Shenoute of Atripe and the Uses of Poverty

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Ariel G. Lopez. Shenoute of Atripe and the Uses of Poverty

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In honor of beloved Virgil—

“O degli altri poeti onore e lume …”

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The governor, as described by Shenoute, towers high above local society and is expected to condescend to the “poor” in the same way that God lowered himself to become human. Old Testament prophets, “who speak about us, and not about themselves,” provide the language to describe his virtues and potential vices. A good governor will avoid the typical sins of a late Roman bureaucrat: buying his post and selling justice for bribes. “If the magistrates desire it,” he tells Flavianus, “they can become rich in good works in a single year and a single tour to the province.” Such a good governor had a bright future both in heaven and on earth:

Truly, just as he (i.e., Flavianus) is famous for his way of life, he is even more famous because he protects righteousness, mercy, and justice. He gives what belongs to God to God and what belongs to the emperors to the emperors with the wisdom and zeal of his intelligence. He is loved by the poor, he is also loved by the emperors [so much so] that they gave him the magistracy three times for nothing. He will be honored by the emperors and praised by Christ.76

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