Exhortation to the Monks by Hyperechios: Reflections on the Spiritual Journey
Translated by Tim Vivian
American University of Cairo Press
ISBN: 978 1 649 03367 3
In the Early Middle Ages, a monk named Hyperechios composed a collection of 160 sayings intended to guide Christians, especially those pursuing an ascetic life. This book presents a new edition and translation of these writings.
Excerpt:
The sayings in the Exhortation are, of course, less spectacular, less t-shirty, but they are dramatic and daring in a more intimate way: living out the virtues of “moderation and self-control,” a monk “gives water to a neophyte beloved by God”. The senior monk has a jug of water, and shares its; perhaps he offers it first to the junior monk before he drinks. In the ancient world, hospitality was a central practice and virtue. In Saying 92 a monk shows hospitality, and does so by giving a person some vegetables, probably cooked, to eat, “given in love…Doing this, the saying concludes, is “better than the fat of a whole burnt offering.” That is, giving a homeless person a McDonald’s coupon means more than the blessing that the priest gives from the altar at the end of the service.
Who is this book for?
Very little is known about Hyperechios—he likely lived in the fourth or fifth century, probably in Palestine—and little scholarship has been devoted to his sayings, which are often only a sentence long and explore themes such as spiritual discipline, humility, and the pursuit of holiness within early Christian monastic life. The book offers an edition of the Greek text, an English translation, and a short appendix containing several additional sayings attributed to Hyperechios.
This book will be much appreciated by those studying early monasticism and the Desert Fathers, as it brings renewed attention to a lesser-known work. The editor also demonstrates how the teachings of Hyperechios continue to resonate with present-day Christians, giving his message a timeless quality that still speaks to readers today.
“Vivian, as is well known, is one of the foremost translators of early Christian monastic literature, and here he shows how the Exhortation is connected to the larger literature of the desert, especially the Apophthegmata patrum. Vivian demonstrates how the Exhortation uses both protreptic and paraenesis as it lays out its vision for the monastic and Christian life. That is, Hyperechios encourages his readers to a new and different way of life (protreptic) while also advising and exhorting them to continue in that way of life. He is describing both the way into the desert monastic life, and the way by which the monk can maintain and remain in such a life. Hyperechios is writing to both the novice and the elder.” ~ review by Greg Peters in American Benedictine Review
The Translator
Tim Vivian is professor emeritus of religious studies at California State University, Bakersfield. The focus of his research is on Coptic studies and early Christian monasticism.
Exhortation to the Monks by Hyperechios: Reflections on the Spiritual Journey
Translated by Tim Vivian
American University of Cairo Press
ISBN: 978 1 649 03367 3
In the Early Middle Ages, a monk named Hyperechios composed a collection of 160 sayings intended to guide Christians, especially those pursuing an ascetic life. This book presents a new edition and translation of these writings.
Excerpt:
The sayings in the Exhortation are, of course, less spectacular, less t-shirty, but they are dramatic and daring in a more intimate way: living out the virtues of “moderation and self-control,” a monk “gives water to a neophyte beloved by God”. The senior monk has a jug of water, and shares its; perhaps he offers it first to the junior monk before he drinks. In the ancient world, hospitality was a central practice and virtue. In Saying 92 a monk shows hospitality, and does so by giving a person some vegetables, probably cooked, to eat, “given in love…Doing this, the saying concludes, is “better than the fat of a whole burnt offering.” That is, giving a homeless person a McDonald’s coupon means more than the blessing that the priest gives from the altar at the end of the service.
Who is this book for?
Very little is known about Hyperechios—he likely lived in the fourth or fifth century, probably in Palestine—and little scholarship has been devoted to his sayings, which are often only a sentence long and explore themes such as spiritual discipline, humility, and the pursuit of holiness within early Christian monastic life. The book offers an edition of the Greek text, an English translation, and a short appendix containing several additional sayings attributed to Hyperechios.
This book will be much appreciated by those studying early monasticism and the Desert Fathers, as it brings renewed attention to a lesser-known work. The editor also demonstrates how the teachings of Hyperechios continue to resonate with present-day Christians, giving his message a timeless quality that still speaks to readers today.
“Vivian, as is well known, is one of the foremost translators of early Christian monastic literature, and here he shows how the Exhortation is connected to the larger literature of the desert, especially the Apophthegmata patrum. Vivian demonstrates how the Exhortation uses both protreptic and paraenesis as it lays out its vision for the monastic and Christian life. That is, Hyperechios encourages his readers to a new and different way of life (protreptic) while also advising and exhorting them to continue in that way of life. He is describing both the way into the desert monastic life, and the way by which the monk can maintain and remain in such a life. Hyperechios is writing to both the novice and the elder.” ~ review by Greg Peters in American Benedictine Review
The Translator
Tim Vivian is professor emeritus of religious studies at California State University, Bakersfield. The focus of his research is on Coptic studies and early Christian monasticism.
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