السيرة
Just as the lives of the fathers have set forth "the life of communion with God in Christ Jesus," so that the heart is kindled toward it and the soul is set forth by the Holy Spirit toward the heavenly, angelic life, so too the lives of the fallen warn us against the wars of the demons and their deceptions, and against conduct that is without wisdom.
It is told of this Aspanius, who was from the city of Edessa in Syria, that he was zealous and ardent, a lover of hymns and chants, composing and setting them to melody, but with a spirit of conceit and pride.
He walked in a spirit of self-glorification, laboring without cease in pursuit of the praise of men. Thus he became fit prey for the deception of the enemy, who drew him out of his cell and set him upon Mount Storion. There the enemy showed him spiritual chariots that seemed to be setting off toward heaven, and he heard a voice saying to him, "God summons you, as He summoned Elijah." He believed the vision and went toward the chariot that it might bear him up; then its illusions vanished, and he fell from a great height and was utterly dashed to pieces. So he became a warning to everyone who walks without counsel and without discernment, seeking the glory of his own earthly self