Historical Context
The accounts of these ascetics derive principally from Theodoret of Cyrrhus (c. 393 – c. 458), a fifth-century Byzantine theologian who served as bishop of Cyrrhus from 423 to 457. His work the Historia Religiosa, also titled the Philotheos historia or History of the Monks of Syria, was completed around 444 and contains biographical sketches of thirty ascetics and anchorites offered as models of the religious life. The final ten of his subjects were still living when he completed the work.
Theodoret's text documents the distinct monastic tradition of northern Syria, presenting an ascetic authority model alongside and distinct from that of Athanasius's Life of Anthony. The strugglers commemorated in this group exemplify that regional tradition, characterized by extreme exposure, the wearing of heavy weights, prolonged standing prayer, and minimal food.
The Individual Ascetics
John adopted a shelterless life on a windswept hill for twenty-five years, sustaining himself on bread and salt. He wore heavy chains to exhaust his body and rejected comfort: when a nearby ascetic planted an almond tree to provide relief from extreme heat, John demanded that it be cut down precisely so that his body would be denied any respite. He was a disciple of Saint Limnaeus, who is commemorated on February 22.
Antiochus and Antoninus lived in asceticism alongside John, continuing their struggles until they reached an advanced age.
Moses settled on a high mountain near the village of Rama. A disciple of Polychronius, he followed the example of John and emulated his elder in all aspects of monastic discipline.
Zebinas lived on a mountain alongside Moses. His distinctive discipline was standing prayer: he never sat during his rule of prayer, though he sometimes leaned on his staff. The local inhabitants held him in high regard and received help in their sorrows and needs through his prayers. He reached an advanced age before his repose.
Polychronius, a disciple of Zebinas, carried a heavy oaken root that he had dug from the earth upon his shoulders when he prayed, rather than wearing chains. He kept constant fasting and vigil day and night. Accounts relate that during a drought he petitioned God for rain, and that he filled a stone vessel with oil for the needy.
Damian withdrew to a monastery named Ieros and lived there in asceticism, keeping in his cell only a small box of lentils from which he ate, in keeping with the desert tradition of minimal possessions and restricted diet.
