Demonstrations 6.14–7.8

English translation by John Gwynn (1898); the original is not shown

Therefore, my beloved, we also have received of the Spirit of Christ, and Christ dwelleth in us, as it is written that the Spirit said this through the mouth of the Prophet:—I will dwell in them and will walk in them. Therefore let us prepare our temples for the Spirit of Christ, and let us not grieve it that it may not depart from us. Remember the warning that the Apostle gives us:—Grieve not the Holy Spirit whereby ye have been sealed unto the day of redemption. For from baptism do we receive the Spirit of Christ. For in that hour in which the priests invoke the Spirit, the heavens open and it descends and moves upon the waters. And those that are baptized are clothed in it; for the Spirit stays aloof from all that are born of the flesh, until they come to the new birth by water, and then they receive the Holy Spirit. For in the first birth they are born with an animal souls which is created within man and is not thereafter subject to death, as he said:—Adam became a living soul. But in the second birth, that through baptism, they received the Holy Spirit from a particle of the Godhead, and it is not again subject to death. For when men die, the animal spirit is buried with the body, and sense is taken away from it, but the heavenly spirit that they receive goes according to its nature to Christ. And both these the Apostle has made known, for he said:—The body is buried in animal wise, and rises again in spiritual wise. The Spirit goes back again to Christ according to its nature, for the Apostle said again:—When we shall depart from the body we shall be with our Lord. For the Spirit of Christ, which the spiritual receive, goes to our Lord. And the animal spirit is buried in its nature, and sense is taken away from it. Whosoever guards the Spirit of Christ in purity, when it returns to Christ it thus addresses him:—“The body into which I went, and which put me on from the water of the baptism, has kept me in holiness.” And the Holy Spirit will be earnest with Christ for the resurrection of that body which kept Him with purity, and the Spirit will request to be again conjoined to it that that body may rise up in glory. And whatever man there is that receives the Spirit from the water (of baptism) and grieves it, it departs from him until he dies, and returns according to its nature to Christ, and accuses that man of having grieved it. And when the time of the final consummation shall have come, and the time of the Resurrection shall have approached, the Holy Spirit, that was kept in purity, receives great power from its nature and comes before Christ and stands at the door of the tombs, where the men are buried that kept it in purity, and awaits the (resurrection) shout. And when the Watchers shall have opened the doors of heaven before the King, then the cornet shall summon, and the trumpets shall sound, and the Spirit that waits for the (resurrection) shout shall hear, and quickly shall open the tombs, and raise up the bodies and whatsoever was buried in them, and shall put on the glory that comes with it. And (the Spirit) shall be within for the resurrection of the body, and the glory shall be without for the adornment of the body. And the animal spirit shall be swallowed up in the heavenly Spirit, and the whole man shall become spiritual, since his body is possessed by it (the Spirit). And death shall be swallowed up in life, and body shall be swallowed up in Spirit. And by the power of the Spirit, that man shall fly up to meet the King and He shall receive him with joy, and Christ shall give thanks for the body that has kept His Spirit in purity.

English translation by John Gwynn (1898); the original is not shown

This is the Spirit, my beloved, that the Prophets received, and thus also have we received. And it is not at every time found with those that receive it, but sometimes it returns to Him that sent it, and sometimes it goes to him that receives it. Hearken to that which our Lord said:—Despise not one of these little ones that believe on Me, for their angels in heaven do always behold the face of My Father. This Spirit then goes frequently and stands before God and beholds His face, and whosoever injures the temple in which it dwells, it will accuse him before God.

English translation by John Gwynn (1898); the original is not shown

I will instruct thee of that which is written, that the Spirit is not at every time found with those that receive it. For thus it is written about Saul, that the Holy Spirit, which he received when he was anointed, departed from him, because he grieved it, and God sent to him instead of it a vexing spirit. And whenever he was afflicted by the evil spirit, David used to play upon the harp, and the Holy Spirit, which David received when he was anointed, would come, and the evil spirit that was vexing Saul, would flee from before it. So the Holy Spirit that David received was not found with him at every time. As long as he was playing the harp, then it used to come. For had it been with him always, it would not have allowed him to sin with the wife of Uriah. For when he was praying about his sins, and was confessing his offences before God, he said thus:—Take not Thy holy spirit from me. Also concerning Elisha it is thus written, that, while he played upon his harp, then the spirit came to him and he prophesied and said:—Thus saith the Lord, ye shall not see wind nor rain, yet this valley shall be made many pits. And also when the Shunamite came to him because of her son that was dead, he said thus to her:—The Lord hid it from me and did cause me not to know it. Yet, when the King of Israel sent against him to slay him, the Spirit informed him before the messenger came upon him, and he said:—Lo! this son of iniquity has sent to take away my head. And again he made known about the abundance that came about in Samaria the day after. And again the Spirit informed him when Gehazi stole the silver and concealed it.

English translation by John Gwynn (1898); the original is not shown

Therefore, my beloved, when the Holy Spirit departs from a man who has received it, until it returns and comes to him, then Satan draws near unto that man, to cause him to sin, and that the Holy Spirit may leave him altogether. For as long as the Spirit is with a man, Satan fears to come near him. And observe, my beloved, that our Lord also, Who was born from the Spirit, was not tempted by Satan until in baptism He received the Spirit from on high. And then the Spirit led him forth to be tempted by Satan. This, then, is the way with man; that in the hour in which he perceives in himself that he is not fervent in the Spirit, and that his heart is inclining to the thought of this world, he may know that the Spirit is not with him, and may arise and pray and keep vigil that the Spirit of God may come to him, that he be not overcome by the adversary. A thief does not dig into a house, until he sees that its master is departing from it. Thus also Satan cannot draw near to that house which is our body, until the Spirit of Christ departs from it. And be sure, my beloved, that the thief does not certainly know whether the master of the house is within or not, but first he applies his ear, and looks. If he hears the voice of the master of the house within it saying:—“I have a journey to go,” and when he has searched out and seen that the master of the house has set out to perform his business, then the thief comes and digs into the house and steals. But if he hears the voice of the master of the house admonishing and commanding his household to watch and guard his house, and saying to them, “I also am within the house,” then the thief will fear and flee, that he may not be taken and captured. Thus also Satan, he has not the knowledge beforehand to know or see when the Spirit will depart, that so he may come to rob the man; but he too listens and watches, and so assails. But if he hears a man in whom Christ dwells speaking shameful words, or enraged, or quarrelling, or contending, then Satan knows that Christ is not with him, and he comes and accomplishes his will in him. For Christ dwells in the peaceful and the meek, and lodges in those that fear His word, as He says through the prophet:—On whom shall I look, and in whom shall I dwell, but in the peaceful and the meek who fear My word? And our Lord said:—Whoever walks in My commandments and keeps My love, We will come to him and make Our abode with him. But if he hears from a man that he is on his guard and is praying and meditating in the Law of his Lord by day and by night, then he turns back from him, for he knows that Christ is with him. And if thou shouldest say, “How manifold is Satan! for lo! he fights with many;” then hear and learn from that which I proved to thee above concerning Christ, that no matter to what extent He is divided amongst many, yet He is not a whit diminished. For, as the house, through the window of which a little sunlight enters, is altogether illumined, so the man into whom a little of Satan enters, is altogether darkened. Hear that which the Apostle said:—If Satan is transfigured to an angel of light, it is no wonder if his ministers also are transfigured to ministers of righteousness. And again our Lord said to His disciples:—Lo, I have given you authority to tread upon the power of the adversary. And the Scriptures have made known that he has power and also ministers. Moreover Job said concerning him:—God made him to wage his war. These ministers then that he has, he causes to run in the world, to wage war. But be sure that he will not fight openly; because from the time of the coming of our Saviour, (God) has given authority over him. But he will surely plunder and steal.

English translation by John Gwynn (1898); the original is not shown

But I will explain to thee, my beloved, concerning that word which the Apostle said, by which can be weighed the doctrines that are instruments of the Evil One and doctrines of deceit. For the Apostle said:—There is an animal body and there is a spiritual body, seeing that it is thus written:—The first Adam became a living soul and the second Adam a quickening spirit. So they say that there will be two Adams. But he said:—As we have put on the image of that Adam who was from the earth, so we shall put on the image of that Adam who is from heaven. For Adam who was from the earth was he that sinned, and the Adam who is from heaven is our Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. They then that receive the Spirit of Christ, come into the likeness of the heavenly Adam, Who is our Saviour, our Lord Jesus Christ. For the animal shall be swallowed up in the spiritual, as I wrote unto thee above. And the man that grieves the spirit of Christ, will be animal in his resurrection; because the heavenly spirit is not with him, that the animal might be swallowed up in it. But when he shall arise he shall continue in his natural state, naked of the Spirit. Because he stripped off from him the Spirit of Christ, he shall be given over to utter nakedness. And whosoever honours the Spirit, and it is guarded in him in purity, in that day the Holy Spirit shall protect him, and he shall become altogether spiritual, and shall not be found naked; as the Apostle said:—And when we shall have clothed ourselves, may we not be found naked. And again he said:—We shall all sleep, but in the resurrection we shall not all be changed. And again he said:—This which dies shall put on that which dies not, and this which is corruptible that which is incorruptible, and when this which dies shall have put on that which dies not, and this corruptible that which is incorruptible, then shall be accomplished that word which is written that death is swallowed up by victory. Again he said:—Suddenly as the twinkling of an eye, the dead shall rise incorruptible and we shall be changed. And they who shall be changed shall put on the form of that heavenly Adam and shall become spiritual. And those who shall not be changed, shall continue animal in the created nature of Adam, namely, of dust; and shall continue in their nature in the earth below. And then the heavenly shall be caught up to heaven and the Spirit that they have put on shall cause them to fly, and they shall inherit the kingdom that was prepared for them from the beginning. And they that are animal shall remain on the earth by the weight of their bodies, and shall turn back to Sheol, and there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

English translation by John Gwynn (1898); the original is not shown

In writing this I have reminded myself, and also thee, my beloved; therefore love virginity, the heavenly portion, the fellowship of the Watchers of heaven. For there is nothing comparable with it. And in those that are thus, in them Christ dwells. The time of summer is at hand, and the fig-tree has budded and its leaves have come out—the signs that our Redeemer gave have begun to be fulfilled. For he said:—People shall rise against people and kingdom against kingdom. And there shall be famines and pestilences and terrors from heaven. And lo! all these things are being accomplished in our days.

English translation by John Gwynn (1898); the original is not shown

Therefore read in this whatever I have written unto thee, thou and the brethren, the monks that love virginity. And be on thy guard against scorners. For whosoever scorns and mocks his brother, the word that is written in the Gospel fitly applies to him; namely, when our Lord wished to take account with the avaricious and with the Pharisees. For it is written:—Because they loved money, they mocked Him. So also now those that do not agree with these things mock in the same way. Read then and learn. Be zealous for reading and for doing. And let the Law of God be thy meditation at every time. And when thou hast read this epistle, on thy life (I adjure thee), my beloved, arise and pray, and remember my sinfulness in thy prayer.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Of all who have been born and have put on a body, only one is innocent, namely our Lord Jesus Christ, as he bears witness of himself. For he says: "I have overcome the world." The prophet also testifies of him: ["He did no sin, nor] was deceit found in his mouth." And the blessed Apostle says: "Him who knew no sin he made sin for us." How did he make him sin, unless because he took up sin, which he had not committed, and nailed it to the cross? Again the Apostle says: "Many run in the stadium, but one receives the crown." And there is no other among men who goes down into the stadium without being wounded or struck; for sin has reigned from the time Adam transgressed the commandment; it had been struck by many and had wounded many, and had killed many too, but none of them killed it, until our Savior came, who took it up and nailed it to his cross. Yet though it is nailed to the cross, its sting remains, which will prick many until the end; then that sting will be broken.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

For all pains there are medicines by which they are healed, provided a skilled physician knows them. Those who are wounded in our contest have repentance as their remedy; when it is laid on their wounds, they are healed. O you physicians, disciples of our wise Physician! take up this remedy, with which you may cure the wounds of the sick. For when a wise physician finds warriors struck in battle by the one who fought against them, he looks for a way to heal the wounded; and when the physician has healed a man wounded in battle, he receives gifts and honours from the king. So, my beloved, it is fitting to bring the remedy of repentance to a man labouring in our contest whom the adversary has attacked and struck, once the wounded man has felt great pain of soul. For God does not reject penitents; for Ezekiel the prophet says: "I take no pleasure in the death of the sinner who dies, but I wish him to turn from his evil way and live."

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

A man wounded in battle is not reluctant to entrust himself to a wise physician because he has been overcome and has fallen in the fight; and when he has been healed, he is not rejected by the king but is again counted and enrolled in his army. So one who has been struck by Satan should not be ashamed to confess his fault, to abandon it, and to ask for repentance as a remedy. One who is ashamed to show his wound will be seized by gangrene, and it will harm his whole body; but one who is not ashamed to show the wound will be healed and will go down to battle again, while the one who has contracted gangrene can neither be restored to health nor put on again the armour he has laid aside. So for one who has been overcome in our contest this way of regaining health remains: to say "I have sinned" and to ask for repentance. But if someone is ashamed, he cannot be healed, because he will not reveal his wounds to the physician who received two denarii to heal with them all who had been wounded.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

You physicians, then, who are disciples of our renowned Physician, must not refuse medicine to those who need healing. Whoever uncovers his wound to you, lay on him the remedy of repentance; and whoever is ashamed to make his sickness known, urge him not to hide it from you; and when he has revealed it to you, do not make it public, lest because of him the innocent be judged guilty by our enemies and by those who hate us. A troop in which the slain fall is reckoned by the enemy the weakest of all. The wounds of the injured who are found among their fellow soldiers are cared for by those who have come through unharmed, and are not made known to the enemy. For if they reveal them to anyone at all, the whole army will get a bad name; the king, the commander of the army, will be angry with those who betrayed his army and will inflict on them blows worse than the wounds received in battle.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

But if those who have received wounds will not show them, the physicians will incur no blame for not having cared for the wounds of the injured. And if the wounded conceal their diseases, they will not be able to put on their arms again because of the gangrene contracted in the body. If, suffering from wasting, they dare to be girded with armour, when they rush out to join battle, the arms will grow hot upon their [limbs], and their sores will stink and rot until they perish. And when their corpses are found by those from whom they concealed their wounds, these will hold up to ridicule the whole conduct of those who hid the blows of their wounds; they will not commit their bodies to the grave, and they will be reckoned foolish, wicked, and imprudent.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

But one who has shown his wound and been restored should guard the part that was healed, lest he be struck there again. For if he receives a second blow, the cure will be laborious for the wise physician, for a blow coming on a scar does not heal; and even if he returns perfectly to health, the man will not be able to take up his arms again; and if he dares to put them on, he will habitually be unequal in battle.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

O you who have put on the armour of Christ! learn the discipline of war, so that you may not be overcome and give way in battle. For our adversary is cunning and skilful, but his arms are weaker than ours. We must therefore engage with him and take his arms from him, keeping watch even in sleep; for he is invisible to us when he attacks us. Let us then turn to him who sees him, that he may take him away from us.

Translated by Claude from Jean Parisot's Latin translation (1894) of the Syriac; neither is shown

Again I urge you who have been wounded: do not be ashamed to say, "We have fallen in the fight." Take the medicine without payment; turn and live, so that you do not fall in death. And to you, physicians, I recall what is read in the Scriptures of our wise Physician: that repentance is not withheld by him. For when Adam had sinned, he announced repentance to him, saying: "Adam, where are you?" But Adam, hiding his sin from the searcher of hearts, accused Eve of having deceived him. And since he did not confess his fault, [God] pronounced the sentence of death on him and all his descendants. He did not accept the sacrifice of Cain, who was full of deceit; yet he offered him repentance, which he rejected. For he said to him: "If you do well, I will accept your sacrifice; but if ill, sin will cling to you." But he killed his brother in the deceit of his heart, came under the curse, and became trembling and tottering on the earth. To the generation in the days of Noah also God gave one hundred and twenty years for repentance; but they would not turn back; therefore when the hundred years were completed he destroyed them.