26. One of the elders said that he had heard from some saints who were young and guided the elders in life, and he told the following: "There was a certain elder who was drunk; he made a mat every day, sold it in the village and drank its price. Afterwards a certain brother came to him and remained with him; and this one made a mat. The elder took and sold it, drank the price of both and brought his brother some bread in the evening. When the elder did this for three years, the brother said nothing to him. And after this he said to him, Behold, I am naked, and I eat my bread with scanty; when I get up, I will go away from here. And again he pondered within himself, saying, Where shall I go? I will begin to live again, for I live for God in this communal life. And immediately an angel appeared to him, saying, "Do not go anywhere, for we will come to you tomorrow." And the elder's brother begged the elder for that day, saying, "Do not go anywhere, for mine will come tomorrow to take me." When the time came for the incontinent elder to depart, he said to his brother: "Child! will not come today, for they have already delayed. The brother said, "No, they are certainly coming," and speaking to him, he rested. The elder, weeping, said: "Alas for me, child! for I have lived many years in negligence, and in a little time you have saved your soul by patience. And from that time the elder became chaste and became skillful.

27. It was said about a brother, a neighbor to the great elder, that when he came to him, he stole if there was anything in his cell. The elder saw him and did not rebuke him, he did not work even more, saying: "Perhaps this brother is in need." And the elder had great sorrow when he labored in this way, and yet found his bread in poverty. When the elder's death arrived, his brothers surrounded him. Seeing him stealing, he said to him, "Draw near to me!" And kissing his hands, he said, "Brothers! I am grateful to these hands, because through them I go into the Kingdom of Heaven. The brother, touched and repentant, became a skilful monk himself from the deeds that he saw in the great elder.

28. Abba Cassian said: The great Isidore, the presbyter of Skete, had a certain Paphnutios deacon, whom he made a presbyter for his virtue, so that he would be his successor after his death. He did not accept ordination out of reverence, but remained a deacon. It was this, through the enemy's malice, that some of the elders envied. When everyone was in church praying, he went out, threw his own book into the cell of Abba Paphnutius and announced to Abba Isidore that one of the brothers had stolen my book. And Abba Isidore was amazed, saying that this had never happened in the Skete. The elder, who had thrown the book, said to him: "Send two fathers with me, so that we search the cells." When they went, the elder took them first to the cells of others, and finally to the cell of Abba Paphnutius, and they found the book. He brought it to the presbyter in the church. Abba Paphnutios repented before all the people to Abba Isidore the presbyter, saying: I have sinned, give me penance. He gave him a penance that he would not have fellowship with them for three weeks, and coming with each assembly before the church, he fell down before all the people, saying, "Forgive me, I have sinned!" After three weeks he was received into communion, and immediately the elder who had slandered him became possessed by a demon and began to confess, saying: "I have slandered the servant of God." When there was a prayer for him from the whole church, he was not healed. Then the great Isidore said to Abba Paphnutius in front of everyone: pray for him; for thou hast been slandered, and only by thee shall he be cured. When Paphnutios prayed for him, the elder immediately became well.

29. A brother asked one of the fathers, saying, "How does the devil tempt the saints?" The elder answered him: in Mount Sinai there lived one of the fathers, named Nikon. And a certain man came to the hut of a certain Pharaanite, and found his daughter alone, and fell with her. And he said to her, "Tell me that the hermit, Abba Nikon, has done this to me." When her father came home and learned of what had happened, he took a sword and went to the elder Nikon. When he knocked, the elder went out, and Faranite raised his sword to kill him, but his hand became withered. And Pharaanite went to church, and told the presbyters about it. They sent for the elder. The elder came. They, having inflicted many blows on him, wanted to drive him out, and the elder begged them, saying: "Leave me here to repent." The presbyters excommunicated him for three years and gave him a commandment that no one should go to him. The elder spent three years in repentance, going to church every Sunday and repenting, begging, saying: pray for me. Finally, the one who committed a sin and laid down the temptation on the hermit began to be tormented by a demon. He confessed to the church: I have committed a sin and told them to slander the servant of God. And then all the people, having gone, brought repentance to the elder Nikon, saying: Forgive us, Abba! The elder said to them: to forgive you, I will forgive you, but to remain – I will not stay with you; for there was not one among you who had the prudence to have compassion on me. Thus Abba Nikon departed from there. And the elder said to the brother who asked, 'Do you see how the devil tempts the saints!'

30. A certain brother forged the key, and opened the cell of one of the elders, and took his money. The elder wrote a charter, saying: "Sir brother, whoever you are, show me love, leave me half for my need." And dividing the money into two parts, he put down the charter. The latter, coming another time and tearing up the charter, took all the money; Then, two years later, he began to die and his soul did not come out. Then, calling the elder, he said to him: "Pray for me, father, for I have stolen your money." And the elder said, "Why did you not say it before?" And when he began to pray, he gave up his spirit.

31. Another, being delivered up by his slave to torture, approaching death, saw a slave who had betrayed him. And taking it, he brought out a gold ring and gave it to her, saying, "I thank you, that you have been the cause of such and many blessings for me."

32. A certain elder in the Skete found robbers robbing his cell, and said to them, "Make haste, before the brethren come and prevent me from fulfilling the commandment of Christ, who says: "Thou shalt not torment him who exacts thy thine" (Luke 6:30).

33. The brothers, traveling and getting lost, asked some how to find their way. They, being evildoers, showed them the way to the wilderness, and one went after them to rob them and advised them to cross the ditch. When he began to cross, the crocodile ran at the robber, but the servant of God did not despise him, but began to shout to the villain, pointing out to him the striving of the beast. He, having escaped, thanked him and marveled at his love.

34. There was a certain patriarch in Theopolis who was merciful and compassionate to those who sinned; it happened that one of the notaries stole gold from him and, being afraid, fled to the Thebaid of Egypt. When he went astray, the barbarians met him and took him to their most remote country. The archbishop, learning of this, ransomed it for eighty-five coins. When he returned, he was so merciful to him, that one of the inhabitants of the city then said: "There is nothing more profitable than to sin against the patriarch of this city."

Chapter 17. About love

1. Abba Anthony said: I no longer fear God, but love Him, for "love casteth out fear" (1 John 4:18).

2. And he said, "From our neighbor we have both life and death." For if we gain a brother, we gain God; but if we offend our brother, then we sin against Christ.

3. Abba Ammon of Nitria came to Abba Anthony and said to him, "I see that I have more work than you, and why is your name exalted by people above me?" Abba Anthony said to him, "Because I love God more than you."

4. Abba Hilarion came from Palestine to Abba Anthony on the mountain, and Abba Anthony said to him, "It is good that you have come, Lucifer, who rises in the morning." And Abba Hilarion said, Peace be unto thee, a pillar of light that sustaineth the universe.