Letter 17: Do every commandment for the Lord, not for human approval.

Those who intend to take the road of the one who said, "I am the way and the life," must learn from those who walked it first. They should speak with them about what is useful and listen to what helps, without introducing anything foreign to our way of life. We must also watch the movements that take place in our cell, so that we do not go wrong. Some filthy thoughts lie in ambush in the middle of the road, and others draw us away beside the road. The thoughts beside the road keep us from keeping the commandments. The thoughts in the very act of keeping the commandments do not stop the act, but they corrupt its aim by urging us to do it for human approval. Everything we do must therefore be done for the Lord with eager goodwill, for it is written, "The one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness." What good is it if we put away greed through justice and the passions of the belly through self-control, but then put on the passions of vainglory or grumbling and suffer in prayer what those earlier passions used to do to us? The paths of our adversary are designed to rob us of the divine light that rises in the heart during prayer. Blessed David cries out about these thoughts: "In the road where I walked they hid a trap for me," and again, "They stretched cords as snares for my feet.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): δει τους την οδον μετιεναι μελλοντας του ειποντος εγω ειμι η οδος και η ζωη μαθειν παρα των το πρωτον αυτηι περιπατησαντων, αυτοις τε διαλεγεσθαι περι του συμφεροντος και ακουειν παρ' αυτων το ωφελουν ου παρεισαγοντων ημων τι της ημων αναστροφης αλλοτριον. ταις δε κινησεσιν ημων εν τηι ημων κελληι προσεχωμεν ινα μη πλημμελωμεν· των γαρ μιαρων λογισμων εισιν οι εν μεσωι της οδου ενεδρευουσι και εισιν οι παρα την οδον αποσπωσιν. οι μεν παρα την οδον κωλυουσιν ημας της των εντολων τηρησεως, ου δε εντος αυτης της των εντολων φυλακης ημας ουκ εμποδιζουσιν αλλα ως ανθρωπαρεσχουντας αυτας ποιειν ημας προτρεπουσι του της ημων εργασιας σκοπου διαφθαφτικοι. αναγχαιον τοινυν ημας παν οτι ποιουμεν δια τον κυριον ποιειν προθυμωι σπουδηι· γεγρααπται γαρ ο ελεων ον ιλαροτητι . τι γαρ ωφελημα ει την πλεονεξιαν μεν δια δικαιοσυνης και τα παθη της γαστρος δι εγκρατειας αποτιθεμευα, αλλα δε παθη της κενοδοξιας η του γογγυσμου ενδυομεθα και ημιν καιρωι προσευχης συμβαινει α ημιν προς των προ τουτων παθων συνεβη; οι γαρ του αντιδικου ημων ποροι επιτηδευουσιν ωστε ημας του θειου φωτος του εν τηι καρδιαι κατα προσευχην ανατελλοντος αποστερειν· περι τουτων των λογισμων βοαι ο μακαριος Δαυιδ εν οδωι ηι επορευομην εκρυψαν μοι παγιδα και παλιν σχοινια διετειναν παγιδας τοις ποσιν μου Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.