Ammonas | |
|---|---|
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| Desert Father Venerable, Hermit | |
| Born | 294 Mariotis,Egypt,Roman Empire |
| Died | 356 (aged 62 years) Scetes, Egypt, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church Oriental Orthodox Church Anglican Communion |
| Feast | 20 Pashons (i.e. 15 MayJulian Calendar) 4 October (Byzantine Christianity) 8 November (Episcopal Church) 4 October (Catholic Church)[1] |
Ammon,Amun (Coptic:Ⲁⲃⲃⲁ Ⲁⲙⲟⲩⲛ),Ammonas (Ancient Greek:Ἀμμώνας),Amoun (Ἀμοῦν), orAmmonius the Hermit (/əˈmoʊniəs/;Greek:Ἀμμώνιος) was a 4th-century Christianascetic and the founder of one of the most celebrated monastic communities in Egypt.[2] He was subsequently declared asaint. He was one of the most venerated ascetics of theNitrian Desert, andAthanasius of Alexandria mentions him in his life ofAnthony the Great.
Pushed into marriage by his family at the age of 20, he managed to persuade his bride to take a vow ofchastity together with him by the authority ofPaul's Epistle to the Corinthians.[3][4] They lived together this way for 18 years, when at her wish, they parted, and he retired toScetis andNitria, to the south ofLake Mareotis, where he lived 22 years, visiting his sister-wife twice a year.[4][5][6] She had founded aconvent 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 asKellia, 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. Hisfeast day is 4 October in theEastern Orthodox andCatholic Churches. His feast in theCoptic Orthodox Church is on20 Pashons.[7]
He died beforeAnthony the Great from whom there is a surviving epistle written to him,[8] that is, before the year 365, for the latter asserted that he "saw the soul of Amoun borne by angels to heaven."[9] As Athanasius's history of Anthony preserves the order of time, he died perhaps about 320.
There are generally seventeen or nineteenRules of Asceticism (κεφάλαια) ascribed to him; the Greek original exists in manuscript;[10] they were published in theLatin version ofGerardus Vossius.[11]Twenty-two Ascetic Institutions of the same Amoun, or one bearing the same name, exist also in manuscript.[10] There is a collection of his letters in thePatrologia Orientalis, volume 10/6.[12] His work 'Instructions: Counsel to Novices' also survives, in Greek, Latin, and English.[13]
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Smith, William, ed. (1870). "Ammonas".Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology.
