103 Mobility, immobility and sainthood also means that hesychia can be disturbed by people. This is exactly the discourse – that place and people impact hesychia – that the hagiographer of Elias addresses and tries to deny. Evidently the hagiographer of Elias fears that a connection between people and place on the one hand and hesychia on the other might consequently lead to a negative evaluation – by the audience – of Elias’ exceptionally high degree of mobility. Therefore Elias’ hagiographer is defensive about monastic mobility. The authors of Gregory’s and Euthymius’ hagiographies, on the other hand, did not anticipate such scepticism towards mobility, but rather present it as unproblematic, either positive or neutral. Elias’ hagiographer does something similar elsewhere in the narrative, in chapter 19. Although chapter 19 does not refer to hesychia, it does illustrate that the hagiographer provides a justification for the saint’s mobility at more occasions. Like the previous passage, this passage might function both as a contextual but also a general apology. This parallel suggests that the hagiographer was aware of negative discourses on mobility in the Byzantine world and reacted against these discourses in his narrative. The note that ‘virtue is not circumscribed in a place’ (οὐ γὰρ ἐν τόπῳ ἡ ἀρετὴ περιγράφεται) in chapter 30, recalls the hagiographer’s earlier reflection that God is not circumscribed in a single place (οὐχ ὡς ἐν τόπῳ περίγραπτον τὸ Θεῖον) in chapter 19. In this earlier passage the hagiographer narrates that Elias visits various ‘venerable places’ in Jerusalem, prostrating (προσεκύνησε) before the tomb of Christ,331 and performs acts of veneration (προσκυνῶν καὶ κατασπαζόμενος: prostrating and embracing) at other ‘venerable places’ (τοὺς σεβασμίους τόπους) in Jerusalem.332 The hagiographer then narrates visits to other sites associated with biblical history: the river Jordan (Christ’s baptism), Mount Tabor (transfiguration) and finally Mount Sinai (Moses receiving the ten commandments).333 The hagiographer makes clear that: Οὐχ ὡς ἐν τόπῳ περίγραπτον τὸ Θεῖον οἰόμενος τοὺς θεοφανείας ἀξιωθέντας ἠσπάζετο τόπους ὁ νέος Ἠλίας, ἀλλ’ ὡς εἰδὼς ὅτι τοῖς ἐρῶσιν αὐτοῦ θερμῶς οὐ μόνον τριπόθητόν ἐστι τοῦτο αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀεὶ ἐφετόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ τόποι, ἐν οἷς ἐπέβη, λίαν ἐρασμιώτατοι.334 The new Elias embraced the places that had been deemed worthy of divine manifestation not because he thought that the divine is circumscribed in a place, but because he knew that for those who passionately love Him this is not only much desired and always desirable, but also because the places themselves, in which He set foot, are very much beloved. 331 Life of Elias the Younger 18. 332 Life of Elias the Younger 19. 333 Life of Elias the Younger 19. 334 Life of Elias the Younger 19, lines 370-375. 2
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