Sabbas the Sanctified
Encyclopedia
Saint Sabbas the Sanctified (439
–532
), a Cappadocia
n-Greek monk
, priest
and saint
, lived mainly in Palaestina Prima. He was the founder of several monasteries, most notably the one known as Mar Saba
. The Saint's name is derived from Hebrew סַבָא (sava') meaning "old man".
Sabbas was born at Mutalaska, near Caesarea of Cappadocia, the son of John, a military commander, and Sophia.
Journeying to Alexandria
on military matters, his parents left their five-year-old son in the care of an uncle. When the boy reached eight years of age, he entered the nearby monastery of Bishop Flavian of Antioch
. The gifted child quickly learned to read and became an expert on the Holy Scriptures. In vain did his parents urge Sabbas to return to the world and enter into marriage.
When he was seventeen years old he received monastic tonsure
. After spending ten years at the monastery of Bishop Flavian, he went to Jerusalem, and from there to the monastery of Saint Euthymius the Great
. But Euthymius sent Sabbas to Abba Theoctistus, the head of a nearby monastery with a strict cenobitic
rule. Sabbas lived in obedience at this monastery until the age of thirty.
After the death of the Elder Theoctistus, his successor blessed Sabbas to seclude himself in a cave. On Saturdays, however, he left his hermitage and came to the monastery, where he participated in divine services and ate with the brethren. After a certain time Sabbas received permission not to leave his hermitage at all, and he lived in isolation in the cave for five years.
Euthymius attentively directed the life of the young monk, and seeing his spiritual maturity, he began to take him to the Rouba wilderness with him. They set out each January 14 and remained there until Palm Sunday. Euthymius called Sabbas a child-elder, and encouraged him to grow in the monastic virtues.
When Euthymius died (c. 473), Sabbas withdrew from the lavra
(a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center) and moved to a cave near the monastery of St. Gerasimus of Jordan
. After several years, disciples began to gather around Sabbas, seeking the monastic life. As the number of monks increased, the Great Lavra
sprang up. The traditional dating of the founding of this lavra in the Kedron
Valley, south of Jerusalem, is 484. Because some of his monks opposed his rule and demanded a priest as their abbot, the opposition continued and he withdrew to the New Lavra which he had built near Thekoa. In the lavras the young monks lived a cenobitic
al life, but the elders a semi-eremitical one, each in his own hut within the precincts of the lavra, attending only the solemn church services.
A strenuous opponent of the Monophysites and the Origen
ists, he tried to influence the emperors against them by calling personally on Emperor Anastasios I at Constantinople
in 511 and on Justinian I
in 531.
Sabbas founded several more monasteries. It is claimed that many miracles took place through the prayers of Sabbas: at the lavra a spring of water welled up, during a time of drought they received abundant rain, and there were also healings of the sick and the possessed.
Patriarch Salustius of Jerusalem ordained
him in 491 and appointed him archimandrite
of all the monasteries in Palaestina Prima in 494. Sabbas composed the first monastic rule of church services, the so-called Jerusalem Typikon
, for guidance of all the Byzantine monasteries. He died in the year 532. His feast day is on December 5.
Sabbas' relics were taken by Crusaders
in the 12th century and remained in Italy
until Pope Paul VI
returned them to the monastery in 1965 as a gesture of good will towards the Orthodox
.
His Great Lavra long continued to be the most influential monastery in those parts, and produced several distinguished monks, among them St John of Damascus. It is now known as the monastery of Mar Saba
. The church of San Saba
in Rome
is dedicated to him.
Sabbas' Life was written by his disciple Cyril of Scythopolis
. The chief modern authority is A. Ehrhard in Wetzer
and Welte
's Kirchenlexikon (ed. 2) and Römische Quartalschaft, vii; see also Pierre Helyot
, Histoire des ordres religioux (1714), i.C.16, and Max Heimbucher, Orden u. Kongregationen (1907), i, §10.
439
Year 439 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Theodosius and Festus...
–532
532
Year 532 was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Second year after the Consulship of Lampadius and Probus...
), a Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
n-Greek monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
, priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
and saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
, lived mainly in Palaestina Prima. He was the founder of several monasteries, most notably the one known as Mar Saba
Mar Saba
The Great Lavra of St. Sabbas the Sanctified, known in Arabic as Mar Saba , is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the West Bank east of Bethlehem. The traditional date for the founding of the monastery by Saint Sabas of Cappadocia is the year 483 and today houses around 20...
. The Saint's name is derived from Hebrew סַבָא (sava') meaning "old man".
Sabbas was born at Mutalaska, near Caesarea of Cappadocia, the son of John, a military commander, and Sophia.
Journeying to Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
on military matters, his parents left their five-year-old son in the care of an uncle. When the boy reached eight years of age, he entered the nearby monastery of Bishop Flavian of Antioch
Flavian II of Antioch
Flavian II of Antioch , bishop or patriarch of Antioch, was chosen by the Emperor Anastasius I to succeed Palladius, most probably in 498....
. The gifted child quickly learned to read and became an expert on the Holy Scriptures. In vain did his parents urge Sabbas to return to the world and enter into marriage.
When he was seventeen years old he received monastic tonsure
Tonsure
Tonsure is the traditional practice of Christian churches of cutting or shaving the hair from the scalp of clerics, monastics, and, in the Eastern Orthodox Church, all baptized members...
. After spending ten years at the monastery of Bishop Flavian, he went to Jerusalem, and from there to the monastery of Saint Euthymius the Great
Euthymius the Great
Saint Euthymius , often styled the Great, was an Abbot in Palestine.Venerated in both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.-Biography:He was born in Melitene in Lesser Armenia...
. But Euthymius sent Sabbas to Abba Theoctistus, the head of a nearby monastery with a strict cenobitic
Cenobitic
Cenobitic monasticism is a monastic tradition that stresses community life. Often in the West, the community belongs to a religious order and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a religious rule, a collection of precepts...
rule. Sabbas lived in obedience at this monastery until the age of thirty.
After the death of the Elder Theoctistus, his successor blessed Sabbas to seclude himself in a cave. On Saturdays, however, he left his hermitage and came to the monastery, where he participated in divine services and ate with the brethren. After a certain time Sabbas received permission not to leave his hermitage at all, and he lived in isolation in the cave for five years.
Euthymius attentively directed the life of the young monk, and seeing his spiritual maturity, he began to take him to the Rouba wilderness with him. They set out each January 14 and remained there until Palm Sunday. Euthymius called Sabbas a child-elder, and encouraged him to grow in the monastic virtues.
When Euthymius died (c. 473), Sabbas withdrew from the lavra
Lavra
In Orthodox Christianity and certain other Eastern Christian communities Lavra or Laura originally meant a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center...
(a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center) and moved to a cave near the monastery of St. Gerasimus of Jordan
Gerasimus of Jordan
Gerasimus of the Jordan - a Christian saint, monk and abbot of the 5th century AD. Born in the province of Lycia in Cappadocia, the southern part of Asia Minor into a wealthy family....
. After several years, disciples began to gather around Sabbas, seeking the monastic life. As the number of monks increased, the Great Lavra
Mar Saba
The Great Lavra of St. Sabbas the Sanctified, known in Arabic as Mar Saba , is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the West Bank east of Bethlehem. The traditional date for the founding of the monastery by Saint Sabas of Cappadocia is the year 483 and today houses around 20...
sprang up. The traditional dating of the founding of this lavra in the Kedron
Kedron
Kedron may refer to:* Kedron Brook, a creek that flows through the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Australia* Kedron, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Australia* Kedron State High School, a secondary school located in Queensland, Australia...
Valley, south of Jerusalem, is 484. Because some of his monks opposed his rule and demanded a priest as their abbot, the opposition continued and he withdrew to the New Lavra which he had built near Thekoa. In the lavras the young monks lived a cenobitic
Cenobitic
Cenobitic monasticism is a monastic tradition that stresses community life. Often in the West, the community belongs to a religious order and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a religious rule, a collection of precepts...
al life, but the elders a semi-eremitical one, each in his own hut within the precincts of the lavra, attending only the solemn church services.
A strenuous opponent of the Monophysites and the Origen
Origen
Origen , or Origen Adamantius, 184/5–253/4, was an early Christian Alexandrian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Church. As early as the fourth century, his orthodoxy was suspect, in part because he believed in the pre-existence of souls...
ists, he tried to influence the emperors against them by calling personally on Emperor Anastasios I at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
in 511 and on Justinian I
Justinian I
Justinian I ; , ; 483– 13 or 14 November 565), commonly known as Justinian the Great, was Byzantine Emperor from 527 to 565. During his reign, Justinian sought to revive the Empire's greatness and reconquer the lost western half of the classical Roman Empire.One of the most important figures of...
in 531.
Patriarch Salustius of Jerusalem ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
him in 491 and appointed him archimandrite
Archimandrite
The title Archimandrite , primarily used in the Eastern Orthodox and the Eastern Catholic churches, originally referred to a superior abbot whom a bishop appointed to supervise...
of all the monasteries in Palaestina Prima in 494. Sabbas composed the first monastic rule of church services, the so-called Jerusalem Typikon
Typikon
The Typikon, or Typicon; plural Typika is a liturgical book which contains instructions about the order of the various Eastern Orthodox Christian church services and ceremonies, in the form of a perpetual calendar...
, for guidance of all the Byzantine monasteries. He died in the year 532. His feast day is on December 5.
Sabbas' relics were taken by Crusaders
Crusaders
The Crusaders are a New Zealand professional rugby union team based in Christchurch that competes in the Super Rugby competition. They are the most successful team in Super Rugby history with seven titles...
in the 12th century and remained in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
until Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...
returned them to the monastery in 1965 as a gesture of good will towards the Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
.
His Great Lavra long continued to be the most influential monastery in those parts, and produced several distinguished monks, among them St John of Damascus. It is now known as the monastery of Mar Saba
Mar Saba
The Great Lavra of St. Sabbas the Sanctified, known in Arabic as Mar Saba , is a Greek Orthodox monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley in the West Bank east of Bethlehem. The traditional date for the founding of the monastery by Saint Sabas of Cappadocia is the year 483 and today houses around 20...
. The church of San Saba
San Saba (Rome)
San Saba is an ancient basilica church in Rome, Italy. It lies on the so-called Piccolo Aventino, which is an area close to the ancient Aurelian Walls next to the Aventine and Caelian Hill....
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
is dedicated to him.
Sabbas' Life was written by his disciple Cyril of Scythopolis
Cyril of Scythopolis
Cyril of Scythopolis - Christian monk, priest and Greek historian of monastic life in Scythopolis in the early years of Christianity . Described seven lives of Palestinian saint monks after his arrival to the monastery of New Laura in 555...
. The chief modern authority is A. Ehrhard in Wetzer
Heinrich Joseph Wetzer
Heinrich Joseph Wetzer was a German Orientalist...
and Welte
Benedict Welte
Benedict Welte was a German Catholic exegete.After studying at Tübingen and Bonn, where he made special studies in the exegesis of the Old Testament and in Oriental languages, he was ordained priest when twenty-eight years old...
's Kirchenlexikon (ed. 2) and Römische Quartalschaft, vii; see also Pierre Helyot
Pierre Helyot
Friar Hippolyte Hélyot, T.O.R., was a Franciscan friar and priest of the Third Order of St. Francis and a major scholar of Church history. He was born at Paris in January 1660, supposedly of English ancestry....
, Histoire des ordres religioux (1714), i.C.16, and Max Heimbucher, Orden u. Kongregationen (1907), i, §10.
External links
- St. Sabbas the Sanctified Greek Orthodox Archdioces of Australia
- St Sabbas the Sanctified Orthodox Icon and Synaxarion (December 5)
- Patron Saints Index: Saint Sabbas