The Life of Saint Auxentios: an introduction, translation and commentary

Abstract

This study aims to make a contribution to the field of Byzantine hagiography with a translation from Greek into English of the oldest surviving version of the Life of Saint Auxentios dating from the late fifth century. No translation into any modern language of this version has been undertaken up to the present. The translation is accompanied by an introduction, a commentary and an evaluative chapter. In this last chapter, I discussed the Constantinopolitan monasticism in the fourth and the fifth centuries, of which Auxentios was a part, but argued that his monasticism obtained a Constantinopolitan character only after he established himself on Mount Skopa. Comparing to the other Saints’ Lives written in Late Antiquity, the Life does not present a typical saint, but some of Auxentios’ characteristics conflicting with the traditional model for monks are also observed in other holy men and women. The Life, however, does not only portray an image of the orthodox saint, but also gives ample evidence that Auxentios was a heretic. Some features of Auxentios’ monasticism, such as being composed of a mixed community, show that Auxentios was a Macedonian. The decisions of the Council of Gangra (340?), which was directed against Eustathios of Sebaste, one of the eminent leaders of the Macedonians, corroborate this statement. The Life shows that Auxentios preserved the mentality of the Eustathians, which was defined heretical by the Council. However, Auxentios was unable to retain their radicalism with respect to the relations with the Church, since the Constantinopolitan monasticism was already in decline in the mid-fifth century when Auxentios had established himself.