There was a man named Decius who lived in a mountain in the district of Jerusalem. He never prayed with anyone at all, and suddenly he dared to serve Mass while he was a layman.

Another one lived on Mount Sinai, and he thought that he was behaving well. This one was made arrogant by the devils in his dreams, and he imagined that he had accepted the episcopal title, so he sat down and began to do the work of bishops.

From a letter of Saint Simeon: All the sights that people can see in bodies are only from the imagination of the thoughts of the soul and not from the actions of grace, because this matter is likely to follow the monks who are very searching. The French, lovers of arrogance, inclined towards pride and pomp, clinging to high standards, hypocrites.

He said Sheikh: “The devil of false rosary will oppose the monks with two arrogances: one of which is that heHe said She has a secular arrogance, because she is not from the shoulders of thebiographyIts perfection is not due to the effort and fatigue of man, for example: vanity in the prestige of leadership, boasting about the honor of the race, rejoicing in the abundance of wealth, in the adornment of clothing, in the strength of the body, in the eloquence of speech, and everything similar to these. As for the other inHe said It has a monastic arrogance, for example: the intensity of fasting and asceticism and constant vigil, constant prayer, distance from people, detachment from possessions and everything else, and the like. Although these virtues are high in themselves, the unsound intention diminishes their honor, and the result resulting from that is the loss of reward, because it is written: They have taken their reward.

And also a man named Maleton, who held strange opinions and dared to do great things. This ascetic endured many hardships and trials, clinging to the hold of his passions to the furthest end, and on what It was said He was a disciple of the blessed Aulianus for a period of time, and accompanied him to Mount Sinai and to the land of the Copts, and he saw... Anthony the Great And he accompanied him, and he accompanied others from Saints The elders, and he heard from them many sayings concerning purity and the salvation of souls, and many things of remembrances that lighten the endurance of difficulties, and what relates to the sights of the soul, and he also heard that the soul, if it is properly cleansed and reaches the point of being free from emotion, that is, if it throws off from itself - by keeping the commandments - the old garment of sufferings, and is firmly established in God in its natural health that it had at first, then it will then reach the divine sights. These things and the like, when Maleton heard them, he was inflamed with arrogance like one inflamed by fire, then he isolated himself in a place and separated himself from the assembly of the rest, and devoted himself to long toil and fatigue, and devoted himself to many prayers and petitions in order to obtain only what he hoped for from the high sights that he had heard about, and he was eager to obtain them, although he had not mastered their craft, that is, the humility of the heart. And the heart was humbled, and he made his reliance on continuing his efforts and being generous with fasts without humiliating himself or subduing his mind as a whole, and without understanding the tricks and ambushes of the warring devil, and he did not listen to the saying: “When you have completed everything, then say that we are unemployed servants.” Rather, his mind became arrogant with pride and pomp, so when the devil saw that he had no concern except in not humbled the mind, and had no purpose except hoping to attain high views, he showed him himself surrounded by great glory and much light, andHe said “I am the Paraclete, I have now been sent to you by the Father to give you some of the sublime sights as a reward for your long toils, because you have completed the time of work, and the time for rest has come.” And he asked him to prostrate himself before him, and he was very happy with what he heard and did not feel any harm, and immediately he fell down in prostration before him. When the enemy obtained the prostration he wanted, he took complete control of him, and gave him demonic imaginations instead of the divine sights, which he longed to see, and he finished his toils and sweats as if he had reached the point of no emotion, andHe said To him: “If you have reached this level of painlessness, then there is no longer any need for physical fatigue and sweat.” And from here Satan made him a leader and imam forHe saidAnd (i.e. the innovation) of the prostrating and praying ones. When his matter was revealed to the bishop, he removed him, ostracized him, and banished him far away.

He said the father Augris: “Do not picture with your mind theological forms while you are praying, and do not allow your mind at all to picture God in any way, but come to the non-material, without (imagining) matter, and you will find an understanding worthy of the non-material, that is, God. Keep yourself from the snares of warriors, for if they see you praying in purity, they will make strange forms appear before you suddenly to lure you into pride of heart, by making you picture the divinity, and making you think in your soul that he who has appeared to you is God, and God has no likeness, measure, or attribute.”

From the saying of Mar Isaac“All those who claim that Christ, after his ascension to heaven, appears outside of man in a likeness that the eye of the body sees, are companions of those who say: The blessings of the kingdom are eating and drinking.”

He said Spiritual Sheikh: “Whenever you see the thauriya as a composite fire, know that this is the trap of deceit (i.e. corruption) with which he wants to catch you and lead you to destruction. And if it is in the form of a disc seen before you, or in the form of a star or a rainbow seen in the clouds, or in the form of chairs or a chariot or horses of fire, then all of these are from the tyranny of the devils. In short, I say: Everything you see coming out of you in these forms is from the tyranny of the devils. The appearance of the thauriya is simple and not a composite thing.”

There was a man from the city of Edessa named Aspianus, who wrote chapters that are still read to this day because of their beauty. It happened that pride overcame him and he surrendered himself, exposing himself to many hardships, great sufferings and severe difficulties without discrimination or distinction, in order to gain praise from people. Then Satan deceived him and took him out of his cell and made him stand on the mountain called Absotrion, and I ride him in a vehicle and I show him other horses and other vehicles, andHe said He said to him: “God calls you in the same way that he called Elijah.” When he believed his words, the chariot lifted him up, and immediately the illusions vanished, and he fell to the ground from a great height, and was shattered and met with a death that would be wept over, instead of the lofty elevation that he had hoped for. Our explanation of this is not in vain, so that you will not be unaware of the shameIt was said The wicked one thirsts for the destruction of people. So beware, O listener, of longing for those things that are above your ability, before you have attained that blessing, and do not seek to ascend the ladder of the scenes set up for falling and rising, lest you seek it before the time, and be counted among the fallen, and become a laughingstock for the devils.

from biography the Saint Epiphanius: In the days of Epiphanius, a young man called the Philosopher appeared in Cyprus. Many scholars debated with him, and he would convincing them with his words. Many priests and bishops would come to him, and he would convince them with his persuasions. Most of them became lazy about debating with him and withdrew from negotiating with him. His fame spread until news of him reached Paphos, where they spoke of his wisdom, the strength of his logic, and his ability to debate, until many were led astray because of him. When Epiphanius saw that, he was sad and thought to himself, then He said“Who is this young man who boasts of false knowledge before the faith of the Lord Christ?” He armed himself with faith and ordered that they bring him to him. They went andThey said He said to him: “Bishop Epiphanius summons you.” So he got up and came to him. When he arrived, he did not speak to him, but stood up to pray first. When the bishop began his prayer, the young man was seized with trembling and gnashed his teeth. Everyone was very surprised by this. When he felt… the father By the power of prayer, he began to ask God, saying: “O Lord, heal this wretched sick man from this illness, loosen his bondage and reveal the devil hidden in him, and free your nature from him.” Then he gnashed his teeth and foamed, and his eyes turned red and he cried out in a loud voice, saying: “Are you, Epiphanius, driving me out of my dwelling place?” And he said He said to him: “The Lord Jesus Christ will bring you out of His nature.” He said The devil said to him: "You do not know who I am." And he said The bishop said to him: "Who are you?" He said“I am the one who spoke about the one called Origen.” He said The bishop said to him: “If you are the one speaking, tell us the beginning of the book that that wretch wrote.” So Satan began to explain the beginning of the Qur’an, And he said for him the Saint“Indeed, you are the author of these great evils.” He could not bear it. the father to hear more, And he said He said to him: “Be quiet, you son of hell. I command you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to get out of him and not harm him.” So he threw him to the ground and got out of him. When he came to and came to his senses, they asked him: “Where did you get the ability to do that great logic, grammar, and philosophy?” And he said“I do not know what you are saying, nor how I was speaking, nor how I came here.” The people present were amazed and feared the enemy’s blows.

In the days of King Basil, a deceitful monk appeared from the town of Macedonia in the form of a gentle man, a performer of miracles, and a scholar of the unseen. Patriarch Photius interceded for him with the king and brought them together, so the king inclined towards him and honored him with excessive honor. The king had a son named Constantine who had died. When the monk saw the king’s excessive grief over the loss of his son, he promised him that he would show him to him alive. He did so by deception, for while the king was passing by some places, he saw an old man riding on a horse wearing a robe woven with gold in the image of his son. He embraced him, thinking that he was really his son, then he disappeared from him, and built a monastery in that place named the Saint Constantine the king's son.

He said Sheikh Ogres: “Do not long to see angels or powers, or Christ sensually, lest your mind be lost altogether, and you accept a wolf instead of a sheep, and bow down to your enemies, the demons, because the beginning of the error of the mind is wandering and pride. When the mind begins to move in arrogance, it seeks to present God in images and forms. Therefore, you must not be ignorant of this deception, which is that at some time, the demons divide themselves, and some of them begin to fight you, and realize with you that they are demons. If you ask for help, you find the rest entering upon you in the form of holy angels - and they are demons - and they drive out the first ones to deceive you, so that you think that they are holy angels, and they are demons. Likewise, the demons whisper to you at some time with thoughts, then they move you to pray against them and resist them, so that they turn away of their own will, so that If you are deceived and think of yourself as something, then you become arrogant as if you have begun to conquer your thoughts and frighten the devils.

From the words of Anastasius of Sinai: Not everyone who performs miracles is a saint, but we find many who perform miracles and are manipulated by demons, because we have understood from the case of a hieratic bishop named Macedonius, a warrior of the Holy Spirit, that he moved an olive tree from its place and planted it in another place in the form of prayer, and it also happened that an unjust man had disturbed a widow woman because of a debt that he had from her husband, and he increased the value of the debt beyond the truth, and the dead man had not yet been buried, so the aforementioned bishop had no choice but to make the dead man speak and tell the amount of the debt. Likewise, when that hieratic bishop died, many visions appeared at his grave and miracles were performed. For this reason, you should not accept everyone who performs miracles as a saint, but they should be tested and examined according to the opinion of the one who said: “Do not believe every spirit, but test whether that spirit is from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” And the Messenger says: These are false messengers and deceitful workers, imitating the messengers of Christ. And if Satan appears in the form of an angel of light, it is no wonder that his servants perform miracles and physical healings to deceive those who are easily led to their deception. And they may sometimes show a dead person standing by means of the idle prayer of a deceived person, by Satan entering the body of the dead person and moving it and speaking to the living from the face of the dead person, and answering the deceived person about what he asks, and telling about hidden things and about what some people have done secretly, so that if they trust him that he is truthful, it will be easy for him to introduce the error that concerns him. The devils also dare to talk about the fertility and barrenness of the earth, the differences in climates, the abundance and scarcity of rain, and the like. They can also understand people’s opinions from signs and indications they see in people, or they can catch that from other aspects. Not only that, but they also foretell the death of people, because divine providence has placed signs in the human body, as those who have mastered the art of medicine know. They deduce the death of people from signs that appear in them, such as increased chemosis and decreased blood, and changes in temperaments, and so on, especially since the devils are gentle spirits, and also because of their long life and many experiences. So the fortune-telling women and astrologers talk about what the devils judge, not from prior knowledge, but to increase their experience. This is not acceptable, as we have known a people who were magicians and sorcerers, who performed various miracles through the actions of the devils, such as Harut and Marut, who were during the time of... MusaAnd they turned their staffs into serpents, and turned the waters into blood, and brought up from the waters a multitude of frogs. Likewise Simon the magician in the time of the apostles, how many fantastic signs did he perform? He moved idols and made them walk, and was thrown into the fire and was not burned, and flew through the air, and turned stones into bread, and became a serpent, and took the form of animals, and opened doors that shook, and broke chains, and loosed iron, and on tables he showed forms, and made a shadow precede him, claiming that he was one of the spirits of those who died, and when many of the magicians wanted to expose him, he changed his form, then under some pretext, he invited them to a feast where he slaughtered an ox and fed them, and many diseases came upon them, and rebellious demons overcame them, and finally when the king asked for him, he was terrified of them, and fled and cast his form on someone else.

From the words of Pope Athanasius: Question: “How do heretics perform so many miracles?” Answer: “Our way is not to be surprised at that, because we have heard the Lord say: Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons, and do many mighty works? ’ But I will say to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of iniquity. ’ In most cases, healing is caused by the faith of the one who comes forward, not bybiography The one who performed it, because it is written: Your faith has saved you. For not only in Orthodoxy are miracles performed, but also people of bad faith, many times performed asceticism and offered labors to God, and received their reward in this world as a gift from God, such as healing diseases, so that they might hear that in the world to come: You have received your good things in your life.

from biography Father PachomiusWhen he heard aboutBiography of Father Pachomius A group of heretical monks sent him a group wearing hair andThey said To the brothers: “Our elder Macedonius has sent us to your father saying: If you are truly a man of God and what we have heard about you is true, then come, let us walk on the surface of the water, I and you, across the river, so that each one of us may know practically which of us has authority and prestige before God.” So the brothers made it known. the father Therefore, he denied them, saying: “Why did you allow hearing this talk in general? Did you not know that these matters are far from God, and our conduct does not accept them? For what law commands this and urges us to do it?” And he said The brothers: “Would a hierarch who is far from God dare to summon you for such a thing?” He answered them: “A hierarch can cross the river as he would cross dry land, with the help of Satan and the permission of God, so that his unbelief will not cease. Go and tell them: Thus He said Abdullah Pachomius“My concern is this: not to cross this river on foot, but how to cross the terrible judgment of God and also to cross that fiery river flowing before the coming of the Lord Christ, and also to cross these satanic works by the power of the Lord.” And when He said These words convinced the brothers not to boast about their deeds, not to desire to perform miracles, and not to tempt God at all, according to the saying: “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.”

To the saint Macarius the GreatQuestion: “What should a person do who is deceived by necessary reasons and satanic declarations that appear to be the truth?”

Answer: “A person needs a lot of discernment for this matter to distinguish between good and evil, and not to surrender himself quickly, for the works of grace are apparent, and even if sin is formed in them, it is not able to do that, because Satan knows how to form himself in the form of an angel of light to deceive, but even if he forms himself in beautiful forms, he cannot do good deeds, nor come with a good work, except that he causes pride thereby. As for the work of grace, it is joy, peace, gentleness, and a love for heavenly goodness, and spiritual repose for the sake of God. As for the work of the opposite, it is the opposite of all of that, for it does not cause humiliation, nor joy, nor steadfastness, nor hatred for the world, nor does it calm the refuge, nor calm the pains. So from the work you know the light shining in your soul, whether it is from God or from Satan, and the soul has a discernment from The sense of the mind, with it you know the difference between truth and falsehood, just as the palate distinguishes wine from vinegar, even if they are similar in color, so the soul, through the sense of the mind, distinguishes spiritual gifts from satanic imaginations.

It was said on the Saint Paphnutius: He was blessed with knowledge of the divine books, both new and ancient, and recited them all by heart, although he had no book, and was meek to the utmost degree. He lived seventy years without having two garments. When I, the blessed Eugrius, and Albianus found him, we demanded of him the causes of the fallen and deviant brethren.biography Decent. And it so happened in those days that the hermit Sarpamon died while sitting in a tomb holding the braid, and it so happened that another brother was crushed while he was digging a pit, and he was suddenly kidnapped by another brother who was present from Scetis, and he experienced the experiences of Stephen and Euphronius, who fell into abominable fornication, and Irene of Alexandria and Ullus of Palestine and Themose of Scetis, and we examined the causes that lead virtuous people living in the wilderness to have their minds corrupted, others to have their throats taken over, and others to suffer from debauchery. And he answered: “The reason for this is that everything that happens to people is divided into two parts: a part by the will of God and a part by His permission, and between the will and permission there is not a small difference, so that everything that is good and righteous is by the will of God, and everything that is destructive happens by His permission, and permission occurs “From the evil of those who are deceived, and the lack of gratitude to the Giver for His blessings, so when ignorance, pomp and arrogance take hold of some, they attribute their righteousness to themselves, that is, as if they had perfected what they perfected through their great care and effort, so they are haughty over their other pure brothers, so the righteous God allows their downfall, that is, He strips them of His assistance, so they fall into the downfall that Satan caused them, and also it happens that people desire to obtain appearances and announcements without deserving that from the blessings, so the devils sadden them with false appearances.”

There was a man named Estephan, who followed the path of the desert hermits. He lived for many years in the struggle of asceticism. His cell was on the slope of the mountain where Elijah lived. In his last days, he climbed to the top of the mountain, in difficult and deceitful places where there was no consolation. He stayed there praying and mourning, adorning himself with all the virtues. He fell ill with an illness that took his life. One day before his death, he looked with his mind open and looked right and left, as if an accountant was holding him accountable while the congregation listened. Sometimes he would say, “Yes, this is true.” Sometimes he would say, “No, this is a lie.” Another time, “Yes, except that instead of this I fasted such and such and wept and became tired.” And about other things he would say, “Yes, and I have nothing to say about this, but God’s mercy is abundant.” And in other things he says: “No, this is a lie, I did not do it.” The scene was dazzling and terrifying, and in this manner he departed this world, being held accountable. As for what his affair ended up with, and the fate of the case for him, he did not make it clear.

the Saint Athanasius the Apostolic: Question: “Why do we see some righteous people struggling (at death) for days and being judged, while we see some sinners spending their lives in peace and quiet?”

Answer: “If we know all the judgments of God, then we are gods. It is good for us not to search too much into such judgments, because it happens that righteous men are punished at the time of their last agony, so that we may see it and be terrified and chaste, just as it may have been for those who were Saints “Since they are human beings, a small slip, and they are cleansed by that punishment at the time of their removal, completely and eloquently cleansed, and they go without blemish and pure.”

He said the Saint Gregory: “This exorcism cleanses souls leaving the world from minor and light sins, according to what I heard from a holy man who told me about another saint. And he saidWhen death approached him, he was greatly frightened. After his death, he appeared to his disciples in a white robe, indicating the splendor he had attained.

He said the Saint Maximus: “We cannot bear thoughts that make sins seem small to us, since the Lord has commanded us to beware of them, saying: ‘Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.’ For as long as our mind is troubled by sin, we have not received pardon and forgiveness for it, because we have not done the fruits of repentance, for the fruit of repentance is the absence of passion, and the absence of passion is the purification of sins. So if we are ever troubled by suffering, let us repent with pure repentance, so that when we are freed from suffering, we may receive forgiveness for sins.”

Question: “How does the soul realize that God has forgiven its sins?”

Answer: If she considers herself in the same class as the one who said, “I hate and despise injustice, and I love your law,” and who also said, “I praise you with mercy and judgment,” then let us do the work of repentance, to show God’s just judgment, and He will complete His mercy in us by forgiving us our sins.

A brother asked Bishop Madana: "Tell me a word." And he said for him Sheikh“Go and ask God to give you in your heart mourning and humility, and be mindful of your sins at all times, and do not judge anyone, but make yourself below all people, and do not make friends with a boy, nor acquaintance with a woman, nor friendship with a hieratic, and cut off from yourself the influence, and guard your tongue, and hold your stomach from wine a little, and do not be a lover of possessions, and do not quarrel with anyone or argue with him, and this is humility.”

He said Anba Youssef: “I know a person who has the…biography “Physically, he would fast either two days at a time, or four at a time. Once, while he was fasting for four days, he fell into a lack of strength, and a voice came to him saying: ‘Do not despise any of the brothers, and do not bring near any of God’s creation. Whatever you are able to do, do it, but humble yourself only, and be careful to the extent of your strength, and you will be saved.’” This Prophet Joseph is the one whom Satan fought with fornication when he was a boy, so his father sent him to stay for forty days, and he saw Satan in the form of a black woman.

It was said in order to the father Linus was once serving and the brothers were sitting with him praising him, but he did not answer them at all. And he said One of them said to him: “Why don’t you answer the fathers when they ask you?” And he said"If I answered them, I would be like someone who accepts praise."

A brother asked a sheikh, saying: “How can we tire ourselves out in asceticism and not receive gifts like the first ones?” He said for him Sheikh“At that time, there was so much love that everyone would pull his companion up. But in this time, love has decreased, and everyone pulls his companion down. That is why we do not receive gifts.”

He said Sheikh: “Just as we carry our shadow with us wherever we go, so too should weeping be with us everywhere, as in the saying: I bathe my bed every night and wet my bedding with my tears.”

A brother asked a sheikh, saying: “How does the fear of God come to the soul?” He said for him Sheikh“If there is humility and disbelief in all things and in himself as well, and he does not judge anyone, then the fear of God will come to him.”

He said Sheikh: “What you hate for yourself, do not say to others. You get angry at someone who backbites you, so do not backbite anyone. You hate someone who curses you, so do not curse anyone. Whoever has ears that memorize these matters, they will suffice him.”

AndHe said Sheikh: “It is good for your name to be found written in the houses of the poor, widows, and the weak, better than for it to be found written in the houses of wine sellers. It is also good for your mouth to be found stinking from fasting, better than for it to have the smell of wine.”

He said Sheikh: "Anba Kama He said For me, every sin we commit is forgiven to us by God if we call upon Him. If my brother repents to me and I do not forgive him, God will never forgive me.”

as He said Sheikh: I asked Anba Shishai: “Is escaping beneficial for a monk?” So he put his finger on his mouth and…He said“If you keep yourself from this, my son, this is the escape.”

He said Sheikh: Anba Paphnutius He said Lee: “All our fathers who were before us guarded their hearts, so if anyone of our generation now guards his tongue from gossip, his body from fornication, his hands from stealing, and his stomach from gluttony, he is blessed, because gluttony is what gives birth to fornication, theft, and many other things.”

And he is He said“If you follow poverty, hardship and abstinence, you will live.”

He said Anba Abraham: “If a person holds on to affliction, he will grow and see all the powers of God and all His benefits.”

He said Anba Bella: “If we keep the correct faith, and keep the body from fornication and the tongue from gossip, then by the grace of God we will be successful according to this time.”

To the saint BarsanuphiusQuestion: “Where does the movement of the body come from?” Answer: “The movement of the body comes from negligence, because negligence takes you away without you knowing, because you judge and condemn your brother, and from here you are delivered.”

Question: “Tell me, father, should we tell the sheikhs about all the thoughts that come from the heart, and should the worshipper declare his voice or pray with his mind?”

Answer: One should not ask the fathers about the thoughts that come from the heart, because they are very many. If a person hears many people slandering him, he will not care about their slander or pay attention to it. However, if only one person stands up to him, slanders him and fights him, then he will find a way to prepare himself for him before the ruler. The same is the case with thoughts. As for reading the Psalms and praying, they should not beHe said Not only with the mind, but also with the lips, because the prophet is like this. He said“O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare your praise,” as the Apostle also says: “The fruit of lips that give thanks to his name.” Prayer should not contain any earthly thoughts, and it should be accompanied by tears and humility, because the fathers did not establish anything except through toil and humility.