The Historical Atlas of Eastern and Western Christian Monasticism - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0814627781 ISBN 13: 9780814627785

Publisher: Liturgical Press, 2004

Synopsis

From common origins, both African and Middle Eastern, Christian monasticism travels along two parallel streams, branched and informed by mutual influences: the Eastern and the Western. In The Historical Atlas of Eastern and Western Christian Monasticism historians have collaborated to examine the history of Christianity and provide a work of reference where East and West meet and are mutually enriched. The Atlas brings together many voices speaking from different influences. Russians, Serbians, Bulgarians, Greeks, Latins, Anglo-Saxons, Americans, Germans, and others, serve at the same time as co-authors and readers of a diverse reality that is a common property of Christianity. The Historical Atlas of Eastern and Western Christian Monasticism bears witness the twofold Christian paradox: on the one hand, "being in the world without being worldly, " while the very monastics who have most fully embodied that statement also show us the other side of the paradox, namely, that monasticism has changed the world and even its natural and cultural landscape. Without centuries of monasticism the world would be a different place. Through its engaging text and use of 59 full-color illustrated maps to detail specific locations of important places and events, the Atlas points out some of the religious goals and thoughts most pursued and most clearly present in the great representatives of the surprising and moving history of monasticism. Chapters are "Universality of the Monastic Phenomenon, " "The Origins of Christian Monasticism, " "Early Christian Monasticism, " "The Western Monastic Tradition, " "Development of Monasticism in the East, " "Development of Monasticism in the West, " "A Millennium ofChristian Monasticism in the East, " and "A Millennium of Christian Monasticism in the West."

About this title

About the Author:

Laboa was born in Pasajes de san Juan, Guipuzcoa, Spain. He has graduated in philosophy and theology and holds a doctorate in church history from the Gregorian University in Rome and a degree in history from the University Complutense in Madrid.

From Publishers Weekly:

This expansive illustrated guide to Christian monasticism offers a history of various monastic traditions and shows the rise of monasticism in different parts of the world. Although the text can be dry, it is enhanced by several hundred color photos and illustrations, including 59 detailed maps showing the locations of monasteries and the historical development of different branches of the Christian church. The book's real draw is the fact that it gives equal time to Eastern as well as Western monasticism, devoting pages to relatively obscure Eastern monasteries such as the Laura of Calamon (beside the Dead Sea), or the hermitages of Moldavia, "characterized by exterior murals as well as completely painted interiors." This book is an important attempt to understand monasticism on a global scale, but its hefty $100 price tag means that many readers will want to peruse its treasures at their local library.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Liturgical Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0814627781
• ISBN 13: 9780814627785
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272
• Editor: Laboa Juan Maria