Renunciation of Will in the Monastic School of Gaza

From the outset of Christian monastic history, renunciation was universally considered an initial step along the ascetic path. In various circles of early monastic tradition there were different emphases on renunciation. In contrast to anchoritic monasticism, which felt less threatened by the dangers of personal will, coenobitic monasticism placed paramount importance on social cooperation and obedience. Close examination of the place of this topic in the paideia of early monastic literature reveals a shift in its importance and centrality that can be clearly traced in the various phases of the monastic school of Gaza. It developed a special emphasis on extreme self-renunciation, achieving its apogee in this circleʼs late coenobitic forms and epitomized in the second half of the sixth century in the Life of Dositheus, the disciple of Dorotheus.