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"Hyperechios is a little-known monk of the fourth to fifth centuries, who is thought to have lived in Roman Palestine, possibly coastal Sinai. He wrote the Exhortation to the monks, 160 short sayings, much like the Apophthegmata, or sayings of the desert fathers and mothers, but also structurally very different--most of the sayings are two lines of poetry that offer instruction. The Exhortation, and early Christian monastic writings in general, teach that a spiritual life requires a life of training and practice, individually and as a neighbor and friend within one's community. This volume studies Hyperechios's Exhortation to better understand the moral and spiritual values in a fourth to fifth-century Christian monastic community, while reflecting also on how these are contemporary with the modern day. Drawing on modern works by scholars and placing the Exhortation in conversation with contemporary writers on the spiritual life, Tim Vivian begins with an introduction about Hyperechios, his location, the text, then a lengthy reflection on spiritual matters. He follows this with an English-language translation of the Exhortation and the Greek text, both accompanied by footnotes that offer biblical and patristic cross-references. Exhortation to the Monks by Hyperechios will be of interest to scholars and general readers of early Christianity, early monasticism, and Christian spirituality, both ancient and contemporary"--
List of contents
Preface
Foreword. John Chryssavgis
Abbreviations and Select Sources
Chapter 1: Introduction
So Long Ago and Far Away, Yet Ours, and Us: Reflection & Conversation
I. Hyperechios
IA. Who was Hyperechios?
IB. Where Did He Live?
II. Exhortation to the Monks
IIA. The Text(s)
IIB. The Soul in Paraphrase, Heart in Pilgrimage: The Exhortation to the Monks
III. Omissions & Commissions
A. Preface
B. Sin
C. The Passions
1. Anger
2. Arrogance
3. Desire(s)
4. Acquiring & Possessing
5. Flesh & World
6. Thoughts
IV. The Bridal Chamber
A. Virginity: Introduction
B. The Bridegroom and the Bridal Chamber
C. The Metaphor of Marriage
D. The Metaphor of Marriage: A Reflection with The Sacrament of Love by Paul Evdokimov
V. Love’s Body: Community
1. Cattle Prod
2. An Arm Gently Around a Shoulder
3. Exultation
VI. Hyperechios and Us
A. Mitakuye Oyasin: All My Relations
B. Anyone Who Had a Heart
Chapter 2: Exhortation to the Monks by Hyperechios
A New English Translation
Key Terms and Cross-References
Exhortation to the Monks
Appendix: Another Series of Sayings Attributed to Hyperechios
Chapter 3: Exhortation to the Monks
The Greek Text
Glossary
Selected Bibliography
Indexes
About the author
Tim Vivian (Introduction, notes, and translated by) is professor emeritus of religious studies at California State University, Bakersfield, and a retired priest of the Episcopal Church. He has published, among many books,
The Life of Antony (with Apostolos N. Athanassakis, 2003),
The Holy Workshop of Virtue: The Life of Saint John the Little (with Maged S.A. Mikhail, 2010),
Becoming Fire: Through the Year with the Desert Fathers and Mothers (2009) and
The Sayings and Stories of the Desert Fathers and Mothers (vol. 1, forthcoming, 2021).
John Chryssavgis (Foreword by) is archdeacon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, theological advisor to the Ecumenical Patriarch, and a clergyman of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. He is the author of several books, including
John Climacus: From the Egyptian Desert to the Sinaite Mountain (2018) and
Primacy in the Church: The Office of Primate and the Authority of Councils, vols. 1 and 2 (2016 and 2020).
