Ammonius the Tall

When did Ammonius die?

Ammonius the Tall is dated d. c. AD 399 in the archive, which places Ammonius in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400). The dating is traditional and approximate; the archive marks it as uncertain rather than fixing a year the sources do not give.

Which early sources mention Ammonius?

Ammonius the Tall is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Palladius and Socrates Scholasticus. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Ammonius from?

The archive associates Ammonius the Tall with Nitria, Egypt. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were Ammonius’ contemporaries?

The archive links Ammonius the Tall to 3 other figures, including Evagrius Ponticus, Abba Or of Nitria and John Chrysostom. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

[By an acquaintance, within a generation.] Ammonius, disciple of Pambo, with his three brothers and two sisters, attained the very height of the love of God... He knew Scripture by heart and the famous doctors besides; and when a city seized him to make him bishop, he cut off his own left ear, saying: 'Now it is impossible — the law forbids the priesthood to the maimed.'

When Ammonius died at Constantinople during the appeal against Theophilus, even Theophilus is said to have wept, declaring that there was scarcely a monk of his time to compare with Ammonius.