St. Pachomius Library

St. Gerasimus of the Jordan

V Century
Born in Lycia in Asia Minor, St. Gerasimus (d. c. 475) may have been a merchant before he became a monk. He briefly supported Eutyches, a monophysite, and Euthymius is said to have persuaded him that monophysitism is an error. Gerasimus is said to have become a monk at Lycia or at the Thebaid. He founded a lavra in Palestine near Jericho, in which the monks followed a strict rule. He himself was known for his asceticism. The Spiritual Meadow of John Moschus contains the story of Gerasimus and the lion. Its similarity to the story of St. Jerome and the lion leads some scholars to believe that the second story is a conflation or a confusion of one saint's name for the other.
Karen Rae Keck
Under construction --- far from complete! Read with caution.

ABOUT:
- Holy Righteous Father Gerasimus of the Jordan (PDF file); first page only discusses Gerasimus; includes reproduction of an icon and the texts of the apolytikion (troparion) and kontakion ---St. George Greek Orthodox Church, St. Paul, MN, USA
- The Monasteries of "The Desert of the Jordan." by O. Sion (Description of excavation of St. Gerasimus' lavra on p. 257 of PDF file) ---Studium biblicum franciscanum, Jerusalem
IMAGES:

St. Gerasimus ---Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline, MA, USA
St. Gerasimus ---Orthodox Church in America

2006/05
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