![]() It suggests that while women's rapport with the infertile places is highly redemptive, salvation is paradoxically achieved by denial and embracing the abject-incurring degradation and ugliness-that is somewhat modelled around the paradigm of martyrdom. The paper examines both hagiographical texts and visual art depicting Mary of Egypt, alongside Theoktiste of Lesbos. Yet women in the Middle Ages were expected to be fertile and it was a source of shame to be barren and so the choice to withdraw from a productive birth-giving role to arrive at isolation in a barren place proposes double transgressions of feminine stereotypes, where nature, as harsh as it is, provides a hallowed sequestration that trumps conventional gender roles. In the life of Mary of Egypt, the saint has lost all her clothes by the time Zosimas meets her. This paper introduces another element in the ascetic austerity of voluntary exile in nature by concentrating on women who literally exposed themselves to the desert. The reason for going into the wilderness is to endure hardships rather than to enjoy some bucolic locus amoenus: ascetic practice is close to penance, where the rigours of solitary life encourage introspection, and where the hermit actively cultivates compunction to reach God. However, the house built on rock which can withstand the storm is from Mt 7:24-27.Nature in hagiographic literature is anything but a haven. ![]() The translator rightly identifies the biblical image used here: the tower from Lk 14:28. For having distributed her property to the poor, and having renounced anger and memory of past injuries, and expelled envy and love of fame, she built up her house upon the rock from which the tower was splendid and the house free from storms (§13) 19 Castelli, pp. For she did not bring with her external materials, but rather she poured out internal things. And whereas the work of dwelling places is usually constructed from external materials, she did the opposite thing. ![]() For, having put away beforehand the things for the completion of the house, she made herself the most secure tower. Just as people who are about to make a journey first give thought to their provisions, just so she, having prepared herself with provisions – with long sufferings – she made the journey toward heavenly things without restraint. Here is a fantastic academic article published in 1993 by Mary Forman called Amma Syncletica: A Spirituality of Experience w hich includes this excerpt from translator Castelli about Amma Syncletica's life: Here is a youtube video podcast excerpt of the Sayings of the Desert Fathers audio book which reads her sayings aloud. Here is a short article from the CBE on her life called A Desert Mother: Amma SyncleticaĪnother short saying of Amma Syncletica: “Just as the most bitter medicine drives out poisonous creatures so prayer joined to fasting drives evil thoughts away.” It is like those who wish to light a fire at first they are choked by the smoke and cry, and by this means obtain what they seek (as it is said: ‘Our God is a consuming fire’ ): so we also must kindle the divine fire in ourselves through tears and hard work.” “In the beginning there are a great many battles and a good deal of suffering for those who are advancing towards God and afterwards, ineffable joy. It is possible to be a solitary in one's mind while living in a crowd, and it is possible for one who is a solitary to live in the crowd of his own thoughts." "There are many who live in the mountains and behave as if they were in the town, and they are wasting their time. There are many of her sayings recorded in the Apothegmata Patrum (sayings of the desert fathers). She was eventually sought out by people who had learnt of her holiness and wanted to get closer to God and ended up teaching other women in particular how to live in communion with God. ![]() She lived in a crypt in Alexandria, with her younger blind sister for years, devoting herself to spiritual practice and prayer. Born into a wealthy family, she was well known for her beauty but felt called to live in solitude and gave up all her wealth and position to retreat. ![]() Syncletica is known as one of the holy Desert mothers from the 4th century. ![]()
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