Isaiah of Gaza

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Isaiah of Gaza
BornEgypt?
Died11 August 491
Gaza
Venerated inCoptic Orthodox Church
Feast11 Abib (Coptic calendar)

Isaiah of Gaza (? – 11 August 491), also known as Isaias or Isaiah the Solitary, Abba Isaiah, or possibly also Isaiah of Scetis, was a Christian ascetic and monastic writer known from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers[1] and various Palestinian Monophysite sources.[2][3] He is canonized as a saint by the Coptic Orthodox Church, with his feast day on the 11th day of the month Abib (Epip) in the Coptic calendar.[4]

Biography[]

Although he was active in Gaza (as he was quoted by Barsanuphius of Gaza), Isaiah was a product of the Egyptian monasticism which had developed in the 4th century in the Kellia (Cells) of the desert of Scetes, where he was first a monk. He lived in Egypt during the early 400s.[4]

Abba Isaiah was also influential in bringing Christianity to Palestine.[5]

He died as a hermit in a monastery near Gaza on 11 August 491.[4]

Writings[]

Many of Isaiah's works have been lost. The Asceticon, a collection of about 30 discourses on Christian asceticism, was especially popular in the Eastern Orthodox monastic tradition, and has survived in many translations in Syriac (6th century), Coptic (6th century), Ethiopic (8th century, translation from Coptic), Armenian (8th century), Arabic, and Georgian (of which only logoi 3, 7, 23, and 27 have survived). The Syriac version of his Asceticon, which is only a partial translation of the original Greek text, has been translated into French.

Isaiah of Scetis[]

Some scholars suggest that Isaiah of Gaza and Isaiah of Scetis were in fact two different people, with the Asceticon first written by Isaiah of Scetis (d. early 5th century) and later edited by Isaiah of Gaza (d. 491).[6]

See also[]

Bibliography[]

  • Chryssavgis, John. "Abba Isaiah of Scetis: Aspects of Spiritual Direction," Studia Patristica 35 (2001): 32–40.
  • Chitty, Derwas J. "Abba Isaiah." Journal of Theological Studies n.s. 22 (1971): 47–72.
  • Regnault, Lucien. "Isaïe de Scété ou de Gaza." In Dictionnaire de spiritualité ascétique et mystique: doctrine et histoire, 7:2083–2095. Paris: G. Beauchesne et ses fils, 1932–1995.
  • Regnault, Lucien. "Isaïe de Scété ou de Gaza? Note critiques en marge d'une introduction au probleme iasïen." Revue d'ascétique et mystique 46 (1970): 33–44.

References[]

  1. ^ Ward, Benedicta (1984). The sayings of the Desert Fathers: the alphabetical collection. Kalamazoo, MI: Cistercian Publications. ISBN 0-87907-959-2.
  2. ^ "Commentaire d'Abba Isaïe, Catéchèses Aimilianos de Simonos Petra". Monastère De Solan (in French). 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  3. ^ Houdaille, Clémence (2018-03-24). "Isaïe de Gaza". La Croix (in French). Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  4. ^ a b c "Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia". Claremont Colleges Digital Library. Claremont Colleges. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
  5. ^ Harmless, William (2004). Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism. Oxford [Oxfordshire]: Oxford University Press. pp. 265–267. ISBN 0-19-516222-6.
  6. ^ "Isaiah of Scetis". e-GEDSH. Retrieved 2021-11-12.
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