A '''hermit''' (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] erēmos, signifying "desert,", "uninhabited,", hence "desert-dweller") is a person who lives to some greater or lesser degree in seclusion from society.

Originally the The term was applied commonly applies to a Christian who lives the ''eremitic life'' out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the [[Old Testament (]], i.e. , the 40 years wandering in the desert that was meant to bring about a change of heart).

Often – , both in religious and secular literature – , the term is used loosely for anyone living a solitary life-style &ndashmdash; including the misanthropist &ndashmdash; and in religious contexts is sometimes assumed to be interchangeable with '''anchorite'''/''anchoress'' (from the [[Greek language|Greek]] anachōreō, signifying "to withdraw,", "to depart into the country outside the circumvallated city"), [['''recluse]] ''' and ''solitary''. However, it is important to retain a clear distinction.

Christian hermits in the past have most often lived in [[cave]]scaves, [[forest]]sforests, or [[desert]]sdeserts, but some of them preferred an isolated cell in a [[monastery]] or even a city. From what we know from their contribution to our Christian heritage, male hermits were more common than female. As regards the anchorites, one that has left a lasting impression on Christian spirituality is the [[England|English]] anchoress [[Julian of Norwich]].

==Hermits in religion==The solitary life is a form of [[Image:Kerkzomerpiepasceticism]], wherein the hermit renounces wordly concerns and pleasures in order to come closer to the God.jpg|thumb|right|Hermitage "Our Lady In ascetic hermitism, the hermit seeks solitude for meditation, contemplation, and prayer without the distractions of contact with human society, sex, or the Garden Enclosed" in [[Warfhuizen]]need to maintain socially acceptable standards of cleanliness or dress. The ascetic discipline can also include a simplified diet and/or manual labor as a means of support; for example, [[the Netherlands]]early Christian Desert Fathers often wove baskets to exchange for bread.]]

From a Ironically, hermits are often sought out for spiritual advice and counsel and may eventually acquire so many disciples that they have no solitude at all. Examples include St. [[religion|religiousAnthony the Great]] point of view, the solitary life is who attracted such a form large body of [[asceticism]], wherein followers in the hermit renounces wordly concerns Egyptian desert that he is considered by both Catholics and pleasures in order to come closer the Orthodox to be the [[deity|deity or deities]] they worship or revere"Founder of Monasticism." Other religious hermits include St. This practice appears in [[ChristianityMary of Egypt]], St. [[HinduismSymeon the Stylite|Simeon Stylites]], [[Islam]], and [[Buddhism]]St. In ascetic hermitism, the hermit seeks solitude for [[meditationHerman of Alaska]], [[contemplation]]Thomas Merton, and St. [[prayer]] without the distractions Sergius of contact with human society, [[sexRadonezh]], or the need to maintain socially acceptable standards of [[cleanliness]] or [[dress]]St. The ascetic [[discipline]] can also include a simplified [[diet (nutrition)|dietSeraphim of Sarov]] , and/or [[manual labor]] as a means of support; for example, the early Christian [[Desert Father]]s often wove baskets to exchange for breadCharles de Foucauld.

IronicallyThe Coptic Church distinguishes between a hermit and an anchorite, religious hermits are often sought out for spiritual advice and counsel and may eventually acquire so many [[disciple]]s that they have no solitude at all. Examples include [[Anthony yet the Great]], who attracted such a large body of followers two words might be interchangeable in the [[Egypt]]ian desert that he is considered by both Catholics and the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox]] churches. An anchorite according to be the "Founder of [[Monasticism]]", and [[Gautama Buddha]], who, having abandoned his family for Coptic Church is a person with a solitary quest for great spiritual enlightenment, ended up as stature receiving the founder of Buddhism. One interesting variation gifts of bilocation (being at two places at the eremitic life is the [[Carthusian]] order of [[Roman Catholic]] [[monk]]s and [[nun]]s. Carthusians live in what are essentially "[[Community|communities]] of hermits"same time), each monastic having their own cell agility (with sleeping chamberteleportation to great distances instantaneously), studylevitation, and workshopillumination (emitting light) where they spend most , beyond the gift of their time alone, except when they meet in [[church]] for [[worship]], prophecy and on other occasionshealing that "regular" saints are endowed with. Other religious Anchorites need not be hermits include [[Simeon Stylites]], [[Herman of Alaska]], [[Thomas Merton]], [[Sergius of Radonezh]], [[Seraphim of Sarov]], and Charles de Foucauldhence. ==NonA recent-religious hermits==It is also possible for people to forsake human society for reasons other than religioushistory modern-day married anchorite was Fawziyya Ishaq who would go into trances and see heaven and talk with saints while her body was paralyzed in bed on earth. For example, [[Henry David Thoreau]] spent two years living an essentially solitary life near [[Walden Pond]] in pursuit of Initially a simplehieromonk, [[environmentalism|environmentallyFather Abd-AlMaseeh al-Maqari Al-friendly]] life. In a more notorious case, [[Theodore Kaczynski]]Manahry, known as left the "Unabomber", lived in a remote cabin in [[Montana]] which gave him both refuge from what he viewed as a society corrupted by [[technology]] monastery of St. Makarius and privacy went to build [[mailbomb]]s. ==Hermits in philosophy==[[Friedrich Nietzsche]], in his influential work [[Thus Spoke Zarathustra]], created the character village of Manahra and had all the hermit [[Zarathustra (fictional philosopher)|Zarathustra]] (named after gift of the [[Zoroastrianism|Zoroastrian]] [[prophet]] [[Zoroaster|Zarathushtra]]), who emerges from seclusion to extol anchorites. Newly canonized Coptic Pope Kyrillos VI was also an anchorite during his philosophy hermitage and solitude but had to leave the rest of humanityhermitage to become Patriarch. [[Diogenes the Cynic]]His two disciples, an [[Ancient Greece|ancient Greek]] [[philosopher]], led an ascetic life in a barrelTamav (Mother) Irenee Mercurious (d 2006) and recently departed Father Falta'ose (Philotheus) ElSoriany where also anchorites. According to [[legend]]Except for Pope Kyrillos, when [[Alexander the Great]] came to him one day and offered to grant him a wish, Diogenes asked Alexander to step out of his sunlightaforementioned saints where where anchorites but not hermits. {{1913}}

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