Evagrius’s Reception in the Balkan Milieu

Works by Evagrius Ponticus / Evagrius the Solitary (345–399 AD) are considered the basis of monastic literature and were translated in Old Church Slavonic many times. The texts are as follows: Paraenetic chapters (Capita paraenetica, CPG 6583a and 6583b), On prayer (Περὶ προσευχῆς (De oratione), CPG 2452), On the eight evil thoughts (De octo spiritibus malitiae, CPG 2451); Instruction to Monks (Institutio sive Paraenesis ad monachos, CPG 2454), etc. Evagrius Ponticus’ works have been translated into Romanian since the 17th century. The manifold translations are based on both Slavic standard collections (the Paterika) and Greek ascetical miscellanies (17th–18th c.). New data will be provided about the diffusion and reception of these texts. When it comes to the Greek source, the Romanian translator from the monastic community of Paisius Velichkovski is identified. On top of that, a preliminary hypothesis about the Athonite ascetic miscellany that served as the source is offered and further connections with other South-Slavic ascetic collections are provided.