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Chariton the Confessor (Greek: Χαρίτων; mid-3rd century,
/ref> Released from prison after Aurelian's death, he regretted not having died as a martyr.
After that he moved on to establish a third monastery in the Valley of Tekoa, named the Souka and later known as the Old Lavra. The valley is a wadi later named in Arabic after him, Wadi Khureitun.
In all three locations his fame let Christians flock to learn from him, disturbing his solitude, which was the reason for him repeatedly moving on. At Souka he eventually relocated to a cave on a cliff near the centre of the lavra, known as the "Hanging Cave of Chariton" and whose remains have been discovered by Israeli archaeologist
"Laura"
The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. Via www.newadvent.org. Accessed 2 Jul. 2019 These rules became the main traits of monastic rule everywhere, based on
Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem
: "Skete of Saint Chariton - Fara"">Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem"> Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem
: "Skete of Saint Chariton - Fara" about the rebuilt monastic site in Pharan Valley, its history and rediscovery {{DEFAULTSORT:Chariton 4th-century Christian saints 3rd-century births 4th-century deaths
Chariton the Confessor (Greek: Χαρίτων; mid-3rd century, Iconium
Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...
, Asia Minor – c. 350, Judaean desert) was a Christian saint. His remembrance day is September 28.
Life
Sources
We know about his ''vita'' from the 6th-century "Life of Chariton", written by an anonymous monk, which holds elements supported by modern archaeological excavations.Early life
Chariton was a native ofIconium
Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...
in the Byzantine province of Lycaonia. Under the reign of Emperor Aurelian
Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...
(270-275) he was tortured and came close to become a martyr during a persecution against Christians."Venerable Chariton the Confessor, Abbot of Palestine", Orthodox Church in America/ref> Released from prison after Aurelian's death, he regretted not having died as a martyr.
Pharan near Jerusalem
After his release in 275, during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and other holy places, Chariton was abducted by bandits and brought to a cave in the Pharan Valley (upper Wadi Qelt). The traditional account states that his abductors died by drinking wine that was poisoned by a snake. Chariton decided to remain a hermit in the cave after this miraculous death of his abductors. There he built a church and established a monastery, the first one of the lavra type.Douka near Jericho
Later he moved to the Mount of Temptation nearJericho
Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...
, where he established the lavra of Douka on the ruins of the Hasmonean and Herodian Dok Fortress.
Souka (Old Lavra at Tekoa)
After that he moved on to establish a third monastery in the Valley of Tekoa, named the Souka and later known as the Old Lavra. The valley is a wadi later named in Arabic after him, Wadi Khureitun.
In all three locations his fame let Christians flock to learn from him, disturbing his solitude, which was the reason for him repeatedly moving on. At Souka he eventually relocated to a cave on a cliff near the centre of the lavra, known as the "Hanging Cave of Chariton" and whose remains have been discovered by Israeli archaeologist Yizhar Hirschfeld
Yizhar Hirschfeld (1950 – 16 November 2006) was an Israeli archaeologist studying Greco-Roman and Byzantine archaeology. He was an associate professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and director of excavations at a number of sites aroun ...
.
Legacy
The importance of Chariton lays mainly in the fact that he established by his own example the rules for monastic life in the Judaean desert, in the context of lavra-type monasteries.Butler, Richard Urban"Laura"
The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. Via www.newadvent.org. Accessed 2 Jul. 2019 These rules became the main traits of monastic rule everywhere, based on
asceticism
Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
and solitude: he lived in silence, only ate certain types of food and only after sundown, performed manual work, spent the night in an alternation of sleep and psalmody, prayed at fixed hours, stayed in his cell, and controlled his thoughts.
According to tradition, he was the one to compile the "Office of the Monastic Tonsure".
See also
* Desert Fathers and Desert Mothers, early Christian hermits, ascetics, and monks who lived mainly in the Scetes desert of Egypt beginning around the third century AD * Euthymius the Great (377–473), founder of monasteries in Palestine and saint * Hilarion (271–371), anchorite and saint considered by some to be the founder of Palestinian monasticism * Pachomius the Great (c. 292–348), Egyptian saint generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism * Paul of Thebes (c. 226/7 – c. 341), known as "Paul, the First Hermit", who preceded both Anthony and Chariton * Theodosius the Cenobiarch (c. 423–529), monk and saint, traditionally credited with organizing the cenobitic way of life in the Judaean desert * Sabbas the Sanctified (439–532), monk and saint, founded several monasteries in PalestineReferences
Bibliography
* Leah Di Segni: ''The Life of Chariton'', in: ''Ascetic Behavior in Greco-Roman Antiquity: A Sourcebook'' (Studies in Antiquity and Christianity), Vincent L. Wimbush, Minneapolis 1990, , p. 393–421. *Shehadeh, Raja
Raja Shehadeh (born 1951) is a Palestinian lawyer, human rights activist and writer. He co-founded the award-winning Palestinian human rights organization Al-Haq in 1979. In 2008, he won the Orwell Prize, Britain's pre-eminent award for poli ...
: ''Palestinian Walks'', pp. 136–7. Profile Books (2008),
External links
Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem
: "Skete of Saint Chariton - Fara"">Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem"> Russian Orthodox Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem
: "Skete of Saint Chariton - Fara" about the rebuilt monastic site in Pharan Valley, its history and rediscovery {{DEFAULTSORT:Chariton 4th-century Christian saints 3rd-century births 4th-century deaths