Studia Theologica No. II (XVIII) / 2024
Temperance, the right path, the guardian of mind and body against the defilement of sin
His Eminence Varsanufie The virtue of temperance is examined as an essential means of attaining holiness, through self-control, discernment and the restraint of the passions, with reference to the teachings of Saints Basil the Great, John Cassian, Maximus the Confessor and Ephrem the Syrian. The sins of intemperance — gluttony, avarice and sexual immorality — are examined as forms of estrangement from God, whilst fasting and philanthropy are proposed as remedies.