St. Athanasius: The Paradise of the Holy Fathers

[Stone]

CHAPTER XXXI

OF A CERTAIN FAMOUS DEACON WHO DWELT IN A COENOBIUM IN EGYPT

ACERTAIN brother asked an old man and said unto him, “If it should happen that a man fell into temptation, by the permission of God, for the benefit of his soul, what is it right for those to do who are made to stumble by the same temptation?” The old man answered and said unto him, “If he repent in very truth, and with all his heart, and make confession unto God in his repentance, [saying,] ‘I have been rightly humbled,’ and shall say unto God, ‘It is good for me that I have been humbled, so that I might learn Thy commandments,’ God is able to heal the consciences of those who have already offended Him.” And the old man spake and narrated the following:

There was a certain deacon in a coenobium in Egypt, and a rich man, who had been driven out and had departed from the presence of a governor who had dominion over him, came with his household to that coenobium; and the deacon stumbled and fell into adultery with the wife of one of those who were with him, and he became a laughing-stock unto every man. And he went to a certain man who was his friend, and revealed unto him the matter, and he said unto him, “Let no man know where I am”; for he hid himself in a secret part of the cell of him that loved him, and he said unto him, “Here bury thou me during my lifetime”; and having gone down into the darkness of that hidden place he repented unto God in very truth. And after a certain time, the river, which was nigh unto the place in the region wherein the deacon had hidden himself, did not rise according to its wont, and the people of the country having prayed and made supplication it was revealed unto one of the saints that, “Unless that deacon who is hidden among us come forth, the waters will not rise.” So they went and brought him out from the place where he was hidden, and when he had come, and had made a prayer, straightway the river rose, and those who had been formerly offended by him were now edified the more, and they profited through him greatly and glorified God.

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CHAPTER XXXII

OF A CERTAIN EXCELLENT BISHOP WHO FELL INTO FORNICATION, AND THE PEOPLE HAVING WALKED UPON HIM HE WAS FORGIVEN

THERE was a certain bishop in one of the cities, who through the working of the Calumniator fell into fornication; and one day when the congregation was in the church, although no one knew of the Bishop’s sin, he voluntarily confessed it before all the assembly, and said, “I have fallen into fornication.” Then he took off the vestments which were on him, and laid them upon the altar, and said, “I cannot, henceforward, be your Bishop.” And all the people cried out with tears, saying, “Let this sin be upon us; only remain thou in thine episcopate.” And he answered and said unto them, “If ye wish me to remain in my episcopate, do ye that which I shall say unto you”; and he commanded, and all the doors of the church were shut with the exception of one, and he threw himself down upon his face, and said, “The man who goeth out from the church without walking upon me shall have no portion with God”; and they did according to his word, and when the last man had gone out, a voice was heard which said, “Because of his great humility I have forgiven him his sin.”

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CHAPTER XXXIII

OF A CERTAIN BROTHER WHO WAS A NEIGHBOUR OF ABBA POEMEN

WHEN Abbâ Poemen came into the countries of Egypt to dwell there, it happened that he took up his abode by the side of a brother who had a wife, and though the old man knew of this he did not rebuke him. And when the time had come for the woman to bring forth, and this was known to the old man, he cried out to a younger brother, and said unto him, “Arise, take this jar of wine and carry [it] to our neighbour, for he will have need thereof this day.” Now the matter was not known to that brother, but he did as the old man commanded him. And the brother [who had a wife] groaned and repented in his mind, and after a few days he dismissed the woman, and gave her whatsoever he happened to have by him; then he came to Abbâ Poemen, and said unto him, “Behold from this day onwards I repent, O father, but I entreat thee to pray to God on my behalf so that He may receive my repentance.” And Abbâ Poeman said unto him, “If thou repentest with all thy heart, I believe that God will bestow forgiveness upon thee; and do not despair of thy redemption.” And the brother went and built for himself a place of retreat, and he made therein an entrance through which he used to come to visit the old man; and he would go to Abbâ Poemen thereby, and the old man would reveal unto him the way of God, and thus he profited spiritually. And the brother laboured in fasting, and in prayer, and he wept and sighed, and grieved sorely for his sin; and [at length] it was revealed unto the old man on behalf of the brother that God had accepted his repentance.

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CHAPTER XXXIV

OF A CERTAIN BROTHER WHO DENIED [CHRIST] BECAUSE OF THE DAUGHTER OF A HEATHEN PRIEST

ONCE a certain brother was engaged in a war against fornication, and he happened to pass through a village in Egypt where he saw the daughter of a heathen priest, and he loved her, and he said to her father, “Give her to me to wife.” And the priest answered and said unto him, “I cannot give her to thee before learning from the god [his will in the matter]”; and he went to his devil, and said unto him, “Behold, a certain monk wisheth to take my daughter to wife; shall I give her to him or not?” And the devil made him answer, saying, “Seek out and enquire if he will deny his God, and his baptism, and the vows which he made before entering the monastic life.” And having gone to the brother the priest told him that he would accept him [as his daughter’s husband] if he would deny both these things (sic), and the priest also said unto him, “Wilt thou deny the baptism wherewith thou wast baptized?” And the brother answered and said, “Yea, I will”; and straightway he saw the Spirit of God go forth from his mouth in the form of a dove, and ascend into heaven. Then the priest went to the devil and told him what the brother had said, “Behold, he hath promised to deny all three things”; and the devil answered and said unto him, “Thou shalt not give [him] thy daughter, for his God hath not departed from him, for He is still helping him, and will accept him if he repenteth.” And the priest came and said to that brother, “I cannot give her to thee, for thy God is with thee, and He will not leave thee, but will help thee.” Now when the brother heard this he said within himself, “So God keepeth such great grace as this for thee, and will still help thee!”

Then that brother, having come back to his senses, made strong his mind, and fortified his will, and went forth to a certain old man in the desert, and related the matter unto him. And the old man answered and said unto him, “Sit thou down here with me in [this] cave, and fast for three weeks, only eating once every two days, and I will make supplication on thy behalf unto God.” And the old man laboured with the brother, and he made entreaty and supplication unto God, saying, “I beseech Thee, O Lord God, to grant me the soul of this brother, and to accept his repentance.” And when the first week was fulfilled, the old man came to the brother, and asked him, saying, “Hast thou seen anything?” and the brother answered and said, “Yes, I have seen a dove flying about in the heights of heaven, and standing before my head,” and the old man said unto him, “Take heed to thyself, and pray unto God with groans and sighs”; and the following week he came again to the brother, and asked him the same question, saying, “Hast thou seen anything?” And the brother made answer, saying, “I saw a dove which came and drew near to my head,” and the old man admonished him, saying, “Rouse up and pray unto God with abundant supplication.” And when the third week was fulfilled the old man came to the brother and said unto him, “What hast thou seen?” And he answered and said unto him, “I saw a dove which came and stood upon my head, and I stretched out my hand and took hold of it, but it fled away and entered into my mouth.” Then the old man gave thanks unto God, and said unto the brother, “God hath accepted thy repentance; henceforward watch thyself and take heed to thyself.” And the brother answered and said, “Behold, from this day onwards I shall live with thee, O father, even to the day of my death.”

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CHAPTER XXXV

OF A CERTAIN OID MAN IN SCETE

THERE was a certain old man in Scete who, having become very sick indeed, was ministered to by the brethren, and he thought in his mind that they were tired of him, and he said, “I will go to Egypt, so that the brethren may not have to labour on my account.” And Abbâ Moses said unto him, “Thou shalt not go, for if thou goest, thou wilt fall into fornication”; and the old man was grieved and said, “My body hath long been dead, and sayest thou these things unto me?” So he went up to Egypt, and men heard about him, and they brought many offerings unto him, and a certain believing virgin came in faith to minister unto him. And after a time, when the old man had been healed, the young woman lay with him, and she conceived, and folk asked her, saying, “Whence hadst thou that which thou hast conceived?” And she said unto them, “From the old man,” and they believed her not. Now when the old man heard that they would not believe her, he said, “Yea, I have done this thing; but protect ye for me the child which shall be born.” And when the child had been born and was weaned, there was a congregation in Scete, and the old man went down carrying the child on his shoulder, and he went into the church before all the people; and when they saw him they all wept. Then the old man said unto the brethren, “Observe ye, O my brethren, this is the child of disobedience; take heed, then, unto yourselves, for I have committed this act in my old age, and pray ye for me”; and the old man went to his cell, and dismissed the things wherewith he hath lived, and returned to his former deeds, and after a time he arrived [once more] at his old measure of ascetic excellence.