The world of Gallic asceticism -- Experientia vs Gallic inexperience -- Experientia vs other builders -- Instituta as independent authority -- Renuntiatio and the rhetoric of renunciatio -- App. 1 : Cassian of Marseilles? -- App. 2 : textual problems in De institutis 3
Summary
Richard J. Goodrich examines the attempt by the fifth-century ascetic writer John Cassian to influence and shape the development of Western monasticism. Goodrich's close analysis of Cassian's earliest work (The Institutes) focuses on his interaction with the values and preconceptions of a traditional Roman elite, as well as his engagement with contemporary writers. By placing The Institutes in context, Goodrich demonstrates just how revolutionary this foundational work was for its time and milieu. --From publisher's description