February 21, 1999
St. John the
Dwarf:
Teachings on the Ascetic Life -- pt. II
Today we will conclude our two-part study of the life and
teachings of St. John the Dwarf who was born in Egypt about 339. At the age of 18, he left
for Scetis and was trained there by Abba Ammoes for twelve years. One of the most vivid
characters in the Egyptian Desert, he attracted many disciples and in order to preserve
his own solitude, he dug himself a cave underground. Abba John was later ordained priest
and the number of his sayings that are recorded and preserved point to his importance
among his disciples. After 407, he went to Suez and the Mountain of St. Anthony. We have a
photo in our Egypt Gallery that shows the door of a
very old Coptic Church in Upper Egypt on which an image of Abba John has been carved. This
church is over the cave where he spent much of his life.
BEGIN: There was an old man at Scetis, very austere of body, but not very clear in his
thoughts. He went to see Abba John to ask him about forgetfulness. Having received a word
from him, he returned to his cell and forgot what Abba John had said to him. He went off
again to ask him and having heard the same word from him, he returned with it. As he got
near his cell, he forgot it again. This he did many times; he went there, but while he was
returning he was overcome by forgetfulness. Later, meeting the old man he said to him,
"Do you know, Abba, that I have forgotten again what you said to me? But I did not
want to overburden you, so I did not come back." Abba John said to him, "Go and
light a lamp." He lit it. He said to him, "Bring some more lamps, and light them
from the first." He did so. Then Abba John said to the old man, "Has that lamp
suffered any loss from the fact that other lamps have been lit from it?" He said,
"No." The old man continued, "So it is with John; even if the whole of
Scetis came to see me, they would not separate me from the love of Christ. Consequently,
whenever you want to, come to me without hesitation." So, thanks to the endurance of
these two men, God took forgetfulness away from the old man. Such was the work of the
monks of Scetis; they inspire fervour in those who are in the conflict and do violence to
themselves to win others to do good.
Abba John said, "Who sold Joseph" A brother replied saying, "It was his
brethren." The old man said to him, "No, it was his humility which sold him,
because he could have said, "I am their brother" and have objected, but, because
he kept silence, he sold himself by his humility. It is also his humility which set him up
as chief in Egypt."
He also said, "Humility and the fear of God are above all virtues."
It was said of Abba John that when he went to church at Scetis, he heard some brethren
arguing, so he returned to his cell. He went round it three times and then went in. Some
brethren who had seen him, wondered why he had done this, and they went to ask him. He
said to them, "My ears were full of that argument, so I circled round in order to
purify them, and thus I entered my cell with my mind at rest."
On day a brother came to Abba John's cell. It was late and he was in a hurry to leave.
While they were speaking of the virtues, dawn came without their noticing it. Abba John
came out with him to see him off, and they went on talking until the sixth hour. Then he
made him go in again after they had eaten, he sent him away. (EDITOR: Isn't this a
wonderful story?! How these Holy Men loved to talk about the spiritual life!)
One day a brother came to Abba John to take away some baskets. He came out and said to
him, "What do you want, brother?" He said, "Baskets, Abba." Going
inside to bring them to him, he forgot them, and sat down to weave. Again the brother
knocked. When Abba John came out, the brother said, "Bring me the baskets,
Abba." The old man went in once more and sat down to weave. Once more the brother
knocked and, coming out, Abba John said, "What do you want brother?" He replied,
"The baskets, Abba." Then, taking him by the hand, Abba John led him inside,
saying, "If you want the baskets, take them and go away, because really, I have no
time for such things."
A camel driver came one day to pick up some goods and take them elsewhere. Going inside to
bring him what he had woven, Abba John forgot about it because his spirit was fixed in
God. So once more the camel driver disturbed him by knocking on the door and once more
Abba John went in and forgot. The camel driver knocked a third time and Abba John went in
saying, "Weaving - camel; weaving - camel." He said this so that he would not
forget again.
An old man came to Abba John's cell and found him asleep, with an angel standing above
him, fanning him. Seeing this, he withdrew. When Abba John got up, he said to his
disciple, "Did anyone come in while I was asleep?" He said, "Yes, an old
man." Then Abba John knew that this old man was his equal, and that he had seen the
angel. Abba John said, "I think it best that a man should have a little bit of all
the virtues. Therefore, get up early every day and acquire the beginning of every virtue
and every commandment of God. Use great patience, with fear and long-suffering, in the
love of God, with all the fervour of your soul and body. Exercise great humility, bear
with interior distress; be vigilant and pray often with reverence and groaning, with
purity of speech and control of your eyes. When you are despised do not get angry; be at
peace, and do not render evil for evil. Do not pay attention to the faults of others, and
do not try to compare yourself with others, knowing you are less than every created thing.
Renounce everything material and that which is of the flesh. Live by the cross, in
warfare, in poverty of spirit, in voluntary spiritual asceticism, in fasting, penitence
and tears, in discernment, in purity of soul, taking hold of that which is good. Do your
work in peace. Persevere in keeping vigil, in hunger and thirst, in cold and nakedness,
and in sufferings. Shut yourself in a tomb as though you were already dead, so that at all
times you will think death is near."
One of the fathers asked Abba John the Dwarf, "What is a monk?" He said,
"He is toil. The monk toils at all he does. That is what a monk is."
Abba John the Dwarf said, "A house is not built by beginning at the top and working
down. You must begin with the foundations in order to reach the top." They said to
him, "What does this saying mean?" He said, "The foundation is our
neighbor, whom we must win, and that is the place to begin. For all the commandments of
Christ depend on this one."
Abba John said to his brother, "Even if we are entirely despised in the eyes of men,
let us rejoice that we are honored in the sight of God."
Abba Poemen said that Abba John said that the saints are like a group of trees, each
bearing different fruit, but watered from the same source. The practices of one saint
differ from those of another, but it is the same Spirit that works in all of them. END
NOTE: There are other teachings from Abba John the Dwarf in our archives. Just use our search page to find them!
from Sr. Benedicta Ward, "The Sayings of the Desert Fathers," (Kalamazoo,
Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 1975), pp. 89-95
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