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Ascetics and Ambassadors of Christ the Monasteries of Palestine 314-631

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Ascetics and Ambassadors of Christ the Monasteries of Palestine 314-631 Ascetics and Ambassadors of Christ The Monasteries of Palestine 314-631 JOHN BINNS CLARENDON PRESS OXFORD Oxford University Press, Walton Street, Oxford ox2 6DP Oxford New York Athens Auckland Bangkok Bombay Calcutta Cape Town Dar es Salaam Delhi Florence Hong Kong Istanbul Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madras Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi Paris Singapore Taipei Tokyo Toronto and associated companies in Berlin Ibadan Oxford is a trade mark of Oxford University Press Published in the United States by Oxford University Press Inc., New York © John Binns 1994 First published in paperback 1996 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press. Within the UK, exceptions are allowed in respect of any fair dealing for the purpose of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of the licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside these terms and in other countries should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Data available Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Ascetics and ambassadors of Christ : the monasteries of Palestine, 314-631 / John Binns. Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Monasticism and religious orders--Palestine--History. 2. Monasticism and religious orders--Jordan--History. 3. Monasticism and religious orders--History--Early church, ca. 30-600. I. Title. BR185.B56 1994 271′.0095694--dc20 93-48972 ISBN 0-19-826934-X 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by Bookcraft (Bath) Ltd., Midsomer Norton, Somerset -iv- 1 PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Egypt, Palestine, and Syria were centres of church life during the Byzantine Empire. They were presided over by Archbishops who attained Patriarchal status, at Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. They each contained a vigorous monastic life. The monastic life of Egypt is well known. The succinct wisdom of the Apophthegmata Patrum and the serene, ascetic Life of Antony have become widely read. And since the, work published by Peter Brown, especially the "'Rise and Function of the Holy Man in Late Antiquity'", the way of life of the monks of Syria has been carefully studied. In comparison, the monasteries of Jerusalem have been neglected. This study is devoted to Palestinian monasticism. It has three parts. The first considers the main sources for our knowledge of the monasteries, the Lives of the saints, especially the series of seven Lives by Cyril of Scythopolis. The second part describes the environment in which the monasteries grew and which led to their distinctive characteristics. The third explores the activities and the achievements of the monks themselves. The whole provides a portrait of a society which was fully integrated into the life of the Church and Empire, using the testimony of the men who participated in the events. The title shows one of the distinctive features of these monasteries. The monks were people who withdrew from the secular world of the city but also were conscious of belonging to it. This double vocation is shown most clearly in the contrast between the two best-known monks, Euthymius, who consistently sought the seclusion and silence of the desert, and Sabas, who, although a renowned ascetic, was involved in the life of the Church in Jerusalem to the extent of travelling to the imperial capital on two occasions to represent its interests. I have used the terms 'ascetic' and 'ambassador', with the qualification that this latter task was undertaken for the sake of Christ, to refer to these two aspects of the vocation. It is a theme which appears in several contexts; in the monks' awareness of history (Chapter 3), in the presence of monks in both city and desert environments (Chapters 4, 5, and 6), in their involvement in doctrinal dispute (Chapter 8), as well as in their approach to the monastic life (Chapter 7). A modern reader might note -v- 2 CONTENTS List of Maps viii Abbreviations ix Introduction 1 PART 1. SOURCES 19 Introduction to Part I 21 1. Cyril of Scythopolis 23 2. The Other Sources 41 3. Monastic Culture 56 PART II. ENVIRONMENT 77 Introduction to Part II 79 4. Jerusalem: Resurrection of a City 80 5. This Desert 99 6. The City of Scythopolis 121 PART III. THEMES 149 Introduction to Part III 151 7. Ascetics and Ambassadors of Christ 154 8. Witnesses to Truth 183 9. Fellow Workers with God 218 Conclusion 245 Excursus 1. John of Scythopolis 247 Excursus 2. Leontius of Byzantium 249 Bibliography 254 Index 271 -vii- LIST OF MAPS 1. Soil variation in the Palestinian desert 101 2. Rainfall in the Palestinian desert 104 4. The cities of Palestine 122 5. The Roman roads of Palestine 124 -viii- ABBREVIATIONS ACO Acta Conciliorum Oecumenicorum An. Boll. Analecta Bollandiana Annales esc. Annales, économies, sociétés, civilisations Apoph. Patr. Apophthegmata Patrum BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research Bess. Bessarione BIHBR Bulletin de linstitut historique belge de Rome 3 BJRL Bulletin of the John Rylands Library By. Z. Byzantinische Zeitschrift Byz. Byzantion CCL Corpus Christianorum, serie Latina Chron. Chronicle CS Cistercian Studies ( Kalamazoo, Michigan) CSCO Corpus Scriptorum Christianorum Orientalium CSCO.S Scriptores Syrii CSCO.Ib. Scriptores Iberii CSEL Corpus Scriptorum Ecclesiasticorum Latinorum E. Or. Echos d'Orient ET English translation FT French translation GCS Die griechischen Schriftsteller der ersten drei jahrhunderte GOTR Greek Orthodox Theological Review GRBS Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Studies HE Historia Ecclesiastica (Ecclesiastical History) H. Laus. Historia Lausiaca (Lausiac History) H. Rel Theodoret, Historia Religiosa (Religious History) IEJ Israel Exploration Journal ILS Inscriptiones Latinae Selectae Irén. Irénikon Itin. Aeth. Itinerarium Aetheriae (Egeria's Travels) JRS Journal of Roman Studies J. Th. S. Journal of Theological Studies Kyrillos E. Schwartz, Kyrillos von Skythopolis LCL Loeb Classical Library ( London) J. D. Mansi (ed.), Sacrorum Conciliorum nova et amplissima Mansi collectio Mart. P Eusebius of Caesarea, Martyrs of Palestine B. Flusin, Miracle et Histoire dans I'wuvre de Cyrille de MH Scythopolis MO A. J. Festugière, Les Moines d'Orient MSR Mélanges de science religieuse MUSJ Mélanges de l'Université Saint Joseph NAWG Nachrichten der Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen OLZ Orientalische Literaturzeitung Or. Chr. A. Orientalia Christiana Analecta Or. Chr. P Orientalia Christiana Periodica Ovadiah A. Ovadiah, A Corpus of the Byzantine Churches in the Holy 4 Land (followed by either no. to indicate the number of the site, or p. to indicate the page in the summary and conclu- sions) PEFQ St. Palestine Exploration Quarterly PG Patrologiae cursus completus, Serie Graeca PL Patrologiae cursus completus, Serie Latina PO Patrologia Orientalis POC Proche Orient Chrétien Prat. John Moschus, Pratum Spirituale (Spiritual Meadow) PTS Patristische Texte und Studien QDAP Quarterlyfor the Department of antiquities in Palestine RAM Revue d'Ascétique et Mystique RB Revue Biblique RE Byz. Revue des études Byzantines REJ Revue des études juives RHE Revue d'histoire écclésiastique RHR Revue de l'histoire des religions ROC Revue de l'Orient chrétien Römische Quartalschrift für christliche Altertumskunde und für RQ Kirchengeschichte SBFLA Studil biblici Fransciscani liber annuus SC Sources Chrétiennes SCH Studies in Church History SEG Supplementum Epigraphicum Graecum SHG Subsidia Hagiographica, Société des Bollandistes St. Ans. Studia Anselmiana TS (I) Terra Santa, pubblicazione mensile della custodia franscescana Teste und Untersuchungen zur Geschichte der altchristlichen TU Literatur Vailhé S. Vailhé, 'Répertoire alphabétique des monastères de Pale- stine' (followed by sect. no.) V. Anton. Athanasius, Vita Antonii (Life of Antony) V. Char. Vita Charitonis (Life of Chariton) Antony of Choziba, Vita Georgii Chozibitae (Life of George of V. Geor. Choz. Choziba) V. Pach. Bo. Vita Pachomii (Bohairic Life of Pachomius) V. Pach. G1 Vita Pachomii (First Greek Life of Pachomius) V. Porph. Vita Porpyrii (Life of Porphyry) V. Thds. Vita Theodosii (Life of Theodosius) V. Thecl. Vita Theclae (Life of Thecla) V. Thg. Vita Theognii (Life of Theognius) ZKG Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte 5 Introduction: Ascetics and Ambassadors DESERT AND EMPIRE In the month of August in the year 377 a child was born to Paul and Dionysia, citizens of Melitene the capital of Roman Armenia. He was given the name Euthymius, derived from the word εὐθυμία, confidence. His parents selected this name because his conception, like that of the prophet Samuel, had taken place in response to prayer and was accompanied by divine visions. The voice in the visions said that the child 'will bear the name of confidence since at his birth he who grants him to you will give confidence to his churches'. 1 Within a few months of the birth of this child the Arian Emperor Valens was killed at the Battle of Adrianople in 378, and was succeeded by Theodosius I ( 379-95). 2 This event brought to an end a period in which the church had suffered several vicissitudes. The Emperor Constantine had died in 337 and had been succeeded by, first, Constantius II ( 337-61) who had encouraged Arianism; then by Julian ( 3613) under whom paganism had undergone a short-lived but powerful revival; then by Valens ( 364-78), another Arian. The new Emperor Theodosius was soon baptized, shared in the eucharistic life of the Church, and sought to promote its welfare. Cyril of Scythopolis begins his literary output with this sigh of relief at the arrival of the Christian Emperor. The coincidence of these two events--the birth of a baby in Armenia and a battle in Thrace--is no chance but is ordained by divine providence.
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