| Popis: |
Many heroes of early monastic history were active in Egypt, because the desert was a convenient space in which to retire from the world. Among them was Pachomius, who founded cenobitism, which is the most popular form of monasticism today. Pachomian monasteries were not ‘desert monasteries'. Most of them were actually situated in the suburbs of a city. Theban monks were faithful to Pachomius's monastic rule, but they wished to be ‘desert hermits'. This mentality was inspired by the landscape of Western Thebes, where there were many tombs and caves suitable for seclusion. One of these monks, Pisentios, was appointed Bishop of Koptos by Damianos, the anti-Chalcedonian patriarch of Alexandria. When the Persians invaded Egypt, Pisentios abandoned his religious duties and escaped. The Life of St. Pisentios does not attempt to vindicate his behaviour. Rather, it makes the point that the ideals of a monk were superior to the responsibilities of the bishop. Monks living in this area were indifferent to heresies because they desired to shun any association with other people and engrossed themselves in reading the Bible as much as possible. However, the establishment of Arab Muslim rule in Egypt made the Egyptian people yearn for their former sovereigns and their culture. When the monastery of St. Phoibammon was forced to move from deep in the mountains of Djeme to the ruined Temple of Hatshepsut, the larger context changed for the monks of Western Thebes. The monastery became a religious centre that attracted people from far away, while many monastic communities and hermitages were overwhelmed. ‘Hermitages in the desert' disappeared. |
