No Fixed Resolutions About the Needs of Daily Life

And so a monk ought not to make any hasty promise about things that concern only bodily exercise. Otherwise he may stir up the enemy all the more to attack what he is keeping as if under the observance of a law, and so he may be more easily forced to break it. For everyone who lives under the grace of liberty and makes a law for himself binds himself by that very act in a dangerous slavery. Then, if necessity happens to force him to do what he could have done lawfully, and indeed in a praiseworthy way and with thanksgiving, he is forced to act as a transgressor and to fall into sin; “for where there is no law, there is no transgression.” [a]

By this instruction and teaching of the blessed Joseph we were strengthened as if by a divine oracle, and we made up our minds to stay in Egypt. And though from then on we were only a little anxious about our promise, yet when seven years were over we were very glad to fulfill it. For we hurried back to our monastery at a time when we were confident of getting permission to return to the desert. First, we paid our respects to our elders as was proper. Next, we rekindled their former love for us, since in the ardor of their love they had not been at all softened by the very frequent letters we had sent to satisfy them. Last of all, we entirely removed the sting of our broken promise, and returned to the depths of the desert of Scete, with the elders themselves sending us on our way with joy. [b]

This learning and teaching of the illustrious fathers our ignorance has made plain to you, holy brother, as well as it could. If perhaps our clumsy style has muddled it instead of setting it in order, I trust that the blame our clumsiness deserves will not take away the praise due to these great men. For it seemed to us safer, in the sight of our Judge, to set out this splendid teaching even in a plain style rather than keep silent about it. If the reader considers the greatness of the thoughts, the awkwardness of our style, though it annoys him, need not stand in the way of his profit; and for our part we care more about the book’s usefulness than about its being praised. This at least I charge all into whose hands this little book may fall: they must know that whatever in it pleases them belongs to the fathers, and whatever they dislike is entirely our own. [c]