WEBER. ena 2018 comment 7 x Orienle Lux: John Cassian on eastem monasticism inthe wast ca WAIN. PATRISTICS — MONASTICISM Home Monasticism Monastic Studies Ex Orlente Lux: John Casslan on eastern monasticism in the west Ex Oriente Lux: John Cassian on eastern monasticism in °= the west “tna province which has no monasteries, you desire that a manner of life should be organised after that of the East, and above all of Egyat. Cassian, Inst. Pro. 3. Before we begin this small investigation into the works of John Cassian, perhaps afew disclaimers need be made. This paper will not adéress the early life and history of Cassin in much detait-apart from the formative influence of his experience in Egypt whilst a relatively young man. To this end the recent study by Stewart and the earlier work by Chadwick comprise as complete a picture as ‘can be ascertained by the scant historical evidence we possess today. Nor will this paper deal overtly with the issue of grace and free will, which has been so Influential and controversial atopic in Cassian study, since the author's own. lifetime; oF withthe question of Evagrian and Origenist influences on Cassian's ‘own theology. Instead, this paper will focus on Cassian's activities in southern Gaul, where in the earty fifth century, having ‘only recently arrived from Constantinople, Eaypt, and Rome, he established his two monasteries in the diocese ‘of Apt and earned himself the popular title of ‘bridge between the East and West.’ To be sure, there were alveady monasteries in the region of Marseilles{footnote)Stewart,p. 15.{/footnate}-though notin Apt{footnote)Chadwick, p. 37.{/footnote}-yet Cassian’s writings betray a sense of newness to his projec; his ‘were not simply two more monasteries, they were two new monasteries, different from those already present. in Gaul in that they were based in and founded upon the monastic culture Cassian himself had witnessed, and grown to love, in the desert of Egypt. His intentions were thus unique in his time, and it i upon this fdea—upon Cassian’s proposition fora non-Egyptian monasticism—that this paper will focus. John Cassian appears as one who saw the Christian East as something more than mere geography; It represented a practical, ascetical, mystical spirituality that could extend far beyond geographical limitations— as his own story would show. Born ina region of which we can only make an educated guess, his youth brought him to Bethlehem, and his zeal carried him to Egypt for a life-changing experience of desert monasticism at its peak. From this point forward, though he would anly spend a small handful of years in Egypt, and even fewer in Constantinople before heading west, Cassian’s heart was in the East All his writings would bulld off of his ‘experience there: most notably his Institutes and Conferences, which deal explicitly with Egyptian ‘monasticism; but even his De Incarnatione, a highly polemical work, would betray an intense grounding in the spirituality of Eastern Christianity ‘Yet while his heart may have been in the Eas, Cassian’s life was certainly spent in the West—and this is where it takes on its great interest to modern study, and where it has found its great influence throughout the history ‘of Western monasticism in general. Cassian’s purpose, inthe establishment of his two monasteries and his ‘composition of his two monastic works, was to bring about an Eastern monasticism outside of the East. Or perhaps more accurately, an Egyptian monasticism outside of Egypt.(footnatelit is worth noting that not all of Eastern spirituality or its monastic tradition were held in the highest esteem by Casslan. His commentary on Palestinian monasticism—especially in Bethlehem, where he experienced it first hand—are less than glowingly positive; though Columba Stewart rightly points out that these may be coloured by the immense regard he had {or the Egyptian system, and not from an outright disk of the monastic system of his past (cf. Stewart, p. 7) {Hfootnote} This s clearly stated in his prologue to the Institutes: TURE COMMUNITY NEW Popular Content Monachos.net wins Best Focum award for secon year ‘Contacting Monachos.net by E-mailor Slype Patristic Studies Area ‘Copyright Information for Monachos.net Monasticism Studies Area From our Patristics Broadcasts.In provincia siquidem coenobiorum expert Orientalium maximaue Aegyptiorum volens insttuta fundari Ina province which has ne monasteries, you desice that a manner of ife should be ‘organised following that of the men of the East, and above all the Egyptians {footnote}inst., Prol., 3 [SC No. 108, p. 25) {footnote} ‘Whether or not the imitation of East is what Bishop Castor of Apt really desired is questionable, but it s certainly what Casslan wanted. He appears to have fet a certain displeasure with the Gaullsh monasticism of his day: it was founded too much upon the desires and whims ofits present teachers, and focused too greatly ‘upon miraculous men and events—events which Cassian did not deny, but didnot believe were at the heart of a true monastic tite Propasitum siquidem mihi est non de mirabilibus Dei, sed de correctione morum nostrorum et consummatione ultae perfectae secundum ea, quae a senioribus nostris My subject, in truth, is nat the miracles of God, but to speak alittle of the correction of ‘ur faults and the achievement of perfection, according to that which we have accepimus, pauca disserere. received from our fathers.{footnote}inst., Prot, 8 [SC No, 109, p. 31] {/ootnote} Cassian’s proposition fora non-Eayptian monasticism needs be no mare clearly stated than itis here, in his own ‘words. Inthe relatively short period of time he spent in Egypt, he witnessed an ascetic lie and practise that included the foundational, practical elements of spiritual change which Cassian thought essential: the gradual, forceful correction of faults, and the slow though faithful progression toward Christian perfection (vita perfecta), Perhaps his own monastic foundation in Bethlehem, which seems not to have impressed him much, made him aware of the gem he had found in Egypt; and, having found what he considered to be a nearly ideat ‘monastic situation, he desired to imitate it to the best of his ability in other regions of the worl Here an important point must be made: | have previously referred to Cassian as one who desire to bring about an Eastern monasticism outside the East, but this isnot wholly correct. It isnot that Egyptian monasticism was ‘Eastern’ that attracted him to it Cassian was not overtly reverent of specifi localities simply for their historic value (see his sft dstike for Bethlehem’s institutions. It was the immanent value of the Egyptian religious experience that attracted Cassin; the fact that in this place, through all its traditions ane customs, men truly éid grow closer to Gad, lives were changed, and Christ was glorified. In this sense, Cassian saw Faypt as a place in which the Gospel message was acted upan and lived to @ measure he had not witnessed ‘elsewhere. Its lifestyle encouraged and fostered a spirituality most closely approximating that commended to and by the Apostles. Chadwick writes that for Cassian, ‘the life of the monk Was the Apostolic life’, {footnote}Chadwick, p. 5.{/ footnote) and inthis ight we might re-evaluate our above claim: | believe Cassian’s goal was to establish in Gaul a monastic institution that would promote a truly Apostolic way of life in the Church, based on the icon of Egyptian monasticism, not because it was Egyptian, but because Cassian believed Egyptian tradition to be the living representation of Apostolic tradition itself.{feotnete)CT. Inst., Prol., 8 [SC No. 109, p. 30-31]{/footnote} ‘A degree of practicality fs found in Cassian’s monastic writings which, though not as readily apparent and undamental as the advice given in the Apothegmata, nevertheless represents an integral part of his spirituality. Ths is nowhere more evident than in hs treatment of the East from his home in the West. His use ‘of Egypt as a “living icon’ for the Apostolic life ofthe Church has been addressed above, but what is especially telling about Cassian’s view of monastic spirituality in general, isthe use he makes of this metaphorical icon in the establishment of his own institutions in Gaul. For Cassian, the monastic life of Egypt was a tool; and however great a tool may be, it snot the tool itself which is ultimately to be set on high, but the end for ‘wich it designed to be an aid. To this end, Cassin presents what is perhaps a surprisingly flexible attitude toward his imitation of the East. "We see this ins discussion on monastic dress, found in Book | ofthe Institutes, where Cassin discusses the attire of the monks in Egypt and in so doing, sets it forth as a modela kind of ‘rule"—for those in Marseilles. For our present purpose, the tenth chapter is the mast important. After spending the previous chapter describing the Egyptians’ sandals and their symbolic meaning, Cassian makes a statement of which the full Importance lies hidden under its immediate details: the winters in Gaul are too severe for sandals to be worn— ‘or even the single tunic of the desert—and thus adaptation must be made in order to ft their particular sitvation.{foosnote}nst., , 10 [SC No. 109, pp. 50-53].{/footnote} Beneath these words we discover a ‘conception of traction that underlies Cassian’s whole mode of thought: it a thing of spiritual utility, holy in that it brings about the personal growth in Christ which isthe centre of the Apostolic Faith, but flexble—and in this sense practical—in that it can and should be changed to full that aim in differing circumstances. Beyond the above example of monastic dress, we find this same principle at play In Cassian’s use of the Eastern heritage as a whole: though his preference was certainly for Egypt, he also made use of the models of Palestine and Mesopotamia as he saw bes it, altering even these where necessary. And his departures and alterations ‘were not always of the small sort: one notices perhaps the most striking departure from the Egyptian pattern in Cassian’s promotion of the coenobitic, rather than the eremitic, life in Gaul, When the spiritual goal of the Apostolic life was best aided by a change—even a great change~in particular monastic traditions, Cassian foundIt both defensible and necessary to make the change. Mis goal, as Chadwick states, was the ‘choosing and sifting and interpreting [of] the East to create a body of institutes suitable to Gaul.'{footnote) Chadwick, p. 53. {footnote} ‘We might end our brief discussion on Cassian’s proposal for a non-Egyptian monasticism with an examination of| a pithy Latin phrase often connected with surveys of his thought: ex oriente (ux, ‘a tight from the East.’ This, ‘was indeed the motivation and driving force behind his ventures in Gaul, and throughout his writings we find it 28 the principle by which he approached both monasticism and Chrfstian spirituality in general. Yet itis not the Oriente of this phrase from which he would have derived its meaning, but the lux. If Casslan served as a ‘bridge’ between East and West, iti only because he knew that the Light of Christ transcends the physical location of both, and the traditions used to approach it in Egypt could have the same effect anywhere in creation Select Bibliography: Studies, Commentary 2nd Crtque: Chadwick, 0., John Cassian, 24 ed. (Cambridge: the University Press, 1968). For years the seminal work on Cassian, until the publication of Stewart's book in 1998. Still essential for a rounded picture of Cassian’s life and work, as Chadwick goes into more detail than Stewart on the practical elements of Cassian's monastic leadership in Gaul, and on the life in his monasteries. The 3" chapter (pp. 82-109) is somewhat problematic in its Neoplatonic interpretation of Cassian’s spirituality, though this may be more the fault of Cassian than of Chadwick. Chitty, D.J., The Desert a City: An Introduction to the Study of Egyptian and Palestinian Monasticism under the Christian Empire, 3”4 printing (New York: St. Vladimir s Seminary Press, 1999 [originally 1966). Stewart, C., Cassian the Monk (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998). The best modern work on Cassian’ life and theology, including a well thought-out discussion of his views on grace and free wil from the perspective of his teachings ‘on chastity. The book is organised around an investigation of Cassian as monk, vriter, and theologian; then of his views on flesh and spirit, the bible and prayer, and finally his relationship to the monasticism of Egypt. Texts: Guy, J-C. (trans. and intro.), Jean Cassien : Institutions eénobitiques in Sources Chrétiennes 109 (Paris: Les Editions du CERF; 1965). Also the Conferences in the same Palmer, G.E.H., Sherrard, P, and Ware, K., The Philokalia: the Complete Text, vol. i (London: Faber and Faber, 1979). Ward, B., The Sayings of the Desert Fathers ~ the Alphabetical Collection, revised edn. (Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1984). {footnotes/} o More Related MaterialsPatratie Studies Ares Monasticism Studies Avex Aiturgics Resources Area, Encountering the Holy Mountain Visiting Mount Athos [listing of Athonite monastery guesthouses ‘Gospel motivation for the monastic Life ‘Aphahat Demonstration Si and the Liber Graduum: Two models of early Mesopotamian proto-monasticism ‘The origins and motivations of monasticism [Abrief word on celibacy Anthony of Egypt: The basics of his spirituality, The advent of love: the nativity of Christ Death and new life in the nativity of Christ ‘Teuds for the Feast ofthe Theophany (Epiphany) - 6/19 January (Selections) Texts forthe Feast ofthe Nativity (Christmas) -25 December/7 January (Selections) Images of the cross in the Old Testament AListory of Mount Athos Constantine the Great, Oration on the Pascha of Christ Council of Ephesus, 431: Synadical letter regarding the expulsion of the eastern bishops ‘derome. Life of Paul the berm) ohn Chrysostom, Paschal homily Macarius of Eaypt, Spiritual homilies 1-5 Macarius of Egypt, Spiritual homilies 611 Macarius of Egypt, Spiritual homilies 12.22 Sophronios of Jerusalem, Life of t Mary of Egypt Mary of Egypt, Festal hymnography, ‘Ananias of Shira, On Pascha Anthony the Great, Life of St Anthony, by St Athanasius of Alexandria - ‘Athanasius of Alexandria, Epistle to the Bishops of Egypt and Lybia John Cassian, The conferences ‘John Cassian, On the incarnation ohn Cassian, The institutes = Columba of Jona, Monastic rule = The nativity of the Paschal Christ Aime to feast, and a time to fast Holy Pascha - The Resurrection of Christ Athanasius of Alexandria Life of St Anthony of Eayat Andrew of Crete, Homily on the Nativity of the Mast Holy Mather af God ‘Gregory Palamas Discourse on the feast ofthe Entry of the Most Pure Lady Theotokos into the Holy of Holies “Their proclamation has gone out into all the earth.” Services of the Dormition of the Theotokos Welcome to Monaches.net Inst Nestorius