Against the thoughts that seek without the labor of fasting to cultivate the rational land

Against the thought that says to me, “Do not torment your soul with a lot of fasting that gains you nothing and does not purify your intellect”

Against the thoughts that stir up in us the desire to eat meat on a feast day and that advise us also to eat on account of the body’s illness

Against the thought that seeks to be filled with food and drink and gives no heed to the harm that springs from filling the belly

Against the thought that says to me, “The command to fast is burdensome”

Against the thought that desires to be filled with food and drink and supposes that nothing evil for the soul comes from them

Against the thought of gluttony that compels me to eat at the ninth hour

Against the thought that suggests to me the loss of bread, oil, and other things that we need

Against the soul that wants to follow the path of the saints while being full of bread and water

Against the thought that says to us, “Look, the provisions that we have gathered are not sufficient both for us and for the brothers who come to us”

Against the thought that embitters me in the life of harsh poverty

Against the thought that, even when there is no scarcity, gathers more bread than it needs, on the pretext of hospitality

Against the thought that is attentive to food and clothing, but rejects attention to the truth

Against the thoughts that advise us and say, “Do not live so severely; through fasting and constant labor you will wear out your weak body”

Against the thought that says to me, “Do not wear yourself out so unsparingly and afflict your soul by keeping vigil”

Against the thought that is anxious about food and drink and diligent about where it can get them

Against the thought that suggests to me, “Keeping vigil does not benefit you at all; rather, it gathers many thoughts against you”

Against the thought that rebukes us because we abstain from oil and that does not remember that David did this and said

Against the thoughts that hinder us from our way of life by instilling fear in us and saying, “A miserable death results from austere fasting”

Against the thoughts that persuade me to desist a little from keeping frequent vigils and to give a little rest to the weak and miserable body

Against the thought that predicts to us that famine or great affliction is coming soon

Against the thought that suggests to me desire for wine on the pretext that the liver and spleen are harmed by water

Against the thought that is bound by concern about the desire for foods and rejects concern about achievements in virtue

Against the thought that weeps over simple foods and dry bread

Against the thoughts that persuade us on a feast day to show a little mercy to our body by offering it a few delicacies

Against the thought that, in the absence of serious illness, coaxes us to drink wine and prophesies to us about pain in the stomach and the entire digestive system

Against the thought that seizes our intellect so that we bind ourselves to our fast and our ascetic practice by our oaths, something that is foreign to the monastic way of life

Against the thought that hinders us by suggesting that we not give from our bread to those in need and by saying to me, “That person can [find mercy] anywhere, but we cannot approach any stranger’s door”

Against the thoughts that on a feast day gently approach us and say to us that we might just once in a long stretch of time taste meat and wine

Against the thought that recalls delicacies of the past and remembers pleasant wines and the cups that we used to hold in our hands when we would recline at table and drink

Against the thoughts that entice us to fill our belly with bread and water

Against the thoughts that we have in opposition to the shame in which we respect the fathers when they persuade us to relax the fast and to eat vegetables during a feast

Against the demon that persuades me through its flattery and says to me with promises, “You will no longer suffer any harm from food and drink because your body is weak and dry from prolonged fasting”

Against the thought that shows me God’s commandments as if they were difficult and tells me that they bring many difficulties and miseries upon the body and soul

Against the thought that asks for a little wine in the absence of illness and says to me, “Look, it was for the sake of human beings that wine was created”

Against the thought that reminds me of past feasting and drinking and wants [to return to] this custom

Against the vain thought that persuades us to extend our discipline beyond what is appropriate by putting sackcloth on our loins, setting out for the desert, living continuously under the sky, and tending wild plants; and that advises us as well to flee from the sight of human beings who comfort us and who are comforted by us

Against the thoughts that remind us of past feasts and show us the difficulty that has occurred

Against the soul’s thought that travels to its corporeal kinfolk and finds a table filled with all kinds of foods

Against the thought of gluttony that on feast days enumerates for me many people reclining at the finest table, exulting and rejoicing

Against the thoughts that remind us of pleasures and of a table that has been filled with all good things and praise these things as better than the monastic life

Against the soul’s thought that has become tired and weary of the hunger that comes with little bread and scant water

To the Lord concerning the infirmity of my body, which has been weakened by much fasting and diminished by an austere discipline, and concerning my soul, which is filled with evil thoughts of fornication

To the Lord concerning the demon that chills the stomach and all the sinews of the body, and casts great weakness into the body as if from hunger and prolonged illness

Against the soul that is not satisfied with bread for food and water for drink, but wants vegetables along with these, and does not remember the affliction of the seeds that Daniel and his companions ate

Against the soul that at the time of attack wants to find strong armor

Against the thoughts that are anxious about food and clothing on the pretexts of hospitality, illnesses, and prolonged miseries of the body

Against the soul that is bound by gluttony and supposes that by refreshing the body with delicacies it travels the road of life

Against the thought that hinders us from giving to the needy from our food and clothing on the pretexts, “The provisions are not enough for both us and them” or “There is someone weaker or in greater need than this person, and we should give to that person rather than this one, for this one is lazy and wants to eat and be clothed without working”

Against the soul that loves the desires and collects food and clothing for itself alone

Against the soul that grows weary in the affliction that comes upon it from restriction of bread and water

Against the thoughts that persuade us to show a little care for our body by eating and drinking

Against the thoughts that entice us to be comforted with a little treat of vegetables

Against the thought that at harvest time casts into us the desire for fruits

Against the thoughts that arise in us because of great need and that gradually relax the soul’s vigor

Against the thought that depicts before our eyes a disease of the stomach, liver, and spleen, and a blowing that exceeds [the capacity of ] the navel

Against the thoughts that arise in us as our entire body becomes gradually corrupted

Against the thought that arouses compassion in us, persuades us to give to the poor, and afterward makes us sad and annoyed about what we gave

Against the thought that depicts in us severe weakness from diseases that are about to arise in us from fasting, and that persuades us to eat a little cooked food

Against the thought that wants to be filled with wine on a feast day

Against the thoughts that make our soul neither want to gather provisions through manual labor nor be persuaded to receive something from its family because they are poor and reside at a great distance, but rather advise it to fill its need from others

Against the thought that predicts to me hunger and loss of bread and suggests to me the disgrace of receiving a favor from others

Against the thought that hinders us from working with our hands and persuades us to expect to receive what we need from others

Against the thinking that hinders us from working with our hands and compels us to eat bread and to fill ourselves

Against the thought that says that the monastic discipline is difficult and extremely burdensome, that through affliction it cruelly lays waste to our body, and that it does not profit the soul

Against the thinking that is diligent about food and neglects compassion for the needy

Against the thought that, in the absence of pain in the stomach and severe illnesses, advises us to drink wine by suggesting to us the blessed Apostle’s direction when in his letter he commanded Timothy on this point

Against the thoughts that turn us back toward the world and its commandments

Against the thought that supposes that the commandment to fast is burdensome

FIRST BOOK
Against the Thoughts of Gluttony

Against the thought of fornication that depicts in my intellect a married woman

Against the thought of sadness that arises in us due to the many temptations of fornication that come upon us and cut off our hope by saying to us, “What beautiful thing do you expect after all this labor?”

Against the thought that supposes that in a single hour the evil thoughts of fornication will flee from it

Against the thought that comes from fornication and says, “Youth can never cease from the desires of fornication and offer to God thoughts purified of it”

Against the thought of fornication that says, “Youth is neither guilty nor culpable if it fornicates or if it gladly receives unclean thoughts”

Against the intellect that does not make a vigilant effort to preserve itself from the fornication that is established within it, but rather speaks and performs wickedness with a woman that is depicted before its eyes

Against the thought that seeks, through filthy desire, to approach the demon of fornication

Against the soul that day and night is harassed by thoughts of fornication, losing hope that it will gain victory over them

Against the thought of the soul that is oppressed by thoughts of fornication, which divide the evil passion of fornication into diverse images, collect impure thoughts, put them in rotation, [then] cleave to one of these enslaving thoughts and make it persist upon the weak soul

Against the thoughts that turn quickly to foods whenever the spirit of fornication, playing with them, gives them a little respite and so they suppose that they have reached the frontier of chastity

Against the soul that is frightened and shaken by the demon that touches its members; those who have been tempted by this demon consider what has been said

Against the soul that due to sadness falls into listlessness and so is no longer able to endure the filthy thoughts that defile its prayer

Against the intellect that is contending with thoughts of fornication, but does not want to shake them off of it completely and does not recognize the fetter of sin and the anxiety of evils

To the angel of the Lord that suddenly appeared in my intellect, cooled the thought of fornication, and drove out from it [my intellect] all the thoughts that besieged it

Against the filthy demon of fornication that appeared to me at night in an obscene vision in the form of a woman, but which could not compel my soul with its filthy desires

Against the soul that does not want to escape unclean desire but persists in the thought of Nahash the Ammonite, which [Nahash] is translated “snake”

Against the demon of fornication that wants to spoil and defile my chastity through thoughts

Against the soul that supposes that it is tempted by the demon of fornication beyond its power

To the Lord concerning the thoughts of fornication that show us abominable visions at night

Against the soul that after valiant combats with thoughts of fornication has acquired chastity and purity

To the Lord concerning the multitude of unclean thoughts that trouble and afflict us and attract our intellect to diverse faces

Against the soul that does not know that the intensity of irascibility opposes the thought of fornication, because irascibility comes from fire by nature, but unclean thoughts are born of water

Against the unclean thoughts that persist in us and frequently depict in us obscene images and that bind our intellect with passions of desire in our dishonorable members

To the Lord concerning the demon of fornication that, when it cannot humiliate us through the desire of our body, then shows us in our intellect a monk performing the obscene sin of fornication

To the Lord concerning the filthy demon of fornication that openly approaches the thighs of those who endeavor to depart from it, suddenly seizing the intellect with a madness that alters the soul through a multitude of powerful thoughts of fornication—it is very useful when we are tempted by this demon to jump up at once and to use our cell for frequent and brisk walks—let the one who is able to understand, understand

Against the soul that supposes that the thoughts of fornication are more powerful than God’s commandments, which were given to us for the extirpation of this passion

To the Lord concerning the demon that suddenly fell upon the body, but could not conquer the intellect through the unclean thoughts that attacked it

Against the thought that says to me, “The demon of fornication will put you to shame if you stand up to it in battle”

Against the thought that threatens me, “Another demon of fornication—weightier, bolder, and stronger than the first—is being sent to you, one that will easily compel your soul and bring it to the sin that is accomplished in deeds”

Against the soul that, when it is being harassed by thoughts of fornication, rejects sackcloth and does not remember that David did this very thing for our instruction when he said

Against the soul that is saddened because the filthy thoughts of fornication have persisted in it and that does not expect victory over them because it sees that one of the filthy images is fixed in its intellect and continually harasses it

Against the demon of fornication that imitates the form of a beautiful naked woman, luxurious in her gait, her entire body obscenely dissipated, [a woman] who seizes the intellect of many persons and makes them forget the better things

Against the thought that prophesies to me that I will fall away from chastity and be put to shame before human beings

Against the demon of fornication that in a dream at night drew me into filthy behavior and then during the day through thoughts taunted us and laughed at us

Against the thoughts that compel us to linger in conversation with a married woman on the pretext that she has visited us frequently or that she will benefit spiritually from us

Against the intellect in which is depicted the form of a beautiful woman and that wants to speak with her earnestly or to do something evil that would not be proper, as the holy John, the prophet of Thebes,recounted to us

Against the thought that persuades me that we will not be harmed by the sight of a harlot

Against the soul that does not know the reason for temptations and also does not understand that the demon of fornication, whenever it is conquered and departs from us, leaves within us perfect chastity

Against the unclean thought that entices us and turns us back to that sin for which we have many times repented before the Lord

Against the thought that reminds us of the house in which we gave many fruits to Satan

Against the soul that is encountering temptations of filthy thoughts and does not want to drive them away with hunger, thirst, keeping vigil, and prayer

To the holy angels concerning the unclean thoughts that have persisted in the soul

Against the soul that supposes that it is unnatural for it to keep the intellect keen and not to fornicate in its thinking

Against the soul that is tested by the demon of fornication with a great unspeakable temptation and marvels at the stupendous temptation to such an extent that this demon is neither put to shame nor feared

Against the thought that prophesies to me that demons of fornication are coming and will touch our members and set them on fire

Against the demon of fornication that compelled Israel to gather straw and reeds instead of grains of wheat

For the soul that does not know from where these burning thoughts are sent against us

Against the thought of fornication that says to me, “I am neither diminished nor destroyed by hunger, thirst, or strenuous fasting”

Against the demon that advised me in my intellect that I should marry a woman and become the father of sons and so not resist fornicating thoughts with hunger and thirst

To the Lord concerning the demons of fornication that take for themselves pretexts from the Scriptures and from the topics that are written in them

To the Lord concerning the thoughts of fornication that have persisted in me

To the Lord concerning the demon that at night stirred up an accursed thought against my soul and distorted all the features of the face

Against the soul that has fallen into obscene visions of the night

To the Lord concerning the demon of fornication that, through the passion of desire, imprints in my intellect the vision of an obscene form

Against the demon of fornication that, whenever its thoughts ceased, began to explore and touch the body’s members— those who have been tempted by this demon will understand what I am saying—those who contend with it should at the time of the attack spend most of the night and day walking in the cell and praying and should catch [only] a little sleep while sitting, and they should wear rough sackcloth and avoid being filled with bread and water; let those who struggle in this contest understand that when by God’s power they defeat this demon, they will acquire chastity and not be corrupted

Against the intellect that, because of images of men and womenthat are established in its thinking, is eager to commit a sin

Against the soul that is tempted by foul thoughts of fornication and does not want to keep vigil and pray

Against the thoughts that sometimes lead us to the markets and at other times compel us to hang around outside the markets

Against the thoughts that establish in our heart fornication, which the Lord sees as having been committed

Against the unclean thoughts that sometimes hand us over to visions of the night and at other times during the day begin to depict a vision of images in our intellect

Against the thought that supposes that temptations come upon human beings from God

Against the soul that does not know that it is due to the desires that every kind of temptation from the demons comes upon it

Against the soul’s thought that does not endure the touch of the demon that suddenly fell between the thighs, moved in them from below, and set [them] on fire

Against the soul’s thought that succumbs to distress and sadness and supposes that it is the only one that is tempted so severely

Against the thought that threatened me and said, “You are going to suffer from the demons unspeakable evils,” which I do not want to set down in writing, lest I hinder the zeal of those who are contending, cast terror into those who have just now withdrawn from the world, and scandalize the inexperienced persons who are in the world; for truly I have seen the demonsperform many unspeakable acts, things that perhaps it is not lawful to say to most people; for I have been seized by great astonishment over the patience of the holy angels, how they have not burned or consumed them with the flame of the unquenchable fire

SECOND BOOK
Against the Thoughts of Fornication

Against the demon that advised me in my thinking, “In a dream I will entice one of your relatives or one of the rich people to send you gold”

Against the thought that shows me bitter poverty and the evils that arise from it and suggests to me that on the day of need I will not find a helper

Against the thought of love of money that made us revile our parents because they did not give usany of their property

Against the thought that, on account of love of money, leads us to afflict with the burden of many labors a brother who has recently become a disciple

Against the thought of love of money that withheld compassion from a brother who asked out of his needand that advised us to store up for ourselves alone

Against the thought of love of money that makes us hinder a brother from reading the Scriptures or learning a teaching and that incites us, for the sake of temporary gain, to push him into toil and labor

Against the thought of love of money that neglects someone who has been sick with a long illness and is greatly afflicted by poverty

Against the thought that demanded more manual labor from a brother than he is capable of

Against the thought that did not permit us to give to a needy brother who asked to borrow something from us

Against the thought that seeks to keep resources for itself and does not want to give relief to one of the brothers from them

Against the thought that would increase wealth rather than poverty

Against the soul’s thought that shows mercy to the poor, but immediately changes its mind and regrets the money that it spent on them

Against the soul that wants to attain the death of Jesus while retaining some wealth and forgets how Elisha the prophet, when he renounced the world, divested himself of all that he had

Against the soul that is stingy with money and with everything else stored up for it and is unwilling to spend from it on brothers who come

Against the soul that has accepted gold that was sent for the business of the brothers and yearns to spend it according to the choice of its own desires, forgetting Gehazi’s leprosy—let those reading consider how Elisha the prophet revealed that the thought of love of money is the first of the evil passions, after which follow the rest of the accompanying concepts, from which is generated an extended period of thoughts that hinder the intellect with evil matters and make it leprous

To the Lord concerning the thought of love of money that reminded me by suggesting, “Look, you have given up your parents’ inheritance”

Against the thoughts that taunt us because our parents have forsaken us and will not send us gold to meet our need

Against the thoughts that suggest to us, “Look, your brothers in the world are rich and honored by everyone because of their wealth”

Against the soul that does not understand that we will be condemned along with Satan unless we rightly administer the possessions that we have been given by God

Against the soul that clings to the world, loves temporal things, and wants the house and property of its parents

Against the thoughts that meditate upon riches and give no heed to the consuming pain of wealth

Against the thought that shows us our parents’ splendid house and renders our little cell odious in our eyes

Against the thought that needs money on the pretext of required possessions and has severed its hope from God’s grace

To the Lord concerning the thought of love of money that persists in us and suggests to our intellect either the remembrance of money that we have renounced, or the effort that we are making to acquire things that at present cannot be seen, or the preservation and safekeeping of the things we have now

Against the thoughts of love of money that depict in me hospitality, compel my soul to take advantage of other people, and incite it to render judgment for the sake of temporal goods

Against the thought of love of money that prophesies to us that we are going to live in bitter poverty for a long time

Against the soul that because of the passion of love of money offers scarcely anything for mercy

Against the thought of love of money that prevents us from performing acts of beneficence and suggests to us poverty and bodily infirmity [as excuses]

Against the thought of love of money that, on account of the desire for wealth, drove us to perform manual labor night and day, and so deprived us of reading the Holy Scriptures and prevented us from visiting and ministering to the sick

Against the thought that oppresses us because we are spending our money too freely

Against the thought that, by means of restraint of compassion, prefers money to God’s wisdom

Against the thought of love of money that seeks relaxation and glory from riches

Against the intellect that is set free from the thoughts of love of money through almsgiving, but through sorrow and murmuring is once again ensnared in them—these circumstances show that the soul does not discern the passions caused by the thoughts nor does it recognize [that they are] fetters for the rational nature that strives for knowledge of God

Against the thoughts that remind us of home and property and of the way of life associated with them

Against the thought of love of money that both wants to preserve those things that are stored within and wants to collect additional things from without, on the pretexts of refreshment of the brothers and acquisitions of the Holy Scriptures

Against the thought that depicted before our eyes the loss of the wealth or property that was of great bodily refreshment to Job

Against the thought of love of money that advised us to stockpile food and clothing and not to give them to the brothers who need them

Against the soul that does not yield to mercy when it sees the brothers’ poverty

Against the soul that wants, because of money or property that has been taken from it, to file a lawsuit, and does not recognize that it will not be set free from the fetters of the thoughts caused by what has been taken from it unless in love it offers its cloak as well

Against the thought that prevented us from lending to a brother on the pretext that he cannot repay

Against the inner thoughts that want to acquire riches and to consume the intellect with anxiety about them

Against the demon that said to us, “Property can, when a person acquires riches, serve the Lord”

Against the soul that in a time of distress wants its need to be filled by others, but does not want to refresh others who are afflicted and in want

Against the thought that did not permit us to share our wealth when a noble occasion was depicted before our eyes

Against the intellect that performed acts of righteousness but before which was depicted an image of fraud, murmuring, and sullen faces, things alien to love of practicing the commandments; and that does not want to be troubled by such passions on account of the holy knowledge that comes to the intellect when it has been stripped of the foul passions

Against the thought of love of money that called blessed our corporeal brothers and our kinfolk who are in the world because they possess visible wealth

Against the thought that is sparing in what it gives to the poor—for giving alms sets the intellect free from thoughts, while regretting what one has given binds the intellect to the thoughts that impede it and that damage its ability to receive the knowledge of God

Against the thoughts of love of money that corrupt kindness to the brothers

Against the thought that seeks to store up possessions for itself alone

Against the thought that presents to us the advantage of possessions and displays to us past wealth that would be able to support many brothers

Against the thoughts that reconcile us to greed and that do not see the idolatry that is born from it

Against the thoughts that seek to collect for our need more than what we need and that desire to acquire wealth

Against the soul that seeks more than food and clothing and does not remember that it entered the world bare and it will leave it naked

Against the thought of love of money that said that nothing evil attaches to love of money, but rather great refreshment for the brothers and for strangers [attaches to it]

Against the thought that seeks, on the pretext that profit will fill its need, to be entangled in the affairs of the world

Against the thought that anxiously serves in business affairs on the pretext that the money has run out, and now there is nothing left of it, and it cannot be regained

Against the thought of love of money that did not want to give alms to the brothers on the pretext that “they are not in need” and so in action renounced God’s love

Against the thoughts that make us confess in word that we love the brothers, while in action we will renounce them because of love of money

THIRD BOOK
Concerning Love of Money

Against the soul that, due to the sadness that comes upon it, thinks that the Lord has not heard its groaning

Against the thoughts that suppose that the Lord does not see our affliction that comes from the demons

Against the soul that does not realize that temptations quickly multiply when it has started to investigate spiritually the living words of God and it has become diligent about God’s commandments

Against the thoughts that do not expect to receive help from God and which cast down the soul through sadness

Against the soul that is not convinced that those who have renounced the world only recently will not fall into the hands of the wretched demons and do not fight open attacks through visions or sensation, lest they be alarmed by their [the demons’] terrors and return to the world

Against the thoughts that say to us, “The demons do not know that the Lord makes war on our behalf ”

Talking Back

FIRST BOOK Against the Thoughts of Gluttony

SECOND BOOK Against the Thoughts of Fornication

THIRD BOOK Concerning Love of Money

FOURTH BOOK Concerning the Thoughts of the Demon of Sadness

FIFTH BOOK Against the Demon of Anger

SIXTH BOOK Against the Thoughts of the Demon of Listlessness

SEVENTH BOOK Against the Thoughts from the Demon of Vainglory

EIGHTH BOOK Against the Cursed Thoughts of Pride