Apophthegmata Patrum
Apophthegmata Patrum, lit. “sayings” or “aphorisms of the Fathers,” derived from the verb ἀπό + φθέγγω (apó + phthéngō) “making a sound.” The collections of these sayings belong to a literary genre that grew out of the experiences of eremitic existence in the desert. They flourished first in the Greek and Latin-speaking areas of the 4th century and then in all languages of the Christian Orient as far as Sogdiana in central Asia. The collections, which originally were close to the lived experiences and were full of proper names, became more didactic in the course of time and lost their historicity. The proper names disappeared, and the statements were arranged according to virtues and vices. These systematized collections were again taken up in series arranged according to name. In the 7th century the genre became a literarily fixed entity, with John Moschus as the last creative representative. Many hagiographic stories are nothing more than expanded apophthegmata that became ψυχωφέλεις ἱστορίαι (psychōphéleis historíai), stories useful for the soul. The history of research in this area is long and varied. In 1615, H. Rosweyde published the six best-known Latin collections in Vitae Patrum. His lists are still useful today. Most of these collections have been edited in the meantime, and indeed in all the ancient languages of the Christian Orient. Nevertheless, some still remain unpublished, among them especially the oldest Greek and Syrian collections. They are not arranged alphabetically or according to particular points of view, and the proper names there are still quite numerous. C. Faraggiana is working with the Greek edition in Göttingen and Bologna, and M. van Esbroeck with the oldest Syrian collections in Munich.
Michel van Esbroeck
Bibliography
Sources:
J.C. Guy, ed., SC 387, 1993"
For citation - Esbroeck, Michel van. "Apophthegmata Patrum." Religion Past and Present. Brill Online, 2013. Reference. Columbia University. 14 October 2013 <http ://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/religion-past-and-present/apophthegmata-patrum-SIM_00918>
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