Journeying Into God: Seven Early Monastic Lives (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Journeying Into God: Seven Early Monastic Lives Rodolph Yanney Tim Vivian, Editor and translator. Journeying Into God: Seven Early Monastic Lives. Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1996. Pp. x + 207. $14.00. The seven ancient monastic texts included in this book are translated into English for the first time. Four, dealing with Egyptian monastic Fathers, are translated from Coptic. The other three are translated from Greek and they deal with Palestinian saints. Each life has a separate introduction in which Dr. Vivian gives an account of the author, the historical and geographical milieu, theological background of the narrative and its spiritual aim. In these seven introductions, which take 65 pages, he points to the different ways of life the early monks led. He describes the structure of an ancient monastery, and the cells and caves in [End Page 305] which the anchorites dwelt. He shows how the monks divided their days between piety and work, and what kind of work they did. He does not overlook the reality even in the stories that are typically hagiographic. The monks and the solitaries were not detached from the Church. The role of the liturgy is apparent in their life. On the other hand, the monks helped their visitors by their spiritual advice or through their miracles. Both during life and after death the monks, as early as the fourth century, started to compete with the martyrs as intercessors and miracle workers; some had their feast days commemorated by that time. The lives in this volume do not come in chronological nor geographical order. Evidently the author meant it to be,as its title reflects, an interior journey into God. Like Abraham (Gen. 12:1) or the Christian in Pilgrim’s Progress, each of the seven monks had his different journey in answer to God’s call. But the reader has to follow his particular journey throughout the seven lives. Starting with the call of Antony, the founder of monasticism, we go along the journey with Abba Pambo—a priest, Syncletica—a solitary woman, George of Choziba, a cenobite, and Abba Aaron—a healer and wonder worker. This is followed by an encomium in praise of St. Theognius delivered to the monks of his monastery years after his death; in it we feel the communion of saints, living and dead. Finally, in the life of Onnophrius the desert is described as getting much water, with trees of all kinds that bore fruit year-round. The monks were supplied with food that was not prepared by human hand and they received the Eucharist every week from the hands of angels. Symbolically, the desert has changed into paradise; and this is where the journey ends. Although Dr. Vivian intends his book ‘primarily for a non-scholarly audience,’ yet he does a great service to the specialists and students. By making these little known texts available in a modern language, and at a modest price, with scholarly introductions, he helps fill some of the gaps in the study of early monasticism. Rodolph Yanney M.D. Editor, Coptic Church Review Lebanon, Pennsylvania Copyright © 1997 The Johns Hopkins University Press