Chronology of early Christian monasticism

Contents

This is a partial chronology of early Christian monasticism with its notable events listed. It covers 343 years.

Christian monasticism first appeared in Egypt and Syria.[1]

Chronology

Year (AD)Historical event
c. 227Paul the Great is born. He is considered to be the very first Christian eremitic ascetic. He lived very reclusively and was only discovered by Anthony towards the end of his life.[2]
249-51Persecution of Christians under Emperor Decius forces many Christians to flee into the desert (including Paul the Great[2]), thus starting Egyptian Christian monasticism.[3][4]
c. 251Anthony the Great is born, who is considered to have founded eremitic monasticism.[5][4][1]
mid-3rd centuryChariton the Confessor is born (died c. 350), founder of monastic life in the Judaean desert and of the lavra-type monastic settlement (founded 3 lavras).
c. 285Cronius of Nitria is born.[4]
c. 290Pachomius the Great is born, who is considered to have founded cenobitic monasticism.[6][7][4]
291/292Hilarion the Great is born, who was inspired by Anthony.[8]
293Athanasius the Great is born. His writings are important for the start of Christian monasticism.[9][1]
c. 300Macarius the Great is born.[10][4]
303Christian persecution under emperor Diocletian: the Diocletianic Persecution.[11][4]
305Anthony the Great relocates from the Outer Mountain to the Inner Mountain of Pispir.[12]
306Constantine the Great becomes the emperor of Western Rome.[13]; Ephrem the Syrian, the "teacher of repentance", is born.[14]
c. 310-20Athanasius the Great begins his ecclesiastical career.[12]
313The Edict of Milan legalizes Christianity and ends persecution.[15]
314Theodorus of Tabennese (spiritual successor of Poemen) is born.; Pachomius the Great is baptized.
c. 315Amoun of Nitria begins his monastic life.[4]; Epiphanius is born.
c. 320Death of Amoun (according to Athanasius' history of Anthony the Great).; Pachomius the Great establishes a monastic community in Tabennisis.[12]
320Pishoy is born.
c. 323Pachomius the Great founds a monastery at Tabennisi with more than 100 monks and a monastery at Pabau.[1] He also creates the cenobitic system of monastic governance in which the monks are subject to an abbot.[16][17][4]; Pishoy is born.
324Constantine the Great becomes the sole emperor of all of Rome.[4][13]
325First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.[4][18][19]
328Athanasius the Great becomes Archbishop of Alexandria.[4][9]
329Basil the Great is born. He influences Christian monasticism by his ascetic writings.[20]
330Moses the Black is born.[4][21]; Macarius the Great establishes a monastic settlement in Scetis (which at its peak had 700 individual monasteries).[22]; Amun establishes a monastic settlement in Nitria.
337Death of Emperor Constantine (as a Christian).[13][4]
3382nd exile of Athanasius the Great.[9]; Monks from Nitria move 20 kilometers away and establish the monastic settlement of Kellia.[23][24]
339John the Dwarf is born in Thebes.
c. 340Pambo (disciple of Anthony) founds many monasteries in Scetis.[25]; Anthony the Great learns of Paul the Great in a vision and finds him before he dies, as recorded by Jerome.; 1st exile of Athanasius the Great that lasts six years.[9] During this time, Athanasius, through his writings, brings ideas from eastern Christian monasticism to western Christianity.[1]; Poemen is born.; Hilarion founds a hermitage close to his native town of Thabatha, starting monasticism in Gaza and Palestine.[8]
c. 341Death of Paul the Great in Thebes.
c. 345Rufinus is born.[26]
346Death of Pachomius the Great.[7][6]
c. 347Jerome is born.[27]
347John Chrysostom is born.[28]
356Death of Anthony the Great at age 105.[29][4] Sisoes the Great relocates to the mountain of Anthony.[4]; 3rd exile of Athanasius the Great.[9]
357Athanasius the Great writes his biography of Anthony the Great.[30][31]
c. 358Death of Serapion of Nitria.
360John Cassian is born.
361Julian the Apostate becomes the emperor of Rome.[32][4] Ligugé Abbey founded by Martin of Tours
3624th exile of Athanasius the Great by Julian the Apostate.[9][12]
363Death of Mar Awgin (a Syrian disciple of Pachomius the Great). He had established Christian monasticism in Mesopotamia.[1]
3645th and final exile of Athanasius the Great.[9]
367Epiphanius becomes the bishop of Cyprus.[4][33]
368Death of Theodorus of Tabennese.
370Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea, writes his Rules which becomes an important monastic text.[4]
371Death of Hilarion the Great.
373Death of Athanasius the Great.[9]; Death of Ephrem the Syrian.[14]
373-5Rufinus meets Melania in Egypt.[4]
375Death of Pambo.[34][4]
c. 376Jerome writes his Life of Paul of Thebes.[12]
377Euthymius the Great is born.[35]
379Death of Basil the Great.[20][4]
380At Gaza, Silvanus and a certain Mark the Calligrapher make a settlement.[36]
381First Ecumenical Council of Constantinople.[37][4]
382Jerome returns to Rome.[12]
383Evagrius of Nitria becomes a monk at Kellia.[4][38]
385Jerome moves to the Holy Land and starts a monastic settlement in Bethlehem.[4][1]; Jerome visits Nitria.[39]
c. 386Death of Cronius of Nitria.[4]
c. 390Jerome writes his Life of Malchus.[12]
390Death of Isidore of Scetes.; Death of Or at age 90.; Palladius of Galatia lives at Nitria.
391Death of Macarius of the Great.[10]; Destruction of Pagan temples.[4]; Jerome writes his Life of Hilarion.[12]
394-5Death of John of Lycopolis.[40]
395Death of Macarius the Younger.; Isaac of the Cells succeeds Cronius of Nitria.[4]; John Cassian visits Paphnutius the Ascetic.[41]
397Death of Martin of Tours Bishop of Tours, France who helped establish it as a site of monastic learning in Gaul.
398John Chrysostom is ordained the Archbishop of Constantinople.[28][4]
399Death of Evagrius of Nitria.[42][4]; Archbishop Theophilus of Alexandria opposes Anthropomorphism and condemns Origenism.[4]
c. 400Arsenius the Great joins the monks at Scetis.; Death of Peter the Pionite.[43]
c. 404John Cassian establishes the first Egyptian-style monastery in Gaul.[44]
405Death of Moses the Black and his companions.[21]; Death of John the Dwarf on Mount Colzim in Egypt.
407Death of John Chrysostom.[28][4]; Lucius and Longinus flee fame to Enaton.[45]
407-4081st destruction of Scetis by the Mazices. This marks the shifting of the center of Christian monasticism from Egypt to Palestine.[46][4]; Poemen and his brothers leave Scetis and move to Terenuthis.[4][47]
410Rome is sacked by Alaric and the Visigoths.[48][4]
c. 410Foundation of the influential monastery of Lérins (present-day southern France).
411Rufinus' version of the History of the Monks of Egypt is complete.; Death of Rufinus.[26][4]
417Death of Pishoy on July 15.
c. 419-20Palladius writes his Lausaic History.[49][4]
421-6John Cassian writes the Institutes and the Conferences.[4][50]
429Death of Sisoes the Great.
431Ecumenical Council of Ephesus.[4][51]
4342nd destruction of Scetis.[46]; Arsenius the Great goes to Troe.[52]
c. 435Death of Agathon, disciple of Poemen.; Death of John Cassian in Marseilles.[53]
439Sabbas the Sanctified is born.[4][54]
4443rd destruction of Scetis.[46]
445Death of Arsenius the Great.[4][52]
449Death of Daniel of Egypt, disciple of Arsenius the Great.[4]
450Death of Poemen.[55]; Death of Isidore of Pelusium.[56]
451Council of Chalcedon.[57][4] After the Council of Chalcedon, the decision was made to put all Egyptian monasticism under church hierarchical supervision. This marked the end of the classical era of early Egyptian Christian monasticism.[58]
455Rome under, Emperor Romulus Augustus, is sacked by the Vandals.[59][4]
459Death of Simeon the Stylite.[60][4]; Daniel becomes a Stylite.[4]
c. 480Birth of Benedict of Nursia who greatly shaped western monasticism ("Benedictine" monks).[61][4]
484The Great Lavra (Mar Saba) is founded by Sabbas the Sanctified.[62]
491Death of Isaiah the Solitary.; Paul the Great is canonized by Pope Gelasius I.
c. 500Birth of Saint David of Wales to the Nun St. Non. He is a significant figure in Welsh Monasticism.
ca. 520Foundation of the monastery of Seridus by abbot Seridus of Gaza.[63]
527Saint Catherine's Monastery is founded on Mount Sinai by Emperor Justinian the Great.[64]
529St Benedict of Nursia founds his famous monastery of Monte Cassino
c. 543Death of Barsanuphius and John the Prophet, two hermits who wrote over 800 letters of spiritual guidance to monks, priests and lay people. Their disciple Dorotheus of Gaza goes on to found a new monastery.[65]
521Saint Columba major figure in monasticism in the British Isles is born.
563Iona Abbey founded by Saint Columba.
5704th destruction of Scetis.[46]

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