Description
Book SynopsisTalbot surveys the forms of monastic life in the Byzantine Empire, highlighting distinctions for men and women and comparing Byzantine monasticism with its Western medieval counterpart.
Trade Review"This book makes a major contribution in discussing a deceptively simple question: 'What was it like to live as a monk or nun in Byzantium?' In doing so, the author has combed a vast array of texts, particularly hagiographies, in order to gather together material on subjects as varied as clothing, food, handicrafts, access to fire and water, travel, attitudes to the natural environment and the fundamental issue of whether the communal or the solitary was the higher form of monastic life. She is an acknowledged expert on Byzantine nuns and it is refreshing to see female monasticism treated on an equal level with the male experience." —Rosemary Morris, University of York
"Varieties of Monastic Experience brings together the author’s remarkable work as an editor, translator, and deeply learned commentator of Byzantine monastic texts. Richly detailed and engagingly written, this groundbreaking study of the various forms of middle and late Byzantine monasticism includes a comparison with medieval Western monasticism and an unparalleled study of female monastic life in the Byzantine world. This volume will not only be recognized as essential reading in the field but will also deservedly attain the status of a true classic" —Fr. Maximos Constas, Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology
"This is an important and long overdue study of the fascinating, complex field of Byzantine monasticism. In Varieties of Monastic Experience in Byzantium, 800–1453, Alice-Mary Talbot distills her vast knowledge of the subject into a series of lucid, informative, and meticulously researched essays. Her emphasis on the rich variety of Byzantine monastic experience challenges the traditional binary of community and solitary and paints a compelling image of the extraordinary wealth of opportunities available in the Byzantine world for men, women, and eunuchs to pursue their religious calling." —Richard Greenfield, Queen's University
"Drawing on decades of reading, translating, and interpreting Byzantine Orthodox Christian monastic texts, Alice-Mary Talbot offers an invaluable handbook to the practicalities of Byzantine monasticism." —Speculum
"No other scholar possesses greater facility with the foundation documents and hagiography of Byzantine Christianity than Talbot." —Reading Religion
Table of ContentsPreface
Abbreviations
List of Illustrations
Introduction 1. Monks and Male Monasticism 2. Nuns and Nunneries 3. Hermits and Holy Mountains 4. Alternative Modes of Monasticism
Conclusion
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
