Cassian's Conferences - 9781409405597

Taylor & Francis

This book explores Cassian's use of scripture in the 'Conferences', especially its biblical models, to convey his understanding of the desert ideal to the monastic communities of Gaul. This book demonstrates how the scriptures functioned as a dynamic force in the lives of Christians, emphasizes the importance of Cassian in the development of the Western monastic tradition, and offers an alternative to the sometimes problematic descriptions of patristic exegesis as \""allegory\"" or \""typology.\"" > This book explores Cassian's use of scripture in the Conferences, especially its biblical models to convey his understanding of the desert ideal to the monastic communities of Gaul. Cassian intended the scriptures and, implicitly, the Conferences to be the voices of authority and orthodoxy in the Gallic environment. He interprets familiar biblical characters in unfamiliar ways that exemplify his ideal. By imitating their actions the monk enters a seamless lineage of authority stretching.