Evagrius on how to fight the eight evil thoughts and demons. Evagrius, kephalaia gnostika society of biblical literature. He wrote with tremendous insight on the subject and significantly influenced subsequent generations of scholarship. Other ancient sources for the life and works of evagrius are socrates, historia ecclesiastica iv. Presenting many texts available for the very first time, this new volume in the successful early church fathers series s. After passing the first part of his career as a preacher in constantinople, evagrius took up abode in the egyptian desert and became one of the most renowned of its many ascetics.
Evagrius ponticus and the eight generic logismoi by. A letter from evagrius ponticus the chequerboard of nights. Basil the great and was made deacon and archdeacon under st. Born about 345, in ibora, a small town on the shores of the black sea. View evagrius ponticus research papers on academia.
Hopefully, you will learn to better understand your own spiritual strengths and weaknesses. The three ways have their roots in evagrius ponticus, a greek, archdeacon of constantinople under gregory nazianzus, who spent his last years as a monk in egypt d. Da viele seiner werke schon fruh in andere sprachen des christlichen orients ubersetzt. Evagrius personally, as he himself attests in lausiac history 12, 23, 24, 35, 38, and 47, and was a personal disciple of evagrius, as he claims in lausiac history 23. One of the most influential theologians in the late fourthcentury church, he was well known as a thinker, polished speaker, and gifted writer. A revered instructor of the eremitic monks of nitria, sketis and kellia, evagrius ponticus is a fascinating yet enigmatic figure in the history of fourthcentury mystical thought. Indeed, this 4thcentury desert father writes for christians everywhere. Apr 24, 2017 though gregorys role in the council was a complete disaster he could not maintain peace between the rival factions present, the events resulted in a personal friendship between him and evagrius, as well as evagrius new position as protege to the bishop of constantinople, nectarius.
Gregory of nyssa 380, whom he accompanied to the second council of constantinople 381. The praktikos chapters on prayer by evagrius ponticus this is a spiritual classic. Evagrius ponticus the praktikos 35 prayer is the laying aside of thoughts. The praktikos is a guide to ascetic life written by the early christian monk evagrius ponticus. He is numbered among the more important ascetical writers of the fourth century. No one understood this better than the fourth century egyptian monk and writer evagrius ponticus, who defined and elucidated the eight kinds of evil thoughts that cause us to stumble in the race to heaven the praktikos, the best known work of evagrius, is a concise book of only thirty pages about how to live as an ascetic this small book of 100 short chapters of no more than a paragraph. Evagrius develops a sophisticated psychology which remains beneficial to us today. Presenting many texts available for the very first time, this new volume in the successful early church fathers series showcases full translations of evagrius letters, notes on various books of the bible, his treatises and his chapters augustine casidays material is both accurate and refreshingly approachable, and the work is prefaced by a solid introductory essay that presents evagrius. Evagrius had created his system as an inventory for ascetic diagnosis and practice, describing in his list of gluttony, lust, avarice, sadness, anger, accidie or sloth, vainglory, and pride the challenges. Evagrius ponticus ebook by augustine casiday rakuten kobo.
Read evagrius ponticus by augustine casiday available from rakuten kobo. Evagrius ponticus, from the armenian lives of the desert fathers ms jerusalem 285, p. On affliction and reading, weeping and argument uc press. One of the most influential theologians in the late fourthcentury church, he was well known as.
The fame of brilliant orator, gained for good reason, would soon. Text and translation posted on may 21, 2012 by paul c dilley dr. Pdf the theme of the sickness of the soul is in the mind of late antique christian philosopher, evagrius of pontus, a frontier topic between the. Evagrius ponticus the praktikos 70 for prayer is the rejection of conceptions. Jan 05, 2014 in any case, the best thing about the website is that it gives online translations of evagriuss major works. In the distant background of the medieval array of seven deadly sins lies the schema of eight generic thoughts devised in the egyptian desert by evagrius ponticus c. Reading the self in evagrius ponticus talking back. Evagrius, in his writings about prayer and the ascetic life, addressed the struggle with personal moral evil in terms of the eight thoughts or demons.
This historical and theological reevaluation of the teaching of evagrius brings to bear evidence from the greek and syriac evagriana. This english translation of the most complete syriac version of kephalaia gnostika makes evagrius ponticus s thoughts concerning reality, god, protology, eschatology, anthropology, and allegorical exegesis of scripture widely available to scholars and students. Writings of evagrius ponticus guide to evagrius ponticus. Evagriuss manual for monastic instructors, apatheia is not acquired all at one time. Artikelartikelanfang im internetarchive david brakke. Oneof the most influential and controversial monastic theologians of the fourth century, evagrius of pontus, has been alternately hailed as a saint and condemned as a heretic throughout the centuries since his death. In order to deal with his personal sin, evagrius retreated to the egyptian desert and joined a cenobitic community of desert fathers. Frankenberg, evagrius ponticus, 21, berlin, 1912 syriac texts with retranslation into. Evagrius ponticus praktikos prologue, a carthusian enters the grand chartreuse the belles heures of john duke of berry, 4. Evagrius, in his writings about prayer and the ascetic life, addressed the struggle with personal moral. He devoted to evagrius a whole chapter of his lausiac history, all of which was composed in the spirit of evagrius,7 and in chapter 86 he speaks of evagrius very highly.
Evagrius ponticus also called evagrius the solitary 345399 ad, was a christian monk and. Cassian never mentions evagrius by name, although it is likely that evagrius is the subject of conference 5. Andrews abbey of valyermo, california, are public domain. Many of evagrius more ascetic works survive in greek, often in manuscripts of the tenth century and after from mount athos and other monastic centres, although often attributed to nilus of ancyraor occasionally to basil or gregory of nazianzus. It includes an inventory of key ancient sources that refer to evagrius and a display of imagery from the ancient world. Sep 12, 2015 with the wisdom of evagrius, we are less likely to fall prey to the eight evil thoughts and demons. Evagrius ponticus, born 346, ibora, pontusdied 399, cellia, nitrian desert, egypt, christian mystic and writer whose development of a theology of contemplative prayer and asceticism laid the groundwork for a tradition of spiritual life in both eastern and western churches evagrius was a noted preacher and theological consultant in constantinople when a personal spiritual crisis prompted. Definitive lists of evagrius s works, of editions and translations of those works, and of studies related to his life and thought. Evagrius was a noted preacher and theological consultant in constantinople when a. Evagrius theoretical mysticism had a strong influence on syrian as well as on. In order to deal with his sin, evagrius retreated to the egyptian desert and joined a.
This site seeks to build upon his efforts to analyze and systematize biblical teachings on temptation. This work is the best preserved of all the evagrian writings due to the relatively large number of manuscripts and wide distribution bamberger 1972. It was originally written in greek, but also has syriac and armenian versions. Bunge analyzes the views of evagrius ponticus, the famous philosopher of the desert, on the dangers of acedia. Simon tugwells translation and greek edition oxford, 1987. Doctrinal aspects in evagrius ponticus revista teologica. Evagrius ponticus, christian mystic and writer whose development of a theology of contemplative prayer and asceticism laid the groundwork for a tradition of spiritual life in both eastern and western churches. Evagrius ponticus, apatheia, monchtum, monch, wuste, wustenvater, leidenschaften, spiritualitat. The eight evil thoughts logismoi evagrius ponticus c. The works of evagrius, few of which are preserved entire in greek, survive haphazardly. Evagrius was an early christian mystic, that much is true. This is more than a monastic handbook for combating demons. These will be the texts to which citations of evagriuss. Good translations of evagrius are fiendishly difficult to get hold of.