What can the lives of saints tell us about history? The case of the Coptic Life of Aaron

• Authors: Ewa Wipszycka

Abstracts

EN

The excellent work done by J. Dijkstra and J. Van der Vliet, who edited an important hagiographic text with a huge introduction and a huge commentary, prompted the author of the present paper to walk in their footsteps and to propose some corrections or supplements concerning the date of the composition of the text, the procedure of the election and ordination of bishops, the beginnings of monasticism in the region of the First Cataract. The Life of Aaron is a reliable source for the history of the Church of the 6th century (or rather the last part of it), not of the 4th century, as the anonymous author would suggest. On the other hand its picture of monasticism is made up of stereotypes derived from literary works concerning monks. From it we cannot learn anything about monks living near Syene.

Keywords

EN

Athanasius; bishops of Philae; ceremonies of episcopal ordinations; end of paganism; Nubians

• Publisher: Fundacja im. Rafała Taubenschlaga
• Journal: The Journal of Juristic Papyrology
• Year: 2021
• Issue: 51
• Pages: 105-117

Dates

published

2021

Contributors

author

Ewa Wipszycka

• University of Warsaw

Identifiers

DOI

10.36389/uw.jjurp.51.2021.pp.105-117

Biblioteka Nauki

2083415