Asceticism in Adversity: An Early Byzantine Experience

Abstract

AbstractThe city of Amida lay on the eastern frontier of the early Byzantine Empire, close to the Persian borders; physically and politically, it led a volatile existence. Its situation was thus a dominant factor in the growth of its ascetic tradition, for if the outlying lands did not offer a suitably peaceful life, the social and religious forces calling for an ascetic presence were intense. The early years of the fourth century found the territory of Amida already harbouring individuals of noteworthy ascetic practice, and it was not long before the city itself sheltered an increasing number of monastic communities in and around the urban arena. But the choice of urban rather than wilderness setting signified practical considerations and not social development. The devastation of Amida and its environs by the Persians in 359/60 stated the realities of Amida's location: invasions were frequent and brutal. An isolated recluse was not exempt from danger unless utterly remote, and proximity to the shelter o...