YA551-554 Chapter 1

[continued from YA550] Satan.

Let us not be traitors and thieves, so that we are not like Judas about whom it was said, with the Holy Spirit's help,

Let the curse descend on him like water and oil in his bones.'

Therefore let us not be deceitful in the presence of the Lord, through any wicked deed,

either a pollution or a defilement, or thieving or lying, or hatred or bragging or hypocrisy, and vainglory.

Who are the braggarts but those who shout,

and who put their noses in the air and look down at those who guide them,

who take care of them and teach them

so that they might live orderly according to God's ordinances?

Who are the hypocrites but the people who live with [braggarts] and conceal their transgressions through every wickedness?

Therefore let us not be deceitful falsely, and conceal our sins from our companions

because that causes disturbances in every community, when people sin in the presence of God for all time.

But let us teach our companions by instruction not to sin in the presence of the Lord.

And if we stumble and act wickedly through a mistake, let us share blame with our companions

because that is the strength and the foundation of every community which is pleasing to God for all time.

Indeed it is not wonderful whenever we act like the false prophets and we conceal our sins from our companions,

and God must pour his curse on us angrily and wrathfully.

But the wonder occurs whenever we follow the pattern set by our fathers, the prophets and apostles

and we teach our companions not to sin in the presence of God;

our companions so that we repent,

so the Lord can pour his blessing on us mercifully and patiently.

In addition to it being appropriate that we write many words to you in this letter,

it is also appropriate that we are sufficient

and we instruct you by God and all the sayings of the Scripture, just as the apostle said,

I instruct you by God and the saying of his grace . . . and so I give you the inheritance with all the saints.'

And now, since you wrote to us,

‘The sister whom you appointed instead of the one who died has refused the task that you assigned to her.'

I want you to tell me why she refused the post that was assigned.

Because if I know that she refused because she was not capable of bearing up under the task appointed to her, then she can stay peacefully in the rank where she was before.

But if it's the case that she refused argumentatively and ignorantly

and she lied in the presence of the Lord, saying,

'I refuse because I am not capable of doing this task.'

And after some days or after some time should we find out, then you know what it is you shall do to her

because she did not inform us that she had been abused administratively

or anyway in which she had been humiliated.

Finally, if we find out that she did not tell the truth because others prevented her, it shall not be hidden from you how we shall punish them.

For both they and she have made a covenant with falsehood, on the advice of Satan.

After all this, behold, I will send the male elder to you

so that you can remember God, and pity yourselves, female monks in your community and male monks in ours,

and you tell us all the disturbances that happen in your community

so that we can be free from pain, we and you