Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XI/John Cassian/The Twelve Books/Book X/Chapter 13

Chapter XIII.

Of his saying: &#8220;We have heard that some among you walk disorderly.&#8221;

after all this rigour of gospel severity, he now lays bare the reason why he put forward all these matters. &#8220;For we have heard that some among you walk disorderly, working not at all, but curiously meddling.&#8221; He is nowhere satisfied to speak of those who will not give themselves up to work, as if they were victims of but a single malady. For in his first Epistle he speaks of them as &#8220;disorderly,&#8221; and not walking according to the traditions which they had received from him: and he also asserts that they were restless, and ate their bread for nought. Again he says here, &#8220;We have heard that there are some among you who walk disorderly.&#8221; And at once he subjoins a second weakness, which is the root of this restlessness, and says, &#8220;working not at all;&#8221; a third malady as well he adds, which springs from this last like some shoot: &#8220;but curiously meddling.&#8221;