The Handbook takes as its subject the complex phenomenon of Christian monasticism. It addresses, for the first time in one volume, the multiple strands of Christian monastic practice. Forty-four essays consider historical and thematic aspects of the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Protestant, and Anglican traditions, as well as contemporary "new monasticism". The essays in the book span a period of nearly two thousand years - from late ancient times, through the medieval and early modern eras, on to the present day. Taken together, they offer, not a narrative survey, but rather a map of the vast terrain. The intention of the Handbook is to provide a balance of some essential historical coverage with a representative sample of current thinking on monasticism. It presents the work of both academic and monastic authors, and the essays are best understood as a series of loosely-linked episodes, forming a long chain of enquiry, and allowing for various points of view.

The authors are a diverse and international group, who bring a wide range of critical perspectives to bear on pertinent themes and issues. They indicate developing trends in their areas of specialisation. The individual contributions, and the volume as a whole, set out an agenda for the future direction of monastic studies. In today's world, where there is increasing interest in all world monasticisms, where scholars are adopting more capacious, global approaches to their investigations, and where monks and nuns are casting a fresh eye on their ancient traditions, this publication is especially timely.

Bernice M. Kaczynski's profile page

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Bernice M. Kaczynski is Professor Emerita of History at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, and Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. Her primary research interests lie in the area of early medieval monastic culture. She writes on manuscripts and the transmission of texts, on medieval Latin and Greek, on notions of patristic authority, and, most recently, on the extended historical experience of Christian monasticism.

Thomas Sullivan, OSB, is a monk of Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri, USA, and Professor of History and Humanities at Conception Seminary College. His primary research interest is the intersection of monastic life and the medieval university; other research interests include the Parisian Faculty of Theology, 1200-1500, and the history of medieval ecclesiastical libraries.