IV' From the Cappadocians to Gregory the Great

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IV. From the Cappadocians to Gregory the Great

• (ca. 390 604)

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Sweeping Changes in the Church and the World

• Continued rapid expansion of the Church.
• Continued superficiality in peoples adherence to
  the faith.
• The fall of Rome (410).
• The Church as the source of stability.
• Monasticism becomes the ideal for spirituality.

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John Chrysostom (ca. 347 407)

• Studied law, oratory, and theology in Antioch.
• Never became a monk, but lived a rigorously
  ascetic life.
• Became bishop of Antioch and then Constantinople.
  
• Dedicated his life to the reform of morals among
  laity and clergy.
• Was early Christianitys greatest preacher.

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Augustine of Hippo (364 430)

• Son of a pagan father and a Christian mother
  (Monica).
• Sought the truth in various sects and
  philosophical groups.
• Became a Christian in 386.
• Became bishop of Hippo in 395.
• Was involved in major controversies with the
  Arians, the Donatists, the pagans, and the
  Pelagians.
• Was the Western Churchs most influential thinker
  and writer.

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Monasticism Revisited

• Two Kinds of Monastic Spirituality
• 1. Mystical Spirituality
• A three-fold ascent of the soul to God
• -- Praktike
• -- Psychike
• -- Theologike
• 2. Incarnational Spirituality

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Monasticism Revisited

• A closer look at Praktike
• Evagrius/Cassian Gregory/Thomas
• gluttony gluttony
• fornication lust
• covetousness covetousness
• anger anger
• dejection
• weariness/sloth sloth
• vainglory envy
• pride pride

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Monasticism Revisited

• Two Patterns of Monastic Life
• 1. Eremitic/Anchoritic Monasticism
• 2. Coenobitic Monasticism
• Pachomius (ca. 290-346)
• Basil the Greats Rule (ca. 360)
• Benedict of Nursias Rule (ca. 540)

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John Cassian (ca. 360 ca. 435)

• Educated in Greek and Latin.
• Spent time as a monk in Bethlehem and among the
  anchorites in Egypt.
• Also lived in Constantinople and Rome.
• Wound up in Marseilles as a priest, and there he
  founded two monasteries, one for men and one for
  women.
• Stands at the crossroads between Eastern and
  Western spirituality, and between solitary and
  communal monasticism.

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Pseudo-Dionysius (ca. 500)

• The name given to the author of a corpus of
  mystical writings attributed to the Dionysius of
  Acts 1734.
• Probably lived in Syria at the beginning of the
  sixth century.
• Focused on apophatic theology and on union with
  God.
• Was extremely influential during the Middle Ages,
  in the West as well as the East.

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Benedict of Nursia(ca. 480 ca. 550)

• Educated at Rome, but was so appalled by the evil
  of Roman society that he became an anchorite.
• Established several monasteries, and then moved
  with some other monks to Monte Cassino in 529.
• Wrote the most influential Western monastic rule
  in around 540.
• Benedicts Rule focuses on
• Obedience to the abbot.
• Voluntary poverty and chastity.
• Opus Dei (the daily cycle of work and prayer).

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Gregory the Great (ca. 540 604)

• Gave away his vast wealth to care for the poor
  and to endow monasteries.
• Became pope when Italy was on the verge of
  collapse, and negotiated peace with the Lombards.
• Dedicated himself to missons, most famously
  sending Augustine to England in 596.
• Was responsible for the official acceptance of
  practices related to saints, relics, and
  purgatory.
• Was called servus servorum Dei and was canonized
  immediately after his death.

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Concluding Thoughts

• ST 72

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Three Ways of Looking at History

• Apostolic Age Reformation

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Three Ways of Looking at History

• Apostolic Age Reformation

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Three Ways of Looking at History

• Apostolic Age Reformation

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Evaluating Historical Practices

• A. What did they do?
• B. Why did they do it?
• 1. Because they thought that practice was
  central to the faith?
• 2. Because they thought that practice was a way
  to guard a truth that was central to the faith?
• 3. Because of social, political, or other
  contextual factors?
• C. Were they right about the reasons for doing
  what they did?

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Appropriating Historical Practices

• A. If they thought that a certain practice was
  central, and we agree with them, then we need to
  maintain continuity with that practice.
• B. If they were trying to guard a certain
  truth, and we agree that that truth was central,
  then we need to adapt their practice to guard the
  same truth in our context. 
• C. If they did what they did for other reasons,
  we need to be cautious about following their
  practice.

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Public Worship

• The Movements
• From variety to uniformity
• From a focus on Christ to a focus on objects
• The Challenges
• To use objects and actions in worship while still
  pointing to Christ himself
• To know where we should allow variety, and where
  should we insist on a uniform practice

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Spirituality

• The Movements
• Use of repetition to impress saving truth on our
  minds
• A forward-looking spirituality
• Toward an increasing gap between ideal and
  average spirituality
• The Challenges
• To promote an active Christian life without
  fostering an over-reliance on oneself or the
  Church
• To balance forward- and backward-looking
  spiritualities