The ''Asceticon'' ("ascetic discourses") by Abba
Isaiah of Scetis
Isaiah the Solitary (? – 11 August 491), also known as Isaiah of Gaza, Isaias or Isaiah the Solitary, Abba Isaiah, or possibly also Isaiah of Scetis, was a Christian ascetic and monastic writer known from the ''Sayings of the Desert Fathers'' ...
is a diverse anthology of essays by an Egyptian Christian monk who left
Scetis
Wadi El Natrun (Arabic: "Valley of Natron"; Coptic: , "measure of the hearts") is a depression in northern Egypt that is located below sea level and below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt dep ...
around 450 AD.
Contents
Originally composed in Greek, the ''Asceticon'' consists of 30 essays ("''logos''" in singular, "''logoi''" in plural) on subjects including: advice for novice monks; precepts for those who have renounced the world; sayings and stories by Abba Isaiah; various letters, sermons, and sayings. Logos 30 includes several sayings that were also included in the ''
Apophthegmata Patrum
The ''Sayings of the Desert Fathers'' ( la, Apophthegmata Patrum Aegyptiorum; el, ἀποφθέγματα τῶν πατέρων, translit=Apophthégmata tōn Patérōn) is the name given to various textual collections consisting of stories and ...
'' (''Sayings of the Desert Fathers''), but in a different form, giving scholars some evidence on how those sayings evolved into their final form in the ''Apophthegmata Patrum''. Abba Isaiah was also influential in bringing Christianity to Palestine.
The 29 discourses in
John Chryssavgis
John Chryssavgis (born 1 April 1958) is an Orthodox Christian theologian who serves as advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch on environmental issues. He is a clergyman of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. In January 2012, he received the ...
's translation of the ''Asceticon'' are:
[Chryssavgis, John and Pachomios (Robert) Penkett (eds). ''Abba Isaiah of Scetis: Ascetic Discourses''. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 2003.]
#Rules for the brothers who live with him
#On the natural state of the intellect
#On the condition of beginners and anchorites
#On the conscience of those who stay in their cells
#Faithful commandments for the edification of those who wish to live peacefully together
#On those who desire to lead a life of good silence
#On virtues
#Sayings
#Commands for those who have renounced (the world)
#Another discourse
#On the grain of mustard seed
#On wine
#On those who have struggled and reached perfection
#Acts of mourning
#On detachment
#On the joy that comes to the soul that desires to serve God
#On thoughts about renunciation and exile
#On forgiveness
#On passions
#On humility
#On repentance
#On the conduct of the new person
#On perfection
#On tranquillity
#To Abba Peter, his disciple
#Recorded by Isaiah's disciple, Abba Peter, who had heard it spoken by his master
#In which he says, "attend diligently"
#The branches of malice
#Lamentations
Sogdian fragments
The ''Asceticon'' was read and translated by the
Nestorians
Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian theologian N ...
of Central Asia. A Sogdian fragment of the 4th discourse, translated from Syriac, was found in MC C2, along with part of a commentary on the 15th discourse by
Dadisho Qatraya.
See also
* ''
Apophthegmata Patrum
The ''Sayings of the Desert Fathers'' ( la, Apophthegmata Patrum Aegyptiorum; el, ἀποφθέγματα τῶν πατέρων, translit=Apophthégmata tōn Patérōn) is the name given to various textual collections consisting of stories and ...
''
* ''
Ethiopic Collectio Monastica
The ''Collectio Monastica'' ("Monastic Collection") is an Ethiopic book that includes some original sayings of the Desert Fathers and which is textually independent of the better-known ''Apophthegmata Patrum'' (''Sayings of the Desert Fathers''). ...
''
* ''
Vitae Patrum''
Bibliography
*Chryssavgis, John and Pachomios (Robert) Penkett (eds). ''Abba Isaiah of Scetis: Ascetic Discourses''. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications, 2003. (English translation)
*de Broc, H. ''Isaïe de Scété: recueil ascétique'', 2nd ed. Bégrolles-en-Mauges: Abbaye de Bellefontaine, 1985. (French translation)
*Draguet, René. ''Les cinq recensions de l'Ascéticon syriaque d'Abba Isaïe''. Louvain: Secrétariat du Corpus SCO, 1968.
ages 289–290 (Syriac text), 293–294 (Greek and Latin texts and French translation)
Notes
{{reflist
Church Fathers
Asceticism
Hesychast literature
Egyptian hermits
Christian monasticism