John Cassian and the Reading of Egyptian Monastic Culture

by Steven D. Driver

Overview

This book examines the method of meditative reading encouraged by John Cassian (c. 360-435) in his ascetic writings, the bulk of which are fictive dialogues that purportedly record the instruction he had received from Egyptial Christian monks. This instruction was at its core an interactive experience, depending upon both the discernment of the master and diligent application of instruction by the student. Driver examines Cassian's understanding of the act of reading and suggests the implications of this for Cassian's monastic teaching and it interprets Cassian's method of reading in light of contemporary discussions of reading and the self.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781138973855
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	05/13/2016
Series:	Studies in Medieval History and Culture
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	166
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction
John Cassian
Stories and Histories of Early Egyptian Monasticism
Western Perceptions of Egyptian Monasticism
Literary Structure and Monastic Praxis
Implications for Praxis: A Reconsideration of the Solitary Life
Implications for Theoria: Reading, Interiority and the Transfiguration of the Self
Bibliography