Saint John Cassian

The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults

Name: The Twelve Books on the Institutes of the Cœnobia, and the Remedies for the Eight Principal Faults
Author: Saint John Cassian

5th c.

Classic translation Public domain

Asceticism & Spirituality · English translation, 1890

Read in English

Book I. Of the Dress of the Monks.
Introduction
Chapter I. Of the Monk's Girdle
Chapter II. Of the Monk's Robe
Chapter III. Of the Hoods of the Egyptians
Chapter IV. Of the Tunics of the Egyptians
Chapter V. Of Their Cords
Chapter VI. Of Their Capes
Chapter VII. Of the Sheepskin and the Goatskin
Chapter VIII. Of the Staff of the Egyptians
Chapter IX. Of Their Shoes
Chapter X. Of the Modification in the Observances Which May Be Permitted in…
Chapter XI. Of the Spiritual Girdle and its Mystical Meaning
Book II. Of the Canonical System of the Nocturnal Prayers and Psalms.
Chapter I. Of the Canonical System of the Nocturnal Prayers and Psalms
Chapter II. Of the Difference of the Number of Psalms Appointed to Be Sung in…
Chapter III. Of the Observance of One Uniform Rule Throughout the Whole of…
Chapter IV. How Throughout the Whole of Egypt and the Thebaid the Number of…
Chapter V. How the Fact That the Number of the Psalms Was to Be Twelve Was…
Chapter VI. Of the Custom of Having Twelve Prayers
Chapter VII. Of Their Method of Praying
Chapter VIII. Of the Prayer Which Follows the Psalm
Chapter IX. Of the Characteristics of the Prayer, the Fuller Treatment of Which…
Chapter X. Of the Silence and Conciseness With Which the Collects Are Offered…
Chapter XI. Of the System According to Which the Psalms Are Said Among the…
Chapter XII. Of the Reason Why While One Sings the Psalms the Rest Sit Down…
Chapter XIII. The Reason Why They Are Not Allowed to Go to Sleep After the…
Chapter XIV. Of the Way in Which They Devote Themselves in Their Cells Equally…
Chapter XV. Of the Discreet Rule by Which Every One Must Retire to His Cell…
Chapter XVI. How No One is Allowed to Pray With One Who Has Been Suspended From…
Chapter XVII. How He Who Rouses Them for Prayer Ought to Call Them at the Usual…
Chapter XVIII. How They Do Not Kneel From the Evening of Saturday Till the…
Book III. Of the Canonical System of the Daily Prayers and Psalms.
Chapter I. Of the Services of the Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours, Which Are…
Chapter II. How Among the Egyptians They Apply Themselves All Day Long to…
Chapter III. How Throughout All the East the Services of Tierce, Sext, and None…
Chapter IV. How the Mattin Office Was Not Appointed by an Ancient Tradition but…
Chapter V. How They Ought Not to Go Back to Bed Again After the Mattin Prayers
Chapter VI. How No Change Was Made by the Elders in the Ancient System of…
Chapter VII. How One Who Does Not Come to the Daily Prayer Before the End of…
Chapter VIII. Of the Vigil Service Which is Celebrated on the Evening Preceding…
Chapter IX. The Reason Why a Vigil is Appointed as the Sabbath Day Dawns, and…
Chapter X. How it Was Brought About That They Fast on the Sabbath in the City
Chapter XI. Of the Points in Which the Service Held on Sunday Differs From What…
Chapter XII. Of the Days on Which, When Supper is Provided for the Brethren, a…
Book IV. Of the Institutes of the Renunciants.
Chapter I. Of the Training of Those Who Renounce This World, and of the Way in…
Chapter II. Of the Way in Which Among Them Men Remain in the Monasteries Even…
Chapter III. Of the Ordeal by Which One Who is to Be Received in the Monastery…
Chapter IV. The Reason Why Those Who Are Received in the Monastery Are Not…
Chapter V. The Reason Why Those Who Give up the World, When They Are Received…
Chapter VI. The Reason Why the Clothes of the Renunciants With Which They…
Chapter VII. The Reason Why Those Who Are Admitted to a Monastery Are Not…
Chapter VIII. Of the Practices in Which the Juniors Are First Exercised That…
Chapter IX. The Reason Why the Juniors Are Enjoined Not to Keep Back Any of…
Chapter X. How Thorough is the Obedience of the Juniors Even in Those Things…
Chapter XI. The Kind of Food Which is Considered the Greater Delicacy by Them
Chapter XII. How They Leave Off Every Kind of Work at the Sound of Some One…
Chapter XIII. How Wrong it is Considered for Any One to Say That Anything…
Chapter XIV. How, Even if a Large Sum of Money is Amassed by the Labour of…
Chapter XV. Of the Excessive Desire of Possession Among Us
Chapter XVI. On the Rules for Various Rebukes
Chapter XVII. Of Those Who Introduced the Plan That the Holy Lessons Should Be…
Chapter XVIII. How it is Against the Rule for Any One to Take Anything to Eat…
Chapter XIX. How Throughout Palestine and Mesopotamia a Daily Service is…
Chapter XX. Of the Three Lentil Beans Which the Steward Found
Chapter XXI. Of the Spontaneous Service of Some of the Brethren
Chapter XXII. The System of the Egyptians, Which is Appointed for the Daily…
Chapter XXIII. The Obedience of Abbot John by Which He Was Exalted Even to the…
Chapter XXIV. Of the Dry Stick Which, at the Bidding of His Senior, Abbot John…
Chapter XXV. Of the Unique Vase of Oil Thrown Away by Abbot John at His…
Chapter XXVI. How Abbot John Obeyed His Senior by Trying to Roll a Huge Stone…
Chapter XXVII. Of the Humility and Obedience of Abbot Patermucius, Which He Did…
Chapter XXVIII. How it Was Revealed to the Abbot Concerning Patermucius That He…
Chapter XXIX. Of the Obedience of a Brother Who at the Abbot's Bidding Carried…
Chapter XXX. Of the Humility of Abbot Pinufius, Who Left a Very Famous Cœnobium…
Chapter XXXI. How When Abbot Pinufius Was Brought Back to His Monastery He…
Chapter XXXII. The Charge Which the Same Abbot Pinufius Gave to a Brother Whom…
Chapter XXXIII. How it is That, Just as a Great Reward is Due to the Monk Who…
Chapter XXXIV. Of the Way in Which Our Renunciation is Nothing but…
Chapter XXXV. How the Fear of the Lord is Our Cross
Chapter XXXVI. How Our Renunciation of the World is of No Use if We Are Again…
Chapter XXXVII. How the Devil Always Lies in Wait for Our End, and How We Ought…
Chapter XXXVIII. Of the Renunciant's Preparation Against Temptation, and of the…
Chapter XXXIX. Of the Way in Which We Shall Mount Towards Perfection, Whereby…
Chapter XL. That the Monk Should Seek for Examples of Perfection Not From Many…
Chapter XLI. The Appearance of What Infirmities One Who Lives in a Cœnobium…
Chapter XLII. How a Monk Should Not Look for the Blessing of Patience in His…
Chapter XLIII. Recapitulation of the Explanation How a Monk Can Mount up…
Book V. Of the Spirit of Gluttony.
Chapter I. The Transition From the Institutes of the Monks to the Struggle…
Chapter II. How the Occasions of These Faults, Being Found in Everybody, Are…
Chapter III. How Our First Struggle Must Be Against the Spirit of Gluttony…
Chapter IV. The Testimony of Abbot Antony in Which He Teaches That Each Virtue…
Chapter V. That One and the Same Rule of Fasting Cannot Be Observed by Everybody
Chapter VI. That the Mind is Not Intoxicated by Wine Alone
Chapter VII. How Bodily Weakness Need Not Interfere With Purity of Heart
Chapter VIII. How Food Should Be Taken With Regard to the Aim at Perfect…
Chapter IX. Of the Measure of the Chastisement to Be Undertaken, and the Remedy…
Chapter X. That Abstinence From Food is Not of Itself Sufficient for…
Chapter XI. That Bodily Lusts Are Not Extinguished Except by the Entire Rooting…
Chapter XII. That in Our Spiritual Contest We Ought to Draw an Example From the…
Chapter XIII. That We Cannot Enter the Battle of the Inner Man Unless We Have…
Chapter XIV. How Gluttonous Desires Can Be Overcome
Chapter XV. How a Monk Must Always Be Eager to Preserve His Purity of Heart
Chapter XVI. How, After the Fashion of the Olympic Games, a Monk Should Not…
Chapter XVII. That the Foundation and Basis of the Spiritual Combat Must Be…
Chapter XVIII. Of the Number of Different Conflicts and Victories Through Which…
Chapter XIX. That the Athlete of Christ, So Long as He is in the Body, is Never…
Chapter XX. How a Monk Should Not Overstep the Proper Hours for Taking Food, if…
Chapter XXI. Of the Inward Peace of a Monk, and of Spiritual Abstinence
Chapter XXII. That We Should for This Reason Practise Bodily Abstinence That We…
Chapter XXIII. What Should Be the Character of the Monk's Food
Chapter XXIV. How in Egypt We Saw That the Daily Fast Was Broken Without…
Chapter XXV. Of the Abstinence of One Old Man Who Took Food Six Times So…
Chapter XXVI. Of Another Old Man, Who Never Partook of Food Alone in His Cell
Chapter XXVII. What the Two Abbots Pæsius and John Said of the Fruits of Their…
Chapter XXVIII. The Lesson and Example Which Abbot John When Dying Left to His…
Chapter XXIX. Of Abbot Machetes, Who Never Slept During the Spiritual…
Chapter XXX. A Saying of the Same Old Man About Not Judging Any One
Chapter XXXI. The Same Old Man's Rebuke When He Saw How the Brethren Went to…
Chapter XXXII. Of the Letters Which Were Burnt Without Being Read
Chapter XXXIII. Of the Solution of a Question Which Abbot Theodore Obtained by…
Chapter XXXIV. Of the Saying of the Same Old Man, Through Which He Taught by…
Chapter XXXV. A Rebuke of the Same Old Man, When He Had Come to My Cell in the…
Chapter XXXVI. A Description of the Desert in Diolcos, Where the Anchorites Live
Chapter XXXVII. Of the Cells Which Abbot Archebius Gave up to Us With Their…
Chapter XXXVIII. The Same Archebius Paid a Debt of His Mother's by the Labour…
Chapter XXXIX. Of the Device of a Certain Old Man by Which Some Work Was Found…
Chapter XL. Of the Boys Who When Bringing to a Sick Man Some Figs, Died in the…
Chapter XLI. The Saying of Abbot Macarius of the Behaviour of a Monk as One Who…
Book VI. On the Spirit of Fornication
Book VII. Of the Spirit of Covetousness.
Chapter I. How Our Warfare With Covetousness is a Foreign One, and How This…
Chapter II. How Dangerous is the Disease of Covetousness
Chapter III. What is the Usefulness of Those Vices Which Are Natural to Us
Chapter IV. That We Can Say That There Exist in Us Some Natural Faults, Without…
Chapter V. Of the Faults Which Are Contracted Through Our Own Fault, Without…
Chapter VI. How Difficult the Evil of Covetousness is to Drive Away When Once…
Chapter VII. Of the Source From Which Covetousness Springs, and of the Evils of…
Chapter VIII. How Covetousness is a Hindrance to All Virtues
Chapter IX. How a Monk Who Has Money Cannot Stay in the Monastery
Chapter X. Of the Toils Which a Deserter From a Monastery Must Undergo Through…
Chapter XI. That Under Pretence of Keeping the Purse Women Have to Besought to…
Chapter XII. An Instance of a Lukewarm Monk Caught in the Snares of Covetousness
Chapter XIII. What the Elders Relate to the Juniors in the Matter of Stripping…
Chapter XIV. Instances to Show That the Disease of Covetousness is Threefold
Chapter XV. Of the Difference Between One Who Renounces the World Badly and One…
Chapter XVI. Of the Authority Under Which Those Shelter Themselves Who Object…
Chapter XVII. Of the Renunciation of the Apostles and the Primitive Church
Chapter XVIII. That if We Want to Imitate the Apostles We Ought Not to Live…
Chapter XIX. A Saying of S. Basil, the Bishop, Directed Against Syncletius
Chapter XX. How Contemptible it is to Be Overcome by Covetousness
Chapter XXI. How Covetousness Can Be Conquered
Chapter XXII. That One Who Actually Has No Money May Still Be Deemed Covetous
Chapter XXIII. An Example Drawn From the Case of Judas
Chapter XXIV. That Covetousness Cannot Be Overcome Except by Stripping One's…
Chapter XXV. Of the Deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, and Judas, Which They…
Chapter XXVI. That Covetousness Brings Upon the Soul a Spiritual Leprosy
Chapter XXVII. Scripture Proofs by Which One Who is Aiming at Perfection is…
Chapter XXVIII. That the Victory Over Covetousness Can Only Be Gained by…
Chapter XXIX. How a Monk Can Retain His Poverty
Chapter XXX. The Remedies Against the Disease of Covetousness
Chapter XXXI. That No One Can Get the Better of Covetousness Unless He Stays in…
Book VIII. Of the Spirit of Anger.
Chapter I. How Our Fourth Conflict is Against the Sin of Anger, and How Many…
Chapter II. Of Those Who Say That Anger is Not Injurious, if We Are Angry With…
Chapter III. Of Those Things Which Are Spoken of God Anthropomorphically
Chapter IV. In What Sense We Should Understand the Passions and Human Arts…
Chapter V. How Calm a Monk Ought to Be
Chapter VI. Of the Righteous and Unrighteous Passion of Wrath
Chapter VII. Of the Only Case in Which Anger is Useful to Us
Chapter VIII. Instances From the Life of the Blessed David in Which Anger Was…
Chapter IX. Of the Anger Which Should Be Directed Against Ourselves
Chapter X. Of the Sun, of Which it is Said That it Should Not Go Down Upon Your…
Chapter XI. Of Those to Whose Wrath Even the Going Down of the Sun Sets No Limit
Chapter XII. How This is the End of Temper and Anger When a Man Carries it Into…
Chapter XIII. That We Should Not Retain Our Anger Even for an Instant
Chapter XIV. Of Reconciliation With Our Brother
Chapter XV. How the Old Law Would Root Out Anger Not Only From the Actions but…
Chapter XVI. How Useless is the Retirement of Those Who Do Not Give up Their…
Chapter XVII. That the Peace of Our Heart Does Not Depend on Another's Will…
Chapter XVIII. Of the Zeal With Which We Should Seek the Desert, and of the…
Chapter XIX. An Illustration to Help in Forming an Opinion on Those Who Are…
Chapter XX. Of the Way in Which Auger Should Be Banished According to the Gospel
Chapter XXI. Whether We Ought to Admit the Addition of “Without a Cause,” in…
Chapter XXII. The Remedies by Which We Can Root Out Anger From Our Hearts
Book IX. Of the Spirit of Dejection.
Chapter I. How Our Fifth Combat is Against the Spirit of Dejection, and of the…
Chapter II. Of the Care With Which the Malady of Dejection Must Be Healed
Chapter III. To What the Soul May Be Compared Which is a Prey to the Attacks of…
Chapter IV. Whence and in What Way Dejection Arises
Chapter V. That Disturbances Are Caused in Us Not by the Faults of Other…
Chapter VI. That No One Comes to Grief by a Sudden Fall, but is Destroyed by…
Chapter VII. That We Ought Not to Give up Intercourse With Our Brethren in…
Chapter VIII. That if We Have Improved Our Character it is Possible for Us to…
Chapter IX. Of Another Sort of Dejection Which Produces Despair of Salvation
Chapter X. Of the Only Thing in Which Dejection is Useful to Us
Chapter XI. How We Can Decide What is Useful and the Sorrow According to God…
Chapter XII. That Except That Wholesome Sorrow, Which Springs up in Three Ways…
Chapter XIII. The Means by Which We Can Root Out Dejection From Our Hearts
Book X. Of the Spirit of Accidie.
Chapter I. How Our Sixth Combat is Against the Spirit of Accidie, and What its…
Chapter II. A Description of Accidie, and the Way in Which it Creeps Over the…
Chapter III. Of the Different Ways in Which Accidie Overcomes a Monk
Chapter IV. How Accidie Hinders the Mind From All Contemplation of the Virtues
Chapter V. How the Attack of Accidie is Twofold
Chapter VI. How Injurious Are the Effects of Accidie
Chapter VII. Testimonies From the Apostle Concerning the Spirit of Accidie
Chapter VIII. That He is Sure to Be Restless Who Will Not Be Content With the…
Chapter IX. That Not the Apostle Only, but Those Two Who Were With Him Laboured…
Chapter X. That for This Reason the Apostle Laboured With His Own Hands, That…
Chapter XI. That He Preached and Taught Men to Work Not Only by His Example…
Chapter XII. Of His Saying: “If Any Will Not Work, Neither Shall He Eat.”
Chapter XIII. Of His Saying: “We Have Heard That Some Among You Walk…
Chapter XIV. How Manual Labour Prevents Many Faults
Chapter XV. How Kindness Should Be Shown Even to the Idle and Careless
Chapter XVI. How We Ought to Admonish Those Who Go Wrong, Not Out of Hatred…
Chapter XVII. Different Passages in Which the Apostle Declares That We Ought to…
Chapter XVIII. That the Apostle Wrought What He Thought Would Be Sufficient for…
Chapter XIX. How We Should Understand These Words: “It is More Blessed to Give…
Chapter XX. Of a Lazy Brother Who Tried to Persuade Others to Leave the…
Chapter XXI. Different Passages From the Writings of Solomon Against Accidie
Chapter XXII. How the Brethren in Egypt Work With Their Hands, Not Only to…
Chapter XXIII. That Idleness is the Reason Why There Are Not Monasteries for…
Chapter XXIV. Abbot Paul Who Every Year Burnt With Fire All the Works of His…
Chapter XXV. The Words of Abbot Moses Which He Said to Me About the Cure of…
Book XI. Of the Spirit of Vainglory.
Chapter I. How Our Seventh Combat is Against the Spirit of Vainglory, and What…
Chapter II. How Vainglory Attacks a Monk Not Only on His Carnal, but Also on…
Chapter III. How Many Forms and Shapes Vainglory Takes
Chapter IV. How Vainglory Attacks a Monk on the Right Had and on the Left
Chapter V. A Comparison Which Shows the Nature of Vainglory
Chapter VI. That Vainglory is Not Altogether Got Rid of by the Advantages of…
Chapter VII. How Vainglory, When it Has Been Overcome, Rises Again Keener Than…
Chapter VIII. How Vainglory is Not Allayed Either in the Desert or Through…
Chapter IX. That Vainglory is the More Dangerous Through Being Mixed up With…
Chapter X. An Instance Showing How King Hezekiah Was Overthrown by the Dart of…
Chapter XI. The Instance of King Uzziah Who Was Overcome by the Taint of the…
Chapter XII. Several Testimonies Against Vainglory
Chapter XIII. Of the Ways in Which Vainglory Attacks a Monk
Chapter XIV. How it Suggests That a Man May Seek to Take Holy Orders
Chapter XV. How Vainglory Intoxicates the Mind
Chapter XVI. Of Him Whom the Superior Came Upon and Found in His Cell, Deluded…
Chapter XVII. How Faults Cannot Be Cured Unless Their Roots and Causes Have…
Chapter XVIII. How a Monk Ought to Avoid Women and Bishops
Chapter XIX. Remedies by Which We Can Overcome Vainglory
Book XII. Of the Spirit of Pride.
Chapter I. How Our Eighth Combat is Against the Spirit of Pride, and of its…
Chapter II. How There Are Two Kinds of Pride
Chapter III. How Pride is Equally Destructive of All Virtues
Chapter IV. How by Reason of Pride Lucifer Was Turned From an Archangel Into a…
Chapter V. That Incentives to All Sins Spring From Pride
Chapter VI. That the Sin of Pride is Last in the Actual Order of the Combat…
Chapter VII. That the Evil of Pride is So Great That it Rightly Has Even God…
Chapter VIII. How God Has Destroyed the Pride of the Devil by the Virtue of…
Chapter IX. How We Too May Overcome Pride
Chapter X. How No One Can Obtain Perfect Virtue and the Promised Bliss by His…
Chapter XI. The Case of the Thief and of David, and of Our Call in Order to…
Chapter XII. That No Toil is Worthy to Be Compared With the Promised Bliss
Chapter XIII. The Teaching of the Elders on the Method of Acquiring Purity
Chapter XIV. That the Help of God is Given to Those Who Labour
Chapter XV. From Whom We Can Learn the Way of Perfection
Chapter XVI. That We Cannot Even Make the Effort to Obtain Perfection Without…
Chapter XVII. Various Passages Which Clearly Show That We Cannot Do Anything…
Chapter XVIII. How We Are Protected by the Grace of God Not Only in Our Natural…
Chapter XIX. How This Faith Concerning the Grace of God Was Delivered to Us by…
Chapter XX. Of One Who for His Blasphemy Was Given Over to a Most Unclean Spirit
Chapter XXI. The Instance of Joash, King of Judah, Showing What Was the…
Chapter XXII. That Every Proud Soul is Subject to Spiritual Wickedness to Be…
Chapter XXIII. How Perfection Can Only Be Attained Through the Virtue of…
Chapter XXIV. Who Are Attacked by Spiritual and Who by Carnal Pride
Chapter XXV. A Description of Carnal Pride, and of the Evils Which it Produces…
Chapter XXVI. That a Man Whose Foundation is Bad, Sinks Daily From Bad to Worse
Chapter XXVII. A Description of the Faults Which Spring From the Evil of Pride
Chapter XXVIII. On the Pride of a Certain Brother
Chapter XXIX. The Signs by Which You Can Recognize the Presence of Carnal Pride…
Chapter XXX. How When a Man Has Grown Cold Through Pride He Wants to Be Put to…
Chapter XXXI. How We Can Overcome Pride and Attain Perfection
Chapter XXXII. How Pride Which is So Destructive of All Virtues Can Itself Be…
Chapter XXXIII. Remedies Against the Evil of Pride

Contents