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Abba Agathon
Agathon was a young man when he came to the thebaid, where he was trained by Poemen. His abba thought highly of him, and Poemen 61 shows abba joseph expressing surprise that Poemen should call such a young disciple abba. Agathon went to scetis, where he lived for a time with Alexander and Zoilus, who were later disciples of Arsenius. He left scetis, perhaps after the first devastation, with his disciple Abraham, and lived near the nile, not far from Troe. He knew amoun, macarius, joseph, and Peter from the early days in scetis.
1. Abba Agathon said, "Under no circumstances should a monk let his conscience accuse him of anything."
2. He also said, "Unless he keeps the commandments of God, a man cannot make progress, not even in a single virtue."
3. He also said, "I have never gone to sleep with a grievance against anyone and as far as I could, I have never let anyone go to sleep with a grievance against me."
4. It was said concerning Abba Agathon that some monks came to find him having heard tell of his great discernment. Wanting to see if he would lose his temper they said to him "Aren't you that Agathon who is said to be a fornicator and a proud man?" "yes it is , he answered. They resumed, "aren't you that Agathon who is always talking nonsense? I am. Again they said, "Aren't you Agathon the heretic. He repudiated the last insult. He replied "The first accusations I take to myself for they are good to my soul, but heresy is separation from God. Now I have no wish to be separated from God. At this they were edified.
5. It was said of him that he often went away taking nothing but his knife for making wicker-baskets.
6. Abba Agathon was wise in spirit and active in body. He provided everything he needed for himself, in manual work, food, and clothing.
7. The same Abba Agathon said, I have never offered agapes; but the fact of giving and receiving has been for me an agape, for I consider the good of my brother to be a sacrificial offering.
8. Whenever his thoughts urged him to pass judgment on something which he saw, he would say to himself, "Agathon, it is not your business to do that." Thus his spirit was always recollected.
9. The same Abba said, "A man who is angry, even if he were to raise the dead, is not acceptable to God."
10. A brother asked abba Agathon about fornication. He answered, "Go, cast your weakness before God and you shall find rest."
11. Abba Agathon said, "If someone were very specially dear to me, but I realized that he was leading me to do something less good, I should put him from me."
12. He also said, "a man ought at all times to be aware of the judgements of God."
13. One day when the brethren were conversing about charity, Abba Joseph said, "Do we really know what charity is?" Then he told how when a brother came to see abba Agathon, he greeted him and did not let him go until he taken with him a small knife which he had.
14. Abba Agathon said, "If I could meet a leper, give him my body and take his, I should be very happy." Indeed this is perfect charity.
15. It was said of Abba Agathon that he forced himself to fulfill all the commandments. When he sailed in a vessel he was the first to handle the oars and when the brethren came to see him he laid the table with his own hands, as soon as they had prayed because he was full of the love of God. When he was at the point of death he remained three days with his eyes fixed, wide-open. The brethren roused him, saying, "Abba Agathon, Where are you?" He replied, "I am standing before the Judgment Seat of God."
16. Without vigilance man does not advance in even a single virtue.
17. It was said of him that, coming to the town one day to sell his wares, he encountered a sick traveler lying in the public with no one to look out for him. He rented a cell and tended to him there. He used his work money to pay for the sick man's treatment.
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