Despite its rich history in the Latin tradition, Christian monasticism began in the east; the wellsprings of monastic culture and spirituality can be directly sourced from the third-century Egyptian wilderness. In this volume, John Binns creates a vivid, authoritative account that traces the four main branches of eastern Christianity, up to and beyond the Great Schism of 1054 and the break between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. Binns begins by exploring asceticism in the early church and the establishment of monastic life in Egypt, led by St Anthony and Pachomius. He chronicles the expansion, influence and later separation of the various Orthodox branches, examining monastic traditions and histories ranging from Syria to Russia and Ethiopia to Asia Minor. Culminating with both the persecution and the revival of monastic life, Binns concludes with an argument for both the diversity and the shared set of practices and ideals between the Orthodox churches, creating a resource for both cross-disciplinary specialist and students of religion, history, and spirituality.
Author(s): John Binns
Publisher: I.B. TAURIS
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 273
Tags: Religion: Monasticism, Eastern Tradition, Bibles New Testaments, Biblical Studies & Exegesis, Religious Institutions & Organizations
Cover......Page 1
Untitled......Page 8
List of Illustrations......Page 10
Foreword......Page 12
Introduction......Page 14
Part One Monasticism before Monasticism:
Up to 320......Page 22
1 From Asceticism to Monasticism......Page 24
Part Two The Formation of the
Tradition: The Period of the
Ecumenical Councils......Page 44
2 Solitude, Community and the Church: Beginnings in Egypt......Page 46
3 Asceticism and Society: The Holy Men of Syria......Page 70
4 An Experiment in Community Living: The Cities of Asia Minor......Page 82
5 The Holy City of Jerusalem and Its Desert......Page 92
6 The City of Constantinople: Where All Roads Meet......Page 108
Part Three The Forms of Monastic Tradition:
After Iconoclasm......Page 118
7 Going West: Two Benedicts......Page 120
8 East to Asia and South to Africa: The Syriac Tradition......Page 124
9 City and Mountains: The Byzantine Tradition......Page 144
10 Missionaries and Kings: The Balkans......Page 162
11 Monasteries in the North: Russia......Page 170
Part Four The Meaning and Purpose of
Monastic Life......Page 186
12 Hesychasm from Origen to Gregory Palamas......Page 188
Part Five Resistances and Renewals:
After 1453......Page 208
13 Part One: Varieties of Tribulation: Under Islamic Government......Page 210
14 Part One: Revival and Renewal in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries......Page 216
13 Part Two: Varieties of Tribulation: Genocide and Atheism......Page 226
14 Part Two: Revival and Renewal in the Twentieth Century......Page 236
Conclusion......Page 248
Bibliography......Page 250
Index......Page 258
