The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Palamon of the Thebaid
d. c. 325 · Hermit · Elder and trainer of Pachomius · the Thebaid, Egypt
The Nicene Age
Who Palamon of the Thebaid was
The severe old anchorite of the desert near Sheneset to whom the young Pachomius apprenticed himself — who first warned the ex-soldier off (“the work of God is not so simple”), then trained him for seven years in vigils, hunger, and psalmody. When Pachomius received his call to build a community at Tabennisi, Palamon helped him raise the first cell and visited until his death. The eremitic root-stock onto which cenobitic monasticism was grafted.
The Pachomian Lives alone.
Also listed in desert fathers & mothers.
Common questions
When did Palamon die?
Palamon of the Thebaid is dated d. c. 325 in the archive, which places Palamon 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 Palamon?
Palamon of the Thebaid is named in 1 primary-source passage catalogued here, drawn from Pachomian tradition. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Palamon from?
The archive associates Palamon of the Thebaid with the Thebaid, Egypt. The sources record more than one location, so the places are listed in the order the record moves through them.
Who were Palamon’s contemporaries?
The archive links Palamon of the Thebaid to 2 other figures, including Pachomius the Great and Anthony the Great. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (1)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Life of Pachomius (Bohairic) 10–18
c. AD 400The old man Palamon said to him, ‘Many have come hither and have not endured.’ But seeing his patience, he received him, and they laboured together in vigils and the recitation of the words of God.Pachomian tradition · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- AD 257 · The Valerian persecution, AD 257
- AD 260 · Gallienus’ edict of toleration, AD 260
- AD 268 · Antioch deposes Paul of Samosata, AD 268
- AD 272 · Aurelian awards the Antioch church, AD 272
- AD 301 · Hripsime and her company, AD 301
- AD 303 · The Great Persecution begins, AD 303
- AD 303 · The search of the church at Cirta, AD 303
- AD 306 · The Council of Elvira, AD 306
- AD 311 · Galerius’ edict of Serdica, AD 311
- AD 313 · The Edict of Milan, AD 313
- AD 314 · The Council of Arles, AD 314
- AD 320 · Silvanus tried before Zenophilus, AD 320
- AD 325 · The Council of Nicaea, AD 325
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Palamon, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1the Thebaidprovince only
- 2Egyptprovince only