Egeria as a Mediator of Theological and Ecclesiastical Knowledge

Authors

• Anni Maria Laato Åbo Akademi

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62442/ta.142602

Keywords:

Egeria, pyhiinvaellus, Jerusalem

Abstract

Itinerarium Egeriae is a travelogue written by a Christian pilgrim Egeria about her journey to, and in, the Holy Land between 381-384 CE. Egeria’s text has been studied extensively from different angles, but the author’s role as a communicator between East and West has received less attention. Egeria came from the Latin West and participated for three years’ time in the liturgical life in the Holy Land, where Greek and Syriac were the main languages. As she reports about practices of pilgrimage and the liturgical life of the Church in Jerusalem, she simultaneously transmits information of related theological ideas. In her text, she uses several techniques to mediate her experiences and learning to her friends at home. In this paper, Egeria’s theological, ecclesial and linguistic knowledge, as well as the methods she uses to transmit her views and experiences to her readers, are scrutinized.