Supervised Reading Unit: Church History (CH9424M)

The Pachomian koinonia and the Scriptures

Egypt has long been considered the cradle of monasticism and the 4th century saw the flowering of 3 types of monastic lifestyles in Egypt, all claiming to have been founded on "the word of God". One of the most dynamic forms of monasticism was the cenobitic type "koinonia" founded by the pioneer Pachomius around the year 320. This essay will critically analyse how the Scriptures constituted the foundation of Pachomius's Koinonia and to what extent they featured in communal life. The key primary sources I will use are the 3 volumes of the Pachomian Koinonia, trans. Armand Veilleux. Questions to be considered to address my research question include: What methods did Pachomius use to enable his community to apply the word of God in their day to day lives, and how did this reflect Pachomius's understanding of the Scriptures? Given that a number of monastics within the community were illiterate, what methods did Pachomius apply to enable them to learn the scriptures? Given that there is no archaeological or documentary evidence of Pachomius's original federation of monasteries that exist today, I will rely on literary sources to address my question, in addition to exploring Coptic monasticism today - that is based on the Pachomian model - as a means to try to piece together what day to day life may have looked like in 4th century Egypt.

Upon successful completion of this unit, I expect to be able to:

1. Engage with substantial primary and secondary source literature to identify and critically assess the development of the historical record.
2. Demonstrate the ability to read primary texts and articulate a sophisticated interpretation of the texts through critical analysis
3. Articulate an advanced understanding of cenobitic monasticism and the impact Scriptures had on communal life.
4. Formulate original research and responses to problems inherent in assessing the record for Pachomius' Koinonia.
5. Demonstrate the capacity to research a specific topic in a critically rigorous, sustained and self-directed manner