The Story of Monasticism
Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality
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- USD 8.99
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- USD 8.99
Descripción editorial
Some evangelicals perceive monasticism as a relic from the past, a retreat from the world, or a shirking of the call to the Great Commission. At the same time, contemporary evangelical spirituality desires historical Christian manifestations of the faith. In this accessibly written book Greg Peters, an expert in monastic studies who is a Benedictine oblate and spiritual director, offers a historical survey of monasticism from its origins to current manifestations. Peters recovers the riches of the monastic tradition for contemporary spiritual formation and devotional practice, explaining why the monastic impulse is a valid and necessary manifestation of the Christian faith for today's church.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this study of Christian monasticism, Peters (Reforming the Monastery) argues that the monastic impulse has always been part of the church, and it continues to motivate reformers and clerics today. In pursuit of his thesis, he explores the institutional use of monasticism as "recovery of the past in order to give fresh expression to contemporary faith." He employs the term ressourcement to define this use of the past. Beginning with the Qumran communities in early Judea and touching on nearly every era of Christian history, the author demonstrates how monastics have given the church a rich legacy of spiritual teaching and practice, and how the church, in its effort to confront contemporary societies, has drawn on that legacy. Peters presents an esoteric but compelling study of the uses of the past in reforming the future.
