The Nicene Age · AD 313–400
Theodore of Tabennese
c. 314 – 368 · Pachomian abbot · Successor of Pachomius · the Thebaid, Egypt
The Nicene Age
Who Theodore of Tabennese was
The beloved disciple and eventual successor of Pachomius, who joined the community as a youth and became its second great leader, holding the federation of monasteries together through the crisis that followed the founder’s death in the plague. He corresponded with Athanasius, sheltered him during an exile, and translated the Pachomian tradition into a living institution beyond its founder. His catecheses survive in Coptic. The disciple who proved that Pachomius’s common life could outlast Pachomius.
Common questions
When did Theodore live?
Theodore of Tabennese is dated c. 314 – 368 in the archive, which places Theodore 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 Theodore?
Theodore of Tabennese is named in 2 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Ammon the bishop and Pachomian tradition. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Where was Theodore from?
The archive associates Theodore of Tabennese 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 Theodore’s contemporaries?
The archive links Theodore of Tabennese to 2 other figures, including Pachomius the Great and Athanasius of Alexandria. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.
Primary-source mentions (2)
Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.
Letter of Ammon (an eyewitness memoir of Theodore's Tabennese)
c. AD 390Life of Pachomius (Bohairic)
c. AD 400Theodore, whom our father Pachomius loved above the rest for the purity of his soul, was set to comfort and confirm the brothers after the father had fallen asleep.Pachomian tradition · source text
Connected in the archive
People
Events in this lifetime
- 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
- AD 339 · The persecution of Shapur II, AD 339
- AD 343 · The Council of Serdica, AD 343
- AD 361 · Julian’s pagan restoration, AD 361
- AD 366 · Damasus and the catacomb epigrams, AD 366
- AD 367 · Athanasius lists the 27 NT books, AD 367
Place
Places served
The 2 places the sources put Theodore, in the order the record moves through them. This is what the sources attest, not a reconstructed route.
- 1the Thebaidprovince only
- 2Egyptprovince only