Ammon, Amun ( cop, Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ), Ammonas ( grc-gre, Ἀμμώνας), Amoun (), or Ammonius the Hermit (; el, Ἀμμώνιος) was a 4th-century Christian
ascetic
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 the founder of one of the most celebrated monastic communities in Egypt.
He was subsequently declared a
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
. He was one of the most venerated ascetics of the
Nitrian Desert, and
Athanasius of Alexandria
Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...
mentions him in his life of
Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...
.
Life
Pushed into marriage by his family at the age of 20, he managed to persuade his bride to take a vow of chastity together with him by the authority of
Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians.
[Socr. ''Hist. Eccl.'' iv. 23] They lived together this way for 18 years, when at her wish, they parted, and he retired to
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 ...
and
Nitria, to the south of
Lake Mareotis, where he lived 22 years, visiting his sister-wife twice a year.
She had founded a
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...
in her own house.
He cooperated with Anthony and gathered his monks under his direct supervision, thus forming a monastery from sole hermits. Traditionally, he is supposed to have been the first hermit to have established a monastery, known as
Kellia
Kellia ("the Cells"), referred to as "the innermost desert", was a 4th-century Egyptian Christian monastic community spread out over many square kilometers in the Nitrian Desert about 40 miles south of Alexandria. It was one of three centers of ...
, near Nitria. This is by no means verifiable, but it is more certain that Amun's piety and fame drew others to the region. He is considered to have died at the age of 62 years. His
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is 4 October in the
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...
,
Byzantine Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually.
The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...
, and
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
es. His feast in the
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي ...
is on
20 Pashons.
He died before Anthony the Great from whom there is an epistle to him, that is, before the year 365, for the latter asserted that he "saw the soul of Amoun borne by angels to heaven." As Athanasius's history of Anthony preserves the order of time, he died perhaps about 320.
Works
There are generally seventeen or nineteen ''Rules of Asceticism'' () ascribed to him; the Greek original exists in manuscript;
Lambecius
Peter Lambeck (1628–1680) was a German historian and librarian.
Life
He was born in Hamburg on April 13, 1628.
In 1644 he entered in the gymnasium (school), gymnasium where he came under the influence of his mother's brother, Lucas Holstenius ...
, ''Commentariorum de augustissima bibliotheca Caesarea Vindobonensi'' lib. iv. cod. 156, No. 6 they were published in the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
version of
Gerardus Vossius
Gerrit Janszoon Vos (March or April 1577, Heidelberg – 19 March 1649, Amsterdam), often known by his Latin name Gerardus Vossius, was a Dutch classical scholar and theologian.
Life
He was the son of Johannes (Jan) Vos, a Protestant from the Ne ...
. ''Twenty-two Ascetic Institutions'' of the same Amoun, or one bearing the same name, exist also in manuscript.
There is a collection of his letters in the ''
Patrologia Orientalis
The ''Patrologia Orientalis'' is an attempt to create a comprehensive collection of the writings by eastern Church Fathers in Syriac, Armenian, Arabic, Coptic, Ge'ez, Georgian, and Slavonic, published with a Latin, English, Italian or mostly ...
'', volume 10/6.
St. Amoun's Letters translated to Arabic
/ref>
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Amun
Saints from Roman Egypt
Egyptian hermits
Egyptian Christian monks
4th-century Christian saints
295 births
357 deaths
4th-century Egyptian people
Desert Fathers
Anglican saints