Lives of Saints - St. Evagrios of the Philokalia

“I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before me. “You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me, and showing loving kindness to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. “You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. You shall labor six days, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to Yahweh your God. You shall not do any work in it, you, nor your son, nor your daughter, your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your livestock, nor your stranger who is within your gates; for in six days Yahweh made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day; therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day, and made it holy. “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Yahweh your God gives you. “You shall not murder. “You shall not commit adultery. “You shall not steal. “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

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	Lives of Saints - St. Evagrios of the Philokalia

St. Evagrios of the Philokalia

In our Orthodox Church we have two Saints by the name Evagrios. Saint Evagrios commemorated on the 18th of January.

The name Evagrios is derived from the ancient Greek word "agrevo " meaning "to fish". The name therefore refers to the person whom God has caught with ease and who by the grace of God in turn is able with ease to become a fisher of men like the Disciples were.

The most well known Evagrios in the history of the Church is Evagrios of the Philokalia.

The wise and well educated Evagrios was born in 345 AD in Pontos. He was tonsured a reader by St Basil the Great and ordained a Deacon by St Gregory of Nissa, brother of St Basil the Great. He was appointed Archdeacon to St Gregory the Theologian when he was the Patriarch of Constantinople.

He accompanied St Gregory the Theologian at the 2nd Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 381 AD.

Evagrios was a man of superior intellect as was recognised by St Nikodimos the Athonite.

Following a brief stay at Jerusalem, in 383 AD he moved to Egypt were he remained for the last 16 years of his life. His spiritual fathers in Egypt were St Makarios of Alexandria and St Makarios the Egyptian. Through these spiritual fathers he came into contact with the first generation of the fathers of the wilderness in its most pure spiritual form. After a couple of years in Nitria where he became a monk, he moved to the most isolated wilderness of Kellia where he passed on to the Lord in 399 AD. In his spiritual writings it is clear that he had a very deep sense of spiritual discernment. He became famous in both the east and west traditions of the Christian world. His spiritual child St John Cassianos enlightened the Latin west with his teachings. His spiritual notions and terms have been sealed in the eastern Theology forever. His spirit is evident throughout the writings of St Diadochos Bishop of Photiki, St John of the Ladder, St Maximus the Confessor and the writings of the Syrian tradition like those of St Isaac the Syrian.

Source: http://www.orthodoxchristian.info

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