Author: pilgrim

[Anthony] also said, “Our life and our death are with our neighbour. If we do good to our neighbour, we do good to God; if we cause our neighbour to stumble, we sin against Christ.”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Hyperichius said, “The tree of life is high, and humility climbs it.”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

A hermit said, “I would rather be defeated and humble than win and be proud.”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

A hermit said, “I would learn rather than teach.” He also said, “Do not teach too early, or you will have less understanding during the rest of your life.”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

Syncletica of blessed memory said, “A ship cannot be built without nails and no one can be saved without humility.”

– De Vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

…Poemen said… “The nature of water is soft, the nature of stone is hard; but if a bottle is hung above a stone letting water drip down, it wears away the stone. It is like that with the word of God; it is soft and our heart is hard, but if a man hears the word of God often, it will break open his heart to the fear of God.”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V

They said of a monk that the more bitterly anyone injured or assailed him, the more he was well disposed to that person, for he said, “People like this are a means to cure the faults of serious men. People who make them happy do their souls harm. For it is written, ‘They that call thee blessed, deceive thee'”

– De vitis Patrum, Sive Verba Seniorum, Liber V