Chapter x. Of humility and of how a Man should think lightly of himself, and should esteem himself the Inferior of every Man
444. ABBÂ ISAAC, the priest of the Cells, used to say: When I was a young man I used to dwell with Abbâ Chronius, and he never at any time told me to do any work; now he was an old man and he trembled, but he would stand up and give water with his hands to me, and to all of us alike. And with Abbâ Theodore of Parmê it was the same, for he never told me to do any work whatsoever, but he would make ready the table with his own hands, and would say, “Brother, come [and] eat.” And I said unto him, “Father, I came that I might assist thee, and how is that thou dost not tell me to do something?” But the old man in all this held his peace. And I went up and informed the old men, and they came to him, and said unto him, “Father, this brother came unto thy holiness that he might be assisted [by thee], and why dost thou not tell him to do something?” Then the old man said unto them, “Am I the head of a monastery that I should give him a command? I shall say unto him nothing except that [I] wish him to do that which he seeth me do.” And from that time I was always before him in doing that which the old man was going to do; now whatsoever he did, he did in silence, and in this manner he made me to know and taught me to work in silence also.
445. There was a certain Egyptian monk in Constantinople under the reign of Theodosius the Less, and he used to dwell in a little cell, and when the Emperor went forth [on one occasion] to take his pleasure, he came by himself to the monk; now the following of men who were with him waited for him at a distance. And the Emperor took off his crown from his head, and hid it, and he knocked at the door of the monk, and when he opened to him he knew that it was the Emperor, but he [feigned] forgetfulness and would not recognize him, and he welcomed him as one of his own rank in life, and he prayed and sat down. Then the Emperor began to question him, saying, “How are the fathers who are in Egypt?” And the monk said unto him, “They all pray for thy health.” And the Emperor examined his cell, and saw nothing there except a small basket wherein was bread, and the monk said to him, “Eat,” and he dipped the bread in water, and poured oil on it, and salt, and he gave it to the Emperor, who ate it; and he gave him some water, and he drank. Then the Emperor said unto him, “Knowest thou who I am?” And the monk said unto him, “God knoweth who thou art.” And the Emperor said unto him, “I am Theodosius, the Emperor,” and straightway the monk paid homage unto him. Then the Emperor said unto him, “Blessed art thou in that thou hast none of the cares of this world; verily I was born to kingship and before this day I have never been satisfied with bread and water, and they have pleased me greatly”; and the Emperor began to pay honour to him. And straightway that monk fled to Egypt with all the speed that was possible.
446. A certain brother came to Abbâ Macarius, the Egyptian, and said unto him, “Father, speak to me a word whereby I may live.” Abbâ Macarius saith unto him, “Get thee to the cemetery and revile the dead”; and he went and reviled them, and stoned them with stones, and he came and informed the old man [that he had done so]. And the old man said unto him, “Did they say nothing unto thee?” and the brother said unto him, “No.” And again the old man said unto him, “Go to-morrow and praise them, and call them, ‘Apostles, Saints, and Righteous Men’”; and he came to the old man, and said, “I have praised them.” And the old man said unto him, “And did they return thee no answer?” and he said “No.” And the old man said unto him, “Thou seest how thou hast praised them, and that they said nothing to thee, and that although thou didst revile them they returned thee no answer. And thus let it be with thyself. If thou wishest to live, become dead, so that thou mayest care neither for the reviling of men nor for [their] praise, for the dead care for nothing; in this wise thou wilt be able to live.”
447. One of the fathers used to relate that he had an old man in a cell, who performed many ascetic labours, and who clothed himself in a palm-leaf mat; and this old man went to Abbâ Ammon, who, seeing that he wore a palm-leaf mat only, said unto him, “This will profit thee nothing.” And the old man asked him, saying, “Three thoughts vex me. Shall I go to the desert, or shall I go forth into exile, or shall I shut myself up in a cell, and receive no man, and eat once every two days?” Abbâ Ammon said unto him, “Thou art not able to do any one of these things, but go, sit in thy cell, and eat a very little food each day, and let there be in thine heart always the word[s] of the publican, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner,’ and thus thou shalt be able to live” (St. Luke xviii, 13).
448. Abbâ Daniel used to relate a story, saying:—There was with us in Babylon of Egypt the daughter of a man who was the captain of a company of soldiers, and she was possessed of a devil, and her father took her to many places, but she could not find healing. Now her father had a friend who was a monk, and he said unto him, “No man is able to cure her except those monks of whom I spake unto thee, but even if we entreat them to do this they will not agree to it, because they flee from the love of the approbation [of men]. Nevertheless, when they come to sell [their] baskets, ye shall pretend that ye wish to buy some, and when they come to sell and to take the price of the baskets from thy house, we will say unto them, ‘Put up a prayer, and this maiden shall be healed’”; and the man did so. And they came as it were to buy baskets, and they found the disciple of these holy men sitting down and selling [them], and they took him and the baskets, and carried him to their houses, and then they set another man in his place, and commanded him when the monks came to bring them to them. Now when their disciple entered the house, the maiden who was possessed of a devil went forth and smote him on the cheek, but that brother fulfilled the commandment and turned to her the other cheek, and straightway that devil, who was unable to bear the blow of the commandment of Christ which was fulfilled, cried out with a loud voice, and departed. And when the monks came [the people in the house] related unto them the reason for what had happened, and they glorified God, and said, “It is customary for the boasting of the Evil One to fall before the humility of the commandments of Christ.”
449. On one occasion Abbâ Ammon went to Abbâ Anthony, and he lost the way, and sat down for a little and fell asleep; and he rose up from his slumber, and prayed unto God, and said, “I beseech Thee, O Lord God, not to destroy that which Thou hast fashioned.” Then he lifted up his eyes, and, behold, there was the form of a man’s hand above him in the heavens, and it shewed him the way until he came and stood above the cave of Abbâ Anthony; and when he had gone into the cave to the old man, Abbâ Anthony prophesied unto him, saying, “Thou shalt increase in the fear of God.” Then he took him outside the cave, and showing him a stone, said, “Curse this stone, and smite it,” and he did so, and Abbâ Anthony said unto him, “It is thus that thou shalt arrive at this state, for thou shalt bear heaviness, and great abuse”; and this actually happened to Abbâ Ammon. Now, through his abundant goodness Abbâ Ammon knew not wickedness. And after he had become a Bishop, through his spiritual excellence they brought unto him a virgin who had conceived, and they said unto him, “So-and-so hath done this deed; let them receive correction”; but he made the sign of the Cross over her belly, and ordered them to give her six pair of linen cloths, and he said, “Peradventure when she bringeth forth either she or the child will die, [and if either dieth] let them be buried.” Then those who were with him said unto him, “What is this that thou hast done? Give the command that they receive correction.” And he said unto them, “See, O my brethren, she is nigh unto death, and what can I do?” Then he dismissed her. And the old man never ventured to judge anyone, for he was full of lovingkindness and endless goodness to all the children of men.
450. They used to say that [on one occasion] when Abbâ Arsenius the Great fell ill in Scete, a priest went and brought him to the church, and he spread a palm-leaf mat for him, and [placed] a small pillow under his head; and one of the old men came to visit him and saw that he was lying upon a mat and that he had a pillow under his head, and he was offended and said, “And this is Arsenius lying upon such things!” Then the priest took the old man aside privately, and said unto him, “What labour didst thou do in thy village?” and the old man said unto him, “I was a shepherd.” And the priest said unto him, “What manner of life didst thou lead in the world?” and he said unto him, “A life of toil, and sore want.” And when the old man had described all the tribulation which he had endured in the world, the priest said unto him, “And here what manner of life dost thou lead?” And the old man said unto him, “In my cell I have everything comfortable, and I have more than I want”; and the priest said unto him, “Consider [the position of] Abbâ Arsenius when he was in the world! He was the father of kings, and a thousand slaves, girt about with gold-embroidered vests, and with chains and ornaments round their necks, and clothed in silk, stood before him; and he had the most costly couches and cushions [to lie upon]. But thou wast a shepherd, and the comforts which thou didst never enjoy in the world thou hast here; but this man Arsenius hath not here the comforts which he enjoyed in the world, and now thou art at thine ease whilst he is troubled.” Then the mind of the old man was opened, and he expressed contrition and said, “Father, forgive me; I have sinned. Verily this is the way of truth. He hath come to a state of humility, whilst I have attained to ease.” And the old man having profited went his way.
451. They used to say that on one occasion Abbâ Macarius was passing along the road when Satan met him, and the Devil wished to cut him down with the scythe which he held in his hand, but he was unable to do so, and he said unto him, “Macarius, I am dragged along by thee with great force, but I cannot overcome thee. Now, behold, everything which thou doest I can do also. Thou fastest, and I never eat at all. Thou watchest, and I never go to sleep, and there is one thing only wherein thou dost conquer me.” Then Macarius said unto him, “And what is that?” And Satan said, “It is thy humility, for it is because of this that I cannot vanquish thee”; then Macarius spread out his hands in prayer, and the Devil was no more seen.
452. On one occasion a devil took a knife and stood over Abbâ Macarius wishing to cut off his leg, and when he was unable to do so on account of the humility [of the old man], he answered and said unto him, “Everything which ye possess we possess also, and it is only in humility that ye are superior to us, and [it is only by means of it] that ye conquer us.”
453. Abbâ Anthony said, “I saw all the snares of the Enemy laid out upon the ground, and I groaned and said, ‘Who can escape from these?’” And the devils said unto me, ‘Humility maketh a man to escape from these, for we cannot attain unto it.’”
454. An old man said, “Whensoever a man is praised it is meet for him to think upon his sins, and he should consider, saying, ‘I am unworthy of the things which are said about me.’”
455. The blessed Macarius behaved towards all the brethren without any wicked suspicion, and certain people said unto him, “Why dost thou act in this manner?” And he said, “Behold, for twelve years I have been supplicating my Lord to give me this gift, and would you advise me to relinquish it? If it happen that one of the brethren commit a sin before the eyes of him who possesseth no wickedness, and he know that it is an evil thing, it is not right that he should bear some of the pain of him that hath fallen.”
456. Abbâ Poemen used to say, “No monk should condemn any man in anything, and no monk should reward a man with [evil for] evil, and no monk should be a man of anger.”
457. An old man asked Abbâ Poemen, saying, “Some brethren dwell with me; dost thou wish me to give them commandments?” And he said unto him, “No, but thou thyself must first do work, and if they wish to live, they will observe [it] and do [it].” The old man said unto him, “Ought they also to wish me to govern them?” And Abbâ Poemen said unto him, “No, be unto them an example, and not a lawgiver.”
458. Abbâ Poemen said, “If a brother come unto thee, and thou be not benefited by his coming in [to thee], enquire in thine heart, and learn what thought thou hadst [in thy mind] before the entrance of that brother, and then thou wilt learn whence cometh the source of injury; if thou wilt do this with humility and knowledge, behold, thou wilt live without blame with thy brother, and thou wilt bear thine own shortcomings. If a man maketh his habitation with knowledge it will not fall, for God is before it, and, as it appeareth to me, from this habitation a man may acquire the fear of God.”
459. A brother asked an old man, saying, “By what means may a man go forward? and the old man said unto him, “The greatness of a man consisteth of humility, for in proportion as a man descendeth to humility, he becometh exalted to greatness.”
460. Abbâ John used to say, “We relinquish a light burden when we condemn ourselves, but we take upon ourselves a heavy burden when we [attempt to] make ourselves righteous.”
461. On one occasion Abbâ Theophilus went to the Nitrian Mountain to visit the fathers, and the priest of the Mountain came to him; and Abbâ Theophilus said to him, now he was Theophilus the Bishop of Alexandria, “What thing of excellence hast thou found on this road?” And the old man said unto him, “I make accusations against myself, and I blame myself at all times”; and Abbâ Theophilus said unto him, “Verily this is the way of truth.”
A variant reads: “On one occasion the Archbishop Theophilus went to the mountain of Nitria, and a certain Abbâ of the monks who was in the mountain came unto him; Abbâ Theophilus said unto him, “What more do the monks find in this way [than in any other]?” The old man said unto him, “They condemn themselves continually, and they do not judge their neighbours”; and Abbâ Theophilus said, “There is no way but this.”
462. On one occasion they brought a man possessed of a devil to one of the old men of Thebes, and entreated him to cast the devil out, but the old man was unwilling [to do so]; but since they urged him strongly he was persuaded, and he had mercy on the man, and he said to the devil, “Get thee out from that which God hath fashioned.” Then the devil answered and said, “I am going out, but I would ask thee to tell me one thing: What is the meaning of that which is written in the Gospel, Who are the goats and who are the sheep?” The old man answered and said, “I myself am [one of] the goats, but God knoweth who the sheep are”; and when the devil heard this, he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Behold, I go forth because of thy humility,” and straightway he left the man and departed.
463. They used to say that on one occasion a few early, white figs came to Scete, but because they were nothing [of importance] they did not send any to Abbâ Arsenius, not wishing to insult him; and when the old man heard of this he did not come to the congregation, saying, “Ye separated me from the blessed gift which God sent to the brethren because I was unworthy to partake of it.” And when the old man heard [this] they profited [greatly] by his humility, and the priest went and carried some of the figs to him, and brought him to the congregation with great joy.
464. A certain Abbâ asked Abbâ Muthues, saying, “If I go to a place to dwell, how wouldst thou have me conduct myself?” The old man said unto him, “If thou wishest to dwell in a certain place, [do so,] but do not let go forth concerning thyself any fame for praiseworthy acts, [or say,] ‘I do not eat,’ or, ‘I do not drink,’ for such things only produce empty fame; and thou wilt find at length that thou wilt profit from many, for men will go where they can find qualities of this kind.” Then the brother said unto him, “What shall I do?” and the old man said unto him, “Wheresoever thou dwellest conduct thyself in a simple manner like every one else, and what thou seest those who fear God do, [I mean] those in whom thou hast confidence, that do also, and thou shalt be at ease. For to be as all other men are is true humility, and the men who see that thou art like unto all other men will regard thee as they regard every one else, and thou wilt not be troubled.”
465. A certain brother went on one occasion from Egypt to Syria to visit Abbâ Zeno, and the Egyptians began to make accusations against his thoughts before the old man. And when Abbâ Zeno heard this, he marvelled and said, “The Egyptians always hide the spiritual excellences which they possess, but they describe the shortcomings which they do not possess; on the other hand, the Syrians and the Greeks declare that they possess the virtues which they have not, and they hide the shortcomings which they do possess.”
466. They used to talk about a certain old man who fasted for seventy weeks, and who only ate each Saturday; and he asked God that a word from the Book might be given unto him, but it was not given. Then he said within himself, “Behold, I have laboured in all these things, and I have omitted nothing; I will arise and go to my brother and question him [about it].” And when he had shut the door to depart, the angel of the Lord appeared, and said unto him, “The seventy weeks wherein thou didst fast have not come nigh unto God, but, inasmuch as thou hast humbled thyself to go to thy brother, I have been sent to make known unto thee a word, and to give thee rest”; thereupon he made the word known unto him, and gave him rest, and departed.
467. A brother asked an old man, saying, “What shall I do? For the love of praise is killing me.” The old man said unto him, “Thou doest well, for behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth.” Then the brother was sorry because of what the old man had said unto him, and he expressed contrition, and said, “Father, forgive me, but I have done nothing of the kind”; the old man said unto him, “If now He Who did make them came into this world in humility, why dost thou who art mud boast thyself?”
468. One of the old men said, “Be not humble in thy words only, but also in thy deeds.”
469. On one occasion a certain governor came to see Abbâ Sîmôn, and when the old man heard of his coming from those who came to make it known to him beforehand, he straightway girded up his loins, and went up a palm tree to clean it. And when those who came cried out to him, saying, “Old man, tell us where the monk is,” he said unto them, “He is not here”; so they departed from that place.