[1] ON MONKS and SINGING

N.758 BHG 2329b,
apophthegma de cantu monachorum

N.758 BHG 2329b, apophthegma de cantu monachorum

Abba Pambo sent his disciple into the city of Alexandria to sell his handiwork.

758. Ὁ ἀββᾶς Παμβὼ ἀπέστειλε τὸν μαθητὴν αὐτοῦ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ τῇ πόλει πρὸς τὸ πωλῆσαι τὸ ἐργόχειρον αὐτοῦ.

Spending sixteen days in the city, as he told us, he used to sleep at night in the narthex of the church of Saint Mark. Having witnessed the rite of the Catholic Church, he returned to the elder.

Ποιήσας δὲ ἡμέρας δέκα ἓξ ἐν τῇ πόλει, ὡς ἔλεγεν ἡμῖν, τὰς νύκτας ἐκάθευδεν ἐν τῷ νάρθηκι ³ ἐν τῷ ναῷ τοῦ ἁγίου Μάρκου. Καὶ ἰδὼν τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τῆς ^{[f. 334r b ]} καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας ἀνέκαμψε πρὸς τὸν γέροντα.

He had learned the troparia too.

Ἔμαθε δὲ καὶ τροπάρια.

So the elder said to him: “My son, I see you troubled; perhaps some temptation befell you in the city?”

Λέγει οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Ὁρῶ σε, ⁴ ὦ τέκνον, τεταραγμένον. Μή τι⁵ πειρασμός σοι συνέβη ἐν τῇ πόλει;

When I went away to Alexandria I saw the ranks of the church and how they sing and I became very sorrowful because we do not sing canons and troparia.”

Ἀπελθόντος γάρ μου ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ εἶδον τὰ τάγματα τῆς ἐκκλησίας πῶς ψάλλουσι καὶ ἐν λύπῃ γέγονα πολλῇ, διατί ⁶ ἡμεῖς οὐ ψάλλομεν κανόνας καὶ τροπάρια.

The elder said to him: “Woe betide us, my son, for the days have arrived in which the monks will abandon the solid food spoken of by the Holy Spirit and go running after songs and tones.

Λέγει οὖν αὐτῷ ὁ γέρων· Οὐαὶ ἡμῖν, τέκνον, ὅτι ἔφθασαν αἱ ἡμέραι ἐν αἷς καταλείψουσιν οἱ μοναχοὶ τὴν στερεὰν τροφὴν τὴν διὰ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ῥηθεῖσαν καὶ ἐξακολουθήσουσιν⁷ ᾄσματα καὶ ἤχους.

What kind of <sorrow for sin> (katanyxis), what tears are born of the troparia? What kind of <sorrow for sin> (katanyxis) is there for a monk when, standing in church or cell, he raises his voice like the oxen?

Ποία γὰρ κατάνυξις, ποῖα δάκρυα τίκτονται ἐκ τῶν τροπαρίων; Ποία κατάνυξις τῷ μοναχῷ ὅτε ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳἢἐν κελλίῳ ἵσταται ^{[f. 334v a ]} καὶ ὑψοῖ τὴν φωνὴν αὐτοῦ ὡς οἱ βόες;

If we are standing before God, we ought to stand in great <sorrow for sin> (katanyxis), not being elated.

Εἰ γὰρ ἐνώπιον Θεοῦ παριστάμεθα, ἐν πολλῇ κατανύξει ὀφείλομεν ἵστασθαι καὶ οὐχὶ ἐν μετεωρισμῷ.

For the monks did not come out into this desert to stand before God and be elated, to warble songs, shape tunes, wave their hands and prance around on their feet.

Καὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἐξῆλθον οἱ μοναχοὶ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ταύτῃ ἵνα παρίστωνται τῷ Θεῷ καὶ μετεωρίζωνται⁸ καὶ μελῳδῶσιν ᾄσματα καὶ ῥυθμίζωσιν⁹ ἤχους καὶ σείωσι¹⁰ χεῖρας καὶ μεταβαίνωσι¹¹ τοῖς ποσίν, ¹²

Rather ought we to offer our prayers to God in great fear and trembling, with tears and sighs, with reverence,

ἀλλ᾿ ὀφείλομεν ἐν φόβῳ πολλῷ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ, δάκρυσί τε καὶ στεναγμοῖς, μετὰ εὐλαβείας

in a thoroughly repentant,  moderate and humble voice,  well disposed to <sorrow for sin.?> (eukatanyktou)

καὶ εὐκατανύκτου καὶ μετρίας καὶ ¹³ ταπεινῆς φωνῆς τὰς ¹⁴ προσευχὰς τῷ Θεῷ προσφέρειν.

See, I am telling you, my son, the days will come when Christians will destroy the books of the holy gospels and of the holy apostles and of the divine prophets,

Ἰδοὺ γὰρ λέγω σοι, ¹⁵ τέκνον, ὅτι ἐλεύσονται ἡμέραι ὅτε φθεροῦσιν ¹⁶ οἱ χριστιανοὶ  [p. ⁶¹⁹] τὰς βίβλους τῶν ἁγίων εὐαγγελίων καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν θεσπεσίων προφητῶν

smoothing away the holy Scriptures and writing troparia and pagan poems; and their mind will be besotted with troparia and pagan poetry.

λειαίνοντες¹ τὰς ἁγίας Γραφὰς καὶ γράφοντες τροπάρια καὶ ἑλληνικοὺς λόγους καὶ χυθήσεται ὁ νοῦς εἰς τροπάρια καὶ εἰς τοὺς λόγους τῶν Ἑλλήνων.

This is why our fathers have said that the scribes who are in this desert are not to write the lives and sayings of the holy fathers on parchment but on paper, for the forthcoming generation is going to smooth away the lives of the holy fathers and write according to their own will.”

Διὰ τοῦτο οἱ πατέρες ^{[f. 334v b ]} ἡμῶν εἰρήκασιν ἵνα μὴ γράφωσιν οἱ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ ταύτῃ ὄντες καλλιγράφοι τοὺς βίους καὶ λόγους τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων ἐν βεμβράνοις ἀλλ᾿ ἐν χαρτώοις. Μέλλει γὰρ ἡ ἐρχομένη γενεὰ λειαίνειν τοὺς βίους τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων καὶ γράφειν κατὰ τὸ θέλημα αὐτῶν.

The elder said: “In those times the love of many will grow cold (Mt 24:12); there will be affliction on no small scale, incursions of nations, displacement of people, the overthrow of kings, disorder among rulers, wantonness among priests, negligence among monks.

Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ γέρων· Ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις καιροῖς ψυγήσεται ἡ ἀγάπη τῶν πολλῶν καὶ ἔσται θλίψις οὐκ ὀλίγη, ἐθνῶν ἐπιδρομαί, λαῶν κινήσεις, ² βασιλέων ἀκαταστασία, ἀρχόντων ἀταξία, ἱερέων σπατάλη, μοναζόντων ἀμέλεια.

And the bishops of those times will be respecters of powerful persons, giving their judgements according to bribery, not protecting the poor in court, afflicting widows, despising orphans.

Οἱ δὲ ἐπίσκοποι τῶν καιρῶν ἐκείνων ἔσονται αἰδούμενοι πρόσωπα δυνατῶν, κρίνοντες τὰς κρίσεις ἐν δώροις μὴ ἐν κρίματι τῶν πτωχῶν ὑπερασπίζοντες, ⁸ θλίβοντες χήρας, καταφρονοῦντες⁹ ὀρφανῶν.

There shall come among the people unbelief, profligacy, hatred, enmity, jealousy, intrigue, thefts, carousings, drunkenness, adulteries, fornications, murders and plunderings.”

Εἰσελεύσεται δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸν λαὸν ἀπιστία, ἀσωτία, μίσος, ἔχθρα, ζῆλος, ἐριθεία, ¹⁰ κλοπαί, κῶμοι, μέθαι, μοιχεῖαι, πορνεῖαι, φόνοι, διαρπαγαί.

The brother said: “What shall one do in such times and seasons?” and the elder said: “In such days he who saves his own soul saves himself and he will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt 5:19).

Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ἀδελφός· Τίοὖν ποιήσει τις ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις καιροῖς καὶ χρόνοις; Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ γέρων· Τέκνον, ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις ἡμέραις σῴζῃ ὁ σῴζων τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν καὶ μέγας κληθήσεται ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν