This book introduces the reader to monks and monasteries in medieval Europe, detailing the evolution of this important institution in Christianity. It explores how monasticism transformed over the centuries, adapting to different contexts and taking on diverse forms.
Excerpt:
One way of rephrasing the question posed by the demon would be to ask why men and women in the Middle Ages became monks and nuns in such large numbers. This is a question that will be addressed, albeit obliquely, in this book, since it is far too open-ended to be resolved. Reasons for taking monastic vows might involve family circumstances, upbringing, societal expectations and other conditions that are susceptible to historical analysis, but ultimately, where a choice was made, this is only rarely something that can be recovered by the historian. A more fruitful way of posing the question would be to ask why monasteries existed. Who were they for? What kind of people founded and built them, and how were they maintained? What exactly went on inside them? And, most fundamental perhaps, how did monasticism change over the thousand years or so of the Middle Ages? These are the questions I have tried to address in this book.
Who is this book for?
This book serves as a valuable bridge for readers interested in medieval monasticism, offering more depth than a basic introduction while remaining accessible to those not yet immersed in academic research. It is also a useful resource for anyone studying Christianity more broadly.
“The book’s argument is not only that parallels are illuminating, but that cross-pollination between East and West continued to enrich monastic experience. Greek- and Latin-rite monastics showed surprising flexibility in adapting to each others’ customs when exchanging hospitality. Appeal to the simplicity and rigour of Eastern practice became a topos of Western monastic returnees from the Holy Land anxious to foster reform at home.” ~ review by Alexander Faludy in the Catholic Herald
The Author
Andrew Jotischky is Professor of Medieval History at Royal Holloway, where he focuses his research on Christianity in the Middle Ages.
The Monastic World: A 1,200-Year History
By Andrew Jotischky
Yale University Press
ISBN: 978-0-300-20856-6
This book introduces the reader to monks and monasteries in medieval Europe, detailing the evolution of this important institution in Christianity. It explores how monasticism transformed over the centuries, adapting to different contexts and taking on diverse forms.
Excerpt:
One way of rephrasing the question posed by the demon would be to ask why men and women in the Middle Ages became monks and nuns in such large numbers. This is a question that will be addressed, albeit obliquely, in this book, since it is far too open-ended to be resolved. Reasons for taking monastic vows might involve family circumstances, upbringing, societal expectations and other conditions that are susceptible to historical analysis, but ultimately, where a choice was made, this is only rarely something that can be recovered by the historian. A more fruitful way of posing the question would be to ask why monasteries existed. Who were they for? What kind of people founded and built them, and how were they maintained? What exactly went on inside them? And, most fundamental perhaps, how did monasticism change over the thousand years or so of the Middle Ages? These are the questions I have tried to address in this book.
Who is this book for?
This book serves as a valuable bridge for readers interested in medieval monasticism, offering more depth than a basic introduction while remaining accessible to those not yet immersed in academic research. It is also a useful resource for anyone studying Christianity more broadly.
“The book’s argument is not only that parallels are illuminating, but that cross-pollination between East and West continued to enrich monastic experience. Greek- and Latin-rite monastics showed surprising flexibility in adapting to each others’ customs when exchanging hospitality. Appeal to the simplicity and rigour of Eastern practice became a topos of Western monastic returnees from the Holy Land anxious to foster reform at home.” ~ review by Alexander Faludy in the Catholic Herald
The Author
Andrew Jotischky is Professor of Medieval History at Royal Holloway, where he focuses his research on Christianity in the Middle Ages.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
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