Letter 862

To the same person. When the demons praise you through your own thoughts, saying that you keep vigil greatly, that you practice abstinence greatly, that you struggle greatly, do not share their estimation, do not take pleasure with them, and do not give your assent to them; but rather be harsh [...] against them, and be angry at them according to the Scripture: "Depart from me," you wolves and destroyers of souls; "stand away from me," you agents and craftsmen of all malice and wickedness. Accursed are you continually, and you shall be hated. May the day of pleasing men [the desire to win human approval]—the mother of all lawlessness and disorder—curse you. May it curse you at every time, and place, and circumstance. Accursed also be the offspring of your belly, that is, the conceptions of vainglory. "And all the people shall say: So be it, so be it." [Deuteronomy 27:15ff.]

Ὅταν οἱ δαίμονες εὐφημήσωσί σε διὰ τῶν ἐνθυμήσεων λέγοντες, ὅτι μεγάλως ἀγρυπνῇ, μεγάλως ἐγκρατεύῃ, μεγάλως ἀγωνίζῃ, μὴ συνδόξαζε, μηδὲ συνήδου, μηδὲ συγκατατίθεσο αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον καὶ τραχύν. θητι κατ’ αὐτῶν, καὶ ὀργίσθητι κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν πρὸς αὐτούς· « Ἐκκλίνατε ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ, » ὦ λύκοι, καὶ ψυχοφθόροι «ἀπόστητε ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ, »πρόξενοι, καὶ δημιουργοὶ πάσης κακίας καὶ πονηρίας. Ἐπικατάρατοι ὑμεῖς διαπαντός, καὶ μισητοὶ ἔσεσθε. Καταράσθω ὑμᾶς ἡ ἡμέραν τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκείας, τὴν πάσης ἀθεσμίας, καὶ ἀταξία; μητέρα. Καταράσθω ὑμᾶς ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, καὶ τόπῳ, καὶ πράγματι. Ἐπικατάρατα ἔστω καὶ τὰ ἔκγονα τῆς κοιλίας ὑμῶν, τουτέστι τὰ τῆς κενοδοξίας κυήματα. « Καὶ ἐρεῖ πᾶς ὁ λαός· Γένοιτο, γένοιτο »