Questions About the Anchorites
1- Have the anchorites reached a state of infallibility from sin, or can they possibly sin?
No human is infallible from sin as long as he lives in the body on earth. God alone is the One who does not sin.
The lives of the anchorites tell us stories about the fall of some of them and their repentance afterward.
Among the examples of anchorites who fell into sin is Saint Abba Moses the Anchorite.
After living thirty years in seclusion — to the point that wild beasts became familiar with him and obeyed him — the devil was still able to deceive him and make him fall more than once.
Then Abba Moses repented, and God sent to him Saint Abba Samuel the Confessor, who heard his confession, gave him the Holy Mysteries, and he departed from this world in repentance.
Saint Abba Timotheos the Anchorite, at the beginning of his life, sinned and was deeply grieved by his sin. He wept and lamented until an ulcer formed in his liver, from which an angel healed him, and he spent the rest of his life in holiness.
2- Did the anchorites wear clothes, knowing that their garments must have worn out after many decades in solitude?
We read in the life of Saint Macarius the Great that he saw two naked anchorites in the inner wilderness toward the west of Libya. But this is considered an exceptional case.
Saint Abba Paul, the first of the anchorites, made for himself a garment from palm fiber or palm leaves. Saint Abba Onuphrius the Anchorite had long hair that covered his nakedness instead of clothing.
Saint Abba Pijimi the Anchorite was tempted to live naked as a sign of renunciation, but he wisely rebuked himself and said:
“It is not fitting that I live naked, for God made garments for Adam and Eve, and even the angels cover their feet with their wings.”
Thus, we see that either God preserves their garments from decay, or their hair covers their bodies, or they make clothes from palm fiber or leaves, or perhaps from the skins of animals that die in the wilderness, or some may remain naked since no one sees them.
We hear about Saint Mary the Anchorite that she hid behind a rock when Abba Zosima reached the wilderness. And when he approached to receive her blessing, she asked him to throw his robe to her, and she girded herself with it.
3- Is the number of anchorites limited, and whenever one of them dies, do they choose another to keep the number constant?
There is no reason to believe the number is limited. There may be anchorites in various places who do not know one another.
If anchorites were to gather together to choose someone to replace the deceased, that would indicate they live a communal life, not one of solitude. And this does not suit an anchorite who does not mingle with others and may pass tens of years without seeing a human face.
The idea of a limited number and choosing a replacement is merely a deception used by the devil to tempt Abba Galion the Anchorite and cause his fall, by calling him to become an anchorite because “their number was lacking.”
Such an idea was never spoken of by the saints.
4- Is Father Abdel-Masih the Ethiopian considered an anchorite?
Father Abdel-Masih the Ethiopian was a hermit, and there is a difference between a hermit and an anchorite.
A hermit has a known cave that visitors can reach, unlike the anchorite whose dwelling is unknown to anyone, and who may pass tens of years without seeing a human face — as we explained in the previous issue — and the anchorite’s dwelling may be hundreds of kilometers or miles away from any habitation.
Article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III – Al-Keraza Magazine – Year Six – Issue Forty-Two – October 17, 1975
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