06 — The Wandering and the End
The last chapter of Arsenius’ long life: the barbarian raids that devastated Scetis in the early fifth century and drove the old hermit from the desert he loved, his successive refuges at Troe near Memphis and at Canopus near Alexandria, and his death at Troe around the middle of the century, weeping to the end. These files follow the wandering forced on him by the destruction of Scetis and the sources for his passing, with the chronology and the wonders held at the level the evidence allows.
Tradition: Pan-Orthodox (Desert Father; father of stillness)
Arsenius outlived the desert of his prime. The Scetis that had received the courtier was repeatedly sacked by raiders in the first decades of the fifth century, and the surviving fathers were scattered. Arsenius, by then very old, was forced into a wandering exile, moving to keep his stillness amid the ruin of the settlement. This section traces those moves — to Troe near Memphis, to the island of Canopus near Alexandria, and back to Troe, where he died — and the sources for his end, including his last sayings and the fear and tears with which he met death. The dating and the miraculous elements are pinned to their attestation per the methodology.
Files in This Section
| File | Description |
|---|---|
| The Flight from the Barbarians | The raids that devastated Scetis in the early fifth century; Arsenius’ forced moves — to Troe near Memphis, to Canopus near Alexandria — and the loss of the desert of his prime; the dating of the sacks and the wandering. |
| The Death at Troe | His return to Troe and his death there around the middle of the fifth century; his last sayings and instructions; the fear and tears at the end; the sources for his passing and its commemoration. |
See Also
- The Courtier Becomes a Monk — the Scetis he entered and lost
- The Historical Arsenius — the chronology of his last years weighed
- Feast and Cult — the commemoration of his death
- St. Macarius the Great — the founder of the Scetis the raids destroyed
References
- Ward, Benedicta, trans. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection. Rev. ed. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1984.
- Chitty, Derwas J. The Desert a City. Oxford: Blackwell, 1966.
- Harmless, William. Desert Christians. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.