He is, therefore, himself the Lord of Destiny. “If, then, they say that God is first, it will necessarily follow that everything has its origin in him and, in fact, he is present in all. She chastised those who would blame God for their sinful inclinations. What worthy return shall I make to the giver? I do not have anything.”ĭeterminism was alive and well in her day and age. “I have been judged worthy of a great title. Amma Syncletica promptly gave away the fortune she had inherited to poor and entered into the solitary life with her sister with these words, Her parents passed away when she was a young woman and the care of her sister as well as her parents estate was entrusted to her. She had two brothers who had passed away while she was young, as well as a sister who was blind. ”…careful watch over the first impulses of her soul, not allowing them to be led astray by physical passions.” It was said that, “Through fasting and prayer she trimmed the thorny offshoots of her thought.”įasting helped to expose carnal desire, while prayer helped retrain that desire onto the heavenly life. Fasting to her was a fulfillment of 2 Corinthians 4:16, “As our outer person perishes, so our inner person is being renewed.” Fasting starved the carnal nature of the flesh while feeding the inner man the virtue of temperance. She fasted, prayed, and practiced solitude all towards this end as a young woman. Syncletica consistently rebuffed every man who came to her, claiming that hers was to be the Heavenly Bridegroom.Īmma Syncletica made Song of Solomon 2:16 her life goal. Her name practically implied this would happen as Syncletica is derived from the Greek meaning “heavenly assembly.” As a young woman, she had no shortage of suitors looking for her hand in marriage, and she was firmly encouraged by her parents to choose someone to wed. Though Alexandria was a major metropolis of the ancient world, they were struck by the faith and charity that existed in the city.įrom an early age she was committed to Christ. Her parents had heard of the reputation of Alexandrians and their love for Christ and were drawn there based upon it. It had less to do with salvation as we understand it through faith in Christ, but rather, “How do I work out my salvation with fear and trembling?” She answers practically and profoundly on topics ranging from dealing with the internal thought life to spiritual disciplines such as fasting and prayer.Īmma Syncletica was born around 380 AD to a wealthy family from Macedonia who had immigrated to Alexandria. The whole of her teaching begins with the question, “What must we do to be saved?” This is the common question asked of disciples to their teachers in the desert movement. It is the same in the case of someone who has not first built an interior dwelling he causes loss to those who come.” “It is dangerous for someone not formed by experience of the ascetic life to try to teach it is as if someone whose house is unsound were to receive guests and cause them injury by the collapse of the building.

She was convinced that teaching without experience would lack substance. Only after being pressed by those that came to her did she begin to teach the way she had come to know Christ in solitude. She was hesitant to share publicly what she practiced privately, knowing that intimacy with Christ is a serious matter.

Just as wax melts in the presence of fire, so also does the soul disintegrate in the face of praises and lose its vigour.” “A treasure is secure so long as it remains concealed but when once disclosed, and laid open to every bold invader, it is presently rifled so virtue also vanishes once it is known and made public. She is in a class of her own as a spiritual instructor and desert mother. Her life is written by Athanasius, the same author of Abba Anthony’s history (though his authorship has been challenged by some historians). Influenced by Evagrius the Solitary and an imitator of Abba Anthony, Syncletica became one of the brightest flames in the desert tradition. Few ages of church history have seen such a notable figure as Amma Syncletica of Alexandria.

Amma syncletica desert mother