The ethico-gnosiological system of Evagrius Ponticus: the union of Hellenism and early Christianity

The article examines the ethical views of Evagrius Ponticus, one of the founders of the Eastern Christian doctrine and the greatest theorist of the Alexandrian religious-philosophical school. The views of the thinker and ascetic are a productive synthesis of the Hellenistic (Platonic, Roman Stoic) tradition and Christianity. Furthermore, his ethical, epistemological, and axiological ideas are in many ways similar to those of Anthony the Great. Similarly to him, Evagrius connects the transformations of the moral, spiritual-soul sphere with certain influences of transcendent agents. The authors conclude that the views of Evagrius Ponticus represent one of the first holistic systems in the early Christian tradition that synthesizes ethical, gnoseological, axiological, and behavioral attitudes; it includes a holistic methodology for healing the spiritual and moral sphere of the individual. The teacher of the Church actualizes the Christian version of cognitive therapy. The ideas of Evagrius Ponticus are in demand today in the field of human mental health; they are topical in an age of moral disorientation.