ARSENIUS THE GREAT

“For a monk, if he is an ascetic, it is enough to sleep only one hour,” these words, stunning in their unconditional asceticism, belong to Arsenius the Great (354–449/450). This Egyptian ascetic, whose memory the Church celebrates on May 21 (8), lived a very long life; his biography is extremely amazing. The saint was one of the greatest desert fathers of ancient Egyptian monasticism. God-seer, prophet and teacher, a priceless set of sayings have been preserved with his name.

It is known about Arsenius that when he first appeared in the monastery of St. John the Dwarf (339–405), the brethren were eating food. Not paying attention to the newcomer, John paused, and then threw him a piece of bread on the floor with the words: “Eat if you want.” Most likely, Arsenius was internally confused. But outwardly he did not show it. Mimicking a four-legged animal, he sank to the ground and ate the offered piece. “He threw me a piece like a dog, because he knows that I am worse than dogs,” Arsenius said to himself.

This account of the lives of the desert fathers contains a stunning lesson in humility. It was perceived as such for more than one and a half millennia from the moment Arsenius himself experienced it. But I think that this is not the only issue. The key to this attitude of monks towards themselves really lies in the saint’s biography itself. To explain it, it is important to correctly understand causes and effects.

The fact is that before his appearance in the monastery, Arsenius was the tutor of the son of Emperor Theodosius the Great (379–395). However, shortly before his pupil Arcadius (395–408) was destined to ascend the throne, Arsenius boarded a ship in the direction of Alexandria in 394, so as not to ever return back. In his flight, the saint followed the command of the grace of God. The voice of the Lord told him: “If you want to be saved, Arsenius, run away from people!” From there he headed into the Libyan desert to the west of the Egyptian capital to the monasteries located there, in an area called Skete.

Just four years earlier, Theodosius had brutally suppressed a popular revolt in Thessalonica. At least 7 thousand people died at the hands of the military. The emperor took responsibility and only the firmness of the Milan Bishop Ambrose (340–397) forced him to bring public repentance. The appearance of Arsenius in the monasteries could become a real test for the monks. After all, the reaction of the imperial court could have been unexpected. In this context, the gesture of John the Dwarf with the brethren revealed not so much a desire to humble, but rather despair. Arsenius’ answer was dictated not only by humility, but by empathy and understanding.

Arsenius the Great was the exact same age as another great Father of the Church of that time - Augustine (354-430). Most likely, they knew about each other. After all, both, in moments of secular glory, in the same era, came into contact with emperors. But their destinies, so different initially, suddenly, by the predestination of God, were directed towards the One who is called Light in Scripture (John 8:12). Even earlier than Arsenius, in 388 Augustine left Rome on a ship and fled to Carthage. Like Arsenius, he followed the words of the Lord. Augustine was baptized in Milan in 387 by Ambrose, who humbled Theodosius. In his work “On the City of God”, in Latin “De Civitate Dei”, dedicated to the greatest tragedy of that time - the fall of Rome in 410, as the overwhelming majority of Christians then perceived this event, Augustine criticized Constantine the Great for founding a city named after him, Constantinople, and he praised Theodosius for his ability to be a Christian.

Augustine saw his future life in the monastery. However, in 391, when he accidentally appeared in the church of the city of Hippo Regius, he was captured by the parishioners, Bishop Valery immediately ordained him as a priest. In 394, when Theodosius fled to Egypt, Augustine became a bishop. As a kind of compensation for his forced ordination, he received permission from the bishop to found a monastery at the city’s cathedral. Subsequently, many representatives of the intellectual and administrative elite of that time joined it, later they became bishops. The monastic Rule he created shaped the religious civilization of the West.

The words of the Lord, which Augustine followed in his flight, sounded: “Take and read.” Take the Bread of His Body, read the Scripture. Read and preach the word of God, carefully teach the Eucharist to His People. This is the method of grace. Thus, with His hand, God guided two great peers, teachers by vocation, Augustine and Arsenius, along the paths that He Himself, sovereignly and irresponsibly, by the Holy Spirit, determined for common salvation in Jesus Christ.