Evagrius Ponticus, called Evagrius the Solitary, was a Christian monk and ascetic from Heraclea, a city on the coast of Bithynia in Asia Minor.
15 Facts About Evagrius Ponticus
2.
Evagrius Ponticus left a promising ecclesiastical career in Constantinople and traveled to Jerusalem, where in 383 AD he became a monk at the monastery of Rufinus and Melania the Elder.
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Evagrius Ponticus then went to Egypt and spent the remaining years of his life in Nitria and Kellia, marked by years of asceticism and writing.
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Evagrius Ponticus was a disciple of several influential contemporary church leaders, including Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Macarius of Egypt.
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Evagrius Ponticus was a teacher of others, including John Cassian and Palladius of Galatia.
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Evagrius Ponticus was born into a Christian family in the small town of Ibora, modern-day Iveronu, Erbaa in the late Roman province of Helenopontus.
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Evagrius Ponticus was educated in Neocaesarea, where he was ordained as a lector under Basil the Great.
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When Emperor Theodosius I convened the Second Ecumenical Council in 381, Evagrius Ponticus was present, despite Gregory's premature departure.
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Evagrius Ponticus apparently took special care of his dress, and spent much of his time sauntering through the streets of the cosmopolitan Holy City.
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Evagrius Ponticus fell gravely ill and only after he confessed his troubles to Melania, and accepted her instruction to become a monk was he restored to health.
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Evagrius Ponticus ate only once a day and did not consume fruit, meat or vegetables or any cooked food.
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Evagrius Ponticus did not sleep more than third of a night and devoted much time to contemplation and prayer.
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Evagrius Ponticus rigorously tried to avoid teaching beyond the spiritual maturity of his audiences.
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Evagrius Ponticus developed a comprehensive list in AD 375 of eight evil thoughts, or eight terrible temptations, from which all sinful behavior springs.
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Evagrius Ponticus taught that tears were the utmost sign of true repentance and that weeping, even for days at a time, opened one up to God.