EVAGRIOS THE SO LITA R Y

EVAGRIOS THE SOLITARY

lntroductory Note

Evagrios thc Solitary, also known as Evagrios Pontikos, was bom in

34j or t46, probably at lbora in Pontus, although according toanother opinion he was a native oflberia (Geofgia). A disciple of theCappadocian Fathers, he was ordained reader by St Basil the Greatand deacon by St Gregory the fieologian (Gregory of Nazianzos),and he accompanicd the latter to the Council of Constantinople in

38r (the second Ecumenical Council). Evagrios was never ordainedpriest. After a brief stay in Jerusalem, he went in tBJ to Eg)rpt,whcre he spent the rcmaining sixtecn years of his life. After tnr'oyears at Nitria, where he became a monk, he moved to tie moreremote desert o[ Kellia, dying there in 399. While in Egypt he hadas his spiritual father the priest of Kellia, St Makarios of Alexandria,and ii is probable that he also kncw St Makarios the ESrptian, thepriest and spiritual hther ofSketis. ln the perlon of tbese two sainB,he came into contact witl the first generation of the Desert Fathersand with their spirituality in its purest form..

ln the numerous writings of Evagrios there may be dirccrned twotendencies, the one 'speculative' and the other'practical'. On the'speculative' side he relies heavily upon Origen (c. r 85--r. r54),borrowing lrom him in particular certain tlreories about the pre-existence of human souls and the dpoldtdtosrJ or final restoration ofall things in Christ. These theories were condemned at th€ 6fthEcumenical Council (553). On the 'pnctical' side he draws uponthe living experience of the Dcsert Fathers of Egypt, mainly Copts,among whom he spent the last years of his life, He possessed to anexceptional degree the gifts of psychological insight and vividdescription, together with the abllity to analyse and define r,vithremarkable precision the various stages on the spiritual way. Herehis teachingr, so far from being condemned, have exercised adecisive influence upon subsequent writers. His disciple St John

Cassian, while abandoning the suspect theorics that Evagrios dcrivctl

from Origen, transmitted thc 'practical' aspcct of Evagrios' tcaclr-

ings to thc Latin Wc$t. ln thc Greek East thc tcchnicll vocabulary

devised by Evagrios remained theredter standard: it can bc found,

for example, in the writings of St Diadochos of Photiki, St JohnKlimakos and St Maximos the Confessor, as also within the Syriac

tradition, in the lt!1stic lrcoti.rcr of St Isaac of Ninevch. Thc uorks

included by St Nikodimos in the Plilolalio all belong to thc'practical'

side of Evagrios, and contain little if any trace of susPect sPccu-

lations.Several of Evagrios' rvorks have come down under the name of

other authors. This is the case widr the rvriting On ProTcr, which in

the Greek Phtlokalia is ascribed to Neilos; but recent research has

made it plain beyond any reasonable doubt that this is a writing of

Evagrios. r

r Scc thc studics bt I. Heushcrr, 'tc Tnit{ dc I'Or.hon d'Evtrc le Pontlqu."ln

'.ctx d'lx&iquc a dc tlaiquc, XV ('9t1)' PP, 14-ei, ' '

]-7oi ! 1.' lqvnr

d'un conenplo{. tz liol.l d. I'O.aMn A'Erol.. l. Ponttquc (Prris, '95o).

Thc l:va'

grt.n euth;hip of thc wortc On ProTc ir rcccptcd by r prcvlour English tnnslrtor,

John Eudar 8:rnbcrgcr, in hi! lntroduction to EldSttut PoD.t.u': Tk Prctru[or;

Choptcts on Prcya (Cisterci.n Studict Scrler, No. 4, SPcnccr, Masr., r97o li c

| 911l),

On Prayer:One Hundred and Fifty-Three Texts

PROLO G UE

Whcn -sufrering

from tlc fever of unclcan p.*rionr, my intcllectaffiictcd with rlnmcfirl thougltr, I heve ofun bccn r;torcd rohe.alth by your lettar!, .! I ulcd to bc by thc counrcl of our grcatguidc and tcachcr.r Thtu h not to bc wondcrcd et, rince likJ thcblesscd lacob;ou heve eamcd a rich inhcritaoce. Througlr youreffort! to win Rrchcl you hevc bcen givcn Lceh 1cf. Geo. i9: ig;,randlow 1'ou rcck to bc gtven Rachcl aho, rince you hevc labourcd rfurthcr scvcn ycan for her rake.

For myrclf, I cannot deny tlnt dthougb I have wortcd hard dtnight I luvc caught nothing. Yct et your lugertion I havc qgain letdown the nctr, and I heve mede e lergc catch. Thcy are not [lq 6!h,but rlrcrc ere e hundrcd and fifty-thrcc of thcm (cf. John : 11 r r).Thesc, rs you rrqucatcd, I am scnding you in e crcel of love, In thcform of a hundred and fiftv-threc tcxts.

t am delightcd to find you so eagcr for tcxt! on prayer - c.gcr notsimply for tlrore writtcn on popcr witlr ink but also for thocc whlchare fixcd in thc intcllcc through lovc and gercrority. But cincc ,allthingr go in pein, onc complcmenting thc othcr', aa thc wirc Jcru.rput! it (Edclu!. 4r: z4), please ecccpt thc lettcr and undcrrtand itsspirit, slncc cvcry *riftcn word praupporcr thc lntellcct: forwherc therc i! no intellect tlrcrc lc no writtcn word. Tlc wey ofpnycr ir al.ro twofold: it compri!.r pncticc of the vinucr andcontcmplation. The semc appllcr to numbcn: litcrally thcy ercquantitics, but they can also rigni| qualitics.

I htve divided thi! discoursc on praycr into onc hundred andfitty-threc texts. In thb way I scnd you an cvrngclical feast, !o that

I S. M.t 1106 ot Alcund.i. (rG. p. JJ).I Hcoc keh rymbollzcr thc pr.crac. of thc vinuc. erd R:chcl contcmplerton.

ox l lAYlR 57t6 EVAGRIOT THE SOLITARY

vou mav dcliqht In a symbolical numbcr that combines a triangular

Lt* . fr"*tgJnd figurc.r Tlre trianglc indicatcs spiritual knowlcdgc

r Thc numlrr r 51 rtcellr thc rlnughr of 'grcrt firho' clught by -Slmon

Pcrcr

rnd ttrc Apcdct (lohn r | : I t ) ln tht prsogc Evrgrlot- m'tct tltc oI '

numcn€'l

.ymbollrrn wldcly .mPloycd tn rhc enclcnt end lr.dlcv'l *orld:

l. A trianaulor numbcr b lhc 3um totd of. contlnuour crlcr of nurncnls, stenlng

from thciumbcr r.Thu. t(= r + r),5(- t + t + t). td ro(: I +2 + I + 4)erc ell trienguler nrmrbcr.ll. A 4uan'numbcr b obt incd bt nurnbcrlng from- r but omlttlnt on' numcrel

crch t l inc. Thur 4(- t + r),9(- I + t + J)$d t6(- t + r + t + 7) rrc

rquarc numbc]!.lli. To obtein r ocmoonal nurnbcr, t*o nurncnls.t! omlttcd G'ch ilmc: | + 4 + 7

+ ro . . . ctc. jto o6aio e irrc6ooot numbcr, thrcc numcr.lt arc omlttcd: | + t +

t+r3. , .ctc.it,'I ircrto, or q,tut ol n$rbcr b orc wl c[, whca multlPllcd b,lt"lf, tcProduc"

Ibcu.gft $ th; lst dlgtt: c.g. t x 3 - tti 6 x 5

- 35.

Applylng th|t @ tllc numbc! t Jt, Ev.8rlo. aorcludc.:o.' i il li

"loqfut"', b.tog thc rum of Jl oumcnb uP to I t (locludvc)' .

t. lt b i.r.rrrdr, b.lng thc rurn of t + J + 9 + t t .' . uP to 3l (rrcrulrvcr' -

c. h lr thc r-um of roolr rqlorc nunbcr) rnd of 3t; urd tt lt ln ltr tum thc tutn or

rt (r ntd'ruro. numbcl: : r * I * 3 + 4 + J + 6 + t)''-ld'5 F ct"ulatl

d l . r tcdnunbc!:-JxJ) 'T[c followlng dLgrdru rhow thc mrancr tn whkf, th€ nrlout ,crl" quotcd

'boYccorrepond 6 tf,Juatct which dcmtc t[em:

.+ '+r r+t-1 r+t+t :9

l'^"! . r'^"'l ].

t '- ' ' l '- ' t

| '+J:5

t+5+t-r j

of thc Trinity, thc hexegon indicetcr thc ordered crcatlon of tf,cworld in rix dap, Thc numbcr onc hundrcd tr rqrnre, while thcnumber fifty-tlrcc ir trLnguLr aad ryhcrical; for twcnty-cight i!triangulrr, end twcnty-fivc ir sphcrical, fivc timcr five bclngtwenty-fivc. ln thi! w.y, 1ou havc a lgu.rc figure to cxprcss thllourfold neturc of thc virurcc, and abo a ryherlcal number, twenty-6ve, which by form rcprcrcntr thc cyclic movement of timc and roindicat ! tnre leowlcdgc ofthis pre*nt 1ge. For wcck follows wccland month followr month, and tirnc rcvolvcr from ycar to ycar, rndse.son follows !ca!on, ea we re from the movcmcnt of thc cun andmoon, of 4ring rnd summcr, md ro on. The trianglc

"." tignify

knowledge of the Holy Trinity. Or you cen rcgard t}c total sum,one hundrcd and ffty-thrcc, ar triangular md ro signi$\ rerpcctivc-ly the pncticc of the virtue!, contcmpletion of thc divine in nature,and tleologrr or splrltud knowlcdgc of God; faith, hopc and lovc(cf. r Cor. r 3 : r 3); or gold, rilvcr and prccious stones (cf. r C.or.1 : r :). So much, then, for thir number.

Do not dcrpisc the humblc apF.rancc of thae tcxs, for youknow how to bc contcnt with much or lltdc (cf. Phil, 4: r:). Youwill rccell how Chrirt did not rcJcct thc wldow'r mitca (cf. Ma*r: :,9g), but rcccpted them a! gr€atcr thna thc rlch gifts of nnnyothers. Slnwlrg ln thir way charity rad love toryerds your trucbrethrtn, pny for one who ir rick that hc rnay 'alc up hb bcd' andwalk (Merk r : r r ) by the grecq of Chrirt. Amco,

r. Should one wirh to rmhc incenrc, onc will minglc, accordingto the Lrw, fngrrnt gum, ca,rria, arornatic shcll end myrrh in cqrnlamoune (cf. Exod. 3o:34). Thclc are the four virnrcr. With thclrfull and bclanccd dcvclopmcnt, thc intcllect will bc refc frombetranl.

r. Whcn thc roul lrar bccn purificd tkouih thc keeping ofallthe comnnndmcntr, it make! the intcllcct stcadfrot.nd able toreceivc thc rtate nccded for prayer.

3. Pnycr is communion of the intellcct with Cod. What rtetc,then, doca thc intcllect necd so thrt it can rcach out to it! Lrrdwithout &flcctton end commune with Him without intermediarv ?

4. Whar Moscr trlcd to dnw near to the burning bush hc rJarforbiddcn to approach until hc hed loolcd hf! raa&l.r from hir fcct(cf. Exod. 3:g). If, thcn, you wirh to bchold and commune wltlr

l. l.raagv,to. ot !,b.,t:

aoaa

t t+r- t

tl.tSguarr nuo6or:

lll,Ilaagorlr.l nwrtut:

aaa

t+r+3-6

a

a

aaa.

r+t+r++arc

58 EVACRIOS THE S O LITARY ON PRAYER

Htm who is beyond senre-pcrception and beyond concept, you must

free yourselffrom every imparsioncd thought.

5. Fi"rt pny for the gift of tears, so that through sorrowing you

may tame what i3 savage in your soul' And having confessed your

transgrelsions to the Lord, you will obtain forgiveness from Him.

6.-Pray with tearr and all you ask will be heard. For the Lord

reiolces greatly when you pny with tears.

7. If you do shed tears during your Pnrycr, do not cxalt yourself,

thinking you are better than others. For your prayer has received

help rc that you can confess your sins readily and make your Peacewitii the tord through your tears. Therefore do not turn the remedy

for passions into a Passion, and so again provoke to anger Him who

har given you tlis grace'tl Many people, sh€dding t€an for their sins, lorget what tears

are for, and so in thcir folly go astray.

9. Perscvcre with patience in your Prayer, and repulse the cares

and doubts that arire within you' They disturb and trouble you' and

so slacken tie intensity of your Prayer.ro. Whcn the demons see you truly eager to Pray, they suggest

an imaginary necd for various things, and then stir uP your remem-

bntrce-of the"e things, inciting the intellect to go after tlrem; and

\,vhen it fails to 6nd them, it bccomes very depressed and miserable.

And when the intellect is at prayer, trhe demons keep frlling it with

the thought of these things, so t}lat it trles to discover more about

tlem and thus loses the fruidulness of its prayer.

rr. Try to make your intellect deaf and dumb during pnyer;

you will then be able to PraY.' r z. Whenever a temPtation or a feeling of contentiousness comes

over you, immediatcly arousing you to anger or to some senseless

*,ord, remember your prayer and how you will be judged about it,

and at once the disorderly movement within you wlll subside.

r 3. Whatever you do to avenge younclf against a brother rvho

has done you a wrong will Provc a stumbling-block to you during

Draver.' ,'4. Prayer is the flower of gcntleness and of freedom from

argcr,i 5. Pnyer is the fruit of joy and thankfulness.

16. Prayer is the remedy for gloom and despondency.

r 7. 'Go and scll all you have and give to the poor' (Matt. r 9 : r r);

.rnd 'deny yourself, trking up your cross' (Matt. r 6 : r4). you rvillthen be frec from distraction whcn you pny.

r 8..lfyou wish to pray as you should, deny yourself all the time,rnrl whcn any kind of aftliction troubles you, meditate on Draver.

.l,r; Ily:u

-.nd*"^ rcmetiing painful out of lou" for wisdim, you

'vill find the fruit of this during prayer.

.ro. lfyou d€sire to pray as you ought, do not grieve anyone;

otherwise you 'run in vain' (Phil. r: 16).rr-. 'leave your gift bcfore the altar; fint go arvay and be re_

conciled with your brother' (Matt.,J:24), ani *hen you retumyou will pny without disturbanc€. For nncour darkens the intellectof one who pnys, and extinguish€s the light of his pnyers.

r 2 . I hose who store up grievances and rancour in themselves arelikc people who draw water and pour it into a cask full of holcs.

.r1. lf you patiently accept what comes, you will always pray

wrrn Joy.14. When you pr.y as you should, thoughts will conre to you

$hich make you fcel that you have a real iight to be anery. 'Butanger.with your neighbour is never right. Ifyou search you-",itt finathat things can always be arranged without anger. So do all you cannot to break out into ang€r,

25.'Take care that, while appearing to cure someone else, youyoursetl do not remain uncured, in this way thwaning you. poy"r.

16. lf you are sparing with your anger you ,i l l-your".lf b"sparcd, and you will show your good sense ani will be one of thoscwno Pn|y.

27. Ifyou a,rm yourselfagainst anger, then you will never succumbt<,r any kind of desire. Desire provides fuel for anger, and anger dis-turbs spiritual vision, disruptihg the state of pray;r.

28. Do not pia)' only with outward forms and gestures, but withreverence and alvc try to make your intellect contious of spiritualPrayer.

,29. Sometimes as soon as you start to prry, you pny well; at

other tlmcs, in spite ol great exertion, you do not reach your !,oal.This is to make you exert younelf still more, rc that, h""ing gainedthc gilt ol pralcr, you keep it safe.

3o. When ao angel comes to us, all who trouble us with<haw atonce; tlrcn t-he intellect is completely calm and prays soundly. But atother times, whcn the attacks of the demons are particularly strong,

EVAGRTOS THB tO I ITARY ON PNAY E R 6r

the tntcllcct doe! not h.ve a momcnt't rcrytt!. Tht! ls because it isweakencd by the pnsdonr to whlch it has succumbcd in th€ Past',Br|tif it gocs on'rearching, lt will find ; end if it lnocb, the door will bcopcncd (cf. Matt. 7 : 8)'

3 r , Do not pray fior thc frrlfilment of your wirhes, for they maynot accoril with thc will of God. But pray ar you have been taught,

sayrnq: Thy will bc donc in mc (cf. Luka 2t:+2). Always entrcat

Himin thii way - that Hir will bc donc. For He desires what is goodand profiable ior you,

""hcrcar you do not alwayr ask for this.

3i. Oft.n whcn I hrve pnycd I havc askcd for what I thoughtwar qood, and penistcd in my P€titlon, stupidly importbning the

will ;f God, and not leaving it to Htm to arrange thingr as He knows

ir bc.st for mc. But whcn I have obtalned what I arked for, I have

beeit vcry rorry that I did not ark for tlre will of God to be done;

because thc thing turned out not to bc as I had thought.

33. What is good, cxcept God? Then let us leave to Him every-

thing that con"i-t us and all will bc well. For He who is good is

nrtu-r.lly ako a givcr of qood gifB.

34. 6o noa * ditat""iea if you do not at once receive lrom Godwhat you ask. Hc wishes to glvc you somcthing better - to makeyou p"*.u"t" in your Prayer. For what ir bctter than to enioy theiove of God anil to be in communion wlth Him?

3s. Undistracted Prayer is the highcst intellcction ofthe intellect.

36. Prayer is thc asccnt of thc Intellcct to God.

37. tf you long for praycr, rcnotmce all to gain all'

r8. Pray frnt for the purification of thc passions; secondly, lor

d"li'"*"l from ignorancc and foryetfulnesr; and thirdly, for

dctlvcnnce from all temptation, trial and dcrelicdon.

39. tn your pnyer scek only rightcousness and thc kingdom of

God, that is, virtue and sPiritual knowledge; and everything clse

'will be qiven m you' (Matt. 5:33).

4o. ttis right to pray not only for your own purification' but also

for that of alfyour fcllow mcn, anil o to imitatc tle angels.

4r. Sec whcthcr you stand tnrly beforc God in your Pnyer' or

ane ovcrcome by the detire for hurnan przi:e, using prolonged

oraver er a disguise.'

4r. Whethc-r you pny with brethrtn or alone' try to Pray not

rlmply as e routine, but with coruclou! awercners of your prayer.

+:. Cott*io* "t""rene$

of praycr ir cooccntration accompanicd

by rcverence, compunctionr end dirtrcc! of roul ar it confesr€! ltrsins with inward rorrow.

44. lf your lntellect i! ltill diltractcd during pnycr, you do notyet know what it is to pr.y as a monk; but your pnyer ir stillworldly, embellirhing the outer tabcrnaclc.

45. When you pray, kecp clorc wetch on your memory, ro that itdoes not distract you with recollcctionr of your past. But mekeyourself aware that you arc rtandlng bcforc God. For by naturc tlreintellect fu apt to bc carried away by memories durlng pnyer.

46. Whilc you are pnying, tlc mcmory bringr bcforc youfantasicr eithcr of pert thingr, or of rcccnt concern!, or of the faceof someone who has iniated you.

47. Thc demon is very cnvlour of ur when wc pny, rnd uscsevery kind of trick to tfiwart our purposc, Thcrcforc hc lr alwayrusing our memory to rtir up thoughc of variour thingr and ourflesh to arousc tlre pessions, in order to obstruct our way of asccntto God.

48. When after many attempb thc cunning dcmon falk to hinderthe pnyer of the righteoua man, hc slackcnr hls efforts a litdc, endthen gets htu own back whcn the man har finirhed prafng. Eithcr hcprovoker the man to anger, and rc dcrtr,oyr thc good cfrccta of thcprayer, or else he excites him to lcruGlers plcarure, and ro degradcshis intellcct.

49. Having prayed ar you rhould, expcct thc demon to rttackyou; so ltand on guard, rcady to protcct th€ fruie of your praycr.For this from thc ctart har becn your qpolntcd t !k: to cultiveteand to protect (cf. Gcn, r: r5). Thcrcforc, heving cultivetcd, donot leave the lruits unprotectcd; othcrwke you will galn nothlngrrom your Prayer.

5o. The warhre bctwecn ur and thc dcmonr tr wagcd solcly onaccount of spirltual pnycr, For praycr ir cxtremcly hatcful andoffensive to them, whcreaa it lcadr ur to lalyation snd pcace.

5r. What ir it tlrat tlc demonr wiah to cxcltc ln ur? Gluttony,unchastity, avarice, anger, rancour, and thc rcrt of thc perrionr, rothat the intellect grow! coanc end carurot pray e! it ought. Forwhen thc pnssionc arc arourcd in the non-radonal part ofoui neturc,they do not allow thc lntcllcct to functton propcrly.

J2. Wc practise thc virtrcr in ordcr to achlevc contempletion ofthe inncr esscnccl (Iogol) of crcatcd thingr, and from thir we pas to

EVAC RIOS THE 8() LITARY ON PRAYER 63

contcmpLtion of tfic l-ogot who givcs them thcir being; and Hc

nranifcrtc Himlclf whcn wc .tt itl thc rtetc of pnyer.

53. The rtetc of prayer h onc of dirpe$ion, which by virtuc of

th",nlost intcrDe loycr tran{ort! to the noeticr realm thc intellect

that longs for widom.

54. H1 rvho wish6 to Pray truly mult not only control his in'

ccnsive power and hic dasire, but must aho frce himself from every

imodsioned tlpueht.g5. H. who tivcg God is rlwayr comrnuning with Him as his

Fathcr, repuldng evcry imperstoned thouglt.

5e. OnL who has attaincd dtspasston her not nccc$arily achieved

puFe pr.y€r. For hc may still bc occuPied with dlought! which'

itt"ugL ditF""i"n t, distract him end lccp hirn far from God.

rzl wh- thc intellect no longer dallies with disPassionatc

thoughtr about variour thinge, it ha! not necessarily reached the

t"alm of pnyer ; for it rnay rtill be contemPlating th€ inner essences

of these thingr. And though such contcmPlation is dispessionate,

yct since it iJof crcated thin$, it imPr€sr€s dreir formr upon the

intellect and keePs it away from God.

rs. tf the intellect has not riscn above the contemplation of the

crcated world, it has not yet beheld the realm of Cod perfectly.

For it rnay be occupied with the knowledge of intelligible things

and so involved in their multiplicity.

59. lf you wish to pray, you have necd of God, 'who givespr.ycr to him who prays' (r Sam. z:9' LXX). lnvoke Him, then,

Lyingr 'Hallorvcd L' Thy *-", Thy kingdom comc' (Matt.

6i9-ro) - that ir, the Holy Spirit and Thy only-bcgottcn Son. For

so He taught ur, saying: 'Worship tlle Father in spirit and in truth'

{ohn 4: ra).5o. He who Prays in sPirit and in trtth ir no longer dependent

on crcatcd thingr when honouring the Creator, but pnises Him for

and in Himrclf.6 r. If you are a theologian,* you will pny truly. And if you pny

truly, you are e theologian.er,

-When your intellcct in it! grcat longing for Cod gndually

withdraws from the llcsh and tums away from all thoughtr that have

their gource in your rcnr-pcrccption, memory or soul-body

tempcrament,r and whcn it becomca full of reverence and joy,

r btc b|gtg..

then you may concludc that you arc closc to thc fronticrs ofPrayer.

6 3 . The Holy Spirit, out of compasion for our wealncsr, comerto us even whcn wc rrc impurc. And if only He 6n& our intellecttruly prryint to Him, Hc cnteB it and putr to flight the wholc arnvof thoughte and ldeas circling withir it, and -He

aroule! it to ;longing for spirittral pnyer.

. 64. Whilc all ehc producer thoughts, ideas and speculations inthe inteltect through changer in the body, the Lord doer thcoppositc: by entcring the intcllcct, He fillr it with whatcver loow-ledge Hc wishes; and through thc Intcllcct Hc calms tic uncontr,ollcdimpulser in the body.

65. Whoevcr loves true prayer and yct becomes anqry or reccnt-ful is hir own enemy. Hc ir likc e man who wantr to Jc clcarlv andyet inflicts damagc on his own eyer.

. 56. lfyou long to pray, .lo.nothing that ls oppod to pray€r, !othat God may draw ner and bc with you.

67. When you are pray\, do not slupc within younclf anyimage of the Deity, and do not let your intellect be sarnpcd witfrthe impre.ss of any [orm; but approach thc lmmaterial ln an im-material marmer, and thcn you will undcrstand.

68. Be on your guad {ainst the *ickr of tfic dcmons. Whllcyou are praying purely md calrnly, sometimes thcy ruddcnly brinzbefore you somc rhngc and alicn form, meking you imaehe fiyour conceit that the Deity is thcrc. They lrc tfoinq to ;rsuadcyou dnt the object suddcnly dlsclorcd to you ti thi dity,'*hcrorthe Deity docs not porscs guantity and form,

e9. Whcn thc jcalour dcmon faib to stir up our memorv durincprayer, he disturbs the soul-body to p"ra-"nt, ro

"" to foi-,o-E

strange hntaly in thc intcllect, Since your intcllcct is usually prc.occupied with thoughts it is casily dlvencd: lrutead of purs;lnqimmaterial and formlcsr knowlcdge, it ir dcccivcd, misaking smoklIor lrght.

7o. Sand on guard and ptotcct )'our intcllcct from thoughtrrvhile you pray. Then your intellcct will complcte itr praycrldcontiBuc in thc tranquilllty that is nahral to it. ln thia way ilc whohas compession on the lgrorant will comc to you, and you willrecelve tfie blesscd $ft of praycr.

7r. You cannot att in pure prayer whilc entanglcd in matcrhl

6551 EVAGRtOt THE EOLITARY ON PRAYER

79. Surely, when you do rcallzc where you are, you will gladlysorrow and, likc lsaiah, will rcproach yourself becausc, bcingunclean, and dwelling in the mi&t ofan unclean peoplc - dut is, ofenemiea - you dare to ctand before thc lord of hocts (cf. Isa. 6: J).

8o. If you pny tmly, you will gain great a$unrncc; angels willcome to you as they camc to Denicl, and they will illumirute youwith knowledge of the inncr erscnccs of created things (cf. Dan.2: t9) .

8r. Know that thc holy angels encourage us to pra)' and standbeside us, rejoicing and pnying for ur (cf, Toblt. I r; r t). Thereforc,i[ we are negligent and admit thoughts from the enemy, we greatlyprovoke the angeb. For while they struggle hard on our behalf wedo not even ake thc trouble to pray to God for ourrelves, but wcdespise their rerviccs to us and, abandonlog their Lord and God, weconsort with unclcan dcmons.

8 2. Pray gendy and calmly, ring with understanding and rhythm;then you will soar like a young crgle high in the hcaven:.

83. Psalmody calms the passions and curbc the uncontrolledimpulscs in the body; and prayer erubles the iotcllect to .ctlvatc ttrown enel$f.

84, Praycr ir the enelgr which accordr with the dignitl of thcintellect; it is the intellect's mrc and highast acdvity,

s5. Polmody appertairu to tle wisdom of the world of multl-plicity; pr.ycr is the preludc to the imm.tcrlal knowlcdgc of thcOne.l

s5, Splritual knowledge har great beauty: it ts the hclpmate ofpnyer, awakening the noctic power of the intellect to contem-plation of divinc knowlcdge.

87. lf you haye not y€t rcceived tlrc gift of pnyer or pralmody,persevere patiently and you will rcccivc lt.

88, 'And He spake a parablc to them to this cnd, that mcn oughtalwayr to pray, and not to lose he.rt.' So do not losc hcart and d$poirbecause you have not yet rcceived the gift of pnyer. You willreceive it later. In tlie eamc parable wc rcad: 'Though I do not fcarGod, or nran's opinion, yet because this widow troubles mc, I willvindicate her.' Similarly, God will rpeedily vindicate tlrorc who cry

! For 'lmrttcrbl hnowlcdgc of tlrc Onc', thc Grccl t.rt in thc PAirolalJd rc-rdt'immrtcrlel end multlplc hnowlcdgc', We hrvc rdoptcd thc cmcnd.rton rugg.lt.dbt tl.!.hcrr.

thin$ and €itatrd bt cooltrnt c|r"!. For pnycr mcenr thc lhcdding

ofthougtre.

t2. l r|.n who ir ticd up carurot run. Nor can thc intcllect d|at

ls r deve to peroion Perceivc tlc rcalm of 4irlurd pnycr. For it ir

&4ggcd about by imFrcioncd drouglro md cannot ray 1ti-ll.zl. lVh* thc intellect ettalnr pnycr dret ir purc and frcc from

parsion, the demonr attack no Longcr with rinirtcr thoughc but

with thoughts of wh.t i! good. For they oggert to it an illurion of

Godt gtory in a form plca.ri.ng to the rcnrcr, ro r'r b make it think

tlnt it-ha! realiz:d thc finel eim of Pr.ycr. A rn:n who Posscsrerspiritual lnowledge lut laid dtat thir lllulion rcrultc from thc

par:gion of self-egtccm and from the demon's touch on a certain area

of the bnin.

74, I thinl dnt the demon, by touching thir area, chengec thc

light $rroundiDg the intellect es he likcr. In this way he uses thc

dr"ion of lelf-€rtcem to ltir uP in the intcllect a tlrought which

iatuourlv rttributcs form and locltion o divine rnd principial

lcroelcisc. Not being disarrbcd by impure and carnal prslonr, but

r-rppocing itlelf to be in r sate of purity, drc intellcct irnagincs dnt

drerc ia io longer any advcrrc encry within it. lt thcn mistekes for a

divinc manifcsbtion the appea.rancc produccd in it by tfic demon,

who cunningly nranipulatea thc bnin and coovcrt! the light rur'

rounding dra intellcct into . form, ar we havc dcrcribcd.

75. fhen the angel ofGod comcs to us, witlr his presence alone

hc pua an end to a[ rdvenc enelgr within thc intellect end makcs

it! light €oeryizc witlout illusion.'

7ei 'Ilre cLtcmeot in thc Apocalype that thc angel brought

incenre and offercd it with thc pnycn of the raintc (cf. Rcv. 8 r 3)rcfcn, t tlrtnlc, to thit grcc which ir enelgizcd throug! the angel.

For it irxtils knowlcdge of truc Pr.ycr, ro that the intcllect atan&

6rm, free from all agitation, lisdcrrncrr md ncgligcnce.

lt. The bowls of incerue whtch thc twcnty-four elders ofrered

arc said to bc the pnycrs of thc raintr. By a bowl should bc under-

stood friendrhip with God or pcrfect ryiritual lovc, rvhercby prayer

ia energized in spirit .nd in Eudr.

7s. -When

you thinl tlnt you do not nced tean for your sins

during prayer, Eflect on thir: you chould dways be in God, and

y"t y6u "."

still 6r from Him. Thcn you will weep with Sreaterfeeling.

ON PRAYER 67EVAGRIOS TIf E SOLITA RY

to Htm d:y md night (c{. Luke 18: r-8). Takc heart, thcn, andpcncvere dlligcndy In holy preyer.'

t9. You Sdd wish for your efreirr to tum out, not a! you drinhb€t, but according to God's will. Thcn you will be undisturbed and

thankful in your praycr.9o. Eveoif you think you are with God, bc on your guard againrt

thc derpn of unchertity. For hc ls very lvlly and icalous: he trict tooutwit the activity and watchfulncrc of your intellect and to dra'w itawey from God, when it ctan& before Him with revcrcnce and fear.

9i, tf you cultivatc pBycr' be ready for the atacks of demoru

-i *aufo thcm reroluteiy; for thcy will come at you like wild

b€ast! and tmltreat your whole body.

9:. Preparc yourllf like an experienced fighter, and even if yousee a qrddcn pputiti"n ilo not be rhalen; and shor d y-ou see- o

sword ihawn agairut you, or a torch thrust into yorr-facc' do not be

alarmcd. Shouid you sce cven rome loathrcmc and bloody 6gure-' do

not panic; but ctand fast, boldly affirning your faith, and you will benore resolute in confronting your encmies.

93. He who bcrrs &grresr patiendy will attain joy, and he rvho

endures thc repulsive will Lnow dclight.

94. Take care thet thc cnfty dcrnons do not dcceivc you wlth

some vlsion; bc on your guerd, turo to Pnyer and ark God to slrow

vou if tlrc intellcction comeg hom Hlm and, if lt iloc! not, to dilP€l

ih. ill*iott at once. Do not bc afraid, for if you pray fcrrcntly to

God, the demons rvlll retreat, bshcd by Hir unrcen Power.99. You rlrould be awarc of thlr trlch: rt timel thc dcmona rplit

into two gtoups i and when you call for hclp agairut onc group, thc

othcr witl comc in the guisc of angelr ead &ive eway thc 6wt, ro

thet you arc deccived lnto belicving dut they are euly angels.

9e . C,rltit"t" gttat humility and coungc, md you will escape thcpowcr of thc dcmoru ; 'no ptaguc rlull come near your dwelling' for

i{c ctull givc Hir rrgeb chargc ovcr you' @s. 9I : ro-r r)' And they

will inviribly rcpel all thc crrc1gr of thc cnemy.

97. Hc who pracdrcs purc pnycr will hear the demonr crashing.nd bansiDg shoutinq and cuning; yct hc will not be overwhelmedo" go orri oThit

-l"dl But hc wilfray to God: 'l rvill fear no cvil, for

Th6u art with mc' (Ps. r 3 :4), and other wor& of this lind.

98. At tle timc of zuch triab, use a bricf but intenre pnyer.

rg. tf the demou mddenly threaten to aPPear out of the .ir' to

make you pqnic and to take po$lession of your intellect, do not bcfrightened and pay no attention to their thrcats. For thcy are tryingto terrif)' you, to r€c ifyou take noticc of them or scorn thc- utt".lyi

roo. When you stand in prayer before Cod the Almighty, whocreated all things and takes thought for all, why are you sofoolish asto forget the fear of God and to be gcared of moquitoes and cock-roachee? Have you not heard it said, 'You shall fear the Lord yourGod' (Deut. 6:r3); or again'Fear and dread shall fall upon them'(Exod. r5:16)?

r o r , Bread is food for the body and holiness is food for r:he soul ;spiritual pnyer is food for thc intcllect.

ro:, When you are in tlre inner temple pray not as the Phar.iseebut as the publican, so that you too are set free by thc Lord (cf.Luke r8: ro-r4).

ro1. Try not to pray against anyone in your pnryer, so that youdo not destroy what you are building, and make your prayerloathsonre.

r o4. Learn from the man who owed thc ten thousand talents that.ifyou do not forgive your debtor, you yourself will not be forgivcn.For it is said, 'Hc delivercd him to the tormentoB' (Matt. r t: t4).

- | ot.- Detach yourself from concern for the body when you pray:

do not let the sting ofa flea or a fly, the bite ofa louse or a moxluito,dcprive you of the fruits of your pnyer.

ro6. We have heard tfiat tJre evil one attacked a certain saint soFercely as he prayed that, when the saint lifted up his hands, the evilone changed himself into a lion and raising his front legs fixed hisclaws into trhe saint's thighs; and he kept them therc uniil the saintlowered his hands, which war only when he had come to the end ofhis usual prayers.

ro7. Thcrc is too tie case of that great monk, John the Small.He lived the hesychastic lif€ in a pit, and his communion with Codrvas not interrupted cven when a dcmon in the form of a serpent.vound itself round him, chewed his flesh and spat it out into hisface.

r o8. You have surely read the lives of the monks of Tabennesis.When Abtu Theodore was preaching to the bretiren, two viperscrawled under his feet; but he calmly made an arch of his feet-andlet them stay there until he had finishcd hi! sermon, Thcn he showedthe vipers to the brcthren and told them what had happened.

EVAGRIO' THE SOLITARY

ro9. We read how, whcn.notler 3piritual brother was praying,a viper came and rvound itsclf round his leg. But he did not lower hishands until he had finished all his ulual pnyen; and because heloved God more dnn hinself, he was not harmed at all.

rro. Do not let your eyes be distracted during pnyer, butdetach yoursclf fmm conc€m with body and soul, and give all yourattention to the intellect.

r r r. Another saint living the hesychastic life in the desen wasattacked, as he was praying, by demons who for two weeks tossedhim like a ball in t}te air, caehing him in his rush-mat- They werecompletely unsuccessful in distracting his mind from fiery prayer.

rr2. When another monk was practiling inner prayer as hejoumeyed in the de-sert, two angels came and walked on either sideof him. But he paid no heed to them, for he did not wish to loscwhat was bcttcr. He remembered tlre words of the Apostle:'Neither angels, nor principalities, nor powers . . . shall bc able toseparate us lrom t]re love of Christ' (Rom. 8:38-39).

rr3. The monk becomes equal to the angels through praycr,because of his longing to 'behold the face of the Father who is inheaven' (cf. Matt. t8: ro).

r 14. Never tDr to s€e a form or shape during prayer.r 15. Do not long to have a senrcry image ofangels or powers or

Christ, fior this pould be madness: it would be to take a wolf asyour shepherd and to worship your enemies, the demons.

r r6. Self-csteem is the start of illusions in tlre intellect. Under itsimpulse, the intellect attempts to enclose tlre Deity in shapes andforms.

r r7. I shall say again what I have said elsewhere: blessed is theintellect that is completely free from forms during prayer.

rr8. Blessed is the intellect that, undistncted in its prayer,acquires an ever greater longing for God.

rr9. Blessed is the intell€ct that during prayer is free frommateriality and strippcd of all possessions.

r:o. Bles,sed is the intellect that has acquired complete free<lomfrom sensations during prayer.

r:r. Blessed is the monk who regardr €veDr man as God aftercod.

t 22. Blessed k the monh who looks with great joy on everyone'ssalvation and progrc$ as if they were his own.

rr3. Blessed is the monk who regards himself as,the offscouringofall things' (r Cor. 4: r3).

r :4, A monk is onc who is scparated from all and united with all.r 15. A monk is one who regards himself as linkcd wit-h everv

man, through always seeing himiclf in each.r-:6. The man who always dedicates his fint thoughts to God has

Penect Pnrycr.ru7. lfyou want to pray as a monk, shun all lies and take no oath.

Otherwiee you vainly pretend to be what you are not.r r 8. lf you wish to pray in spirit, be detached from the 0esh. and

no cloud will darken you during prayer.r r9. Entrust to God the nceds ofyour body, and it will be clear

that you entrust to Him the needs of your spiiit also.

-- r 3o. If you receive what has been promis.d, you will rcign over

all things; and, keeping these promises in mind, you wilt el;aly cn-dure your prescnt poverty, spiritual and materiai.

r 3 r . Do not shun poverty and afiliction, the fuel that gives wingsto prayer.

r 32. Let the vlrtues of the body lead you to those of the soul;and the virtues of the soul to those of the spirit; and these, in turn,to immaterial and principial knowledge.

r 3 j . If you are pra-ying to overcomC some thought, and it subsidescasily, examine carefully how this has come abo-ut; otherwise youmay be deluded into attributing tJre cause to yourself.

r 34. There are times whenihe de-ons.ufoot thoughts to youand then urge you to rebut them with pra[.; *h".Juurn ti""withdraw of their own accord, so as to deceive you into i'macininlthat you have begun to overcome such thoughl

"rrd to

-u't th3

ocmonS-r35. If you pray to overcome a passion or a demon who is

troubling you, remember the words: . l wil l pursue my enemies.and overtake them; and I wil l not turn ba.k unti i th"y

"r"'con"um.d.I will dash them to pieces and they shall not be able to stand: thevshall fall under my feet' (Ps. r 8 : t7-t8. LXX). Sav this when needeiand so arm yourself with humility against your enemies.

r 16. Do not think that you have acquired holiness unless vouhave reached the point of shedding you" blood to attain it. ior,according to the Apostle, we must battle unremittingly against sincven i f i t means death (cf . Eph. 6i t t - t r i t teb. rz: i ) . "

ON PRAYER 69

EVAGRIOI THE 60 LITA N Y ON PRAYER 7r

r3t. tf you do good to onc Pcr'!on' you m.y bc wronged by

arpthcr aod ro fecl injurcd, and say or do somcthing eurpid, thur

dirsipeting by your bad action rvhat ;rou geincd by your good action.

This ir just what thc dcmonr went; !o alwa)B bc ettentive.

r 3s. Be reedy for the attecls of thc demonr, .nd think how to

avoid bccoming thelr rhvc.r39. At niglrt the curming demoru try to disturb the rpiritual

tcecher by direct atack; in the daydme, they attack him through

othcr pcople, bc-:icging him with slandcr, distractlon and danger.

r4o. Do not try to avoid the fullcrs. Lct thcm beat, trample,

stretch end smooth; and your grrmeno will bc ell the brightcr.

r4r. So long as you have not renounccd the persions, and your

intellect is still opposcd to holiness end truth, you will not find the

fragnnce of irrcenrc in )Dur brc.lt.i4r. Do you have e longing fior praycr? Then leave the things of

this world end live your lifc in hcavcn, not iwt theoretically but in

angclic action and godlike knowledgc.r43. lf it is only in tlmes of advcrsity that you remember the

Judge and how ewe-inspiring and imFrtial Hc is, you have not yct

lcarned'to rcrvc tlc Lord with fear and rcjoice in Him with

cembling' (Ps. r: r r). For cvcn ln e statc of sPiritual Pcace and

blcsrcdners you rhould *ill wonhip Him with reverence and awe.

r,g., Until a rran is compl€tely chengcd \ rcpentance, he will

be wirc alwaw to rcmcmbcr hic rinr with corrow and to rccall thc

ctennl fire which they lustly dcserve.r45. lfa rmn, rtill cnmcrhcd in sin and anger, darcs shamelessly

to rcach out for knowlcdge of divine thingr, or cven to embqrk uPon

imnntrrial pnycr, hc dcserves thc rcbuke given by thc Aportle; for

it tu &ngcrour for him to pray with heed brye and uncovered. Such a

oul, hc rep, ouglt 'to hevc a vcil on her head because of the angela'

who ere prercnt (d. r Cor, r r :3-7), and to bc clothcd in due

rcvcrcrrcc and humility.146. Just a! pc|:3ilt nt rt ring at the sun in its noondey brilllance

will not crrrc a man suffering from ophtlralmia, !o thc countcrfeit

practicc of fearful ud rrperrral pnyer - which ir propcrly to- be

pcrformcd in girit md in trudr - till in no way bencfit an intellect

dret is perciomtc end lmpune; on thc contnry' such practice will

provokc thc wnth of God against the lntellcct.

r47. lf He who is in went of nothing end shows no hvoun did

not rcc€iv€ the man comlng with a glft to thc altar until hc warreconciled with hir nclghbour who had rcmetlrtng aginst him (cf.Matt. J : 2l-2+), consider how much wc must bc on guard and uscdiscrimination if wc are to offer et thc spirihal altar incense tlrat isacceptable to God.

r 48 . Do not dellght in wordr or in glory. Otherwir€ thc demonrwill no longcr work bchind your back, but openly before your facc;and they will laugh you to lcom durlng prayer, drawing you awayand enticing you tnto rtrangc tJrcughB.

r 49 . lf you-reek praycr attendvcly .you will find it ; for nothing irmore csscntial to praycr t$an attcntivcnccr. So do all you can- toacquir€ lt.

r 5o. Ar rigtrt ir ruperior to dl the other renrer, so pnyer ir morcdivine r:lran all the othcr virtucr,

r5r. Tte velue of pnyer ller not ln merr quantity but in itsquality. Thts tr rhot|n by the contralt of the two mcn who went upinto the templc (cf. Lute 18:ro), rnd by thc injunctlon: ,Whcn

you pny, do not urc rata repcddonr' (Matt, 6:7).r g r . So long ar you give attention to thc beauty of the body, and

your intellcct delight! in thc outrlde of thc tabemeclc, you havenot- yet perceived thc rcelm of prryer and are rtill far ftom trcedlngits blerscd pd&.

r53. If-whcn prlattng no other joy can attnict you, thcn Aulyyou have found pnyer.

Philokalia

The Philokalia: VolumelconqtuA 6! sant NtuAttus ol nE Hofu Mountun a sant Mttutus ol connnl

153 Texts On Prayer

W Exagrbs the Solitary55 77