Recluse
A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion and solitude. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means 'to open' or 'disclose'.
Description
[edit]Examples of recluses are Symeon of Trier, who lived within the great Roman gate Porta Nigra with permission from the Archbishop of Trier, or Theophan the Recluse, a 19th-century Orthodox Christian monk who was later venerated as a saint. Many celebrated figures of human history have spent significant portions of their lives as recluses.
In the Russian Orthodox and Catholic Church tradition, a Poustinik is a temporary hermit who has been called to pray and fast alone in a cabin for at least 24 hours.
In ancient Chinese culture, scholars are encouraged to be a public servant in a scrupulous and well-run government but expected to go into reclusion as a yinshi (隐士, 'gentleman-in-hiding') when the government is rife with corruption.[1] Others, like Dongfang Shuo, became hermits to practice Taoism, or in later centuries, Chan Buddhism.
Notable recluses
[edit]See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ Analects 8:13 《論語 · 泰伯》：天下有道則見，無道則隱。Show you talents [through public service] in a well-governed world; go into hiding in dark times (in Chinese).
References
[edit]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain. Porter, Noah, ed. (1913). "Recluse". Webster's Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts: C. & G. Merriam Co.
