{"id":1767,"date":"2021-05-18T01:50:02","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T23:50:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/heavenuponearth.com\/?p=1767"},"modified":"2021-06-19T05:08:54","modified_gmt":"2021-06-19T03:08:54","slug":"wadi-nnatrun-and-the-origins-of-monasticism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/heavenuponearth.com\/?p=1767","title":{"rendered":"Wadi n\u2019Natrun and the Origins of Monasticism"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The geographical location:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Wadi n\u2019Natrun, in Arabic\u00a0Wadi al-Natroun<\/em>, also known as Scetis[1]<\/a>, is a valley about twenty-two miles long and five miles wide. In this valley, there are about eight salty lakes. These lakes contain varying quantities of Chloride and Sodium Carbonate[2]<\/a>. Wadi n\u2019Natrun is located in the\u00a0Egyptian\u00a0Great\u00a0Western\u00a0Desert, west of the\u00a0Nile. The valley runs between two sides of undulating hills. These hills slope down to the sandy valley which is seventy to eighty feet below the level of the Mediterranean Sea at\u00a0Alexandria.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

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II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong>The historical context:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Wadi n\u2019Natrun has a long History; Pharaonic and Christian. Otto Meinardus[4]<\/a>\u00a0wrote about the evidences that lead us to suppose that this region was considered sacred around the year 2000 B.C. Also, according to the Coptic tradition, the Holy Family visited Wadi n\u2019Natrun during their flight into\u00a0Egypt. Virgin Mary blessed the valley.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n

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After about three centuries of this blessed visit, Wadi n\u2019Natrun became one of the three basic ascetic communities in the\u00a0Egyptian\u00a0Great\u00a0Western\u00a0Desert. These three ascetic communities were Nitria, Kellia and Scetis. Scetis is located about forty miles from Kellia and about fifty two miles from Nitria.[6]<\/a>\u00a0The term \u201cScetis\u201d is sometimes used in the old sources to cover Nitria. But the term \u201cNitria\u201d is never used to cover Scetis.[7]<\/a>\u00a0The ascetic community in Nitria and Kellia were founded by Amoun[8]<\/a>. The ascetic community in Scetis or Wadi n\u2019Natrun was founded by Abba Macarius the Egyptian. By the sixth century, the rest of the ascetic community in Nitria immigrated to Kellia and Scetis.[9]<\/a>\u00a0By the ninth century, the rest of the ascetic community in Kellia immigrated to Scetis.[10]<\/a>\u00a0Finally, Scetis or Wadi n\u2019Natrun became the main center of monasticism in this area.<\/p>\n

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III.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Abba Macarius and the founding of the monastic community in Wadi n\u2019Natrun:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Abba Macarius the great (300- 390), in the sources, is called St. Macarius the Egyptian to distinguish him from his namesake, Macarius the Alexandrian. The name Macarius means “blessed”[11]<\/a>. St. Macarius the great was born in\u00a0Jijber[12]<\/strong><\/a><\/em>\u00a0around the year 300. Before becoming a monk, he was a camel driver and a gatherer of\u00a0Natroun<\/em>. Around the year 330, Macarius went to Wadi n\u2019Natrun where he first lived his ascetic life alone. Then this kind of life began to attract disciples and a small community formed.[13]<\/a><\/p>\n

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Communal Dining Room In The Monastery Of Saint Macarius The Great, Wadi El Natrun, Egypt (Photo by: Insights\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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St. Macarius visited St. Antony[14]<\/a>\u00a0twice. In the first visit, St. Antony taught Macarius his monastic tradition. And in the second,\u00a0Antony\u00a0clothed Abba Macarius in the monastic habit.[15]<\/a>\u00a0These two visits gave the reason why Macarius is called the disciple of Abba Antony[16]<\/a>. Macarius’ life filled with the heavenly wonders and signs. Year 390 is common as the year of his death[17]<\/a>, the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0of April is considered the feast day of St. Macarius in the Coptic Orthodox church[18]<\/a>. According to the Coptic tradition, Macarius is the legal inheritor to the monastic tradition of St. Antony. This inheritance gave Wadi n\u2019Natrun a special importance among the monastic studies.<\/p>\n

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IV.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0The four monasteries of Wadi n\u2019Natrun: Monastery of\u00a0al-Baramus<\/em>, Monastery of St. Macarius, Monastery of\u00a0Abba Bishoi<\/em>\u00a0and Monastery of\u00a0al-Surian<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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During the life of Abba Macarius, there were four ascetic communities raised in Wadi n\u2019Natrun.[19]<\/a>\u00a0The places of these ascetic communities are the contemporary four monasteries in Scetis. First, around the year 340, Abba Macarius himself founded the first community in the place of the monastery of\u00a0al-Baramus<\/em>.[20]<\/a>\u00a0Also, around the year 360, he founded the second in the place of the Monastery of St. Macarius.[21]<\/a>\u00a0Then, his disciples, Abba\u00a0Bishoi<\/em>\u00a0and Abba John the little, founded the other two ascetic communities. Abba\u00a0Bishoi<\/em>\u00a0founded his ascetic community in the place of the Monastery of Abba\u00a0Bishoi<\/em>. And Abba John the little founded his ascetic community in the place of the Monastery of\u00a0al-Surian<\/em>.[22]<\/a>\u00a0Among these four monasteries, the Monastery of St. Macarius represents a very significant role in the monastic history. Abba Macarius spent the rest of his life with his ascetic community in the place of this monastery.<\/p>\n

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V.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The significant role of the Monastery of St. Macarius:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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One of the reasons that gave Wadi n\u2019Natrun its importance is the significant role of the Monastery of St. Macarius in the Christian history. After the Council of Chalcedon[23]<\/a>, the whole tradition of the\u00a0school\u00a0of\u00a0Alexandria\u00a0moved to the Monastery of St. Macarius. The monastery and its library became the successor of the Theological School of Alexandria.[24]<\/a>\u00a0In the middle of the sixth century, the monastery became the official residence of the Coptic Patriarchs of Alexandria.[25]<\/a>\u00a0During the centuries of the Islamic role, the Macarian monks faced the persecution with patience. They rebuilt the old buildings in the monastery many times from the rubbish.[26]<\/a>\u00a0Some scholars argue that the Monastery of St.Macarius was the only place where the Coptic monasticism continued to be strong during some Islamic eras.[27]<\/a>\u00a0The Macarian resistance to the difficult circumstances did not protect the buildings from reaching a bad situation from the fourteen to the twentieth centuries. In 1969, Father Matthew the Poor[28]<\/a>\u00a0and his disciples went to live their ascetic life in the Monastery of Abba Macarius. Since this date, the monastery entered a very significant period of an architectural and spiritual revival.[29]<\/a><\/p>\n

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VI.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A brief about the insights which the researcher gained from many visits to the Monastery of St. Macarius in Wadi n\u2019Natrun:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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The great insight was to understand that Church History is a living history. In his classical book\u00a0“Great leaders of the Christian church”<\/em>, Moyer[30]<\/a>\u00a0wrote: \u201cChurch History can be and should be read as a story for that is exactly what it is.\u201d[31]<\/a>\u00a0A visit to Wadi n\u2019Natrun, especially to the Monastery of St. Macarius, can affirm this fact in a very clear way. The visitor can feel the flavor of the ancient centuries mixed with a very mature contemporary ascetic life. Also, the mature architectural revival stands as a witness for the mature spiritual revival. The visitor can easily understand that without a mature spiritual sense, this architectural revival could not be existed.<\/p>\n

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Bibliography<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

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