Conrad Leyser
- Published in print:
- 2000
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198208686
- eISBN:
- 9780191678127
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198208686.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History
This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political ...
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This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political context, one of the most articulate claims to power was made, paradoxically, by men who had renounced ‘the world’, committing themselves to a life of spiritual discipline in the hope of gaining entry to an otherworldly kingdom. Often dismissed as mere fanaticism or open hypocrisy, the language of ascetic authority, the book shows, was both carefully honed and well understood in the late Roman and early medieval Mediterranean. It charts the development of this new moral rhetoric by abbots, teachers, and bishops from the time of Augustine of Hippo to that of St Benedict and Gregory the Great.Less
This book examines the formation of the Christian ascetic tradition in the western Roman Empire during the period of the barbarian invasions, c.400–600. In an aggressively competitive political context, one of the most articulate claims to power was made, paradoxically, by men who had renounced ‘the world’, committing themselves to a life of spiritual discipline in the hope of gaining entry to an otherworldly kingdom. Often dismissed as mere fanaticism or open hypocrisy, the language of ascetic authority, the book shows, was both carefully honed and well understood in the late Roman and early medieval Mediterranean. It charts the development of this new moral rhetoric by abbots, teachers, and bishops from the time of Augustine of Hippo to that of St Benedict and Gregory the Great.
Robert E. Sinkewicz
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199259939
- eISBN:
- 9780191698651
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199259939.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Evagrius of Pontus (c.345–99) was one of the most prominent figures among the monks of the desert settlements of Nitria, Sketis, and Kellia in Lower Egypt. Through the course of his ascetic writings ...
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Evagrius of Pontus (c.345–99) was one of the most prominent figures among the monks of the desert settlements of Nitria, Sketis, and Kellia in Lower Egypt. Through the course of his ascetic writings he formulated a systematic presentation of the teaching of the semi-eremitic monks of these settlements. The works of Evagrius had a profound influence on Eastern Orthodox monastic teaching and passed to the West through the writings of John Cassian (c.365–435). This book provides an English translation of Evagrius' Greek ascetic writings, based on modern critical editions, where available, and, where they are not, on collations of the principal manuscripts. Two appendices provide variant readings for the Greek texts and the complete text of the long recension of Eulogios. The translations are accompanied by a commentary to guide the reader through the intricacies of Evagrian thought by offering explanatory comments and references to other Evagrian texts and relevant scholarly literature. Finally, detailed indexes are provided to allow the reader to identify and study the numerous themes of Evagrian teaching.Less
Evagrius of Pontus (c.345–99) was one of the most prominent figures among the monks of the desert settlements of Nitria, Sketis, and Kellia in Lower Egypt. Through the course of his ascetic writings he formulated a systematic presentation of the teaching of the semi-eremitic monks of these settlements. The works of Evagrius had a profound influence on Eastern Orthodox monastic teaching and passed to the West through the writings of John Cassian (c.365–435). This book provides an English translation of Evagrius' Greek ascetic writings, based on modern critical editions, where available, and, where they are not, on collations of the principal manuscripts. Two appendices provide variant readings for the Greek texts and the complete text of the long recension of Eulogios. The translations are accompanied by a commentary to guide the reader through the intricacies of Evagrian thought by offering explanatory comments and references to other Evagrian texts and relevant scholarly literature. Finally, detailed indexes are provided to allow the reader to identify and study the numerous themes of Evagrian teaching.
Susanne Mrozik
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780195305005
- eISBN:
- 9780199785681
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305005.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Buddhism
This chapter investigates how even an apparently negative discourse on bodies serves the Compendium of Training's purpose of producing bodhisattvas with bodies that have transformative effects on ...
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This chapter investigates how even an apparently negative discourse on bodies serves the Compendium of Training's purpose of producing bodhisattvas with bodies that have transformative effects on others. It shows that in spite of their differences, the ascetic and physiomoral discourses on bodies share the same end: producing bodhisattvas with bodies capable of ripening others. These are the bodies of well-disciplined monastics whose very features, postures, and movements instantiate for others their moral achievement. If these bodhisattvas reach the end of their path, they too will materialize the most virtuous body of all, namely, that of a buddha.Less
This chapter investigates how even an apparently negative discourse on bodies serves the Compendium of Training's purpose of producing bodhisattvas with bodies that have transformative effects on others. It shows that in spite of their differences, the ascetic and physiomoral discourses on bodies share the same end: producing bodhisattvas with bodies capable of ripening others. These are the bodies of well-disciplined monastics whose very features, postures, and movements instantiate for others their moral achievement. If these bodhisattvas reach the end of their path, they too will materialize the most virtuous body of all, namely, that of a buddha.
Cornelia B. Horn
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199277537
- eISBN:
- 9780191604171
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199277532.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter demonstrates how ascetics gained authority, and used this to promote adherence to the particular religious group with which they were affiliated. It addresses those issues of authority, ...
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This chapter demonstrates how ascetics gained authority, and used this to promote adherence to the particular religious group with which they were affiliated. It addresses those issues of authority, which surfaced in the anti-Chalcedonian ascetic milieu in the 5th and early 6th centuries in the patriarchates of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, focusing on the people and events pertaining to Peter the Iberian’s life and career. It examines ascetic influences to which Peter was exposed during the formative years of his life, starting in Georgia, then in Constantinople, and, eventually, in a highly concentrated and direct way in the Holy Land. The specific ascetic style which Peter appears to have developed and which his biographer Rufus further worked out in the literary portrait of Peter is highlighted.Less
This chapter demonstrates how ascetics gained authority, and used this to promote adherence to the particular religious group with which they were affiliated. It addresses those issues of authority, which surfaced in the anti-Chalcedonian ascetic milieu in the 5th and early 6th centuries in the patriarchates of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, focusing on the people and events pertaining to Peter the Iberian’s life and career. It examines ascetic influences to which Peter was exposed during the formative years of his life, starting in Georgia, then in Constantinople, and, eventually, in a highly concentrated and direct way in the Holy Land. The specific ascetic style which Peter appears to have developed and which his biographer Rufus further worked out in the literary portrait of Peter is highlighted.
Cornelia B. Horn
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- September 2006
- ISBN:
- 9780199277537
- eISBN:
- 9780191604171
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0199277532.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter shows that Abba Isaiah and Philoxenus of Mabbugh were influential contributors to anti-Chalcedonian theological and ascetico-spiritual perspectives in Palestine. They provided an ...
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This chapter shows that Abba Isaiah and Philoxenus of Mabbugh were influential contributors to anti-Chalcedonian theological and ascetico-spiritual perspectives in Palestine. They provided an immediate context for the theology and spirituality of Peter the Iberian, John Rufus, and their anti-Chalcedonian ascetic followers in the Gaza area. The importance of the Cross in the spiritual theology of these two teachers and leaders is discussed.Less
This chapter shows that Abba Isaiah and Philoxenus of Mabbugh were influential contributors to anti-Chalcedonian theological and ascetico-spiritual perspectives in Palestine. They provided an immediate context for the theology and spirituality of Peter the Iberian, John Rufus, and their anti-Chalcedonian ascetic followers in the Gaza area. The importance of the Cross in the spiritual theology of these two teachers and leaders is discussed.
Robert E. Sinkewicz
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199259939
- eISBN:
- 9780191698651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199259939.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter presents an English translation of the ascetic corpus writing of Evagrius of Pontus about the thirty-three ordered chapters on the definitions of the passions of the rational soul. This ...
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This chapter presents an English translation of the ascetic corpus writing of Evagrius of Pontus about the thirty-three ordered chapters on the definitions of the passions of the rational soul. This treatise consists of a collection of short chapters. The first section defines a variety of ailments, mostly taken from the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, as particular passions of the soul. This translation cites relevant biblical verses, not mentioned in the Greek text, for the convenience of the readers.Less
This chapter presents an English translation of the ascetic corpus writing of Evagrius of Pontus about the thirty-three ordered chapters on the definitions of the passions of the rational soul. This treatise consists of a collection of short chapters. The first section defines a variety of ailments, mostly taken from the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy, as particular passions of the soul. This translation cites relevant biblical verses, not mentioned in the Greek text, for the convenience of the readers.
Bernard Green
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199534951
- eISBN:
- 9780191715990
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199534951.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Leo the Great was the beneficiary of the consolidation over the course of the preceding century of the power of the papacy in Rome and the Christianization of the city. That process reveals the ...
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Leo the Great was the beneficiary of the consolidation over the course of the preceding century of the power of the papacy in Rome and the Christianization of the city. That process reveals the impact of Ambrose of Milan on the Roman Church and its policy towards the ascetic movement. Leo was heavily influenced by Ambrose and by Augustine of Hippo. His first encounters with theological debate were the Pelagian and Nestorian controversies, where he engaged Cassian as an advisor. He took an admiring though limited view of Cyril of Alexandria but misunderstood the weaknesses in Nestorius'thought. As pope, he preached a civic Christianity, accessible to all citizens, baptizing the virtues of the classical and civic past. His sermons are now dated and reveal the evolution of his thought as he worked out a soteriology that gave full value to both the divinity and humanity of Christ, especially in reaction to Manichaeism. In the crisis that led to Chalcedon, his earlier misunderstanding of Nestorius affected the content of his Tome, which was atypical of the Christology and soteriology he had developed in his earlier preaching. Its emphasis on the distinction of the two natures was an uncharacteristic attempt to respond to both Eutyches and Nestorius, as he understood them. In the light of Chalcedon, he produced a revised statement of Christology, the Letter to the Palestinian monks, which is both more accomplished and better aligned with his characteristic thought.Less
Leo the Great was the beneficiary of the consolidation over the course of the preceding century of the power of the papacy in Rome and the Christianization of the city. That process reveals the impact of Ambrose of Milan on the Roman Church and its policy towards the ascetic movement. Leo was heavily influenced by Ambrose and by Augustine of Hippo. His first encounters with theological debate were the Pelagian and Nestorian controversies, where he engaged Cassian as an advisor. He took an admiring though limited view of Cyril of Alexandria but misunderstood the weaknesses in Nestorius'thought. As pope, he preached a civic Christianity, accessible to all citizens, baptizing the virtues of the classical and civic past. His sermons are now dated and reveal the evolution of his thought as he worked out a soteriology that gave full value to both the divinity and humanity of Christ, especially in reaction to Manichaeism. In the crisis that led to Chalcedon, his earlier misunderstanding of Nestorius affected the content of his Tome, which was atypical of the Christology and soteriology he had developed in his earlier preaching. Its emphasis on the distinction of the two natures was an uncharacteristic attempt to respond to both Eutyches and Nestorius, as he understood them. In the light of Chalcedon, he produced a revised statement of Christology, the Letter to the Palestinian monks, which is both more accomplished and better aligned with his characteristic thought.
Morwenna Ludlow
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199280766
- eISBN:
- 9780191712906
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280766.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
Gregory sees his advice for the good life as springing from his conceptions of incarnation and salvation. If Gregory thinks that in Christ the human is not obliterated, but transformed, and if in ...
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Gregory sees his advice for the good life as springing from his conceptions of incarnation and salvation. If Gregory thinks that in Christ the human is not obliterated, but transformed, and if in salvation human nature in general will not be obliterated but transformed, then one would expect his ethics similarly to be aimed at the transformation, not the denial, suppression, or punishment of the material aspects of life. However, it must be admitted that some of his language about the soul turning away from the things of this world is very ambivalent. This chapter investigates how some contemporary commentators have reacted to it, and looks at some particular practical issues which have drawn writers' attention to Gregory's theology, notably those of the ascetic life, pilgrimage, and the ethical implications of his doctrine of creation and the Trinity. The chapter then considers what one might call the eschatological fulfilment of these ideas.Less
Gregory sees his advice for the good life as springing from his conceptions of incarnation and salvation. If Gregory thinks that in Christ the human is not obliterated, but transformed, and if in salvation human nature in general will not be obliterated but transformed, then one would expect his ethics similarly to be aimed at the transformation, not the denial, suppression, or punishment of the material aspects of life. However, it must be admitted that some of his language about the soul turning away from the things of this world is very ambivalent. This chapter investigates how some contemporary commentators have reacted to it, and looks at some particular practical issues which have drawn writers' attention to Gregory's theology, notably those of the ascetic life, pilgrimage, and the ethical implications of his doctrine of creation and the Trinity. The chapter then considers what one might call the eschatological fulfilment of these ideas.
Morwenna Ludlow
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780199280766
- eISBN:
- 9780191712906
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280766.003.0014
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
The bond between Gregory of Nyssa an his sister, Macrina, as portrayed in On the Soul and the Resurrection and in The Life of Macrina, has been used by some modern writers as a kind of test to verify ...
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The bond between Gregory of Nyssa an his sister, Macrina, as portrayed in On the Soul and the Resurrection and in The Life of Macrina, has been used by some modern writers as a kind of test to verify whether Gregory's real life attitudes toward women bear out his more theoretical advocacy of equality. Other modern authors have approached these texts more suspiciously — not so much reading in them evidence of Gregory's duplicity or androcentrism, as using them to demonstrate how, even in these apparently intimate pictures of a female life, the woman is a construct and is not allowed to speak for herself. This chapter examines a range of these accounts, beginning with the more straightforward ones, which use the texts as historical evidence for the life of a 4th-century ascetic woman and her relationship with her brother. It discusses the problems of such historical readings and then sets out various alternative and more literary readings.Less
The bond between Gregory of Nyssa an his sister, Macrina, as portrayed in On the Soul and the Resurrection and in The Life of Macrina, has been used by some modern writers as a kind of test to verify whether Gregory's real life attitudes toward women bear out his more theoretical advocacy of equality. Other modern authors have approached these texts more suspiciously — not so much reading in them evidence of Gregory's duplicity or androcentrism, as using them to demonstrate how, even in these apparently intimate pictures of a female life, the woman is a construct and is not allowed to speak for herself. This chapter examines a range of these accounts, beginning with the more straightforward ones, which use the texts as historical evidence for the life of a 4th-century ascetic woman and her relationship with her brother. It discusses the problems of such historical readings and then sets out various alternative and more literary readings.
Ross Shepard Kraemer
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199743186
- eISBN:
- 9780199894680
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199743186.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion in the Ancient World
This chapter revisits the fictional story of Thecla of Iconium, a virgin who accepts Paul’s teachings of celibacy and asceticism and is ultimately authorized by Paul to “go forth and teach the word ...
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This chapter revisits the fictional story of Thecla of Iconium, a virgin who accepts Paul’s teachings of celibacy and asceticism and is ultimately authorized by Paul to “go forth and teach the word of God.” After summarizing and analyzing contemporary debates about the Acts of Thecla, Kraemer concludes that as in Justin Martyr’s Apology (with which Thecla may have some indeterminate connection), Christians are shown to be the true bearers of morality and piety, as demonstrated in their women, who index the presence or absence of these qualities in ancient social groups. Gender reversal is central to the text’s critique. Christian women exemplify masculine morality and piety: Christian men are deficient and elite polytheist men are the least virtuous, in all senses. Analyzing Tertullian’s opposition to women in positions of authority over men, and his defamation of the story of Thecla in particular as support for such views, Kraemer argues that positioning Thecla as a teacher authorized by Paul himself is part of real ancient Christian debates over the ability of women to assume offices and authority ordinarily constructed as masculine.Less
This chapter revisits the fictional story of Thecla of Iconium, a virgin who accepts Paul’s teachings of celibacy and asceticism and is ultimately authorized by Paul to “go forth and teach the word of God.” After summarizing and analyzing contemporary debates about the Acts of Thecla, Kraemer concludes that as in Justin Martyr’s Apology (with which Thecla may have some indeterminate connection), Christians are shown to be the true bearers of morality and piety, as demonstrated in their women, who index the presence or absence of these qualities in ancient social groups. Gender reversal is central to the text’s critique. Christian women exemplify masculine morality and piety: Christian men are deficient and elite polytheist men are the least virtuous, in all senses. Analyzing Tertullian’s opposition to women in positions of authority over men, and his defamation of the story of Thecla in particular as support for such views, Kraemer argues that positioning Thecla as a teacher authorized by Paul himself is part of real ancient Christian debates over the ability of women to assume offices and authority ordinarily constructed as masculine.
Patrick Olivelle
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195306316
- eISBN:
- 9780199867721
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306316.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The system of the stages of life for a Hindu played a crucial role in the development of celibacy in Indian culture, although there was a tension between the values of domestic life and ascetic ...
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The system of the stages of life for a Hindu played a crucial role in the development of celibacy in Indian culture, although there was a tension between the values of domestic life and ascetic values. The classical Hindu attitude toward celibacy affirmed that celibates attain immortality and acquire superhuman powers on earth.Less
The system of the stages of life for a Hindu played a crucial role in the development of celibacy in Indian culture, although there was a tension between the values of domestic life and ascetic values. The classical Hindu attitude toward celibacy affirmed that celibates attain immortality and acquire superhuman powers on earth.
Robert E. Sinkewicz
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199259939
- eISBN:
- 9780191698651
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199259939.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter presents an English translation of the ascetic corpus writing of Evagrius of Pontus about the confession of thoughts and counsel. This piece provides a discursive presentation of the ...
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This chapter presents an English translation of the ascetic corpus writing of Evagrius of Pontus about the confession of thoughts and counsel. This piece provides a discursive presentation of the ascetic life and detailed account of the experiences of the monk from the earliest stages of ascetic training onwards. Lengthy sections of this writing are devoted to the proper attitude that the monk must have towards ascetic exercises themselves. Evagrius warns that a dedicated commitment to the ascetic enterprise can easily be diverted from its true purpose, if the monk becomes conceited about his own efforts and their apparent success.Less
This chapter presents an English translation of the ascetic corpus writing of Evagrius of Pontus about the confession of thoughts and counsel. This piece provides a discursive presentation of the ascetic life and detailed account of the experiences of the monk from the earliest stages of ascetic training onwards. Lengthy sections of this writing are devoted to the proper attitude that the monk must have towards ascetic exercises themselves. Evagrius warns that a dedicated commitment to the ascetic enterprise can easily be diverted from its true purpose, if the monk becomes conceited about his own efforts and their apparent success.
James Lochtefeld
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195386141
- eISBN:
- 9780199866380
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195386141.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This book examines how sacred meaning is created, reinforced, and maintained in Hardwar, an important Hindu pilgrimage site (tirtha). Hardwar’s religious identity is inextricably tied to the river ...
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This book examines how sacred meaning is created, reinforced, and maintained in Hardwar, an important Hindu pilgrimage site (tirtha). Hardwar’s religious identity is inextricably tied to the river Ganges, and the city’s sacred narratives (present and past) present its identity as fixed and unchanging—as for many Hindu pilgrimage sites. This perspective ignores mundane factors such as economic, social, or technological change, which have sharply affected Hardwar’s development in the past two centuries. Yet these two differing visions of Hardwar are both emphatically, simultaneously “real.” The work begins with a short introduction to orient the reader to Hardwar and to the author’s guiding principles. Chapters 2 and 3 then lay out these contrasting histories (sacred and secular), and Hardwar’s complex identity lies in the tension between these narratives. The book’s second part analyzes Hardwar as a contemporary Hindu pilgrimage center. Chapters 4 through 6 are devoted to differing resident elites—businessmen, pandas (hereditary pilgrim guides), and ascetics—and delineate their roles in managing Hardwar as a holy place. Chapter 7 focuses on Hardwar’s pilgrims and examines factors drawing them there. The interaction between these groups creates and maintains Hardwar’s religious environment, and these forces shaping Hardwar have strong parallels in other north Indian pilgrimage sites. The final chapter addresses this wider context by examining changes in contemporary Hindu pilgrimage, particularly how modern Hindus are reinterpreting traditional symbols to make them meaningful for their time.Less
This book examines how sacred meaning is created, reinforced, and maintained in Hardwar, an important Hindu pilgrimage site (tirtha). Hardwar’s religious identity is inextricably tied to the river Ganges, and the city’s sacred narratives (present and past) present its identity as fixed and unchanging—as for many Hindu pilgrimage sites. This perspective ignores mundane factors such as economic, social, or technological change, which have sharply affected Hardwar’s development in the past two centuries. Yet these two differing visions of Hardwar are both emphatically, simultaneously “real.” The work begins with a short introduction to orient the reader to Hardwar and to the author’s guiding principles. Chapters 2 and 3 then lay out these contrasting histories (sacred and secular), and Hardwar’s complex identity lies in the tension between these narratives. The book’s second part analyzes Hardwar as a contemporary Hindu pilgrimage center. Chapters 4 through 6 are devoted to differing resident elites—businessmen, pandas (hereditary pilgrim guides), and ascetics—and delineate their roles in managing Hardwar as a holy place. Chapter 7 focuses on Hardwar’s pilgrims and examines factors drawing them there. The interaction between these groups creates and maintains Hardwar’s religious environment, and these forces shaping Hardwar have strong parallels in other north Indian pilgrimage sites. The final chapter addresses this wider context by examining changes in contemporary Hindu pilgrimage, particularly how modern Hindus are reinterpreting traditional symbols to make them meaningful for their time.
Philip Wood
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199588497
- eISBN:
- 9780191595424
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199588497.003.0007
- Subject:
- Classical Studies, Asian and Middle Eastern History: BCE to 500CE
This chapter establishes the wider context of the Miaphysite movement in the sixth century and examines how this interacted with earlier ideas of Suryoyo cultural independence, focussing on the works ...
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This chapter establishes the wider context of the Miaphysite movement in the sixth century and examines how this interacted with earlier ideas of Suryoyo cultural independence, focussing on the works ofJohn of Ephesus. The chapter examines the emergence of distinct religio‐ethnic communities within the eastern Roman‐Empire, with their own distinct forms of political thought. Against a background of persecution and dispersal, John's writings sought to preserve the unity of a divided movement by recording the ascetic heroes of a previous generation. His hagiography has an unashamedly provincial focus, in which he establishes Mesopotamia as an orthodox land, whose pious history and ascetic customs give authority to the Miaphysite beliefs of its inhabitants, where holy men took on the role of the emperor in defending the people from barbarians and the Jews.Less
This chapter establishes the wider context of the Miaphysite movement in the sixth century and examines how this interacted with earlier ideas of Suryoyo cultural independence, focussing on the works ofJohn of Ephesus. The chapter examines the emergence of distinct religio‐ethnic communities within the eastern Roman‐Empire, with their own distinct forms of political thought. Against a background of persecution and dispersal, John's writings sought to preserve the unity of a divided movement by recording the ascetic heroes of a previous generation. His hagiography has an unashamedly provincial focus, in which he establishes Mesopotamia as an orthodox land, whose pious history and ascetic customs give authority to the Miaphysite beliefs of its inhabitants, where holy men took on the role of the emperor in defending the people from barbarians and the Jews.
Christopher Janaway
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279692
- eISBN:
- 9780191707407
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279692.003.0010
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter concerns Nietzsche's claim that Genealogy III is a commentary on an aphorism placed in front of it, which illustrates the art of interpretation or exegesis required to decipher ...
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This chapter concerns Nietzsche's claim that Genealogy III is a commentary on an aphorism placed in front of it, which illustrates the art of interpretation or exegesis required to decipher aphorisms. A standard view is that the aphorism in question is the epigram from Thus Spoke Zarathustra concerning ‘wisdom is a woman’. The standard view is argued to be wrong both on grounds internal to the text and on grounds of the publication history of the Genealogy. Instead, the aphorism in question is section 1 of Genealogy III itself, concerning the many meanings of the ascetic ideal. The resonances of the metaphor of ‘wisdom as woman’ are discussed. But there is no need to read Nietzsche as putting forward a radical or paradoxical theory of reading and interpretation, nor to connect his view of interpretation here with the metaphor of ‘woman’ as tightly as was once fashionable in feminist theory.Less
This chapter concerns Nietzsche's claim that Genealogy III is a commentary on an aphorism placed in front of it, which illustrates the art of interpretation or exegesis required to decipher aphorisms. A standard view is that the aphorism in question is the epigram from Thus Spoke Zarathustra concerning ‘wisdom is a woman’. The standard view is argued to be wrong both on grounds internal to the text and on grounds of the publication history of the Genealogy. Instead, the aphorism in question is section 1 of Genealogy III itself, concerning the many meanings of the ascetic ideal. The resonances of the metaphor of ‘wisdom as woman’ are discussed. But there is no need to read Nietzsche as putting forward a radical or paradoxical theory of reading and interpretation, nor to connect his view of interpretation here with the metaphor of ‘woman’ as tightly as was once fashionable in feminist theory.
Christopher Janaway
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279692
- eISBN:
- 9780191707407
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279692.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
Part of Nietzsche's discussion of the ascetic ideal in Genealogy III concerns aesthetic experience. This chapter first examines Nietzsche's criticisms of Kant for conceiving of beauty from the ...
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Part of Nietzsche's discussion of the ascetic ideal in Genealogy III concerns aesthetic experience. This chapter first examines Nietzsche's criticisms of Kant for conceiving of beauty from the passive spectator's point of view and in terms of disinterestedness. Nietzsche diagnoses all philosophers as having a propensity towards the ascetic, and uses Schopenhauer as an illustration: Schopenhauer's conception of aesthetic experience as a pure will-lessness was motivated by his own wish to escape from tormenting sexual desire. Schopenhauer's aesthetic theory provides the model for Nietzsche's discussion of pure, disinterested objectivity in Genealogy III, 12. Nietzsche argues that such pure objectivity is an impossibility, and that its motivation is very much ‘interested’. Nietzsche can also be seen here as turning Schopenhauer's doctrine of the primacy of the will over the intellect against Schopenhauer.Less
Part of Nietzsche's discussion of the ascetic ideal in Genealogy III concerns aesthetic experience. This chapter first examines Nietzsche's criticisms of Kant for conceiving of beauty from the passive spectator's point of view and in terms of disinterestedness. Nietzsche diagnoses all philosophers as having a propensity towards the ascetic, and uses Schopenhauer as an illustration: Schopenhauer's conception of aesthetic experience as a pure will-lessness was motivated by his own wish to escape from tormenting sexual desire. Schopenhauer's aesthetic theory provides the model for Nietzsche's discussion of pure, disinterested objectivity in Genealogy III, 12. Nietzsche argues that such pure objectivity is an impossibility, and that its motivation is very much ‘interested’. Nietzsche can also be seen here as turning Schopenhauer's doctrine of the primacy of the will over the intellect against Schopenhauer.
Christopher Janaway
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199279692
- eISBN:
- 9780191707407
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199279692.003.0013
- Subject:
- Philosophy, History of Philosophy
This chapter addresses three themes in Genealogy III: the role of the ascetic priest in the creation of values; the persistence of the ascetic ideal in the overvaluation of truth by modern scientists ...
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This chapter addresses three themes in Genealogy III: the role of the ascetic priest in the creation of values; the persistence of the ascetic ideal in the overvaluation of truth by modern scientists and scholars; and the claim that the ascetic ideal gains its power by giving a meaning to suffering. The treatment of the ascetic priest as both identifying with the weak and being a case of will to power is shown as complex but not contradictory. In the discussion of science and scholarship as manifestations of the ascetic ideal, Nietzsche questions not the possibility of truth but the unconditional valuation of truth, which he interprets as ultimately a moral valuation. The final part of the Genealogy argues that the ascetic ideal, by interpreting human existence as an unworthy ‘nothingness’ in contrast with supposed higher values, has given meaning to existence, and in particular to the suffering it contains.Less
This chapter addresses three themes in Genealogy III: the role of the ascetic priest in the creation of values; the persistence of the ascetic ideal in the overvaluation of truth by modern scientists and scholars; and the claim that the ascetic ideal gains its power by giving a meaning to suffering. The treatment of the ascetic priest as both identifying with the weak and being a case of will to power is shown as complex but not contradictory. In the discussion of science and scholarship as manifestations of the ascetic ideal, Nietzsche questions not the possibility of truth but the unconditional valuation of truth, which he interprets as ultimately a moral valuation. The final part of the Genealogy argues that the ascetic ideal, by interpreting human existence as an unworthy ‘nothingness’ in contrast with supposed higher values, has given meaning to existence, and in particular to the suffering it contains.
Christopher N. L. Brooke
- Published in print:
- 1994
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198205043
- eISBN:
- 9780191676468
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205043.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, European Medieval History, History of Ideas
This chapter discusses the prevailing call and motions for strengthening celibacy among the ranks of Church members and the laity during the 11th and 12th centuries. In this chapter the prevailing ...
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This chapter discusses the prevailing call and motions for strengthening celibacy among the ranks of Church members and the laity during the 11th and 12th centuries. In this chapter the prevailing Middle Ages notions on concubinage and marriage are discussed — the two predominant practices which gave way to the strengthening of celibacy among the members of the Church and the laity. During the Middle Ages, Church members were allowed to marry and the Roman law recognizes an established form of concubinage. However, an uprising issue on marriage and concubinage paved the way for the papal reformation. These calls for ascetic life gave way to the abolition of simony, the establishment of celibacy, and the establishment of the supremacy of the Holy See. Aside from the reformation of the Church, this ascetic movement also made an impact within the lives of the laity even in the secular canons and chapters.Less
This chapter discusses the prevailing call and motions for strengthening celibacy among the ranks of Church members and the laity during the 11th and 12th centuries. In this chapter the prevailing Middle Ages notions on concubinage and marriage are discussed — the two predominant practices which gave way to the strengthening of celibacy among the members of the Church and the laity. During the Middle Ages, Church members were allowed to marry and the Roman law recognizes an established form of concubinage. However, an uprising issue on marriage and concubinage paved the way for the papal reformation. These calls for ascetic life gave way to the abolition of simony, the establishment of celibacy, and the establishment of the supremacy of the Holy See. Aside from the reformation of the Church, this ascetic movement also made an impact within the lives of the laity even in the secular canons and chapters.
James G. Lochtefeld
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195386141
- eISBN:
- 9780199866380
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195386141.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
This chapter details Hardwar’s mundane history, gleaned from multiple sources. For centuries, Hardwar’s primary attraction was a spring bathing festival—which has drawn larger numbers for the Kumbha ...
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This chapter details Hardwar’s mundane history, gleaned from multiple sources. For centuries, Hardwar’s primary attraction was a spring bathing festival—which has drawn larger numbers for the Kumbha Mela at least since the late 1600s—but this pattern shifted late in the 1700s. During the early nineteenth century, the Hardwar fair (the bathing festival) was also north India’s largest marketplace, creating unprecedented wealth. Later, the Upper Ganges Canal and the railroads radically altered Hardwar’s local and religious environment. Each major change also generated conflict—whether between the warrior ascetic bands (akharas) that battled for control over Hardwar’s rich marketplace, or for control over Hardwar between local elites and a colonial administration worried that festivals were breeding grounds for cholera epidemics. The most important struggle came in 1914–17, when Hindu groups led by Madan Mohan Malaviya forced the British to modify plans to dam the Ganges.Less
This chapter details Hardwar’s mundane history, gleaned from multiple sources. For centuries, Hardwar’s primary attraction was a spring bathing festival—which has drawn larger numbers for the Kumbha Mela at least since the late 1600s—but this pattern shifted late in the 1700s. During the early nineteenth century, the Hardwar fair (the bathing festival) was also north India’s largest marketplace, creating unprecedented wealth. Later, the Upper Ganges Canal and the railroads radically altered Hardwar’s local and religious environment. Each major change also generated conflict—whether between the warrior ascetic bands (akharas) that battled for control over Hardwar’s rich marketplace, or for control over Hardwar between local elites and a colonial administration worried that festivals were breeding grounds for cholera epidemics. The most important struggle came in 1914–17, when Hindu groups led by Madan Mohan Malaviya forced the British to modify plans to dam the Ganges.
James G. Lochtefeld
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195386141
- eISBN:
- 9780199866380
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195386141.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Hinduism
Ascetics are Hardwar’s final group of religious contractors. The chapter first examines their general characteristics as renunciants living an alternate lifestyle—whether as independents or as ...
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Ascetics are Hardwar’s final group of religious contractors. The chapter first examines their general characteristics as renunciants living an alternate lifestyle—whether as independents or as members of particular ascetic orders (sanyasis, bairagis, or Udasis)—as well as how these characteristics simultaneously reflect and shape Hardwar’s religious environment. The chapter later examines different economic strategies and means of livelihood. Most ascetics are individually poor, but the groups called akharas control enormous wealth, and their leaders (mahants) are powerful and politically influential. For ascetics outside the akharas, the most prestigious livelihood is to be a guru (religious preceptor) supported by one’s disciples. Gurus guide their householder disciples not only on religious matters but also on a host of worldly troubles—from business, legal, and medical matters to personal and family problems. As such, they are still intimately connected with a life they have outwardly renounced.Less
Ascetics are Hardwar’s final group of religious contractors. The chapter first examines their general characteristics as renunciants living an alternate lifestyle—whether as independents or as members of particular ascetic orders (sanyasis, bairagis, or Udasis)—as well as how these characteristics simultaneously reflect and shape Hardwar’s religious environment. The chapter later examines different economic strategies and means of livelihood. Most ascetics are individually poor, but the groups called akharas control enormous wealth, and their leaders (mahants) are powerful and politically influential. For ascetics outside the akharas, the most prestigious livelihood is to be a guru (religious preceptor) supported by one’s disciples. Gurus guide their householder disciples not only on religious matters but also on a host of worldly troubles—from business, legal, and medical matters to personal and family problems. As such, they are still intimately connected with a life they have outwardly renounced.
