Poimen - Selected Sayings of Abba Poemen

Selected Sayings of Abba Poemen

Abba Poemen is the most often quoted Abba in the Apophthegmata Patrum—nearly a quarter of the sayings are by or about Poemen—which led some scholars to think that sayings from different Abbas were collected under the generic name "Abba Shepherd." Abba Poemen is also featured prominently in another collection of Desert Father sayings, the Ethiopic Collectio Monastica. He was notable for his kindness and compassion toward his fellow monks, including those who had fallen from the high ideals of the Desert Fathers. He was frequently sought out by his brothers for his wise and compassionate guidance.

• "Many of our Fathers have become very courageous in asceticism, but in fineness of perception there are very few."
• In response to a brother monk who chided Poemen for washing his feet, he said, "We have not been taught to kill our bodies, but to kill our passions."
• One monk sought out Poemen to see if he should take a position of authority over fellow monks who he lived with. Poemen advised, "No, be their example, not their legislator."
• Many of Poemen's sayings included sets of three, such as a list of three "instruments for the work of the soul": "to throw yourself before God, not to measure your progress, to leave behind all self-will."