Pambo of Nitria

When did Pambo live?

Pambo of Nitria is dated c. AD 303 – c. 375 in the archive, which places Pambo 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 Pambo?

Pambo of Nitria is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Monastic tradition and Palladius of Galatia. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Pambo from?

The archive associates Pambo of Nitria 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 Pambo’s contemporaries?

The archive links Pambo of Nitria to 3 other figures, including Amun of Nitria, Macarius the Great (of Egypt) and Melania the Elder. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

They said of Abba Pambo that as Moses received the image of the glory of Adam, when his face shone, so the face of Abba Pambo shone like lightning, and he was as a king seated on his throne.

He was slow to speak… Having been given the verse, 'I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue,' he refused to hear the second verse, saying: the first suffices me, if I ever learn to perform it.