In Militia Dei? A Sociohistorical Perspective on the Pachomian Koinonia

Abstract

Abstract This paper draws on sociohistorical methods to explore the overlapping, and at times contradictory, discourses on how to form and structure the religious community that eventually coalesced into the Pachomian Koinonia. It discusses the impact and extant to which established institutions like the Roman army, family and great estates influenced the formation of this monastic movement.