A Note on Evagrius’ Cosmological and Metaphysical Statements

Overall, contemporary scholars consider Evagrius’ Chapters on Knowledge a metaphysical work which proposes a fully fledged cosmology. This cosmology refers to the pre-existence of a spiritual universe and the final dematerialization of the cosmos. Recent scholars, however, challenge the metaphysical assumption, advocating a monastic interpretation. I apply to Chapters the monastic lens of Evagrius’ The Monk and The Gnostic, proposing that his metaphysical and cosmological narrative encodes a map of spiritual experience. My approach also relies on recent reinterpretations of Evagrius’ masters and intellectual heirs.