The Praktikos () is a guide to ascetic life written by the early Christian monk Evagrius Ponticus. It was originally written in Greek, but also has Syriac and Armenian versions. This work is the best preserved of all the Evagrian writings due to the relatively large number of manuscripts and wide distribution (Bamberger 1972:lix-lx).
The Praktikos consists of 100 chapters. Of the 100 chapters of the Praktikos, demons are mentioned in 67 of them.
Although originally written in Greek, there are manuscripts of the Praktikos in Syriac, Armenian, Ethiopic (Ge'ez), Georgian, and Arabic.
Outline Below is a brief outline of the 100 chapters of the Praktikos.
Introductory letter to Anatolius [1-5] Prologue [6-14] The eight kinds of evil thought (logismoi) Gluttony Impurity (lust; sexual immorality) Avarice Sadness Anger Acedia ("noonday demon"; sloth) Vainglory Pride [15-39] Against the eight passionate thoughts (logismoi) [40-56] Instructions [57-62] The state bordering on apatheia [63-90] On the signs of apatheia [91-100] Apophthegmata: Sayings of the holy monks Epilogue to Anatolius
A more detailed outline is given as follows:
Preface: Letter to Anatolius on the symbolic meaning of monastic clothing Chapters 1–5: Introduction 1: Christianity as faith/practice (praktikē), contemplation of nature (physikē), and knowledge of God (theologikē) 2–3: Kingdom of God and knowledge of the Trinity 4: Desire, feeling, passion 5: The monastic combat against demons Chapters 6–14: On the Eight Thoughts (logismoi) 6: List of the eight 7: Gluttony (gastrimargia) 8: Fornication (porneia) 9: Love of money (philarguria) 10: Sadness (lupē) 11: Anger (orgē) 12: Listlessness (acēdia) 13: Vainglory (kenodoxia) 14: Pride (huperēphania) Chapters 15–33: Against the Eight Thoughts Chapters 34–39: On the Passions Chapters 40–53: Instructions Chapters 54–56: On What Takes Place During Sleep Chapters 57–62: On the State Close to Passionlessness (apatheia) Chapters 63–70: On the Signs of Passionlessness Chapters 71–90: Practical Considerations Chapters 91–100: Sayings of Holy Monks 91: Fasting joined to charity leads to purity of heart 92: Antony and the philosophers 93: Macarius the Egyptian 94: Macarius [the Alexandrian] 95–99: Anonymous apophthegms 100: Loving the brethren Epilogue: Prayer to Christ; rejoicing for the intercession of Gregory of Nazianzus
See also Hesychasm Gnostikos
References
Bamberger, John Eudes, trans. 1972. Evagrius Ponticus: The Praktikos. Chapters on Prayer. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications. Meyendorff, John. 1974. St. Gregory Palamas and Orthodox Spirituality. Crestwood, New York: St. Vladimir's Seminary Press.
Further reading Bamberger, John Eudes, trans. 1972. Evagrius Ponticus: The Praktikos. Chapters on Prayer. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications. Evagrius Ponticus, Praktikos & On Prayer. Oxford: Faculty of Theology, 1987. Sinkewicz, Robert E., trans. 2003. Evagrius Ponticus, The Greek Ascetic Corpus Oxford: Oxford University Press.
External links
The Praktikos online, with Greek text (Translation by Luke Dysinger, O.S.B.) Luke Dysinger's English translation of the Praktikos of Evagrios Pontikos