The Sentences of Evagrius

you illumine. You yourself are he who was with our fathers in the wilderness; you are the light of the lampstands; you are the altar, and the bread of the presence; you are the altar and the willing victim; you are yourself my life, my pearl, my crystal, my silver yoke. I pray, Lord, do not remember my ignorance of my wretchedness: for you are one who bestows hidden benefits, who have deigned to show me all things. To you be honor, power, praise, glory, now and unto all the ages of ages. Amen.

Heirs of God, hear the words of God; and you who are joint-heirs with Christ, receive the sayings of Christ, that you may give them to the hearts of your children; and teach them the words of the wise. A good father instructs his sons: but a wicked father will destroy them. Faith is the beginning of charity: but the end of love is the knowledge of God. The fear of the Lord will keep the soul: but good continence strengthens it. Patient endurance in a man begets hope: and good hope will glorify him. He who subjects his flesh to servitude will be free from passion: but he who nourishes it will grieve on its account. The spirit of fornication dwells in the bodies of the intemperate: but the spirit of chastity in the souls of the abstinent. Withdrawal with charity purifies the heart: but separation with hatred disturbs it. Better is one among a thousand in charity, than one alone with hatred in hidden places and caves.

He who binds the memory of malice in his soul is like one who hides fire among straw. Do not give much food to your body, and you will not see evil fantasies in your sleep: for as water quenches flame, so hunger quenches shameful fantasies. The wrathful man will be terrified; but the meek will be fearless. A strong wind puts clouds to flight, and the remembrance of malice drives sense from knowledge. He who prays for his enemies is unmindful of malice: but he who spares his tongue will not grieve his neighbor. If your brother has provoked you, bring him into your house, and do not be reluctant to go in to him: but eat your bread with him: for by doing this you will deliver your soul, and there will be no stumbling-block for you at the time of prayer. As charity rejoices in poverty, so hatred delights in riches.

The rich man will not obtain knowledge, and the camel will not enter through the eye of a needle: but none of these things is impossible with the Lord. He who loves money will not see knowledge; and he who gathers it will be darkened. The Lord will dwell in the tabernacles of the humble: but in the houses of the proud a curse will be multiplied. He who transgresses His law dishonors God: but he who keeps it glorifies his Maker. If you are zealous for Christ, you will be made blessed: your soul will die with His death, and you will not contract malice from your flesh: but your rising will be like the rising of a star; and your resurrection will shine like the sun. Woe to the wicked in the day of death, and the unjust will perish in the evil time. For as the raven flies away from its nest, so the unclean soul flies from its body.

Angels will lead away the souls of the just: but demons will receive the souls of the wicked. Wherever malice has entered, there ignorance is also: but the hearts of the just will be filled with knowledge. A merciless monk will be destitute: but he who nourishes the poor will inherit treasures. Better is poverty with knowledge, than riches with ignorance. The ornament of the head is a crown; but the ornament of the heart is the knowledge of God. Possess knowledge, not silver; and wisdom above much wealth. The just will inherit the Lord: and the holy will be nourished by Him. He who has mercy on the poor drives out wrath: and he who feeds them will be filled with good things. In a meek heart wisdom rests: but the seat of impassibility is a soul that does good works. Workers of evil will receive an evil reward: but to workers of good a good reward will be given. He who sets a snare is caught in it: and he who hides it will perish by it.

Better is a meek layman than a furious and irascible monk. Wrath destroys knowledge; but patience gathers it. As the strong south wind is upon the sea, so is fury in the heart of a man. He who prays frequently will escape temptations: but thoughts will disturb the heart of the negligent. Let not wine delight you, and let not the flesh entice you. Do not nourish the flesh of your body, and shameful thoughts will fail from you. Do not say: today is a feast day, let us drink wine; and tomorrow is Pentecost, and I will eat meat: for there is no feast among monks on earth for filling the belly. The Pascha of Christ is the passage from malice: and His Pentecost is the resurrection of the soul. The Pentecost of the Lord is the raising up of charity: but he who hates his brother falls into a great ruin. The feast of God is the forgetting of evils: but grief seizes him who retains malice.

The feast of God is true knowledge: but he who aims at false knowledge will die shamefully. Better is fasting with a pure heart, than feasting in uncleanness of soul. He who destroys evil thoughts from his heart is like one who dashes little ones against the rock. The sleepy monk falls into evils: but he who watches will fly like a sparrow. Do not give yourself in your vigils to superfluous tales, and do not cast away spiritual words: for the Lord looks into your heart, and has not held you innocent of all evil. Much sleep thickens the heart: but good vigils sharpen the mind. Much sleep brings on temptations; but he who watches escapes them. As fire melts wax, so good vigils melt evil thoughts. Better is a man sleeping, than a monk keeping vigil in vain words. The dream of angels gladdens the heart; but the dream of demons disturbs it. Repentance and humility have raised up the soul: and almsgiving and meekness have confirmed it.

Always remember your father, and do not forget the eternal judgment, and there will be no offense in your soul. If the spirit of acedia rises upon you, do not leave your dwelling, and do not turn aside in the time of sadness: for as one polishes silver, so your heart will become bright, if you persevere. The spirit of tedium drives away tears: but the spirit of sadness afflicts prayer. If you desire riches you will be much troubled, and embracing them you will mourn most bitterly. Let no scorpion linger in your bosom; so let no evil thought linger in your heart. Do not spare to kill the offspring of serpents, and you will not bring forth their thoughts. For as fire tests gold and silver, so temptation tests the heart of the monk. Put away from you pride, and vainglory, and cast boasting far from you. For he who is deprived of the glory he sought will be grieved: but he who has obtained it will become proud.

Do not give pride to your heart, and do not say in the sight of the Lord, I am powerful; lest the Lord forsake your soul, and evil demons humble it. For then enemies will trouble you from the air, and terrible nights will seize you. Knowledge guards the conduct of the monk: but he who departs from it falls among robbers. From the spiritual rock a river flows; and the soul that does well drinks from it. A vessel of election is a clean soul: but the unclean will be filled with bitterness. Without milk the infant will not be nourished: and without impassibility the heart will not be exalted. Impassibility goes before charity: but love goes before knowledge. Wisdom will be added to knowledge: but prudence begets impassibility. The fear of the Lord begets wisdom: but faith in Christ gives the fear of God. A burning arrow sets the soul on fire; but the man who works good extinguishes it. Knowledge shuns clamor and blasphemy: and wisdom flees deceitful words.

Honey is sweet, and the honeycomb is sweet: but the knowledge of God is sweeter than both. Hear, monk, the words of your father, and do not make void his instructions. When he sends you, obey him, and go with him as far as your mind allows: for in this way you will escape evil thoughts, and evil demons will not prevail against you. If he entrusts money to you, do not squander it: and if you have more than enough, do not keep it for yourself. A bad steward will trouble the souls of the brethren; and one who remembers malice will not have mercy on them. He who wastes the property of the monastery defrauds God: and he who neglects it will not go unpunished. An unjust steward distributes badly; but the just will distribute as is fitting. He who speaks evil of his brother will be destroyed: and he who neglects the needy will not see the light. Better is a layman serving his brother in infirmity, than an anchorite who has no mercy on his neighbor.

A foolish monk neglects the tools of his craft; but the wise will take care of them. Do not say, today I stay, and tomorrow I will go out: for you have not thought about this with wisdom. A wandering monk meditates on false words; but he mocks his own father. He who adorns his garments, and fills his belly, feeds shameful thoughts, and will have no fellowship with the saints. If you enter a village, do not draw near to women; and do not linger to converse with them; for as one who swallows a hook, so will your soul be dragged away. A patient monk will rejoice in impassibility: but he who provokes his brothers will be hateful. The Lord loves a meek monk; but He drives the turbulent from Himself. A lazy monk will murmur: and the sleepy one feigns a headache. If your brother is grieved, console him; and if he sorrows, sorrow with him: for by doing this you will gladden his heart, and heap up for yourself a great treasure in heaven.

The monk who dissembles in keeping the words of his father shall be cursed like a dog by his father, and shall detract from the life of his sons: but the Lord will bring him to nothing. He who seeks an occasion will separate himself from the brothers; and he will accuse his father. Do not give ear to words spoken against your father, and do not stir up the soul of one who dishonors him; lest the Lord be angry at your works, and blot out your name from the book of the living. He who obeys the father of the monastery loves himself: but he who contradicts him will fall into evils. Blessed is the monk who keeps the precepts of the Lord: and holy is he who keeps the words of his fathers. A lazy monk will suffer many losses: and if he persists in boldness, he will also lose his habit. He who guards his tongue directs his ways: and he who guards his heart will be filled with knowledge.

A double-tongued monk disturbs the brothers; but the faithful one acts quietly. He who trusts in his own continence will fall: but he who humbles himself will be exalted. Do not give yourself to the fullness of the belly, and do not be filled with sleep by night: for in this way you will become clean, and the spirit of the Lord will come upon you. The indignation of the man who sings psalms will be quieted: and the patient one will be fearless. From meekness knowledge is born; from savagery, ignorance. As water gives increase to a plant, so the humbling of wrath exalts the heart. He who seeks out feasts, his light will be put out; and his soul will see darkness. Weigh your bread in the balance, and drink your water by measure; and the spirit of fornication will flee from you. Give wine to the old, and offer food to the sick; because they have worn out the flesh of their youth.

Do not supplant your brother, and do not rejoice at his fall: for the Lord knows your heart, and will deliver you up in the day of death. A prudent monk will be impassible: but the imprudent will drain out evils. The Lord will blind the evil eye; but He will rescue the simple from darkness. As the morning star in heaven, as the palm in paradise; so in a meek soul is pure understanding. A wise man will search out the words of God, but a foolish one will mock them. He who hates the knowledge of God, and rejects consideration, is like one who pierces his own heart with a spear. Better is the knowledge of the Trinity above the knowledge of incorporeal beings, and the consideration of it above the reasons of all the ages. The hoary heads of the old are meekness; but their life is true knowledge. A meek youth endures much: but who will bear a fainthearted old man?

I have seen a wrathful old man exalted beyond his years: yet the younger man had no more hope than he. He who scandalizes the laity will not go unpunished: and he who provokes them will dishonor his own name. Fire will destroy him who disturbs the Church of the Lord: and the earth will swallow up him who resists the priest. He who loves peace will eat its honeycomb: and he who gathers it will be filled with honey. Honor the Lord, and you will know incorporeal things; and serve Him, and He will show you the reasons of the ages. Without knowledge the heart will not be exalted, and a tree will not flourish without moisture. The flesh of Christ is the virtues of actions: and he who eats it becomes impassible. The blood of Christ is the consideration of deeds; and he who drinks it will be enlightened by it. The breast of the Lord is the knowledge of God: and he who reclines upon it will be a preacher of divine things.

One full of knowledge, and one who does good works met one another: and the Lord stood between the two. He who has acquired love has acquired a treasure; and has received great grace from the Lord. Wisdom knows the counsels of demons: and prudence has searched out their cunning. Do not spurn the holy decrees which your fathers laid down: do not forsake the faith of your baptism, and do not reject the spiritual seal: that the Lord may be present to your soul, and protect you in the evil day. The words of heretics are messengers of death: and he who receives them will destroy his soul. Now therefore, son, hear me, and do not draw near to the doors of wicked men, nor walk upon their snares, lest you be caught. Separate your soul from false knowledge: for I myself have often spoken with them; and I have searched out their dark words, and found in them the venom of asps. There is no prudence, and there is no wisdom in their ways.

All who receive them will perish, and those who love them will be filled with evils. I have seen the fathers of their doctrines, and I have contended with them in the deserts. For enemies of the Lord met me, and demons contended against me in words, and I did not see true light in their sayings. A lying man will be cut off from God: and he who deceives his neighbor will fall into evils. Better is the paradise of God than a garden of herbs, and the river of the Lord than the great river that darkens the earth. More trustworthy is the heavenly water, than the water of the wise Egyptians, who draw it from the earth. For as those who climb wheels come down again; so those who exalt their words are humbled. The wisdom of the Lord exalts the heart; and its understanding purifies it. The reasons of providence are obscure; and scarcely intelligible are the considerations of judgment; but the man who does well knows them.

He who purifies himself will behold the intelligible natures: and the meek monk will know the reasons of incorporeal things. He who calls the Trinity a creature blasphemes God: and he who despises His Christ does not know Him. Considerations of created things enlarge the heart: but words of prudence and judgment exalt it. The knowledge of incorporeal things raises the mind, and will apply it to the Holy Trinity. Remember him who gave you excellent proverbs in the Lord, and do not forget his humble soul in the time of prayer.