- Also called:
- Macarius the Great
- Born:
- 300 ce, Upper Egypt
- Died:
- 390 ce, Scete Desert, Egypt (aged 90)
- Subjects Of Study:
- Egypt
- monasticism
- mysticism
Macarius the Egyptian
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Who was Macarius the Egyptian?
Macarius the Egyptian (c. 300–390 CE) was an Egyptian monk and ascetic who promoted monasticism in Egypt, influencing its development throughout Christendom. Around the age of 30, he retired to the desert of Scete, living as a hermit for 60 years and gaining followers due to his wisdom, who called him "the aged youth." Ordained as a priest around 340 CE, he was known for his spiritual conferences and asceticism, rivaling Saint Anthony of Egypt. Bishop Lucius of Alexandria exiled Macarius for opposing Arianism, but he later returned to the desert until his death.
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Where and when did Macarius the Egyptian live?
Macarius the Egyptian was born in Upper Egypt around 300 CE and died in 390 CE in the Scete Desert, Egypt. He was a monk and ascetic, considered one of the Desert Fathers, who promoted monasticism in Egypt and influenced its development throughout Christendom. Around the age of 30, Macarius went to the desert of Scete, where he lived as a hermit for 60 years. He was known for his judgment and discernment, and his followers called him "the aged youth." He was ordained as a priest around 340 and was known for his spiritual conferences and instructions.
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What is Macarius the Egyptian known for?
Macarius the Egyptian, who lived from approximately 300 to 390 CE, was an Egyptian monk and ascetic. As one of the Desert Fathers, he championed monasticism in Egypt, influencing its development throughout Christendom. He gained recognition for his wisdom and spiritual conferences, rivaling Saint Anthony of Egypt. Macarius was briefly exiled for opposing Arianism. A collection of mystical theology is considered a classic.
Note that some later writings were incorrectly attributed to him, including the popular Spiritual Homilies.
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How did Macarius the Egyptian contribute to the development of monasticism?
Macarius the Egyptian, one of the Desert Fathers, significantly advanced the ideal of monasticism in Egypt, influencing its development throughout Christendom. Living as a hermit in the Scete Desert for 60 years, he gained followers due to his wisdom, earning the title "the aged youth".
As a priest, Macarius was known for his spiritual conferences and asceticism, rivaling Saint Anthony of Egypt. His spiritual doctrine emphasized mystical development through physical labor, discipline, and meditation, seeking inner tranquility through a vision of light. Although the "Macarian writings" weren't solely his work, they contained the essence of his teachings.
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What are some important stories or teachings associated with him?
Macarius the Egyptian was a monk and ascetic who lived in the Scete Desert. He was known for his wisdom and spiritual conferences, which earned him the moniker "the aged youth" and a reputation rivaling Saint Anthony of Egypt.
Macarius was banished for opposing Arianism. His spiritual doctrine emphasized mystical development through physical labor, discipline, and meditation, seeking inner tranquility via a vision of light.
A collection of 50 Spiritual Homilies are often attributed to Macarius, though likely recorded and expanded by a colleague. These writings influenced devotional writers and even John Wesley, who published an English version.
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Why is Macarius the Egyptian still remembered and honored today?
Macarius the Egyptian is remembered and honored today for his role as one of the Desert Fathers, who greatly influenced the development of monasticism in Egypt and throughout Christendom. His wisdom and spiritual conferences earned him the title "the aged youth," and he was known for his powers of prophecy and healing.
Though the only work definitively attributed to him is a letter, To the Friends of God, a collection of Spiritual Homilies (likely recorded and attributed to him posthumously) has had lasting influence. These writings, with their doctrine of mystical development of the soul, appealed to Lutheran devotional writers and even influenced John Wesley's hymn writing.
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Macarius the Egyptian (born 300 ce, Upper Egypt—died 390 ce, Scete Desert, Egypt; feast day January 15) was a monk and ascetic who, as one of the Desert Fathers, advanced the ideal of monasticism in Egypt and influenced its development throughout Christendom. A written tradition of mystical theology under his name is considered a classic of its kind.
About the age of 30 Macarius retired to the desert of Scete, where for 60 years he lived as a hermit among the scattered settlements of other solitaries. He won the confidence of numerous followers who, because of his unusual judgment and discernment, called him “the aged youth.”
He was ordained priest c. 340 after gaining a reputation for extraordinary powers of prophecy and healing. In his priestly function of presiding at the monks’ worship, Macarius also acquired fame for his eloquent spiritual conferences and instructions. Contemporary commentators referred to his proficiency in asceticism and contemplative experience, rivaling in influence the monastic patriarch of the East, Saint Anthony of Egypt.
About 374 Bishop Lucius of Alexandria banished Macarius to an island in the Nile for his determined opposition to Arianism, the heretical doctrine holding that Christ was essentially a composite of created natures, human and spiritual (demigod). He returned from exile and remained in the desert until his death.
The only literary work ascribed to Macarius is a letter, To the Friends of God, addressed to younger monks. His spiritual doctrine is not the cultivated speculative thought circulated by the eminent 3rd-century theologian Origen of Alexandria, but, as with the doctrine of the monk Anthony, it is a learning derived from primitive monasticism’s “book of nature.” The essence of his spiritual theology is the doctrine (with Neoplatonic traces) of the mystical development of the soul that has been formed in the image of God. By physical and intellectual labour, bodily discipline, and meditation, the spirit can serve God and find tranquillity through an inner experience of the divine presence in the form of a vision of light.
A body of literature incorrectly ascribed to Macarius alone is found in later manuscripts. The most popular of these “Macarian writings” is a collection of 50 Spiritual Homilies. They possibly were recorded in expanded form by a monastic colleague and attributed to Macarius after his death.
The Macarian literature appealed to certain Lutheran devotional writers, such as Johann Arndt in the 16th century and Arnold Gottfried in the early 18th century. John Wesley, the 18th-century founder of the Methodist Church, published an English version of 22 of the Spiritual Homilies, which influenced his hymn writing.
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The Macarian literature is contained in Patrologia Graeca (ed., J.-P. Migne; vol. 34, 1857–66). Pseudo-Macarius, The Fifty Spiritual Homilies and the Great Letter (ed. and trans., George A. Maloney, S.J.; 1992), is another important collection of the Macarian writings.