Acoimets
The Akoimetes (insomniacs) were a Byzantine monks' congregation who founded a monastery near Constantinople around 425 . The "restless" monks sang the choir prayer continuously in groups that followed one another . In the 24 hours of incessant worship , they sang “ Gloria in excelsis ” 490 times .
history
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Origin and origin was the ideal of ascetic homelessness, as it was striven for between 420 and 460. The monks consistently followed the word of the gospel according to Matthew , here it says:
“Jesus answered them: The foxes have their dens and the birds their nests; But the Son of Man has no place where he can lay his head. "
Several monasteries had established themselves in the catchment area of Constantinople. The Akoimetes found their home in their own monastery in 425 and formed a cell of ecclesiastical and religious unrest. A center for Byzantine theology and impulses for building further monasteries were created.
The nucleus of Akoimete was founded around 425 by the charismatic monk Alexander (around 350 - around 430), he and his followers built the first monastery for 300 monks. Alexander preached the literal interpretation of the Bible and referred to the gospel according to Luke , who had written in chapter 18: "Jesus told them, through a parable, that they should always pray and not let up" (18.1 EU ). From this conviction, the concept of incessant prayer and singing arose . During this 24-hour service, the choirs from the three nations of Syrians , Greeks and Latins took turns .
The third abbot followed around 448, the monk Marcellus von Apamea , who moved the main monastery closer to the capital. At that time the Akoimetes were among the strictest and most spiritually active monastic communities in and around Constantinople. The person of Marcellus, the high reputation of the monks and their spiritual and intellectual demands led to an increased influx. As a result, several monastery branches were founded.
In the year 454 the Constantinople Noble Studios had started the construction of the famous studio monastery and invited monks of the Akoimetes to live there. At the same time, other monks were also resident there and so around 457 the various monastic orders, including Studites, grew together.
In the period that followed, up to the 6th century, the Akoimetes lost their importance, and their 24-hour services later found other imitators.
literature
- Carl Andresen / Georg Denzler , Dictionary of Church History - Akoimeten , dtv , Munich , 1982, ISBN 3-423-03245-6
- Karl Suso Frank , Art. Akoimeten, in: Lexicon for Theology and Church, 3rd edition, Volume 1. Freiburg im Breisgau 1993, 292.
- AM Krjukov, Art. Akimity, in: Pravoslavnaja Enciklopedija Moscow 2000 Volume 1, 393–394 (lit.!).
- Gereon Siebigs: Emperor Leo I. The Eastern Roman Empire in the first three years of his reign (457–460 AD) (= contributions to antiquity. Vol. 276). de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2010, ISBN 978-3-11-022584-6 (also: Bonn, University, dissertation, 2010).
Web links
- The Retro Library - Reference Works for the End of the 19th Century: The Akoimetes
- ENZYKLO-Online Encyclopedia: The Akoimeten
- Zeno.org - My Library: The Akoimetes