Hidden Voices: Amma Syncletica and Amma Theodora 

This is the fifth post of my Hidden Voices of Women Writers from Church History. So far we have looked at the prison diary of Perpetua, the centos of Faltonia Betitia Proba and Empress Eudocia and the travel diary of Egeria. In this final post of women writers from the first five centuries, we will read about the wisdom sayings of the desert mothers.

“There is struggling and great toil at first for those advancing towards God; but afterwards inexpressible joy. Indeed, just as those seeking to light a fire at first are engulfed in smoke and are teary-eyed, thus they obtain what they seek to experience. As it is said, ˋOur God is a consuming fireˊ (Hebrews 12.29) So, we ought to kindle the divine fire in ourselves with tears and toil.” Amma Syncletica

In the fourth century, something remarkable began to happen. Following the conversion of Emperor Constantine in 312 AD, Christianity moved from the margins of society towards its very centre. After three centuries of persecution, believers were no longer outsiders; Christianity had gained imperial favour, and the Church was becoming increasingly at home in the world. Yet for some, this new acceptance brought an unexpected challenge. Where was the hunger for God, the depth of faith and the willingness to surrender everything?

Leaving behind the comforts and distractions of ordinary life, men and women felt called to seek God in the silence and solitude of the desert. They went in search of a deeper encounter with him, embracing a life of fasting, little sleep, prayer and hard physical labour. The desert became both a place of spiritual discovery and a battleground, where they wrestled with temptation, themselves and their faith. These pioneers became known as the Desert Fathers (Abbas) and Desert Mothers (Ammas). Their numbers grew, and what began as a search for solitude gradually developed into a movement that would lay the foundations of Christian monasticism.

Their wisdom continues to speak to us today. They understood that drawing close to God required more than activity or outward religious observance. It called for stillness, silence, prayer and a deep attentiveness to the word of God.

“Choose the meekness of Moses and you will find the stony places in your heart transformed into springs of water.” Amma Syncletica

The Apophthegmata Patrum, or the Sayings of the Fathers, is a collection of the advice and sayings of these men and women from the fourth century. Within its pages is the wisdom of the Mothers alongside that of the Fathers. It is a spiritual treasury of the wisdom of early Christianity. Despite being fewer in number, there were many wise Desert Mothers who are still remembered today. This was a time when society often minimised, destroyed, or falsely attributed writings by women to men, but as we shall see, enough of their writings have survived for us to hear their voice, hidden for too long.

This post will look at two of the desert mothers, Amma Syncletica and Amma Theodora, and explore the treasury of wisdom left in their sayings. Some sayings may seem overly harsh to modern ears and may not be very useful for personal prayer, but they were written at a time when people prioritised fasting and limiting sleep. I hope that the selection highlighted here will speak to you and be a source of wisdom and inspiration.

Amma Syncletica

“Staying awake to meditate cleanses the mind, fasting humbles the body, prayer unites us to God.”

There are two stories about where Syncletica came from. One says she was from Alexandria and began her monastic life in her home before following her call into the desert. She gave all her wealth away, cut her hair and moved into the desert with her blind sister to live a life of simplicity and prayer. Another story suggests she was from Constantinople and, when engaged to be married, asked to first make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and then escaped to the desert.

Soon, more women followed her, and she became their spiritual mother, or Amma. She was also an avid learner and taught that ignorance hinders spiritual growth. She was renowned as a wise counsellor, and many of her sayings and wisdom survive today. Despite her ascetic lifestyle and the pain of tumours, she lived into her eighties.

“Just as a ship is impossible to assemble without sails, a soul is impossible to save without a humble spirit.” Amma Syncletica

“Even if you realise that you, yourself have done evil, remember: if in any fall, you say with humility: ˋplease forgive me,ˊ then it shall be forgiven you.” Amma Syncletica

Amma Theodora of Alexandria

“Whatever people say by the grace of the Spirit, therefore, is useful if it springs from love and ends in it. Salvation, then is exactly this – the two-fold love of God and of our neighbour.” Amma Syncletica

Theodora was the wife of a Roman Prefect of Egypt, and when she wanted to follow Christ into the desert, she dressed as a man to enter a monastery. She earned a reputation as a trusted friend of Bishop Theophilus of Alexandria, one of the Church Fathers. Many people visited her to discover the secrets of the monastic prayer life.

“My children, all of us -male and female- know about being saved. ˋYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbour as yourself.ˊ” (Matthew 22:37,39).

“Never forget that in a life of intense prayer, God becomes your defence in all the virtues. When needed, the mighty Lord will come to your defence, fully armed.” Amma Theodora

“Come to love Our Lord Jesus Christ more deeply, and practice the labors of virtue. Patiently sustaining this work chases out depression.” Amma Theodora

Conclusion

At a time when the words of women were not given the same priority as men, it is encouraging to hear their voice contained in these sayings which echo down the centuries to us. Few of us are called to live a life of an ascetic, but even today, many of us desire to live a simpler life. I hope you will find inspiration in these two Desert Mothers.

This post is indebted to the work of VK McCarty and her research into the lives and sayings of these Desert Mothers. If you want to read more about them, download her papers found in the notes.

Amma Syncletica

“If you think upon that which is good, you will be disposed to it. Human thought is never hidden from God. For this reason, your thoughts must always be clean of all evil.”

Amma Syncletica

Amma Theodora

“Love stillness. Silence, prayers and reading will help the spirit cleave to God.” Amma Theodora