Syriac Patrology, Volume 3: The Book of Steps

3. An index of the 31 discourses, noted in the margin of folios 172b and 173, partly illegible.

4. Thirty discourses, of which the whole work consists. The last of these, the thirtieth, is incomplete; two folios appear to have been lost. The work ends on the last folio, 281a, column I, the lowest part of which is worn away and can no longer be read. But there, in column II, another excerpt from a certain work of John the Monk begins, as is evident from the rubric still visible: John of... Yōḥannān ḥ...?, that is, John the Hermit Yōḥannān ḥabīšāyā?. From this, it seems at first glance that only a few lines have been lost. However, it should be considered that the text of the first column ends with the line “completing them [for them]”? “for them”? in such a way that the four lines found below it must be taken as a marginal note, since they do not pertain to the preceding text. Nevertheless, because of the aforementioned rubric, it is entirely certain that column II displays the sayings of John the Monk. Folio 281b, indeed, contains a hymn, only partially legible, inscribed: ... [Hil]arion (?) ... in praise of ... ...of praise...? ...and thanksgiving?. It is therefore probable that the scribe inserted those notes into the book and continued the text of the Book of Steps on folio 282a, which, however, is missing in the Parisian codex. The matter is confirmed by the fact that the same thing happened on folio 260, where the scribe inserted an excerpt from the Book of Paradise from the Book of Paradise?.

The thirty-first discourse, according to the cited index, is placed in the first position; therefore, it was missing at the end of the work.

The running title of the work is indicated several times in the upper margin, such as on folios 260b and 261a: Book of Steps composed by a certain perfect saint: Book of Steps composed by one of the perfect saints?. So also on folios 270b and 271a, where to Book? is added this?.

On folio 173a below, a certain reader added this Arabic note:

Look into this book,
which contends for the monks,
the saying of Saint Mar
Philoxenus, Bishop
of Mabbug, Abraham the Mukabbahi (?).

The discourse of Saint Mar Philoxenus of Mabbug excels in this book, which contends for the monks. Abraham mukabbahi (?).

On folio 260b, the scribe of the codex, it seems, filled the whole page with this excerpt:

From the Book of Paradise. Aba Poimen said: Whenever a person falls into any vice or sin and says: "I have sinned," immediately it is remitted to him by God. This saying is true; sins [committed] before baptism are remitted by the cleansing baptism; "Repent," he says, "and let each one of you be baptized in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" Acts 2:38; but sins after baptism are remitted by the sacred mysteries of the body and blood of our Lord. "For this is my body and my blood, which is broken and shed for you for the remission of sins."

They are remitted, however, in this way: if they are sins which are strongly reproved by Divine Scripture, whose perpetrators Paul asserted are prohibited from entering the kingdom of heaven Galatians 5:21, these are indeed remitted when one has completed a certain time according to the canons and laws laid down by superiors for transgressors, in sackcloth and ashes, and then has received the sacred mysteries, having a soul that is repenting, full of passion and compunction for one's offenses. If, however, anyone has sinned against his brother by any offense and has offered metanoia repentance with humility and has asked for forgiveness with compunction: immediately it is dismissed for him by the Lord, who says: "Go, be reconciled with your brother" Matthew 5:24 and: "Forgive and you will be forgiven" Luke 6:37. But a brother sitting in his cell, laboring through some offense because of the harassment of demonic struggles and the vexation of the tickling of passions, if, grieving and mourning, he has prayed a special prayer, such as a psalm, and a supplication, and the "Holy," and "Our Father who art in heaven," and has solicitously prepared himself to receive the sacred mysteries and has believed without doubt: he will be deemed worthy of the remission of sins and will have hope. If, however, some passion has taken hold for a longer time and has dominated the mind because of a weak will, he is in need of many labors of body and mind, passion and compunction, struggle and constant, painful prayer; and only then will he carry off the victory, having received the body and blood of our Savior and Vivifier and Purifier. And this is from the interpretation of the Paradise.

Syriac text: From the Book of Paradise. Aba Poimen said: Whenever a person falls into any sin or folly and says: I have sinned: immediately he is forgiven by God. This word is true: sins before baptism: are forgiven in baptism. Repentance is that which they said: Repent and be baptized each one of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins: sins after baptism: in the holy mysteries of the body and blood of our Lord: for this is my body and my blood which for you is shed for the remission of sins: and thus they are forgiven: if they are sins which the divine Scripture strongly reproves: those which Paul commanded that they shall not inherit the kingdom of heaven: these are forgiven in a known time: according to the canons and laws which are placed as a command from superiors upon transgressors of the law in sackcloth and ashes: and then he shall receive the holy mysteries: when he submits his soul to repentance: and it is full of suffering and compunction for his sins. But if anyone sins against his brother by any sin that occurs: and he offers repentance with humility and asks for forgiveness with compunction: immediately it is forgiven him by our Lord: who said: Go, be reconciled with your brother. And forgive and it shall be forgiven you. But a brother who sits in his cell and from the labor of the struggles of demons: and from the tickling of the stimulation of passions falls into sin: if with suffering and mourning he prays a special prayer: such as a psalm and a supplication and Holy: and Our Father who is in heaven. And he takes care to receive the holy mysteries: and believes without doubt: his sins are forgiven him and he has hope. But if a passion has ruled for a long time: and has ruled over the mind because of weakness of the will: this one indeed is in need of much labor of the body and of the mind and with suffering and compunction and struggle and constant and painful prayer. And then he shall conquer in the receiving of the body and blood of our Savior and our Vivifier and our Purifier. And this is from the interpretation of the Paradise.

This note illustrates Discourse XXIV, after which it is placed; preceding it on folio 260a is another annotation by the scribe himself, which seems to be directed against the charitological teachings of the Book of Steps and dissuades the reader from presumption:

He said [to the brother: Do not] let the law become your own, but give [the law (?)] to him who is able to do everything, for you are able to do nothing. He does not say that it is not fitting for a hermit to live according to the norm of the laws and canons suitable for his cautious conduct, but he wants to say: you, if...