De Agathon abbate
The Discipline of Silence and Humility
Abbot Agathon and his brothers demonstrate the necessity of silence, humility, and the struggle against anger in the monastic life.
Abbot Agathon kept a stone in his mouth for three years until he learned silence; another brother, upon entering the community, said to himself, "You and the donkey are one; just as a donkey is beaten and doesn't speak, so too must you endure injury." It suffers and doesn't answer, and so should you. Another brother, having been expelled from the table, said nothing; when asked about it later, he said, "I decided in my heart that I am equal to a dog, which, when it is chased away, simply leaves." When Agathon was asked which virtue requires the most labor, he replied, "I think there is no labor like praying to God; for His enemies are always working to destroy one's prayer, and while in other labors a person can find some rest, the one who prays is engaged in a great struggle." When Agathon was asked by a brother how he should live with the other brothers, he said, "Live as you did on the first day, and don't grow overconfident; for there is no worse passion than overconfidence, which is the mother of all passions." It is the mother of all passions. He said again: "An angry man, even if he were to raise the dead, isn't pleasing to anyone or to God because of his anger." A certain angry brother said to himself, "If I lived alone, I wouldn't be angry."
The Struggle Against Anger
Through anecdotes about broken pitchers and failed arguments, the text illustrates the difficulty of maintaining peace and the importance of communal life.
To... so that I wouldn't be quickly moved to anger. Once, while he was filling a pitcher with water, it tipped over; he filled it a second time and it tipped over again; then a third time. He filled it and it tipped over again, and, moved by a fit of rage, he broke the vessel; but coming to his senses, he realized he had been tricked by that same demon of anger, and he said: 'Look, I am alone, and yet anger has conquered me; I will return to the community, because there is labor everywhere, and everywhere there is a need for patience and the help of God.' On the other hand, there were two brothers who had lived together for many years and could never be provoked to anger; once, one said to the other: 'Let's have an argument, just like people in the world do.' And he replied: 'I don't know how an argument is made.' . And the brother said: 'I will put a brick in the middle and say, "It is mine," and you say, "No, it is mine," and from that an argument will begin.' . So the brick was placed in the middle. One said, "This is mine," and the other said, "No, it's mine." And the other replied, "Yes, it's yours; take it then and go." So they parted, unable to argue with each other. Now Abbot Agathon was wise in understanding, diligent in working, and frugal in... food and clothing. He said, "I've never gone to sleep holding anything in my heart against anyone." And I haven't let anyone else go to sleep holding anything against me. anything.
The Final Judgment and Departure
As Abbot Agathon faces his death, he reflects on the mystery of God's judgment and departs this life with joy.
. As Agathon was about to die, he remained motionless for three days with his eyes wide open. When the brothers pressed him, he replied, "I am standing in the sight of God's judgment." They said to him, "Are you afraid, too?" He answered, "I have labored to keep God's commandments with all the strength I could, but I am a man, and I do not know if my works have pleased the Lord." They said to him, "And..." "don't you trust in your works, which are according to God?" . And he said, "I do not presume until I come before Him, for otherwise..." God's judgments are one thing, and human judgments are another." When they still wanted to question him, he said, "Show charity."1 And don't talk to me, because I'm busy. After saying this, he immediately gave up his spirit with joy. They saw him yield up his spirit just as if he were greeting his beloved friends. This is the life of the fathers.
Read the original Latin
Agathon abbas per triennium lapidem:in os suum mittebat, donec taciturnitatem disceret, Alius quoque frater, cum intrasset congregationem, dixit intra se; tu et asinus unum esto; sicut ergo asinus vapulat et non loquitur, injuriam. patitur et non respondet, sic et tu. Alius quoque frater a mensa expulsus nihil respondit; postmodum super hoc interrogatus ait: posni in corde meo, quod aequalis sum cani, qui, cum sectatur, foras egreditur. Interrogatus Agathon, quae virtus plus haberet laboris, respondit: puto non esse talem laborem, qualem orare Deum ; nam inimici ejus semper laborant ejus orationem destruere, nam in caeteris laboribus homo aliquam requiem possidet, orator antem opus habet magni certaminis. Interrogatus Agathon a quodam fratre, quomodo cum fratribus habitare deberet, ait: sicut in prima die, et non assumas fiduciam, non est enim pejor passio quam fiducia, genitrix. est enim omnium passionum. Dixit iterum: iracundus, si. mortuos suscitet, non placet alicui vel Deo propter iracundiam suam, Frater quidam iracundus intra se ait: si solus habitarem,.
ad. iram non cito moverer. Quadam vice, cum urceolum aqua impleret, versatus est; secundo implevit et iterum versatus est; tertio. implevit et versatus est, qui commotus furore fregit vasculum, ln se autem reversus cognovit, quod ab eodem daemome- iracundiae sit illusus, et dixit: ecce solus sum et tamen ira me vicit; revertar ergo in congregationem, quia ubique labor et ubique patentia et adjutorio Dei opus est. E contra erant duo fratres; qui multis annis invicem conversantes nunquam ad iracundiam poterant provocari, Quadam vice dixit unus alteri: faciamus et nos litem, sicut homines de mundo faciunt. Et ille respondit: nescio, qualiter fiat lis. . Et dixit frater: pono in medio laterculum et dico, meum est, tu antem dic, non, sed meum est, et inde fiet litis initium.
. Posita est ergo testa in medio. Dixit unus: meum est hoc, et alter dixit: non, sed meum est. Et ille respondit: etiam, tuum est, tolle ergo et vades- Et discesserunt nec inter se contendere potuerunt, Erat autem abbas Agathon sapiens ad intelligendum, impiger ad laborandum, parcus in. cibo atque vestimento. Dixit autem: secundum voluntatem meam naunquam dormivi retinens in corde adversus quemquam. dolorem, non dimisi dormire alium habentem adversum me. aliquid.
. Moriturus quoque Agathon tribus diebus mansit ímmobilis apertos tenens oculos, Qui cum pulsaretur a fratribus, respondit: in conspectu divini judicii assisto, Dicunt ei: et tu times? Et ille: in custodiendis mandatis Dei virtute, qua potui, laboravi; sed homo sum et nescio, utrum placuerunt opera mea domino. Dicunt ei: et. non confidis de operibus tuis, quod secundum Deum sunt? . Et ille: non praesumo, donec venero ante illum, aliter enim. sunt judicia Dei et aliter judicia hominum, Gum autem eum adhuc interrogare vellent, ait; ostendite caritatem.
et nolite mecum loqui, quia occupatus sum.
Quo dicto statim spiritum cum gaudio emisit. Videbant enim eum olligentem spiritum, quemadmodum si quis salutet amicos suos dilectos. Haec iù vitis patrum.
Notes
- 1 ↩The source text contains a likely typo 'Gum' which is rendered here as 'When' based on context.
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