Religious communities and monasticism Books

Book SynopsisReconsiders contemporary debates about ethics and subjectivity in an extended engagement with the works of fifth-century ascetic, John Cassian (ca. 360 - ca. 435), whose stories of extreme asceticism and transformative religious experience by desert elders helped to establish Christian monastic forms of life.Trade Review“This is a brilliant, original, and important work. Drawing upon the rich, complex ascetic and spiritual thought of late ancient Christian monastic writer John Cassian, Niki Kasumi Clements examines, critically and creatively, the very ground of ethics.” —Douglas E. Christie, author of The Blue Sapphire of the Mind"Clements not only offers a clearer understanding of the nuances in late ancient asceticism, but also contributes to contemporary debates on subjectivity, ethics and agency by inviting her audience to a reflexive engagement with the question of what it means to live well amidst contingencies and crises." —NTT Journal for Theology and the Study of Religion"Clements’ text is not only a valuable contribution to the studies of religion – which it certainly is – but promises a broad and interdisciplinary impact." —Foucault Studies

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Book SynopsisA special anniversary edition of the biography of the man who made the phenomenon of Taize possible.Trade Review· Charmingly well written in a gentle and generous spirit. * Archbishop Desmond Tutu *

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Book SynopsisSt. Paul is generally considered the first Christian hermit, and the monastery built around his cave in Egypt is one of the very oldest. This sumptuous volume grew out of a conservation project of the monastery's superb wall paintings, which were broadly produced in two phases in the 13th and 18th centuries.

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Book SynopsisWhat do Christian Churches say Islam is? What does the Church of England say Islam is? And, in the end, what space is there for genuine engagement with Islam? Richard Sudworth's unique study takes as its cue the question of political theology and brings this burgeoning area of debate into dialogue with Christian-Muslim relations and Anglican ecclesiology. The vexed subject of Christian-Muslim Relations provides the presenting arena to explore what political theologies enable the Church of England to engage with the diverse public square of the twenty-first century. Each chapter concludes with an 'Anecdotes from the Field' section, setting themes from the chapter in the context of Richard Sudworth's own ministry within a Muslim majority parish.Trade ReviewAn illuminating, historical and ecumenical 'tour d'horizon' of Christian Muslim relations, generating insights worked into a compelling contribution to Anglican political theology. Each chapter concludes with a lively case-study rooting such thinking in parish ministry, set amidst a Muslim majority in inner city Birmingham. A model of constructive and self-critical theology. Indispensable for priest and general reader alike. -- Philip LewisRichard Sudworth has given us a rich, detailed and accurate map of the highly complex ground of Anglican-Islam encounter, set in the wider context of other Christian engagement and against an illuminating historical backdrop...I have no hesitation in commending this book to anyone interested in this increasingly essential arena where sound knowledge needs to support the compassion and challenge of honest friendship between Christian and Muslim. -- The Very Revd Dr Frances WardAs the debate around the place of Islam in Europe and America continues to heat up, often stoked by fear and misinformation, here is a nuanced and insightful study of what it means for Christians to live alongside Muslims in a shared political space. With such a charged context, it is hard to do justice to the complex reality of religious faith worked out in neighbourhoods and nations. Richard Sudworth, however, offers academic theology which mines the rich depths of Anglican thinking as well as the lived experience of a priest in a Muslim majority parish in Birmingham. He shows an understanding of Anglican and Muslim struggles, for example, with territory, and embraces engagement rooted in a worshipping Christian community. Here is practical wisdom and the kind of challenge that the church will increasingly need if it is to retain its integrity. -- The Rt Revd Dr Toby HowarthTable of ContentsIntroduction Part 1 Contexts and Backgrounds 1. What do Christians Say Islam is? Formative Christian-Muslim Encounters 2. Catholic Encounters with Islam 3. Christian-Muslim Encounters in the Wider Tradition 4. Contemporary Issues in Christian-Muslim Encounter Part 2 Anglican Encounters 5. Anglican Encounters with Islam Pre-1998 6. Anglican Encounters with Islam Post-1998 7. Anglican Encounters with Islam: The Legacies of Kenneth Cragg and Rowan Williams 8. The Church of England, Islam and Theologies for the Public Square Final Thoughts

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Book SynopsisThis study examines the contribution of women to the Humiliati movement, providing original archival evidence which indicates that women dominated the groups' membership.Table of ContentsList of Tables List of Illustrations Acknowledgments Abbreviations I. INTRODUCTION AND HISTIOGRAPHY II. THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE HUMILIATI III. GENDER COMPOSITION OF THE HUMILIATI IV. THE SOCIAL COMPOSITION OF THE HUMILIATI V. THE HUMILIATI AS HUMBLE WEAVERS VI. EVIDENCE OF ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND CHARITY VII. CONCLUSION Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisReveals the meaning behind the cryptic codes and secret rituals of the medieval brotherhood of warrior monks known as the Knights Templar. This guide covers topics such as who the Knights Templar were, how they rose so high and fell so far, and why there is so much interest in them.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 About This Book 3 Conventions Used in This Book 4 What You’re Not to Read 5 Foolish Assumptions 5 How This Book Is Organized 6 Part I: The Knights Templar and the Crusades 6 Part II: A Different Kind of Knighthood 6 Part III: After the Fall of the Templars 6 Part IV: Templars and the Grail 7 Part V: Squaring Off: The Church versus the Gospel According to Dan Brown 7 Part VI: The Part of Tens 8 Icons Used in This Book 8 Where to Go from Here 9 Part I: The Knights Templar and the Crusades 11 Chapter 1: Defining the Templar Code 13 Knights, Grails, Codes, Leonardo da Vinci, and How They All Collide 14 The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon 16 Defining knighthood 17 Defining monasticism 19 Warrior Monks: Their Purpose 20 A vow of nine crusader knights 21 Don’t leave home without it: The Templars’ role as international bankers 22 Builders 24 Templars in Battle 24 Betrayed, Excommunicated, and Hunted 25 So where’d everybody go? 26 The riddle of Templar symbols 26 Templars in the 21st Century 28 Templars and the Grail quest 28 Templars and the fringe 28 Chapter 2: A Crash Course in Crusading 31 Getting a Handle on the Crusades 32 A Snapshot of the 11th Century 33 Fealty, fiefs, and feudalism 33 Pilgrimage 34 Y1K: The end of days 36 The Spanish ulcer 37 The dilemma of the second son 39 Piracy and trade 40 The First Crusade: A Cry for Help, a Call to Arms 40 Meet the Byzantines 40 Go East, young man! 41 Peter the Hermit 43 Get out the beer, we’re here! 44 Forward ho! 45 The massacre of Jerusalem 46 The founding of Outremer 48 Let’s Give It Another Shot: The Second Crusade 49 A dynamic new Muslim force 51 Jerusalem falls 52 The Third Crusade 52 The celebrity crusade 54 Richard and Saladin 54 The Final Curtain 55 The Fourth Crusade 55 The Fifth Crusade 56 The Sixth Crusade 56 The Seventh Crusade 56 Chapter 3: The Rise of the Knights Templar 59 The Perils of Pilgrimage 60 Why bother? 61 St Helena discovers it all 62 Medieval muggers 63 Where’d everybody go? 65 A New Knighthood 67 “The Poor Knights of Christ” 67 The Knights Templar 68 Keeping their oath 71 A Simple Mission Creates a Powerful Institution 71 Digging in the temple 71 A windfall of money and power 72 Bernard of Clairvaux 73 The Council of Troyes 74 Opposition to the Templars 75 The Explosion of the Order 76 New gifts 77 Eyes of the pope 77 International Bankers 78 Check, please 79 Building boom 80 Imitation, the Sincerest Form of Flattery 80 The Knights Hospitaller 81 The Teutonic Knights 82 Livonian Brothers of the Sword 83 Up Where the Air Is Thin: The Templars Reach Their Zenith 83 Part II: A Different Kind of Knighthood 85 Chapter 4: Living in a Templar World 87 A Standard Unlike Any Other 87 The Templar Rule 88 Warriors and monks 90 Templar do’s and don’ts 90 A Templar day planner 91 No women allowed 93 The pride and the power 93 Punishment and penance 94 Who’s in Charge around Here? 94 Grand Master 95 Master and Commander 95 Seneschal 95 Turcopolier 96 Marshal 96 Under-Marshal 96 Standard Bearer 96 Knight 96 Sergeant 97 Treasurer 97 Draper 97 Squires 97 Lay Servants 97 Chaplain brothers 98 The Templar Commandery: Medieval Fortress and City 98 City within a city 98 The signature round churches 98 Symbols of the Templars 100 The red cross 100 The Beauséant 102 Skull and crossbones 103 Chapter 5: The Poor Knights Crash and Burn: The Fall of the Templars 105 The Seeds of the Fall in the Nature of the Order 106 A little independence goes a long way 107 Money: The root of all evil 108 Huge tracts of land 109 Cracks in the Armor 110 Getting a little too chummy with the heretics 111 Templar bashing: The latest game from the Holy Land 113 Playing politics 114 A new and deadly enemy: Saladin 115 The Treacherous Kingdom of Jerusalem 119 Ethics by Borgia, politics by Shakespeare 119 The horns of Hattin 121 The final curtain 123 The last Crusader 124 Dark Clouds Converge over France 125 King Phillip “The Fair” 125 Pope Clement V 127 The setup 128 October 1307: An unlucky Friday the 13th 129 The Accusations 130 The Confessions 130 The End 131 Chapter 6: Cold Case Files: The Evidence against the Templars 133 The Chief Accuser 134 Opening Move: An Illegal Arrest 136 The Charge Sheet 138 The caliber of the witnesses 141 Dangerous foreign entanglements 141 Blowing Away the Charges, One by One 142 Desecrating the cross 142 Denying the sacrament of the Mass 143 Sodomy 144 Embezzlement 145 Baphomet 146 Heads up: So what was it? 148 The Pope Knuckles Under 149 Secretly Absolved 151 Part III: After the Fall of the Templars 153 Chapter 7: Templars Survive in Legend and in Fact 155 The Templar Fleet 156 Sailing up the Seine 156 La Rochelle 156 So where’d they go? 157 Talking Treasure 157 Cold, hard cash 158 Treasure more mystical than cash? 159 The Scottish Legends 160 Battle of Bannockburn 161 Rosslyn Chapel 162 Templars Part Deux: Return of the Living Knights 166 Portugal and the Order of Christ 166 Spain and the Order of Montesa 167 The Hospitallers 167 Switzerland 168 The Greatest Templar Myths 169 Templars possessed the Ark of the Covenant 169 A Templar connection to the Shroud of Turin 170 Templars discover America! 171 The Templars Survived! 176 The Larmenius Charter 176 The Priory of Sion 179 Rex Deus 179 Templars spawn the modern-day conspiracy theory 180 Chapter 8: “Born in Blood”: Freemasonry and the Templars 183 The Masonic Fraternity: Who Freemasons Are and What They Believe 184 A quick tour of Masonic history 186 The brotherhood code of the lodge 188 Identifying the Possible Templar Origins of Freemasonry 189 Rosslyn Chapel and the Masons 191 The Templars’ sacred subcontractors 194 The Masonic Knights Templar and Where They Came From 195 Chevalier Ramsay begins a knightly legend 196 Freemasonry’s mysterious “Unknown Superiors” 197 Templarism in the American colonies 198 Templar drill teams: The origins of Masonic Knights Templar military costumes 198 Skulls and crossbones! 199 The Templars’ place within Freemasonry 200 Chapter 9: Modern-Day Templars 203 Modern Templar Orders 204 Order Militia Crucifera Evangelica 204 Ordo Supremus Militaris Templi Hierosolymitani 206 Ordo Novi Templi 207 Ordo Militia Templi 209 Chivalric Martinist Order 209 Order of the Solar Temple 209 Ordo Templi Orientis 213 Knights But Not Templars 213 Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem 213 Order of the Grail 214 Sovereign Military Order of Malta 214 Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem 216 Deutscher Orden (Teutonic Knights) 217 Order of Christ 217 Teetotaling Templars of Temperance 218 Templars of Honor and Temperance 218 International Order of Good Templars 218 Part IV: Templars and the Grail 221 Chapter 10: The Templars and the Quest for the Holy Grail 223 The Holy Grail: A Ten-Century Quest 224 The Quest Begins 225 Chrétien de Troyes 225 Robert de Boron: The Grail becomes holy 228 Perlesvaus 228 Wolfram von Eschenbach’s Parzival 229 The rest of the story 229 The Templars and the Grail 230 The Real Grail? 231 Chapter 11: The 21st Century Dawns with a New Grail Myth 233 Holy Couple: The Search for the Bloodline of Christ 234 The biblical account of Mary Magdalene 234 The legend 235 Holy Blood, Holy Grail: The Legend Rediscovered 235 The Priory of Sion 237 Rennes-le-Château 238 The peculiar Pierre Plantard 241 The priory exposed 243 Was any of it real? 244 Part V: Squaring Off: The Church versus the Gospel According to Dan Brown 245 Chapter 12: Templars and The Da Vinci Code 247 The Secret Societies of Dan Brown 248 The Da Vinci Code’s “facts” of the Priory of Sion 249 The “Da Vinci” Templars 252 Opus Dei 254 Leonardo da Vinci and His Last Supper 256 John or Mary? 257 The “missing” Grail found 258 Chapter 13: The Suppression of the “Feminine Divine”: Truth or Feminist Fiction? 261 Defining Divine Femininity 262 The “lost bride” 263 The mysterious Magdalene 265 Mary’s Marriage: Pros and Cons 272 Pros 273 Cons 275 Goddess Worship and the Sacred Feminine: Do We Really Want It Back Again? 279 The women who worshipped goddesses 279 The women who worshipped the male God of Israel 282 The Catholic Church’s Relationship with Women 288 The real burr in the saddle 289 Victorianism 290 Facing the future 290 Chapter 14: Getting Our Acts Together: Constantine and the Council of Nicaea 291 Fiction, History, and the Early Church 292 Early Christianity: A secret society 292 Dan Brown’s version: Teabing does the talking 294 What Boring Old History Books Say 295 The Christian conversion of Constantine 295 The real Council of Nicaea and what happened there 297 “Closing the Canon”: Determining the books of the Bible 300 Conflict over celibacy 303 Part VI: The Part of Tens 309 Chapter 15: Ten Candidates for the Site of the Holy Grail 311 Glastonbury Tor, England 311 Hawkstone Park (Shropshire, England) 312 Takt-i-Taqdis, Iran 313 The Santo Caliz (Valencia, Spain) 314 Sacro Catino (Genoa, Italy) 314 Rosslyn Chapel (Roslin, Scotland) 315 Wewelsburg Castle (Buren, Germany) 315 Montségur, France 317 The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York City) 318 Castle Stalker (Argyll, Scotland) 318 Chapter 16: Ten Absolutely Must-See Templar Sites 321 Where It All Began: Temple Mount (Jerusalem, Israel) 322 Temple Church (London, England) 323 Royston Cave (Hertfordshire, England) 325 Rosslyn Chapel (Roslin, Scotland) 325 Kilmartin Church (Argyll, Scotland) 326 Chinon Castle (Chinon, France) 327 Templar Villages (Aveyron, France) 328 Tomar Castle (Tomar, Portugal) 329 Domus Templi — The Spanish Route of the Templars (Aragon, Spain) 330 Where It Ended: Îsle de la Cité (Paris, France) 331 Chapter 17: Ten Places That May Be Hiding the Templar Treasure 333 Rosslyn Chapel (Roslin, Scotland) 333 Oak Island Money Pit (Nova Scotia, Canada) 334 Temple Bruer (Lincolnshire, England) 334 Hertfordshire, England 335 Bornholm Island, Denmark 336 Rennes-le-Château, France 336 Château de Gisors (Normandy, France) 337 Switzerland 338 Trinity Church (New York City) 338 Washington D.C.’s Rosslyn Chapel 339 Index 341

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Book SynopsisPachomius, who died in 346, has long been regarded as the founder of monasticism. This reading of the available texts, first published in 1985, reveals that Pachomius's pioneering enterprise has been consistently misread in light of later monastic practices.Trade Review"Masterful control of the sources and sympathy for the subject. . . . Pachomius has the additional interest of dealing with a classic instance of biographical and other material originally compiled rom oral tradition, with all the fascination and uncertainty that this brings to the interpretation of the story." * Times Literary Supplement *"An impressive and readable study, well argued and admirably documented." * Journal of Theological Studies *"[Rosseau] has made Pachomius a more understandable historical figure and has shown the uniqueness of the way of life he struggled to define." * American Historical Review *"This very readable and well-documented work provides a needed corrective to the superficial treatment of Pachomius found in many monastic histories." * Church History *

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Book SynopsisAn apostolic lifestyle characterized by total material renunciation, homelessness, and begging was practiced by monks throughout the Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries. This book presents a study of this type of Christian poverty and the challenge it posed for episcopal authority and the promotion of monasticism in late antiquity.Trade Review“Groundbreaking for those who study asceticism, monasticism, the uses of Late Antique biblical exegesis, church history, and most importantly church politics. . . . The very valuable translation of the Life of Alexander Akoimetos is an added benefit of the book." * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *"A detailed examination, with meticulous documentation, of the phenomenon of wandering and begging monks that appeared in the late 4th and early 5th centuries, especially in the eastern Mediterranean region and North Africa, during the formative period of Christian monasticism." * Byzantinische Zeitschrift *"A first-rate study of how the politics of reputation, bonds of patronage, and competition for scarce resources culminated in the bishops' tightened grip on monasteries and their networks of supporters. In addition to advancing scholarship on urban monasticism, ecclesiastical responses to poverty, and the social history of doctrine, Caner's thoroughly researched study will enhance future work on asceticism and pilgrimage." * Catholic Historical Review *"Caner has written in an entertaining and engaging style and packed this monograph fully and comprehensively with the details and impressions of what was the dilemma of Christian asceticism in the third-fifth centuries. Caner takes the reader a lot of places, and it is gratifying to see the significant role of Syriac-speaking asceticism being given its proper and measured place in the history." * Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies *“A model of scholarship: beautifully written and engaging, it clearly situates its subject in the larger historical context, demonstrates an impressive command . . . of relevant sources, and provides clear and compelling support for his interpretation." * Journal of Theological Studies *Table of ContentsAcknolwedgements Abbreviations Map Introduction Chapter One: Wandering in the Desert and the Virtues of Manual Labor Chapter Two: Practice What You Preach: Apostolic Wanderers of Third-Century Syria Chapter Three: In Support of People Who Pray: Apostolic Monasticism and the Messalian Controversy Chapter Four: Apostle and Heretic: The Controversial Career of Alexander the Sleepless Chapter Five: Hypocrites and Pseudomonks: Beggars, Bishops and Ascetic Teachers in Cities of the Early Fifth Century Chapter Six: Monastic Patronage and the Two Churches of Constantinople Epilogue Appendix: The Life of Alexander Akoimetos Select Bibliography

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Book SynopsisAn apostolic lifestyle characterized by total material renunciation, homelessness, and begging was practiced by monks throughout the Roman Empire in the fourth and fifth centuries. Such monks often served as spiritual advisors to urban aristocrats whose patronage gave them considerable authority and independence from episcopal control. This book is the first comprehensive study of this type of Christian poverty and the challenge it posed for episcopal authority and the promotion of monasticism in late antiquity. Focusing on devotional practices, Daniel Caner draws together diverse testimony from Egypt, Syria, Asia Minor, and elsewhereincluding the Pseudo-Clementine Letters to Virgins, Augustine's On the Work of Monks, John Chrysostom's homilies, legal codesto reveal gospel-inspired patterns of ascetic dependency and teaching from the third to the fifth centuries. Throughout, his point of departure is social and cultural history, especially the urban social history of the late Roman empire. He also introduces many charismatic individuals whose struggle to persist against church suppression of their chosen way of imitating Christ was fought with defiant conviction, and the book includes the first annotated English translation of the biography of Alexander Akoimetos (Alexander the Sleepless). Wandering, Begging Monks allows us to understand these fascinating figures of early Christianity in the full context of late Roman society.Trade Review“Groundbreaking for those who study asceticism, monasticism, the uses of Late Antique biblical exegesis, church history, and most importantly church politics. . . . The very valuable translation of the Life of Alexander Akoimetos is an added benefit of the book." * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *"A detailed examination, with meticulous documentation, of the phenomenon of wandering and begging monks that appeared in the late 4th and early 5th centuries, especially in the eastern Mediterranean region and North Africa, during the formative period of Christian monasticism." * Byzantinische Zeitschrift *"A first-rate study of how the politics of reputation, bonds of patronage, and competition for scarce resources culminated in the bishops' tightened grip on monasteries and their networks of supporters. In addition to advancing scholarship on urban monasticism, ecclesiastical responses to poverty, and the social history of doctrine, Caner's thoroughly researched study will enhance future work on asceticism and pilgrimage." * Catholic Historical Review *"Caner has written in an entertaining and engaging style and packed this monograph fully and comprehensively with the details and impressions of what was the dilemma of Christian asceticism in the third-fifth centuries. Caner takes the reader a lot of places, and it is gratifying to see the significant role of Syriac-speaking asceticism being given its proper and measured place in the history." * Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies *“A model of scholarship: beautifully written and engaging, it clearly situates its subject in the larger historical context, demonstrates an impressive command . . . of relevant sources, and provides clear and compelling support for his interpretation." * Journal of Theological Studies *Table of ContentsAcknolwedgementsAbbreviationsMapIntroductionChapter One: Wandering in the Desert and the Virtues of Manual LaborChapter Two: Practice What You Preach: Apostolic Wanderers of Third-Century SyriaChapter Three: In Support of People Who Pray: Apostolic Monasticism and the Messalian ControversyChapter Four: Apostle and Heretic: The Controversial Career of Alexander the SleeplessChapter Five: Hypocrites and Pseudomonks: Beggars, Bishops and Ascetic Teachers in Cities of the Early Fifth CenturyChapter Six: Monastic Patronage and the Two Churches of ConstantinopleEpilogueAppendix: The Life of Alexander AkoimetosSelect Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis well-illustrated and innovative book analyses convent culture in sixteenth-century Italy through the medium of three unpublished nuns' chronicles, using a comparative methodology of 'connected differences' to examine their intellectual and imaginative achievement, and to investigate how they fashioned and preserved individual and convent identities by writing chronicles.Trade Review'… splendid in its objectivity, allowing its primary sources to speak for themselves … Professor Lowe is much to be commended on the thoroughness of her study. This is historical writing at its best: focused, colourful, vibrant.' Art Newspaper'K. J. P. Lowe's Nun's Chronicles and Convent Culture in Renaissance and Counter-Reformation Italy is a truly impressive work that reflects the wide range and depth of its author's knowledge of Renaissance and Counter-Reformation Italian culture. Lowe does a fine job of bringing these neglected writings to life, and into a context which invites further imaginative engagement with these nun's lives.' Reformation' … important and richly nuanced …'. Journal of Ecclesiastical HistoryTable of ContentsIntroduction; Part I. History Writing and Authorship: 1. The creation of chronicles: contents and appearance; 2. The authors of the chronicles; Part II. Historical and Cultural Context: 3. The convents and physical space; 4. Nuns and convent communities; 5. Rules and traditions; Part III. Chronicles and the Culture of Convent Identity: 6. The chronicles and ceremonial life; 7. Cultural creativity and cultural production; 8. Convents and art; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisThis major 2006 history of English monasticism explores the history of the Church between the conversion to Christianity in the sixth century and a monastic revival in the tenth. Sarah Foot argues that historians have been wrong to see minsters in the light of ideals of Benedictine monasticism.Trade Review'A beautifully structured and magisterial treatment of a major subject in early medieval English history by the outstanding early medieval historian of her generation.' Professor Nicholas Brooks, University of Birmingham'Lucidly written, attractively illustrated, magisterially argued, and beautifully produced, this book shows not only what early Anglo-Saxon ministers did, but also gives persuasive answers to the question: why did people adopt this particular form of religious life?' Church Times'Required reading for anyone interested in Anglo-Saxon religious life before the tenth-century Benedictine reforms … a handsome volume.' The American Historical Review'A truly outstanding book, which will undoubtedly become a standard text on the subject.' History'I wish this book had been published 50 years ago, when I was about to embark on my postgraduate career. … Now, Foot's study of the early Church, with its rethinking of what monasterium means and its putting of the reform movement (and its 'ideological literature') into perspective, gives us a freer hand to evaluate the church buildings on their archaeological merits without constantly looking over our shoulders at Dunstan and Co.' Journal of Medieval Archaeology'Well written, clearly organised and carefully researched, this volume offers much to anyone interested in the spread, nature and role of early medieval monasticism in England and beyond, and in the character of society in general in this complex period.' The Journal and Report of the Medieval Settlement Research Group'After setting out her aims and approaches with clarity, Foot begins by looking at 'the ideal minister' as imagined in sources from the period … The book makes a strong argument for diversity and variety in the monastic life of earlier Anglo-Saxon England and offers an authoritative yet accessible survey of this complex subject.' Medium AevumTable of Contents1. Introduction: situating the problem; 2. The ideal minster; Part I. Within the Walls: 3. The making of minsters; 4. The minster community; 5. Daily life within the minster; Part II. Without the Walls: 6. Dependencies, affinities, clusters; 7. Minsters in the world; Coda; 8. Horizons; Bibliography.

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Book SynopsisA fresh exploration of Paul's activities during the hidden years of his life, from his conversion in Damascus to his familiar ministry in the book of Acts. With an unparalled wealth of historical material and a reconsideration of Paul's own writings, a new picture of Paul's life...

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Book SynopsisThis book is the first ethnography of Tibetan Buddhist society from the perspective of its nuns. Gutschow lived for over three years among them, collecting their stories, observing them, and studying their lives. This picture of the little known culture provides valuable insight into the relationship between women and religion in South Asia today.Trade ReviewSolidly based on over a decade of fieldwork, Gutschow successfully dispels a number of stereotypical misconceptions about Buddhist monasticism in general and Buddhist nuns more specifically. She places monasticism in its necessary political and economic spheres, while not ignoring the pragmatic aspects of lived Buddhism. Being a Buddhist Nun transports women and nuns from their marginal peripheral position in Buddhist history to its ideological center. -- Frank J. Korom, Boston UniversityA brilliant analysis, beautifully written, of Buddhism as never before portrayed. Privileging popular practices and local informants over textual expertise, Gutschow takes us right into the heart of the contradictions between Buddhist doctrine and practice, showing the mechanisms that reinstate the very social hierarchies and injustices that the Buddha disdained. The book is a tour de force, a bold and courageous analysis that will change the field of Buddhist studies forever. A truly enlightening and extraordinary book. -- Unni Wikan, University of OsloBeing a Buddhist Nun is a persuasive and moving combination of vivid writing and sophisticated scholarship. The lived experience is wonderfully captured in both verbal and visual thick descriptions of foods, tasks, conversations, all the evocative phenomena of the everyday, while the book raises questions that are significant far beyond the Himalayas, ranging from the usual questions of gender--Why Cannot Nuns Be Monks?--for which Kim Gutschow offers new answers, to the not-so-usual questions of celibacy, in which she sees newly relevant values. -- Wendy Doniger, Mircea Eliade Professor of the History of Religions, University of ChicagoIn many religions, such as Christianity, Judaism, and Hinduism, women are considered spiritually inferior to men and often suffer inequitable treatment in the wider society. Buddhism, with its highly egalitarian doctrine, is often perceived as being different. Gutschow shows that in this regard we have mistakenly focused on ideals rather than on actual practices. -- James F. DeRoche * Library Journal *The inescapable struggle of being a woman in a patriarchal system is the heart of Gutschow's work and permeates her further discussions, including ideologies of purity and pollution and Tantric approaches to the question of female enlightenment...Gutschow's analysis is penetrating, and her supporting anecdotes are often vivid and effective. Her work reveals that the reality of Himalayan Buddhist monasticism, far from being Shangri-La, is thoroughly rooted in the very foibles of the world it professes to renounce. * Publishers Weekly *Based on [Gutschow's] observations and research in Zangskar, the book describes a rigid hierarchy in which monks rule, enjoying power and prestige and conducting important ceremonies and rituals, such as blessing households and construction sites in their villages. Nuns, who must defer to monks and sit behind them at formal gatherings, are relegated to menial tasks, such as collecting the dung and sticks that the entire community will burn for fuel during the region's harsh winters. -- Anne Stuart * Harvard Magazine *Being a Buddhist Nun is a valuable account of the life of nuns in the Himalayan valley of Zanskar, a region of Ladakh in north-west India. The work is driven by a deep sense of injustice and a compelling focus on a remote society still medieval in character...[Gutschow] present[s] an unrivalled account of monastic economy and social anthropology in Ladakh. Her text is full of 'thick' description, delightful anecdotes, biographies of courageous and not so courageous nuns, as well as accounts of the personal joys and sufferings of individuals. Although she focuses on the often lamentable ways in which nuns suffer discrimination, she is not unduly disrespectful of the monastic system to which they belong; rather she subjects it to a prolonged and penetrating examination and interpretation. -- John Crook * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisâHistorical fiction at its finest' @MargaretAtwood (Twitter). The richly atmospheric story of a young woman's struggle to define herself in a world of uncertainty, intrigue and danger in a time of great upheaval during the Tudor era. Trade Review‘Glendinning writes with a vivid immediacy about a fascinating, dark moment in our island story... a refreshing and original tale [about] the underside of Henry’s religious Reformation’ The Times'Marvellous... heart-breaking and unforgettable... a by times humorous, by times tragic but always compelling picaresque tale' Irish Times‘A brave girl, a powerful tale, a world on the brink of change – and how the past leaps into life!’ Fay Weldon‘An absolute pleasure... assured, quietly gripping, surprising and educative, with a terrific central character, it pins down the precarious nature of life in 16th-century England’ Daily Mail‘A touching, vivid and sometimes deeply shocking depiction of the lives of ordinary people whose world was shattered by Henry VIII’s policy to dissolve England’s monasteries. A must for anyone interested in the Tudor period' Elizabeth Fremantle, author of Queen’s Gambit (The Tudor Trilogy)‘A powerful and very immediate picture of another age. It is full of violence and loss, and yet it is also a testament to survival, courage, pity, and the eternal beauty to be found in small things’ Anne Perry‘An immersive, engrossing, and epic journey of a woman’s soul, finely researched and beautifully written’ Margaret George, author of The Autobiography of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I‘I loved this book from the very first page, for the poised lyricism of the writing and for the fascination of the story. Agnes Peppin, the butcher’s daughter, is an enchanting witness to turbulent times, and the cataclysmic events that shape her life become newly urgent and thrilling as seen through her eyes. This is a wonderful novel – sometimes tragic, sometimes redemptive, always thoughtful and wise’ Margaret Leroy, author of The English Girl‘Chronicles the human cost of Henry’s edict. Well written with wonderfully rendered descriptions of place and period and an evocative mix of fiction and fact... at once immediate and intimate… In a world ruled by men cowed before a fickle tyrant, Agnes’s decisions are not only pragmatic but authentic to her time and place’ New York Journal of Books'As the butcher’s daughter reflects on all she sees, Glendinning makes this tale exhilarating, lending Agnes a candid, eccentrically lyrical voice' Jean Zimmerman, New York Times‘A beguiling, affecting tale of dissolution and redemption set in a changing – and beautifully wrought – Tudor landscape. Gloriously authentic and refreshingly unromantic, this one got under my skin’ Jessie Child, historian and award-winning author of Henry VIII’s Last Victim and God’s Traitors

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Book SynopsisThis book is the fascinating story of one woman's two very different lives, the duties of a nun's day, and the spiritual aspects of convent life. These are interwoven with the trials and tribulations of life in a new and alien world, as the author is confronted by fashions, interventions, politics and art that are totally unfamiliar to her.Trade Review'What a wonderful book! Now that I have finished it I want to read it again ... whatever you think about nuns, whatever your religious views or lack of them, I don't see how you can fail to be enriched by this book.' John Betjeman 'A sympathetically written and extraordinarily interesting account of one of the strangest and most disturbing experiences a modern woman ever lived through.' Daily Mail 'Witty, enlightening, entertaining.' Daily Express 'A story brilliantly told.' Observer 'Witty and intensely moving.' Sunday Times 'Works well. Amazing.' Daily Telegraph 'Straightforward, quiet and sincere. Profoundly interesting.' The Spectator 'The book describes in fascinating detail life in an enclosed order.' Irish Times Baldwin tells her story well, and with a great deal of dry wit ... she has a fine sense not only for the strangeness of her new world, but for the naivety of her own response to it. The Tablet The contemplative life did not suit her, but she is one of its liveliest and most accessible expositors The Tablet

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Book SynopsisThe 1950s and 60s were times of extraordinary social and political change across North America that re-drew the boundaries between traditional and progressive, conservative and liberal. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the history of Catholic nuns. During these two decades, nuns boldly experimented with their role in the church, removing their habits, rejecting the cloister, and fighting for social justice. The media quickly took to their cause and dubbed them 'the new nuns,' modern exemplars of liberated but sexually contained womanhood.With Visual Habits, Rebecca Sullivan brings this unexamined history of nuns to the fore, revisiting the intersection of three distinct movements - the Second Vatican Council, the second wave of feminism, and the sexual revolution - to explore the pivotal role nuns played in revamping cultural expectations of femininity and feminism.From The Nun's Story to The Flying Nun to The Singing Nun, nuns were a major preTrade ReviewVisual Habitsprovides a persuasive argument of how postwar worries concerning women were calmed by fantasizing about spunky women wearing veils. At the same time, it reminds us of the importance of imagining alternatives to the heterosexual family romance that is far from being the natural order of things. -- Colleen McDannell Bookforum - Oct/Nov 2005 Vol. 12 Issue 3 Visual Habits is a must-read in a culture that has forgotten the influence of professed religious in both women's history and pop culture...women religious, vocations directors and those with an interest in the films and folk music of the post-war era will enjoy grappling with this thought-provoking work. -- Dorothy Cummings The Catholic Register

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Book SynopsisIn The Artificiality of Christianity, the author's primary goal is to distill from monastic literature a poetical tool that can be used to decipher the literary structure of religious texts; a secondary goal is to show the centrality of monasticism to the specific experiences of Christian reading.

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Book SynopsisBorn in a provincial city in the Peruvian Andes, the Franciscan linguist and theologian Luis Geronimo de Ore (1554-1630) lived during a critical period in the formation of the modern world. In the first full-length biography of Ore, Noble David Cook and Alexandra Parma Cook reconstruct the friar’s life and the communities in which he circulated.Trade ReviewA masterful history." - John Frederick Schwaller, author of The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America: From Conquest to Revolution and Beyond"Noble David Cook and Alexandra Parma Cook's study is methodologically rigorous and meticulously comprehensive, the result of decades-long research of Oré's publications and reports, the social milieus in which they were produced, and the actions of the renowned figures with whom Oré interacted." - John Charles, author of Allies at Odds: The Andean Church and Its Indigenous Agents, 1583-1671

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Book Synopsis"The definitive study... A learned, lively, and highly readable book, now the essential introduction to the subject."-ChoiceTrade Review"A tour de force." * David Nicholas, Clemson University *"A vivid, valuable portrait." * History *"Comprehensive and authoritative." * Medium Aevum *"Walter Simons has written a thorough, scholarly study, long on careful research, to the point on analysis, and without theoretical trappings. Cities of Ladies is a most welcome contribution to the study of medieval religious life and women's place in the life of the Low Countries." * Speculum *"Indispensable for students of medieval religion and women's history." * Journal of Religion *"The definitive study. . . . A learned, lively, and highly readable book, now the essential introduction to the subject." * Choice *"This fine work reveals medieval religion as a web of overlapping interests. . . . Simons has thus both provided a detailed study of the movement in the Low Countries and place it in its wider religious, social, and economic context." * Ecclesiastical History *

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Book SynopsisReveals the true story behind the growth of the Cistercian order.Trade Review"An extremely important book, one that will redefine the ways we conceive of medieval religiosity and politics." * Virginia Quarterly Review *"A significant contribution to the study of the history of monasticism in the twelfth century." * EHR *"Stimulating, controversial, and compelling, Constance Berman's major revisions of early Cistercian history, The Cistercian Evolution, should be read by historians of monasticism and will greatly interest scholars in the institutional and religious history of the twelfth century as well as those who study the experience of women in that period." * The Medieval Review *"An important and provocative book: important because it challenges scholars to rethink a central medieval theme, the creation and expansion of the Cistercian order in twelfth-century Europe; provocative because it brazenly upends received narratives, two generations of accumulated monastic scholarship." * Speculum *"This important work builds on and continues Berman's solid, indeed splendid, scholarship on the institutional history of the Cistercians in southern France. She explores and rejects much traditional thinking in fields as diverse as the supposed uniformity of Cistercian architecture and the propagation of the order through colonization or 'apostolic foundation,' pointing out that much Cistercian expansion was by incorporation of existing communities." * Church History *"[Berman's] book changes our understanding of the early Cistercians. It will shape our research for some time to come. Berman's questioning of Cistercian documents, her new picture of Cistercian growth, her warnings about reading thirteenth-century administrative structures and ideas back on to the twelfth, and especially, her insistence that we consider houses of both men and women, make this book an important contribution to the history of religious institutions in the central Middle Ages." * Catholic Historical Review *Table of ContentsList of Tables and Illustrations Preface 1. Twelfth-Century Narratives and Cistercian Mythology 2. Charters, "Primitive Documents," and Papal Confirmations 3. From Citeaux to the Invention of a Cistercian Order 4. Charters, Patrons, and Communities 5. Rewriting the History of Cistercians and Twelfth-Century Religious Reform Appendices: 1. Chronological Summary 2. "Primitive Documents" Manuscripts: Contents and Provenance 3. Southern-French Cistercian Abbeys by Province and Diocese 4. Calixtus II Documents from 1119 and 1120 5. Restored 1170 Letter from Alexander III List of Abbreviations Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"An impressive demonstration of how far a scholar can go with painstaking investigation and interpretation of scattered and limited evidence. . . . There is a great deal to admire and ponder [in this book]." * The Medieval Review *"The Beguines of Medieval Paris is an informative and lively book that will make readers see these women not as the hypocritical figures of the satirical tradition nor as the targets of hostile papal pronouncements but as active and charitable women who carved out an important place for themselves in a city replete with religious orders and institutions." * Catholic Historical Review *"Tanya Stabler Miller presents the reader with an elegant, thoroughly researched and persuasively argued study, providing invaluable insight into this urban female community but also making an informed addition to the growing understanding of Later Medieval spirituality more broadly." * French History *"This lovely book engages with the histories of work, women, and spirituality, as well as with urban and intellectual history. . . . Excellent." * Journal of Interdisciplinary History *"This is a wonderful new study of the beguines who lived in Paris and enjoyed considerable public respect, especially by King Louis IX. . . . Tanya Stabler Miller provides a detailed discussion of the available sources and illustrates through a variety of approaches how and why the beguines could establish themselves so well against all protests and condemnations by the theologians and clerics." * Mediaevistik *"Tanya Stabler Miller writes with intelligence and clarity. The contributions she makes to our understanding of how female spirituality was connected to female labor are revelatory." * William Chester Jordan, Princeton University *"An important and rich case study. In telling detail, The Beguines of Medieval Paris sheds light on the broader contours of this religious movement." * Walter Simons, Dartmouth College *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. The Prud'homme and the Beguines: Louis IX and the Foundation of the Beguinage of Paris Chapter 2. The World of the Beguinage Chapter 3. Beguines, Silk, and the City Chapter 4. Masters and Pastors: Sorbonne Scholars, Beguines, and Religious Instruction Chapter 5. Religious Education and Spiritual Collaboration at the Beguinage of Paris Chapter 6. "There Are Among Us Women Called Beguines" Chapter 7. The King's Beguines Appendix. Beguines Whose Occupations Are Known Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"[An] erudite volume . . . Griffiths contributes importantly to a more inclusive depiction of female monastic life and male spirituality (a story of greater mutuality) and to a better-nuanced understanding of relations between men and women in medieval society." * Speculum *"The reform era was obsessed with clerical celibacy, yet it also witnessed a great expansion of women's religious life-and all those newly founded nunneries required priests to provide pastoral care. In an age known for its shrill misogyny, how did such priests justify their service to women, and what positive roles did nuns play in male spirituality? In her urgently needed book, Nuns' Priests' Tales, Fiona Griffiths teases out some fascinating answers." * Barbara Newman, Northwestern University *"This delightful and learned book examines the ways in which the ordained men who provided sacramental services and spiritual counsel for nuns understood their relationships with women. The setting is primarily the eleventh and twelfth centuries-a period when close bonds between priests and any female were viewed with deepening suspicion. Fiona J. Griffiths, however, explores the positive models that monks and priests evoked at that time to justify and even celebrate their charitable bonds with the nuns they served." * Megan McLaughlin, author of Sex, Gender, and Episcopal Authority in an Age of Reform, 1000-1122 *Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations Prologue Chapter 1. The Puzzle of the Nuns' Priest Chapter 2. Biblical Models: Women and Men in the Apostolic Life Chapter 3. Jerome and the Noble Women of Rome Chapter 4. Brothers, Sons, and Uncles: Nuns' Priests and Family Ties Chapter 5. Speaking to the Bridegroom: Women and the Power of Prayer Conclusion Appendix. Beati pauperes Notes Bibliography Index Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisAn English translation of this significant account which tells the story of the chain of events leading to the restoration of the abandoned monastery of St. Martin's by its one-time abbot Herman of Tournai.

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Book SynopsisTells the story of Robert of Arbrissel (ca 1045-1116). Robert was a parish priest, longtime student, reformer, hermit, wandering preacher, and founder of the abbey of Fontevraud. This book narrates the course of Robert's life and his relationships with others along the way, and includes notes, a bibliography, and an introduction to the book.

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Book SynopsisFocuses on a Greek text that was likely compiled in Constantinople, in 1105, for use in one of the monasteries located there. The book consists of a liturgical psalter, containing the fixed structure (the ordinary) in both the Greek original and in English translation, as well as a description of the hours themselves.

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Book SynopsisIn his classic Second Book of Dialogues, Pope Gregory the Great lionizes Saint Benedict as hero and casts him predominantly in the role of miracle worker. In this volume, Terrence Kardong offers a fresh take on Gregory the Great's classic. He alternates between translated sections of the Dialogues and his own commentary.Trade ReviewThis translation and commentary will be a valuable resource for educators seeking to introduce undergraduates to the development of monasticism and hagiography.Religious Studies ReviewThe book is written with great affection for the character St. Benedict both historically and as he appears in the Life. Moreover, Kardong provides insight into how Benedict is seen through Gregory’s admiring eyes. For these reasons and because of the helpful line-by-line explication, the work may be helpful to both scholars and beginning students in the Benedictine studies, history, literature, and theology. Because the commentary so fully fills in the background and contextual picture surrounding the text, Kardong’s book would also be of benefit to a general audience interested in deepening knowledge of St. Benedict and the traditions surrounding his life.Catholic StudiesThis is a useful tool to instruct anyone interested in Benedictine life. BenedictinesIf you are looking for a translation of The Life of Saint Benedict (Book 2 of the Dialogues) by Saint Gregory the Great with commentary, this book is an excellent one to take in hand. Especially for those in monastic formation, oblate formation, or monastic studies courses, it is a user-friendly volume that is compact and attractive.Cistercian Studies QuarterlyIn Terrence Kardong’s many contributions to the explication of and commentary on St. Benedict's Rule, we have always found the sharp and well worded wisdom that opens the Rule and the human heart to the truth of each other. That same sharp wisdom and clear perception of humanity is now brought to Gregory the Great’s life of St. Benedict. ‘Our contention throughout this commentary,’ Kardong says, ‘is that these stories are “true” even if they never happened.’ Kardong's commentary goes deeper than what the stories say to reveal Gregory's intent to bring the reader to love Benedict and Gregory's skill in shaping each narrative and the overall narrative to give the reader a sense of continuity. And there is large truth here—the truth of Christ, of Benedict, of human persons and humanity.Sister Shawn Carruth, OSBEntering into the spirit of the Dialogues, Fr. Terrence offers us a lucid translation and a sensible commentary that explores the meaning of this spiritual classic. His vast knowledge allows him to link the text both to the Scriptures and to the spiritual tradition. His typical enthusiasm underlines the importance of St. Benedict’s spiritual development. Finally Fr. Terrence’s clarity makes this work accessible to anyone interested in the spiritual life.Harry Hagan, OSB, Saint Meinrad Archabbey and School of Theology, Saint Meinrad, IndianaTerrence Kardong, OSB, has gifted us with a fresh new translation of and commentary on Gregory’s Life of Benedict as depicted in the Dialogues. The commentary is interspersed throughout the book, following sections he has just translated. The net effect of this methodology is to create a much more rounded, continuous biography, rather than simply proceeding from Gregory’s rather sketchy and sometimes dubious rendition. The author balances Gregory’s Benedict with what we know from current scholarship. Father Terrence, master of the anecdote, displays once again his uncanny ability to express the profound with elegant simplicity. He has been able in this book to interweave the credible from Gregory with the believable of Benedict, as he reveals himself in his own Rule. The result, as always from Terrence’s pen, is both readable and reliable, as well as entertaining and enjoyable.Fr. John Crean, OblSB, PhD, Coeditor of MAGISTRA: A Journal of Women’s SFr. Terrence Kardong brings to his study of Pope Gregory's Life of Benedict the same critical eye and balanced judgment that he brings to the Rule of Benedict. His commentary and footnotes situate Gregory’s work in the context of early medieval hagiography while alerting the reader to the issues of contemporary research. Kardong presents a calm perspective on the debate about Gregory's authorship of Dialogues II. His commentary fills a gap in American Benedictine scholarship.Abbot Jerome Kodell, OSB, Subiaco Abbey, Subiaco, Arkansas

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Book SynopsisReflections on the Fourth Chapter of Benedict's RuleTrade Review“Ancient monastic authors often stressed their wish to be of useto readers. Like them, Michael Casey has written a useful volume, a volume to live by. Drawing on a wealth of sources, and reading deeply in the book of experience, he shows what a vast perspective is indicated in the ‘little Rule’ of Benedict, what fullness of life is in store for those who follow it with courage and coherence.”����������� Eric Varden, OCSO����������� Mount Saint Bernard Abbey“Tolle lege (pick up this book) if you want a sustained conversation with a master teacher of the Rule of Benedict. I am shocked how superficially I habitually read chapter 4 of the Rule of Benedict.�Those seventy-four tools are no longer a list but a loving invitation.”��������������� Meg Funk, OSB��������������� Our Lady of Grace Monastery“Michael Casey brings a deep lived knowledge of the monastic tradition to this splendid set of reflections on Benedict's Rule. He manages to marry faith commitment to pastoral common sense in such a manner that monks and laity as well can find answers to that request made to the old desert dwellers: Give me a good word. Casey, in fact, gives us many good words.”Lawrence S. CunninghamJohn A. O'Brien Professor of Theology (Emeritus)The University of Notre Dame“In my regular university course on the Rule of St. Benedict as a mirror to present-day culture there is close reading of some chapters of the Rule. To my shame I tended to neglect chapter four a bit. Michael Casey’s deep reflections in this remarkable book are nourished by a half century of monastic reading and deep psychological and existential insight. I can now draw from nearly 300 pages of wisdom on the fourth chapter of Benedict’s Rule. Just to quote from Fr. Michael’s preface: ‘There is much more in Benedict’s Rule than meets the superficial eye.’” Wil DerkseAndreas van Melsen Chair for Science, Society and Worldviews (retired)Catholic Radboud University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands"This book is not an exegetical study; one goes elsewhere for such. Rather this is a wisdom text, exploring each tool in a search to comprehend these pithy sayings for good living. . . . It is his own lived experience that brightens up the text. Casey�s years of cenobitic living, coupled with his perceptive eye and peppered wit give life to the seventy-four tools." Timothy Joyce, OSB, Glastonbury Abbey, Hingham, MA, American Benedictine Review"The incomparable Casey has done it again. He seems to deliberately choose the most unlikely sections of the�Rule of Benedict�and make them into something appealing, even compelling, for the modern reader."Terrence Kardong, OSB,�Tjurunga

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Book SynopsisA Revised Critical EditionTrade Review"The translation is stylish and accurate without being slavish. Text and translation are laid out on facing pages, with a critical apparatus and sometimes commentary beneath the Latin text, and notes beneath the English translation."Dr. Dennis Minns, OP, Tjurunga

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Book SynopsisCombining interviews and biographies with archive materials and ephemeral popular literature, this text documents the monastic lives of three generations of forest-dwelling ascetics and challenges the stereotype of Thai Buddhism.

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Book SynopsisThe second in a series of collected essays looking at Indian Buddhism.

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Book SynopsisSoutheast China is a traditional stronghold of Buddhism, but little scholarly attention has been paid to this fact. Brian Nichols’s pioneering Lotus Blossoms and Purple Clouds, centres on a large Buddhist monastery in Quanzhou and combines ethnographic detail with stimulating analysis to examine religion in post-Mao China.Trade ReviewLotus Blossoms and Purple Clouds is a thoroughly innovative study of the revival of the Quanzhou Kaiyuan Monastery in southeast China. It builds on a significant period of ethnographic investigation, including follow-up longitudinal research, and exhibits sound historical scholarship that makes excellent use of both Chinese and English sources. Brian Nichols has produced by far the most comprehensive study of Han Buddhist monasticism in post-Mao China to date." —Gareth Fisher, Syracuse University"Thanks to Brian Nichols we have at last a wide-ranging account of a local Buddhist temple in China, one that problematizes official and normative narratives of modern Buddhism and invites us to see what actually happens on the ground." —Stefania Travagnin, SOAS, University of London

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Book SynopsisOffers an essay on the nature of humility that revisions this fundamental Christian virtue away from the misunderstandings of both the scholastic tradition and its modern counterparts to locate humility in the ancient sources of the monastic tradition.

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Book SynopsisInitiation into the Monastic TraditionTrade ReviewWhile written prior to Vatican II with an emphasis on external observances, Merton addresses his novices in a refreshingly direct way. His comments on chastity and poverty are still valuable for today and helpful for any newcomer to the life discerning lifetime commitments.Br. Placid Morris, Vocation Director, Abbey of New Clairvaux, Vina, CAThe Life of the Vows is an excellent, detailed presentation of the perennial challenges of the Benedictine vows for anyone who wants to understand them better in order to live them well. A truly helpful study for one in initial formation or as a refresher course for veteran monastics.Br. M. Anthony Weber, OCSO, Vocation Director, Abbey of the GeneseeTable of ContentsTable of Contents Preface vii Introduction xiii An Introduction to the Life of the Vows 1 Appendix A: Textual notes 491 Appendix B: Table of Correspondences 544 Appendix C: For Further Reading 549 Index 551

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