Many of us would dream of seeing and speaking with Christ in person. Indeed those people such as the apostles, who lived during His time were truly blessed to receive His teachings in His presence. There are some who claim to experience the presence of God in visions or dreams also, but there is one …
A man was building a place he needed. There were many stones in front of him, some big, some small. He saw many he was unable to carry. When he had built it and touched none of them, he thought to himself, 'Is this not madness? Why did I not carry the light ones?' I …
One of the fathers said: “The secret of the strength and flourishing of monasticism in the early centuries was the system discipleship followed. The sweet aroma of Lord Christ, which was in the hearts of the fathers in the wilderness attracted many who became disciples to the Lord. That was why the deserts and wilderness …
The cell was regarded in the apophthegms as a specific space where one lived and followed a particular praxis that suited the monastic. The cell was set aside from other spaces because it was the place for serious spiritual work, which often included battles against thoughts and demons. A brother went to Abba Moses to …
For once, when about to eat, having risen up to pray about the ninth hour, he perceived that he was caught up in the spirit, and, wonderful to tell, he stood and saw himself, as it were, from outside himself, and that he was led in the air by certain ones. Next certain bitter and …
One day, a man from the town of Ashmin came to him. He was a notable businessman of very great wealth, and thieves had robbed his house, leaving him nothing. He came to my father and cried: “Help me, my lord and father! They have devastated my house and left me nothing at all”. My …
The act of writing held an almost sacred place in early Christianity. In putting word to parchment or papyrus, the Christian author ritually and mimetically recalled the incarnation of the divine Word (Iogos) in material form. As Derek Krueger has written, "From the perspective of late antiquity, the connection between logos and body always already …
At the time when the wise Cyril summoned Saint Abba Shenouda to the holy synod that met in Ephesus concerning the impious human worshipper Nestorius, our Lord Jesus Christ gave them friendly assistance until they subscribed to the deposition of that despicable person. After this battle waged by Saint Cyril and the holy synod of …
We have already mentioned that a sinner in need of repentance is in the same position as a man who is submerged in deep sleep. Just as one who is in deep sleep cannot awaken by himself and cannot get up if some danger approaches-he needs someone else to come and awaken him-so also one …
Let us look at an extract from the beginning of the first sermon: "So listen, O you who have friendship for the man who is discouraged, and look at his affliction when he says, 'Behold, Lord, I am tormented, my heart has become disturbed, and my heart has turned within me because I am in …
