1. Shenoute is considered a saint by the Oriental Orthodox Churches and is one of the most renowned saints of the Coptic Orthodox Church.
19 Facts About Shenoute
1. 2.
Shenoute was born in the middle of the fourth century CE.
3.
Around 385 CE, Shenoute became the father of the White Monastery in Upper Egypt.
4.
The eventual exile of Nestorius to Akhmim, Shenoute's backyard, was a testimony to the impression Shenoute had made upon the council attendees.
5.
On 7 Epip 466 CE, following a short illness possibly brought upon by advanced age, Shenoute died in the presence of his monks.
6.
From his uncle, Saint Pigol, Shenoute inherited a monastery based on the Pachomian system of cenobitic monasticism, though more austere and stringent.
7.
Shenoute implemented a more comprehensive system that was less stringent and more adaptable.
8.
Shenoute utilized the monks' time, outside prayer and worship, in more varied tasks within the monastery than the Nitrian monks were exposed to.
9.
Shenoute required all his monks and nuns to learn to read and encouraged more of them to pursue the art of writing manuscripts.
10.
Shenoute wrote in a style that was essentially his own, with writings based on a careful study of the scholastic rhetoric of his time, which displayed the wide and deep range of knowledge he possessed.
11.
In doing so Shenoute displayed an astonishing memory as he rendered these passages with amazing accuracy.
12.
Shenoute's knowledge was not confined to the Holy Bible, as was the case for the majority of the monks in Egypt.
13.
Shenoute was fluent in both Coptic and Greek, and was fairly well acquainted with Greek thought and theology.
14.
Shenoute expressed knowledge of the works of Aristotle, Aristophanes, the Platonic school, and even some of the Greek legends.
15.
Shenoute certainly read some of Saint Athanasius' works like the Life of Saint Anthony and some of his homiletic works.
16.
Shenoute knew the letters of Saint Anthony, some of the letters of Saint Pachomius, and most likely some of the works of Evagrius.
17.
The writing of Saint Shenoute can be grouped into four categories:.
18.
Shenoute further developed a style that is clearly a product of careful study of the scholastic Greek rhetoric of his time.
19.
Shenoute was responsible for collecting his own literary works into two collections, which were then transmitted.