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GADDANAS and Azizus dwelt with Aones, and emulated his
virtues. Ephraim the Syrian, who was an historian, and has been
noticed in our own recital of events under the reign of Constantius,
was the most renowned philosopher in this time, together with Julian,
in the neighborhood of Edessa and its adjacent regions. Barses and
Eulogius were both, at a later period than that to which we are
referring, ordained bishops, but not of any city; for the title was
merely an honorary one, conferred on them as a compensation for their
excellent conduct; and they were ordained in their own monasteries.
Lazarus, to whom we have already alluded, was ordained bishop in the
same manner. Such were the most celebrated philosophers of asceticism
who flourished in Syria, Persia, and the neighboring countries, so
far, at least, as I have been able to ascertain. The course common
to all, so to speak, consisted in diligent attention to the state of
the soul, which by means of fasting, prayer, and hymns to God, they
kept in constant preparation to quit the things of this world. They
devoted the greater part of their time to these holy exercises, and
they wholly despised worldly possessions, temporal affairs, and the
ease and adornment of the body. Some of the monks carried their
self-denial to an extraordinary height. Battheus, for instance, by
excessive abstinence and fasting, had worms crawl from his teeth;
Halas, again, had not tasted bread for eighty years; and Heliodorus
passed many nights without yielding to sleep, and added thereto seven
days of fasting.
Although Coele-Syria and Upper Syria, with the exception of the
city of Antioch, was slowly converted to Christianity, it was not
lacking in ecclesiastical philosophers, whose conduct appeared the more
heroic from their having to encounter the enmity and hatred of the
inhabitants of the place. And they nobly refrained from resistance,
or resorting to the law, but spiritedly endured the insults and blows
inflicted by the pagans. Such, I found, was the course pursued by
Valentian, who, according to some accounts, was born at Emesa, but
according to others, at Arethusa. Another individual of the same
name distinguished himself by similar conduct, as likewise Theodore.
Both were from Titti, which is of the home of the Apameans; not
less distinguished were Marosas, a native of Nechilis, Bassus,
Bassones, and Paul. This latter was from the village of Telmison.
He rounded many communities in many places, and introduced the method
essential to the knowledge of philosophy, and finally established the
greatest and most distinguished community of monks in a place called
Jugatum. Here, after a long and honorable life, he died, and was
interred. Some of the monks who have practiced philosophy in a
distinguished and divine way have survived to our own days; indeed,
most of those to whom allusion has been made enjoyed a very long term of
existence; and I am convinced that God added to the length of their
days for the express purpose of furthering the interests of religion.
They were instrumental in leading nearly the whole Syrian nation, and
most of the Persians and Saracens, to the proper religion, and
caused them to cease from paganism. After beginning the monastic
philosophy there, they brought forward many like themselves.
I suppose that Galatia, Cappadocia, and the neighboring provinces
contained many other ecclesiastical philosophers at that time, for
these regions formerly had zealously embraced our doctrine. These
monks, for the most part, dwelt in communities in cities and
villages, for they did not habituate themselves to the tradition of
their predecessors. The severity of the winter, which is always a
natural feature of that country, would probably make a hermit life
impracticable. Leontius and Prapidius were, I understand, the most
celebrated of these monks. The former afterwards administered the
church of Ancyra, and the latter, a man of very advanced age,
performed the episcopal functions in several villages. He also
presided over the Basileias, the most celebrated hospice for the
poor. It was established by Basil, bishop of Caesarea, from whom
it received its name in the beginning, and retains it until today.
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