Abba Dorotheus

THE FATHERS OF ORTHODOX MONASTICISM

The Life of ST. ABBA DOROTHEUS


Icon by Thomas Drain

ST. ABBA DOROTHEUS

Reposed c. 620

Commemorated June 5

TROPARION, TONE 8

BY THE FLOW of thy tears thou hast cultivated the barren desert,+ and from the depth of thy sighing thou hast brought forth a hundredfold of fruitful works,+ thou wast a universal enlightener, glowing bright with miracles, O Dorotheus our father,+ Pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved.


The writings of Abba Dorotheus constitute an "ABC of monasticism," setting forth the path of Christian spiritual life from its first steps to its perfection in purity and passionlessness. A full Life of this Father does not exist; the following account, taken mainly from his own writings, was first presented as an introduction to the Russian translation of his writings.1

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1. Edition of Optina Monastery, ninth printing, 1904.


ABBA DOROTHEUS lived at about the end of the 6th and the Abeginning of the 7th centuries, although we have no means to determine the precise date of his birth and death. His teacher, the Elder Barsanuphius, was still alive about the year 590, when Evagrius wrote his Church history.

His early youth was spent in diligent study of the secular sciences. This is apparent from his own words (at the beginning of his Tenth Instruction), when he says of himself: "When I was studying secular sciences, they seemed to me at first extremely difficult, and when I would come to take a book, I would be in the same state as a man about to touch a wild beast; but when I continued to force myself, God helped me, and diligence became in me such a habit that from zeal for reading I would not notice what I ate or drank or how I slept. And I never allowed myself to be enticed to dinner by any of my friends, and I did not even enter into conversation with them while I was reading, although I was sociable and loved my comrades. When the philosopher would let us go, I would wash myself with water, for I became dry from immoderate reading and had need to refresh myself with water every day; coming home, I ate what I found prepared, having a book also beside me on the couch, and often I would become absorbed in it. Likewise at the time of sleeping it would be beside me on my table, and having fallen asleep for a little, I would suddenly jump up in order to continue reading. Again in the evening, when I would return home, after Vespers, I would light a lamp and continue reading to midnight, and in general I was in such a state that from reading I knew not at all the sweetness of repose."

Studying with such zeal and eagerness, St. Dorotheus acquired a broad knowledge and developed in himself a natural gift with words, as is recalled by the unknown writer of a letter concerning his book of Instructions, who said that the Saint "was great in the gift of words" and, like a wise bee flying from flower to flower, gathered what was useful from the works of worldly philosophers and offered it in his Instructions for the general edification. Perhaps in this instance also the Saint followed the example of St. Basil the Great, whose Rules he studied and strove to fulfill in actual deed. From the Instructions of St. Dorotheus and his questions to the holy Elders it is clearly apparent that he knew well the works of pagan writers, but incomparably better he knew the writings of the holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church: Sts. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, Clement of Alexandria, and many illustrious ascetics of the first Christian centuries; and his living together with the great Elders and his labors in asceticism enriched him with practical knowledge, of which his Instructions testify.

Although we do not know anything of the Saint's background, from his conversations with the great Elders it is apparent that he was well-to-do, and that even before entering monasticism he made use of the instructions of the illustrious ascetics, Sts Barsanuphius and John. This is shown by the reply which St. John gave him to a question regarding the distribution of one's property: "Brother! To your first questions I replied as to one still in need of milk. But now, when you speak of complete renunciation of the world, listen attentively, according to the word of Scripture: Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it (Ps. 80: 10). From this it is clear that St. John gave him advice before his complete renunciation of the world. Unfortunately, not all these soul-benefiting words of the holy elders have come down to us; we have only those which have been preserved in the book of Replies of Sts. Barsanuphius and John.

WE DO NOT KNOW what inspired St. Dorotheus to leave the world, but, examining his Instructions and in particular his questions to the holy Elders, one may conclude that he left the world with only one thing in mind – to attain the Evangelic perfection through fulfilling the commandments of God. He himself speaks of holy men in his first Instruction: "They understood that, being in the world, they could not easily perform virtues, and they desired for themselves a special form of life, a special form of activity – I speak of the monastic life – and they began to flee from the world and live in deserts."

Most likely a beneficent influence on the Saint's resolution was exercised by the conversations of the holy Elders; for in entering the monastery of St. Seridos, Dorotheus immediately gave himself over to absolute obedience to St. John the Prophet, so that he allowed himself to do nothing without consulting him. "When I was living in coenobitism," says the Saint of himself, " I revealed all my thoughts to the Elder, Abba John, and never, as I have said, did I decide to do anything without consulting him. Sometimes a thought would tell me: won't the elder tell you the same thing? Why do you want to disturb him? But I replied to the thought: anathema to you, and to your reasoning, and to your reason, and to your sophistry, and to your knowledge, for what you know you know from demons. And so I went and asked the Elder. And it happened sometimes that he answered me the same thing that had been in my mind. Then the thought would say to me: well? You see it's the same thing I told you: didn't you disturb the Elder for nothing? But I answered the thought: now it is good, now it is from the Holy Spirit; but your suggestion was evil, from the demons, and it was the doing of a passionate state of the soul. And thus I never allowed myself to obey my own thought without having asked the Elder."

Remembrance of the great diligence with which he had studied secular sciences inspired St. Dorotheus also to labors of virtue. "When I entered the monastery," he writes in his tenth Instruction, "I said to myself: if in studying secular sciences such a desire was born in me and such fervor from occupying myself with reading, and it became a habit with me, then how much more will it be so in the studying of virtue; and from this example I drew much strength and eagerness."

A picture of his inner life and his success under the guidance of the Elders is revealed to us in part from his questions to his spiritual fathers and instructors in piety; and in his Instructions we find several cases that testify how he forced himself to virtue and how he succeeded in this. Always accusing himself, he strove to hide the defects of his neighbors with love, and their offenses with regard to him he ascribed to temptation or to a simplicity that had no evil intentions. Thus in his fourth Instruction the Saint cites several examples from which it is clear that, being strongly offended, be patiently bore this, and living for nine years in the coenobitic life, as he himself says, he said no offending word to anyone.

The obedience assigned to him by Abbot Seridos consisted in receiving and giving comfort to visitors, and here more than once was shown his great patience and his eagerness to serve God and his neighbors. "When I was living in coenobitism," St. Dorotheus says of himself, "the Abbot, at the advice of the Elders, made me the receiver of visitors, while not long before this I had had a severe illness. And thus it happened that visitors would come in the evening and I would spend the evening with them; then camel-drivers would come, and I would serve them; and often after I had gone to sleep, another need would arise, and they would wake me up, and meanwhile the hour of the Vigil would also be approaching. Hardly would I have fallen asleep when the canonarch would wake me up; but from labor or from illness I would be exhausted, and sleep would again take such possession of me that, weakened by fever, I would not remember myself and would answer through sleep: "Very well, my lord, may God remember your love and reward you; you have commanded, I will come, O lord." Then, when he went out, I would again fall asleep and be very sad that I was late in going to church. And since the canonarch couldn't wait for me, I begged two brethren, one to wake me up, and the other not to let me doze at the Vigil; and believe me, brethren, I revered them as if through them my salvation was accomplished, and maintained toward them great piety."

LABORING THUS in asceticism, St. Dorotheus attained a high level of spiritual maturity, and being made head of the infirmary which his brother had established in the monastery of Abbot Seridos, he served for all as a profitable example of love of neighbor, and at the same time treated the wounds and infirmities of the souls of the brethren. His profound humility was expressed in the very words with which he speaks of this in his eleventh Instruction. "When I lived in coenobitism, I do not know how it was that the brethren went astray concerning me and confessed to me their thoughts, and the Abbot at the advice of the Elders commanded me to take this concern upon myself." Under his guidance that simple-hearted performer of obedience, Dositheus, also came to flourish in such a short time [see below].

Having as his instructor from his very entrance into the monastery St. John the Prophet, St. Dorotheus received instruction from him as from the mouth of God, and considered himself fortunate that in his abode in coenobitic life he was honored to serve him, as he himself speaks of this in his Instruction on Divine Fear: "When I was still in the monastery of Abba Seridos, it happened that the servant of the Elder, Abba John, the disciple of Abba Barsanuphius, became ill, and the Abba commanded me to serve the Elder. And I kissed the very doors of his cell from outside with the same feeling with which someone else might bow down to the honorable Cross, and all the more was I happy to serve him." Imitating in everything the examples of the holy ascetics, and fulfilling in deed the grace-giving instructions of his fathers – Barsanuphius the Great, John, and Abbot Seridos – St. Dorotheus was undoubtedly also the heir of their spiritual gifts. For Divine Providence did not leave him under a bushel of obscurity, but placed him on the lampstand of leadership – and all the while he desired solitude and silence, as is apparent from his questions to the Elders.

After the death of Abba Seridos and St. John the Prophet, when their common preceptor Barsanuphius the Great shut himself up completely in his cell, St. Dorotheus left the coenobia of Abba Seridos and was an abbot. Most likely it is to this time that are to be dated the Instructions which he spoke to his disciples; these Instructions (21 in number) and several epistles constitute all that remains to us as an inheritance from the writings of the Saint, although the light of his teaching spread not only to monasteries but in the world, too; for many, drawn by the glory of his ascetic labors and his virtues, hastened to him for advice and instruction, as is witnessed by the ano anonymous writer of the letter in which is contained the life of Dositheus. He says that the Saint, in accord with the gifts given him by God, fulfilled his holy and peacebearing service equally toward rich and poor, wise and ignorant, women and men, old and young, sorrowing and rejoicing, strangers and friends, laymen and monks, rulers and subjects, slaves and free: he was constantly everything to everyone and gained very many.

Very unfortunately, a complete biography of this great ascetic has not come down to us; without doubt it would have been most edifying. Having selected from his own writings that little that we have now presented to the reader, we do not consider it superfluous to add to this the testimony also of St. Theodore the Studite concerning the authenticity and purity of the writings of St. Dorotheus. In his testament St. Theodore speaks thus: "I accept every God-inspired book of the Old and New Testaments, and likewise the lives and divine writings of all the God-bearing fathers, teachers, and ascetics. I say this for the sake of the noxious Pamphilus, who, coming from the East, slandered these venerable fathers, that is, Mark, Isaiah, Barsanuphius, Dorotheus, and Hesychius; not that Barsanuphius and that Dorotheus who were one in thought with the Acephalites and the so-called Decacerates and were for this given over to anathema by St. Sophronius in his book, for they are completely distinct from those I mentioned above, whom I, according to the tradition of the Fathers, accept, having inquired concerning this of the Most Holy ruling Patriarch Tarasius and other worthy Eastern Fathers; yea, and in the teachings of the above-mentioned Fathers I not only found not a trace of impiety, but on the contrary much spiritual profit." Another ancient writer, Nilos, also testifies in accordance with this. His words were printed in the form of a foreword to the book of Instructions of St. Abba Dorotheus, in the Greek original and in the Slavonic translation of it. "Let it be known," he says, "concerning this soul-benefiting book, that there were two Dorothei and two Barsanuphii: the ones who opposed the teaching of Severus, and the others who were in everything orthodox and attained perfection in ascetic labors. It is these latter who are mentioned in the present book, and therefore we accept it with love as the work of this Abba Dorotheus who is blessed and most glorious among the Fathers."


Sts. Barsanuphius and John, the Elders of the Monastery of Abba Seridos. Their Answers to various questions on the spiritual life are included in the Philokalia.


Some of the Instructions on spiritual life of the holy Abba Dorotheus are to be found in the Philokalia (English translation in Early Fathers from the Philokalia, pp. 149ff). A marvellous fruit of these Instructions may be seen in the life of the disciple of Abba Dorotheus, St. Dositheus. The account that follows, included as a part of the Russian edition of the writings of Abba Dorotheus, is by an anonymous writer apparently contemporary with the two saints, and is an inseparable part of the life of the great Abba himself.


The Life of Dositheus,
THE DISCIPLE OF ABBA DOROTHEUS


THE LIFE OF ST. DOSITHEUS Commemorated February 19

Top: Dositheus begs Abba Seridos to accept him in the monastery; he is tonsured. Middle: Dositheus attends the sick; he weeps over his sins. Bottom: the blessed repose of Dositheus.


ABBA DOROTHEUS, in truth blessed, having come to love the monastic life according to God, went away to the coenobia of Father Seridos, where he found many great ascetics living in silence, of whom surpassing all were the two great Elders, St. Barsanuphius and his disciple and co-ascetic, Abba John, called the Prophet from his gift of clairvoyance which he possessed from God. To them St. Dorotheus gave himself over in obedience with complete confidence and spoke with the great Elder (Barsanuphius) through the holy Father Seridos; but Father John the Prophet he was honored also to serve. The above-mentioned holy Elders found it necessary for St. Dorotheus to establish an infirmaty; and having settled there, he himself had the care of it, for the brethren were very sad that when they fell ill they had no one to look after them. And thus, with the help of God, he established an infirmary, on the means of his own brother, who provided him with everything necessary for establishing it, for he was a man very Christ-loving, who loved monks also. And thus Abba Dorotheus, as I said, with several other pious brethren, served the sick and himself, as head of the infirmary, had supervision over this institution.

Once the abbot, Abba Seridos, sent for him and called him to his quarters. Entering, he found there a certain youth in military dress, quite young and good-looking, who had come then to the monastery together with the people of a prince, whom Father Seridos loved. When Abba Dorotheus entered, Abba Seridos, taking him aside, said to him: "These people have brought this youth to me, saying that he wishes to remain in the monastery and be a monk; but I am afraid that he might belong to some one of the great lords, and if he had stolen something or done something similar and wishes to hide, and we accept him, we will have trouble; for neither his dress, nor his appearance indicate a man who desires to be a monk."

This youth was a relative of a certain general, lived in great indulgence and luxury (for the relatives of such great lords always lived in great indulgence), and had never heard the word of God. Once certain of the general's people spoke in his presence of the holy city (Jerusalem); having heard about it, he conceived the desire to see the holy things there and begged the general to send him to look at the holy places. The general, not desiring to disappoint him, sought out a close friend of his who was going there, and said to him: "Do me a favor, take this youth with you to look at the holy places." And he, having taken this young man from the general, showed him every honor, looked after him, and offered to let him eat together with himself and his wife.

And thus, having reached the holy city and venerated the holy places, they came also to Gethsemane, where there was a representation of the Last Judgement. And when the youth, stopping before this representation, was beholding it with attention and wonder, he saw a magnificent Woman, clothed in purple, Who stood beside him and explained to him the torture of each of the condemned, and gave at the same time several other instructions of Her own. The youth, hearing this, was amazed and wondered, for, as I have already said, he had never heard either the word of God or that there was to be a judgement. And then he said to Her: "Lady, what must I do to be saved from these tortures?" She answered him: "Fast, do not eat meat, and pray often, and you will be saved from tortures." Having given him these three commandments, the Woman clothed in purple became invisible and appeared no more to him. The youth went over that whole place seeking Her, supposing that it had been an ordinary woman, but did not find Her; for it was Holy Mary, the Mother of God.

From that time forth this youth remained in a state of contrition and preserved the three commandments that had been given him; and the friend of the general, seeing that he was fasting and not eating meat, sorrowed over this for the general, for he knew that the general had a special concern for this youth. The soldiers who were with him, however, seeing that he conducted himself thus, said to him: "Youth! What you are doing is not becoming for a man who wants to live in the world; if you wish to live like this, then go to a monastery and you will save your soul." And he, knowing nothing Divine, neither what such a thing as a monastery was, and only observing what he had heard from that Woman, said to them: "Lead me wherever you know, for I do not know where to go." Several of them, as I have said, were beloved of the Abba Seridos, and, coming to the monastery, they brought this youth with them.

And when the Abba sent the blessed Dorotheus to speak with him, Abba Dorotheus tested him and found that the youth could say nothing else to him but only "I wish to be saved." Then he came and said to the Abba: "If you are pleased to accept him, fear nothing, for in him there is nothing evil." The Abba said to him: "Do me a favor: take him yourself for his salvation, for I do not wish him to be amidst the brethren." Abba Dorotheus in his piety for a long time refused, saying: "It is beyond my strength to take upon myself someone else's burden, and this is not within my means." The Abba replied to him: "I bear both your burden and his; over what, then, do you grieve?" Then the blessed Dorotheus said to him: "If you have decided thus, then inform the Elder (Barsanuphius) of this, if it please you." The Abba replied to him: "Good, I shall tell him." And he went and informed the great Elder of this. And the Elder said to blessed Dorotheus: "Take this youth, for through you God will save him." Then he took him with joy, and placed him with himself in the infirmary. His name was Dositheus.


ST. ABBA DOROTHEUS

16th-century fresco in the refectory of the Monastery of Lavra, Mount Athos


WHEN THE TIME CAME to eat food, Abba Dorotheus said to him: "Eat until you are full, only tell me how much you cat." He came and said to him: "I ate a loaf and a half of bread, and in a loaf there are three pounds." Abba Dorotheus asked him: "Was this enough for you, Dositheus?" He replied: "Yes, my lord, this was enough for me." The Abba asked him: "Are you not hungry, Dositheus?" He answered him: "No, master, I am not hungry." Then Abba Dorotheus said to him: "Next time eat one loaf, and the other half-loaf divide in half; eat one quarter, and the other quarter divide in two, and eat one half." Dositheus did thus. And when Abba Dorotheus asked him: "Are you hungry, Dositheus?" he replied, "Yes, lord, a little hungry." In a few days he again said to him: "How is it with you, Dositheus, do you continue to feel hungry?" He answered him: "No, lord, by your prayers all is well with me." The Abba said to him: "And thus put aside also the other half of the quarter." And he did this. Again in a few days Abba Dorotheus asked of him: "How is it with you now, Dositheus, are you not hungry?" He replied: "It is well with me, lord." The Abba said to him: "Divide the other quarter also in two, and eat half, and leave half." He did this. And thus with God's help, little by little, from four and a half pounds he stopped at eight ounces. For consumption of food also depends upon habit.

This youth was quiet and skillful in everything he did; he served the sick in the infirmary, and each one was set at ease by his service, for he did everything carefully. If it happened that he took offense against one of the sick and said something to him in anger, he would leave everything, go into the storeroom, and weep. And when the other attendants of the infirmary would go in to console him and he would remain unconsolable, they would go to Father Dorotheus and say to him: "Be so kind, Father, as to go and find out what has happened with this brother: he is weeping, and we do not know why." Then Abba Dorotheus would go in to him and, finding him sitting on the ground and weeping, would say to him: "What is it, Dositheus, what is wrong with you? What are you weeping about?" Dositheus would say: "Forgive me, Father, I got angry and spoke evilly with my brother." The Father would reply to this: "So, Dositheus, you get angry and you aren't ashamed that you get angry and offend your brother? Don't you know that he is Christ and that you are offending Christ?" Dositheus would bow down his head, weeping, and answer nothing. And when Abba Dorotheus would see that he had already wept enough, he would quietly say to him: "God will forgive you. Stand up; from now on make a new beginning; let us try, and God will help." Hearing this, Dositheus would immediately stand up and joyfully hasten to his work, as if he had truly received forgiveness and advice from God. In this fashion those who served in the infirmary, having become familiar with his custom, whenever they saw him weeping would say: "Something happened with Dositheus, he has sinned again in something," and they would say to blessed Dorotheus: "Father, go to the storeroom, there is something for you to do there." And when he went in and found Dositheus sitting on the ground and weeping, he would conjecture that he had said an evil word to someone. And he would say to him: "What is it, Dositheus? Or have you offended Christ again? Or grown angry again? Aren't you ashamed? Why don't you correct yourself?" And Dositheus would continue weeping. And when Abba Dorotheus again would see that he had had his fill of weeping, he would say to him: "Stand up, may God forgive you; make a new beginning again and correct yourself at last." And Dositheus in faith would immediately throw off that sorrow and go about his work. He made the beds of the sick very well, and had such freedom in confessing his thoughts that often, when he would be making a bed and see that blessed Dorotheus was passing, he would say to him: "Father, Father, the thought says to me: you are making the beds well." And Abba Dorotheus would answer him: "O, the wonder! You've become a good slave, a distinguished bedmaker – but are you a good monk?"

Never did Abba Dorotheus allow him to have an attachment for any kind of thing, or for whatever it might be; and everything that he said, Dositheus accepted with faith and love, and in everything eagerly obeyed him. When he would need clothing, Abba Dorotheus would give it to him to sew himself, and he would go out to sew it with great care and eagerness. And when he had finished it, the blessed one would call him and say: "Dositheus, have you sewed that garment?" He would reply: "Yes, Father, I sewed it and finished it nicely." Abba Dorotheus would say to him: "Go and give it to such a brother, or to such a sick one." He would go and give it away with joy. The blessed one again would give him another, and likewise, when he had sewed and finished it, would say to him: "Give it to this brother." He would give it away at once, and never did he grow sad or murmur, saying: "Every time when I sew and carefully finish a garment, he takes it away from me and gives it to another," but everything good that he heard he fulfilled with eagerness.

Once one of those sent on obedience outside the monastery brought a good and very beautiful knife. Dositheus took it and showed it to Father Dorotheus, saying, "Such a brother brought this knife, and I took it so as to have it, if you command, in the infirmary, because it is a good one." Blessed Dorotheus, however, never obtained anything beautiful for the infirmary, but only whatever was useful. And therefore he said to Dositheus: "Show it to me; I will see whether it is good or not." He gave it to him, saying, "Yes, Father, it is good." The Abba saw that it was indeed something good, but since he did not want Dositheus to have attachment for any kind of thing, he did not command him to carry this knife and said: "Dositheus! Do you really want to be a slave to this knife, and not a slave to God? Or do you want to bind yourself by attachment to this knife? Or are you not ashamed desiring that this knife be your master and not God?" And he, hearing this, did not raise his head, but, casting his face down, was silent. Finally, having sufficiently scolded him, Abba Dorotheus said to him: "Go and put the knife in the infirmary, and never touch it." And Dositheus so guarded himself from touching this knife that he did not dare take it even in order to give it some time to someone else, and while the other attendants would take it, he alone would not touch it. And he never asked: "Am I not also the same as all the others?" but everything that he heard from the Father he fulfilled with joy.

THUS HE SPENT the brief time of his stay in the monastery, for he lived there only five years, and died in obedience, at no time and in nothing having done his own will and having done nothing out of attachment. And when he fell ill and began to spit blood (from which he died), he heard from someone that underboiled eggs were good for those spitting blood. This was known also to blessed Dorotheus, who was concerning himself with his treatment, but, because he had so many things to do, this remedy didn't enter his mind. Dositheus said to him: "Father, I wish to tell you that I have heard of something good for me, but I do not wish you to give it to me, because the thought of it is troubling me." Dorotheus answered him: "Tell me, child, what thing is this?" He answered him: "Give me your word that you will not give it to me, because, as I said, the thought disturbs me over this." Abba Dorotheus said to him: "All right, I will do as you wish." Then the sick one said to him: "I heard from some that underboiled eggs are good for someone spitting blood; but for the Lord's sake, if it please you, what you didn't give me before this of yourself, do not give me now for the sake of my thought." The Abba replied to him: "All right, if you do not wish it, I will not give it to you; only do not be distressed." And he tried to give him other medicines useful for him in place of the eggs, for Dositheus had said before that the thought was disturbing him regarding eggs. Behold how he labored to cut off his own will, even in such an illness.

He had always, in addition, remembrance of God, for Abba Dorotheus had commanded him to say constantly: "Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me," and also: "Son of God, help me": thus he was always uttering this prayer. And when his illness became quite severe, the blessed one said to him: "Dositheus, take care over the prayer, see that you be not deprived of it." He answered: "Very well, Father, only pray for me." Again, when he became still worse, the blessed one said to him: "Well, Dositheus, how is the prayer, does it continue as before?" He answered him: "Yes, Father, by your prayers." When, however, it became extremely difficult for him and the illness became so severe that he had to be carried on a stretcher, Abba Dorotheus asked him: "How is the prayer, Dositheus?" He answered: "Forgive me, Father, I cannot keep it up any longer." Then Abba Dorotheus said to him: "And so leave off the prayer, only keep God in mind and represent Him to yourself as if He were before you."

Suffering terribly, Dositheus informed the great Elder (Barsanophius) of this, saying: "Let me go, I cannot bear any more." To this the Elder answered him: "Have patience, child, for the mercy of God is near." Blessed Dorotheus, however, seeing that he suffered so terribly, grieved over this, fearing lest his mind be injured. Within a few days Dositheus again informed the Elder concerning himself, saying: "My Master, I cannot live any longer"; then the Elder answered him: "Go, child, in peace, stand before the Holy Trinity and pray for us."

Hearing this reply of the Elder, the brethren began to be indignant and say: "What did he do that was special, or what kind of ascetic exploit did he perform, that he should hear these words?" For, indeed, they had not seen that Dositheus had especially labored in asceticism, or caten food every other day, as did some of those who were there, or that he had kept vigil beyond the usual Vigil service, – and as for the Vigil itself he did not get up for the beginning; likewise they did not see that he had had any special abstinence, but on the contrary they noticed that if by chance the sick would leave a little gravy or fish heads, or anything like that, he would eat it. And there were monks there who, as I have said, for a long time ate every other day and doubled their vigils and abstinence. These latter, hearing that the Elder had sent such a reply to the youth, who had been in the monastery only five years, were disconcerted, not knowing his deeds and his undoubted obedience in everything, that he had never done his own will in anything, that if blessed Dorotheus at some time had chanced to say something making fun of him, and seeming to indicate that he should do something, he promptly went and did it without thinking. For example, in the beginning by habit he spoke loudly; blessed Dorotheus, making fun of him, once told him: "Perhaps you could use some wine and bread, Dositheus? All right, go and get some wine and bread." He, hearing this, went and brought a cup with wine and bread and gave it to him in order to receive his blessing. Abba Dorotheus, not understanding this, looked at him with wonder and said: "What do you want?" He replied: "You ordered me to get some wine and bread, so give me your blessing." Then he said: "Fool, since you yell like the Goths, who yell when they get angry while drinking, I told you to get some wine and bread, for you are as loud as a Goth." And Dositheus, hearing this, bowed down and took back what he had brought.

Once he likewise came to ask Abba Dorotheus concerning a phrase of Holy Scripture, for because of his purity he had begun to understand the Holy Scripture. Blessed Dorotheus, however, did not want him to devote himself to this, but rather to guard himself the better by means of humility. And so, when Dositheus asked him, he answered: "I don't know." But Dositheus, not understanding his father's intent, came again to him and asked him concerning another chapter. Then he said to him: "I don't know, but go ask the Father Abbot," and Dositheus went, without thinking anything in the least. Abba Dorotheus, however, told the Abbot in advance: "If Dositheus comes to you to ask about something in Scripture, hit him a little." And thus when he came and asked the Abbot, the latter began to push him, saying: "Why don't you sit quietly in your cell and and be silent, when you don't know anything? How do you dare ask about such subjects? Why don't you concern yourself with your own impurity?" And having said to him a few other things like this, the Abbot sent him away, having given him also two light blows on the cheeks. Dositheus, returning to Abba Dorotheus, showed him his cheeks, which had become red from the blows, and said: "Here's what I received for an answer." But he did not say to him: "Why did you not teach me yourself, instead of sending me to the Abbot?" He said nothing of the sort, but he accepted everything with faith and did it without thinking. And when he would ask Abba Dorotheus concerning some kind of thought, he would accept what he heard with such assurance and so observe it that he would not ask a second time concerning the same thought.

And thus, not understanding, as I said, this wondrous doing, certain of the brethren murmured over what was said to Dositheus by the great Elder. And when God wished to reveal the glory prepared for him because of his holy obedience, and likewise the gift for the salvation of souls which blessed Abba Dorotheus possessed, even though he was still a disciple, in being enabled so truly and quickly to place Dositheus before God: a short time after the blessed repose of Dositheus, the following happened: A certain great elder who came from another place to the brethren who were there in the coenobia of Abba Seridos, conceived a desire to see the previously departed holy Fathers of this monastery and prayed God that He would reveal them to him. And he saw them all together, standing as in a choir, and in their midst was a certain youth. The Elder later asked: "Who is that youth whom I saw amidst the holy Fathers?" And when he described the features of his face, all recognized that it was Dositheus, and they glorified God, being astonished, since he came from such a life and such a previous dwelling, at what height he was enabled to attain in such a short time by virtue of the fact that he had obedience and cut off his own will. For them all let us give glory to God Who loves mankind, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.