Evagrius Ponticus
Evagrius Ponticus, or Evagrius of Pontus, (345-399 A.D.) was a Christian monk and ascetic. One of the rising stars in the late fourth century church, he was well-known as a keen thinker, a polished speaker, and a gifted writer. Throughout his ministry, he was a trusted friend to several influential contemporary church leaders, including
Basil of Caesarea,
Gregory of Nazianzus,
Gregory of Nyssa,
Nectarius of Constantinople,
Marcarius of Egypt, and
Theophilus of Alexandria.
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Evagrius Ponticus (left), John of Sinai, and someone else identity unknown. 17th century. |
He was born into a Christian family in the small town of Ibora, in the Roman province of
Pontus. He began his career in the church as a lector under Basil before joining Gregory Nazianzus in Constantinople, where he was promoted to
deacon and eventually to
archdeacon. When Emperor
Theodosius I convened the
Second Ecumenical Council in 381 A.D., Evagrius stood with Gregory and played an important role in the successful battle against
Arianism.
Constantinople offered many worldly attractions, and he struggled to effectively live a godly life. His vanity was fueled by the high praise of his peers while gluttony, greed and sloth became persistent temptations over which he despaired of ever becoming victorious. Eventually, he became infatuated with a married woman. yet before he acted upon his unruly emotions, he came under severe conviction and fled the capital.
For a short time, he stayed with
Melania the Elder and
Tyrannius Rufinus in a monastery near
Jerusalem. He then moved to the deserts of
Egypt and joined a
cenobitic community of monks in Nitria. He successfully adapted to the quiet life of asceticism, although it was quite a struggle. He spent the last few years of his life in
Kellia pursuing his studies.
Most Egyptian monks of that time were illiterate. Evagrius, a highly educated classical scholar, is believed to be one of the first people to begin recording and systematizing the erstwhile oral teachings of the monastic authorities known as the
Desert Fathers. Eventually, he also became regarded as a Desert Father, and several of his
apophthegm appear in the 'Vitae Patrum' (a collection of sayings from early Christian monks).
Evagrius rigorously tried to avoid teaching beyond the spiritual maturity of his audiences. When addressing novices, he carefully stuck to concrete, practical issues (which he called
praktike). His more advanced students enjoyed more theoretical, contemplative material (
gnostike).
The logosmoi
The most prominent feature of his research was a system of categorizing various forms of temptation. He developed a comprehensive list of eight evil thoughts (λογισμοις) from which all sinful behavior springs. This list was intended to serve a diagnostic purpose: to help readers identify the process of temptation, their own strengths and weaknesses, and the remedies available for overcoming temptation.
The eight patterns of evil thought are
gluttony,
lust,
greed,
sadness,
acedia,
anger,
vainglory, and
pride. While he did not create the list from scratch, he certainly refined it. Some years later,
Pope Gregory I would revise this list to form the more common
Seven Deadly Sins.
Accusations of Heresy
Evagrius was a staunch supporter of
Origen (c. 185-250 A.D.), and further developed certain esoteric speculations regarding the pre-existence of human souls, the final state of believers, and certain teachings about the natures of God and Christ. Origen and his followers (including Evagrius) were declared heretical by several successive
ecumenical councils, beginning with
Second Council of Constantinople (553 A.D.). This decision was subsequently overturned.
Influence
Despite the accusations of heresy, Evagrius exerted a tremendous influence on the church through his practical writings. Though most of his writings were destroyed, many survived simply because they were so helpful. In an effort to preserve his work, some of his books were attributed to other writers, such as Basil, Gregory Nazianzus, and
Saint Nilus. One of his key disciples,
John Cassian, established a few monasteries in southern France and effectively adapted key Evagrian works for his Western audiences.
Other significant figures influenced by Evagrius include:
John Climacus,
Maximus the Confessor,
Benedict (the founder of the Order of St. Benedict), and
Symeon the New Theologian.
Key Writings
The Antirrhetikos,
Chapters on Prayer,
The Praktikos,
To Eulogious,
The Gnostikos,
Kephalaia Gnostica.
Evagrius.
Evagrius of Pontus: The Greek Ascetic Corpus. Translated by Robert E. Sinkewicz. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
Evagrius.
The Praktikos and Chapters on Prayer. Cistercian Studies Series, vol. 4. Translated by John Eudes Bamberger OCSO. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1972.
Palmer, G.E.H., Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware, ed./trans.
The Philokalia: The Complete Text. 5 vols. Compiled by St. Nikodimos and St. Makarios. London: Faber and Faber, 1979.
Cassian, John.
The Institutes of John Cassian. A Select Library of the Christian Church: Nicene and Pre-Nicene Fathers (Second Series), vol. XI: Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins, John Cassian. Translated by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. New York: The Christian Literature Company, 1887.
Cassian, John.
The Conferences of John Cassian. A Select Library of the Christian Church: Nicene and Pre-Nicene Fathers (Second Series), vol. XI: Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins, John Cassian. Translated by Edgar C. S. Gibson. New York: The Christian Literature Company, 1894.
Ward, Benedicta, trans.
The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the Early Christian Monks. London: Penguis Books, 2003.
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The Life of Evagrius Ponticus, including an extensive biography
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St. Evagrius Ponticus -- A collection of many Evagrian works in a Greek/English parallel format
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PITscan, a spiritual diagnostic tool derived from the teachings of Evagrius
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Evagrian Scholarship Forum, a web-based discussion group
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Orthodox Wiki article
