Glossary of the Philokalia Glossary AGE (αίών - aeon): the ensemble of cosmic duration. It includes the angelic orders, and is an attribute of God as the principle and consummation of all the centuries created by Him. The term is used more particularly in two ways:
(i) Frequently a distinction is made between the ‘present age’ and the ‘age to come’ or the ‘new age’. The first corresponds to our present sense of time, the second to time as it exists in God, that is, to eternity understood, not as endless time, but as the simultaneous presence of all time.
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St John Cassian On the Holy Fathers of Sketis And on Discrimination - Written for Abba Leontios The promise I made to the blessed Bishop Kastor to give an account of the way of life and the teaching of the holy fathers has been fulfilled in part by the writings I sent him entitled ‘On Coenobitic Institutions’ and ‘On the Eight Vices’, and I now propose to fulfill it completely. But having heard that Bishop Kastor has left us to dwell with Christ, I felt I should send the remaining portion of my treatise to you, most holy Leontios, who have inherited both his virtuous qualities and the guardianship, with God’s help, of his monastery.
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St John Cassian On the Eight Vices Written for Bishop Kastor Having composed the treatise on cenobitic institutions, I am now once more encouraged by your prayers to attempt to write something about the eight vices: gluttony, unchastity, avarice, anger, dejection, restlessness, self-esteem and pride.
On Control of the Stomach I shall speak first about control of the stomach, the opposite to gluttony, and about how to fast and what and how much to eat.
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First, we must recognize that the starting-point of all our spiritual development is the natural knowledge given us by God, whether this comes through the Scriptures by human agency, or by means of the angel that is given in divine baptism to guard the soul of every believer, to act as his conscience and to remind him of the divine commandments of Christ. If the baptized person keeps these commandments, the grace of the Holy Spirit is preserved in him.
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