During my studies I have constantly come across reference to the Origenists, usually in a hushed down manner – as if the scholars really are divided whether they should tell us more. Usually they do not go into much detail, they could tell me that St.Jerome, a name which has quite an authority and grandeur attached to it, and more significantly St.Gregory of Nyssa later in their lives changed opinions of Origen and considered many of his doctrines dangerous and heretical. This information has been duplicated so many times that it is impossible to discover the nature of their relationships with Origen as well as with his teachings. A more recent moderation of the critique against Origen suggest that the Churchfather were orthodox. The criteria for this were that the “Origenists” edited his writings and while doing so contributed their own heretical views in the name of Origen. I`d say the jury is out on that verdict, but the views in question are quite fascinating for modern Gnostics to read and consider.
But alas, one of the Origenists, although seldom mentioned in that context, were Evagrius of Pontus, like his spiritual inspirer, Origen, he was a late luminary of Christian theology who also devoted most of his attention towards the practical approach towards theosis. Evagrius of Pontus lived between 345CE and 399CE, in Ibora, a modest city in Pontus, the same coastal area in Asia Minor from which Marcion two centuries earlier went to Rome and proclamated his teachings, coincidentally, the father of both were a Bishop. It was also from this area another great of the orthodox theologians, St.Basil of Caesaria, came from. Evagrius was appointed and ordained to Lector in the church, by the elderly St.Basil, it is not known precisely when, but between 370 when he was consecrated Bishop, and 379 when he died, is quite realistic.
It is also likely that it was St.Basil that introduced Evagrius to the teachings of the great Alexandrian theologian Origen, who was a very great influence on several of the fathers, who, even after several posthumous excommunications, anathemas and controversial verdicts, remained faithful in their defense of their spiritual inspirer, some would even say, master. At this time it is also not unlikely he became acquianted with Gregory of Nazianz.
Unlike the Cappadochian fathers, who moderated Origens teachings with a great dose of Nicene Orthodoxy which the great master himself had been fortunate to antedate by a significant century, Evagrius became a radical exponent of certain teachings which concerns the full consequence and thrust of Origen`s teachings concerning the Soul and its inclination towards the light, complicated not only by the compulsions towards the carnal pleasures and comfort,but also towards what I would call Archontic arrogance. While intelligent of the supernal and immortal things, and emerging with a vision of Truth, some beings, incarnate as well as unincarnate (in the sense of being spiritual beings, angels, intelligences.. archons) – could be moved by compulsions as well, such compulsions which is more dangerous and detrimental to a full developement (another Origenist doctrine) of their spiritual potentional, among these we find hatred,envy,greed for authority/influence and the inability to feel compassion for other beings in a less favorable predicament. Could it be that, apart from scriptural foundations, such as can be found in St.Paul`s letter to the Corinthians, concerning the “authorities in higher places” persecuting the disciples of Christ rather than the flesh – this doctrine emerges from a long journey into the troubled landscape.. of the Church in the fourth century?
When St.Basil his beloved mentor died, Evagrius went for solace and further instruction to the then thriving Constantinople, a newborn city of the new empire. There he were eventually consecrated Deacon by his friend in the Alexandrine orthodox Gnosis, Gregory the Theologian (also known as Nazianzen)- of whom he writes in his Epistula Fidei:
Who is to be my Laban, setting me free from Esau,
and leading me to the supreme philosophy?
By God’s help, I have, so far as in me lies,
attained my object. I have found a chosen vessel;
a deep well. I mean Gregory [of Nazianzus]: Christ’s mouth.
A letter which is styled against what he experienced as the threat of Arianism and other directions of his day, which he felt introduced alien and dangerous teachings concerning the nature of the Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit – the Trinity which were a central mystery for the emerging orthodox church tradition.
Later, St.Gregory of Nazinzus were forced to vacate Constantinople and his role as Bishop – he bid Evagrius to serve as Deacon under his successor, Nectarius, which, since he was told, Evagrius did.
Like St.Basil and St.Gregory had been mentors to Evagrius, now he found himself to serve as mentor for the new Bishop of the great city. As a consequence, Evagrius human side, as it often is wont to do, made a bid for his attention, and he became amorous with the wife of a Roman prefect in the city.
Soon after he had to flee for his life, as the womans husband planned to have him killed. Warned in a dream of this possibility and also of the error of his ways, Evagrius fled in the dead of night and ended up in the double monastery founded by Rufinus and Melania the Elder, at the Mount of Olives, Jerusalem, finding his sanctuary in the monastic community of two other Origenists. From the time of his flight, his psychological constitution became troubled, suffering several nervous breakdowns and growing frail, eventually he broke out in a burning fever. Melania the Elder suspected this sickness did not have an ordinary cause and eventually got Evagrius to confess his transgressions in Constantinople, advicing him that the only way he may clense himself were to give over his life completely to God, and become a Monk.
Rufinus gave him the habit of monkhood in 383. In addition to becoming acquainted with the discipline of ascesis, Evagrius were made more acquianted with the works of Origen, Rufinus being somewhat less guarded about his teachings than his Cappadochian mentors. Evagrius now set out for the deserts of Egypt, and sat for the rest of his life at the feet of two of the greatest Origenist teachers: Macarius the Great and Didymus the Blind in the monastic settlement at Nitria, in the Egyptian desert.
Evagrius had an enormous capacity to discern spirits, and was an excellent “psychotherapist”. While a desert abba (father), Evagrius became the spiritual master of several greats,including the Tall brethren: Ammonius,Euthymius,Dioscorus and Eusebius, as well as Bishop Palladius, and John Cassian, the chronicler of the Egyptian desert fathers.
These, along with Evagrius, became very famous both for their deep knowledge of divine things and certain abilities ascribed to their persons – and the archbishops of Alexandria, among them Theophilus of Alexandria, wanted to conscript them to the offices of clergy, therefore several times Evagrius had to flee, perhaps due to having experience as Deacon in the Church under Bishop`s Gregory of Nazianzen and Nectarius, earlier in life – and also wielding a significant command of the theological and political issues which troubled Alexandria at that time. The fact of his fleeing could be construed to be profe positive he had mended his ways and were approaching things from the other end of the spectrum. A similar story, but now concerning the archbishops of Edessa, unveils in the just as dramatic life of Synesius, one of the greater exponents of the hellenistic synthesis of the Christian faith with Neo-Platonism. At one time Evagrius had to flee Egypt, and ended up in Palestine, modern biographers speculate whether he graced his old friends, Rufinus and Melania the Elder with a visit, staying at their monastery at the Mount of Olives.
At which time Evagrius wrote an apologetic letter to Theophilus, explaining why he would not again take up duty as cleric in the Church. Some commentators on Evagrius speculate upon the fact that with Evagrius, as with most of the desert fathers and early monastics, significantly little detail, if any, is given of the sacraments of the Church, and some are even moved to say that he had discovered he was better off without it. My own impression, from reading such books as Chorbishop Seely J. Beggiani`s Introduction to Eastern Christian Spirituality: The Syriac Tradition, which I recommend especially – is that they significantly misunderstand or are uninformed about the nature of the pre-mendicant Monastic movement: indeed some would not have access to the sacraments or even churches for years on end, but it would be part of their spirituality nevertheless, they were not attempting to better the Church, they were attempting to, from their interior, achieve such light, such vision and such healing that would allow them to inspire the Church. That was precisely the motivation for Evagrius to write his great works, among which the 6 centuries of his Kephalia Gnostica can be counted.
Evagrius writes (from Fr.Luke Dysinger`s translation, Introduction to Kephalia Gnostica, the Gnostikos) :
13. It is proper for the knower to speak to monks and seculars concerning a proper way of life, as well as to explain in part doctrines concerning physike and theologike “without which no one will see the Lord.” (Heb 12:14)
while:
14. To priests alone, [and only] to those who are among the best,reply if they question you what is symbolized by the mysteries they perform and which purify the interior man: the vessels which they receive designate the passionate part of the soul and the rational part; on what is the inseperable mixture, the power of each of them, and the accomplishing of the activities of each in view of a single purpose. And tell them again of what is the symbol of that which accomplishes them, and who those are that, with them repel those that establish an obstacle to pure conduct, and who, among the living beings some have the memory and some do not have it.
On the abstract treatment of deity:
27. Do not, without [careful] consideration, speak about God [in Himself]; nor should you ever define the Deity: for it is only of {things which are made or} are composite that there can be definitions.
Which is part of Ibn al-Arabi`s advice to his readers as well, indeed Evagrius appears to have the same agenda, if it is possible – let each assume an attitude which is conductive to understanding in a gentle manner.

However, modern systematic theologians would well profit from this advice of Evagrius:
34. You must not interpret spiritually everything that lends itself to allegory, but rather only that which is fiting to the subject; because if you do not act thus, you pass much time on Jonas’ boat, explaining every part of its equipment. And you will be humerous to your listeners, rather than useful to them: all of these sitting around you will remind you of this or that equipment, and by laughing [they] will remind you of what you have forgotten.

Evagrius of Pontus had during his years as a monk, and some would say, penitent – adapted for himself a very strict and severe asceticism which gradually reduced him physically. In the year he died, in 399CE, he had graced this earth his visit for a meagre 54 years. Just a few years afterwards the controversy around the chief inspirer of his tradition, Origen, grew intense and an likewise intense persecution, forcing his brethren in the Alexandrine orthodox Gnosis into diaspora/exile in the Egyptian desert.

The spiritual classic known as “The Philokalia” still contains several of his works today, and is much used in Eastern Orthodoxy still.
Evagrius, who is considered a Saint in several traditions of the Eastern Churches, has his feastday on February 11.

Fr.Luke Dysinger`s biography for Evagrius of Pontus, from his excellent homepage.

I also found these useful
Evagrius Ponticus: Monastic Theologian, online resources.
The Coptic Life of Evagrius, translated by Tim Vivian
Cure of the Distressed Soul: the Consolation of Evagrius of Pontus on the Death of Gregory Nazianzus, by Joel Kalvesmaki, at the Evagrius website.
Created and Renewed after the image of God: About the biblical-theological and sacramental Foundations of Evagrian Mysticism,
by Fr.Gabriel Bunge,OSB.

On the life and activity of Evagrius of Pontus at the Truth of Orthodoxy page on Origen and Origenism (it is actually quite symphatetic)

October 13th – 1307 – 2003

This day, the 13th October – is the 696th year after the arrest and trial of the Knights Templars in France, under orders from the King of France, Phillip IV, called the fair, in 1307…The trial lasted until 18th March 1314, when the last Grand Master of the order, Jacques de Molay, was burned alive at the stake near the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The legend tells that De Molay then graciously invited the King of France and Pope Clement V to join him within the year, before his voice would die and a terrible calm would spread with the smoke. The fact is that the ambitious king and his overbearing mentor, the Pope did not survive a year after the accomplishment of the annihilation of the order, and all the great visions he had had, of the domination of all chivalric orders, on a great influence on religion and economy, on a thousand year reign.. fell like ashes.
The Templars are romantic,mythic and legendary dynamite – they are either part of some conspiracy, or the ones who are either its martyrs or exposers.. to the public imagination these warrior-monks have contributed a revival of the Hero from the more archetypical background of the ideal/idea. Not surprisingly the Templars achieved posthumous fame as being the guardians of the Holy Grail – the receptacle of the blood of Jesus while he hung upon the cross, modern fable has translated the rather obstrustive and morbid image of this to the idea that Jesus had children and that the Templars protected his fittingly English/French/Italian offspring and protected the secret interests of the invisible Citadel, the theocratic seat of power somewhere.
Philip le Bel demonstrated quite powerfully the fault of those, who might well have harboured similar ideas, in machinating the process against the Templars.. while they had powerfull allies, and in prinsciple they could cause the economical collapse of at the very least his empire (built as it was, on Crusaders treasures and war tax, and made dependent on the banking system the Templars introduced.) they had also sworn absolute fealty to the Pope, an incredibly unwise endeavour as history has demonstrated, and as such, when he deigned with his holiness to betray them – they were sold. Documents from the process show that many tried to vindicate themselves of the most infamous accusations – including diabolism,the worship of felines backsides, homosexuality, blasphemy, sorcery, withcraft and heresy and a goodly list of others – but no coherent strategy were feasible, the torturers irons were now hot and would not be put out until the last Templar submitted to the charges and were thrown on the pyre.

The initial function for the Order were to safeguard pilgrims on their way to the Holy Land. It was founded by Hughes de Payen with approval from the Pope and the council of Troyes, in 1118. At that time the Order did not have a separate seal/flag and no “Rule”, but shortly thereafter Bernard of Clairveaux would write it for them. It included a stricture concerning ownership of riches and lands which is quite harsh for the kind of young nobles who joined the ranks. Before pursuing these strategic functions, they would make a full monastic vow of the most strict kind. Strange to our modern values, the medieval
Knights who joined the ranks of the Order of the Temple, combined a religious and military carriere into one. They were, basically.. monks bearing arms.Even more strange is the fact that during the process of nearly 200 years existence, while the individual Knights had taken vows of voluntary poverty, similar to that of the Dominicans,Fransiscians and, incidentally,
the heretical Cathars – the fortunes of the Order itself increased greatly, especially when the Order became engaged in military campaigns which assisted the armies of the Second Crusade.
The full name of the Knights Templar Order is really The Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon.

Rev.Steven Marshall has written a Homily for the Remembrance of the Knights Templars, which he calls the Knights of Holy Wisdom. Most certainly one of their spiritual inspirers and legal protectors, Bernard of Clairvaux, who also wrote down the rules of this Monastic Military order, dedicated his work to Hochmah, Sophia, Shekinah – the feminine Holy Wisdom, which he understood to be contained in essence within the Holy Scriptures. The order, once accused of denying the mysteries concerning the Holy Virgin, were in fact explicitly dedicated to the service and protection of the Virgin. The Virgin Mary from the introduction of her cult at Ephesos in 493CE and onwards, came to represent the Soul, the Feminine (all Women in the Christian Communion) and the Church herself (sic!).

Rev.Marshall finishes his homily with these lines, concerning modern Gnostics feeling of affiliation with the Ideals of the first Knights Templars:
We are Knights of the Temple, the Knights of this Temple of the Gnosis. We have left the many of this world to stand alone and to stand with an invisible fellowship with which we have united ourselves in spirit, as we unite with a fellowship of Gnostics who exist everywhere, in every creed and race. We are guardians of a very sacred way, the holy road to the Heavenly Jerusalem. This is ours to guard and defend that the way of the Gnosis, that the road of the “truth that sets free” may remain open to the lost and exiled pilgrims of this world. In this way we take up our crosses as images of that Cross of Light which is the blazon of our way back to the Light that is the place of our true inheritance and our True Home.

The modern revivals of the French Gnostic Church tradition partially depended upon the transmission of a spiritual or historic nature – of a legacy from the
original Order of the Temple. In 1804 Fabre de Palaprat and others let the world know that they had restored the Medieval Order of the Temple, claiming to be beneficaries of the Charter drafted in 1324 by the hand of John Mark Larmenius, who had received command to continue the order by Jacques de Molay himself, this and several other circumstances. In fact, de Palaprat let found a “Primitive Johannite Church” on that basis of orientation.
More about those developements in Phillip Andrew Garver :History of the French Gnostic Church at the Eglise Gnostique.

Collect from the Gnostic Lectionary of the Ecclesia Gnostica

Remember them O Lord, in Thy kingdom, Thy faithful servants Jacques de Molay, Guy de Auvergne, and all the glorious martyrs of the Order of the Templars, who have shone as brilliant lights of the eternal Gnosis in their days. Thou who art ever the comforter of the oppressed and the repose of those who suffer for the sake of the truth, grant them peace, refreshment, glory and the splendour of Thy Gnosis. Grant that we, following the example of Thy Holy Martyrs, may with them bear witness to the Gnosis of Love, Liberty and Light forever. Not to us, not to us O Lord, but to Thy name be the Glory; now and for evermore.

Some sites which provide good overviews of the Templars:
The Knights Templars-Ancient and Modern
Templar History

Last week we had another visitor from Hollywood..Rev.Donna Owen. It is wonderful that so many could visit us this autumn, for me rather than Revd.Jan Valentin Saether, it is the first time I have got the chance to meet our confraternity in America and get some impression of whats going on in the Ecclesia Gnostica. We got to hold two Masses together, one private of the original English liturgy, wherein I assisted Donna, the other with Jan as celebrant in Norwegian.

Donna is Commander of the Order of the Grail and were visiting Paris for the bicentennial of Louis Claude de Saint-Martin`s transition, which were organized by the studies organization GERME – it were my impression that this were quite the event gathering esoterists with interests in Saint-Martin and Martinism as well as dedicated Martinists from all over the world. She brought heartening news from the milieu to whose outermost perimeter, through my correspondences, forum participation and work as a Deacon for Ecclesia Gnostica ..belong.

During our communion Revd. Jan Valentin Saether kindly gave me a gift of a Pix, a box to carry preconsecrated hosts – part of the traditional paraphenalia belonging to the Deacon in the Sacramental Christian traditions, to which Ecclesia Gnostica most decidedly belong..so now I carry hosts..the tokens of Christ`s descent into matter,chaos,death..this world for the sake of …the soul, our Sophia whose life we partake of. It is really quite the reminder, I can really feel the weight of it.

I am most grateful, I just hope that I`ll be worthy to put it to use (it was designed to be a container for the sacrament so that the Deacon could bring it to those who are unable to attend mass at Church, such as old and sick people).