To talk about Shenoute's writing is to discuss
Coptic literature at its best. He wrote in a style that was essentially his own, with writings based on a careful study of the scholastic rhetoric of his time, which displayed the wide and deep range of knowledge he possessed. They were adorned with endless quotations from the Holy Scriptures, a typical feature of patristic writings. The scriptures were quoted whenever a presented argument needed support. In doing so Shenoute also displayed an astonishing memory as he rendered these passages with amazing accuracy. Shenoute's knowledge was not confined to the
Holy Bible, as was the case for the majority of the monks in
Egypt. He was fluent in both
Coptic and
Greek, and was fairly well acquainted with
Greek thought and theology. The sprinkling of Greek loan-words in his writings was both extensive and sophisticated, and it was definitely not a product of his living environment. He also expressed knowledge of the works of
Aristotle,
Aristophanes, the
Platonic school, and even some of the
Greek legends. He certainly read some of
Saint Athanasius' works like the Life of
Saint Anthony and some of his homiletic works. Shenoute also knew the letters of Saint Anthony, some of the letters of
Saint Pachomius, and most likely some of the works of
Evagrius. His knowledge further extended to such popular non-canonical texts as the
Acts of Archelaus and the
Gospel of Thomas. The writing of Saint Shenoute can be grouped into four categories: • Moral sermons: This category includes the richest collection that have survived from Shenoute's writings. Among his works here is one about the disobedience to clerics
De Disoboedientia ad Clericos, in which he stressed the benefit of obedience and the punishment of the disobedient. He also wrote about the
Nativity and the glorification of the Lord, where he discussed
free will and the place of chastity in the monastic life
De Castitate et Nativitate. • Sermons against the pagans: This category represents an important side of Shenoute's thinking. In one place, he portrayed the
pagans as worse than demons whose idols shall rightly be destroyed by the
Christians. In another sermon he aimed his attack against a pagan, probably a magistrate, who troubles the monks
Adversus Saturnum. In a third sermon he attacks the concept of fate, in the opinion of the idolaters, as the controlling factor in the life of a person. He encounters with the teaching that nothing actually happens without the will of God
Contra Idolatras, de Spatio Vitae. • Sermons against the heretics: This category is similar conceptually to the preceding one. Here Shenoute directs his attack against the heretics who corrupted the faith. One encounters in this category one of Shenoute's longest works, which was probably written as a treatise rather than just a sermon. This is the work against the
Origenists and the
Gnostics
Contra Origenistas et Gnosticos. The aim of this work was to oppose heretics in general and
Origenists in particular, with regards to their apocryphal books that they used and circulated. He also touched upon the subjects of the plurality of the worlds, the position and the work of the Savior, and the meaning of
Easter. Other subjects mentioned in the treatise included the relationship between the Father and the Son, the origin of souls,
Christ's Conception, the
Eucharist, resurrection of the body, and the four elements. Among the other works within this category were against the
Melitians, in regard to the multiple celebration of the
Eucharist in one day; against the
Manichaeans, concerning the value of the
Old Testament alongside the
New Testament; and against
Nestorius in relations to the preexistence of Christ before His birth from the
Virgin. • Sermons based on interviews with magistrates that visited him: This final category represents sermons that were based on miscellaneous interviews that he held with magistrates who visited him as a consequence of his fame and great authority. In those sermons Shenoute touches upon such arguments as the appropriateness of him correcting even generals in spiritual matters, the dimensions of the sky and the earth, the devil and free will, and the punishment of sinners. He also discussed the duties of judges and other such important personages as bishops, wealthy people, and generals. As more and more identifications of Saint Shenoute's literary works are made, his contribution to Coptic literature appears to be even greater than previously assumed. On the one hand, it is becoming clear that he treated a wide range of subjects, not only monastic ones. This suggests a more favorable assessment of the theological character of his writing, his spirituality, and his moral and nationalistic behavior. On the other hand, he accepted the inclusion of literary activity in the religious field. This sets him apart from the
Pachomian system that tended to treat religious literature as mere written instructions with no regard to style being given. He further developed a style that is clearly a product of careful study of the scholastic
Greek rhetoric of his time. ==Monasteries named after Saint Shenoute==