July 26, 2025 • 21 mins
Embark on a journey through the life of Anthony (251-356CE), one of the pioneering figures of Christian desert monasticism in Egypt. At the tender age of 18, armed with a sermon about Jesus encouraging a young man to abandon his riches, Anthony renounced his inherited fortune. Promptly, he ventured into the barren desert to lead a life governed by poverty, chastity, and obedience. From battling demons to performing miracles, his life was one of extraordinary spiritual exploits. Anthony became a legend in his own right during his remarkably long lifetime. This podcast is a fascinating exploration of his inspiring life. (Summary by Matthew James Gray)
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
Sections thirty to forty three of the Life of Antony.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Matthew James Gray. The
Life of Antony by Athanasius, translated by h. Elashore. So
(00:28):
then we ought to fear God only and despise the demons,
and be in no fear of them. But the more
they do these things, the more let us intensify our
discipline against them, for a good life and faith in
God is a great weapon. At any rate, they fear
the fasting, the sleeplessness, the prayers, the meekness, the quietness,
(00:49):
the contempt of money and vainglory, the humility, the love
of the poor, the arms, the freedom from anger of
the ascetics, and chief of all, their piety toward Christ.
Wherefore they do all things that they may not have
any that trample on them, knowing the grace given to
the faithful against them by the Savior, when he says, behold,
(01:15):
I have given to you power to tread upon serpents
and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.
Luke ten, verse nineteen. Wherefore, if they pretend to foretell
the future, let no one give heed. For often they
announce beforehand that the brethren are coming days after, and
they do come. The demons, however, do this not from
(01:38):
any care for the hearers, but to gain their trust,
and that then, at length, having got them in their power,
they may destroy them. Whence we must give no heed
to them, but ought rather to confute them when speaking,
since we do not need them. For what wonder is
it if, with more subtle bodies than men have, when
(01:59):
they have seen them start on their journey, they surpass
them in speed and announced their coming, just as a
horseman getting a start of a man on foot announces
the arrival of the latter beforehand. So in this there
is no need for us to wonder at them, for
they know none of those things which are not yet
in existence. But God only is he who knows all
(02:21):
things before their birth. But these like thieves, running off
first with what they see, proclaim it to how many
already have they announced our business that we are assembled
together and discuss measures against them, Before any one of
us could go and tell these things this in good truth,
(02:43):
a fleet footed boy could do getting far ahead of
one less swift. But what I mean is this, if
any one begins to walk from the thebay, or from
any other district. Before he begins to walk, they do
not know whether he will walk. But when they have
seen him wark looking, they run on, and before he
comes up, report his approach. And so it falls out
(03:05):
that after a few days the travelers arrive, and often
the walkers turn back, and the demons prove false. So too,
with the respect to the water of the river, they
sometimes make foolish statements, having seen that there has been
much rain in the regions of Ethiopia, and knowing that
they are the cause of the flood of the river.
Before the water has come to Egypt, they run on
(03:27):
and announce it. And this men could have told if
they had as great power of running as the demons.
And as David's spy saw Samuel eighteen verse twenty four,
going up to a lofty place, saw the man approaching
better than one who stayed down below. And the four
runner himself announced before the others came up, not those
(03:49):
things which had not taken place, but those things which
were already on the way and were being accomplished. So
these also prefer to labor and declare what is happening
to others, simply for the sake of deceiving them. If, however,
Providence meantime plans anything different for the waters or wayfarers,
the Providence can do this, the demons are deceived, and
(04:11):
those who gave heed to them cheated. Thus, in days
gone by arose the oracles of the Greeks, and thus
they were led astray by the demons. But thus also
thenceforth their deception was brought to an end by the
coming of the Lord, who brought to nought the demons
and their devices. For they know nothing of themselves, but
like thieves, what they get to know from others, they
(04:33):
pass on and guess ad rather than foretell things. Therefore,
if sometimes they speak the truth, let no one marvel
at them, for this for experienced physicians, also, since they
see the same malady in different people, often foretell what
it is, making it out by their acquaintance with it.
Pilots too, and farmers, from their familiarity with the weather,
(04:57):
tell at a glance the state of the atmosphere and
forecast whether it will be stormy or fine. And no
one would say that they do this by inspiration, but
from experience and practice. So if the demons sometimes do
the same by guesswork, let no one wonder at it
or heed them. For what use to the hearers is
it to know from them what is going to happen
(05:19):
before the time? Or what concern have we to know
such things, even if the knowledge be true, For it
is not productive of virtue, nor is it any token
of goodness. For none of us is judged for what
he knows not, and no one is called blessed because
he has learning and knowledge. But each one will be
called to judgment in these points whether he have kept
(05:41):
the faith and truly observed the commandments. Wherefore, there is
no need to set much value on these things, nor
for the sake of them, to practice a life of
discipline and labor, but that living well we may please God.
And we neither ought to pray to know the future,
(06:01):
nor to ask for it as the reward of our discipline.
But our prayers should be that the Lord may be
our fellow helper for victory over the devil. And if
even once we have a desire to know the future,
let us be purer in mind. For I believe that
if a soul is perfectly pure and in its natural state,
it is able, being clear sighted, to see more and
(06:24):
further than the demons, for it has the Lord who
reveals to it, like the soul of Elisha, which saw
what was done Second Kings five, verse twenty six by Gehazi,
and beheld the hosts Second Kings six, verse seventeen, standing
on its side. When therefore they come by night to
(06:44):
you and wish to tell the future, or say we
are the angels, give no heed, for they lie yea.
Even if they praise your discipline and call you blessed,
hear them not, and have no dealings with them. But
rather sign yourselves and your houses and pray, and you
shall see them vanish. For they are cowards, and greatly
(07:05):
fear the sign of the Lord's Cross, since of a
truth in it. The Savior stripped them and made an
example of them Colossians two, verse fifteen. But if they
shamelessly stand their ground, capering and changing their forms of appearance,
fear them not, nor shrink, nor heed them as though
they were good spirits. For the presence either of the
(07:27):
good or evil, by the help of God, can easily
be distinguished. The vision of the Holy Ones is not
fraught with distraction, for they will not strive nor cry,
nor shall anyone hear their voice. But it comes so
quietly and gently that immediately joy, gladness, and courage arise
in the soul. For the Lord, who is our joy
(07:50):
is with them, and the power of God the Father,
and the thoughts of the soul remain unruffled and undisturbed,
so that it enlightened, as it were with ray. Behold
by itself, those who appear, for the love of what
is divine and of the things to come possesses it,
and willingly it would be wholly joined with them, if
(08:12):
it could depart along with them. But if being men,
some fear the vision of the good, those who appear
immediately take fear away, as Gabriel Luke one verse thirteen
did in the case of Zachariah, and as the Angel
Matthew twenty eight verse five did, who appeared to the
(08:32):
women at the Holy Sepulcher, and as he did who
said to the shepherds in the Gospel, fear not, for
their fear arose not from timidity, but from the recognition
of the presence of superior beings. Such then is the
nature of the visions of the Holy ones. But the
inroad and the display of the evil spirits is fraught
(08:53):
with confusion, with din with sounds and cryings such as
the disturbance of boorish youths or robbers, would occasion from
which arise fear in the heart, tumult and confusion of thought, dejection,
hatred towards them who live a life of discipline, indifference, grief,
remembrance of kinsfolk, and fear of death, and finally desire
(09:17):
of evil things, disregard of virtue and unsettled habits. Whenever
therefore you have seen aught and are afraid, if your
fear is immediately taken away, and in place of it
comes joy, unspeakable cheerfulness, courage, renewed strength, calmness of thought,
and all those I named before, boldness and love toward God.
(09:41):
Take courage and pray for joy and a settled state
of soul. Show the holiness of Him who is present.
Thus Abraham beholding the Lord rejoiced John eight, verse fifty six.
So also John Luke one, verse forty one. The voice
of Mary, the God Bearer leapt for gladness. But if
(10:05):
at the appearance of any there is confusion, knocking without
worldly display, threats of death, and the other things which
I have already mentioned. Know that it is an onslaught
of evil spirits. And let this also be a token
for you. Whenever the soul remains fearful, there is a
presence of the enemies. For the demons do not take
(10:26):
away the fear of their presence, as the great archangel
Gabriel did for Mary and Zacharias, and as he did
who appeared to the women at the tomb. But rather,
whenever they see men afraid, they increase their delusions that
men may be terrified the more, and at last attacking
they mock them, saying fall down and worship. Thus they
(10:47):
deceived the Greeks, and thus by them they were considered gods,
falsely so called. But the Lord did not suffer us
to be deceived by the devil, for he rebuked him
whenever he framed such illusions against him, saying, get behind me, Satan,
for it is written you shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve Matthew four, verse ten.
(11:10):
And more and more. Therefore, let the deceiver be despised
by us, for what the Lord has said. This for
our sakes, he has done that the demons, hearing like
words from us, may be put to flight through the
Lord who rebuked them in those words. And it is
not fitting to boast at the castings forth of the demons,
(11:34):
nor to be uplifted by the healing of diseases. Nor
is it fitting that he who casts out devils should
alone be highly esteemed, while he who casts them not
out should be considered nought. But let a man learn
the discipline of each one, and either imitate rival or
correct it. For the working of signs is not ours,
(11:55):
but the Savior's work. And so he said to his disciples, rejoice,
not that the demons are subject to you, but that
your names are written in the heavens Luke ten, verse
twenty For the fact that our names are written in
heaven is a proof of our virtuous life. But to
cast out demons is a favor of the Savior, who
granted it. Wherefore to those who boasted in signs but
(12:17):
not in virtue, and said, Lord, in your name did
we not cast out demons? And in your name did
many mighty works Matthew seven, verse twenty two. He answered
verily I say unto you. I know you not, for
the Lord knows not the ways of the wicked. But
we ought always to pray, as I said above, that
(12:38):
we may receive the gift of discerning spirits, that, as
it is written one John four, verse one, we may
not believe every spirit. I should have liked to speak
no further and to say nothing from my own promptings,
satisfied with what I have said. But lest you should
think that I speak at random, and believe that I
detail these things without exposperience or truth. For this cause,
(13:02):
even though I should become as a fool, Yet the
Lord who hears knows the clearness of my conscience, and
that it is not for my own sake, but on
account of your affection towards me, and at your petition,
that I again tell what I saw of the practices
of evil spirits. How often they have called me blessed,
and I have cursed them in the name of the Lord.
(13:23):
How often have they predicted the rising of the river,
and I answered them, what have you to do with it?
Once they came threatening and surrounded me like soldiers in Fulama.
At another time they filled the house with horses while
beasts and creeping things, and I sang, some in chariots
and some in horses, but we will boast in the
(13:45):
name of the Lord, our God. And at the prayers
they were turned to flight by the Lord. Once they
came in darkness, bearing the appearance of a light, and said,
we have come to give you light antony. But I
closed my eyes and prayed, and immediately the light of
the wicked ones was quenched. And a few months after
(14:06):
they came as though, singing psalms and babbling the words
of scripture, but I, like a deaf man, heard not.
Once they shook the cell with an earthquake, but I
continued praying with unshaken heart. And after this they came again,
making noises, whistling, and dancing. But as I prayed and
lay singing psalms to myself, they immediately began to lament
(14:29):
and weep, as if their strength had failed them. But
I gave glory to the Lord who had brought down
and made an example of their daring and madness. Once
a demon exceeding high appeared with pomp and dared to say,
I am the power of God, and I am Providence.
What do you wish that I shall give you. But I,
(14:50):
then so much the more breathed upon him and spoke
the name of Christ, and set about to smite him.
And I seemed to have smitten him, and immediately he,
because he was together with all his demons, disappeared at
the name of Christ. At another time, while I was fasting,
he came full of craft, under the semblance of a monk,
(15:10):
with what seemed to be loaves, and gave me counsel, saying,
eat and cease from your many labors. Thou also art
a man, and art like to foreseek. But I, perceiving
his device, rose up to pray, and he endured it.
Not for he departed, and through the door there seemed
to go out as it were smoke. How often in
the desert has he displayed what resembled gold, that I
(15:34):
should only touch it and look on it. But I
sang psalms against him, and he vanished away. Often they
would beat me with stripes, and I repeated again and again,
nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ Romans eight,
verse thirty five. And at this they rather fell to
beating one another. Nor was it I that stayed them
(15:58):
and destroyed their power. But it was the Lord who said,
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven Luke ten,
verse eighteen. But I, children, mindful of the Apostle's words,
transferred one Corinthians four, verse six, this to myself, that
you might learn not to faint in discipline, nor to
(16:19):
fear the devil nor the delusions of the demons. And
since I have become a fool in detailing these things,
receive also as an aid to your safety and fearlessness.
And believe me, for I do not lie. Once someone
knocked at the door of my cell, and going forth
I saw one who seemed of great size and tall. Then,
(16:43):
when I inquired, who are you, he said, I am Satan. Then,
when I said, why are ye here? He answered, why
do the monks and all others blame me undeservedly? Why
do they coerse me hourly? Then I answered, wherefore do
you trouble them? He said, I am not he who
troubles them, but they trouble themselves, for I have become weak.
(17:06):
Have they not read? The swords of the enemy have
come to an end, and you have destroyed the cities.
I have no longer a place, a weapon, a city.
The Christians are spread everywhere, and at length even the
desert is filled with monks. Let them take heed to themselves,
and let them not curse me undeservedly. Then I marveled
at the grace of the Lord and said to him, you,
(17:27):
who art ever a liar and never speaks the truth, this,
at length, even against your will, you have truly spoken.
For the coming of Christ has made you weak, and
he has cast you down and stripped you. But he,
having heard the save his name, and not being able
to bear the burning from it, vanished. If therefore the
(17:48):
devil himself confesses that his power is gone, we ought
utterly to despise both him and his demons. And since
the enemy, with his hounds, has but devices of this sort, we,
having got to know their weaknesses, are able to despise them. Wherefore,
let us not despond after this fashion, nor let us
(18:09):
have a thought of cowardice in our heart, nor frame
fears for ourselves, saying I am afraid lest a demon
should come and overthrow me, lest he should lift me
up and cast me down, or lest rising against me
on a sudden he confound me such thoughts, let us
not have in mind at all, Nor let us be sorrowful,
as though we were perishing. But rather let us be
(18:31):
courageous and rejoice, always believing that we are safe. Let
us consider in our soul that the Lord is with us,
who put the evil spirits to flight and broke their power.
Let us consider and later heart, that while the Lord
is with us, our foes can do us no hurt.
(18:52):
For when they come, they approach us in a form
corresponding to the state in which they discover us, and
adapt their delusions to the condition of mind in which
they find us. If therefore they find us timid and confused,
they immediately beset the place like robbers, having found it unguarded.
And what we of ourselves are thinking they do. And
(19:13):
more also, for if they find us fainthearted and cowardly,
they mightily increase our terror by their delusions and threats,
And with these the unhappy soul is thenceforth tormented. But
if they see us rejoicing in the Lord, contemplating the
bliss of the future, mindful of the Lord, deeming all
(19:33):
things in his hand, and that no evil spirit has
any strength against the Christian, nor any power at all
over anyone, when they behold the soul fortified with these thoughts,
they are discomfited and turn backwards. Thus the enemy, seeing
Joe fenced round with them, withdrew from him, but finding
Judas unguarded him, he took captive. Thus, if we are
(19:58):
wishful to despise the enemy, let us ever ponder over
the things of the Lord, and let the soul ever
rejoice in hope, and we shall see. The snares of
the damon are like smoke, and the evil ones themselves
flee rather than pursue. For they are, as I said before,
exceeding fearful, ever looking forward to the fire prepared for them,
(20:23):
and for your fearlessness against them, hold this sure sign.
Whenever there is an apparition, be not prostrate with fear,
But whatsoever it be, first boldly asked who are you?
And from whence do you come? And if it should
be a vision of holy ones, they will assure you
and change your fear into joy. But if the vision
(20:45):
should be from the devil, immediately it becomes feeble. Beholding
your firm purpose of mind. For merely to ask who
are you Joshua five verse thirteen, and whence do you come?
Is a proof of coolness. By thus thus asking the
son of none learned who his helper was. Nor did
the enemy escape the questioning of Daniel. End of sections
(21:10):
thirty to forty three.
Sections thirty to forty three of the Life of Antony.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. Recording by Matthew James Gray. The
Life of Antony by Athanasius, translated by h. Elashore. So
(00:28):
then we ought to fear God only and despise the demons,
and be in no fear of them. But the more
they do these things, the more let us intensify our
discipline against them, for a good life and faith in
God is a great weapon. At any rate, they fear
the fasting, the sleeplessness, the prayers, the meekness, the quietness,
(00:49):
the contempt of money and vainglory, the humility, the love
of the poor, the arms, the freedom from anger of
the ascetics, and chief of all, their piety toward Christ.
Wherefore they do all things that they may not have
any that trample on them, knowing the grace given to
the faithful against them by the Savior, when he says, behold,
(01:15):
I have given to you power to tread upon serpents
and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy.
Luke ten, verse nineteen. Wherefore, if they pretend to foretell
the future, let no one give heed. For often they
announce beforehand that the brethren are coming days after, and
they do come. The demons, however, do this not from
(01:38):
any care for the hearers, but to gain their trust,
and that then, at length, having got them in their power,
they may destroy them. Whence we must give no heed
to them, but ought rather to confute them when speaking,
since we do not need them. For what wonder is
it if, with more subtle bodies than men have, when
(01:59):
they have seen them start on their journey, they surpass
them in speed and announced their coming, just as a
horseman getting a start of a man on foot announces
the arrival of the latter beforehand. So in this there
is no need for us to wonder at them, for
they know none of those things which are not yet
in existence. But God only is he who knows all
(02:21):
things before their birth. But these like thieves, running off
first with what they see, proclaim it to how many
already have they announced our business that we are assembled
together and discuss measures against them, Before any one of
us could go and tell these things this in good truth,
(02:43):
a fleet footed boy could do getting far ahead of
one less swift. But what I mean is this, if
any one begins to walk from the thebay, or from
any other district. Before he begins to walk, they do
not know whether he will walk. But when they have
seen him wark looking, they run on, and before he
comes up, report his approach. And so it falls out
(03:05):
that after a few days the travelers arrive, and often
the walkers turn back, and the demons prove false. So too,
with the respect to the water of the river, they
sometimes make foolish statements, having seen that there has been
much rain in the regions of Ethiopia, and knowing that
they are the cause of the flood of the river.
Before the water has come to Egypt, they run on
(03:27):
and announce it. And this men could have told if
they had as great power of running as the demons.
And as David's spy saw Samuel eighteen verse twenty four,
going up to a lofty place, saw the man approaching
better than one who stayed down below. And the four
runner himself announced before the others came up, not those
(03:49):
things which had not taken place, but those things which
were already on the way and were being accomplished. So
these also prefer to labor and declare what is happening
to others, simply for the sake of deceiving them. If, however,
Providence meantime plans anything different for the waters or wayfarers,
the Providence can do this, the demons are deceived, and
(04:11):
those who gave heed to them cheated. Thus, in days
gone by arose the oracles of the Greeks, and thus
they were led astray by the demons. But thus also
thenceforth their deception was brought to an end by the
coming of the Lord, who brought to nought the demons
and their devices. For they know nothing of themselves, but
like thieves, what they get to know from others, they
(04:33):
pass on and guess ad rather than foretell things. Therefore,
if sometimes they speak the truth, let no one marvel
at them, for this for experienced physicians, also, since they
see the same malady in different people, often foretell what
it is, making it out by their acquaintance with it.
Pilots too, and farmers, from their familiarity with the weather,
(04:57):
tell at a glance the state of the atmosphere and
forecast whether it will be stormy or fine. And no
one would say that they do this by inspiration, but
from experience and practice. So if the demons sometimes do
the same by guesswork, let no one wonder at it
or heed them. For what use to the hearers is
it to know from them what is going to happen
(05:19):
before the time? Or what concern have we to know
such things, even if the knowledge be true, For it
is not productive of virtue, nor is it any token
of goodness. For none of us is judged for what
he knows not, and no one is called blessed because
he has learning and knowledge. But each one will be
called to judgment in these points whether he have kept
(05:41):
the faith and truly observed the commandments. Wherefore, there is
no need to set much value on these things, nor
for the sake of them, to practice a life of
discipline and labor, but that living well we may please God.
And we neither ought to pray to know the future,
(06:01):
nor to ask for it as the reward of our discipline.
But our prayers should be that the Lord may be
our fellow helper for victory over the devil. And if
even once we have a desire to know the future,
let us be purer in mind. For I believe that
if a soul is perfectly pure and in its natural state,
it is able, being clear sighted, to see more and
(06:24):
further than the demons, for it has the Lord who
reveals to it, like the soul of Elisha, which saw
what was done Second Kings five, verse twenty six by Gehazi,
and beheld the hosts Second Kings six, verse seventeen, standing
on its side. When therefore they come by night to
(06:44):
you and wish to tell the future, or say we
are the angels, give no heed, for they lie yea.
Even if they praise your discipline and call you blessed,
hear them not, and have no dealings with them. But
rather sign yourselves and your houses and pray, and you
shall see them vanish. For they are cowards, and greatly
(07:05):
fear the sign of the Lord's Cross, since of a
truth in it. The Savior stripped them and made an
example of them Colossians two, verse fifteen. But if they
shamelessly stand their ground, capering and changing their forms of appearance,
fear them not, nor shrink, nor heed them as though
they were good spirits. For the presence either of the
(07:27):
good or evil, by the help of God, can easily
be distinguished. The vision of the Holy Ones is not
fraught with distraction, for they will not strive nor cry,
nor shall anyone hear their voice. But it comes so
quietly and gently that immediately joy, gladness, and courage arise
in the soul. For the Lord, who is our joy
(07:50):
is with them, and the power of God the Father,
and the thoughts of the soul remain unruffled and undisturbed,
so that it enlightened, as it were with ray. Behold
by itself, those who appear, for the love of what
is divine and of the things to come possesses it,
and willingly it would be wholly joined with them, if
(08:12):
it could depart along with them. But if being men,
some fear the vision of the good, those who appear
immediately take fear away, as Gabriel Luke one verse thirteen
did in the case of Zachariah, and as the Angel
Matthew twenty eight verse five did, who appeared to the
(08:32):
women at the Holy Sepulcher, and as he did who
said to the shepherds in the Gospel, fear not, for
their fear arose not from timidity, but from the recognition
of the presence of superior beings. Such then is the
nature of the visions of the Holy ones. But the
inroad and the display of the evil spirits is fraught
(08:53):
with confusion, with din with sounds and cryings such as
the disturbance of boorish youths or robbers, would occasion from
which arise fear in the heart, tumult and confusion of thought, dejection,
hatred towards them who live a life of discipline, indifference, grief,
remembrance of kinsfolk, and fear of death, and finally desire
(09:17):
of evil things, disregard of virtue and unsettled habits. Whenever
therefore you have seen aught and are afraid, if your
fear is immediately taken away, and in place of it
comes joy, unspeakable cheerfulness, courage, renewed strength, calmness of thought,
and all those I named before, boldness and love toward God.
(09:41):
Take courage and pray for joy and a settled state
of soul. Show the holiness of Him who is present.
Thus Abraham beholding the Lord rejoiced John eight, verse fifty six.
So also John Luke one, verse forty one. The voice
of Mary, the God Bearer leapt for gladness. But if
(10:05):
at the appearance of any there is confusion, knocking without
worldly display, threats of death, and the other things which
I have already mentioned. Know that it is an onslaught
of evil spirits. And let this also be a token
for you. Whenever the soul remains fearful, there is a
presence of the enemies. For the demons do not take
(10:26):
away the fear of their presence, as the great archangel
Gabriel did for Mary and Zacharias, and as he did
who appeared to the women at the tomb. But rather,
whenever they see men afraid, they increase their delusions that
men may be terrified the more, and at last attacking
they mock them, saying fall down and worship. Thus they
(10:47):
deceived the Greeks, and thus by them they were considered gods,
falsely so called. But the Lord did not suffer us
to be deceived by the devil, for he rebuked him
whenever he framed such illusions against him, saying, get behind me, Satan,
for it is written you shall worship the Lord your God,
and him only shall you serve Matthew four, verse ten.
(11:10):
And more and more. Therefore, let the deceiver be despised
by us, for what the Lord has said. This for
our sakes, he has done that the demons, hearing like
words from us, may be put to flight through the
Lord who rebuked them in those words. And it is
not fitting to boast at the castings forth of the demons,
(11:34):
nor to be uplifted by the healing of diseases. Nor
is it fitting that he who casts out devils should
alone be highly esteemed, while he who casts them not
out should be considered nought. But let a man learn
the discipline of each one, and either imitate rival or
correct it. For the working of signs is not ours,
(11:55):
but the Savior's work. And so he said to his disciples, rejoice,
not that the demons are subject to you, but that
your names are written in the heavens Luke ten, verse
twenty For the fact that our names are written in
heaven is a proof of our virtuous life. But to
cast out demons is a favor of the Savior, who
granted it. Wherefore to those who boasted in signs but
(12:17):
not in virtue, and said, Lord, in your name did
we not cast out demons? And in your name did
many mighty works Matthew seven, verse twenty two. He answered
verily I say unto you. I know you not, for
the Lord knows not the ways of the wicked. But
we ought always to pray, as I said above, that
(12:38):
we may receive the gift of discerning spirits, that, as
it is written one John four, verse one, we may
not believe every spirit. I should have liked to speak
no further and to say nothing from my own promptings,
satisfied with what I have said. But lest you should
think that I speak at random, and believe that I
detail these things without exposperience or truth. For this cause,
(13:02):
even though I should become as a fool, Yet the
Lord who hears knows the clearness of my conscience, and
that it is not for my own sake, but on
account of your affection towards me, and at your petition,
that I again tell what I saw of the practices
of evil spirits. How often they have called me blessed,
and I have cursed them in the name of the Lord.
(13:23):
How often have they predicted the rising of the river,
and I answered them, what have you to do with it?
Once they came threatening and surrounded me like soldiers in Fulama.
At another time they filled the house with horses while
beasts and creeping things, and I sang, some in chariots
and some in horses, but we will boast in the
(13:45):
name of the Lord, our God. And at the prayers
they were turned to flight by the Lord. Once they
came in darkness, bearing the appearance of a light, and said,
we have come to give you light antony. But I
closed my eyes and prayed, and immediately the light of
the wicked ones was quenched. And a few months after
(14:06):
they came as though, singing psalms and babbling the words
of scripture, but I, like a deaf man, heard not.
Once they shook the cell with an earthquake, but I
continued praying with unshaken heart. And after this they came again,
making noises, whistling, and dancing. But as I prayed and
lay singing psalms to myself, they immediately began to lament
(14:29):
and weep, as if their strength had failed them. But
I gave glory to the Lord who had brought down
and made an example of their daring and madness. Once
a demon exceeding high appeared with pomp and dared to say,
I am the power of God, and I am Providence.
What do you wish that I shall give you. But I,
(14:50):
then so much the more breathed upon him and spoke
the name of Christ, and set about to smite him.
And I seemed to have smitten him, and immediately he,
because he was together with all his demons, disappeared at
the name of Christ. At another time, while I was fasting,
he came full of craft, under the semblance of a monk,
(15:10):
with what seemed to be loaves, and gave me counsel, saying,
eat and cease from your many labors. Thou also art
a man, and art like to foreseek. But I, perceiving
his device, rose up to pray, and he endured it.
Not for he departed, and through the door there seemed
to go out as it were smoke. How often in
the desert has he displayed what resembled gold, that I
(15:34):
should only touch it and look on it. But I
sang psalms against him, and he vanished away. Often they
would beat me with stripes, and I repeated again and again,
nothing shall separate me from the love of Christ Romans eight,
verse thirty five. And at this they rather fell to
beating one another. Nor was it I that stayed them
(15:58):
and destroyed their power. But it was the Lord who said,
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven Luke ten,
verse eighteen. But I, children, mindful of the Apostle's words,
transferred one Corinthians four, verse six, this to myself, that
you might learn not to faint in discipline, nor to
(16:19):
fear the devil nor the delusions of the demons. And
since I have become a fool in detailing these things,
receive also as an aid to your safety and fearlessness.
And believe me, for I do not lie. Once someone
knocked at the door of my cell, and going forth
I saw one who seemed of great size and tall. Then,
(16:43):
when I inquired, who are you, he said, I am Satan. Then,
when I said, why are ye here? He answered, why
do the monks and all others blame me undeservedly? Why
do they coerse me hourly? Then I answered, wherefore do
you trouble them? He said, I am not he who
troubles them, but they trouble themselves, for I have become weak.
(17:06):
Have they not read? The swords of the enemy have
come to an end, and you have destroyed the cities.
I have no longer a place, a weapon, a city.
The Christians are spread everywhere, and at length even the
desert is filled with monks. Let them take heed to themselves,
and let them not curse me undeservedly. Then I marveled
at the grace of the Lord and said to him, you,
(17:27):
who art ever a liar and never speaks the truth, this,
at length, even against your will, you have truly spoken.
For the coming of Christ has made you weak, and
he has cast you down and stripped you. But he,
having heard the save his name, and not being able
to bear the burning from it, vanished. If therefore the
(17:48):
devil himself confesses that his power is gone, we ought
utterly to despise both him and his demons. And since
the enemy, with his hounds, has but devices of this sort, we,
having got to know their weaknesses, are able to despise them. Wherefore,
let us not despond after this fashion, nor let us
(18:09):
have a thought of cowardice in our heart, nor frame
fears for ourselves, saying I am afraid lest a demon
should come and overthrow me, lest he should lift me
up and cast me down, or lest rising against me
on a sudden he confound me such thoughts, let us
not have in mind at all, Nor let us be sorrowful,
as though we were perishing. But rather let us be
(18:31):
courageous and rejoice, always believing that we are safe. Let
us consider in our soul that the Lord is with us,
who put the evil spirits to flight and broke their power.
Let us consider and later heart, that while the Lord
is with us, our foes can do us no hurt.
(18:52):
For when they come, they approach us in a form
corresponding to the state in which they discover us, and
adapt their delusions to the condition of mind in which
they find us. If therefore they find us timid and confused,
they immediately beset the place like robbers, having found it unguarded.
And what we of ourselves are thinking they do. And
(19:13):
more also, for if they find us fainthearted and cowardly,
they mightily increase our terror by their delusions and threats,
And with these the unhappy soul is thenceforth tormented. But
if they see us rejoicing in the Lord, contemplating the
bliss of the future, mindful of the Lord, deeming all
(19:33):
things in his hand, and that no evil spirit has
any strength against the Christian, nor any power at all
over anyone, when they behold the soul fortified with these thoughts,
they are discomfited and turn backwards. Thus the enemy, seeing
Joe fenced round with them, withdrew from him, but finding
Judas unguarded him, he took captive. Thus, if we are
(19:58):
wishful to despise the enemy, let us ever ponder over
the things of the Lord, and let the soul ever
rejoice in hope, and we shall see. The snares of
the damon are like smoke, and the evil ones themselves
flee rather than pursue. For they are, as I said before,
exceeding fearful, ever looking forward to the fire prepared for them,
(20:23):
and for your fearlessness against them, hold this sure sign.
Whenever there is an apparition, be not prostrate with fear,
But whatsoever it be, first boldly asked who are you?
And from whence do you come? And if it should
be a vision of holy ones, they will assure you
and change your fear into joy. But if the vision
(20:45):
should be from the devil, immediately it becomes feeble. Beholding
your firm purpose of mind. For merely to ask who
are you Joshua five verse thirteen, and whence do you come?
Is a proof of coolness. By thus thus asking the
son of none learned who his helper was. Nor did
the enemy escape the questioning of Daniel. End of sections
(21:10):
thirty to forty three.
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