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Evagrius Ponticus

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Also known as Evagrius the Solitary, Evagrius of Pontus

Christian Monk

Key facts

Born
345, Ibora , (modern-day İverönü, Erbaa , Tokat , Turkey )
Died
399, Scetis , (modern-day Egypt )
Venerated in
Syriac Orthodox Church , Armenian Church
Feast
January 16 (Syrian) , February 11 (Armenian)
Influences
Origen , Didymus the Blind , Anthony the Great , Macarius of Egypt , Basil the Great , Gregory Nazianzen , Melania the Elder
Influenced
Palladius of Galatia , Babai the Great , John Cassian , Isidore of Pelusium , The Tall Brothers (Ammonius, Dioscorus, Eusebius, and Euthymius), Melania the Younger , Rufinus of Aquileia , John of Apamea , Isaac the Syrian , John Damascene
Major works
The Kephalia Gnostica, The Praktikos, De Oratione

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Instance of
human
Gender
male
Citizenship
Ancient Rome
Place of birth
Ibora
Place of death
Egypt
Occupation
ascetic
Languages spoken
Latin
Image
Evagrius 1.jpg
Show 8 more facts
influenced by
Melania the Elder
writing language
Ancient Greek
date of birth
0345-01-01
date of death
0399-01-01
time period
Roman Empire
Commons category
Evagrius Ponticus
feast day
February 11
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

~17 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Evagrius Ponticus (left), John of Sinai, and an unknown saint. 17th-century icon.

Evagrius Ponticus (Ancient Greek: Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός), also called Evagrius the Solitary (345–399 AD), was a Christian monk and ascetic from Heraclea, a city on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Minor. One of the most influential theologians in the late fourth-century church, he was well known as a thinker, polished speaker, and gifted writer. He left a promising ecclesiastical career in Constantinople and traveled to Jerusalem, where in 383 AD he became a monk at the monastery of Rufinus and Melania the Elder. He then went to Egypt and spent the remaining years of his life in Nitria and Kellia, marked by years of asceticism and writing. He was a disciple of several influential contemporary church leaders, including Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Macarius of Egypt. He was a teacher of others, including John Cassian and Palladius of Galatia.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Evagrius Ponticus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.