The Nicene Age · AD 313–400

John of Lycopolis

c. AD 305 – 395 · Recluse of the Thebaid · 'The Seer of Egypt' · Lycopolis, the Thebaid

The Nicene Age

Who John of Lycopolis was

The carpenter turned recluse who walled himself into three cells on a cliff above Lycopolis for forty-eight years, speaking to visitors only through a window on Saturdays and Sundays — and whose window advised the master of the world: twice Theodosius sent to him before marching, against Maximus and against Eugenius, and twice the recluse promised victory, the second, he warned, 'with great slaughter.' Palladius climbed to the window himself and was told, gently, his own hidden restlessness. The empire's most consulted man owned one window and no door.

Also listed in desert fathers & mothers.

Common questions

When did John live?

John of Lycopolis is dated c. AD 305 – 395 in the archive, which places John 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 John?

John of Lycopolis is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from The seven pilgrims' record, Palladius of Galatia and Sozomen. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was John from?

The archive associates John of Lycopolis with Lycopolis, the Thebaid. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.

Who were John’s contemporaries?

The archive links John of Lycopolis to 4 other figures, including Emperor Theodosius I, Evagrius Ponticus, Apollo of Hermopolis and Innocent of the Mount of Olives. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

Primary-source mentions (3)

Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

History of the Monks of Egypt 1 (the pilgrims' first and longest visit)

c. AD 400
The seven pilgrims' record · History of the Monks 1 · source text

The Lausiac History 35

c. AD 420
He foretold to the most blessed emperor Theodosius the things concerning the tyrants Maximus and Eugenius — that he should conquer; and to me, when I came to his window, he told the things I was hiding from myself.
Palladius of Galatia · 35 · source text

Church History VI.28 (the seer consulted by Theodosius)

c. AD 445
Sozomen · Church History VI.28 · source text

Connected in the archive

People

Events in this lifetime

Place

Places served

The 2 places the sources put John, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.

  1. 1Lycopolis
  2. 2the Thebaidprovince only

See these places on the atlas →