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PRE-THEODOSIAN ASCETIC PIETY in FOURTH-CENTURY EGVPT: a STUDY of the ASCETICAL Lelters of BISHOPS and MONKS

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PRE-THEODOSIAN ASCETIC PIETY in FOURTH-CENTURY EGVPT: a STUDY of the ASCETICAL Lelters of BISHOPS and MONKS PRE-THEODOSIAN ASCETIC PIETY IN FOURTH-CENTURY EGVPT: A STUDY OF THE ASCETICAL LElTERS OF BISHOPS AND MONKS Bernadette McNary A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Centre for the Study of Religion University of Toronto c Copyright by Bernadette McNary 1997 National Library Bibliothèque nationale m*m of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 canada Canada The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence atlowing the exclusive permettant à la National Libraq of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, distribute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in rnicroform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la forme de microfiche/nIm, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyrightinthisthesis.Neitherthe droitd'auteurquiprotègecettethèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or otherwise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son permission. autorisation. t: A SUv of Doctor of Philosophy, 1997 Bernadette McNary Graduate Centre for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto Traditionally. our depiction of fourth-century desert ascetic practice has been constructed alrnost entirel y from hagiographic sources, including the Uves and the A~ophthewPatrum. In recent decades, studies of individual ascetic letters, and of collections of ascetic letters. have shown that this neglected body of evidence deserves to be regarded as the authentic work of fourth century ascetics. This study seeks to integrate these individual studies by assessing the historical value of the ascetical letters of prominent fourth-century Egyptian bishops and ascetic masters, principally. Ammonas. Antony, Athanasius, Horsisios, Pachomius. Serapion of Thmuis, and Theodore. The first chapter examines the current state of scholarship on the letters in an effort to establish their status as historical evidence. Subsequent chapters analyze the content of individual goups of letters: chapter two discusses the problem of succession in the Antonian movement; chapter three considers two group rituals in the early Pachomian movement; chapter four discusses the authorship of the Life of Antony. The final chapter compares the intent and content of the ascetical letters with traditional, contemporary , hagiographic desert ascetic sources. Contents Abbreviation s Introduction 1. The status of the ascetical letters as historical evidence II. The line of succession: Antony and his followers III. Group ritual in the ascetical letters of Pachomius and his successors IV. The episcopal perspective V. Asceticism in the letters and in other sources Conclusion Bibliograph y iii Principal Abbreviations Used Ancient Works: a ainst the Man ae W. V.Pach. fe of Pachomius (Bohairic) Modern series: CPG M. Geerard, ed., Clavis PmurnGraecorum. Four volumes. (Turnhout. 1974-1 987). PG &P. Migne, Patrologia Graeca. (Paris.1857-1 886). Modern authors: Barnes. Athmsius (1993) Timothy D. Barnes. Atbasius and Constantiu. Harvard University Press. 1993. Brakke. Athanasius (1995) . * David Brakke, Athanasiuu Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995. Eliade, SacreJi (1 957) Mircea Eliade, The Bcred and the Profane. Harvest/HBJ, 1957. Fitschen. Ser~ion(1 992) Klaus Fitschen, Serapion von Thmuis: Echte und unechte Schriften sowie die Zgugliisse des Athanasius und Anderer. Patristische Texte und Studien, 37. Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1992. Han son, Search ( 1988) . R.P.C. Hanson. The Search for the Christiw Doctrine of an Controversv. 3 18-81 . Edinburgh. 1 988. Outtier. Louf, Van Parys, Zirnheld, Lettres (1985) B. Outtier, A. Louf, M. Van Parys. CI.-A. Zirnheld, trans. with introduction and notes, Lettres des Peres du Desert: mmonas. M ion de Thmuis. Begrolles-en-Mauges. 1985. Robertson, NPNF (1979) A. Robertson. ed. Urary of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2. volume 4. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1979. Rousseau, Ascetics (1 978) Philip Rousseau. Ascetics. Authority. and the Church. Oxford University Press, 1978. Rousseau, Pachomiw (1 985) Philip Rousseau, PPgof a Comrnunitv. ui F ourth- Centurv Egypt . Berkeley: University of California Press, 1985. Rubenson. 1 eners (1990) Samuel Rubenson, The -.l etters of -enist The-. Mo-stic Tramon and the maiüng of a Sa. Bibliotheca Historico-Ecclesiastica Lundensis, 24. Lund University Press, 1990. Veilleux, Koinonia 1 (1980) Armand Veilleux, trans. PachoMan Kobnia: The Life of . t Pachomius and his iliscr~les, vol. 1. Kalamazoo, Michigan : Cistercian Publications. 1980. Veilleux, Koinonia 11 (1981) Armand Veilleux, trans. Pachodan Koinonia II; cles and Rules, vol. 2. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications. 1981. Veilleux. Koinonia 11 L (1982) Armand Veilleux, trans. Pachomian .Koinonia: . Instructions. l etters. and. Other Writings of Saint s Disciples, vo1.3. Kalamazoo, Michigan: Cistercian Publications, 1982. Introduction Most of the literary evidence for early Egyptian asceticism is either explicitly or irnplicitly hagiographical. The lives of Antony and Pachomius are explicitly hagiogaphical, as they clearly state an intent to promote an idealized depiction of desert ascetic practice which glorifies the unfailing wisdom and orthodoxy of the ascetic. Other literary evidence. such as the asof the Desert Fathers, the Historv of the Monks. and the Lausiac History, implicitly uphold this same idealized standard for the ascetic.1 Each of these sources. in particular the lives of Antony and Pachornius. and the s of the Desert Fathers. has been the subject of considerable discussion and debate.2 Although the scholarly attention given to each of these sources has done much to resolve the complicated literary and textual problems posed by this evidence, it will be argued here that the use made of this evidence has been unbalanced. In contrast to such hagiographical sources. scholars have largely neglected the letters composed by the ascetics themselves and have treated them as possessing a lower status as evidence. Yet. as contemporary documents, these letters should be deemed as evidence and should be assessed as such. This thesis attempts to redress the balance and to ask how the depiction of early Egyptian asceticism contained in these letters coincides with, or difiers from. that contained in hagiographical evidence. It begins with a discussion of the status of the ascetical letters as historical evidence. This is followed by an application of the content of the ascetical letters to three issues concerning the ascetic practice. Chapter Two explores Antonian asceticism from the angle of discipleship. Using the ascetical letters of Antony and Ammonas, it addresses the question of whether it is accurate to speak of an 'Antonian movement,' or a 'school of Antony.' during the ascetic master's lifetime and traces the Iine of succession outlined in the istorv of the Monks. Chapter Three investigates two group rituals in the early Pachomian movement. Using the ascetical letters of Pachomius, Theodore, and Horsisios, it examines two communal ritual gatherings in a historical and sociological context. Chapter Four evaluates the understanding of ascetic practice gained by an analysis of the ascetical letters of Athanasius and of Serapion of Thrnuis. The letters of both bishops disclose efforts to engage key ascetic figures as political allies. In his ascetical letters. Athanasius envisioned a type of ascetic practice that is radically distinct from the ascetic practice upheld in the Ufe of Antonv; this discrepancy leads to an inquiry into the question of the authorship of the Ufe of Antony. Chapter Five moves the discussion from analysis of individual letters to analysis of the letters collectively as a single body of historical evidence. A cornparison with traditional, hagiographie ascetic sources is offered as a means of locating the unique contribution of the ascetical letters. This study is focused on the ascetical letters composed before the reign of Theodosius. In this, it concentrates on "the generation of pioneers." that period during which Egyptian asceticism was exclusively ~~~ptian.3The period following this, the reign of the Emperor Theodosius (379-395). marks a noticeable shift in Egyptian asceticism. Although outside observers to the ascetic practice were not uncornmon before the reign of Theodosius. it was during his reign that the type of visitor attracted by the ascetics changed. Foreigners such as Rufinus. Egeria. Postu mianus. and Evagrius Ponticus were now interested in the desert aôcetics, and made visits of varying length in order to glean wisdorn kom the ascetics and to record and to transmit the experience of the desert ascetics to different regions of the Roman ~mpire.4 The ascetical letters of prominent fourth-century bishops and ascetic masters before the reign of Theodosius reflect the state of ascetic activity before it was affected by these tourists. It will be argued that the ascetical letters should be considered along with other types of literary evidence which have traditionally been accorded primacy, since the ascetical letters are evidence for fourth-century desert ascetic practice in a way which a disciple's
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