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Rural Monasticism as a Key Element in the Christianization of Byzantine Palestine

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 August 2005

Doron Bar
Affiliation:
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Extract

In Palestine, Christian monasticism began early in the fourth century C.E. The first monks known to us by name are Hilarion of Thavata, who lived in the region of Gaza; Epiphanius, who settled near Eleutheropolis, in the Shephelah; and Chariton, a native of Iconium in Asia Minor who became the founder of monasticism in the Judean Desert. The monastic movement spread throughout Palestine during the Byzantine period (324–642 C.E.), and the remains ofmonasteries have been found in diverse areas. Many monasteries were establishedin or around large cities, or at holy places and sites of pilgrimage, while others were set in desert areas.

Type
ARTICLES
Copyright
© 2005 Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

I am grateful to Alice-Mary Talbot, Linda Safran, and Yizhar Hirschfeld for their advice and com-ments. Note the following abbreviations: ACR, Ancient Churches Revealed (ed. Yoram Tsafrir; Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society, 1993); CAHL, Christian Archaeology in the Holy Land: New Discoveries (ed. Giovanni C. Bottini, Lea Di Segni, and Vergilio C. Corbo; Jerusalem: Franciscan Printing Press, 1990); and NEAEHL, The New Encyclopedia of Archaeological Excavations in the Holy Land (ed. Ephraim Stern; 4 vols.; Israel Exploration Society & Carta; New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993).