Renouncing the World yet Leading the Church: The Monk-Bishop in Late Antiquity

Andrea Sterk

Published by Harvard University Press 2004

Renouncing the World yet Leading the Church

The Monk-Bishop in Late Antiquity

Andrea Sterk

https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674044012

Overview
Contents

About this book

In the fourth through sixth centuries, the monk-bishop became the dominant model of ecclesiastical leadership in the Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantium. Focusing on the foundational figures of Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, and John Chrysostom, Sterk explores the grounding for this development.

Reviews

Sterk offers a study of bishops of the early Christian period and their pursuit of the 'mixed life.' Bishops lived in the world: they traveled from their see to synods; they petitioned court functionaries; they engaged in ecclesiastical politics and corresponded on doctrinal and administrative matters. Some admired the monastic life while simultaneously grappling with worldly affairs, wishing to adopt the discipline and ideals of monks and apply the ethics and asceticism of the monastery to the governance of the church. One such bishop was Basil of Caesarea, who wrote extensively on the need for bishops, like abbots, to be above reproach, to be careful in the selection of subordinates, and not to be forgetful of prayer and instruction. The author provides a well-written survey of Basil's conceptualization of the relevance of the monastic life for church leaders, follows up with a review of the impact of Basilian literature on Gregory of Nyssa, and provides a clear account of the further evolution of the concept of the 'monk as guide' in the thought of Gregory Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. Lively style, no pomposity.
-- J. W. Nesbitt Choice

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	v
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
I BASIL OF CAESAREA AND THE EMERGENCE OF AN IDEAL
1 Monks and Bishops in the Christian East from 325 to 375 Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	13
2 Asceticism and Leadership in the Thought of Basil of Caesarea Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	35
3 Reframing and Reforming the Episcopate: Basil’s Direct Influence Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	66
II THE DEVELOPMENT OF AN IDEAL
4 Gregory of Nyssa: On Basil, Moses, and Episcopal Office Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	95
5 Gregory of Nazianzus: Ascetic Life and Episcopal Office in Tension Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	119
6 John Chrysostom: The Model Monk-Bishop in Spite of Himself Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	141
III THE TRIUMPH OF AN IDEAL
7 From Nuisances to Episcopal Ideals: Civil and Ecclesiastical Legislation Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	163
8 Normalizing the Model: The Fifth-Century Church Histories Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	178
9 The Broadening Appeal: Monastic and Hagiographical Literature Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	192
Epilogue: The Legacy of the Monk-Bishop in the Byzantine World Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	219
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	247
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	249
Frequently Cited Works Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	348
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	351

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Main content: 368

eBook

Published: July 1, 2009
ISBN: 9780674044012