The Parents of the Desert

Abstract

The play depicts the spiritual struggles between a group of abbots from the Paterikon – Anthony, John the Less, Arsenius, Moses, Pamvo, Karion and Gelasius – and the devil, who in turn attempts to tempt them through pride, fornication, the love of money and delusions. Over the course of two acts, the audience witnesses how humility, prayer and repentance repel every diabolical scheme, including the conversion of a robber and a courtesan.

Characters

ABBA JOHN THE LESSER
, ABBA ANTONY
, ABBA KARION
, ABBA ARSENIUS OF ROME
, ABBA GELASIUS
, ABBA PAMVO
, ABBA MOSES
, THE ANGEL
, THE DEVIL and his
minions, THE COURTESAN (later, AMMA SARA)
THE BANDIT (later, AVVA EVPREPIE)
THREE FOOLS
A DEAD
MAN AFAITHOS
AFAITHOS’S
CHILD TWO WOMEN

ACT 1 – The Seven Temptations

THE ANGEL: Where are you going?

THE DEVIL: I’m off to stir up the brothers.

ANGEL: But what do you need these vessels for?

DEVIL: I’m taking them some snacks!

ANGEL: To all of them?

THE DEVIL: Yes, in all of them. If one doesn’t like it, I’ll give him another sort, and if he doesn’t like that one either, I’ll give him yet another, and at least one of them will be to his liking.

(The Devil exits. The Angel remains alone on stage.)

ANGEL: What terror, what upheaval and what violence we must witness when the soul departs from the body! The host and power of the enemy forces come upon us: the princes of darkness, the lords of evil in the world, the principalities and powers, the spirits of evil. They judge the soul, burdening it with all the sins it has committed, whether knowingly or unknowingly, from youth until death. They stand before it and accuse it of everything it has done. How the poor soul will tremble at that hour, until it receives its sentence and is set free! This will be a time of great distress, until it learns the fate that has been decreed for it. Then the divine powers come and stand before their adversaries, presenting the good deeds performed by the soul. Just think: the poor soul, standing in the midst, between the good angels and the evil angels, how terrified and trembling it will be as it awaits the judgement, delivered by the Righteous Judge. If it is found worthy, the hostile powers receive their punishment and it escapes from their hands. It lives carefree, in a special place, as it is written: ‘All who have their dwelling in You rejoice.’ The word is fulfilled: ‘Sorrow, grief and sighing have fled.’ Set free, the soul turns towards that unspeakable joy and glory, in which it will remain. But if it has been found negligent, it hears the terrifying voice: ‘Let the unfaithful be taken away, so that they may not see the glory of God.’ Upon him comes the day of wrath, the day of torment, the day of darkness and gloom. Cast into the outer darkness, he shall be condemned to the eternal fire and tormented for endless ages. Where, then, is the pride of the world? Where is the vain glory? Where is the pleasure? Where is the indulgence? Where are the illusions? Where is the rest? Where is the praise? Where are the riches? Where is the nobility of the family? Where is the father? Where is the mother? Where is the brother? Which of them will be able to free the soul scorched by flames and torn apart by terrible torments? If this is the case, how ought we to conduct ourselves in matters of holiness and faith? What sort of love must we acquire? What sort of life must we lead, and how should we conduct ourselves? Which path should we follow? How vigilant must we be? How much should we pray, and how resolute must we be? If we strive in these matters, may we be found by Him blameless and unstained in peace, so that we may be deemed worthy to hear His words: ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, for ever and ever. Amen’.

(Abba John the Lesser stands beside a stick stuck in the ground, which he waters carefully. He does not look at anyone around him. Abba Gelasius brings Abba Pamvo a bowl of grapes)

GHELASIUS: Have a little, Abba, it’s for your illness!

PAMVO: To tell you the truth, brother, I’d like to live with this illness for thirty years.

GHELASIE: What shall we do after you, Father?

PAMVO: Do you see how I have walked before you? If you wish to follow and keep God’s commandments, He will send you His grace, which will look after this place. But if you do not wish to keep them, do not remain here. We too were saddened when our fathers drew near to death, but we respected God’s commandments and their advice, and we lived as though they were still with us. Do the same, and you will be saved.

JOHN THE LITTLE ONE: Many of our fathers have attained asceticism, but scarcely one or two have attained the sharpness of mind through prayer.

(Abba Pamvo stands up and begins to eat whilst walking)

GHELASIE: Why are you eating like that, Abba?

PAMVO: I do not wish to make food a primary concern, but rather a secondary one. I want my soul to feel no carnal pleasure. How delicious these grapes are. I once had a dream in which a vine sprouted on my tongue; it then grew and became very fruitful. All the birds of the sky would come and eat the grapes from the vine. But the more they ate, the more grapes there were. Please tell me… what could this mean?

MOSES: The grapes are the good deeds you perform in this life. And the more humanity rejoices in them, the more courage you have and the more good deeds you do. Love for God is not like a fire that burns and then is consumed, but is nourished by its own existence.

PAMVO: I have never done my own will, nor have I taught anyone anything that I have not done myself first.

MOISE: Father, this means that you spoke of temptation only after you yourself had been tempted.

PAMVO: The sign by which a father is recognised is temptation. Temptation is good, for it tempers a man. Is that not so, Father John?

JOHN THE SMALL: It will blossom! Today it will blossom!

(The scene darkens; the monks lie down on the ground; only Abba John the Little remains awake, and light shines upon his face. The Devil appears)

THE DEVIL: Try nitrogen! Though even then, I don’t think it’ll work!

JOHN THE SMALL: It will bloom through faith.

THE DEVIL: It’s a wretched, dry stick that you’re holding in the sand! How do you think it can possibly bloom?

LITTLE JOHN: By praying to God.

THE DEVIL: You’re beyond help. What idleness does to a man! Do you know what I think? I think that when you came to Sketis, and Abba Ammoes made you wait a week at the gate of the fortress, without sleep or food, you actually enjoyed staying there.

JOHN THE SMALL: I didn’t know the devil could speak the truth!

THE DEVIL: To be honest, mate, the devil can do far more things than you humans can ever imagine. But I don’t think you want to be giving me a psychological profile when the focus is actually on you!

LITTLE JOHN: Don’t tempt me with pride, demon!

THE DEVIL: You’re underestimating me! That’s not good! I advise you to respect me more! In fact, I’m not tempting you with anything. I’m rational enough not to try to convince you of anything. You’ll convince yourself that you’re a lazybones! You see… I didn’t say you were standing at the gate of Sketis praying, as you like to believe, but lazing about.

JOHN THE SMALL: Are you talking to me about laziness? Solomon tells us, ‘Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!’ Am I really less intelligent than an ant?

THE DEVIL: I’m not asking you to be an ant, but an elephant! I’m asking you to be free to choose your own actions! Admit that you’ve been waiting at the city gate simply because you like to loiter. Just as for three years you have been toiling to make this dry stick blossom, so as not to have to do anything harder. You want to be carefree, like the angels, without a care in the world, not working, but simply serving God ceaselessly!

JOHN THE YOUNGER: My brother taught me just how wrong I was to believe such things.

THE DEVIL: Oh, how lovely! Your brother! A great man, a man of great character! But let’s not mention him, for I don’t like gossip! (laughs) That’s a good one, isn’t it?

LITTLE JOHN: The monk toils for everything! That is his calling.

THE DEVIL: Oh, yes, and you’re a monk too! You have a mission: to make the broom blossom! My dear… have you heard of the golden bough? Well… I created the golden bough. I invented the great mysteries of the world. You’re just a lazy drunkard. Nevertheless, because I care about you (unlike your Lord, who doesn’t seem to be helping you much), I’m making you an offer you can’t refuse: bow down to me and I’ll make that little stick of yours bloom more profusely than the flowers in Semiramis’s Hanging Gardens. Do you know Semiramis? A fine woman! I’ll give her to you as a gift: you’ll share in the secrets of the plants, if you know what I mean. What are you now? A lazy drunkard, and nothing more. Just think—I’ll make you a king!

JOHN THE LESSER: Begone, Satan, for it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone!’ (pouring water into the glass from which he had been wetting the stick.) I believe in Christ that I shall not finish this glass until you have left.

THE DEVIL: You’re burning me, you’re burning me!

(The Devil exits. The angel appears.)

THE ANGEL: Stay in your cell and gather your thoughts; remember the day of your death; behold the decay of the body at that time; reflect on misfortunes; practise self-denial; despise the vanity of the world, so that you may remain in stillness at all times and not grow weak; remember the order of hell; think of how the souls lie there, in what dreadful silence, in what heart-rending weeping, in what immense terror, struggle and waiting; think of the ceaseless torment, of the souls’ endless tears. But remember also the Day of Resurrection and standing before God; picture to yourself the dreadful and terrible Judgement. Consider what is in store for sinners: the shame before God, the angels, the archangels and all mankind—that is, the punishment, eternal fire, the never-sleeping worm, Tartarus, darkness, the gnashing of teeth, terrors and torments. Then, bring to mind also the blessings reserved for the righteous: closeness to God the Father and His Son, to the angels and archangels, to the company of the saints, the Kingdom of Heaven and its gifts, its joy and delight. Reflect on each of these: weep and mourn for the judgement of the sinners, and fear that you too might end up among them; but for the blessings reserved for the righteous, rejoice and be glad. Strive to attain the latter, and try to turn away from the former. Take care not to forget them for a single moment, whether you are in your cell or outside, thus fleeing from evil and harmful thoughts.

(The lights come up brightly on stage. The stick that Abba John the Lesser had been tending has blossomed. The fathers see it and cross themselves, then sit down in a circle.)

ANTONY: What am I to do when my tongue gives me no peace? When I am amongst people, I cannot keep it in check, and I condemn them for every good thing they do.

JOHN THE SMALL: He who lives with his brothers must not be angular, but round, so that he may roll towards everyone.

KARION: When the devil comes to you, the first time run away immediately, the second time run away, and the third time, turn yourself into a sword!

ANTONY: Abba… I am being tempted against you!

KARION: Come now, old man, are you really being tempted against me?

ANTONY: Yes, Father! I wanted to stay here for a few days, but I can’t, because of you!

KARION: This is not anger, but envy on the part of the evil demons.

ANTONY: My body has grown weak, but my passions have not.

JOHN THE LESSER: Passions are wild flowers full of thorns.

GHELASIE: If a brother owes me a small debt, how many times should I ask him to pay it?

KARION: Ask him just once.

GHELASIUS: And what should I do if I cannot rid my mind of thoughts of the debt?

KARION: Let your thoughts rage, but do not upset your brother. Evil does not destroy evil in any way. If someone does you harm, do them a good turn. If a brother comes to you and you derive no spiritual benefit from his visit, turn your thoughts inwards and recall what you were thinking before. In this way you will discover why you are deriving no benefit. If you do this with humility and wisdom, you will be pure in your dealings with your brother, taking upon yourself his own weaknesses. Indeed, whoever lives piously will not err, for God is before him. Only in this way can a man acquire the fear of God.

ANTONY: And above all else… do not dwell in a place where you see that you are envied; otherwise, you will not make progress.

(the devil appears again)

THE DEVIL: Anthony, my dear! How are you? You ought to have a desert all to yourself… don’t you think? You’re not like them!

ANTONY: The time is coming when people will go mad, and if they see someone of sound mind, they’ll pounce on him, shouting that he’s mad, simply because he’s not like them.

THE DEVIL: That’s true. That’s the law of nature. And do you know what else? God made the laws of nature. That’s why we all fear Him.

ANTONY: I do not fear God, but I love Him, for love drives out fear.

THE DEVIL: You were orphaned at a young age. By the age of 18 you were already a monk. A wasted life. To hell with it… you spent thirty-five years in an abandoned tomb, and these little monks are a thousand times more highly regarded than you! Do you remember when you were in Alexandria, and Diocletian refused to let you suffer physical martyrdom? That strikes me as utterly unacceptable!

ANTONY: God spared me!

THE DEVIL: It seems to me that He ignored you! Haven’t you noticed in this life how the wicked grow rich whilst the righteous grow poor? Do you know why? Because your boss ignores them!

ANTONY: I look after my own affairs. It does me no good to know God’s judgements.

THE DEVIL: You’re right… but what I mean is… in principle… don’t you feel even the slightest hint of envy?

ANTONY: There is no greater sin than envy.

THE DEVIL: You deserve my deepest respect for having withdrawn into the wilderness! But your fellow men are held in much higher esteem. They seem to be more virtuous than you.

ANTONY: It is not out of virtue that I live alone, but out of weakness. The strong are those who live amongst people.

THE DEVIL: Worship me and you shall be the most beloved ascetic of all mankind.

ANTONY: Begone, Satan, for it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone!’

THE ANGEL: Abba Olympius of Chilii was once tempted by fornication. The evil thought said to him: ‘Go and take a wife!’ Then he rose and fashioned a woman out of clay. Then he said to himself: ‘Behold, this is your wife! You must work hard for her to feed her.’ And he began to work even harder than before. The next day he fashioned a girl out of clay, and said: ‘Behold, your wife has given birth. You must work even harder to feed and clothe your child.’ And as he did so, he grew utterly exhausted. Then he realised he could no longer bear the toil. Seeing his torment, God removed the temptation.

ANTONY: Why are the demons waging war against me?

KARION: Are the demons waging war against you? But they do not attack us, since we do as we please; for our desires have become demons and give us no peace until we fulfil them. A demon accompanies anger. If you master your anger, you drive away its demon too. The same applies to any passion.

PAMVO: Obedience begets obedience: if you obey God, God will obey you.

ARSENIE: In fact, I believe that Satan does not know with which passion he will overcome the soul. He sows, but does not know what he will reap: one time he sows thoughts of fornication, another time of gossip, and so on. He sees which passion the soul is inclined towards, and then he subjugates it. A long time ago, a brother came to me and told me that gossip is worse than fornication. He then asked me what I thought about this, and I replied that gossip is evil, but it is quickly cured. Very often, those who gossip ask for forgiveness, but fornication is bodily death.

KARION: Abba, I have many evil thoughts and they put me in danger.

GHELASIE: Puff out your chest and stop the wind!

KARION: I cannot do that.

GHELASIE: Just as you cannot do that, you cannot prevent evil thoughts from overwhelming you. But at least stand your ground against them!

KARION: If I’m in the wilderness and a barbarian comes along wanting to kill me, and I’m stronger than him, should I kill him?

GHELASIE: No, leave him to God. Whatever hardship a man may face, he must say that it happened because of his own sins. For happy events come from the Lord’s will. If, by rebuking someone, you provoke their anger, you are merely satisfying your own passion. Do not lose yourself in order to save others.

KARION: Father, pray for me!

ANTONY: Neither I nor God will have mercy on you unless you yourself make an effort and pray to God.

ARSENIE: Whenever you happen to be at peace and not fighting, humble yourself even more; lest we begin to boast of others’ joys and bring war upon ourselves. Often, because of our weakness, God spares us from wars so that we may not perish.

THE DEVIL: What have you managed to achieve here, secluded for so many years and cut off from all contact with people, apart from the fact that, ever since you became a monk, the sun has never seen you eat?

KARION: The sun and the moon have never seen me eat!

THE DEVIL: It’s not nice to lie! Where is your son?

KARION: In the wilderness.

THE DEVIL: When was his birthday? Quite recently, wasn’t it?

KARION: I spent fourteen years at Sketis praying to God day and night to grant me the grace to overcome my anger.

THE DEVIL: And did you overcome it? Do you know Apollo? He was a rough-hewn shepherd who, when he saw a woman with a child in her womb, went and cut her open to see the child inside her… (laughs heartily) What an idiot! Every time I tell that story, I laugh myself silly!

KARION: But straight away his heart was filled with remorse and, overcome with tears, he went to Sketis and confessed to his parents what he had done. There he heard them singing: ‘The days of our years, in their full span, are seventy years, or eighty if we are strong; but anything beyond that is toil and sorrow’. Then Apollo said: ‘I am forty years old, and until now I have never offered a single prayer. Now, however, if I live another forty years, I shall not cease to pray to God that He may forgive my sins’. Indeed, he did not do a single thing with his own hands, but prayed constantly, saying: ‘I have sinned as a man; You, as God, cleanse me!’

THE DEVIL: Karion, you have something to discuss with me. Tell me, when was your son’s birthday?

KARION: Leave my son alone!

THE DEVIL: That’s just how I like you: furious.

KARION: I’m not threatening you, but advising you, for your own good. My son’s faith is stronger than mine.

THE DEVIL: You’re rather boasting about him!

KARION: It’s more useful for a man to eat meat than to be proud and boast.

THE DEVIL: You’re right! You know… I was thinking that for your son’s birthday, you could give him a mirror as a present. You know what a mirror is, don’t you?

KARION: No.

THE DEVIL: It’s a piece of glass in which you can see your own face.

KARION: My son doesn’t need anything like that.

THE DEVIL: You’re right. If he were to see his own face, he’d probably curse both you and your God.

KARION: My son threw himself willingly into the saltpetre pit, and he saw his own face reflected in the clear waters of the lake. His faith is far greater than mine.

THE DEVIL: And this time, too, you’re right. But what have you done for him, Karion?

KARION: I entrusted him to God.

THE DEVIL: Call a spade a spade! All you have to say is: your son threw himself into the saltpetre pit because he was terrorised by the monks’ words, who accused you and despised you for your debauchery. But he knew the truth; he knew you were innocent, and he could no longer bear their words.

KARION: My son’s faith surpasses my own…

THE DEVIL: Yes, well… but tell me you wouldn’t have wanted to avenge him! That’s what interests me. Tell me, if you can, that you wouldn’t have wanted to go to those idiotic priests and give them a good tug on those bushy beards…

KARION: My son surpasses me in faith…

THE DEVIL: Swear that you didn’t want to throw them into the saltpetre pit too! Isn’t it true that if you’d come to me, I could have granted your wishes?

KARION: Begone, Satan, for it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone!’

ANGEL: Once, whilst I was wandering through the wilderness, I found a dead man’s skull lying on the ground. I touched it with a palm frond, and the skull spoke to me. It told me that it had been a priest of the idols of Ancient Greece, and that its soul was suffering in Hell. Whenever anyone took pity on him by praying for those being punished, he felt a little comfort. ‘As far as heaven is from earth,’ he told me, ‘so much fire lies beneath us. From the soles of our feet to the top of our heads, we stand amidst the flames, and no one can see the face of another, for each person’s face is pressed against the back of the next. But when you pray for us, we can see one another’s faces, from the side.” Woe betide the day on which man was born. ‘Is there any punishment more dreadful?’ I asked him. ‘Oh, yes!’ he replied. We, who have not known God, have found a little mercy, but those who have known God and have renounced Him are beneath us.”

GHELASIE: Abba Karion, why are the demons so afraid of you?

KARION: Because ever since I became a monk, I have striven not to let anger rise to my throat.

MOISE: Abba Gelasie, I saw you this week in the heart of the wilderness throwing stones at a statue, then asking for forgiveness. Does a man of faith do such a thing?

GHELASIUS: I did this for your sake. You saw me throwing stones at the statue: did it utter a single word?

MOISE: No.

GHELASIE: Did it get angry?

MOISE: No.

GHELASIE: Then I asked it for forgiveness. Did it get upset and tell me it wouldn’t forgive me?

MOSES: Not at all.

GHELASIE: We are seven brothers; if we are to remain together, we must be like this statue, which, whether you scold it or praise it, remains completely unmoved.

(The Robber appears. He begins to rummage about. He takes things from the priests, without them moving a muscle. Abba Pamvo hands him the staff on which he is leaning.)

PAMVO: Take this staff too!

(The Robber looks at him suspiciously.)

PAMVO: Come on, take it! You’ll need it!

GHELASIE: Here’s my Bible too! But please do remember my name… Abba Gelasie.

(The robber sees Abba Moses.)

THE BANDIT: Brother Moses… what are you doing here?

MOISE: I’m facing my demons.

THE BANDIT: I’ve been searching for you for ten years, along with the other brothers in the band. It was as if you’d vanished into thin air!

MOSES: Actually, I’ve been here all along.

THE BANDIT: Come back with me. The others are waiting for you.

MOISE: Tell them to repent whilst there’s still time! Kanidu… listen to me! God is good and forgives every sin.

THE ROBBER: You’ve gone soft, brother! It’s as if you’re not yourself anymore.

MOSES: Actually, my faith has grown stronger.

THE ROBBER: This isn’t for me, brother. I don’t know what these people have done to you, but I don’t want the same thing to happen to me.

MOSES: Believe me, a man must die at the hands of his fellow man, so that he may not be judged at all.

(The robber runs off.)

ARSENIE: As I was saying… I have put an end to fornication, the love of money and vain glory by living for fifty years in the wilderness without eating bread or drinking a drop of wine.

JOHN THE SMALL: Did you say that?

ARSENIE: Yes.

IOAN THE LITTLE ONE: Look, you go into your cell and find a woman on your mat; can you really think she isn’t a woman?

ARSENIE: No, but I struggle against the evil thought, so as not to touch her.

JOHN THE SMALL: But in that way you haven’t killed the passion, you’ve merely restrained it! As you walk along, you catch sight of a heap of gold over there; can your mind believe that the gold isn’t gold?

ARSENIE: No, but I try to fight off evil thoughts, so as not to touch it.

JOHN THE LESSER: Do you not understand that passions cannot be killed, for they are eternally bound to the saints?

ARSENIE: Yes, I do, Father!

(The devil appears as if from nowhere and leans close to Arsenie’s ear, whispering to him.)

THE DEVIL: You are quite out of the ordinary. You are not like Abba Isaac, the priest from Chilii. Your parents did not chase you through the fields to have you ordained. No donkey discovered you hiding in the bushes. You were born in Rome, into a family of high standing. What are you doing here?

ARSENIUS: The salvation of my soul.

THE DEVIL: Very interesting. If my memory serves me correctly, you were a tax collector at the court of Theodosius’s two sons. (Abba Arsenius remains silent) When you were at Sketis, didn’t you want to fight against the barbarians? Come on, speak! You of all people… the descendant of a people whom I respect so much! Don’t you find it interesting that the Roman Empire collapsed only after Emperor Constantine discovered the cross?

ARSENIE: Emperor Constantine triumphed in battle because of the cross.

THE DEVIL: Let’s be objective! The Roman Empire was doing just fine without the cross.

ARSENIE: The Roman Empire persecuted Christians before Constantine.

THE DEVIL: But hang on a moment – Constantine also persecuted Christians before he had that dream! To be honest, he merely tolerated you. He said: ‘Come on, let’s stop slaughtering these lot, it’s a waste of arrows on them.’ He took up the cross, and off he went into the wilderness – what a fine empire that was.

ARSENIE: It was a pagan empire.

THE DEVIL: Pagan, pagan, but it invented hot water and piped distribution. Do you lot invent anything here? Do you help humanity in any way?

ARSENIE: We pray for the forgiveness of our sins!

THE DEVIL: And does that stave off hunger? Be serious! You fled like a coward from Canope, instead of taking up the sword, like a worthy soldier of the Curiate Legion. You fled from Sketis, leaving behind women and children who had been put to the sword.

ARSENIE: Wickedness has turned people away from God and divided them amongst themselves. We must flee at full speed and follow the virtue that leads us to God and reunites us with one another. Virtue and philosophy mean sincerity and understanding.

THE DEVIL: And do you think that by fleeing you become more virtuous?

ARSENIE: Many people yearn for virtue, but hesitate to walk the path that leads to it. Others do not even believe that virtue exists. We must convince the former to cast aside their hesitation; the latter, we must teach that virtue truly does exist.

THE DEVIL: Isn’t ignorance punished in your religion? It seems not. It’s very easy to be ignorant. In fact, I believe that, fundamentally, it’s very good to be ignorant. I really do admire you deeply for that. Some people are weak, and others are strong. You, for example, are a very strong man. I admire you for your courage in standing alone in this wilderness. You’re a phenomenon! Those people who died were just peasants!

ARSENIE: I have nothing to do with the world’s teachings, whereas those peasants acquired their virtues through their own hard work.

THE DEVIL: And they lost them all very quickly!

ARSENIE: I am familiar with Latin and Greek learning, but I have never understood the alphabet of those simple peasants.

THE DEVIL: That’s because you’re not a peasant! Don’t you really get it? Your place isn’t here, but amongst people!

ARSENIE: I asked God how I might be saved, and He said to me: ‘Arsenie, flee from people and you shall be saved!’

THE DEVIL: And did you believe Him?

ARSENIE: Begone, Satan, for it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone!’

THE ANGEL: Be silent and do not judge yourself! Do not trust in your own righteousness; do not repent for things of the past; restrain your tongue and your stomach. Whoever speaks out of love for God does well! So too does the one who remains silent out of love for God! God does not permit spiritual battles against today’s generation, as He did against those of old, for He knows that today’s people are weak and cannot endure. The thief was on the cross and was saved by a single word. Judas was counted amongst the apostles, but in a single night he lost all the fruit of his labour and fell from heaven into hell. Let no one boast of the good they do, for all who have trusted in themselves have fallen. I saw all the enemy’s snares spread across the earth, and, sighing, I asked myself: who will deliver us from them? And I heard a voice saying to me: ‘humility’!

(Abba Pamvo boils lentils in a cauldron and then gives them to Abba Gelasius to eat)

GHELASIUS: Abba, these lentils aren’t cooked.

PAMVO: Is it not enough that they have seen the light of the fire? Even that is a great comfort.

GHELASIUS: Abba John. I still have three good books, which the thief did not take from me, and which I need. When the brothers ask me for them, I lend them out for their use. Tell me what to do: should I keep them for my own use and that of the brothers, or should I sell them and give the money to the poor?

JOHN THE SMALL: All deeds are good. But the best of all is to have no possessions.

ARSENIE: If you are a good friend to someone and they happen to fall into the temptation of fornication, do your utmost to reach out to them and pull them back to the surface. But if they fall into heresy and refuse to listen to you and return to the right path, cut them off from your heart, lest, by delaying, you too should tumble with them into the abyss.

GHELASIE: I have received an inheritance. What should I do with it?

ARSENIE: What can I say to you, brother? If I tell you to give the inheritance to the Church, some people will start to grumble; if I tell you to give it to your relatives, you gain nothing; if I tell you to give it to the poor, don’t worry about it. Do as you please; it’s none of my business. Any physical rest is an abomination to the Lord, and whatever torment you may suffer, you will be able to overcome it only through silence.

JOHN THE SMALL: But what am I to do against the forgetfulness that enslaves my mind and does not let me realise it until it leads me into sin?

MOSES: When the pagans laid their hands on the Ark because of the evils committed by the sons of Israel, they dragged it to the sanctuary of their god, Dagon, the fish-god, who immediately fell to the ground and shattered into a thousand pieces.

JOHN THE LESSER: And what does that mean?

MOSES: If demons manage to enslave a man’s mind through his own habits, they will drag it until they bring it to the brink of an unseen passion. But, at that point, the mind will turn back and seek God; immediately the passion will fall away and be scattered to the winds. For it is written: ‘When you return, sighing, then you will be saved and realise where you were.’

ARSENIE: How does a person attain humility?

KARION: Through the fear of God.

ARSENIE: And how does one attain the fear of God?

GHELASIE: I believe we must gather our minds from the distraction of worldly affairs, practise bodily asceticism and, as far as we can, remember the soul’s departure from the body and God’s Judgement.

ANTONIE: The passion for money is dreadful and very bold. It is never satisfied and drives the soul to the ultimate evil. Therefore, it is better to banish it from the outset; for if it takes hold of us, it becomes uncontrollable.

THE DEVIL: Old man, look, I’ve got a Bible here with gold-embossed covers. A chap came to me and asked me to buy it because he was a bit short of cash. Do you reckon it’s worth sixteen parale?

GHELASIE: Buy it; it’s a good one and it’s worth the price you told me.

THE DEVIL: I’ve already bought it, but I reckon I’ll be returning it soon. I like adventure books. This one doesn’t even have any pictures. Will you give me twenty parale for it?

GHELASIE: Do a good deed with it and give it to the needy.

THE DEVIL: You’re a bit of a tightwad! I’ll let you have it for sixteen!

GHELASIE: Give it back to the bloke who sold it to you.

THE DEVIL: Blimey, you’re something else! You want it cheaper than I bought it for! I won’t let it go for less than fifteen.

GHELASIE: God gave it, God took it away; blessed be the name of the Lord.

THE DEVIL: Right, let’s skip this sappy bit – you’re getting a bit boring. I’ve come here to ask you some much more practical questions. I know you love books…

GHELASIE: I love God more than the wisdom found in books.

THE DEVIL: Well… whatever you say. You know I’ve got some connections at the Library of Alexandria…

GHELASIE: The Library of Alexandria burnt down.

THE DEVIL: Propaganda for the uninitiated! Anyone who wants a book from there should come to me.

GHELASIUS: Blessed is he who does not seek in those books.

THE DEVIL: My dear… I love wisdom. Please do not regard me as a being lacking in intellectual capacity.

GHELASIE: I wouldn’t dare do such a thing.

THE DEVIL: See how well we get on! Right… now I want you to write down here on this sheet some titles you’d like to look into. Write the author’s name here, and the title here. Leave this column for the year of publication blank; I’ll fill it in myself. To be honest, sometimes even I get fed up with all this red tape…

GHELASIE: I don’t want to write on any parchment you hand me.

THE DEVIL: Fine! Then speak! You just need to tell me what you want. Right now I feel like the genie in the story of Aladdin’s lamp: your word has power. You just need to say it!

GHELASIE: I can’t.

THE DEVIL: I believe in you. I know you can.

GHELASIE: Then know this: I don’t want to.

THE DEVIL: Worship me and you’ll have everything you desire; all the riches of the world’s empires will be yours! Say ‘yes’!

GHELASIE: Begone, Satan, for it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone!’

THE ANGEL: In Babylon, the daughter of a high official was possessed by a demon. Her father was a friend of a monk who said to him: ‘No one can heal your daughter except the anchorites I know, but if you ask them, they will not agree to do such a thing, out of humility. Let us devise the following plan: when they come to the market, pretend that you wish to buy something from them, and, when it comes to taking the money, let us ask them to say a prayer. I believe that in this way the girl will be healed.” So they went to the market and found an old man’s apprentice sitting on the ground selling handicrafts. They persuaded him to come with them, to carry the handicrafts and take the money. When the poor monk entered the house, the possessed girl pounced on him and slapped him. He, however, turned the other cheek, as the Lord had commanded. Tormented, the demon cried out: ‘How loathsome! The command of Jesus has driven me away!’ And immediately the woman was healed. When the elders arrived, they were told what had happened, and they glorified God and said: ‘Usually, the Devil’s pride is brought low by the humility of Christ’s command.’

GHELASIE: Did Satan persecute those of old in the same way?

PAMVO: He does it even worse now, because his time is drawing near and he is in turmoil.

(He gets up from the floor and spits blood)

ARSENIE: Father, you’re spitting blood. What does this mean?

PAMVO: It is the word of a brother who has upset me, and I have struggled not to return it to him and have prayed to God to remove him from me. His words turned to blood in my mouth; I spat them out, I calmed down, and my anger passed.

JOHN THE LITTLE ONE: Abba… tell us a story!

PAMVO: Once, whilst we were walking along the seashore, I became thirsty and said to Abba Vissarion: ‘Abba, I am very thirsty.’ The elder said a prayer and told me, ‘Drink from the sea.’ The water became sweet, and I drank it. Then I also filled a vessel, lest I should become thirsty later. But the elder saw me and asked why I had put water in the vessel. I replied that I was afraid I might get thirsty later on. ‘God is here and everywhere,’ he taught me at that very moment!

KARION: Abba Pamvo, I have wanted to ask you this question for a long time: Why are there ten commandments and nine beatitudes?

PAMVO: The Decalogue has the same number of commandments as the plagues of Egypt, whilst the number of Beatitudes reflects the image of a triple Trinity.

(The Devil enters the scene, applauding Pamvo)

THE DEVIL: A fine sermon! What’s that about the mote and the beam?

PAMVO: Do not twist the Lord’s words!

DEVIL: Right, fine! Have you considered that perhaps the grapes from the vine that grew on your tongue in that dream are nothing but evil deeds worthy of scorn? Is it not possible that humanity might feed on them, and that this might give you enough courage to want to do evil with even greater passion? Come on… tell me…

PAMVO: If someone puts a snake or a scorpion in a jar and seals it up, in time the creatures will die. In the same way, evil thoughts, born of demons, fade away with patience.

THE DEVIL: How long do you have left to live?

PAMVO: Only God knows that.

THE DEVIL: How is our dear Melania getting on?

PAMVO: To you she is Melania the Great, devil!

THE DEVIL: As you say! I don’t care for titles. Has she brought you any more gifts?

PAMVO: Not since that day.

THE DEVIL: But I reckon you’ve still got a few bits and bobs left of those three hundred pounds of silverware.

PAMVO: I gave it to the poor.

THE DEVIL: That’s the problem with you monks… you haven’t developed a proper sense of ownership.

PAMVO: We don’t know what those words mean.

THE DEVIL: Which means you’re not good managers! Oh... what am I to do with you lot? We don’t even have a common language to communicate in. Anyway. It wasn’t very nice of you to bless Melania the Great without even looking up from the palm leaves.

PAMVO: I despise money.

THE DEVIL: But you don’t despise it quite so much that you would have told Melania back then, ‘Take your stuff, woman, and leave me alone!’

PAMVO: I despise it enough not to touch it.

THE DEVIL: You let others handle it. That’s good! You see… that’s what I call a managerial spirit. I realised who you were the moment I saw you in Alexandria, accusing the Arians. What verve you had!

PAMVO: The Arians are heretics.

THE DEVIL: It’s said that you have the gift of foresight. You could be of use to me.

PAMVO: Don’t you want me to predict your future as well?

THE DEVIL: My future is a matter of deduction. I have no need for you to strain your powers.

PAMVO: You’ll ask me to worship you, offering me immeasurable riches in return.

THE DEVIL: That’s more or less it. But what will you say to me?

PAMVO: Begone, Satan, for it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone!’

THE ANGEL: When Abba Jacob moved to Sketis, he was terribly tormented by the demon of fornication. When the danger of falling was imminent, he came to me, confessed everything to me, and said: ‘For months now I have been going to such-and-such a cave. I beg you, in the name of the Lord, not to tell anyone, not even my father. Count forty days, and when they are up, have mercy on me and come to me to bring me Holy Communion. If you find me dead, bury me; but if I am alive, I shall receive Holy Communion.’ Having heard this, after forty days I took Holy Communion and some pure unleavened bread with a little wine, and went to him. But no sooner had I approached the cave than I smelled a terrible stench coming from inside it. I said to myself: ‘The blessed one has passed away.’ I went in and found him half dead. Seeing me, he moved his right hand a little as best he could, and asked me by a gesture whether I had brought the Holy Communion. I replied that I had. Then I tried to open his mouth, but it was clenched shut. Not knowing what to do, I went out into the wilderness and found a twig in a bush. With great difficulty, I managed to open his mouth a little and poured in, breaking off pieces of the precious Body and precious Blood, as much as he could take. And he drew strength from Holy Communion. Shortly afterwards, I soaked a few crumbs of bread from the communal loaf and gave them to him; then a few more, as many as he could swallow. And so, by the grace of God, the next day he returned with me to his cell, having been delivered, with God’s help, from the destructive passion of fornication. That is why I tell you not to judge the fornicator simply because you yourselves practise self-restraint. Indeed, you too break the law, for He who said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’, has also told us not to judge others.

MOSES: What do you think is the greatest struggle?

JOHN THE LESSER: To pray.

MOSES: And do you think this labour can protect you from every sin? Even from fornication?

JOHN THE LESSER: Are you asking me how to banish thoughts of adultery?

MOISE: Yes, Father.

JOHN THE SMALL: Lay your weakness before God and you will find rest. If you have no evil thoughts, you have no hope either. If you have no evil thoughts, then your deeds are not evil either. In other words, if you do not fight against sin with your mind, if you do not reject it, then you commit it with your body. Those who commit sins are not plagued by evil thoughts.

PAMVO: Abba Moses… do you ever go out with women?

MOISE: No, my thoughts are like old and new paintings. Memories and imaginings of women give me no peace.

PAMVO: Do not fear the dead. Flee from the living and strive harder in prayer!

MOISE: Give me a commandment and I shall keep it!

ANTONY: Never reach for a plate with a woman, and do not eat with her. In this way you will escape, to some extent, the demon of fornication!

KARION: The man who lives in repentance is bound by no commandment.

THE DEVIL: Are you Moses the Ethiopian? I’ve heard you’re a fornicator and full of pride!

MOSES: Yes.

THE DEVIL: A chatterbox and a gossip.

MOSES: That is me.

THE DEVIL: Are you Moses, the heretic?

MOSES: I am no heretic.

THE DEVIL: Then why did you accept everything I told you, yet could not bear my final word?

MOSES: I accept the first accusations because they are beneficial to my soul. But to be a heretic means to break away from God, and I do not wish to part from the Lord my God.

THE DEVIL: But I’m glad all the same that you admit you’re a fornicator. Back when you were a slave, your master cast you out. He’d grown sick of you. Listen, I’m curious to see how you’ll react now to the phrase ‘four sheep’ (laughs).

MOSES: God will forgive my sins.

THE DEVIL: Well, well… are you going to swim four sheep across the Nile, and when you reach the other bank, are you going to eat them all? Not only are you greedy, but you’re also a fool.

MOSES: I pray ceaselessly to the Lord to forgive me.

THE DEVIL: In fact, I could say without hesitation that I’m most fond of you: you were a murderous outlaw… you were a thief, you were a pagan… and more than anything else… you’ve always had a weakness for women.

MOISE: If a man does not convince himself in his heart that he is a sinner, God will not listen to him.

THE DEVIL: You can rest easy. You really are a sinner. Do you remember how, for six years, you carried water for the other monks, trying to forget your lust for women? And what I liked most of all was how you tormented Macarius. If he hadn’t prayed for you, you really wouldn’t have been freed from my possession. You led an army of seventy robbers…

MOSES: When I die, I shall leave behind an army of seventy disciples of the Lord.

THE DEVIL: Don’t you really understand that you’re already damned?

MOSES: Even if I am condemned, you are already far beneath me.

(The courtesan enters.)

THE DEVIL: I offer you this woman… to enjoy her favours! I know you want her. If you like her, and want more, do not forget that by worshipping me you can have many more like her.

MOSES: Begone, Satan, for it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone!’

(The devil exits. The courtesan remains.)

COURTESAN: Father, would you like to sleep with me?

MOSES: Come on, then.

COURTESAN: Here? In full view of everyone? How can we do this without being ashamed?

MOSES: If we are ashamed before people, how much more should we be ashamed before God.

COURTESAN: (exiting) You’re mad!

MOSES: Alas, how much toil I have endured in the wilderness to attain this madness, and now am I to lose it for your sake?

ANGEL: Unless a man constantly says in his heart: ‘There is only God and I in the world’, he will not find peace. A priest once told the story of Abba Theodore of Ferme: one evening he went to visit him and found him dressed in a tattered cloak, his chest bare and his genitals exposed. Just then, a villager came to see him. He knocked on the door, and the old man came to open it; stepping out to meet him, he sat down by the gate to talk to him. The man took a piece of his own cloak and draped it over the old man’s shoulders, but the old man reached out and pushed it aside. After the villager had left, the brother asked him why he had done this, for the man had come to seek help, not to be mocked. The old man replied: ‘What are you saying, Father? Are we here to serve people? I did what was right. Whoever wants to gain something will gain it; whoever wants to be led astray will be led astray anyway. I receive my guests just as I am dressed. When someone comes to see me, do not make human excuses: if you see me eating, tell them I am eating; if I am sleeping, tell them I am sleeping!”

(the robber appears)

THE ROBBER: Why are you weeping, Father?

MOSES: Because of my sins.

THE ROBBER: But you have no sins, Father.

MOSES: Truly, my son, if I were allowed to see my sins, even three or four more would not be enough for me to weep over them.

THE ROBBER: Moses… you were right! Dear fathers: I have come here because I have committed a great sin and I wish to do penance for three years.

PAMVO: That’s a long time!

THE ROBBER: Is that a long time?

ARSENIE: That’s far too long… my son!

THE ROBBER: Then… at least forty days.

KARION: We believe that if a man repents with all his heart and stops sinning, God will forgive him in as little as three days.

THE ROBBER: You don’t understand. I first came here intending to rob you, yet you willingly gave me your belongings. One of you, named Ghelasie, even gave me a Bible. I didn’t have time to read it, but I tried to sell it. I asked sixteen parale for it, and a red-haired merchant gladly bought it from me. He came back to me three days later and asked for his money back. He told me he’d been to see Abba Gelasie of Sketis to ask him whether he’d made a profitable deal, and Abba Gelasie told him he’d paid too much for it.

GHELASIE: The merchant lied to you. I told him the price was fair.

THE ROBBER: I’ve come to give it back to you.

GHELASIUS: If you don’t take it, I’ll never find peace.

THE ROBBER: Then I’ll take it.

GHELASIE: That’s good. Now we can all have some peace!

THE THIEF: Not me, Father. I can no longer bear my evil passions, nor can I work, nor even practise charity...

ARSENIE: If you cannot do any of these things, at least guard your conscience against any harm to your neighbour, and you will be saved.

THE ROBBER: Tell me how to become a monk!

KARION: You cannot be a monk unless you become like a fire burning with all your being.

MOISE: If you wish to find peace, wherever you go, in everything you do, ask yourself ceaselessly who you are and judge no one.

JOHN THE LESSER: Stay in your cell; if you are hungry, eat; if you are thirsty, drink; and speak no ill of anyone. That is how you will be saved.

MOSES: And above all, resist temptation!

THE THIEF: Tell me, Father, and teach me how I may pray to God, for I have greatly offended Him.

MOSES: My son, this is how I pray to God: ‘Lord, make me worthy to love You, just as I once loved sin, and to serve You, just as I once served the deceiver, Satan.’

(The monks exit. The courtesan enters.)

COURTESAN: Good heavens! You? Here? I’m so glad to see you again!

THE BANDIT: Sara!

COURTESAN: What are you doing round here?

THE BANDIT: I am experiencing perhaps the most astonishing moments of my life.

COURTESAN: Didn’t you miss me?

THE BANDIT: For a while, yes, but now I feel quite indifferent.

COURTESAN: Indifferent? How so?

THE ROBBER: You’ll find this strange. A few days ago I came here intending to steal, and I don’t know by what miracle, I’ve ended up regretting everything I’ve ever done. It’s so peaceful here!

COURTESAN: So you’ve become a monk. You should be proud of yourself.

THE THIEF: I’m not proud, I just deeply regret my actions. I regret them so much that I’ve come to believe that hell doesn’t exist outside this world, but is right here, within us. Its home is in our conscience. How could I have been so blind?

COURTESAN: If I were to tell you that I am possessed, could you not exorcise me?!

THE BANDIT: No… I am not one of those monks who can heal the possessed. I am just a poor bandit.

COURTESAN: So you have no pity for a poor, suffering woman?

THE BANDIT: My pity for you, woman, knows no bounds! But you must understand that even this Bible I’m holding in my hand, I stole it a few days ago from a monk here!

(The Devil appears suddenly, and the courtesan falls to the ground.)

THE DEVIL: That’s a good one! Now I can’t even convince a robber! Little brother, you’ve gone senile!

(The monks enter the stage, staring intently at the Devil)

ARSENIE: What is it that makes you demons leave people’s company? Fasting?

THE DEVIL: My dear old man, you’ll be amazed to learn that we, devils of good faith, neither eat nor drink!

KARION: Then it must be the vigil!

THE DEVIL: We do not sleep.

PAMVO: Could it be living in the wilderness?

THE DEVIL: As you can see for yourself, I too dwell in the wilderness!

ARSENIE: So what drives you away?

THE DEVIL: Only one thing overcomes us: humble thought. (To the courtesan) Come on, girl, let’s go. This isn’t the place for us. (The courtesan lies on the ground weeping. She refuses to get up.) Come on, I’m telling you!

COURTESAN: (weeping) How could I? How could I?

THE DEVIL: How could you… how could you… bloody hell! Just like everyone else! Come on, for goodness’ sake! (He pulls her by the hand, but she doesn’t move. She’s as heavy as lead, so the Devil falls on his arse trying to drag her along.) Now even you don’t want to. Fine. It’s not as if the world’s coming to an end just because you don’t want to. People like you are a dime a dozen… I mean that literally, not figuratively.

ANTONIE: Damn you, Satan!

THE DEVIL: Listen, brother… you know what I don’t understand? Why do monks and Christians blame me unjustly? Why do they curse me every hour?

ANTONY: Why do you tempt them?

THE DEVIL: I don’t tempt them; they get themselves all worked up. I’m completely powerless now. Haven’t you read the psalm that says, ‘The enemy’s swords have been completely stripped away, and you have shattered his fortresses’? Well, I am the one who has no dwelling, no fortress, no arrow. Can’t you see that Christians are everywhere, and the wilderness has been filled with monks? Let them guard themselves and stop cursing me!

ANTONY: You are always a liar. But now you speak the truth. For indeed, Christ, by His coming to earth, has weakened you and crushed you!

THE DEVIL: Mark my words, my friend: I never actually tell lies, but only the truths that work in my favour! (exits)

JOHN THE LESSER: (looking at the thief) Well then… yet another man pretending to be a monk! What have we been doing here?

ANTONY: We have fulfilled God’s commandments!

KARION: But those who come after us… what will they do?

ARSENIE: They’ll do half of what we’ve done.

GHELASIE: But what of those who come after them?

PAMVO: They will do nothing of what the previous generation managed to do, but they will be sorely tested.

MOISE: So those who are found worthy will be greater than us and than our fathers.

THE ANGEL: A brother, having renounced the world and given his wealth to the poor, keeping only a little for himself, went to Abba Anthony. Upon learning what he had done, the elder said to him: ‘If you wish to become a monk, go to your town, buy a few pieces of meat, wrap them round your naked body, and come back here like that!’ The brother did exactly as he was told, and the dogs and birds of prey tore his whole body to pieces. When he arrived before the elder, the latter asked him whether he had done as he had advised. And when he showed him his torn body, Saint Anthony said to him: ‘Those who have renounced the world but wish to keep their money are thus attacked by demons and torn to pieces.’

(Whilst the Angel is speaking, the Devil bursts in. He is black with rage.)

THE DEVIL: What a fine parable of yours! If I were to become a saint too by dressing myself in pieces of flesh, things would certainly change.

ANGEL: You know full well that’s impossible.

DEVIL: That’s true… but how easy it would be for me to tempt your little priests…

ANGEL: You can’t make them listen to you, and that drives you absolutely mad.

THE DEVIL: You protect them too much. You whisper in their ears and speak words of encouragement to them. Try leaving them on their own for a week, and you’ll see they won’t be able to resist my wiles.

ANGEL: And if they drive you away, by their own power… do you swear you won’t come back here?

THE DEVIL: On my honour! But on one condition.

ANGEL: Speak!

THE DEVIL: I want you to take away your holy powers and leave me this child, raised on the prayers of Abba John.

ANGEL: How foolish do you take me to be? You’ll enter this tree, and you’ll make the old man believe he has given birth to a monster!

THE DEVIL: And what greater proof of faith than this can he give you? Only in this way can you know how much virtue lies in the souls of these people. Let me test them!

THE ANGEL: I am not the one who lacks faith. But I’ll let you do this, just so you can see for yourself how weak you are with your temptations.

THE DEVIL: How kind you are!

ANGEL: How cunning you are! But do not forget: I forbid you to lay a hand on them, or else you will be in for a world of trouble.

THE DEVIL: That’s a deal I’ll take.

ANGEL: Get out of my sight… I’m not bargaining with you, I’m merely allowing you, for a time, to have your way! Your temptations will only strengthen their faith!

(both exit)

ACT II – The Deceptions

– in which other devilish misadventures are recounted, accompanied by several excerpts from the laments of Saint Ephrem the Syrian –

(The sapling that Abba John the Younger had tended has grown. It is a huge tree. Around it stand three madmen, with axes at their waists, speaking loudly, as if they wished to be heard by the fathers who are not there at the moment. Beside them lies the naked body of a dead man.)

FIRST MADMAN: Will he come?

SECOND MADMAN: What a beautiful tree!

FIRST: It’s so bright!

SECOND MADMAN: But will he come?

FIRST: Hey… Togod… are you round here?

SECOND FOOL: Togod will come and enlighten us.

FIRST MAN: Waiting makes us stronger.

SECOND: This wait is worth it.

FIRST: Hey… Togod, are you round here?

(Abba Arsenius appears)

ARSENIE: Why are you shouting like that, folks?

FIRST MAN: Are you Togod?

ARSENIE: My name is Arsenie, and I’m a hermit here at Sketis. What brings you here?

SECOND: We’re waiting for Togod to arrive, praise be to his name.

ARSENIE: And who is this Togod?

THIRD MAN: What, don’t you know who the saviour of our reason is?

ARSENIE: You are both mad. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the Saviour.

SECOND MAN: We’ve never heard of Him, nor are we in the least interested. We’re waiting for Togod to enlighten our minds.

ARSENIE: Is this not a demon?

THIRD MAN: Listen, stranger, it seems you do not speak our language. Go in peace; we mean you no harm. (embraces the tree)

ARSENIE: It seems a devil has entered this tree.

FIRST MAN: You don’t understand a thing. We’re exploring all sorts of existential matters here: the demiurgic anathor of mandrake leaves…

SECOND: The Oedipal complex and its repressive-deductive expression…

THIRD: We are the artists of tomorrow!

ARSENIE: In the name of the Lord our God, I command you, demons, to leave these people in peace!

FIRST: What on earth are you on about?

ARSENIE: Truly terrifying, O souls, is the imminent arrival of death for the passionate, the sinners, the idle, and those who do not strive to live this vain life in purity. For the perfect labourers and ascetics rejoice at the hour of parting, seeing before their eyes the great toil of asceticism, of vigils, of fasting, of prostrations, of prayers, and of tears.

(The first of the fools, as if awakening from a dream, runs to the abbot and interrupts him)

FIRST: Have mercy on us, servant of God! Have pity on us! Overlook our sins and help us, for we shall all perish!

ARSENIE: Do you believe I can deliver you from the demon by the power of the Lord?

FIRST MAN: Yes, holy one!

ARSENIE: May God arise and may His enemies be scattered… Take your axes and cut it down! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen! Come now, do not be afraid.

(The three men draw their axes from their belts and chop the tree at the root, but it remains standing, suspended by an invisible point in the air)

ARSENIE: Stand still, O Unholy One! Lord Jesus Christ, help your servant to drive out this demon!

(Abba Arsenius pushes the tree and it falls to the ground. At that very moment, Abba Pamvo appears, limping, alongside Abba John the Little, who is watching the whole scene)

ARSENIE: (to the three fools) On the spot where the tree stood, build a church. And take as much timber as you need from this tree for the building

THE THREE FOOLS: We promise you, Father, that in seven days’ time we shall come here with timber and builders to erect a church!

ARSENIE: Go in peace, and may the Lord bless you. (Then, to Little John) I cut down the sapling that grew from your prayers, and you did not say a single word to me. Because of your kindness, the Holy Spirit rests upon you, brother.

(Abba Pamvo approaches the naked body lying on the ground and takes off his cloak to cover it)

PAMVO: Brothers… help me carry him away from here, so that we may bury him as is fitting.

JOHN THE YOUNGER: At once, brother!

(The three lift the body from the ground and carry it out. Abba Gelasius appears and kneels in prayer)

GHELASIUS: You have granted me the gift to speak to You, Lord, and my longing for Your goodness compels me not to remain silent. As the one and only Good One, and our Creator, forgive the transgressions and sins of Thy sinful and ungrateful servant. I know that my sins surpass those of all men, O Lord, but I find refuge in the boundless depths of Your mercies.

(As he prays, the other monks—nine in number—appear around him, together with Abba Evprepie and Amma Sara, who recite the same words alongside him. It is the only prayer during which the monks do not kneel.)

…and I am firmly convinced that You receive and have mercy on all who place their hope in Your goodness; and as You are all-knowing, O Lord, You see beforehand the heart of the one who comes to You, whether he has completely renounced the world.

(The Devil appears, dressed as a monk, with a sack on his back.)

THE DEVIL: Peace be with you, my beloved ones! What an uplifting prayer you offer to the Lord!

AMMA SARA: Peace be with you, stranger!

THE DEVIL: A woman amongst you? Brothers, how can you allow such a thing?

SARA: I am a woman by nature, but not in spirit. I set my foot on the ladder to climb, and I set death before my eyes before taking the first step.

KARION: Her soul has proven its faith.

PAMVO: Her deed and her repentance are praised in the Lord.

THE DEVIL: And has this woman fasted alongside you?

SARA: For those who draw near to God, there is much struggle and suffering at first; but afterwards, unspeakable joy follows. Just as those who wish to stoke the fire are first overcome by smoke and tears, and only then attain what they seek – for our God is a consuming fire – so too must we stoke the divine fire with tears and toil. Just as the strongest remedies drive out the venom of wild beasts, so too do prayer and fasting drive out every evil thought. Let not the pleasures of the wealthy laity deceive you, as though their vain delights served any purpose. They prize the art of preparing fine dishes, but you, by fasting, surpass their sumptuous feasts with your simple fare. For it is said: ‘The soul that indulges in pleasure scorns the honeycomb. Do not fill yourself with bread, and you will not crave wine. (to the others) Brothers, I am retiring to my cell, for I am not to this monk’s liking, and I do not wish to lead him into the sin of anger. (exits)

THE DEVIL: Thank you very much, Mother!

MOSES: And what is your name, Christian?

THE DEVIL: People call me Hebemoth. That is the name my father gave me.

PAMVO: Now that Mother has gone, join us in prayer!

THE DEVIL: (takes a tray and some coals out of his sack, and sets them alight) He who has faith will not pray, but will walk barefoot over these burning coals, putting the teachings of the Gospel into practice.

ARSENIE: Don’t be foolish. What you’re saying is nonsense.

THE DEVIL: (stepping over the burning coals) Where is your faith? I cannot pray alongside you. I shall go further on! (exits, taking the tray with him)

EVRAPIE: Is such a thing possible, Father? Are our prayers truly righteous?

GHELASIE: You can only speak to God through prayer!

EVRAPIE: I have grown very weary of sitting here in the wilderness, Father. What could this feeling be?

KARION: This aversion, my son, is a temptation; but bear with it a little while, praying to God, and He, seeing you, will send you comfort and patience.

EVRAPIE: Abba, is it good to live in the wilderness?

MOISE: The children of Israel, when they left the things of Egypt and went out into the wilderness, then they learnt how to fear God as they ought. So too, a ship, when it is adrift in the middle of the sea, cannot trade; but when it reaches harbour, then it carries on its trade. So too the monk: if he does not remain in one place, he will not be able to attain true knowledge; for God has chosen silence for monks above all else.

THE DEVIL: (to Evrapie) Brother, come over here a little closer, so that I may tell you some divine mysteries and words of salvation, so that you may understand certain things better.

EVRAPIE: Who are you?

THE DEVIL: I am the commander of God’s armies, and I have been sent to bring you good news. Blessed are you, for a divine throne and a crown of new faith have been prepared for you. Now, therefore, leave this land and go out into the world to be of service to mankind.

EVRAPIE: And who am I, a sinner, that the angel of the Lord should draw near to me?

THE DEVIL: Do not be surprised, for you have surpassed the Saints of old and have been named a great saint in heaven, for your perfect patience. You have surpassed Elijah in fasting, and Job in hopeful patience. Go, then, quickly out into the monasteries of the world. I too shall be with you, so that we may be of service to many. So commanded… the… All-Seeing One.

EVRAPIE: Me? Unless the Mother of God and my patron saint, Saint Nicholas, come, I shall not leave here!

THE DEVIL: Very well. As you wish.

JOHN THE LITTLE ONE: Abba, how is it that some say they often see angelic apparitions?

THE DEVIL: Well, perhaps that’s exactly how it is!

ANTONY: Blessed are those who see their own sins, rather than those who see apparitions and other such things.

THE DEVIL: But when you see a man doing something, and then you rush off to tell someone else, isn’t that called slander?

KARION: If you speak out of malice rather than love, as though you had something against him, it is slander; but if it is not out of passion, you are free.

ARSENIE: To prevent evil from arising, it is better to remain silent!

EVRAPIE: Brothers, let us pray! (the devil exits) I, a wretch, bow the knee of my heart, not daring to look up to Heaven; accept the prayer of my defiled mouth, O Sinless One, O One and Only Creator. As King of all and Almighty, overthrow the adversary and the tyrant of the night, and deliver me from all my sins!

(A man named Afaithos enters with a child whose hands are bound.)

AFAITHOS: Good day, Christian brothers!

PAMVO: May your heart be at peace, traveller! What brings you to these parts?

AFAITHOS: I have come to you, reverend fathers, in great distress, seeking your help.

GHELASIE: Do you know anything of your son’s life?

AFAITHOS: Yes, Father, I know he is a sorcerer! That is why I have come here.

GHELASIE: His eyes are blinded by the passions of Satan. (to the child) Are you a sorcerer?

CHILD: Yes, I am.

GHELASIE: Give me the objects you use to cast spells.

CHILD: I cannot give them to you, for a woman will be enraged and will kill me.

GHELASIE: She won’t kill you. If you believe in the true God, no one will lay a hand on you with evil intent. (untying the ropes from his hands) I love you, and I believe that our God will help you.

CHILD: We say our prayers and perform our rituals in cemeteries, at the dead of night.

GHELASIE: How do you go about your witchcraft, casting spells on so many people?

CHILD: We take a thread from the garment of the man we wish to bewitch, or whom we wish to kill.

KARION: If you take a thread from the hem of a man’s garment, can you cast a spell on him?

CHILD: Yes, it’s very easy.

ARSENIE: Are you saying that if you take a thread from the hem of my coat, you can cast a spell on me?

CHILD: No! Not you! You’re a monk and there’s fire all around you. If I get too close, it’ll burn me.

GHELASIE: (to the man) From what age is he a sorcerer?

AFAITHOS: From the age of seven.

GHELASIE: We must help him give up sorcery, for otherwise he’ll face many problems in life. Today he went in and cast spells in a house of idolaters; tomorrow he’ll go into a Christian home. The day after tomorrow they’ll tie him up and throw him into prison.

(The monks surround him and begin to recite the exorcisms of Saint Basil the Great. The child screams, then silence falls.)

GHELASIE: (turning to face the man) Take him away from here and look after him, protecting him from the sorcerous practices that are rife in the world.

AFAITHOS: Thank you, Father, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

GHELASIE: What is your name, man?

AFAITHOS: My name is Afaithos.

GHELASIE: I shall pray for you, my son!

AFAITHOS: I shall be eternally grateful to you. (He takes out a purse of money and hands it to Abbot Pamvo.) Take this for your expenses, for you are old and unwell!

PAMVO: Sixty years with this illness, and I’ve never wanted for anything—and now you’ve come to take away my Provider? We don’t accept money here.

AFAITHOS: Please, do accept it, if only for the sake of the poor!

PAMVO: This is a double shame, brother, for whilst I receive what I need, I also give to others; I take pride in vain.

AFAITHOS: Then forgive me, and a thousand thanks!

(the man and the child exit)

EVRAPIE: He has erred today, and I shall surely err tomorrow. And he will surely repent, but I will not!

(The devil appears again, still dressed as a monk, and sits down beside Abba Moses.)

MOISE: I am tormented by the passion of fornication, brother; tell me what to do?

THE DEVIL: Swear to me that you will never tell anyone the advice I am about to give you.

MOISE: In the name of Him who dwells in Heaven, I shall tell no one anything.

THE DEVIL: Stop worshipping the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary that you keep in your cell.

MOSES: Let me think about it! (He steps away from the Devil and goes over to Karion)

KARION: He who displays his good deeds for the sake of people’s happiness, praise and glory, is like a man who sows his seed on the surface of the ground and does not rake it over to cover it; so the birds of the air come and eat up all the seed, and all his labour is in vain. But he who conceals and hides his good deeds is like a man who, having sown his seed, immediately covers it with earth, and it remains, grows and bears fruit.

EVRAPIE: And what am I to do, brothers, when the devil tempts me and urges me to boast of my good deeds?

ANTONY: Keep saying your prayer, my son.

EVRAPIE: I do say it, but nothing happens.

ANTONY: The devil, however, sees it and flees.

EVRAPIE: How am I to know that?

ANTONY: Could it be that you want to see miracles?

EVRAPIE: Yes, Father, I want to see miracles!

ANTONIE: Very well, I shall pray to God to show you a miracle so that you may understand how much power prayer has. Now, my son, take this basket and go to the spring to fill it with water.

EVRAPIE: Forgive me, Father, but I haven’t quite lost my mind yet to go and fill the basket with water.

ANTONIE: Didn’t you say you wanted to see miracles? Then do as I tell you. But keep repeating the prayer.

EVRAPIE: So be it. (takes the basket and goes out with it)

PAMVO: Accept the prayer of these defiled and unclean lips, Lord of all, Lover of mankind, Jesus Christ, and do not be disgusted by me, for I am unworthy of Your comfort. Seek me out as the lost sheep, for I have become desolate, having lost all zeal and thought of setting myself aright.

(Evrapie returns with a basket full of water and prays softly. The devil comes to meet him)

THE DEVIL: (loudly, to drown out the elders’ prayers, to Evrapie) Where are you going, monk?

EVRAPIE: To my brothers.

THE DEVIL: What is your name?

EVRAPIE: Evrapie.

THE DEVIL: How long have you been a monk?

EVRAPIE: Five or six months.

THE DEVIL: What work do you do?

EVRAPIE: I make seals.

(the water in the basket suddenly starts to flow)

ANTONY: What’s happened, my son?

EVRAPIE: I did as you instructed, Father.

ANTONIE: Well, did you see that? As long as you were saying the prayer, the basket held the water. But when you stopped praying and started talking at length, the water ran out.

(Pamvo lies down on the floor and spits up blood again. John the Younger brings him a cup of water.)

JOHN THE LITTLE ONE: Please, Father, have a little of this water!

PAMVO: May the Lord accept your love, brother, but truly I tell you that I would like God to leave me like this, in this illness, even until I am thirty.

ANTONIE: Why, Father, have you never been idle?

PAMVO: Because every day I expect to die. If illness comes upon you, brother, do not be disheartened! For if the Lord wills that you should suffer in the flesh, who are you to be distressed? Does He not care for you in all things? Or do you live without Him? Endure, and ask Him to grant you what is useful! This is His will, and so sit with long-suffering patience and eat out of charity.

KARION: Father, there are two brothers, and one of them sits in silence in his cell and fasts with great self-restraint all week long, working hard every day. The other serves the sick in the infirmary with zeal and diligence. So, which of these two brothers is more loved and more favoured by God?

ARSENIE: The one who sits in silence in his cell, prays a great deal and fasts for six days, yet has no love or mercy for his brothers—even if he were to hang himself by his nostrils—cannot be like the one who serves the sick.

MOISE: How and in what way does love for one’s brothers manifest itself? And what of the lack of love?

ARSENIE: Love for one’s brothers, my son, is this: to always encourage, teach and guide your brother—especially the young and newly ordained monk—towards the path of salvation and good deeds, which are useful and pleasing to God; and to comfort the afflicted, the distressed and the despairing; to visit the sick and to shelter the stranger. This is brotherly love, and these, my son, are the deeds of brotherly love. And this is what constitutes a lack of brotherly love: to neglect to care for, encourage, teach and guide the young towards the path of salvation and towards good, useful and God-pleasing deeds, and to fail to comfort, as far as you are able, those who are disheartened, distressed and despairing; to fail to give rest to the stranger, to fail to visit the sick; but to care only for yourself and for your own sake. He who does these things loves himself, not his brothers. This, my son, is a lack of love for one’s brothers, for which God withholds and takes away His gift from those who bear the monastic rank and name in vain.

MOISE: Abba, this is what an elder told me when I complained to him that I was being tempted by the passion of fornication: that I should no longer worship the icon of the Holy Mother.

ARSENIE: You have been deceived by the devil, Father. But you did well to confess this to me. It is better for you to go to all the harlots in this land than to refuse to worship our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Holy Mother.

MOSES: What a treacherous temptation this is.

THE DEVIL: (looking at Moses and gesturing for him to be quiet) Wouldn’t it be better to leave this place, so that temptations might no longer assail us?

ARSENIE: If temptation befalls you where you live, do not leave that place whilst the temptation lasts! For if you do, wherever you go you will find before you the very thing from which you are fleeing. But endure until the temptation has passed, so that your suffering may be endured without confusion, and in times of peace your departure may not cause any sorrow to those who dwell in that place.

ANTONY: In any case, if, in the place where one is, one strives to do some good and cannot, one must not suppose that one will be able to do it elsewhere.

(the devil exits)

KARION: Enlighten, O Lord, the eyes of my heart, that I may know the multitude of my passions. May Your grace overshadow me, Lord, and enlighten my darkened mind; and, in my ignorance, may divine knowledge dwell within me; for with You nothing is impossible.

(The monks exit. Pamvo remains alone. The Devil appears dressed in the robes of Abba Moses)

THE DEVIL: Bless me, Father!

PAMVO: May the Lord bless you, my son!

THE DEVIL: You know, Father, the love and respect I have for you! I would therefore like you to grant me a favour. I have a great desire to celebrate the Liturgy here, in your humble cell. And, with your blessing, to receive the Holy Mysteries… Please do not deny me this blessing!

PAMVO: Very well, do as you wish!

(The Devil begins to celebrate the Liturgy; many priests gather around him. At one point, he wishes to give Pamvo Holy Communion)

PAMVO: Who am I, unworthy as I am, to dare to receive Holy Communion?

(The Devil and his disciples disappear. The rest of the monks enter.)

PAMVO: Well then, brothers, have you no pity on me? Can I, now that the hour of my death is near, receive so many people? Why have you allowed all this to happen?

ARSENIE: Forgive me, Father, but I do not understand what you are saying...

PAMVO: Did you not see Abba Moses and his companions, who have just left here?

KARION: We have seen and heard nothing of all this.

PAMVO: Well, how can such a thing be, brothers?

ANTONIE: Do you not remember, Father, what is written in the Paterikon? How many have been deceived by Satan’s wiles? The Devil has envied you too. But, unable to deceive the unseen eyes of your soul, he took advantage of your advanced age and deceived your physical eyes with his illusions. Yet nothing strange has happened… For how many soldiers are not wounded in battle? Or which traveller does not stumble on his way? God has spared you from greater evils. Believe, therefore, our testimony, Father. Realise that you have been deceived! Here is Moses with us, and he will tell you that it is just as we say.

PAMVO: At the time of the Persian devastation, we too fled from our monastery and scattered. So, upon entering Constantinople, I chanced upon a ship that was due to sail for Alexandria. Having paid the fare, I boarded it. And within a few days I arrived in Alexandria. Having met monks from Mount Nitria there, I travelled with them. When I reached the mountain, I lived with one of the elders. And after spending a year and three months with him, I went to the abbot of the mountain and said to him: ‘Have mercy, Abba, and give me a cell in which to rest, for I cannot live with an elder who does not observe the monastic rule, but that of the laity! He forces me to fast on Sundays, on other feast days and during the fifty days. And what is worse, he does not even let me sing the canons and troparia, which everyone else sings. During the days of Holy Lent, apart from Saturdays and Sundays, we taste neither bread, nor wine, nor oil, but make do with fruit every other day. And the abbot of the mountain replied: ‘Return, brother, and dwell with the elder if you wish to be saved! For he who desires salvation must not spend even feast days or Sundays without glorifying God, for it is through fasting and vigil that one is strengthened and preserved. For just as a fish cannot live without water, so too a monk cannot live or spend his days without ceaseless prayer, fasting and vigil. Only hermits are entitled to two additional days of fasting. Likewise, to taste fruit whilst abstaining from bread is neither useful nor praiseworthy, for it bears the mark of vain glory; and forty days of abstinence during the Holy and Great Fast, with relaxation and rest from Easter until the Descent of the Holy Spirit, are appropriate for laypeople and the wealthy, not for monks. The troparia, canons and chants are appropriate for priests in the world and for others. For this is why the people are accustomed to gathering in church. But for monks, who live far from the turmoil of the world, such things are not only of no benefit to them, but are often a cause of harm. For just as the fisherman hunts fish with his rod and worm, so too does the devil, through these troparia and singing, plunge the monk into vain glory, into the merriment of men, into the love of sensual pleasures, and perhaps even into fornication. Salvation lies far from singing for the monk who truly desires to be saved.

ANTONY: Grant me, O Lord, enlightenment, that I may know the wiles of the adversary and of him who hates what is good, for he places countless stumbling blocks before me: delusions, harm, excessive accumulation of wealth, the allure of this world, carnal pleasures, and many years in this present life; fear of hardship, and procrastination in prayer, and in the singing of psalms, sleep and bodily rest.

(The Devil enters, dressed as Hebemoth)

THE DEVIL: I have heard from some locals round here that one of you has committed fornication!

JOHN THE LESSER: One of the saints heard that a brother had fallen into fornication, and said, ‘He has done wrong!’ And a few days later the brother passed away. And the angel came with the brother’s soul to the elder, saying: ‘Here is the one you judged; he has departed!’ ‘Where do you command us to place him? In the Kingdom or in torment?’ And the elder spent the rest of his life until his death praying to God to obtain forgiveness for this, weeping and labouring greatly.

MOSES: There is no greater commandment than this: do not judge your brother, and for this you will not be judged.

ANTONY: And if you see your brother sinning and do not tell him to acknowledge his faults, his blood will be required of your hands.

KARION: And if he hears and does not turn from his sins, he will give an account for his wrongdoings. It is therefore good to confront him with love, rather than to slander and revile him as an enemy.

THE DEVIL: But the world curses without end that one of you who has committed adultery!

ARSENIE: No one here has committed adultery. You’re talking nonsense!

PAMVO: If you hear of anyone who hates you and reviles you, send them or give them a little blessing as best you can, so that you may have the courage to say at the hour of judgement: ‘Forgive us, Lord, our trespasses, as we have forgiven those who have trespassed against us.’

(Abba Pamvo sits in a corner, with a glass of water in front of him)

JOHN THE LITTLE ONE: Why do you place the glass of water before you, Father, and not drink it?

PAMVO: Because, seeing the glass full of water before me, may my thirst and longing be all the greater, and may I compel myself to suffer and endure, that I may receive a greater reward from God.

MOSES: Let us continue our prayer, brothers: Behold, once again I fall at the doors of my Master, humbling myself, praying, worshipping and crying out in fear; for it is fitting for a servant not to flee from his Master’s hands after having sinned against Him, but rather to remain steadfast by His side. Hear, O Master, my sigh, and accept the words of my plea, which I, the sinner…

(Two women appear; the first is very well dressed, whilst the second is in rather shabbier clothes.)

FIRST WOMAN: Good day, fellow Christians.

SECOND WOMAN: May you be blessed in the Name of the Lord!

ANTONIE: God be with you!

SECOND WOMAN: We have come for a blessing, brothers and fathers, and for alms.

ANTONIE: (hands her a crust of bread) May the Lord bless you!

SECOND WOMAN: Father, I have fasted for two years, eating bread only on the sixth day, and I have learnt the Old and New Testaments by heart. What else must I do?

ANTONY: And what fruit have these deeds of yours borne? Has your shame become your honour?

SECOND WOMAN: No.

ANTONY: Do you regard your loss as a gain, or strangers as your kinsmen by blood, or want as plenty?

SECOND WOMAN: Not at all.

ANTONIE: You have neither fasted for six days, nor learnt the Old and New Testaments by heart, but you are deceiving yourself. Go now and set to work, for you have gained nothing. (Then, to the other woman, dressed in fine clothes, he hands her a whole loaf of bread)

FIRST WOMAN: May your days be blessed, brothers! (They both exit)

EVRAPIA: Why, Father, did you give a larger piece of bread to the one in fine clothes? Is this right?

ANTONY: The one wearing fine clothes is of noble birth but has fallen on hard times, and she earned those clothes solely through her purity; whereas the other, in order to receive alms, has dressed herself in rags.

(the monks begin to pray)

MONKS: Lord and Master of my life, grant me not the spirit of sloth, of curiosity, of the love of dominion, nor of idle talk. But grant me, Your servant, the spirit of all wisdom, of humble thought, of patience and of love. Thus, O Lord, O King, grant that I may see my own faults and not condemn my brother. For You are blessed for ever and ever. Amen.

(Pamvo withdraws from among the praying monks and lies down on the ground. He groans in pain. The Devil appears at Pamvo’s bedside, in the guise of Hebemoth, and begins to speak into his ear)

PAMVO: Yes, that’s true, but I’ve fasted for forty years for this… No, that’s a lie. I’ve never done such a thing. That’s true. But I’ve repented, and I’ve wept. You’re right to blame me for that. It’s… for that, yes! You’re right there. I place my hope in God’s mercy.

THE DEVIL: There is no God. You belong to me!

PAMVO: You’re lying. Christ will take me to be with Him.

THE DEVIL: There is no Christ, nor is there any God.

PAMVO: Then who created you, you accursed one? Or do you think I shall continue to believe in your delusion for much longer?

THE DEVIL: You are full of sin!

PAMVO: Yes, I am a sinner, but I have confessed. You led me into sin.

THE DEVIL: That is true, but your repentance was not sincere. You were always justifying yourself to your confessor.

PAMVO: If I did that, it was out of shame. I felt that my sin was very great. But the shame, as well as the fear, came from you, the demons, who were striving to keep me by your side and to destroy me. Now you have come again to frighten me. But you will not succeed. I believe in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, Who came into the world to save sinners; and I am the greatest sinner of all. Save me, Lord!

THE DEVIL: Do you hear what you’re saying? What do you hope to gain, you sinner?

PAMVO: Saints of the Lord, help me to escape!

THE DEVIL: No! Your time has come. (Other demons appear beside him) You are ours.

PAMVO: I shall not perish. I am still in the flesh, so I can repent.

THE DEVIL: Are these not your sins? And your Saints were just like you, sinners!

PAMVO: What? Were the saints sinners like me? They were saved. So why shouldn’t there be salvation for me too? I’m still alive, and I can repent. There is salvation for me too!

THE DEVIL: Come on, brothers, lift him onto the cart!

PAMVO: Mother of my Lord, deliver me from the devil’s powers…

(Abbot Gelasius also comes to Pamvo’s bedside)

GHELASIE: Begone, accursed demon!

THE DEVIL: I shall not do so at your command. (begins to laugh)

GHELASIE: Why do you disturb my peace, you accursed one? (the devil laughs more and more hysterically) What gives you such joy?

THE DEVIL: Ha, ha, ha, I’m laughing because you’re keeping vigil in vain for my man, Afaithos. He’s keeping vigil too, but in my chambers. Look, he’s just finished his vigil, and he’s snoring.

GHELASIE: But at least you haven’t laid a finger on the child!

THE DEVIL: I don’t even want to look at him any more, for he’s lost his mind! And you, Pamvo, remember… that there is no God! Come on, brothers, let’s take him.

(Out of the blue, a man appears. It is the one whom Pamvo, after he had died, had covered with his cloak.)

THE MAN: (to the Devil) I am an envoy from Him in Heaven. Your business here is finished!

THE DEVIL: Don’t even think I’m finished so quickly. Worship me, Abba, if you want to escape!

PAMVO: Begone, Satan, for it is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone!’

(the devil disappears; the abbot begins to weep)

THE MAN: Why are you weeping? Why are you so distressed?

PAMVO: I am dying, and the devils are circling round me.

MAN: Get up and walk!

PAMVO: Lord, I cannot, for my legs are broken.

MAN: Give me your hand! (He helps him to his feet). Look, you’ve been healed! Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be saved; for the judgement of him who has shown no mercy is without mercy.

PAMVO: For God’s sake… who are you? Tell me, who sent you?

MAN: Do you recognise this robe I am wearing?

PAMVO: Yes, Lord, it is mine!

MAN: I am the one you saw lying dead on the road, and to whom you threw your cloak. Now God has sent me to heal you. Give thanks to God always, then.

(He exits, then the three madmen enter, carrying planks on their backs.)

FIRST: Look who I see! Good day, Father.

PAMVO: What are you doing here?

SECOND: We’re keeping our word. We’ve come to build a church.

PAMVO: May God bless you!

(The other elders return from prayer.)

GHELASIE: Praise be to the Name of the Lord, and to the work you intend to carry out.

ANTONIE: Let us go, brothers, and build a house of prayer for the Lord!

(The monks exit. The angel appears.)

ANGEL: I believe that if a man does not guard his heart well, he forgets all that he has heard and becomes slothful. And so, the enemy, finding a place within him, brings him down, for just as a lamp that is prepared and burning, if it is neglected and oil is not poured into it little by little, will go out, and then darkness will grow thick around it. (The Devil enters, carrying vessels) Well, look who I see! Greetings!

THE DEVIL: What do you mean, ‘hello’?

ANGEL: What’s happened?

THE DEVIL: They’ve all gone wild. They won’t listen to me any more.

ANGEL: What? Don’t you have a single friend left there?

THE DEVIL: Not there, but maybe here… (looks towards the audience)

CURTAIN

Characters

ACT 1 – The Seven Temptations

ACT II – The Deceptions

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Poems by Tiberiu Păun

Poems by Horia Zilieru

At the home of the Elder Gavriil of Mount Athos, the Abbot of the Cutlumuși Skete, the Venerable Hristodul of Karies

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Temperance, the right path, the guardian of mind and body against the defilement of sin

The Biblical and Patristic Theology of Prayer and its Existential Necessity

A Carefree Life