Nilus of Ancyra→Paul|c. 415 AD|nilus ancyra|From Ancyra|AI-assisted
To Paul the Monk.
Let not the leapings of the flesh frighten you, since you cling laboriously to continence, make more frequent use of prayers, and long for stillness [hesychia, the inner quiet sought by the ascetic]. For "we shall not fear," it says, "while the earth is troubled" [Psalm 45:3 LXX] -- that is, when the flesh boils up, in the manner of a cauldron, with the innate seethings and agitations of the passions and impulses. But neither shall we ever be cowed by the pleasures of the demons, which are blended in from outside, like some sorcery, with the human impulses and drive nature into madness, for we call the Master of all things into alliance with us.
Let not the leapings of the flesh frighten you, since you cling laboriously to continence, make more frequent use of prayers, and long for stillness [hesychia, the inner quiet sought by the ascetic]. For "we shall not fear," it says, "while the earth is troubled" [Psalm 45:3 LXX] -- that is, when the flesh boils up, in the manner of a cauldron, with the innate seethings and agitations of the passions and impulses. But neither shall we ever be cowed by the pleasures of the demons, which are blended in from outside, like some sorcery, with the human impulses and drive nature into madness, for we call the Master of all things into alliance with us.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.