Spanning two millennia and comprising forty-four contributions by leading scholars in various fields, this work's stated aim is to provide “a scaffolding, a place to perch and look and see familiar things from unexpected angles” (10). In this it succeeds admirably and the contributors and editors deserve congratulations on such a splendid achievement. This Handbook provides those entering the maze of monasticism with an Ariadne's thread to guide them. It is greatly enhanced by its cross-disciplinary approach with contributions from archaeologists, art historians, economic historians, historians, literary critics, and theologians. A particularly attractive feature is the inclusion of several chapters by practitioners of monasticism whose wisdom and lived experience complement the insights of professional academics.
The book is divided into an introduction and five overarching sections covering asceticism and monasticism in Early Christianity, Eastern medieval monasticism and the Orthodox churches, Western medieval monasticism, Early Modern monasticism, and finally a collection of perceptive contemporary reflections. Each essay provides a tour d'horizon of its subject, surveys the state of current research, suggests lines of further enquiry, and provides a concise and authoritative bibliography of primary and secondary sources. All are competent, most are excellent, some are outstanding. In this latter category, the contributions by Finn on early Christian asceticism and by Stewart on early Western monastic literature are model studies, as is the essay by Louth on spirituality and prayer in the Eastern tradition. The Western medieval section contains noteworthy contributions by Follett on Irish monasticism, Bruce on the Benedictines, and Lester on the Cistercians. The editors’ generous definition of what constitutes “monasticism” permits the inclusion of important chapters by Burgtorf on the military orders and Andrews on the early mendicants. Hirbodian's analysis of secular canonesses and Beguines in Strasbourg is a model of how to challenge perceptions of what constituted “observant” or “lax” communities. Likewise, Beebe's chapter on the late medieval Observant reform demonstrates how vibrant monasticism was in the run-up to the Reformation and is a useful reminder that the later phases of a movement are just as interesting and important as its beginnings. Among the uniformly excellent contributions in the section on medieval monastic life and culture, Oram's chapter on landscape, land use, and environment stands out for its emphasis on the importance of physical location for the monastic vocation.
The Early Modern section opens with Clark's magisterial case study of the dissolution of the monasteries in Britain and Ireland in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Drawing extensively on recent research, most notably his own, he demonstrates that the somewhat romantic and seductive “bare ruined choirs” narrative of David Knowles needs to be thoroughly revised. Similar surveys of the monastic dissolution and revival in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain then follow. Deslandres situates monastic expansion in the context of “Global History” in her outstanding essay on monasticism in the Early Modern Atlantic World. The chapters on monasticism in the United States, Latin America, Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa also contain much that is original and thought provoking. Kenworthy's two chapters on Russian and Romanian Orthodox monasticism provide a comprehensive, millennium-spanning overview of a fascinating, if neglected, subject, and will be the standard English-language introduction to the topic for the foreseeable future.
The contemporary section opens with a challenging and provocative essay on Greek Orthodox monasticism by Fr Chrysostom of Mount Athos. Largely ahistorical in its approach, the essay situates the contemporary tradition in a direct, unbroken line from the Desert Fathers and the patristic period. External forces and influences are referenced tangentially, if at all, so that the suggestion that banning women from Mount Athos is in any way misogynistic is countered by the assertion that “its society is ‘matriarchal’ since the Mother of God is recognized as its superior, protector and steward” (578). For all this, the chapter carries considerable force as an unapologetic assertion of monastic values and spirituality by a seasoned practitioner. Inge Mager's chapter demonstrates the resilience of female monasticism in post-Reformation Germany where some communities adopted Lutheranism while continuing lives of prayer, devotion, and charitable work, sometimes well into the nineteenth century. In an admirably concise and comprehensive piece, Adam McCoy traces the monastic revival in the Anglican tradition from Nicholas Ferrar's community at Little Gidding (1626–1657) to the New Monasticism movement within modern Evangelical Anglicanism. This latter phenomenon is also deftly explored by Christie and Flanagan in their contribution. In an insightful concluding chapter, the veteran Cistercian monk and scholar, Michael Casey, reviews the challenges and opportunities facing contemporary monasticism. Significantly, in the context of declining numbers and aging Western communities, he identifies overwork and misuse of the mass media as the greatest threats to the contemplative life while hailing, along with Gregory Polan, the revival of interest in lectio divina as one of the more promising signs of renewal (685).
Given the breadth of the subject, it is impossible for one volume to cover everything in detail, but what is done is very well done indeed. Expanding the definition of monasticism to include such diverse groups as the Beguines, the military orders, and the “Bush Brotherhoods” of the Australian outback reveals many fascinating perspectives, as do the discussions of the “New Monasticism” and monastic interreligious dialogue. Curiously, this “monastic ecumenism” does not extend to the Jesuits or the Ignatian tradition, which is a shortcoming given its influence on the spirituality of Early Modern female monastic communities. Likewise, the omission of any reference to the sexual abuse of minors or those in initial monastic formation in any of the contemporary chapters is regrettable. While this is obviously a “hot topic,” it is, shamefully, one of the first things that arises in any contemporary discussion of monasticism. It is also not without precedent in the longer sweep of monastic history and as such would have provided an important counterpoint to the loftier presentations of asceticism, celibacy, and sexual renunciation found elsewhere in the volume. Likewise, the tendency toward fundamentalism and traditionalism that characterizes so many new Roman Catholic and Orthodox monastic foundations could profitably have been explored.
The Oxford Handbook of Christian Monasticism provides striking evidence of the strength and breadth of contemporary research on monasticism and the resilience of the monastic way of life itself. It is a credit to all who were involved in its production, and constitutes an invaluable, indispensable resource for anyone interested in this fascinating subject.
