Breaking the Mind (CUA Studies in Early Christianity)
Among the earliest writings in Syriac literature is the collection of 30 memre or discourses entitled the Book of Steps or Liber Graduum, mostly probably written in the late fourth century inside the Persian Empire (modern Iraq). The author, who deliberately withheld his name, wrote extensively on the spiritual life and exploits of two groups of committed Christians - the upright and the perfect- that flourished in a period prior to the development of monasticism. Deeply immersed in the exegesis...
Treatises and the Pastoral Prayer (Monastic Studies, #11)
by Aelred of Rievaulx and David Knowles
Meditation on Christ's humanity and a letter of instruction on a disciplined spiritual life for his sister, epitomize Aelred's gentle spirituality. His pastoral prayer reflects a man conscious that he is accountable to God for the souls of others.
The Foundations of Religious Life
Guidance for Women in Twelfth-Century Convents (Library of Medieval Women)
by Vera Morton and Jocelyn Wogan-Browne
These translated letters and texts composed for younger and older women in twelfth-century convents illuminate the powerful medieval ideals of virginity and chastity. Abelard's history of women's roles in the church and his letteron women's education, both written for Heloise in her work as abbess, are seen here alongside previously untranslated letters and texts for abbesses and nuns in England and France. An interpretive essay explores the practical and spiritual engagement of women's convent...
The Life of Antony, The Coptic Life and The Greek Life (Cistercian Studies, #202)
by Athanasius Of Alexandria
An Encomium on Saint Anthony by John of Schmun A letter to the Disciples of Antony by Serapion of Thmuis Instrumental in the conversion of many, including St. Augustine, The Life of Antony provided the model saint's life and constitutes, in the words of patristics scholar Johannes Quasten, 'the most important document of early monasticism.' Here is one volume are translations of the text in the Greek written by Athanasius (from the new critical edition of G. J. M. Bartelink) and in the Coptic,...
The training of African Christian ministers had been a matter of concern to the erstwhile International Missionary Council, now merged with the World Council of Churches. The reason was that it was believed by some critics that missionaries gave only low priority to theological training. This book recounts how the missionaries actually trained the indigenous leaders in the mission fields. The study covers the world of British, German, Swiss and American Protestant missionaries as well as that of...
This is an informative and engaging book about monasticism, its history, practice, and relevance to contemporary life, combining personal insights with sound scholarship. Buxton begins with a focus on the early days of Christian monasticism and the transmission of this tradition to Western Europe, concentrating on particular themes or figures of interest and seeking to draw parallels with the present-day. He then explores the central features of monastic life, such as silence and humility, drawi...
A History of Gallen Priory, Ferbane, from the Time of St Cynoc to the Present Day
by Marie Therese Barber, Sister and Mary Delaney
How did the monks, nuns and hermits live? What rules did they agree to obey? To what extent were they able to uphold those ideals in reality? What was the relationship between the monasteries and wordly authorities? And what was the source of the power that the religious orders were able to exercise in political affairs at various times? Are the remarkable cultural accomplishments of the monasteries simply the fruits of great self-discipline, or did they also result from a privileged way of life...
Women in Aphrahat: Some Observations (Analecta Gorgiana, #1039)
by Adam Lehto
Fourth-century Aphrahat is characterized as misogynist, especially when he compares women to Satan. This may be an unintended result of contemporary Christian literature. The the eschatological context of Aphrahat's asceticism, salvific role of Mary, victimization in Aphrahat's work, and positive statements about women negotiate this view.
Voices from Dabra Zamaddo (Aethiopistische Forschungen, #79)
by Getatchew Haile
Most writing on Athos has focused on its Byzantine history and sacred heritage. Imagining Mount Athos uncovers a set of alternative and largely unexplored perspectives, equally important in the mapping and dissemination of Athos in popular imagination. The author considers Mount Athos as the site of pre-Christian myths of Renaissance and Enlightenment scholarship, of shelter for Allied refugees during the Second World War, and of a botanical and sociological laboratory for early-twentieth-centur...