Travel in the Texts: Monastic Journeys in Late Antique Egypt

Abstract

This chapter looks at the theme of travel in an early monastic setting and its impact on everyday monastic life. Surviving documentation acts as a witness for the economic activities of fourth- and fifth-century monks in Egypt and their roles as participants in the social and economic activities of the period. As we now know, fourth- and fifth-century monasticism was a phenomenon that expressed itself as vigorously within the towns and villages of Egypt as it did in the barren regions that bordered the fertile lands that lie alongside the length of the River Nile. Monks may have ideologically renounced the world, but they also had familial, economic, and social ties that required their attention. This necessitated travel both within and beyond the borders of Egypt. By examining the documentation that survives for a variety of monastic journeys, we can gain a deeper insight into the world of monasticism in its earliest phase.