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AAEAΦOTHΣ-TWO FREQUENTLY OVERLOOKED MEANINGS by DANIEL F. STRAMARA, JR. in His Patristic Greek Lxxicon, Lampe Notes That Dc8c

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AAEAΦOTHΣ-TWO FREQUENTLY OVERLOOKED MEANINGS by DANIEL F. STRAMARA, JR. in His Patristic Greek Lxxicon, Lampe Notes That Dc8c 'AAEAΦOTHΣ-TWO FREQUENTLY OVERLOOKED MEANINGS BY DANIEL F. STRAMARA, JR. In his Patristic Greek Lxxicon, Lampe notes that dc8c),(p6,rTl;may refer to "religious communities," even "communities of men and women living together." For the latter he provides only one witness-Gregory of Nyssa's De virginitate 23, which taken by itself may simply refer to "Christian com- munity." This text shall be reviewed below. However, more declarative testimonies may be marshalled to substantiate the denotation "a single monastic community of men and women." Perhaps the earliest comes from another Cappadocian, Gregory of Nazianzus. Some time after 360 this Gregory wrote "to the &8F-X(p6,cilrtof the blessed Leucadios at Sannabodae, to the monks and virgins who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus."' Gregory was desirous that each monk and nun (gicaacov xai iK6caTqv)model himself and herself on the life of their recently deceased superior, Leucadios.2 This community, situated in Cappa- docia, was most probably a double monastery of men and women, a type of ascetical institute later endorsed and promulgated by Basil of Caesarea.' Significantly, Basil called his own monastic communities by the term adelphotes.That this designation referred to a single community of men and women can be verified at several places within his monastic rules. The first draft of these rules was composed between 365 and 369, only to be expanded and revised during the next seven years, terminus ad quem 376.' Regarding the admittance of children into the monastery, in Long Rule 15 Basil stipulated, "They should be reared with all piety as children belonging to the entire community but meals and quarters for both girls and boys should be separate."' Upon attaining maturity, these young men and women were permitted to make monastic profession to one and the same adelphotes. Long Rule 33 deals with the communica- tion between monks and nuns in the adelphotes. Short Rule 104 discusses the decision-making process in the adelphotes and refers to voting by the brothers and sisters. Other passages could be mustered.' Consequently, when a translator of Basil's Rules for double monasteries consistently ren- 317 7 ders a8e?(poT)i<;as "brotherhood," this is misleading; sisters are included.' "Community" is a better translation in this instance. Not surprisingly, the double monastery founded by Basil's sister is referred to as an adelphotesby their brother Gregory of Nyssa. He recounted, As I was arriving at the place itself (and the news of my presence had already been announced to the community an []it. the] entire contin- gent of men poured forth from the monastic enclosure [T6,rF-avviaypa trov avspwv &nav EKTOE avspwvo5]-for it was customary for them to honour guests by coming out to greet them-and a [lit. the] group of maidens from the convent [b 8i iv yuvatçt nap0evlaq xop6;1 awaited our coming by the church in good order.' The bishop of Nyssa designated the two groupings-av8pwv, the company of men (literally men's quarters) and ?ap6£vciw, the company of women (literally virgins' quarters)-by one term: àôeÀq>Ó'tr¡ç.9The two groups together comprised one monastic community of male and female ascetics. This work was written sometime between the end of 380 and 383.'° However, as early as 371 Gregory of Nyssa wrote his De virginitate for Basil's monastics." Gregory warned Basil's monks and nuns against those, who practice celibacy in name, but who do not refrain from social life, not only enjoying the pleasures of the stomach, but living openly with women, calling such a living together "brotherhood and thinking that they are avoiding suspicion by this pious term. Because of them, this revered and pure way of life is blasphemed by the pagans." Clearly, was a "pious term" commonly employed to denote an ascetical community of both men and women. This is the text cited by Lampe. Understood in its broader context this passage makes sense. However, Gregory was referring to a group of people known as agapetes-vowed male and female celibates living in the world and dwelling together in one house. This practice was forbidden by the bishops." The problem was, these agapetes were masquarading as true ascetics forming an adelphotes, when in reality they were creating a mixed monastery, not a canonically approved double monastery in which the sexes were strictly segregated and regulated.'4 Such a practice of double monasticism was common in the early church, especially in Asia Minor.15 Palladius' Inusiac History, written around 420, provides another such example.'6 Sisinnius, a Cappadocian by birth, travelled to Palestine and dwelt there for a decade practicing asceticism before return- ing in the late 380s or early 390s to his native country where he estab- lished and governed "an adelphotesof men and women," after having been ordained a priest." .
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