Sayings

1The holy bishop Epiphanius told this story: In the time of blessed Athanasius the Great, crows were flying around the temple of Serapis, crying out without stopping, "Cras, cras." The pagans came to blessed Athanasius and shouted, "Evil old man, tell us what the crows are crying." He answered, "The crows are crying, 'Cras, cras.' In the language of the Ausonians, 'cras' means 'tomorrow.'" And he added, "Tomorrow you will see the glory of God." The next day the death of the emperor Julian was announced. When this happened, they ran together and shouted against Serapis, saying, "If you did not want him, why did you take what was his?"

The same one told this story: There was a charioteer in Alexandria who was the son of a woman named Mary. During a horse race he fell. Then he got up, passed the one who had thrown him down, and won. The crowd shouted, "The son of Mary has fallen and has risen and has won." While this cry was still being said, the report about the temple of Serapis reached the crowd: the great Theophilus had gone up, destroyed the idol of Serapis, and become master of the temple.

It was reported to blessed Epiphanius, the bishop of Cyprus, by the abba of the monastery he had in Palestine: "By your prayers we have not neglected our rule, but with diligence we perform the third, the sixth, and the ninth hours."

2But he condemned them and made it clear to them, saying: "It is obvious that you are neglecting the other hours of the day, being idle from prayer. For the true monk must have prayer and psalmody unceasingly in his heart."

Once holy Epiphanius sent to Abba Hilarion, urging him and saying: "Come, let us see each other before we depart from the body." And when he arrived, they rejoiced with one another. While they were eating, a bird was brought in. The bishop took it and gave it to Abba Hilarion. The old man says to him: "Forgive me, for since I received the habit I have not eaten sacrificial meat." The bishop says to him: "But I, since I received the habit, have not let anyone go to sleep holding anything against me, nor have I gone to sleep holding anything against anyone." The old man says to him: "Forgive me, for your way of life is greater than mine."

The same one said that Melchizedek is an image of Christ: he blessed Abraham, the root of the Jews. How much more does the truth itself, Christ, bless and sanctify all who believe in him.

3The same one said: The Canaanite woman cries out and is heard; the woman with the flow of blood is silent and is called blessed; the Pharisee shouts and is condemned; the tax collector does not even open his mouth and is heard.

The same one said that David the prophet prayed at an untimely hour, rose at midnight, called upon God before dawn, stood before God at dawn, made his request in the morning, supplicated in the evening and at noon, and for this reason he said: Seven times a day I have praised you (Psalm 118:164; Psalm 119:164 in Hebrew numbering).

He said again that the possession of Christian books is necessary for those who have them. For the very sight of the books by itself makes us more reluctant to sin and urges us to rise up more eagerly toward righteousness.

He said again that a great safeguard against sinning is the reading of the Scriptures.

He said again that a great cliff and a deep pit is ignorance of the Scriptures.

He said again that a great betrayal of salvation is to know none of the divine laws.

The same one said that the sins of the righteous are about the lips, but those of the impious are from the whole body. Therefore David sings: Set a guard, Lord, over my mouth, and a door of enclosure around my lips (Psalm 140:3; Psalm 141:3 in Hebrew numbering); and: I said, I will guard my ways, so that I do not sin with my tongue (Psalm 38:2; Psalm 39:1 in Hebrew numbering).

4The same one was asked, "Why are the legal commandments ten, but the beatitudes nine?" And he said, "The Ten Commandments are equal in number to the scourges of Egypt, and the number of the beatitudes is an image of a triple Triad."

The same one was asked whether one righteous person is enough to persuade God, and he said, "Yes, for he himself said: Search out one who does judgment and righteousness, and I will be merciful to all the people."

The same one said that God remits to sinners who repent even the principal, as with the prostitute and the tax collector, but from the righteous he demands even interest. And this is what he was saying to the apostles: Unless your righteousness abounds more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 5:20).

He also said this: God sells righteousness to those eager to buy for very little—for a small piece of bread, a cheap garment, a cold cup, one obol.

He added this too: a person who borrows from another person because of poverty or need of resources, when he repays, acknowledges thanks but repays in secret because he is ashamed. But the Lord God does the opposite: he borrows secretly but repays openly before angels and archangels and the righteous.