Paul Smith: Philostorgius and the Construction of the Eunomian Holy Man

Since Peter Brown first introduced the idea of the “holy man,” scholarship has exploded with books, articles, and talks establishing, refining, and challenging the identity and function of the holy man, and the related category ascetics, in the fourth century. However, most of these focus on the holy man and ascetics in the Nicene tradition and ignore the non-Nicene tradition. This paper builds upon Thomas Ferguson and Anna Lankina by examining the Eunomian historian, Philostorgius, and demonstrating how he utilizes the concept of the holy man in order to promote his understanding of the ideal Christian state. Philostorgius’ holy man combines his reputation for working miracles, his ascetic life, and his ecclesiastical office to be a patron to the Emperor. Philostorgius thus constructs a holy man which overlaps with several modern scholarly conceptions of the Nicene holy man, while putting his own emphasis on the concept. Philostorgius places his holy men in an urban context, with urban ascetic virtues and leadership. Their societal engagement makes them key figures in constructing what Philostorgius sees as the ideal Christian state, supported by non-Nicene holy men who take an active role in advising the Emperor, using their status as holy men to guide the empire in a non-Nicene direction.