Doctoral Dissertation
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DOI number: 10.14754/CEU.2018.04 Doctoral Dissertation Family Double Monasteries in the Fourth and the Fifth Centuries: An Inquiry into the Theological Roots, Social Context, and Early Evolution of an Old Practice By: Andra Jugănaru Supervisors: Marianne Sághy, István Perczel Submitted to the Medieval Studies Department, and the Doctoral School of History Central European University, Budapest in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Medieval Studies, and for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History CEU eTD Collection Budapest, Hungary 2018 DOI number: 10.14754/CEU.2018.04 To my father CEU eTD Collection DOI number: 10.14754/CEU.2018.04 Table of Contents Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................. v Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................... vii Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 A Historical, Theological, Ecclesiastical, and Social Problem ........................................................ 3 Previous Scholarship ........................................................................................................................ 3 Methodology ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Ι. Posing the Problem: “Double” and “Family Monasteries”? Terminology and Methodology ....................................................................................................... 11 I. 1. The Status of the Question ...................................................................................................... 12 I. 2. The First Written References to “Double Monasteries” ......................................................... 19 I. 3. Writing about “Family Double Monasteries” in the Fourth Century ...................................... 31 II. “A Galaxy of Sources” ................................................................................................................ 35 II. 1. Genres: Style, Purpose, and Methodological Challenges ...................................................... 37 II. 1. 1. Vitae Sanctorum as Vitae Philosophorum ...................................................................... 38 II. 1. 2. Letters and Letter-Collections ........................................................................................ 44 II. 1. 3. Erotapokriseis and Dialogues ......................................................................................... 47 II. 1. 4. Monastic ‘Rules’ ............................................................................................................. 49 II. 1. 5. Discourses and Poetry ..................................................................................................... 57 II. 1. 5. A. Homilies and Sermons ............................................................................................ 57 II. 1. 5. B. The Epitaph ............................................................................................................ 60 II. 1. 5. C. Poems ...................................................................................................................... 63 II. 1. 6. The Lausiac History ........................................................................................................ 65 II. 2. Approaching the Sources ....................................................................................................... 66 III. The Setting of Family Double Monasteries: Socio-Economical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Competitions ............................................................................................................. 71 III. 1. From Earthly to Spiritual Marriages ..................................................................................... 74 III. 1. 1. The Secular Law ............................................................................................................ 74 III. 1. 2. Marriage According to the Church Fathers ................................................................... 76 III. 2. Household Arrangements: from Villa to Monastery ............................................................ 86 III. 2. 1. Wealth and Slaves ......................................................................................................... 89 CEU eTD Collection III. 2. 2. Setting New Ascetic Households .................................................................................. 96 III. 3. The Problem of Gender and the Family Double Monasteries .............................................. 99 III. 4. Orthodoxia and Orthopraxia in Double-Gender Asceticism ............................................. 103 III. 5. Episcopal Legitimation of Family Double Monasteries ..................................................... 110 IV. Transforming Earthly Families into Families of Angels ...................................................... 113 IV. 1. The Greco-Roman and the Biblical Households ................................................................ 115 IV. 2. The First “Family Double Monastery” in Egypt: Tabennesi .............................................. 118 iii DOI number: 10.14754/CEU.2018.04 IV. 3. The “Monastic Household” of Annisa ............................................................................... 122 IV. 4. Transferring the Roman “Monastic Household” to the Holy Land: Paula and Jerome ..... 126 IV. 5. ‘Monastic Spouses’ ............................................................................................................ 129 V. Organizing the “Angelic Family” ............................................................................................ 145 V. 1. Ideal Venues and Layouts .................................................................................................... 146 V. 1. 1. Ideal Venues ................................................................................................................. 147 V. 1. 2. Layouts ......................................................................................................................... 152 V. 2. Relations between “Brothers and Sisters in Christ” ............................................................ 156 V. 3. Authority and Spiritual Power ............................................................................................. 161 V. 4. Ascetic Women as Teachers and ‘Monastic Pedagogy’ ...................................................... 170 V. 4. 1. Holy Women as Learners and Teachers of Holy Men ................................................. 172 V. 4. 2. Monastic Paideia in Family Double Monasteries ........................................................ 175 V. 5. Liturgical Practices in Family Double Monasteries ............................................................ 181 Conclusions ..................................................................................................................................... 184 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................... 190 I. Sources ...................................................................................................................................... 190 II. Secondary Literature ................................................................................................................ 196 III. Websites .................................................................................................................................. 208 CEU eTD Collection iv DOI number: 10.14754/CEU.2018.04 Acknowledgements “Therefore it remains for us not to seem ungrateful or unworthy of such a kindness.1” With these words of Basil the Great I would like begin the joyful duty of expressing my gratitude towards all those who guided me and stood by me throughout the long and sinuous journey of my doctoral studies, which now reaches its destination. In the past five years, Marianne Sághy and István Perczel have been supervising, advising, challenging, encouraging, and supporting me unceasingly. Due to their help I had the wonderful chance of conducting a significant part of my research at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki, University of Lund, Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Institut für Byzantinistik und Neogräzistik in Vienna, Library of FOVOG in Dresden, and the Library of the Sorbonne University in Paris. In all these places I had found not only valuable materials for my dissertation, but also wonderful supervisors. I owe special thanks to Symeon Paschalidis and Samuel Rubenson, who patiently guided my work in Thessaloniki and Lund, gave me precious suggestions for the methodology of my research, granted me access to rare and useful resources, and shared with me their forthcoming publications. I would also like to thank Christos Simelidis for the stimulating discussions about the Cappadocian Fathers, for his insights, for his support, and for sharing with me his work on Gregory of Nazianzus. My thanks go to the students and faculty members attendants of the course on “Third- and Fourth-Century Christian Literature” held in Thessaloniki and of the “Patristics Seminar” held in Lund. where I was offered the opportunity of presenting