solum eam in suo servat corpore, sed etiam a cogitationibus pravis tutam custodit in mente, quia nihil prodest incorruptio carnis ubi non est integritas mentis.

  (0647C) CAPUT L. De vocatione divinae pietatis.

127 CHAPTER 50 On the Call of the Divine Kindness T he call of the divine kindness, which is made in different ways in different ages and at different times, is not due to human merit but is always made freely by God alone in his kindness. As the apostle says, The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable (Rom 11:29). He also says to Timothy, He freed us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace (2 Tim 1:9). People are called in different ways, as was said. Some who are healthy only in body are called, being divinely inspired; others afflicted with weakness of the flesh are called, as are others again who are oppressed by diverse defects or various trials. They are called at different ages:some in infancy, some in adolescence, others in youth, others in old age, and some even in extreme old age. They are called at different hours of the day: some early in the morning, others at the third or the sixth or the ninth hour, and others at the eleventh hour. None of these is called to uncleanness, but all are called by a holy God to holiness of heart and of body. The holy God always wishes to have holy ministers, as he says in the Gospel: For their sake I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth (John 17:19). 1 A certain old man said, “Two brothers were neighbors, one a foreigner, the other a native-born. The foreigner was somewhat 1 No source traced for this passage. 128 Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel negligent, while the native-born was very zealous. Now it happened that the foreigner fell asleep in peace. The old man who was their neighbor, being gifted with foresight, saw a multitude of angels leading his soul away. When he had come to enter heaven, the question was put about that soul. And there came a voice from above saying, ‘It is clear that he was somewhat negligent, but open to him on account of his living in a foreign country. ’And afterwards that native-born person fell asleep, and all his kindred came to him;but that old man did not see any angels come to lead his soul away. Surprised, the old man said, ‘How is it that the foreigner, although he was somewhat negligent, had such glory, and this man, although he was zealous, did not merit anything of the kind?’And a voice came, saying to him, ‘When this zealous man came to die, he opened his eyes and saw his relatives weeping, and his soul was consoled. But that foreigner, although he was somewhat negligent, did not see any of his own, and he groaned and wept, and God consoled him. ’”2 They used to say of Abba Sisoes that on the day of his falling asleep, when the fathers were sitting around him, his face shone like the sun, and he said to them, “Behold, the choir of prophets and apostles has come. ”Again he said, “Behold, the angels have come to take me. ”And again his face became like the sun, and they were all afraid. He said to them again, “See, behold the Lord is coming, saying , ‘Bring to me the chosen vessel of the desert. ’”And at once he rendered up his spirit. And that whole place was filled with brightness and a sweet odor. 3 2 PL 73:994CD–95A (12); see Wisdom, 63–64, 236. 3 PL 73:1007CD (6); see also 793CD–94A (162); PG 65:395 (396)BC (14); Sayings, 180 (214–15), 14. Smaragdus’s version is abbreviated here, while the full version is given in chapter 88 of this work. . . .

Vocatio divinae pietatis (quae diversis modis in diversis aetatibus et diversis fit temporibus) non hominis merito, sed semper gratis ab ipso solo pioque fit Deo: sicut Apostolus ait: Sine poenitentia sunt dona, et vocatio Dei (Rom. XI). Qui et ad Timotheum dicit: Qui liberavit nos et vocavit vocatione sua sancta, non secundum opera nostra, sed secundum propositum et gratiam (II Tim. I). Vocantur enim, ut dictum est, diversis modis: ^(0647D) quia alii tantum corpore sani vocantur, divinitus inspirati; alii autem infirmitate carnis afflicti; alii vero diversis damnis, vel tribulationibus variis oppressi. Vocantur et diversis aetatibus, quia alii in infantia, alii in adolescentia, alii in juventute, alii vero in senectute, vel etiam in decrepita aetate vocantur; et diversis horis diei, quia alii primo mane, alii hora tertia, alii hora sexta, alii nona, alii vero vocantur undecima. Quorum omnium nullus in immunditiam, sed omnes sunt vocati a sancto Deo in sanctificationem cordis et corporis. Sanctus etenim Deus sanctos vult semper habere ministros, sicut et idem in Evangelio ait: Pro eis sanctifico meipsum, ut sint et ipsi sanctificati in veritate (Joan. XVII). Dixit ^(0648A) quidam senex: Quia duo fratres erant vicini, unus peregrinus, et alter indigena. Erat autem peregrinus ille modicum negligentior, ille vero indigena studiosus valde: contigit autem ut dormiret peregrinus ille in pace. Senex autem qui erat vicinus eorum, cum esset providus, vidit multitudinem angelorum deducentium animam ejus. Cum ergo venisset ad coelum ut intraret, facta est quaestio de illa anima. Et venit vox desuper dicens: Manifestum est quia modicum negligens fuit, sed propter peregrinationem ejus aperite ei. Et post haec dormivit ille indigena, et venit omnis cognatio ad eum: angelos vero non vidit ille senex venire ad deducendam animam illius. Miratus autem senex dixit: Quomodo peregrinus ille cum negligentior fuerit, ^(0648B) talem gloriam habuit, et hic cum studiosus esset, nihil hujusmodi meruit. Et venit vox dicens ei: Hic studiosus cum venit ut dormiret, aperuit oculos suos et vidit parentes suos flentes, et consolata est anima ejus. Peregrinus vero, ille licet negligentior fuit, nullum tamen suorum vidit, et ingemiscens flevit, et Deus consolatus est eum. Dicebant de abbate Sysois quod in die dormitionis suae cum sederent circa eum patres, splenduit sicut sol facies ejus, et dixit ad eos: Ecce chorus prophetarum et apostolorum venit. Iterum dixit: Ecce angeli venerunt accipere me. Et rursum facta est facies ejus sicut sol, et timuerunt omnes. Dicit iterum eis: Videte, ecce Dominus venit dicens: Afferte mihi vas electionis eremi. Et continuo reddidit spiritum. Et fulgore ^(0648C) repletus est totus locus ille odore suavitatis.

THE LIFE of ANTONY

 TABLE of CONTENTS

INDICE

THE LIFE of ANTONY

THE LIFE of ANTONY

THE LIFE of ANTONY

THE LIFE of ANTONY
(Chapters 1-7: Antony the young ascetic)

Youth and

Family

 The Mystical Meaning of

Baptismal Vows

 
ANTIRRHETIKOS: PROLOGUE
 

 
ANTIRRHETIKOS: PROLOGUE
 

 
ANTIRRHETIKOS: PROLOGUE
 

 
ANTIRRHETIKOS: PROLOGUE