142

having been diligently instructed by philosophers, he was also exceedingly zealous in divine matters and happened to be good towards his neighbors. The church of Rhinocorura, having obtained such leaders from the beginning, has not ceased from that time until our own, and even now, using their ordinances and producing good men; and the clergy there have a common dwelling, table, and all other things. 6.32.1 But indeed Palestine also flourished with the communities of monastic men. For most of those whom I enumerated in the reign of Constantius were still living, adorning this discipline, while others, through association with them, advanced to the height of virtue and were added to the greater glory of the monasteries there. 6.32.2 Among these were Hesychas, the companion of Hilarion, and Epiphanius, who later became bishop of Salamis in Cyprus. 6.32.3 Hesychas pursued the philosophic life where his teacher also was, but Epiphanius did so around the village of Besanduc, whence he was, in the district of Eleutheropolis. From his youth he was instructed by the best monks, and for this reason spent a very long time in Egypt, and became most distinguished for his monastic philosophy among both the Egyptians and the Palestinians, and after this also among the Cyprians, by whom he was chosen to be bishop of the metropolis of the island. 6.32.4 Whence, I think, he is most renowned throughout, so to speak, the whole world. For as he was ordained in a crowd and in a large coastal city and engaged in civil affairs with as much virtue as he possessed, he quickly became known to citizens and all sorts of foreigners, to some who saw and had experience of his way of life, and to others who learned from them. 6.32.5 Before his departure to Cyprus, he was still living in Palestine during the present reign, at which time Salamanes and Fuscon and Malachion and Crispion, who were brothers, were greatly distinguished in the monasteries there; they practiced the philosophic life around Bethelea, a village in the district of Gaza. 6.32.6 For indeed they were also nobles from that region. And they had Hilarion as a teacher of this philosophy, from whom it is said that once, as they were going home together, Malachion was somehow seized from their midst and disappeared, and then suddenly reappeared, walking the same road with his brothers, but died not long after, being still young, yet in virtue of life and love of God, not inferior to those who had grown old in philosophy. 6.32.7 And Ammonius lived about ten stades away from them, around Capharcobra, a village of Gaza from which he derived his origin, a man who lived most accurately and manfully in the ascetic life. 6.32.8 But Silvanus, who, it is said, was seen to be ministered to by angels on account of his exceeding virtue, being a Palestinian, was at that time, I think, still pursuing philosophy in Egypt; but later, having spent a short time on Mount Sinai, after this he established in Gerar, in the torrent, a very great and most distinguished community of many good men; of which, after him, the divine Zacharias became the leader. 6.33.1 From here one must go to Syria and the Persians who are neighbors of the Syrians; who indeed increased in number, vying with those who pursued philosophy in Egypt. At that time, among the Nisibenes, around the mountain called Sigaron, Battheus and Eusebius and Barges and Halas and Abbo, and Lazarus who became a bishop, and Abdaleos and Zeno and Heliodorus the elder were especially distinguished. 6.33.2 These they also called 'grazers,' having recently begun this kind of philosophy; and they name them thus, because they have no houses, nor eat bread or cooked food, nor drink wine, but dwelling in the mountains they always bless God in prayers and hymns according to the custom of the church. 6.33.3 And when the time for food comes, as if grazing, each one holding a sickle, they wander about the mountain and feed on herbs. And some pursued philosophy in this way, but in Carrhae, Eusebius, who practiced philosophy in voluntary confinement, and Protogenes, who administered the church there after Vitus, the then bishop, that Vitus who

142

φιλοσοφοῦσιν ἐπιμελῶς παιδευθεὶς καὶ περὶ τὸ θεῖον ὅτι μάλιστα προθύμως ἐσπούδαζε καὶ πρὸς 6.31.11 τοὺς πέλας ἀγαθὸς ἐτύγχανεν. ἡ μὲν ῾Ρινοκορούρων ἐκκλησία τοιούτων ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡγεμόνων ἐπιτυχοῦσα οὐ διέλιπεν ἐξ ἐκείνου μέχρι καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς καὶ εἰσέτι νῦν τοῖς ἐκείνων χρωμένη θεσμοῖς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας φέρουσα· κοινὴ δέ ἐστι τοῖς αὐτόθι κληρικοῖς οἴκησίς τε καὶ τράπεζα καὶ τἆλλα πάντα. 6.32.1 Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Παλαιστίνη μοναχῶν ἀνδρῶν διατριβαῖς ἤνθει. οἵ τε γὰρ πλείους ὧν ἐν τῇ Κωνσταντίου βασιλείᾳ ἀπηριθμησάμην, ἔτι περιῆσαν ταύτην τὴν ἐπιστήμην σεμνύνοντες, οἱ δὲ ταῖς αὐτῶν συνουσίαις εἰς ἄκρον ἀρετῆς ἐπέδοσαν καὶ εἰς εὔκλειαν μείζονα τοῖς ἐνθάδε φροντιστηρίοις 6.32.2 προσετέθησαν. ὧν ἦν ῾Ησυχᾶς ὁ ῾Ιλαρίωνος ἑταῖρος καὶ ᾿Επιφάνιος ὁὕστερον Σαλαμῖνος τῆς Κύπρου γενόμενος ἐπίσκοπος. ἐφιλοσόφησε δὲ 6.32.3 ῾Ησυχᾶς μὲν οὗ καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος, ᾿Επιφάνιος δὲ ἀμφὶ Βησανδούκην κώμην ὅθεν ἦν, νομοῦ ᾿Ελευθεροπόλεως. ἐκ νέου δὲ ὑπὸ μοναχοῖς ἀρίστοις παιδευθεὶς καὶ τούτου χάριν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ πλεῖστον διατρίψας χρόνον, ἐπισημότατος ἐπὶ μοναστικῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ γέγονε παρά τε Αἰγυπτίοις καὶ Παλαιστίνοις, μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ Κυπρίοις, παρ' οἷς ᾑρέθη τῆς μητροπόλεως 6.32.4 τῆς νήσου ἐπισκοπεῖν. ὅθεν οἶμαι μᾶλλον κατὰ πᾶσαν ὡς εἰπεῖν τὴν ὑφ' ἥλιον ἀοιδιμώτατός ἐστιν. ὡς ἐν ὁμίλῳ γὰρ καὶ πόλει μεγάλῃ τε καὶ παράλῳ ἱερωμένος καὶ μεθ' ὅσης ἀρετῆς εἶχε πολιτικοῖς ἐμβαλὼν πράγμασιν, ἀστοῖς καὶ ξένοις παντοδαποῖς γνώριμος ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἐγένετο, τοῖς μὲν θεασαμένοις καὶ πεῖραν λαβοῦσι τῆς αὐτοῦ πολιτείας, τοῖς δὲ παρὰ τούτων 6.32.5 πυθομένοις. πρὸ δὲ τῆς εἰς Κύπρον ἀποδημίας ἔτι ἐν Παλαιστίνῃ διέτριβεν ἐπὶ τῆς παρούσης ἡγεμονίας, ἡνίκα δὴ ἐν τοῖς τῇδε φροντιστηρίοις εὖ μάλα διέπρεπον Σαλαμάνης τε καὶ Φούσκων καὶ Μαλαχίων καὶ Κρισπίων ἀδελφοί· ἐφιλοσόφουν δὲ ἀμφὶ Βηθελέαν κώμην τοῦ νομοῦ Γάζης. καὶ γὰρ δὴ 6.32.6 καὶ εὐπατρίδαι τῶν ἔνθεν ἦσαν. διδασκάλου δὲ ταύτης τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἔτυχον ῾Ιλαρίωνος, ἀφ' οὗ λέγεταί ποτε τούτων ἅμα οἴκοι ἀπιόντων ἐκ μέσου ἁρπαγῆναί πως τὸν Μαλαχίωνα καὶ ἀφανῆ γενέσθαι, ἐξαπίνης τε πάλιν ἀναφανῆναι, τὴν αὐτὴν ὁδὸν συμβαδίζοντα τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, μετ' οὐ πολὺ δὲ ἀποβιῶναι, νέον μὲν ἔτι ὄντα, τῶν γεγηρακότων δὲ ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ 6.32.7 κατ' ἀρετὴν βίου καὶ θεοφίλειαν οὐ λειπόμενον. καὶ ᾿Αμμώνιος δὲ ὡσεὶ δέκα σταδίοις τούτων διεστὼς ᾤκει ἀμφὶ Χαφαρχόνβραν, κώμην Γαζαίαν ἀφ' ἧς τὸ γένος εἶχεν, ἀνὴρ ἀκριβῶς ὅτι μάλιστα καὶ ἀνδρείως ἐν τῇ ἀσκήσει 6.32.8 διαγενόμενος. Σιλβανὸς δέ, ὃν διὰ τὴν ἄγαν ἀρετὴν ὑπὸ ἀγγέλων ὑπη6.32.8 ρετούμενον θεαθῆναι λόγος, Παλαιστῖνος ὢν ἔτι οἶμαι κατὰ τὴν Αἴγυπτον ἐφιλοσόφει τότε· ὕστερον δὲ ἐν τῷ Σιναίῳ ὄρει ὀλίγον διατρίψας, μετὰ τοῦτο τὴν ἐν Γεράροις ἐν τῷ χειμάρρῳ μεγίστην τε καὶ ἐπισημοτάτην πλείστων ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν συνοικίαν συνεστήσατο· ἧς μετ' αὐτὸν ἡγήσατο Ζαχαρίας ὁ θεσπέσιος. 6.33.1 ᾿Εντεῦθεν δὲ ἐπὶ Συρίαν καὶ Πέρσας τοὺς Σύρων ὁμόρους ἰτέον· οἳ δὴ πρὸς πλῆθος ἐπέδωκαν, τοῖς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ φιλοσοφοῦσιν ἁμιλλώμενοι. διέπρεπον δὲ ὅτι μάλιστα τότε παρὰ μὲν Νισιβηνοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸ Σιγάρον καλούμενον ὄρος Βαθθαῖος καὶ Εὐσέβιος καὶ Βαργῆς καὶ ῾Αλᾶς καὶ ᾿Αββῶς, Λάζαρός τε ὁ γεγονὼς ἐπίσκοπος καὶ ᾿Αβδάλεως καὶ Ζήνων καὶ ῾Ηλιό6.33.2 δωρος ὁ γέρων. τούτους δὲ καὶ βοσκοὺς ἀπεκάλουν, ἔναγχος τῆς τοιαύτης φιλοσοφίας ἄρξαντας· ὀνομάζουσι δὲ αὐτοὺς ὧδε, καθότι οὔτε οἰκήματα ἔχουσιν οὔτε ἄρτον ἢ ὄψον ἐσθίουσιν οὔτε οἶνον πίνουσιν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ὄρεσι διατρίβοντες ἀεὶ τὸν θεὸν εὐλογοῦσιν ἐν εὐχαῖς καὶ ὕμνοις κατὰ θεσμὸν τῆς ἐκκλησίας. τροφῆς δὲ ἡνίκα γένηται καιρός, καθάπερ νεμόμενοι, 6.33.3 ἅρπην ἔχων ἕκαστος, ἀνὰ τὸ ὄρος περιιόντες τὰς βοτάνας σιτίζονται. καὶ οἱ μὲν ὧδε ἐφιλοσόφουν, ἐν Κάραις δὲ Εὐσέβιος, ὃς ἐν τῷ ἐθελοντὴς καθεῖρχθαι ἐφιλοσόφει, καὶ Πρωτογένης, ὃς τὴν αὐτόθι ἐκκλησίαν ἐπετρόπευσε μετὰ Βῖτον τὸν τότε ἐπίσκοπον, Βῖτον ἐκεῖνον τὸν