Gerasimus of the Jordan

Life events

1. Born

   Gerasimus was born into a wealthy family in the province of Lycia, in the southern part of Asia Minor.

2. Tonsured

   Gerasimus renounced his family wealth and secular affairs to become a monk, departing for the region of Thebaid in the Egyptian desert.

3. Pilgrimage

   After his time in the Thebaid, Gerasimus returned to his native Lycia before departing again, eventually traveling to Palestine.

4. Other — 450

   Around the middle of the 5th century Gerasimus settled in the wilderness near the Jordan River in Palestine, where he established a lavra and became known for his ascetic way of life and prayer.

5. Council — 451

   Gerasimus is reputed to have attended the Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon in 451, at which the two-natures Christological definition was promulgated.

6. Died — 475

   Gerasimus died in 475, though some accounts place his death in 451. His lavra near Jericho, later commemorated as the Greek Orthodox monastery of Deir Hajla, preserved his memory in the Jordan Valley.

Relationships

Documented claims

• Gerasimus tamed a lion by removing a thorn from its paw; the animal served him obediently and, according to the Kontakion, died in grief on his grave after his death. (legendary)
• A parallel lion-taming tale was later attached to Jerome; scholars have argued it derived from confusion with Gerasimus, since 'Geronimus' was a later Latin form of Jerome's name. (plausible)
• The Orthodox Troparion for Gerasimus addresses him explicitly as a wonderworker and attributes to him healing of the sick through fasting, vigil, and prayer. (certain)
• The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates Gerasimus on 4 March; the Roman Catholic Church observes his feast on 5 March. (certain)
• The Greek Orthodox monastery of Deir Hajla near Jericho commemorates Gerasimus, whose lavra stood in the same Jordan Valley area, and also preserves a tradition that the Holy Family sheltered there during the flight into Egypt. (likely)