Theodosius The Cenobiarch
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Theodosius the Cenobiarch ( 423–529 AD) was a
monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
,
abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
, and
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 ...
who was a founder and organizer of the
cenobitic Cenobitic (or coenobitic) monasticism is a monastery, monastic tradition that stresses community life. Often in the West the community belongs to a religious order, and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a Monastic rule, religious ru ...
way of monastic life. 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 on
January 11 Events Pre-1600 * 532 – Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence. * 630 – Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhamma ...
.Great Synaxaristes:
Ὁ Ὅσιος Θεοδόσιος ὁ Κοινοβιάρχης καὶ Καθηγητὴς τῆς Ἐρήμου
'' 11 Ιανουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.


Life


Early life

He was born in Mogarissos, a village in
Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...
,
Saint Basil Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great ( grc, Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, ''Hágios Basíleios ho Mégas''; cop, Ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲃⲁⲥⲓⲗⲓⲟⲥ; 330 – January 1 or 2, 379), was a bishop of Ca ...
's province. Theodosius' parents Proheresius and Eulogia were both very pious. Later Eulogia would become a nun taking her son Theodosius as her spiritual father.


Monastic beginnings

When he was younger he felt a desire to imitate Abraham by leaving his parents, friends, relatives and everything else for the love of God. Theodosius set out for
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
at the time of the Holy
Fourth Ecumenical Council The Council of Chalcedon (; la, Concilium Chalcedonense), ''Synodos tēs Chalkēdonos'' was the fourth ecumenical council of the Christian Church. It was convoked by the Roman emperor Marcian. The council convened in the city of Chalcedon, Bithy ...
of Chalcedon held in 451. When Theodosius reached
Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ ...
, he went to see Saint Symeon the Stylite, to ask for his prayers and blessing. Arriving at the pillar of Saint Symeon he was miraculously greeted by name and was invited to ascend the column. Theodosius climbed the pillar and prostrated himself before Saint Symeon who embraced him with his blessing and prophesied great spiritual glory for Theodosius. When Theodosius reached Jerusalem he spent time visiting and venerating the Holy Places. He then decided it would be best to obtain discipline for himself before he settled in solitude. Theodosius began his monastic labors under the hermit abbot Longinus, settling near the
Tower of David The Tower of David ( he, מגדל דוד, Migdál Davíd), also known as the Citadel ( ar, القلعة, al-Qala'a), is an ancient citadel located near the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City of Jerusalem. The citadel that stands today dates t ...
. During this time there lived a wealthy and pious woman named Ikelia, who built a church near a place called " The Old Kathisma" and dedicated it to the Theotokos. Ikelia requested to the elder Longinus that Theodosius settle in that place to which he agreed. After some time Theodosius had many visitors and pilgrims who distracted and deprived him of his solitude.


Life as a hermit

Eventually Theodosius could no longer handle his admirers and left the Old Kathisma so that he might better dedicate himself to God. He settled on the peak of the mountain and lived in a cave. There is a tradition from the ancient fathers that this was the same cave the
three Magi The biblical Magi from Middle Persian ''moɣ''(''mard'') from Old Persian ''magu-'' 'Zoroastrian clergyman' ( or ; singular: ), also referred to as the (Three) Wise Men or (Three) Kings, also the Three Magi were distinguished foreigners in the G ...
spent the night after they had worshiped the Lord, and that an angel was sent there and ordered them to return to their own country by another way, which they did. While dwelling in the cave Theodosius performed great feats of asceticism. He prayed at all times and he even suspended a rope that it might prop him up in case sleep overcame him, and thus he stood through the night in prayer. He remembered never to satisfy his hunger, but ate only enough so that he would not fall ill from extreme fasting. He ate only
dates Date or dates may refer to: *Date (fruit), the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activity, with the aim of assessing a potential partner **Group dating *Play date, an ...
,
carob The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and landscap ...
, wild vegetables and
legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
s soaked in water. If the land was unproductive and arid he soaked the hearts of palms and ate them only from excessive need. He never tasted bread for thirty years.


Communal life, founding of future monastery

Theodosius formed a small community of monks near
Bethlehem Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
, which later became the
Monastery of St. Theodosius The Monastery of St. Theodosius, also known as Deir Dosi and Deir Ibn Ubeid in Arabic, is a monastery founded around 476 by Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch and that today contains his tomb. It is located east of the village of al-Ubeidiya, some ...
. The community grew rapidly, with monks of several cultures and languages, and became very well known for its work with the sick, elderly, and mentally impaired. When Theodosius' friend and countryman
Sabbas Sabbas (Σάββας pronounced Sávvas) is a Greek masculine given name. Variant forms or transliterations include Sabas, Savas, Savvas, Saba, Sava, Savva, Savo and Sawa. Sabbas may refer to, chronologically: * Sabbas Stratelates (died 272), R ...
was appointed
archimandrite The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") who ...
of all the isolated monks in Palestine by Patriarch Salustius of Jerusalem, Theodosius was made the leader of all those monks who lived in community. This is the origin of his being called "the Cenobiarch", which translates as chief of those living a life in common. When Theodosius was at the age of ninety,
Emperor Anastasius Anastasius I Dicorus ( grc-gre, Ἀναστάσιος, Anastásios; – 9 July 518) was Eastern Roman emperor from 491 to 518. A career civil servant, he came to the throne at the age of 61 after being chosen by the wife of his predecessor, ...
was fighting the Christians and he exiled Theodosius, who appears to have taken refuge in Lebanon, and the Maronite tradition tells that he was the one who established the monastery of Qannoubine, meaning the monastery of "common living" in
Kadisha Valley Kadisha Valley ( ar, وادي قاديشا), also romanized as the Qadisha Valley and also known as the Kadisha Gorge or Wadi Kadisha (french: Ouadi Qadisha), is a gorge that lies within the Bsharri and Zgharta Districts of the North Governora ...
, and the tradition has preserved this name through generations to this day.


Anti-monophysitic stance

Theodosius was a staunch opponent of
Monophysitism Monophysitism ( or ) or monophysism () is a Christological term derived from the Greek (, "alone, solitary") and (, a word that has many meanings but in this context means "nature"). It is defined as "a doctrine that in the person of the incarn ...
, which caused the
Emperor Anastasius Anastasius I Dicorus ( grc-gre, Ἀναστάσιος, Anastásios; – 9 July 518) was Eastern Roman emperor from 491 to 518. A career civil servant, he came to the throne at the age of 61 after being chosen by the wife of his predecessor, ...
to remove him from office temporarily.


Death

Theodosius died near
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, at about 105 years old.


References


Sources

* Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. ''The Penguin Dictionary of Saints''. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. . * St. Demetrius of Rostov, Marretta, Fr. Thomas (Translator). ''The Great Collection of The Lives of the Saints, Vol V: January''. Chrysostom Press, 2002. * Papadopulos, Leo (Translator). ''Four Great Fathers: Saint Paisius the Great, Saint Pachomius the Great, Saint Euthymius the Great, and Saint Theodosius''. Holy Trinity Monastery, 2007. * St. Nikolai Velimirović, Tepsić, Fr. T. Timothy (Translator). ''The Prologue of Ohrid: Lives of Saints, Hymns, Reflections and Homilies for Every Day of the Year, Vol. 1''. Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Western America, 2002. * Great Synaxaristes:
Ὁ Ὅσιος Θεοδόσιος ὁ Κοινοβιάρχης καὶ Καθηγητὴς τῆς Ἐρήμου
'' 11 Ιανουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.


External links


Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem
The Holy Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch (the saint's ''vita'' and the story of his monastery)
Orthodox Church of America (OCA)
St Theodosius the Cenobiarch; Orthodox Icon and Synaxarion (January 11)

The Monk Theodosios the Great
Santibeati.com
Theodosius the Cenobiarch (in Italian)
CatholicSaints.Info
Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch
Catholic Online
Theodosius the Cenobiarch
Saint Anthony Parish
Commemoration of Saint Theodosius on January 11 (in Arabic) For "The Old Kathisma", identified tentatively with the ruins of an octagonal Byzantine church located on the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and known as the
Church of the Seat of Mary (Kathisma) The Church of the Seat of Mary ( la, Ecclesia Kathismatis, from gr, κάθισμα, kathisma, seat), Church of the Kathisma or Old Kathisma being the name mostly used in literature, was a 5th-century Byzantine church in the Holy Land, located ...
, see
Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Church of the Seat of Mary (Kathisma)
Miriam Feinberg Vamosh, in Haaretz, Feb 24, 2014
The Kathisma: The Most Important Ancient Church You Never Heard Of {{DEFAULTSORT:Theodosius the Cenobiarch 420s births 529 deaths 5th-century Byzantine monks 6th-century Byzantine monks 6th-century Christian saints Byzantine abbots Ascetics Byzantine Cappadocians Cappadocian Greeks Byzantine saints Saints from Anatolia Byzantine centenarians Cappadocia (Roman province) Miracle workers Men centenarians