We hope you had a restful couple of days away from the saintly electoral process, because we're back for another full week of exciting Lent Madness action. On Friday, just to catch you up, Theodora the Empress roundly defeated Theodora of Alexandria 75% to 25% to advance to the Saintly Sixteen, where she'll face Albert the Great.
Sometimes the Saintly Smackdown involves well-known saints. The kind of familiar names and images you may see embedded in stained glass or molded into statuary in your own parish church. And at other times, Lent Madness features Evagrius the Solitary vs. Euphrosyne. Today is one of the latter days and, as always, we enjoy introducing lesser-known saintly souls to the Lent Madness faithful. Whether or not you've heard of today's competitors, enjoy the ride!
Oh, and go vote.
Evagrius the Solitary
Evagrius the Solitary (345-399), also known as Evagrius Ponticus, was born to a country bishop in the region of Pontus in Asia Minor. His life intersected with and impacted many of “the greats” we know today. Evagrius was ordained a lector by Basil the Great. He traveled to Constantinople and was ordained a deacon by Gregory of Nazianzus around 380. He became a protégé of Gregory when he went the way of the Jerry Falwell Jrs. of the world and became embroiled in scandal.
In Constantinople, the handsome Evagrius had an affair with a married woman and had to flee when he was warned in a vision of her husband’s impending revenge. Evagrius sauntered the streets of the Holy City until he had a mental and physical breakdown, ultimately finding refuge and the restoration of his health in a monastery in Jerusalem in 383.
It is only then, around the age of thirty-eight, that Evagrius left the monastery in Jerusalem to become a semi-eremetical monk in Nitria and later Kellia in Egypt. In this monastic arrangement, monks lived in individual residences under the supervision of an abba. Over the next sixteen years, Evagrius became a renowned spiritual teacher to this community of monks. His writings and teachings had significant influence on the development of western monasticism through translations from Greek to Latin and through his ardent admirer John Cassian, who, in turn, would significantly shape the Rule of Benedict of Nursia.
While Evagrius left many works, one of the most interesting (to me, anyway) is Talking Back, a treatise on the tactics needed to defeat the eight demons that undermine monastic life: gluttony, fornication, love of money, sadness, anger, listlessness, vainglory, and pride. This book is a collection of 498 biblical passages that a monk can use to “talk back” and cut off the demon. Evagrius is especially pointed on the demon called Love of Money. He argues that monks shouldn’t confuse sufficiency with economic security and that they should live on the edge of poverty, giving any surplus to the poor.
Evagrius was rigorous and relentless in his thought and practice. Indeed, his bodily regimen proved to be so harsh that he exhausted his health within a span of just a few years. He died on the feast of Epiphany in 399 just sixteen years after arriving at the monastery in Nitria and Kellia.
Collect for Evagrius the Solitary
O God, whose blessed Son became poor that we through his poverty might be rich: Deliver us from an inordinate love of this world, that, inspired by the devotion of your servant Evagrius, we may serve you with singleness of heart, and attain to the riches of the age to come; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Euphrosyne
Many saints are born into wealthy families. It goes without saying that they are devout followers of Christ. It is also common for them to leave their wealthy, privileged lives when their families arrange a marriage that is distasteful. These saints all seem to be strong-willed, have a clear calling for God in their lives, and deeply want to serve rather than be served.
Saint Euphrosyne of Alexandria is no different. Born in fifth-century Alexandria, Egypt, Euphrosyne’s parents were an older, wealthy couple who had been unable to have children. They called on the abbot of the local monastery to pray over their infertility. Shortly after that, Euphrosyne was welcomed with joy and awe and as a sign of a miracle from God. However, her mother died shortly thereafter, and she was brought up by her pious father, who took her to the local monastery for reading, writing, and theology.
Like many other girls of her time, she was promised to another family of equal social station in Alexandria, and her dad began planning the wedding festivities. Euphrosyne was not pleased. And so she prayed. Her prayers led her to a decision to run away to the local monastery (the same one that prayed for her birth), dress as a male, take on the tonsure, take on a new name of Smaragdus, and proceed to perfect an ascetic life. The word “Smaragdus” means emerald, and Euphrosyne is also known as “The Emerald of God.”
People would pilgrimage from all over to learn from Smaragdus how to pray and center their lives solely on God. One of those individuals that traveled to the monastery to learn at the feet of Smaragdus was a man called Paphnutius. He was Euphrosyne’s father but did not recognize Smaragdus in the habit and tonsure.
This deception weighed on Smaragdus’s soul, and nearing death, Smaragdus told Paphnutius their identity. This commitment to Christ and willingness to serve God touched Paphnutius’s heart, and he, too, was called to take up the tonsure and habit and live out the rest of his days in the same monastery.
In honor of this ministry and witness, the church recognizes the feast of Saint Euphrosyne of Alexandria on September 25.
Collect for Euphrosyne
Merciful God, who looks not with outward eyes but discerns the heart of each: we confess that those whom we love the most are often strangers to us. Give to all parents and children, we pray, the grace to see one another as they truly are and as you have called them to be. All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our only mediator and advocate. Amen.
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119 comments on “Evagrius the Solitary vs. Euphrosyne”
Evagrius was a big “no” for me. He struggled with his inner demons because of his privileged upbringing. I voted “yes” struggled as an adoptive child and urged into a marriage through her privileged father. Although I understand that this was the custom in those days and in many cultures of G*d’s world today, I do not agree with arranged marriage.
Euphrosyne may have dressed as a man and pretended to be one to avoid rape--for the same reason Joan of Arc wore men's clothing (and was burned at the stake partly for doing so). Male clergy have traditionally viewed convents as their own private brothels--and in some areas of the world still do.
Thank you to all those who related Euphrosyne/Smaragdus to those who find themselves in the "wrong body", so to speak. I have a transgender godson and so I'm voting for Euphrosyne/Smaragdus in honor of him.
Sorry to be a downer but this year's saints seem so minor I find it hard to care about them. Today is a prime example. Have loved Lent Madness in the past but this year not as much. Maybe some non-halo winners from the past could be resurrected?
I am loving learning about these obscure saints!
They do bring back non-winners, and there are only so many well-known saints. I don't always find these obscure saints as inspiring as the better-known ones, but I enjoy learning about them, and I especially enjoy the insightful comments.
Didn’t need to read any comments to make you decision today even though I hadn’t heard of these people before. The more I read of Evagrius the more I hoped Euphrosyne was a woman I could vote for. And she was!!!! A well deserved vote from another only child who was with her father.
It has to be Euphrosyne for me--her feast day is my birthday! And I remember how blessed it was to get to know my parents more when I became an adult. That knowledge has enriched and informed my life ever since.
Evagrius the Solitary (Evagrius Ponticus) gets my vote because I think theologians are special. But this guy is REALLY special. His choice of the ascetic life included eating only once a day without consuming fruit, meat or vegetables or any cooked food and never taking a bath, a real time saver. Evagrius rigorously tried to avoid teaching beyond the spiritual maturity of his audiences (excellent practice). He taught that tears were the utmost sign of true repentance and that weeping, even for days at a time, opened one up to God. His esoteric speculations regarding the pre-existence of human souls may have been a little over the top but no one is perfect.
No cooked food when grains are the only thing left on your list means eating raw oats your entire life, maybe with some fresh milk to soften them. Bleeech. Still, never taking a bath was probably much more efficacious at preventing fornication than the "talking back" manual.
I was trying to think what was left on the list of acceptable edibles. Grains (not a timesaver if you are eating them uncooked because of the amount of chewing needed), raw milk and eggs, nuts and seeds. That's about it. And not taking a bath probably meant he had no problems avoiding minor sins like gossiping, because nobody would get near him.
I vote for Euphrosyne because I can’t condone starvation as a path to God. The lives of the early saints, their legends, at least, often seem voyeuristic in their details of torture and self-mortification. Jesus incarnated in a human body, but loving that we are in our bodies still challenges so many of us. Perhaps Euphrosyne/Smaragdus was transgender. Who knows, but she seemed to thrive on her chosen life. In light of the comment of a certain Senator from Kentucky last week about transgender people, my vote goes to them!
There's a Damascus in Virginia, due east, so perhaps that sin-blinded Paul should take a road there. However, since that road is the Jeb Stuart Highway, the odds of anyone seeing the light while travelling thither are essentially nil.
Having been through many childless years myself, I thought how miraculous Euphrosyne’s birth must have been to her parents. I wonder what her name means; we named our miracle “Grace.” For the resonance of her story with my own, I voted for Euphrosyne.
Apparently Euphrosyne means "merriment." Very much in the vein of Isaac/laughter -- or Grace.
Thanks, svp!
The collect for Euphrosyne did it for me. I very much enjoyed the comments. Thank you all for your insights today.
If ever I was tempted to be a less than honest practitioner of Lent Madness, today would be the day. I could easily have voted for both Euphrosyne and Evargrius if they were each up against other people. Had to drink and extra strong cup of tea from my Lent Madness travel mug while I deliberated. In the end Evargrius won out. My sermon series for Lent is using stories of healing in Matthew's gospel. This week the theme is on mental health healing and wholeness. The comments in his bio about Evargrius' healing from physical and mental breakdown tipped the balance for my vote today.
I'm voting for Euphrosyne.
I'm part of a group that does a weekly Taizé style liturgy of prayer, worship, & meditation on Zoom. We have been reading through Kathleen Norris' The Cloister Walk and the recent weeks have covered the chapter on the virgin martyrs. And while Euphrosyne did not lay down her earthly life, she did give up her life of wealth and privilege to live out the vowed life of poverty and chastity in disguise to follow a calling that otherwise might not have been allowed her at that time because of her gender and her father's wedding plans. And going to a convent wouldn't mean that she wouldn't be found and returned home to face an unwanted arranged marriage by force.
I may be confused, but I don't wee transgender in Euphrosyne's actions. I am not sure what the female equivalent of drag queen is, but according to the writeup she did not question her gender just her opportunities as a woman. So she put on men's clothes and did her hair up as a monk would. Maybe today with women wearing pants and suits that resemble a man's attire there could be the equivalent to Euphrosyne's.
yes i agree
Smaragdus chose a man's name and lived as a man. That's more than just changing ones hair and wearing men's clothes. With as little information as we have, it's equally valid to assume that she was hiding in fear, or that he was living the life he chose. I'll choose the more positive interpretation.
As a scholar of church history, I am wary of anachronistically project modern concepts (like "Trans" saint) onto the people of early Church. All we know is that Euphrosyne (whom I voted voted for) left her father's home after he offered her in marriage without consulting her (common practice then) and that she posed as a man to become part of a monastery, which she could not openly do as a woman. We do not know whether her primarily motive was to live as a man or to join a monastic order or to avoid unwanted male attention as an unattached, itinerant woman.
To assume that she/he was trans may make us feel affirmed as LGBTI-affirming people/congregations but it is essentially no different from anti-LGBTI writers who anachronistically project their own concepts of same-sex relations as a an "abomination."
We just don't know...
*projecting
Well, I did say "equally valid." Erasing the possibility is not the solution. We don't know, but it is possible, and it is affirming (to us, today) to recognize the possibility. Most commenters here--yourself included--have used the feminine name and pronouns; why not welcome the occasional use of the masculine name and pronouns as well? For that matter, is it affirming of the Saint's own existence to use the name Smaragdus, the name the saint chose and was known by?
(Also: Hi, Ken!)
Just because transgender was not recognized or understood hundreds of years ago does not mean transgender people didn't exist. I agree with you that "we just don't know."
Also: Hi, Melanie! (I wondered if it was you)
oops -- I don't see
Talk Back is amazing so I voted for Evagius but God wants us to take care of our body so I do not think he will make others last bracket.
I’ve taught transgender kids. I was aware, and they knew I was there for support, but they just wanted to be treated as worthwhile human beings. I truly don’t think we need to assign gender roles to folks from several hundred years ago, which frames history in a 21st century context). I voted for Euphrosyne because she was wise, loving, and willing to reconcile with her father at the end (a man who may only have wanted security for his daughter by arranging a marriage as he was a traditional, older man and a single dad). Too much judging of societal mores going on in the contest this year.
Since anachronism is built into many of the stories themselves, it is hard not to be anachronistic when responding to them. People try to find a way to connect, empathy, judgements, and all.
I voted for Euphrosyne (Smaragdus, The Emerald of God). I also loved the Collect. I also could not help but think of transgender people. Last week's inquisition of the candidate for Assistant Secretary of Health by a "certain senator from Kentucky" has haunted me. The candidate was nothing other than saintly in her answers.
Evagrius the Solitary and all his humanity and faults gets my vote. Bless his heart!
Cheers to the trans saint!
Voting Evagrius today for the wisdom of his sayings and his contribution toward what we know as the Enneagram.
I was thrilled and astonished to read that there was a female bishop in 345 AD! Evagrius.....son of a bishop! Somehow, I do not think this wordage would have occurred with a female writer........
As long as the pandemic is rampant in this country, I might as well be a solitary nun. Hence my vote for Evagrius.
Another difficult choice. I really struggle to vote for extreme ascetics, but the writings... In the end I voted for Euphrosyne, but wondered if her life might have been different if she had spoken to her father about her call in the first place. Also, I loved the collect. Families can be complicated at times.
I am not going to vote today. If it was St. Euphrosyne of pototsk, she would get my vote.
But after much research ...Google?... On both our contenders, I find I can not wish advancement for either today. Although I will be reading Talking Back for insights against listlessness. Is that the same as sloth?
Voting for Euphrosyne because you just cannot make this stuff up!
Evagrius is my choice. We are all sinners and saints. I am partial to those who have known suffering, sin, repentance and redemption.
As others have said, it was Euphrosyne's collect that went straight to my heart. I am a retired family therapist who, over the years of my practice, saw so many families in turmoil because they didn't know how to love or understand how to love, understand or care for one another. I am a cradle Episcopalian. Before any session, I silently prayed that God would give me the opportunity to help heal the person or persons who were coming to see me. This was a ritual that helped me to better understand my clients' issues. Some families were successful in their willingness to understand each other; some were not. I didn't often speak about God and His love for all His children but I was able to feel His presence.
It seems that when we look back on women who live as men and view that as a means to accomplishing a goal we deem worthy - Euphrosyne living as a monk, Joan of Arc fighting for her country, the fictional characters of National Velvet as a jockey and Yentl as a scholar - we approve of the choice to bend gender norms or live as a transgender - but should someone want to live as a transgender without having some extraordinary goal that we deem worthy, it is something that frequently frown upon. In many of these cases, fictional and true, the woman did not continue to live as a man once she had accomplished what she wanted to as a man. But for Euphrosyne, it was a choice that lasted the remainder of her life, and she achieved sainthood for it (or partly for it), rather than being lambasted. Although should she have been found out, I'm not sure her choice would have been accepted.
It's very interesting to ponder.
Talking back to the devil. . . living on the edge. . .these should have done it for me. . .
So I vote for Euphrosyne, instead. Go figure! We never really know those closest to us, do we? (and yet they may be a sign of grace.)
MY VOTE IS FOR EUPHROSYNE BECAUSE OF THE WAY SHE HANDLED THINGS, INCLUDING THE PEOPLE WHO CREATED CAME TO HER SEEKING
HELP IN THEIR PRAYER LIFE, AND HOW SHE WAS FORTHRIGHT WITH HER
FATHER IN HER LAST TIMES.
Evagrius all the way! He deeply influenced Western monasticism and spirituality, but he’s all but forgotten today.