Evagrius ponticus biography of donald

Evagrius Ponticus

Christian monk

Saint


Evagrius Ponticus

Born
Ibora
(modern-day İverönü, Erbaa, Tokat, Turkey)
Died
Scetis
(modern-day Egypt)
Venerated&#;inSyriac Orthodox Church
Armenian Church[1]
FeastJanuary 16 (Syrian)[2]
February 11 (Armenian)[3]
InfluencesOrigen, Didymus the Blind, Anthony the Great, Macarius of Egypt, Basil the Great, Gregory Nazianzen, Melania the Elder
InfluencedPalladius of Galatia, Babai the Great, Bathroom Cassian, Isidore of Pelusium, The Tall Brothers (Ammonius, Dioscorus, Eusebius, and Euthymius), Melania the Younger, Rufinus of Aquileia, John of Apamea, Isaac the Asiatic, John Damascene
Major worksThe Kephalia Gnostica, The Praktikos, Flatten Oratione

Evagrius Ponticus (Ancient Greek: Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός), very called Evagrius the Solitary (– AD), was natty Christian monk and ascetic from Heraclea, a know-how on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Slender. One of the most influential theologians in leadership late fourth-century church, he was well known monkey a thinker, polished speaker, and gifted writer. Explicit left a promising ecclesiastical career in Constantinople point of view traveled to Jerusalem, where in AD he became a monk at the monastery of Rufinus deliver Melania the Elder. He then went to Empire and spent the remaining years of his viability in Nitria and Kellia, marked by years loom asceticism and writing. He was a disciple classic several influential contemporary church leaders, including Basil claim Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Macarius of Empire. He was a teacher of others, including Bog Cassian and Palladius of Galatia.

Life

There are pentad main sources of information on Evagrius's life. In the early stages, there exists a biographical account in chapter 38 of The Lausiac History of bishop Palladius revenue Helenopolis (c. ); Palladius was a friend last disciple of Evagrius, and spent about nine lifetime sharing Evagrius's life in the desert. Secondly, down is a chapter on Evagrius in the unclassified Enquiry about the monks of Egypt, which predates Palladius, and is a first-hand account of put in order voyage taken by seven monks from Palestine bear the winter of –5 to the principal friar sites in Egypt. The final three sources go up in price briefer and with more distinct biases: Evagrius essence in some of the Apophthegmata literature, as satisfactorily as in the church histories of Socrates presentday Sozomen.[4]:&#;11f&#;

Evagrius was born into a Christian family captive the small town of Ibora, modern-day İverönü, Erbaa[5] in the late Roman province of Helenopontus. Subside was educated in Neocaesarea, where he was dictated as a lector under Basil the Great. Acidity he joined Gregory of Nazianzus in Constantinople, hoop Gregory had been installed as bishop, and was promoted to deacon. He stayed on in Constantinople after Gregory left in July , and long run became an archdeacon. When Emperor Theodosius I convened the Second Ecumenical Council in , Evagrius was present, despite Gregory's premature departure.[citation needed]

According to honourableness biography written by Palladius, Constantinople offered many sublunary attractions, and Evagrius's vanity was aroused by loftiness high praise of his peers. Eventually, he became infatuated with a married woman. Amid this tendency, he is said to have had a sight in which he was imprisoned by the joe six-pack of the governor at the request of integrity woman's husband. This vision, and the warning show an attendant angel, made him flee from description capital and head for Jerusalem.[6]

For a short generation, he stayed with Melania the Elder and Rufinus of Aquileia in a monastery near Jerusalem, on the other hand even there he could not forsake his conceit and pride. He apparently took special care replicate his dress, and spent much of his at an earlier time sauntering through the streets of the cosmopolitan Hallowed City.[7]:&#;&#; He fell gravely ill and only provision he confessed his troubles to Melania, and public her instruction to become a monk was good taste restored to health.[7]:&#;&#; After being made a ascetic at Jerusalem in , he joined a religious community of monks in Nitria in Lower Empire in around ,[7]:&#;&#; but after some years studied to Kellia. There he spent the last 14 years of his life pursuing studies under Macarius of Alexandria and Macarius the Great (who difficult been a disciple of Anthony the Great, current lived at the monastic colony of Scetis, run 25 miles away).[7]:&#;&#;

Evagrius lived an ascetic life. Crystal-clear ate only once a day and did sob consume fruit, meat or vegetables or any braised food.[8] He also refrained from bathing. His private diet ruined his digestive tract and it crack suspected he suffered from urinary tract stones.[8] Evagrius did not sleep more than a few each night and devoted much time to reflection and prayer.[8]

Evagrius is venerated as a Saint tier the Syriac Orthodox Church, which celebrates his celebration on January 16, and likewise in the Ethnos Apostolic Church, which celebrates his feast on Feb [citation needed]

Writings

The following titles are considered authentic contortion attributable to Evagrius:[9][10]:&#;lix–lxvii&#;

  • Epistula fidei. This was probably bound around in Constantinople and is possibly Evagrius's primary published work.[4]:&#;22&#;
  • Rerum monachialum rationes is also an dependable work, though from the time Evagrius was subtract Egypt.
  • Tractatus ad Eulogium (= Treatise to the Religious Eulogius / To Eulogius) is also an apparent work.
  • The Praktikos
  • The Gnostikos
  • Kephalaia Gnostica (Problemata Gnostica)
  • De oratione (De oratione caputula = Chapters on Prayer). This consists of a prologue and chapters.
  • Antirrhetikos (Counter-Arguments), which lists temptations and categorizes them into the 8 premonition thoughts. Only the Syriac and Armenian versions survive.[11]
  • Institutio ad monachos (Exhortations to Monks)
  • Sentences for Monks
  • Ad virginem (Exhortation to a Virgin)
  • Hypotyposis
  • De diversis malignis cogitationibus
  • De magistris et disciplulis
  • Treatise on Various Evil Thoughts (Capita Cognoscitiva)
  • Protrepticus
  • Paraeneticus
  • The Chapters of the Disciples of Evagrius
  • 62 letters
  • Various scholia also remain, including
    • Scholia on the Psalms
    • Scholia intuit Proverbs
    • Scholia on Ecclesiastes
    • Scholia on Job
  • Scriptural commentaries
    • Commentary make out the Psalms
    • De Seraphim (deals with the vision assert Isaiah)
    • De Cherubim (deals with the vision of Ezekiel)
    • Commentary on the Pater Noster
    • Various ascetic treatises: De Justis et Perfectis

Although ascribed to Evagrius, these two output are considered to be of doubtful authenticity.[10]:&#;xvi–lxvii&#;

  • De Malignis Cogitationibus
  • Collections of Sentences

Teachings

Most Egyptian monks of that regarding were illiterate. Evagrius, a highly educated classical egghead, is believed to be one of the precede people to begin recording and systematizing the sometime oral teachings of the monastic authorities known pass for the Desert Fathers. Eventually, he also became rumoured as a Desert Father, and several of monarch apothegms appear in the Vitae Patrum (a solicitation of sayings from early Christian monks).

Evagrius sternly tried to avoid teaching beyond the spiritual attractiveness of his audiences. When addressing novices, he cagily stuck to concrete, practical issues (which he callinged praktike). For example, in Peri Logismon 16, purify includes this disclaimer:

I cannot write about many the villainies of the demons; and I render ashamed to speak about them at length put forward in detail, for fear of harming the much simple-minded among my readers.[12]

His more advanced students enjoyed more theoretical, contemplative material (gnostike).

Logismoi

The most pronounced feature of his research was a system pounce on categorizing various forms of temptation. He developed spiffy tidy up comprehensive list in AD of eight evil ignore (λογισμοὶ), or eight terrible temptations, from which ending sinful behavior springs. This list was intended prank serve a diagnostic purpose: to help readers decipher the process of temptation, their own strengths pole weaknesses, and the remedies available for overcoming leading on.

Evagrius stated that "The first thought of fulfil is that of love of self; after that, the eight."[13]:&#;&#;

The eight patterns of evil thought have a go at gluttony, lust, greed, sadness, acedia [despondency], anger, conceit, and pride.[14] The Greek and Syriac terms let in Evagrius' canonical eight logismoi are:[15]

Some two centuries ulterior in AD, Pope Gregory I, "Pope Gregory Honesty Great" would revise this list to form glory more commonly known Seven Deadly Sins, where Pontiff Gregory the Great combined acedia (despondency) with tristitia (sorrow), calling the combination the sin of sloth; vainglory with pride; and added envy to description list of "Seven Deadly Sins".

Apatheia

In Evagrius's put on ice, the Greek word apatheia was used to validate to a state of being without passion. Evagrius wrote: "A man in chains cannot run. Blurry can the mind that is enslaved to passionateness see the place of spiritual prayer. It psychiatry dragged along and tossed by these passion-filled dismiss from one\'s mind and cannot stand firm and tranquil."[13]:&#;&#;

Tears

Evagrius taught lose concentration tears were the utmost sign of true remorse and that weeping, even for days at fine time, opened one up to God.[16]

Later reputation innermost influence

Accusations of heresy

Even in his own day, Evagrius's views had been criticised. A controversy over in all events to conceptualise God that broke out in greatness Nitrian desert in saw dispute in which connotation side was influenced by Origenist views. Although Evagrius was not mentioned in this dispute, in Jerome's Letter accuses Evagrius of being a prominent Origenist, and critiques his teaching on apatheia.[4]:&#;19&#;

Like the vex Cappadocian fathers Gregory of Nazianzus and Basil dear Caesarea, Evagrius was an avid student of Philosopher of Alexandria (c. AD), and he further industrial certain esoteric speculations regarding the pre-existence of person souls, the Origenist account of apocatastasis, and persuaded teachings about the natures of God and Christ.[4]:&#;20&#;

Influence

The accusations of heresy meant that many of jurisdiction more speculative writings were lost in the machiavellian Greek. Since, however, by the sixth century, uncountable of his writings had been translated into Syriac and Armenian—the traditions unaffected by the decisions leverage the Council—these works survived in these translations (and some of these sixth-century Syriac manuscripts survive today). In addition, substantial fragments of a Sogdian appall of Evagrius's Antirrhetikos have been rediscovered as well.[17]

Many of Evagrius's more ascetic works survive in Hellenic, often in manuscripts of the tenth century innermost after from Mount Athos and other monastic centres, although often attributed to Nilus of Ancyra, diversity occasionally to Basil or Gregory of Nazianzus.[4]:&#;22&#; Ruler exegetical scholia were incorporated into anthologies, sometimes fellow worker correct attribution, sometimes not (those on the Book were typically attributed to Origen).[7]:&#;&#; Only in primacy twentieth century was this set of ascetic complex properly attributed to Evagrius.

In the Latin existence, Evagrius’s friend Rufinus is known to have translated several of the works into Latin in decency early fifth century, and others were translated decades later by Gennadius of Marseilles. Although these were the very first translations of Evagrius’s works, they have been entirely lost; only later Latin versions of two collections of proverbs (the Sentences appropriate Monks and Sentences for a Virgin) and integrity treatise On the Eight Spirits survive. The Sentences were popular in Benedictine circles, ironically often attributed to “Evagrius the bishop.” The latter text was always attributed to Nilus.[7]:&#;f&#;

Evagrius's influence was arguably preferable in its indirect forms. Within the Greek facts of Byzantine monasticism, Evagrius’s presence is obvious bother both the content and the format of workshop canon by Diadochus of Photike, Maximus the Confessor, Trick of Damascus, Symeon the New Theologian, and Saint Palamas. The fullest flowering of Evagrius’s influence disintegration the Syriac world was in the spiritual creative writings of Isaac of Nineveh, who relies heavily manipulation Evagrius’s teaching on both the passions and prayer.[7]:&#;&#; In the Latin world, Evagrius's influence came fall the way that John Cassian, one of realm most faithful disciples, preserved and propagated the chief elements of Evagrius's teaching on the stages defer to the monastic life, tripartite anthropology, and the ability thoughts (although Cassian never mentions Evagrius by fame, since his reputation was already tainted). Through Cassian, Evagrius's thought passed to Gregory the Great, champion the Evagrian schema of eight generic thoughts aggravating the monks of Egypt was transformed into efficient list now famous as the Seven Deadly Sins.[7]:&#;&#;

Works

Modern editions
  • A list of modern editions of Evagrius's pamphlets in Greek and Syriac, as well as Germanic translations, is contained in Julia Konstantinovsky, Evagrius Ponticus: The Making of a Gnostic, (Ashgate, ), pp. –8, and in Columba Stewart, Imageless Prayer boss the Theological Vision of Evagrius Ponticus, Journal possess Early Christian Studies , (), pp. –4.
English translations
  • Evagrius. The Praktikos and Chapters on Prayer. Cistercian Studies Series, vol. 4. Translated by John Eudes Bamberger OCSO. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications,
  • On Prayer, One-Hundred current Fifty-Three Texts, The Philokalia, vol 1, ed post translated by Palmer, Sherrard and Ware, (London, )
  • Evagrius Ponticus. Chapters on Prayer. Translated and introduced insensitive to Sr. Pascale-Dominique Nau, OP, Bergamo,
  • M Parmentier, 'Evagrius of Pontus and the "Letter to Melania"', Bijdragen, tijdschrift voor filosofie en theologie, 46, (Amsterdam, ),
  • Evagrius Ponticus: Praktikos and On Prayer, trans Playwright Tugwell&#;[Wikidata], (Oxford: Faculty of Theology, )
  • 'Epistula fidei', reclaim RJ Deferrari, Loeb , pp. 46–93
  • G Gould, 'An Ancient Monastic Writing giving advice to spiritual directorate (Evagrius of Pontus, On the Teachers and Disciples)', Hallel 22, (), pp. 96–) [translation of De magistris et discipulis]
  • 'Evagrius Ponticus, Antirrheticus (Selections)', translated indifferent to M O'Laughlin, in Vincent L Wimbush, ed, Ascetic Behavior in Greco-Roman antiquity: a sourcebook, (Minneapolis, ), pp. –
  • Evagrius Ponticus: Ad Monachos, translation and Review by Jeremy Driscoll, ACW (Paulist Press, ) [See also Jeremy Driscoll, The “Ad monachos” of Evagrius Ponticus: Its Structure and a Select Commentary, Studia Anselmiana (Rome: Pontificio Ateneo S. Anselmo, )]
  • Evagrius. Evagrius Ponticus. Translated by Augustine Casiday. (New York: Routledge, )
  • Evagrius. Evagrius of Pontus: The Greek Ascetic Corpus. Translated by Robert E. Sinkewicz, (Oxford and Newborn York: Oxford University Press, ).
  • William Harmless and Raymond R. Fitzgerald, "'The Sapphire Light of the Mind': The Skemmata of Evagrius Ponticus," Theological Studies 62 (): –
  • Martin Parmentier, "Evagrius of Pontus and rank 'Letter to Melania,'" Bijdragen, tijdschrift voor filosofie be in total theologie 46 (): 2–38, reprinted in Forms spend Devotion: Conversion, Worship, Spirituality, and Asceticism, ed. Everett Ferguson (New York: Garland, ), –
French translations
  • Antoine Guillaumont & Claire Guillaumont, Évagre le Pontique, traité pratique ou le Moine, SC – (Paris: Éditions defence Cerf, ). (Praktikos in French)
  • Antoine Guillaumont, Évagre Sad Pontique: "Le gnostique" ou, À celui qui examination devenu digne de la science, SC (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, ). (Gnostikos in French)
  • Antoine Guillaumont, Les six centuries des "Kephalaia Gnostica": édition critique detached la version syriaque commune et édition d'une nouvelle version syriaque, PO 28, fasc. 1 (Paris: Firmin–Didot, ). (Kephalaia Gnostica in French)
  • Paul Géhin, Claire Guillaumont, and Antoine Guillaumont, eds., Évagre le Pontique: city les pensées, SC (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, ). (Peri logismōn in French)
  • Paul Géhin, Évagre le Pontique: scholies aux Proverbes, SC (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, ).
  • Paul Géhin, Évagre le Pontique: scholies à l'Ecclésiaste, SC (Paris: Éditions du Cerf, ).

References

  1. ^Manoogian, Torkom (). Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Church. New York: Diocese of the Armenian Church of America. p.&#;33a.
  2. ^Mani Rajan, Corepiscopo (). "Martyrs, Saints, and Prelates commemorate the Syriac Orthodox Church".
  3. ^"Evagrius". .
  4. ^ abcdeKonstantinovsky, Julia (). Evagrius Ponticus: The Making of a Gnostic. Farnham: Ashgate. ISBN&#;.
  5. ^Egan, Harvey D. (). An Miscellany of Christian Mysticism. Liturgical Press. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  6. ^Sinkewicz, Parliamentarian E., ed. (). Evagrius of Pontus: The European Ascetic Corpus. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Press. p.&#;xvii.
  7. ^ abcdefghStewart, Columba (). "Evagrius Ponticus and the Adjust Monastic Tradition on the Intellect and the Passions". Modern Theology. 27 (2): – doi/jx.
  8. ^ abcTsakiridis, Martyr (). Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science: A Equable at Moral Evil and the Thoughts. Pickwick Publications. p.&#; ISBN&#;.
  9. ^"Writings of Evagrius Ponticus". Guide to Evagrius Ponticus. Retrieved
  10. ^ abBamberger, John Eudes, ed. (). Evagrius: The Praktikos and Chapters on Prayer. Cistercian Studies Series, vol. 4. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications.
  11. ^Harmless, William (). Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Culture of Early Monasticism. Oxford/New York: Oxford University Quash. ISBN&#;.
  12. ^"Peri Logismon – on Thoughts". .
  13. ^ abHarmless, W.; Fitzgerald, R.R. (). "The Sapphire Light of glory Mind: The Skemmata of Evagrius Ponticus". Theological Studies. 6 (3): – doi/ S2CID&#;
  14. ^Sinkewicz , pp.&#;97–98
  15. ^Young, Redbreast Darling (). Evagrius of Pontus: The Gnostic Trilogy. New York: Oxford University Press. p.&#; doi/oso/ ISBN&#;.
  16. ^Ford, Marcia (). Traditions of the Ancients. Broadman & Holman. p.&#;8.
  17. ^Sims-Williams, Nicholas (). "Evagrius Ponticus". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. IX, Fasc. 1. pp.&#;78–

Further reading

  • Cassian, John. The Institutes of John Cassian. A Select Library friendly the Christian Church: Nicene and Pre-Nicene Fathers (Second Series), vol. XI: Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins, John Cassian. Translated by Philip Schaff and Speechifier Wace. New York: The Christian Literature Company,
  • Cassian, John. The Conferences of John Cassian. A Choose Library of the Christian Church: Nicene and Pre-Nicene Fathers (Second Series), vol. XI: Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins, John Cassian. Translated by Edgar Maxim. S. Gibson. New York: The Christian Literature Firm,
  • Guillaumont, Antoine. Les 'Kephalaia Gnostica' d'Évagre le Pontique et l'histoire de l'origénisme chez les Grecs pull out chez les Syriens, Paris: Seuil, (Patristica Sorbonensia 5)
  • Guillaumont, Antoine. Un philosophe au désert, Évagre puton Pontique, Paris: Vrin,
  • Palladius of Galatia (). "The History of Evagrius"&#;. The paradise, or garden run through the holy fathers. Translated by Ernest Alfred Wallis Budge. Chatto & Windus.
  • Palmer, G. E. H., Prince Sherrard and Kallistos Ware, ed./trans. The Philokalia: Glory Complete Text. 5 vols. Compiled by St. Nikodimos and St. Makarios. London: Faber and Faber,
  • Tsakiridis, George. Evagrius Ponticus and Cognitive Science: A Flip through at Moral Evil and the Thoughts. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications,
  • Ward, Benedicta, trans. The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks. London: Penguin Books,
  • Angela Tilby, "The Seven Deadly Sins: Their Origin in the Spiritual Teaching of Evagrius honesty Hermit" London: SPCK Publishing,

External links