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Abba Dorotheus
Dorotheus of Gaza ( ''Dorotheos tes Gazes''; ca. 500 – 560 or 580), Dorotheus the Archimandrite or Abba Dorotheus, was a Christian monk and abbot. He lived as a monk at the monastery of Seridus near Gaza and wrote instructions on the ascetic life that influenced both Eastern and Western monasticism. Life Early life Dorotheus was born at the beginning of the sixth century (possibly between 506–508) into a prosperous family in Antioch in Syria. His family was likely Christian and he was likely very close with his brother, who later became a benefactor of the monastic community Dorotheus was living in and possibly even a monk himself. Not much more is known from his childhood, though his ''Discourses'' and letters are scattered with many autobiographical details. His health was limited throughout his whole life and, as he got older, he suffered more serious illnesses. Dorotheus received from an early age onwards a classical education and he continued his studies at either Alexan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saint
In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denomination. In Anglican Communion, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox, and Lutheranism, Lutheran doctrine, all of their faithful deceased in Heaven are considered to be saints, but a selected few are considered worthy of greater honor or emulation. Official Ecclesiastical polity, ecclesiastical recognition, and veneration, is conferred on some denominational saints through the process of canonization in the Catholic Church or glorification in the Eastern Orthodox Church after their approval. In many Protestant denominations, and following from Pauline usage, ''saint'' refers broadly to any holy Christian, without special recognition or selection. While the English word ''saint'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asceticism
Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their practices or continue to be part of their society, but typically adopt a Frugality, frugal lifestyle, characterised by the renunciation of Economic materialism, material possessions and physical pleasures, and also spend time fasting while concentrating on the practice of religion, prayer, or meditation. Some individuals have also attempted an ascetic lifestyle to free themselves from addictions to things such as Alcoholic beverage, alcohol, tobacco, Drug, drugs, entertainment, Sexual intercourse, sex, food, etc. Asceticism has been historically observed in many religious and philosophical traditions, most notably among Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosophical schools (Epicureanism, Gymnosophists, Gymnosophism, Stoic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wadi El Natrun
Wadi El Natrun (Arabic: "Valley of Natron"; , "measure of the hearts") is a Depression (geology), depression in northern Egypt that is located below sea level and below the Nile River level. The valley contains several alkaline lakes, natron-rich salt deposits, salt marshes and freshwater marshes. In Christian literature it is usually known as Scetis ( in Hellenistic Greek) or Skete (, plural in Koine Greek, ecclesiastical Greek). It is one of the three early Christian monastic centers located in the Nitrian Desert of the northwestern Nile Delta. The other two monastic centers are Nitria (monastic site), Nitria and Kellia. Scetis, now called Wadi El Natrun, is best known today because its ancient monasteries remain in use, unlike Nitria and Kellia which have only archaeological remains. The desertified valley around Scetis in particular may be called the Desert of Scetis.. Fossil discoveries The area is one of the best known sites containing large numbers of fossils of la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pachomian Monasteries
The Pachomian monasteries or the ''Koinonia'' of Upper Egypt were a group of Christian cenobitic monasteries founded by Pachomius the Great during the 4th century A.D. Altogether, by the mid-300s A.D., nine Pachomian monasteries formed a network or federation of monasteries known as the ''Koinonia''. All of the nine historical Pachomian monasteries are now defunct. History In 329 A.D., Pachomius founded the ''Koinonia'' (originally a Greek word from the New Testament meaning 'fellowship'), or network of monasteries, when he established the new monastery of Pbow and moved there from Tabennisi. List of monasteries From north to south, the nine monasteries of the ''Koinonia'' were Tse, Tkahšmin, Tsmine, Tbew, Tmoušons, Šeneset, Pbow, Tabennesi, and Phnoum. Tse, Tkahšmin, and Tsmine, formed a cluster near Panopolis in the north, while Tbew, Tmoušons, Šeneset, Pbow, and Tabennesi made up the core nucleus of five monasteries near the modern-day town of Nag Hammadi. Phnoum ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hermitage (religious Retreat)
A hermitage most authentically refers to a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, or a building or settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion. Particularly as a name or part of the name of properties its meaning is often imprecise, harking to a distant period of local history, components of the building material, or recalling any former sanctuary or holy place. Secondary churches or establishments run from a monastery were often called "hermitages". In the 18th century, some owners of English country houses adorned their gardens with a "hermitage", sometimes a Gothic ruin, but sometimes, as at Painshill Park, a romantic hut which a "hermit" was recruited to occupy. The so-called Ermita de San Pelayo y San Isidoro is the ruins of a Romanesque church of Ávila, Spain, that ended up several hundred miles away, to feature in the Buen Retiro Park in Madrid. Western Christian tradition A hermitage is any type of domestic dwelli ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spiritual Direction
Spiritual direction is the practice of being with people as they attempt to deepen their relationship with the divine, or to learn and grow in their personal spirituality. The person seeking direction shares stories of their encounters of the divine, or how they are cultivating a life attuned to spiritual things. The director listens and asks questions to assist the directee in his or her process of reflection and spiritual growth. Advocates of Spiritual direction claim that it develops a deeper awareness with the spiritual aspect of being human, and that it is neither psychotherapy nor counseling nor financial planning. Historians of philosophy like Ilsetraut and Pierre Hadot have argued that spiritual direction was already practiced and recommended by the main schools of philosophy, as well as by physicians like Galen, as part of spiritual practices in Ancient Greece and Rome. Roman Catholic forms While there is some degree of variability, there are primarily two forms of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dositheus Of Gaza
Dositheus of Gaza was a sixth century monk and saint. Originally a page, he entered the monastery of Seridus close to Gaza where he became a disciple of Dorotheus of Gaza and died due to a severe illness at a young age. Dositheus is considered a saint in several Christian churches and became a model for monastic life. Biography Dositheus was originally a page to a general, who led a frivolous and wild life. Saint Dositheus of Gaza (C) (Monk) . At some point he travelled with some companions to Jerusalem, where he had a religious conversion to on |
Contemplative Life
Enclosed religious orders are religious orders whose members strictly separate themselves from the affairs of the external world. The term '' cloistered'' is synonymous with ''enclosed''. In the Catholic Church, enclosure is regulated by the code of canon law, either the Latin code or the Oriental code, and also by the constitutions of the specific order.The Code of Canon Law, Canon 667 ff. English translation copyright 1983 The Canon Law Society Trust It is practised with a variety of customs according to the nature and charism of the community in question. This separation may involve physical barriers such as walls and grilles (that is, a literal cloister), with entry restricted for other people and certain areas exclusively permitted to the members of the convent. Outsiders may only temporarily enter this area under certain conditions (for example, if they are candidates for the order, doctors or craftsmen). The intended purpose for such enclosure is to prevent distraction ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xenodochium
In the early Middle Ages, a xenodochium or (from Ancient Greek , or ''xenodocheion''; place for strangers, inn, guesthouse) was either a hostel or hospital, usually specifically for foreigners or pilgrim The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a heraldic star. Computer scientists and mathematicians often vocalize it as ...s, although the term could refer to charitable institutions in general. The xenodochium was a church institution that first appeared in the Byzantine world.Guenter B. Risse, ''Mending Bodies, Saving Souls: A History of Hospitals'' (Oxford University Press, 1999), 82. The xenodochium was a more common institution than any of its more-specific counterparts, such as the ''gerocomium'' (from , ; place for the old), ''nosocomium'' (from , ; place for the sick) or ''orphanotrophium'' (for orphans). A hospital for victims of plague was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Porter (monastery)
In a monastery, the porter is the monk (or portress for a nun) appointed to be the one who interacts with the public. It is considered an important office, as the porter is the representative of the community to the outside world. The person is stationed at the front door and responsible for greeting visitors to the monastery. The ''Rule of Saint Benedict'', in chapter 66, gives specific advice as to the qualifications of the person chosen to serve in this post.At the door of the monastery, place a sensible old man who knows how to take a message and deliver a reply, and whose age keeps him from roaming about. As soon as anyone knocks, or a poor man calls out, he replies, 'Thanks be to God' or 'Your blessing, please'; then, with all the gentleness that comes from the fear of God, he provides a prompt answer with the warmth of love. The porter needs to be someone with a gift for dealing humanely with visitors. The poor must be treated gently because they are specially loved by God ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anchorite
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress); () is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, Asceticism , ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. Anchorites are frequently considered to be a type of hermit, but unlike hermits, they were required to take a vow of stability of place, opting for permanent enclosure in cells often attached to churches. Also unlike hermits, anchorites were subject to a religious rite of consecration that closely resembled the funeral rite, following which they would be considered dead to the world and a type of living saint. Anchorites had a certain autonomy, as they did not answer to any ecclesiastical authority apart from bishops. The anchoritic life is one of the earliest forms of Christian monasticism. In the Catholic Church, heremitic life is one of the forms of consecrated life. In England in the Middle Ages, medieval England, the earliest recorded anchor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
