СВЯТОЙ АММОН

I. Повествования об авве Аммоне

1. [Один] брат обратился к авве Аммону, говоря: «Скажи мне слово»[65]. И старец отвечает ему: «Иди и размышляй так, как размышляют преступники, сидящие в тюрьме. Ибо они всегда спрашивают: «где правитель и когда он придет?» И от ожидания плачут. Подобным образом и монах должен всегда пребывать во внимании, обличать душу свою и говорить: «горе мне! Как я предстану перед судейским седалищем Христовым?[66] И как буду оправдываться?» И если будешь постоянно размышлять подобным образом, то сможешь быть спасенным».

2. Рассказывали об авве Аммоне, что он убил василиска[67]. Когда однажды авва пошел в пустыню, чтобы зачерпнуть воды из колодца, то он увидел василиска и, пав на лице свое, сказал: «Господи! Либо я, либо он должен умереть». И тут же василиск, благодаря силе Христовой, лопнул.

3. Авва Аммон сказал: «Четырнадцать лет провел я в Скиту, моля Бога о том, чтобы Он даровал мне [силу] победить гнев»[68].

4. Один из отцов рассказывал: «В Келлиях был некий духовный старец, одевающийся в плетеную из тростника рогожу[69]. Однажды пришел он к авве Аммону. Увидев старца, носящего рогожу, авва сказал: «Это не принесет тебе никакой пользы». И старец [спрашивая духовного совета], вопросил авву: «Три помысла приводят меня в смятение: один побуждает проводить [все] время в пустыне[70], другой — уйти на чужбину, где меня никто не знает, а третий — затвориться в келье, ни с кем не видеться и есть через два дня». Авва Аммон ответил: «Не следует делать ничего из этого, но лучше сядь в келье своей, ешь понемногу каждый день и имей в сердце своем слово мытаря (Лк. 18, 13) — тогда сможешь спастись»».

5. Случилось братиям [потерпеть] оскорбление в месте, где они пребывали, и, желая покинуть его, они пришли к авве Аммону. Старец в это время [куда‑то] плыл и, увидев их, идущих по берегу реки, сказал корабельщикам: «Высадите меня на землю». Подозвав братий, он сказал им: «Я — Аммон, к которому вы идете». И утешив сердца их, уговорил их вернуться туда, откуда они ушли. Ибо случившееся не наносило вреда душе их, но было [лишь] оскорбление человеческое[71].

6. One day Abba Ammon went to cross a river. He found a vessel ready and sat down beside it. At that moment another ship sailed to the same place, and the people on board began to call: "Sail with us, Abba!" [Abba] had with him a bundle of palm branches; he sat down, weaving the rope and then unraveling it again, [and wove] until the [public] vessel had set sail and he had crossed [to the other side][73]. The brethren, bowing down to him, asked: "Why did you do this?" The elder answered: "So that I would not always be preoccupied with haste"[74]. This is an example for us to walk in the way of God in a [calm] state [of spirit].

7. One day Abba Ammon went to visit Abba Anthony, and lost his way; Sitting down, he slept a little. And when he woke up, he began to pray to God, saying: "I beseech Thee, O Lord my God, do not destroy Thy creature!" and he saw, as if a human hand, hanging from heaven, which showed him the way until he reached and stood at the cave of Abba Anthony.

8. Abba Anthony prophesied to the same Abba Ammon, saying, "You will succeed in the fear of God!" [75] He led him out of his cell and, showing him the stone, said: "Curse this stone and strike it." Ammon did it. Abba Anthony asked him: "Did the stone say nothing?" Then Abba Anthony said: "So you will attain this measure"[76]. And this happened, for Abba Ammon had attained such prosperity that, by virtue of the abundance of [his] kindness, he knew no evil. When he became bishop, they brought to him a maiden who was carrying a child in her womb, and said: "So-and-so has done this; impose a penance on them." Ammon, having crossed her womb, ordered to be given six pairs of linen and said: "I am afraid that when the time comes for her to give birth, she or her child will not die; then there will be nothing to bury them in." And those who were with him insisted: "Why are you doing this? Impose penance on them." And he answered: "Look, brethren, she is already near death; what else can I do?" Thus the elder never dared to condemn anyone.

9. They told about him: some people came to him to judge them. But the elder pretended to be stupid, and then a woman standing near him said: "This elder is a fool." The elder, hearing her words, called the woman and said: "How much labor have I done in the wilderness in order to acquire this foolishness, and is it possible that today through you I must lose it?"

10. One day Abba Ammon went to a certain place for a meal. There was one [brother] about whom there was a bad reputation; And it so happened that a woman came into the cell of this brother. The inhabitants of that village, hearing about this, were indignant and gathered together to expel him from his cell. When they learned that Bishop Ammon was there, they came and asked him to go with them. When the brother found out about this, he hid the woman in a large pithos[77]. Arriving with the crowd, Abba Ammon learned of what had happened, but for God's sake he concealed the matter. Entering, he sat down on the pithos and ordered the cell to be searched. When she was searched and the woman was not found, Abba Ammon said: "What does this mean? God will forgive you." After praying, he ordered everyone to depart and, taking his brother by the hand, said to him: "Brother, take heed to yourself." Having said this, he left.

11. Abba Ammon was asked: "What is the narrow and strait way" (Matt. 7:14)?" He answered: "The narrow and strait path is [constantly] the compulsion of one's thoughts[78] and the cutting off of one's own desires for God's sake. This is what the words say: behold, we have left everything and followed Thee (Matt. 19:27)"[79].

12. The brethren came to Abba Anthony and told him a passage from the Book of Leviticus[80]. The elder withdrew into the wilderness, and Abba Ammon, knowing his habit, secretly followed him. Having gone far away, the elder knelt down and cried out in a strong voice: "God! Send me Moses, and let him instruct me concerning this utterance!" Abba Ammon said of this: "I heard the voice, but I did not understand the meaning of what was said."