Norm and Exercise
The Christian ascetic way of life clustered mainly around the Mediterranean and roughly covered the period between 350 and 800. It is determined by norm and exercise. But what are norm and exercise with regard to Christian asceticism? Whatever renunciations may be required in order to practice a given ascetic regimen, no goal can be achieved without a specific technique (or a set of exercises) and without following a principle of order (or a norm). This implies an intense dialectic which sometimes seems to resolve into a perfect identity: regula et vita, "rule and life", or, in a more neutral language, "norm and exercise". This set of papers addresses this crucial point and thereby challenges the usual chronological as well as geographical divisions in the history of early Christianity. As a result, the categories of norm and exercise are presented as a new solution to put the available sources in order.
„Dieser Band ist eine wunderbare Zusammenstellung von ausgesprochen reflektierten und inhaltlich tiefschürfenden Beiträgen. […] Die Beiträge des Bandes bestechen durch fundierte Analysen spannender und auch unkonventioneller Themen sowie einen reflektierten Zugang zur Thematik der Askese. Sie sind allen an christlich-asketischen Fragen Interessierten sehr zu empfehlen.“
Barbara Müller, Gnomon 94,8 (2022)
„This is an interesting collection of papers, which offers useful insights into the notions and the lived experience of asceticism in late antique and early Mediaeval Christianity.“
Ilaria Ramelli, Latomus 79,3 (2020)
„The book is full of materiality, […] the individual chapters are polished and conclusive. The bibliographies are extensive, […] there is much to learn, much to enjoy and much to follow further.“
Philip Rousseau, The Medieval Review, 2019
ISBN | 978-3-515-12158-3 |
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Media type | eBook - PDF |
Edition number | 1. |
Copyright year | 2018 |
Publisher | Franz Steiner Verlag |
Length | 202 pages |
Language | English |
Copy protection | digital watermark |