“One who walks with the wise becomes wise, one who mixes with fools is fooled.“
Proverbs 13: 20; 16: 16
“Better gain wisdom than gold, choose understanding in preference to silver.“
“Any of you who lacks wisdom should ask God, who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly, and it will be given.“
James 1: 5
Saint John Cassian about Abba Daniel
“Among others who excelled in Christian wisdom, we met Abba Daniel. He was in every way the equal of any of the dwellers in Scete, but was also adorned with the special grace of humility.“
John Cassian, Abbot of Marseilles: The Collations. Being a Collection of Twenty-Four Conferences Divided into Three Parts, translated by a Father of the Oxford Oratory, Gracewing 2015, p. 80
Saint John Cassian reports that Abba Daniel was a disciple of Abba Paphnutius who “promoted him to the office of deacon because of his purity and gentleness, despite his being younger than many of the others“ (ibid.). Daniel was afterwards also ordained as a priest but while his spiritual father Paphnutius was still alive, Daniel “performed the functions of a deacon as before while Paphnutius offered the spiritual sacrifice“ (ibid.). Eventually, the father survived the son: Abba Daniel “went before (Paphnutius) to God“ (ibid.).
Temptations and trials are good for us (Judges 3: 1-4)
In the conversation which Cassian and his friend Germanus enjoy with Abba Daniel, the latter comments on a passage from the third chapter of the book of Judges in order to teach the two inquirers that sometimes the Lord “is testing us in his wisdom“ (ibid., p. 81) and is allowing temptations and trials to come our way. But first, he points to the knowledge of King David concerning these things as manifest in his psalms:
“King David knew how beneficial it can be that God conceal himself, or I might even say desert us, for he refused to pray that we should never be deserted by God at all, knowing how little that would profit us, or anyone striving for perfection: he did however pray that this desertion should be modified, saying, ‘O do not thou utterly forsake me‘ (Psalm 118/119: 8). This is as much as to say, I know well that you customarily withdraw from your holy ones, so as to test them. In no other way could they be tempted by the enemy were they not to some extent deserted by you; therefore I do not pray that you should never desert me, for that would do me no good at all. How else could I become aware of my weakness, so as to say, ‘It is good for me that thou hast humbled me‘ (Psalm 118/119: 71), or how could I gain experience in fighting, which I would surely never do if the divine protection were always over me unceasingly? (…) Nay, rather will I pray that you do not forsake me utterly, or as the Greek says, heos sphodra, to an extremity. It is as beneficial for me that you withdraw from me a little to prove my perseverance in longing, as it would be dangerous for you never to allow me to be deserted for the sake of my merits and of my sins.“
John Cassian, Abbot of Marseilles: The Collations. Being a Collection of Twenty-Four Conferences Divided into Three Parts, translated by a Father of the Oxford Oratory, Gracewing 2015, p. 82-83
The passage from Sacred Scripture then quoted by Abba Daniel to further underline his point is the following one:
“These are the nations which the LORD allowed to remain, by their means to put all those Israelites to the test who had not experienced any of the Canaanite wars (this was only to instruct generations of the Israelites, to teach them the art of war, those at least who had not experienced it before): the five chiefs of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hittites who lived in the hill country of Lebanon, from the hill country of Baal-Hermon to the Pass of Hamath. They were to put Israel to the test and see if they would keep the orders which the LORD had given their ancestors through Moses.“
Judges 3: 1-4
These nations “which the LORD allowed to remain“ to test Israel can be seen as the temptations and trials that “teach (us) the art of war“.
“It was not that God grudged peace to the Israelites, or planned evil for them, but he preserved their enemies for their own benefit; thus through being always under pressure from the attacks of these foes they might never imagine they could do without the help of God, and through meditating on this always and through prayer they would be safe from complacency, and never lose the skill and practice of warfare. For it often happens that ease and prosperity overthrow those who could not be defeated by adversity.“
John Cassian, Abbot of Marseilles: The Collations. Being a Collection of Twenty-Four Conferences Divided into Three Parts, translated by a Father of the Oxford Oratory, Gracewing 2015, p. 83-84
“My brothers and sisters, consider it a great joy when trials of many kinds come upon you, for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance, and perseverance must complete its work for you to be fully mature, complete, not deficient in any way.“
James 1: 2-4
“Finally, grow strong in the Lord, with the strength of his power. Put on the full armour of God so as to be able to resist the devil‘s tactics.“
Ephesians 6: 10-11
Saint John Cassian, pray for us!