ABSTRACT
Christian asceticism traces its more immediate roots back to Egypt, and to two particular individuals – Antony (c. 251-356) and Pachomius (c. 290-346). Antony became the model for the ‘eremetic’, or solitary, ascetic life, while Pachomius pioneered the ‘coenobitic’, or communal, form. This chapter therefore begins with extracts from the highly influential Life of Antony (11.1) and from the Life of Pachomius (11.2a) and his Precepts (11.2b). These extracts illustrate not only how these men pursued their respective forms of asceticism, but also provide indications of the way their prestige posed a potential threat to the institutionalised church and how the church authorities sought to ‘domesticate’ their influence. However, to view the early history of Christian asceticism purely in terms of these two figures and their influence is misleading, for it is apparent that alternative expressions of the ascetic impulse were also available (11.3).
