Palladius, bishop of Helenopolis, has been a relatively neglected figure in contemporary scholarship, despite his active participation in the defense of John Chrysostom, his involvement in the “Origenist controversy” of the early fifth century, and his literary advocacy of the ascetic movement. Although he authored the popular Lausiac History, as well as the lesser-known Dialogue on the Life of St John Chrysostom, until now Palladius himself had not been the subject of a sustained or comprehensive study. Demetrios Katos has admirably filled this lacuna with an excellent monograph that sheds light both on Palladius's literary accomplishments and on his role in the theological and church-political conflicts of his day.
Katos's central thesis is that both of Palladius's literary works were profoundly shaped by his commitment to the thought of Origen. But the “Origenist” perspectives advocated by Palladius did not entail the more speculative and controversial aspects of Origen's theology (that is, the pre-existence of souls, subordination of the Son to the Father, or the eschatological apokatastasis). Rather, Palladius embraced concerns such as “the training of the mind through physical asceticism and the reading of Scripture, the direct contemplation of God in prayer, and a vigorous defense of both God's providence and human freedom” (3). Much of this reading of Origen was mediated through Evagrius, Katos argues, and was indisputably “orthodox.”
Chapter 1, “The Origenist Monk and Bishop,” surveys the life of Palladius up to his composition of the Dialogue (407/408), providing a biographical context for Katos's subsequent literary and theological studies. He demonstrates how Palladius as a “peripatetic monk” had long been involved with enthusiasts for Origen's theology: Melania and Rufinus in Palestine, Didymus the Blind in Alexandria, the Tall Brothers and Evagrius in the desert monasteries of Nitria and Scetis. He also chronicles Palladius's close involvement with John Chrysostom, who may have ordained him to the presbyterate, and suggests that Palladius may have inadvertently sparked the controversy around John Chrysostom by encouraging the Tall Brothers to take refuge in Constantinople. Katos also notes the early enmity between Jerome and Palladius, occasioned perhaps by the latter's friendly relationship with Rufinus, which was later to factor into the composition of the Lausiac History.
Perhaps the most original and significant contribution provided by Katos is his careful literary analysis of the Dialogue. In Chapter 2, “Advocacy in the Dialogue on the Life of St John Chrysostom,” he persuasively argues that previous scholars, who have tended to see the Dialogue as a disorganized, rambling document, have failed to recognize the book is organized according to the principles of judicial rhetoric. Following forensic conventions Palladius adopted the dialogue format and structured his book as a courtroom speech in four parts: introduction, narrative, argumentation, and epilogue. Its aim was not to provide an accurate historical biography, but rather a persuasive defense of Chrysostom. Katos's detailed analysis of the narrative portion of the Dialogue decisively demonstrates Palladius's knowledge of forensic terminology and dependence on its conventions.
Chapter 3, “In Defense of John,” continues the rhetorical analysis, arguing that the argumentative section of the Dialogue can be illuminated by stasis or “issue” theory, a system of prescribed methods of analysis and argumentation that was fundamental in the training of legal advocates. Using the third-century handbook, On Issues (Peri Staseôn) of Hermogenes of Tarsus as his model, Katos again shows the influence of rhetorical theory on Palladius's choice of topics (that is, John Chrysostom's habit of eating alone) and methods of argument.
Chapter 4, “The Lausiac History,” turns to Palladius's second major work, which Katos characterizes as “an Origenist apology,” written partly in response to Jerome's invidious linkage of Evagrius and Palladius himself to the teachings of Pelagius. Palladius gave pride of place in his monastic biographies to many of the ascetic leaders whom Jerome had criticized in his famous Letter 133 to Ctesiphon (where Jerome placed Evagrius in the company of Gnostics, Manichaeans, and Priscillian). Palladius's praise of Isidore of Alexandria, Didymus the Blind, Melania, the Tall Brothers, and, above all, Evagrius, was a direct rejoinder to Jerome's abuse and an effort to gain support for the Origenist cause before Lausus and the imperial court.
In his final two chapters, building upon the previous literary and historical analyses, Katos attempts to delineate Palladius's own “Origenist” theology from the Dialogue and the Lausiac History. This task is inherently more difficult (and somewhat less successful) because neither of Palladius's two books presented a systematic exposition of doctrine. Chapter 5 “The Ascent to God in Prayer,” argues that Palladius was influenced by an Evagrian three-part progression in the spiritual life: ascetic praxis, leading to “natural contemplation,” which included the reading of scripture, culminating in theologia, or, “knowledge of God attained in a direct encounter, which occurred in the non-verbal forms of prayer which Palladius learned from his master Evagrius” (141). While Katos identifies some specific points of contact between Evagrius and Palladius, not all of his suggestions are equally persuasive; he argues that Palladius included several stories about monks deceived by demons as an illustration of Evagrian teaching on imageless prayer. More persuasive is his argument in chapter 6, “Theodicy and Human Freedom,” that an “Origenist” emphasis on human freedom and divine providence was present in both the Dialogue and the Lausiac History.
All in all, this is an excellent study that deserves the serious attention of all patristic scholars. Katos's use of ancient rhetorical (and, specifically, forensic) theory to illuminate the structure and argument of Palladius's Dialogue has implications beyond the study of this particular author. Katos has restored to view an important figure in the late ancient debates over asceticism, John Chrysostom, and the legacy of Origen and Evagrius.
