82 Chapter 2 2.3 Hesychia, space and (im)mobility in the Lives of Gregory of Decapolis and Euthymius the Younger The semantic analysis of hesychia on the basis of Photius’ Lexicon and the examples taken from the Life of Gregory of Decapolis established that hesychia has multiple semantic layers. One of those layers is the connection to the surroundings. In the Lexicon of Photius this referred specifically to silence and absence of movement (see table/appendix 1). In Gregory’s Life, the verb cognate of hesychia, ἡσυχάζω, also signified multiple things. One of those meanings was connected to the surroundings, specifically the relation between the monk and his surroundings. The surroundings referred to in the Life of Gregory are the absence of disturbance by people (so a degree of solitude) and the enclosed space of a monastic cell. An example that illustrates this is found in chapter 25. In that passage, ἡσυχάζω appears to refer to Gregory’s relation to external circumstances, that is his (physical) separation and his inaction to engage with people. From the general observation that hesychia may denote (an embodied relation to) external circumstances, it is a small step to investigate whether hesychia is understood to be spatially dependent. In the following it will become clear that in the Lives of Gregory and Euthymius, hesychia is indeed closely associated to particular places that share particular characteristics. It will furthermore be suggested that through this association of staying at certain spaces, hesychia also comes to be associated with immobility. In addition, the spatial requirements for hesychia in combination with the desirability of hesychia as a monastic ideal, fuels monastic mobility, as represented in the narrative and potentially reflecting reality. The Lives of Gregory and Euthymius are studied together here because they are representative of a similar discourse in their usage of hesychia. The Life of Elias will be discussed separately, because this text exemplifies a different discourse. 2.3.1 The relation between hesychia and space As the previous discussion already exemplified, the term hesychia and its cognates are often used in passages in which the location or type of space is explicitly mentioned. The following examples will show that hesychia is closely related to these spaces because of the specific conditions that they guarantee. For example, in a passage of The Life of Euthymius, the hagiographer narrates how Euthymius is looking for a suitable place for his former mentor, Theodore, that could provide both hesychia and comfort.272 The searching for a place illustrates that hesychia cannot be found just anywhere, but only certain circumstances. 272 Life of Euthymius the Younger 22: τόπον ἐπιζητήσας τῷ καθηγουμένῳ ὁ ἄριστος φοιτητὴς καὶ διάκονος, τήν τε ἡσυχίαν τῷ γέροντι καὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν τῷ σώματι κατὰ ταὐτὸν ἐμπαρέχειν δυνάμενον: ‘the excellent disciple and servant looked for a place for his superior which could provide both tranquility [ἡσυχίαν] for the old man and comfort for his body in the same location’. Translation by Talbot in Alexakis (2016).
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