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The Monastic Life According to Saint Nilus

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The Monastic Life According to Saint Nilus Durham E-Theses The monastic life according to saint Nilus Kornarakis, Constantine J. How to cite: Kornarakis, Constantine J. (1991) The monastic life according to saint Nilus, Durham theses, Durham University. Available at Durham E-Theses Online: http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/6198/ Use policy The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that: • a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in Durham E-Theses • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. Please consult the full Durham E-Theses policy for further details. Academic Support Oce, Durham University, University Oce, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HP e-mail: [email protected] Tel: +44 0191 334 6107 http://etheses.dur.ac.uk THE MONASTIC LIFE ACCORDING TO SAINT NILUS By CONSTANTINE J. KORNARAKIS Graduate of Theology of the University of Athens The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 1991 MA Dissertation Sumbitted to the Faculty of Arts, Department of Theology Durham University ABSTRACT THE MONASTIC LIFE ACCORDING TO SAINT NILUS By C. J. Kornarakis The present dissertation comprises an introductory section and four main chapters. The introductory section deals with the life of St Nilus, focusing especially on the problem of his historical identity which has been debated since the closing years of the last century, i.e. whether he is Nilus Ancyranus or Nilus Sinaita, and with St Nilus' theological method in his indisputable identity as master of monks. This leads on to the main topic of the dissertation which is examined in the following four chapters: monastic life. Chapter I examines the essence of the monastic life as it can be detected in the extant writings of St Nilus. The main themes here are those of: self-renunciation, as the principle which leads to the differentiation between true and false personality, and, the science or art of being a leader or a follower of the spiritual path which specifies the true person. Chapter II examines the basic theme of passions, providing first a sort of spiritual anatomy of the human psyche, looking in some detail into the meaning and use of such terms as soul, heart, mind, perception, and also into the interrelationships of the soul's powers and functions. This becomes the basis for analysing Nilus' theory of passions, including the role of the devil and the function of demonic deceit. Chapter III examines the positive method of the masters of the desert in fighting passion and demonic deceit. This includes such themes as the scriptures, the saints, the icons, the desert and dispossession. Particular attention is given to the theme of silence which is closely related to that of the desert and to self-understanding. Chapter IV concentrates on what might be called the most essential function of the life of the ascetic when he arrives at the more mature level of progress. This is the function of nepsis, vigilance and prayer, which is crowed by union with God. Several sub-themes are treated here, such as the study of God by means of participation in the sacramental life of confession and communion and of adoption of the spiritual exercises of prayer, manual labour vigil and psalmody. The last sub-theme of this chapter is that of the martyrdom of nepsis which is connected with the memory of the last judgement and with the gift of tears and penthos. The theses concludes with a brief epilogue and bibliography. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS PROLOGUE ABBREVIATIONS INTRODUCTION: ST NILUS' LIFE AND THEOLOGICAL METHOD A. St Nilus' life. B. St Nilus' theological method. 1. The agony of spiritual care. 2. The true philosophy of existence. CHAPTER I: THE ESSENCE OF THE MONASTIC LIFE 1.1. The ontological principles of the monastic life. 1.1.1 Self-renunciation. 1.1. 2 Person, true and false. I. 2. The science of "leading and being led". I. 2. 1 The work of the spiritual pastor. a) The untrained pastor. b) God as prototype-pastor. c) The pastor's spiritual life as the presupposition of his spiritual work. I. 2. 2 Submission. a) The necessity of submission. b) The process of submission. c) The most authentic submission. CHAPTER II: THE ASCETIC THEORY OF PASSIONS II.1 The structure of the human psyche. II.1.1 The soul (lji\.)Xfl). II.1.2 The heart (Kexp8i ex). II.1.3 The mind (voD<;). II.1.4 The perception (8t O:vot ex). II.l.S The interrelation of the soul's powers and functions. II.2 The "ontology" of passions. II.2.1 The devil. a) The devil's power "by permission". b) The demonic deceits. II.2.2 The birth of passions. CHAPTER III: THE METHOD OF THE MASTERS OF THE DESERT III.1 The road sign-posts of the ascetical life. III. 1. 1 The Scriptures. III.l. 2 The Saints. III.l. 3 The holy Icons. III.1.4 The Lives of the Saints. III. 2 The desert. III. 2.1 The life of dispossession. 3 a) The fleshly monk. b) Perfect dispossession. III.2.2 The silence of the desert. a) Severing ties with relatives. b) Silence. c) The desert. d) Self-understanding and social conduct CHAPTER IV: THE NEPTIC WAY OF LIFE IV.l The notion of nepsis. IV.2 The study of God. a) The sacramental life: i) Repentance - Confession ii) Eucharist. b) Spiritual exercises: i) Prayer ii) Manual labour iii) Vigil and Psalmody. IV.3 The martyrdom of Nepsis. a) Contrition for death and the dreaded apology. b) The boldness of grief and tears. c) The meaning of martyrdom. BY WAY OF AN EPILOGUE FOOTNOTES BIBLIOGRAPHY a) Texts b) Studies 4 PROLOGUE The present study is a sort of general introduction to the problems of the monastic life, as they are understood by St Nilus the Ascetic. As a general introduction it does not provide an in depth analysis of the various aspects of monastic life, but represents an attempt at examining as thoroughly as possible the greater spectrum of aspects which characterizes the monastic manner of life in the coenobitic and eremetical context of the 4th and 5th centuries AD. The general contents and the systematic way in which this study is structured allow it to carry the title: The Monastic Life according to St Nilus. It was first written in Greek, which is my mother tonguej and then translated into English. This may account for some peculi­ arities in the syntax and the style. Having concluded this study I wish to thank several people who helped me to achieve it. First of all I owe my deep gratitude to my supervisor, the Very Rev. Dr George D Dragas, not only for suggesting this topic to me, guiding me through the intricacies of modern research on St Nilus and assisting me with the presentation of it in English, but also for inspiring me through his general lectures on the theology of the Fathers and through his invaluable post-graduate patristic seminar which will be warmly cherish­ ed in my memories. The per.aonnel in the Department of Theology, in the College of St Hild and St Bede, in the Library and in the other facilities of the University, as well as various members of the University community, most notably Dr Dragas' family, provided me with an excellent context to work with, for all of which I am greatly and gratefully in their debt. Special thanks are due to those who helped me financially, including Fr Emmanuel Karyophyllakis and Mrs Kyriaki Tryphona and, especially, my parents John and Helen Kornarakis to whom I wish to dedicate this research in acknowledgement, above all, of their moral support. Last but not least I wish to mention with gratitude my spiritual father, Fr. George Kretikos, and Professors Markos Orphanos and Constantine Skouteris of the University of Athens for their encouragement and interest. 5 ABBREVIATIONS AnB Analecta Bollandiana. AdA Ad Agathium. Can Commentarium in Canticum Canticorum. D&K H DIELS & W KRANZ, Die Fragmente der Vorsokratiker, 1951/2. D&M De discipulis et magistris. Ep1 Epistolae, liber primus. Ep2 Epistolae, liber secundus. Ep3 Epistolae, tiber tertius. Ep4 Epistolae, liber quartus. LUC S. LUCA, "La fine inedita .. ", Augustinianum 22(1982) 365-402. LME Liber de monastica exercitatione. MoP De Monachorum praestantia. OAI Oratio in Albianum. OPP Oratio prima in Pascha. OSM De octo spiritibus malitiae. MPG J.-P. MIGNE, Patrologiae cursus completus series Graeca. SC Sources Chretiennes, Paris. TPV Tractatus de paupertate voluntaria. <lliA <lltA.oKaA.io: 1:&v ·I e:p&v Nnn1:t Kwv, 1:0IJ.. 1-5, · Aenvo:t. 6 INTRODUCTION: ST. NILUS' LIFE AND THEOLOGICAL METHOD A. The Life of St Nilus St Nilus ( +430) was an ascetic in the beginning of the fifth century A.D. Information on him is found in texts of ecclesiastical authors and church Fathers, (1) as well as in texts deriving from Nil us himself. (2) In spite, however, of the richness of witnesses concerning the person of St Nilus - a fact which in other cases would be sufficient for regarding the person under investigation as being biographically and historically in a favoured position - the historical data concerning his identity are except­ ionally confused and, from a certain point of view, deficient.
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