DOCSLIB.ORG

Palladius and Ascetic Social Engagement

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Palladius and Ascetic Social Engagement THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA Palladius and Ascetic Social Engagement A DISSERTATION Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Theology and Religious Studies Of The Catholic University of America In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree Doctor of Philosophy © Copyright All Rights Reserved By Robert M. Simkins Washington, D.C. 2013 Palladius and Ascetic Social Engagement Robert M. Simkins, Ph.D. Director: Philip Rousseau, D.Phil. Around 420 CE, Palladius wrote the Lausiac History, a collective biography recounting his travels amongst the desert communities of Egypt and Palestine. The text was written in response to a specific request from Lausus, who was the praepositus sacri cubiculi in the court of Emperor Theodosius II. Lausus desired to hear of the lives of the ascetic men and women Palladius had encountered in the desert. The text Palladius produced provides a vivid and personal narrative of the monastic successes and failures that he had witnessed, meshing narratives of miraculous deeds alongside tales cautioning against overzealousness and boasting. While scholarly interest in Palladius has increased in recent years, most scholars have been content to use individual anecdotes from the work in the service of their larger arguments on the ascetic life, rather than undertake a comprehensive analysis of the Lausiac History as a whole. This thesis provides such an analysis, examining Palladius’ critique of the ascetic life through attention to the text’s narrative construction and comparison between Palladius’ ascetic ideals and those of the tradition that preceded him. I conclude that Palladius’ narrative offers a reassessment of the ascetic ideal through an emphasis on ascetic struggle while de-emphasizing the location in which the ascetic life took place. As such, he strives to relocate the ascetic life from the desert to the city. His text was to serve as a guide towards the development of a Christian life of charitable ministry that was built upon self-knowledge and communal teaching. Using eye-witness accounts of ascetic failure, Palladius presents a critique that challenges previously held views on the necessity of living a life of severe austerity while isolated from larger society. His critique centers upon the damaging and delusional effects of pride, which tempts the ascetic to posit his own effort as the cause of his success. Palladius helps us to understand better the shifting landscape of asceticism in the early-fifth century as Christians increasingly resided in urban centers and sought a means to live spiritual lives that followed in Christ’s footsteps. This dissertation by Robert M. Simkins fulfills the dissertation requirement for the doctoral degree in Historical Theology approved by Philip Rousseau, D.Phil., as Director, and by James Wiseman, O.S.B., S.T.D., and Wendy Mayer D.Phil., as Readers. Philip Rousseau, D.Phil., Director James Wiseman, O.S.B., S.T.D., Reader Wendy Mayer, D.Phil., Reader ii Contents Chapter 1. The Desire to Write……………………………………………………………….... 1 Reflections on the Ascetic Life………………………………………………….. 6 Figures both Influential and Contentious……………………………………….. 15 Exile and an Imperial Audience………………………………………………… 26 2. Life in the Desert: Understanding God’s Providence…………………………… 36 Beginning his Desert Life………………………………………………………. 39 The Path to Ascetic Failure…………………….……………………………….. 46 Deconstructing his Desert Failure…………….………………………………… 55 Abandonment by God and the Will of the Ascetic...….……………......………. 75 Conclusion...……………………………….………………………………..….. 85 3. Differences in Transmission……………………………………………………… 87 The Egyptian Desert……………………………………………………………. 92 The Beginning of the Ascetic Life in the Life of Antony…………………….…. 95 Augustine and the Life of Antony……………………………………………… 102 Summary…………………………………………………………….………… 105 The Desert Tradition Encountered by Palladius………………………………. 107 4. Out of Solitude and into Community…………………………………………… 119 Subverting Pride through Moderated Askesis……………………….……..…. 121 Ascetic Transformation: Antony, Syncletica, and Palladius………………….. 138 iii 5. Ascetic Social Engagement………………………………………………………. 148 Humility as Communal Endeavor……………………………………………... 150 Life on the Fringes versus Life in Society…………………………………….. 154 Ascetics and Ordination……………………………………………………….. 171 Social Engagement and God’s Grace…………………………………………. 176 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………. 182 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………….. 187 iv Chapter 1 The Desire to Write In the early months of 407 CE, Palladius, the exiled bishop of Helenopolis, sat in a dark cell and recalled the prophetic words of John of Lycopolis, who had warned him of the suffering he would endure if he left the desert and became a bishop. Palladius had been exiled by the emperor Arcadius to Syene, a remote outpost in southern Egypt, after he had appealed to Pope Innocent I in Rome following the trial of John Chrysostom.1 Chrysostom had found himself on the losing side of a battle between himself, Theophilus, bishop of Alexandria, and the empress Eudoxia.2 Exiled multiple times, he would ultimately succumb to exhaustion as his military escort marched him with little rest through extreme climates.3 John Chrysostom died on 14 September 407 CE while Palladius was imprisoned.4 As Palladius endured his banishment, he understood that God’s providence had played a role in the events leading to his exile and Chrysostom’s death. What he did not know was precisely what role providence had played. He reflected on John of Lycopolis’ warning. Had Palladius been led to the episcopacy out of his 1 The events surrounding Palladius’ appeal of Chrysostom’s exile are detailed in Palladios, Dialogue sur la vie de Jean Chrysostome (henceforward Dial.), introduction, texte critique, traduction et notes par Anne-Marie Malingrey, Sources Chrétiennes, 341 (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 1988). ET by Robert T. Meyer, Palladius: Dialogue on the Life of St. John Chrysostom, Ancient Christian Writers, 45 (New York: Newman Press, 1985). All translations are those of Meyer unless otherwise indicated. On the location of Palladius’ exile see Dial., 20.41-42. 2 Soc., Hist. eccles., 6.15-18; Sozom, Hist. eccles., 8.16. For a detailed account of these events, see J.N.D. Kelly, Golden Mouth: the Story of John Chrysostom – ascetic, preacher, bishop, esp. pp. 238-43. Liebeschuetz has attempted to provide nuance to these arguments in regard to John’s condemnation relative to his relationship with Eudoxia. See J. H. W. G. Liebeschuetz, Barbarians and Bishops: Army, Church, and State in the Age of Arcadius and Chrysostom, esp. pp. 195-208. 3 Dial., 11. 4 Soc., Hist. eccles., 6.21. 1 2 own vainglory? Or had God set him on this path as a means towards the achievement of greater virtue? He would spend eleven months in this cell, giving him ample time to contemplate these questions. After his release, Palladius renewed his travels around Egypt and eventually made his way back to his native Galatia. Little more than a decade after being exiled, Palladius, now the bishop of Aspuna,5 received a request from Lausus, the praepositus sacri cubiculi in the court of Theodosius II.6 As part of what may have been an imperial attempt at reconciliation with Chrysostom’s supporters,7 Lausus requested that Palladius write for him an account of the monks Palladius had met during his time living in the desert.8 Lausus appears to have met Palladius in 391 CE while Palladius was in Egypt9 and he now sought a renewal of their acquaintance in the guise of a text on ascetic living. With the emperor Theodosius II just beginning to take full command of his duties and with the animosities of the previous regime towards Chrysostom’s supporters nearly at an end, the time may have seemed right to quell any lingering hostilities between the imperial court and 5 Soc., Hist. eccles., 7.36. 6 On the role of the praepositus, see James E. Dunlap, “The Office of the Grand Chamberlain in the Later Roman and Byzantine Empires,” in Two Studies in Later Roman and Byzantine Administration, pp. 161-314. 7 Claudia Rapp, “Palladius, Lausus and the Historia Lausiaca,” in Novum Millennium: Studies on Byzantine History and Culture dedicated to Paul Speck, pp. 279-89. 8 Palladius, Historia Lausiaca (henceforward HL), edited by Cuthbert Butler, The Lausiac History of Palladius, Texts and Studies, vi, parts 1 and 2. Unless otherwise stated, all translations are by Robert T. Meyer, Palladius: the Lausiac History, and all page references to Butler are to the second part of Texts and Studies, vi. References to the HL will follow the paragraph numbering used by Meyer. 9 In the closing passages of the History Palladius says to Lausus, “Pray for me, and keep yourself as I knew you from the consulate of Tatian” (HL, 71.6, Butler, ed., p. 169, Meyer, tr., p. 154). On the problems with the dating of this meeting see Butler pp. 246-47. Presumably, Lausus had also undertaken a journey to the Holy Land in search of the monastic life and this is when he and Palladius met. However, we know nothing about Lausus’ time in Egypt nor why he chose to forego this life for imperial service. Cf. Rapp, “Palladius, Lausus and the Historia Lausiaca,” pp. 282-83. 3 the Christian bishops who had defended him. The text Palladius produced, subsequently named the Lausiac History after its recipient, remains one of the more vivid and personal accounts of asceticism in the late-fourth and early-fifth centuries. Written as a travelogue and mixed with second-hand anecdotes of well-known ascetic men and women, the text recounts Palladius’ wandering amongst desert communities and his recurring struggle with health and motivation as he sought spiritual perfection in the Holy Land. Amongst the miracle stories, whose type would be familiar to most readers of ascetic texts, Palladius interspersed narratives of monks who had fallen victim to pride and licentiousness. These stories, somewhat peculiar for the genre, give Palladius’ work a degree of nuance rarely found in other works of his time and serve as illustrations that even ascetics striving for God sometimes found themselves falling victim to the same temptations that their time in the desert was intended to eliminate.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018
    Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018 Conforming to General Convention 2018 1 Preface Christians have since ancient times honored men and women whose lives represent heroic commitment to Christ and who have borne witness to their faith even at the cost of their lives. Such witnesses, by the grace of God, live in every age. The criteria used in the selection of those to be commemorated in the Episcopal Church are set out below and represent a growing consensus among provinces of the Anglican Communion also engaged in enriching their calendars. What we celebrate in the lives of the saints is the presence of Christ expressing itself in and through particular lives lived in the midst of specific historical circumstances. In the saints we are not dealing primarily with absolutes of perfection but human lives, in all their diversity, open to the motions of the Holy Spirit. Many a holy life, when carefully examined, will reveal flaws or the bias of a particular moment in history or ecclesial perspective. It should encourage us to realize that the saints, like us, are first and foremost redeemed sinners in whom the risen Christ’s words to St. Paul come to fulfillment, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” The “lesser feasts” provide opportunities for optional observance. They are not intended to replace the fundamental celebration of Sunday and major Holy Days. As the Standing Liturgical Commission and the General Convention add or delete names from the calendar, successive editions of this volume will be published, each edition bearing in the title the date of the General Convention to which it is a response.
    [Show full text]
  • The Forerunner
    The Forerunner weekly bulletin of St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church Orthodox Church in America (OCA) – Archdiocese of Pittsburgh 601 Boone Avenue, Canonsburg, PA 15317 724-745-8216 – www.frunner.org – www.facebook.com/frunneroca/ Preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ to Canonsburg, the Chartiers Valley, Washington, and Beyond! January 17th, AD 2021 32nd Sunday after Pentecost (Tone 7)/12th Sunday of Luke St. Anthony the Great Home Parish of the Ever-Memorable Met. Theodosius, (+10/19) May his memory be eternal! Вѣчная память! Rector, Fr. John Joseph Kotalik 425-503-2891 – [email protected] Attached Clergy: Protodeacon John Oleynik, 724-366-0678 Deacon Theodosius Onest, 724-809-3491 Parish President & Warden, Mr. Kiprian Yarosh, 724-743-0231 Interim Choir Director, Mrs. Diane Yarosh; Cantor, Lara Galis The Orthodox Church humbly claims to be the One Church of Jesus Christ, founded on the Apostolic Witness to our Lord, born on the day of Pentecost, and for 2,000 years making known to men, women, and children the path to salvation through repentance and faith in Christ. All Services are Live-Streamed Online on our YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/c/StJohntheBaptistOrthodoxChurchCanonsburg/live Upcoming Schedule January 19, Tuesday: -7:00 PM, All-OCA Online Church School for Middle and High School Students: Every Tuesday, go to https://www.oca.org/ocs and click your age group! January 21, Thursday: FR. JOHN & MAT. JANINE RETURNING January 23, Saturday: -5:15 PM, General Pannikhida -6:00 PM, Vespers & Confession January 24, Sunday (New Martyrs & Confessors of Russia; Xenia of Petersburg; Sanctity of Life Sunday): -8:45 – 9:15 AM, Confession -9:30 AM, Divine Liturgy Church Open Until Noon -6:00 PM, Moleben to St.
    [Show full text]
  • Green Pilgrim City Theological Message Pilgrimage in the Coptic
    Green Pilgrim City Theological Message Pilgrimage in the Coptic Church Since its establishment in the first century, the Coptic Orthodox Church has existed in Egypt and has as one of its principal pillars a movement and way of life that commenced in her deserts and wildernesses and, from there, spread to the whole world. This phenomenon is, of course, the monastic movement that started in the deserts of Egypt in the third Century and still thrives across the country until today. Being central to the lives of many Christians in Egypt and abroad, the monasteries are frequented by pilgrims throughout the year, who reach their thousands on special feast days in the Coptic Calendar. The monasteries have always been essential for spiritual retreat, and in the current climate, have become visitors’ havens of reflection, contemplation and refuge in the midst of a bustling society embattled by historic political reform and the accompanying security and economic pressures Today, thousands of Coptic Christians from across Egypt and around the world make the journey to the monasteries to escape the constant noise of modern life and to share in the gentle silence of the wilderness that our desert fathers and mothers have lived for centuries, experiencing the words of our Creator Himself Who says “be still and know that I am God” (Psalms46:10). These pilgrims are also accompanied by many thousands of non-Coptic visitors throughout the year. The deserts, void of the heavy distractions of civilisation and unblemished by large secular settlements, have been the rich soil from which great wisdom has sprung forth.
    [Show full text]
  • Palladius of Aspuna
    CISTERCIAN STUDIES SERIES: NUMBER TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO Palladius of Aspuna The Lausiac History CISTERCIAN STUDIES SERIES: NUMBER TWO HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO Palladius of Aspuna The Lausiac History Translated by John Wortley Cistercian Publications www.cistercianpublications.org LITURGICAL PRESS Collegeville, Minnesota www.litpress.org A Cistercian Publications title published by Liturgical Press Cistercian Publications Editorial Offices 161 Grosvenor Street Athens, Ohio 45701 www.cistercianpublications.org This work is a translation of G. J. M. Bartelink’s edition of Palladio, La Storia Lausiaca (Milan: Fondazione Lorenza Valla and Libri Mondador, 1974). Scripture quotations are the translator’s own work, with all quotations from the Old Testament based on the Septuagint. © 2015 by Order of Saint Benedict, Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, by print, microfilm, microfiche, mechanical recording, photocopying, translation, or any other means, known or yet unknown, for any purpose except brief quotations in reviews, without the previous written permission of Liturgical Press, Saint John’s Abbey, PO Box 7500, Collegeville, Minnesota 56321-7500. Printed in the United States of America. 123456789 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Palladius, Bishop of Aspuna, -approximately 430. [Lausiac history. English] Palladius of Aspuna : the Lausiac history / translated by John Wortley. pages cm. — (Cistercian studies series ; number two hundred fifty-two) Translation compiled from a variety of sources. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-87907-252-0 — ISBN 978-0-87907-681-8 (ebook) 1. Monasticism and religious orders—Egypt—History—Early church, ca. 30-600. 2. Christian biography—Egypt—Early works to 1800.
    [Show full text]
  • Saint Ann Maronite Church Information Booklet
    THE WAY TO PARADISE Saint Ann Maronite Church Scranton, PA INFORMATION BOOKLET Price and Sumner Avenue Scranton, PA 18504 (570) 344-2129 Page 1 of 27 THE FAITH AND LIFE OF THE CHURCH ARE EMBODIED IN HISTORY HANDED ON BY TEACHING EXPRESSED THROUGH LITURGY AND MEMORIALIZED IN ARCHITECTURE Msgr. Ronald N. Beshara Page 2 of 27 OUR PAST ... Maronite history has its origins in Antioch where the early Christians received their faith from Saint Peter after he fled persecutions in Jerusalem. According to Acts 11:26 the followers of Christ were called Christians for the first time in Antioch. The seat of the Church remained there for 7 years before being transferred to Rome. Prior to 741 there were 7 Syro-Catholic Popes, 5 of them were Syro-Maronites. Antioch was a Hellenistic city while Edessa to the Northeast maintained a Syriac-Aramaic culture followed by the Christians who later were to be called Maronite. Their tradition followed the language, theology and liturgy of Christ and His Apostles thus reflecting their mentality. After divisions and persecutions the Christians gradually migrated to the safety of the mountains in Lebanon. Thus the liturgical roots of the Maronite Church can be traced to Antioch and Edessa. In the 4th century Saint Maron, a friend of Saint John Chrysostom, fought the heresies that beset the Catholic Church at that time, particularly Arianism, Monophysitism and Nestorianism. His monastery became the principal center of pastoral and spiritual care for the area. The monks and followers, then called Maronites, were continually called upon and willing to sacrifice their lives for their religious convictions.
    [Show full text]
  • Epistle of Thegan, Chorbishop of Trier, to Hatto
    Epistle of Thegan, chorbishop of Trier, to Hatto (ca. 836) [ed. Ernst Dümmler, MGH Epistolae 5 (Berlin, 1899) 337] Translated by • Courtney M. Booker University of British Columbia ([email protected]) –September 2008– [To be used for teaching purposes only. Please do not cite or reproduce without permission] To the venerable lord and father in Christ, Hatto, most noble duke and councilor, Thegan, a sinner, although a priest, proclaims greetings in the Lord Jesus Christ. When I had considered for a long time what, from my poverty, I might have offered to your serene 5 presence on account of your immense kindness, which, not because my merits were deserving [of it], you deigned to show to me constantly, and in order that I might entrust the memory of my name to your piety, nothing came to mind but that I might send to you some little work of the holy fathers, to which you could devote your reverend attention. Thereupon, I sent you [a copy of?] that book, which holy Alcuin, the supreme scholar, compiled from the various books of Saint Augustine into one [volume], a 10 book which he delivered to the most expert and noble emperor Charles (just as the prologue of that book notes), where can be found, as it is the greatest necessity of human affairs, [works] on the divine nature and essence, on the eternal growth of God the Father, on the eternal nativity of God the Son, on the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit, on the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Son of God, how God is a single trinity and a triple singularity, just as true faith bids [us] to believe, and he who does not believe 15 thus is a stranger from Christ.
    [Show full text]
  • The Teachings of St. Anthony the Great
    The Teachings of St. Anthony the Great from the Alphabetical Sayings of the Desert Fathers St. Herman Orthodox Church Littleton, Colorado 16 1. When the holy Abba Anthony lived in the desert 37.He also said, “Nine monks fell away after many he was beset by akedia, and attacked by many labors and were obsessed with spiritual pride, sinful thoughts. He said to God, “Lord, I want to for they put their trust in their own works and be saved, but these thoughts do not leave me being deceived they di not give due heed to the alone; what shall I do in mine affliction? commandment that says, „Ask your father and How can I be saved? A short while afterwards, he will tell you‟ (Deuteronomy 32:7).” when he got up to go out, Anthony saw a man like himself sitting at his work, getting up from 38.And he said this, “If he is able to, a monk ought his work to pray, then sitting down and plaiting a to tell his elders confidently how many steps he rope, then getting up again to pray. It was an takes and how many drops of water he drinks in angel of the Lord sent to correct and reassure his cell, in case he is in error about it.” him. He heard the angel saying to him, “Do this and you will be saved.” At these words, Anthony was filled with joy and courage. He did this, and he was saved. 2. When the same Abba Anthony thought about the depth of the judgments of God, he asked, “Lord, how is it that some die when they are young, while others drag on to extreme old age? Why are there those who are poor and those who are rich? Why do wicked men prosper and why are the just in need?” He heard a voice answering him, “Anthony, keep your attention on yourself; these things are according to the judgment of God, and it is not to your advantage to know anything about them.” [see Deuteronomy 29:29] 2 15 34.Abba Anthony once went to visit Abba Amoun 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Robert F. Taft, S.J. the 2001 Vatican Addai and Mari Decision
    Robert F. Taft, S.J. Pontificio Istituto Orientale Piazza S, Maria Maggiore 7 00185 Rome ITALY PROFILE : Robert F. Taft, S.J., born in Providence, RI (USA) Jan. 9, 1932, entered the Society of Jesus on August 14, 1949. After receiving the MA and Licentiate in Philosophy, he taught from 1956-59 at Baghdad College, Baghdad, Iraq, followed by an MA in Russian Studies at Fordham University in NY (1961), and an MA and STL in theology in 1964. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Byzantine Slavonic (Russian) Rite in 1963. He is Professor- emeritus of Oriental Liturgy at the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, and founder and editor-in-chief of its Anaphorae Orientales series. He studied there his doctorate (1965-70), then did postdoctoral studies in Oriental Philology at the University of Louvain (1971-72). The bibliography of his publications and writings comprises over 800 titles written in English, French, and Italian, mostly scholarly publications on Eastern Liturgy, including 23 books, three of them co-authored. His writings have been translated into eighteen different languages. Fr. Taft is also Consultor for Liturgy of the Vatican Congregation for the Oriental Churches, and a member of several Vatican commissions and other editorial and advisory boards. Fr. Taft has received numerous ecclesiastical honors and academic awards, including three honorary doctorates and election as Corresponding Fellow of the British Academy, the highest honor the Academy confers in recognition of scholarly distinction. He is the first American Jesuit
    [Show full text]
  • Divine Manifestations in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha Orientalia Judaica Christiana
    Divine Manifestations in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha Orientalia Judaica Christiana 2 Orientalia Judaica Christiana, the Christian Orient and its Jewish Heritage, is dedicated, first of all, to the afterlife of the Jewish Second Temple traditions within the traditions of the Christian East. A second area of exploration is some priestly (non-Talmudic) Jewish traditions that survived in the Christian environment Divine Manifestations in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha Andrei Orlov govg'ms press 2009 For law and June Fair ... Then the old man stood up and stretched his hands to­ wards heaven. His fingers became like ten lamps of fire and he said to him, "If you will, you can become all flame/5 Apophthegmata Patrum, Joseph of Panephysis, 7. Abba Bessarion, at the point of death, said, "The monk ought to be as the Cherubim and the Seraphim: all eye." Apophthegmata Patrum, Bessarion, 11. TABLE OF CONTENTS Preface xv Locations of the Original Publications xvii List of Abbreviations xix INTRODUCTION. The Kavod and Shem Paradigms and Divine Manifestations in the Slavonic Pseudepigrapha 1 Silvanus and Anthony. 3 Moses and Elijah 8 Enoch and Abraham 12 PART I: THE DIVINE BODY TRADITIONS 19 "Without Measure and Without Analogy": The Tradition of the Divine Body in 2 (Slavonic) Enoch 21 Introduction 21 Adamic Tradition of 2 Enoch 23 The Corporeality of the Protoplast 26 From the Four Corners of the World 29 The Measure of the Divine Body. 34 Bodily Ascent 37 Adam and Enoch: "Two Powers" in Heaven 38 Two Bodies Created According to the Likeness of the Third One 43 The Pillar of the World: The Eschatological Role of the Seventh Antediluvian Hero in 2 (Slavonic) Enoch 49 Introduction 49 I.
    [Show full text]
  • John Cassian and the Creation of Early Monastic Subjectivity
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2019 Exercising Obedience: John Cassian and the Creation of Early Monastic Subjectivity Joshua Daniel Schachterle University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the History of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Schachterle, Joshua Daniel, "Exercising Obedience: John Cassian and the Creation of Early Monastic Subjectivity" (2019). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1615. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1615 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. Exercising Obedience: John Cassian and the Creation of Early Monastic Subjectivity A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology Joint PhD Program In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy by Joshua Daniel Schachterle June 2019 Advisor: Gregory Robbins PhD © by Joshua Daniel Schachterle All Rights Reserved Author: Joshua Daniel Schachterle Title: Exercising Obedience: John Cassian and the Creation of Early Monastic Subjectivity Advisor: Gregory Robbins PhD Date: June 2019 Abstract John Cassian (360-435 CE) started his monastic career in Bethlehem. He later traveled to the Egyptian desert, living there as a monk, meeting the venerated Desert Fathers, and learning from them for about fifteen years. Much later, he would go to the region of Gaul to help establish a monastery there by writing monastic manuals, the Institutes and the Conferences.
    [Show full text]
  • Of the Desert Fathers. the Relationship with the Other in Apophthegmata Patrum
    The “Ecumenism” of the Desert Fathers. The Relationship with the Other in Apophthegmata Patrum Paul Siladi* Ecumenism is a 20th century concept that cannot be directly transposed in the everyday reality of the Desert Fathers, but the authority of the desert ascetics is still crucial to the monastic milieu of the Orthodox Church as well as other denominations. For this very reason, the present paper intends to investigate the stories recorded in the alphabetical collection of the Egyptian Paterikon in order to understand to what extent they may actually offer a guide to the complex relations with the Other. How do these stories illustrate denominational or even religious alterity? What types of rapports can one identify therein? Rejection? Separation? Acceptance of the other’s difference? These are all legitimate questions and their significance is amplified in the context of our times – a period in which we see an increase in fundamentalist movements and tendencies, including in the Orthodox community. Keywords: Ecumenism, Desert Fathers, Paterikon, Apophthegmata Patrum, asceticism, spirituality. The recent concept of ecumenism dates back to the beginning of the 20th century and as such it would be difficult to transfer it into the reality of the every-day lives of the Desert Fathers. Even so the ancient ascetics of the desert still exert significant authority in the Orthodox monastic milieus and not only there; for this very reason the present paper sets out to investigate the stories recorded in the alphabetical collection of the Egyptian Paterikon in order to see if they may contain elements for a guide to relationships marked by confessional1 or religious alterity.
    [Show full text]
  • THE SAYINGS of the DESERT FATHERS
    Selections From THE SAYINGS Of THE DESERT FATHERS With Kind Permission Of Cistercian Publication Title of the book - The Sayings of the Desert Fathers Name of the translator - Sister Benedicta Ward SLG Publisher - Cistercian Publication Address of the published - WMU Station, Kalamazoo, Michigan 19008/USA Copyright, 1975 2 Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ King of Kings and Lord of lords Icon designed by Dr. Yousef Nassief and Dr. Bedour Latif H.H. Pope Shenouda III, 117th Pope of Alexandria and the See of St. Mark ABBA ANTHONY THE GREAT Anthony the Great, called 'The Father of Monks' was born in central Egypt about AD the son of peasant farmers who were Christian. In c. 269 he heard the Gospel read in church and applied to himself the words. 'Go, sell all that you have and give to the poor and come . .’ He devoted himself to a life of asceticism under the guidance of a recluse near his village. In c. 285 he went alone into the desert to live in complete solitude. His reputation attracted followers, who settled near him, and in c. 305 he came out of his hermitage in order to act as their spiritual father. Five years later he again retired into solitude. He visited Alexandria at least twice. Once during the persecution of Christians and again to support the Bishop Athanasius against heresy. He died at the age of one hundred and five. His life was written by Saint Athanasius and was very influential in spreading the ideals of monasticism throughout the Christian World. 1.
    [Show full text]