Anachoret is a person who has retired from the world, a hermit, a hermit. He lives in solitude in a desert area, trying to avoid all communication. His lifestyle is ascetic. More about who this anachore will be described in the proposed essay.
Dictionary Interpretation
If you turn to the dictionary for clarification, then the meaning of the word "anachoret" is explained as follows:
- The first interpretation is marked “historical” and means a hermit monk.
- The second is marked "obsolete" and "playful." So earlier, in a figurative sense, they called a person who prefers a solitary lifestyle, avoiding society.
Etymology
Anachoret - the meaning of this word will help to understand the knowledge of its etymology. It comes from the ancient Greek communion ἀναχωρητής, which in translation into Russian means "retired." It is formed from the verb ἀναχωρέω, the meaning of which is “to leave”, “to move away”.
The last verb consists of two parts. The first of these is the adverb ἀνά, meaning "back", "up", "up". The second is the verb χωρέω, the meaning of which is "leave", "recede", "depart".
This verb, in turn, is formed from the noun χῶρος, which is interpreted as "place", "space". According to researchers, the latter is rooted in the pre-Indo-European language, where there is a basis ār associated with the "open space", "open spaces".
History
Already I-II centuries, Christians began to withdraw from the pleasures and festivities that were characteristic of the Gentiles. Hermits in the full sense of the word appeared at the end of the 3rd - beginning of the 4th centuries. There were two reasons for their solitude. The first is the brutal persecution of adherents of Christianity, and the second is complete contempt for all earthly goods. At the beginning of the IV century, followers began to gather around such hermits, who were called the fathers of the desert.
At first, this happened in Egypt. There, under the guidance of the first anachorets, their comrades and students led an ascetic lifestyle. When one of the Greek fathers of the church, Athanasius the Great, retired to the Libyan desert in 356, he found numerous anachorets there. Saint Anthony the Great (251-356 gg.) Is considered the father of hermitage. And the first anchorite is Pavel Thebes, who lived in solitude for 91 years (he died about 341 years).
Life in the caves
Some members of the Anchorites practiced "mortification of the flesh." They tortured their body, laying on themselves iron rings and chains. They retired to desert areas in which other people rarely appeared. They lived in caves, denying themselves the necessary clothes and food for many years. Church teachers encouraged a similar way of life; they began to instill it in the West. However, over time, such exploits began to be practiced less and less.
Later, when the people sought from the anachorets for advice and comfort in misfortunes, as well as blessings for children and patients, the situation changed. The hermits abandoned their original intention - to withdraw from the world completely. This was due to the fact that the church preferred a different form of seclusion, a softer one. This is a hostel of Kinovites, that is, monks.
"Living together"
The word "cinovite" comes from the Greek κοινόβιος, which means "hostel", "life together." It denotes a monk, the inhabitant of kininovia, a communal monastery. Unlike the anchorite, this is the one who receives everything necessary from the monastery. He works and prays with other brothers and is subordinate to the abbot. The founder of such an organization of monasticism is Pachomius the Great, and the first cinematography in Russia - Theodosius Pechersky.
Thus, anachorite is a hermit, a hermit. This is the name of the Christian ascetics, retired from the world and living in complete solitude. They devoted themselves entirely to prayer, repentance and the knowledge of God. Their way of life is different from that of the Kinovite monks.