Theodosius the Cenobiarch
Theodosius the Cenobiarch | |
---|---|
Monk | |
Born | 423 Mogarissos, Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey) |
Died | 529 Jerusalem |
Venerated in | Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
Feast | January 11 |
Theodosius the Cenobiarch (c. 423–529) was a
Life
Early life
He was born in Mogarissos, a village in Cappadocia, Saint Basil's province. Theodosius' parents Proheresius and Eulogia were both very pious. Later Eulogia would become a nun taking her son Theodosius as her spiritual father.
Monastic beginnings
When he was younger he felt a desire to imitate Abraham by leaving his parents, friends, relatives and everything else for the love of God. Theodosius set out for
When Theodosius reached
When Theodosius reached Jerusalem he spent time visiting and venerating the Holy Places. He then decided it would be best to obtain discipline for himself before he settled in solitude. Theodosius began his monastic labors under the hermit abbot Longinus, settling near the
Life as a hermit
Eventually Theodosius could no longer handle his admirers and left the Old Kathisma so that he might better dedicate himself to God. He settled on the peak of the mountain and lived in a cave. There is a tradition from the ancient fathers that this was the same cave the
While dwelling in the cave Theodosius performed great feats of asceticism. He prayed at all times and he even suspended a rope that it might prop him up in case sleep overcame him, and thus he stood through the night in prayer. He remembered never to satisfy his hunger, but ate only enough so that he would not fall ill from extreme fasting. He ate only
soaked in water. If the land was unproductive and arid he soaked the hearts of palms and ate them only from excessive need. He never tasted bread for thirty years.Communal life, founding of future monastery
Theodosius formed a small community of monks near
Anti-miaphysitic stance and Maronite tradition
Theodosius was a staunch opponent of
A
Death
Theodosius died near Jerusalem, at about 105 years old.
References
- Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ὅσιος Θεοδόσιος ὁ Κοινοβιάρχης καὶ Καθηγητὴς τῆς Ἐρήμου. 11 Ιανουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
Sources
- Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN 0-14-051312-4.
- St. Demetrius of Rostov, Marretta, Fr. Thomas (Translator). The Great Collection of The Lives of the Saints, Vol V: January. Chrysostom Press, 2002. ISBN 1-889814-04-0
- Papadopulos, Leo (Translator). Four Great Fathers: Saint Paisius the Great, Saint Pachomius the Great, Saint Euthymius the Great, and Saint Theodosius. Holy Trinity Monastery, 2007. ISBN 0-88465-139-8
- St. ISBN 0-9719505-0-4
- Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ὅσιος Θεοδόσιος ὁ Κοινοβιάρχης καὶ Καθηγητὴς τῆς Ἐρήμου. 11 Ιανουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
External links
- Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem: The Holy Monastery of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch (the saint's vita and the story of his monastery)
- Orthodox Church of America (OCA): St Theodosius the Cenobiarch; Orthodox Icon and Synaxarion (January 11)
- Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church of Baltimore: The Monk Theodosios the Great
- Santibeati.com: Theodosius the Cenobiarch (in Italian)
- CatholicSaints.Info: Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch
- Catholic Online: Theodosius the Cenobiarch
- Saint Anthony Parish: Commemoration of Saint Theodosius on January 11 (in Arabic)
For "The Old Kathisma", identified tentatively with the ruins of an octagonal Byzantine church located on the road from Jerusalem to Bethlehem and known as the
- Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs: The Church of the Seat of Mary (Kathisma)
- Miriam Feinberg Vamosh, in Haaretz, Feb 24, 2014: The Kathisma: The Most Important Ancient Church You Never Heard Of