Letter 6: Evagrius pictures temptation as a storm and urges discipline, humility, and Scripture reading.

In ignorance we passed by Your Holiness when we first went to Palestine, and so we did not receive provisions for salvation on the road set before us. Perhaps we are beside the road and are snatched away by birds; perhaps we are rocky and dry up what springs from us; perhaps we are full of thorns and the word is choked in us. I ask you: forgive me this sin, and pray for the rest of my lawlessness. We are running on a sea full of winds and waves, and I fear shipwreck, while these things make war against faith, knowledge, and righteousness. In all this, the Lord sleeps within us, and our mind is not awake, though it could wake him by virtues. The fleeing dragon rises fiercely against us, sometimes fawning with its tail, sometimes biting with its mouth. There is no way to repel it except by complete contempt for food, possessions, and worldly glory. From these the evil one brings his filthy thoughts into us and turns our mind aside through passionate thoughts, so that it becomes needy and absorbed in visible things. The all-wicked one used these passions when he brought the three temptations against our God Jesus: persuading him to make stones into bread, promising to give him the whole world, and again explaining from spiritual words that he was worthy to be served by angels. Who is able to turn him back in these matters? Who will be Daniel, helped by holy Gabriel, making a cake of pitch, hair, and fat to burst the dragon? I am not able, since I am defeated by temptations. I have handed the whole ship over to the pilot, so that our confidence may not rest on ourselves but on God, who rebukes the wind, commands the sea, and brings those in the ship back to the land of his will, the land toward which they are looking. I urge your son Aedesius, my brother, to discipline his body as much as he can and bring it into slavery through prayer, fasting, and vigils, since these heal the desiring part of the soul so that it does not receive disgusting thoughts and vice. Let him also crush his anger, which is a Judas handing the mind over to demons. He will crush it through humility, patience, and mercy, because from these is born the love that proves a person a disciple of Christ. Let him attend to the reading of the Scriptures, because they bear witness not only to the Savior of the world but also to the maker of the ages and to the judgment and providence within them. Let this be enough for us to say to your son. As for the man of God and deacon of Christ, who gave us great consolation in the desert, I commend him to Your Holiness. I urge you to bend your soul toward him and give him what I promised him and what he himself hopes to find.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): παρηλθομεν εν αγνοιαι την οσιοτητα σου το πρωτων εις παλαιστινην πορευθεντες και ουχ ευρομεν λαβειν εφοδια της σωτηριας εις την οδον ημιν προχειμενην· και ισως παρα την οδον εσμεν ωστε αρπαζεσθαι ημας υπο των πετεινων η πετρωδη εσμεν και τα εξανατελλοντα ξηραινομεν η ακανθων μεστοι και ο λογος εν ημιν πνιγεται· δεομαι σου αφες μοι ταυτην την αμαρτιαν και υπερ των λοιπων μου ανομιων προσευχου· τρεχομεν γαρ εν θαλασσηι μεστηι πνευματων τε και κυματων (και φοβουμαι ναυαγιαν) προς τε την πιστιν και την γνωσιν και την δικαιοσυνην πολεμιζοντων, και εν τουτοις ο κυριος εντος ημων καθευδει και ο νους ημων ου γρηγορει ο δυνατος αυτον δι αρετων εξεγειραι και σφοδρα ημιν επανισταται ο φευγων δρακων τοτε μεν τηι ουραι σαινων τοτε δε τωι στοματι δαχνων· τουτον δε ουχ ενι αλλως αποκρουειν η ει τις ολως καταφρονει εδεσματων και κτηματων και δοξης του κοσμου απο τουτων γαρ κομιζει εν ημιν ο πονηρος τους μιαρους αυτου λογισμους και μετακλινει τον νουν ημων δια λογισμων εμπαθων ωστε προσδεισθαι και μελεταν εν τοις ορατοις. τουτοις τοις παθεσιν εχρησατο ο παμπονηρος και τους τρεις πειρασμους τωι θεωι ημων Ι. επηγαγεν οτε λιθους αρτον ποιειν αυτον ανεπειθε και οτε τον κοσμον παντα δωσειν επηγγειλατο και παλιν οτε οτι υπ’ αγγελων διακονεισθαι αξιος εστιν απο τεκμηριων λογων πνευματικων εξηγησατο. και εν τουτοις τις δυνατος αυτον εις τα οπισω αποστρεψαι; τις εσται Δανιηλ βοηθουμενος υπο του αγιου Γαβριηλ ος ποιων μαζαν εκ πισσης και τριχος και στηρος διαρρηξει τον δρακοντα; εγω ου δυνατος ειμι ως υπο των πειρασμων ηττωμενος· την ναυν ολην τωι κυβερνητηι παραδεδωκα του μη ειναι την πεποιθησιν ημων εφ' ημιν αλλ' επι τωι θεωι τωι τε πνευματι επιτιμουντι και την θαλασσηι κελευοντι τους δε εν τηι νηι εις ην ατενιζουδιν γην του θεληματος αυτου επαναγοντι. πειθω δε τον υιον σου Αιδεσιον τον μου αδελφον το σωμα αυτου πιαζειν καθως δυνατον και καταδουλωσαι δια προσευχης και νηστειας και αγρυπνιας ως του επιθυμητικου της ψυχης θεραπευτικων ωστε μη γενεσθαι δεκτικην μυσαρων λογισμων τε και κακιας. και συντριβετω την οργην αυτου ος εστιν Ιουδας τοις δαιμοσι τον νουν παραδιδους· συντριψει δε αυτην δια ταπεινοτητος και μακροθυμιας και ελεους οτι υπ’ αυτων γενναται η αγαπη των Χ. μαθητων αποδεικτικη. επιμελεισθω της των γραφων αναγνωσεως οτι ου μονον αυτον σωτηρα του κοσμου μαρτυρουσιν αλλα και ποιητην των αιωνων και της εν αυτοις κρισεως τε και προνοιας. ταυτα αρκειτω ημιν λεγειν προς τον υιον σου. τον δε ανδρα θεου και διακονον του Χ. οτι πολλην ημιν εδωκε παρακλησιν εν τηι ερημωι συνιστημι την οσιοτητι σου και πειθω σε καμψαμενον την ψυχην σου δουναι αυτωι καθως εγω αυτωι υπεσχμαι αυτος δε ευρησειν ελπιξει 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.