On the Holy Fathers of Sketis and on Discrimination

The famous Conferences with Abba Moses on discernment — one of the most readable texts in the entire Philokalia. A conversation rather than a treatise, in which the elder teaches the younger monk how to distinguish between thoughts that come from God, from the self, and from the enemy.

John Cassian's dialogue form makes the teaching vivid and immediate. Abba Moses is not abstract; he tells stories. He uses examples. He explains why the answer is what it is. This text is the Philokalia's most important single treatment of the virtue of discrimination — and it's the most enjoyable reading in the collection. Start here if you want to be drawn in.