Venerable (Monastic) 5th century

Venerable Arsenius the Great

c. 350 - c. 445

Also known as Arsenius of Scetis · Arsenius the Roman

A learned Roman, tutor in the imperial household, who fled the world to the desert of Scetis in Egypt, where he became a model of silence and stillness, weeping continually and counseling, 'Flee, be silent, be still.'

Feast Day

May 8

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Commemorated as

Our Venerable Father Arsenius the Great, the Roman, Hermit of Scetis

Life

Arsenius the Great was a learned Roman of the late fourth and early fifth centuries who, after holding a place of honor in the imperial household, withdrew to the Egyptian desert and became one of the most revered of the Desert Fathers. Born about 350 into a Christian senatorial family at Rome, he was ordained deacon and, on the recommendation of Pope Damasus I, was sent to the court of the Emperor Theodosius I, where he served as tutor to the emperor's sons, the future emperors Arcadius and Honorius.

By tradition he heard a divine voice bidding him flee from the company of men in order to be saved, and around the year 394 he left the palace for Egypt, joining the monks of Scetis. There, placed under the guidance of John the Dwarf, the former courtier embraced a life of extreme poverty, stillness, and unceasing prayer. He became famous above all for his silence and for his continual weeping, and the counsel handed down in his name — to flee, to be silent, and to be still — became a touchstone of monastic wisdom.

Forced from Scetis by barbarian raids, Arsenius spent his last years at Troe near Memphis, dying about 445 at a great age. Many of his sayings are preserved in the fifth-century collection known as the Apophthegmata Patrum ("Sayings of the Desert Fathers"). Because he reposed in the era of the undivided Church, he is venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church (May 8) and is also commemorated among the Western and Coptic traditions.

Timeline 5 moments Read Hide

c. 350 Birth at Rome Arsenius was born about the year 350 into a Christian family of senatorial rank in the city of Rome.
c. 383 Sent to the imperial court Ordained deacon and recommended by Pope Damasus I, Arsenius came to the court of the Emperor Theodosius I, where he was entrusted with the education of the emperor's sons, Arcadius and Honorius.
c. 394 Flight to the desert of Scetis Hearing, by tradition, a call to flee from the company of men, Arsenius left the palace for Egypt and entered the monastic settlement of Scetis, where he was received and guided by the elder John the Dwarf.
c. 434 Departure from Scetis Driven from Scetis by the raids of the Mazices, Arsenius withdrew to Troe near Memphis, and for a time to the island of Canopus, before returning to Troe.
c. 445 Repose at Troe Arsenius died at Troe near Memphis at a great age, having spent some fifty years in the desert.

Contributions & Legacy

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From the imperial court to the desert

Before his withdrawal Arsenius belonged to the highest circles of Roman and Byzantine society. A deacon of Rome, he was commended by Pope Damasus I to the Emperor Theodosius I and given charge of the upbringing of the emperor's sons, Arcadius and Honorius, who would each in turn rule the empire. The sources reckon that he served at court for some eleven years before his departure.

His abandonment of this position became, in the monastic tradition, a model of renunciation: a man of learning and standing exchanging the palace for the bare cells of Scetis. Under John the Dwarf he submitted to the discipline of the desert, content to be the most poorly clad of the brethren and to occupy himself with the weaving of palm-leaf mats.

Silence, stillness, and tears

Arsenius is remembered chiefly for his love of silence and solitude. He guarded himself strictly against idle speech and the distractions of visitors, and the tradition preserves his saying that he had often repented of having spoken but never of having kept silent. The threefold counsel transmitted in his name — to flee, to be silent, and to be at rest — summarizes the path he followed.

He was also known for his unceasing compunction and weeping, tears that the tradition describes as flowing continually in his prayer. His sayings, gathered with those of the other desert elders in the Apophthegmata Patrum, made him one of the most influential teachers of early Christian asceticism.

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