Euthymius' vita was written by Cyril of Skythopolis, who describes him as the founder of several monasteries in the Judaean desert, while remaining a solitary monk in the tradition of Egyptian monasticism.

[9] In 411, Euthymius withdrew into the wilderness (Greek eremos) with a fellow hermit from Pharan, Theoctistus (see below), living in a rough cavern on the banks of a torrent.

[1][3] He eventually returned to the plateau west of the monastery of Theoctistus, at a site, according to Cyril, not located on any thoroughfare which offered the quiet he sought and lived there together with Domitian in a cave organised as a simple hermitage.

[12] Peter, the Bedouin chief Euthymius had baptised, joined him and had a number of facilities built for the two: a large cistern, three cells, a chapel and a bakery.

[3] Maris, Terebon's uncle, financed the construction of the monastery, the tribe settled around it in an encampment, "parembole" in Greek, and Euthymius intervened with the patriarch of Jerusalem, Juvenal, to ordain Peter.

[3][8] Peter was instructed how to build the facilities, which included unusually small cells, due to Euthymius' very strict concepts of monastic life.

[3] Unlike the Egyptian lauras, which were only inhabited by Copts, the Holy Land attracted monks from the entire Christian world, making the monastic population in Palestine extremely cosmopolitan.

[8] As long as Euthymius and Theoctistus were alive, their monasteries developed a strong cooperation, both in terms of personnel (novices and young monks first went to the latter's coenobium), and economically, sharing property and a hostel in Jerusalem.

[3] It was greatly due to the authority of Euthymius that most of the Eastern recluses eventually accepted the Chalcedonian decrees, and the Empress Eudoxia was converted to Orthodoxy through his efforts.

Euthymius remained in good health until the age of 94, dying on 20 January 473, and was buried in a specially built tomb inside his monastery.

[17] About five years after Euthymius arrived, they went into the desert for Great Lent, and found in a wadi a large cave where they remained praying in solitude for some time.