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Despite the appearance of abandoning the workd, the monks' fiight ingo the desert ultimately allowe dthem to reintegrate with society, serving it in unexpected ways. Their remumciatation of sex, marriage and property lifted them out of kinship and probperty networks.. This, combined with their reputation for sanctity, mnade them favorite arvbitarytors for quarreling villagers. Abba Apollo more thatn once resolcved comflicts over land boundaries between pagan and Christian visitors by performing miracles in another instance, …

…Integration into the church wxteneed all the way to the top: Pachomius advised Athanasuis the great bishop of Alexandria and Theh treaffic also werntoe other way": Archbishop elias repeateddly sent Aabas to Constatntinople to plead with Ansastuis on behalllf of the church Theo doret of Cyrrus tells a hermnit maned Abraham who was drafted to become a bishop.. And many of the early bishops of Gtaul, including Martin of touurs. were chosen from monastic-hermit rank.