INDEX.

The contemplative life is better than the active life. 130 original: "Contemplatiua vita est melior actiua." A central theme in monastic theology, prioritizing prayer and meditation over outward labor.
The body, which afflicts us, must be afflicted. 64
A certain virgin, protected by the sign of the cross, escaped unharmed. 247 In these accounts, "unharmed" or "uncorrupted" often refers to escaping sexual assault or spiritual pollution through divine protection.
To show the trophy of the cross with a finger. 277
What the figure of the cross, traced with a finger, performed. 292
The sign of the cross placed upon water, by which a horse was cured. 338
The mother of Theodoret, who suffered from pain in her eyes, was cured by the sign of the cross. 343. 345 Theodoret of Cyrus, one of the authors, often includes personal or family anecdotes in his "Religious History."
The disease of gluttony is cured by making the sign of the cross. 366 original: "morbus ingluuiei." This refers to an uncontrollable or pathological urge to overeat, often viewed as a demonic affliction in this period.
A demon-possessed woman is cured by the sign of the cross. 369
The disease of colic cured by the sign of the cross. 414
A viper’s bite cured by the sign of the cross. ibid. original: "ibidem," meaning in the same place/page as the previous entry.
Dorotheus armed himself with the sign of the cross when about to drink water in which an asp had been. 417
The figure of the cross was placed on the hoods of the Tabennesiote monks. 102 The Tabennesiotes were a monastic community in Egypt founded by St. Pachomius.
Copres, having been marked with the sign of the cross, entered a flame and emerged unharmed. 156

D

The differences between demons. 52
The principal demon. 85 & 86
The demon of pride. 137
The demon of fornication. 191
The demon of blasphemy. ibid.
Demons who are ignorant, like those who have fled from their masters. The text suggests that some lower-level demons lack knowledge because they have deserted their "teachers" or superiors in the infernal hierarchy.

A multitude of demons scattered throughout the entire world. 408
Demons are expelled by conquering the passions of the soul. 178 original: "animi affectiones." A core ascetic teaching: external demons lose their power when the monk overcomes internal desires like anger or lust.
Whatever happens occurs either by God's pleasure or God’s permission. 197
All our good works are to be attributed to God. 198
Why God sometimes abandons the saints. 200
The desert held more people who were being saved than the inhabited land. 141 A common sentiment in the "Lausiac History," suggesting that the holy city of the desert was more populous with souls than the corrupt cities of men.
Only God cannot be taught. 4
By the devil's deceit, love for one's relatives is used as a pretext to induce greed. 22 Monastic writers warned that a monk's desire to "help his family" was often a trap to make him reclaim his worldly wealth.
Our own limbs are the devil's weapons. 257
Teaching does not consist of syllables or words, but of character. 5 original: "moribus." The idea that true philosophy is lived through behavior rather than just spoken.
Divine teaching is not decorated with rhetoric, but persuades through the words of truth. 8
The gifts of the Holy Spirit are varied, and God bestows greater ones upon those who are more perfect. 260

E

A church built upon that rock under which Moses saw God. 281
An exaltation of mind should be used against the foolish like a dog or a hawk. 221 This likely refers to using a "holy pride" or sternness to rebuke those who are spiritually dull.
Admirable acts of almsgiving. 216. 217. 220. 222. 226. 229. 241. 415
A bishop can be chosen even if his nose has been cut off, provided he is endowed with good character. 37 This entry refers to the story of the monk Ammonius, who cut off his own ear (and was said to be willing to cut his nose) to make himself physically "blemished" and thus ineligible for the office of bishop under canon law; the text here debates the validity of such disqualifications.
What kind of concerns a bishop ought to have. 266
The office of bishop was rejected by Abbot Ammonius. 37
The Eucharist