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192 P. Col. 8 = Trismegistos 61322 = LDAB 2464 = columbia.apis.p227



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APIS Translation (English)

.. . . [and if] you return, [do not expel him (sc. the other brother)] but [find] for yourself another cell, lest you sin against God. But if by his own choice he wishes to depart, you are innocent. But if you left goods in it as well and he consumed them, do not require them from him. (4ff.) If you wish to depart from your cell, see to it that you do not take the necessities with you; but leave them for a poor brother, and God provides for you wherever you go. (6ff.) Do not be ashamed to tell your superior all hostile thoughts, and they are removed from you. For the spirits have no other joy except against a man who keeps his irrational thoughts (?) secret, whether they be good or evil. (9ff.) When sharing in the offering of the mysteries, beware of holding malice against your brother, for you are deceiving yourself. (11ff.) If the words of scripture are revealed to you for the purpose of allegorizing them, allegorize. But beware of annulling the letter, lest you trust your knowledge above the holy scripture; for this is a sign of pride. (14ff.) If your brother is deceived by words of heretics and wanders in ignorance from the orthodox faith, if he returns do not despise him, for he did not do this by his own will. (17ff.) Beware lest, wishing to establish your faith, you dispute with heretics--lest at some time the poison of their words smite you. (19ff.) If you find a book said to belong to the heretics, do not desire to read it, lest in some way it fill your heart with deadly poison. But hold fast to that into which you were baptized; neither add to nor take away from it. (22f.) Beware of knowledge falsely so called, which is contrary to the sound teaching, as the Apostle said. (23ff.) If you are young and have not as yet ended the slavery of the evil passion of the body, and you hear about great and lofty virtues of elders, do not desire to attain to them without effort. For they do not come to you unless you first perform their service; but if you accomplish their labor they come to you of themselves. (27ff.) Beware of discouragement, for it destroys every profit of the monk. If you struggle against passion do not be remiss, but cast yourself on God saying, "Help me in my misery, for I can do nothing against it"; and he helps you speedily. (31ff.) If you are resisting the hostile power by ascetic discipline and see that it has weakened before you and has fled in retreat, do not let your heart rejoice, because the wickedness of the spirits is behind them. For they prepare a war worse than the first and leave it behind the city and order it not to move; and if you resist and combat them, then they flee from you deceptively; and if you are proud and confident because of your strength and leave the city to pursue after them--if they see that you have left the city, some offer resistance in front and some rise up behind, and they surround the miserable soul in their midst, having nowhere to flee. Now the city is the constant casting of oneself on God. If therefore one always casts himself down before God with whole heart, he helps him in every temptation and saves him from all the onslaughts of the enemy. (43ff., CROSSED OUT:) If you pray to God about temptation, that he take it from you, and he does not hear you, do not be discouraged; for he knows what is to your advantage more than you. But if you pray about every request of yours in time of struggle, do not say "Take this from me" or "Give me this," but pray saying thus: "Lord Jesus, you are my rescuer, I am in your hands. You know what is to my advantage. Help me, do not allow me to sin against you."