Order and Chaos in Jerome’s Vita S. Hilarionis eremitae

This article examines Jerome’s Vita S. Hilarionis eremitae (Vit. Hil.) through the themes of order and chaos, exploring how Hilarion’s ascetic discipline and miracles respond to the forces of disorder in late antique Gaza and, more broadly, in Egypt, Sicily, Cyprus, and Dalmatia. The study situates Jerome’s narrative in the social and religious context of fourth-century Greco-Roman society, highlighting how the tension between monastic order and worldly chaos reflects broader struggles between Christianity and paganism. By analysing key episodes of temptation, exorcism, and miraculous intervention, the article argues that Vit. Hil. presents Hilarion as an example of a dedicated ascetic who first confronted his own demons and temptations with a strict regime of praying, fasting, and singing of psalms, before he, armed with the weapons of the spirit, confronted the powers of disorder that manifested in possessed individuals, animals, and natural disasters. This article also sheds light on Jerome’s rhetorical strategy for strengthening his authority as a monk-scholar.