Letter 314

To Theodotus the Comes [count, a high civil or military official]. The divine angels, imitating their own Master, love humility. Therefore, whenever a monk, exulting in the loftiness of his way of life, embraces pride and clings to it so that he can scarcely be torn from it, the angels abandon the boastful man and withdraw far off, no longer willing to shelter, to help, to guard, and to assist him as they did before. And at once the utterly wicked demons rush in, and, grappling with the man who has been orphaned of that blessed protection, they cast the puffed-up man down into fornication, or theft, or murder, or adultery, or some other of the forbidden deeds. For greater than all transgressions is the transgression of pride, and on account of this the inventor of all baseness, the devil, was hurled down from the heavens to the earth. These things have been said by me because you asked me for what reason some of those who have chosen the ascetic life are at a certain moment carried down into unlawful deeds and fearful falls. It is good, then, to embrace and to hold fast continually to what is good; and nothing is more beautiful than modesty of mind, which Christ also, the Lord of all and God and Master, while consorting with men according to the flesh, displayed to us all and commanded us to emulate, saying: "Learn from me, that I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find a sure rest for your souls." [Matthew 11:29]

Τὸν Δεσπότην ἑαυτῶν οἱ θεῖοι μιμούμενοι ἄγγελοι τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην ἀγαπῶσιν. Ἐπὰν τοίνυν μοναχὸς γαυρούμενος τῷ ὕψει τῆς πολιτείας, τὴν ὑπερηφάνειαν ἀσπάσηται, καὶ ταύτης δυσαποσπάστως ἔχῃ, ἀπολείπουσιν οἱ ἄγγελοι τὸν ἀλαζονευόμενον, καὶ μακρὰν ἀφίστανται, μηκέτι θέλοντες σκέπειν, βοηθεῖν τε καὶ φρουρεῖν, καὶ ἀντιλαμβάνεσθαι, καθάπερ καὶ πρότερον. Εὐθὺς δὲ ἐπιδραμόντες οἱ παμπόνηροι δαίμονες, καὶ συμπλακέντες τῷ ἀπορφανισθέντι τῆς μακαρίας φρουρᾶς, καταβάλλουσι τὸν πεφυσιωμένον εἰς πορνείαν, ἢ κλοπὴν, ἢ φονοκτονίαν, μοιχείαν, ἢ ἕτερόν τι τῶν ἀπηγορευμένων. Μεῖζων γὰρ πάντων τῶν πλημμελημάτων πλημμέλημά ἐστιν ἡ ὑπερηφάνεια, καὶ διὰ ταύτην ὁ πάσης φαυλότητος εὑρετὴς τῆς διαβόλος ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν εἰς τὴν γῆν κατερρίφη. Ταῦτά μοι εἴρηται, διότι ἠρώτησάς με, τίνος ἕνεκεν τινὲς τῶν τοῦ ἀσκητικὸν προελομένων βίον καιρῷ τινὶ πρὸς ἀθεμίτους καταφέρονται πράξεις, καὶ φοβερὰ πτώματα; Καλὸν τοιγάρτοι ἀσπάζεσθαι, καὶ κρατεῖν διηνεκῶς τὸ καλόν· οὐδὲν δὲ κάλλιον τῆς μετριοφροσύνης, ἥντινα καὶ Χριστὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Κύριος, καὶ Θεὸς, καὶ Δεσπότης τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συναναστρεφόμενος τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, πᾶσιν ἡμῖν ἐνεδείξατο, καὶ ζηλοῦν προσέταξε λέγων «Μάθετε ἀπ’» ἐμοῦ, ὅτι πρᾷός εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ, καὶ ἀνάπαυσιν βεβαίαν εὑρήσετε ταῖς ὑμετέραις ψυχαῖς.