thing unto thee, do not thou do unto any man anything of the kind. He who is able to perform this commandment is able to redeem his own soul.”
54. “On one occasion I went to Abbâ Muthues, and when I was about to return, I said unto him, ‘I wish to go to the Cells’; and he said unto me, ‘Salute Abbâ John for me.’ Now when I came to Abbâ John, I said unto him, ‘Abbâ Muthues saluteth thee’; and the old man said unto me, Behold, Abbâ Muthues is indeed a man of Israel in whom there is no guile.’ And after one year I went to Abbâ Muthues, and I told him the greeting of Abbâ John; and the old man said unto me, ‘I am unworthy of the old man’s words, but know, if ever thou hearest an old man praising his companion more than himself, that he hath attained unto a great measure of perfection, for it is indeed obedience for a man to praise his companion more than himself.’ ”
55. A brother asked an old man, and said unto him, “My brother abuseth me, and I cannot bear him any longer; what shall I do? Shall I rebuke him, or shall I speak evil words to him?” The old man said unto him, “Both things are bad, whether a man rebuke him, or whether a man speak unto him evil words”; and the brother said unto him, “And what shall I do? For I cannot endure either.” The old man said unto him, “If thou canst not bear both things, speak to him, but do not rebuke him; but if thou speakest unto him with words of evil, and he listeneth, thou wilt be able to quiet him, saying, ‘I did not say such and such a thing, and it will be possible for the matter which is between you to be healed; but if thou rebuke him to his face, thou wilt make a sore which will be incurable.’ ”
56. Certain brethren came to Abbâ Anthony that he might tell them about the visions which they used to see, whether they indeed came from devils [or not]; now they had with them an ass, and he died on the road as they were coming, and when they had gone into the presence of the old man, he said unto them straightway, “How was it that your ass died on the road?” And they said unto him, “Whence doth the Abbâ know that our ass is dead?” And Abbâ Anthony said unto them, “The devils shewed me [the matter].” Then they said unto him, “We have come to ask thee questions because we have seen phantoms, and also because on several occasions they have actually become real things, and we want to learn whether we have erred or not”; and the old man shewed them that such phantoms which arise through certain devils cannot be inquired into.
