Evagrius Ponticus: The Making of a Gnostic

A revered instructor of the eremitic monks of Nitria, Sketis and Kellia, Evagrius Ponticus is a fascinating yet enigmatic figure in the history of fourth-century mystical thought. This historical and theological re-evaluation of the teaching of Evagrius brings to bear evidence from the Greek and Syriac Evagriana. Focusing on Evagrius' concept of perfection as the acquisition of spiritual knowledge, this book revisits current perceptions of Evagrius's thought and character by comparing and contrasting him with his contemporaries and predecessors, both Christian and pagan. Ideas of the three "Cappadocians" and the author of the Macariana, as well as Stoic, Neo-Platonic and earlier Christian writers such as Alcinoos, Plotinus, Clement and Origen, are all explored. Konstantinovsky draws attention to a lack of uniformity in the fourth-century views on the origin of the soul, the body-soul relation, and the eschatological destiny of humankind.

Author: Julia Konstantinovsky
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 01/08/2009
Pages: 232
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.11lbs
Size: 9.21h x 6.14w x 0.56d
ISBN: 9780754662655

About the Author
Julia Konstantinovsky is a Research Fellow in Theology at Wolfson College and a senior member of the Faculty of Theology, University of Oxford, UK.