描述
Ascetic Culture honors Philip Rousseaus pathbreaking work on early Christian asceticism in a series of essays exploring how quickly the industrious and imaginative practitioners of asceticism from the early fourth through the midfifth century adapted the GrecoRoman social literary and religious culture in which they had been raised. Far from rejecting the life of the urban centers of the ancient world they refined and elaborated that life in their libraries households and communities. The volume begins with a discussion of Egyptian monastic reading programs and the circulation of texts especially the hugely influential Life of Antony. A second group of essays engages the topic of disciplinary culture in ascetic spaces such as the monastery the household and the city. A third group focuses on the topic of imaginary landscapes and ascetic selffashioning. Ascetic Culture concludes by surveying the scholarly study of asceticism over the last one hundred and fifty years arguing that previous generations of scholars have regarded asceticism either as a product of the inner dynamism of early Christianity or as a distortion of its earliest aims. Together the contributors recognize reflect upon and extend the themes explored in Rousseaus work on early Christianitys ascetic peripherya region whose inhabitants reflect in various ways the aspirations of their religion from the daily to the otherworldly. Ascetic Culture Essays in Honor of Philip Rousseau is a significant resource for scholars and students interested in the study of Christianity in late antiquity. It offers a fascinating collection of investigations into early Christian ascetic rhetoric and practice as well as ample selfreflection on contemporary scholarly interpretation of primary source data. In so doing the authors honor Philip Rousseaus major contributions to the field. Stephen J. Davis Yale University
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Fruugo ID:
209795992-447243338
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ISBN:
9780268033880