John Climacus (c. 579-649) was abbot of the monastery of Catherine on Mount Sinai. His Ladder was the most widely used handbook of the ascetical life in the ancient Greek Church.

This edition places his ideas within the cultural context of his own time and stresses the relevance of his work for a contemporary audience. - ;`Reason, seriousness, mastery over the emotions, the whole murky affair which goes by the name ...

The only comprehensive reference work on asceticism with a multicultural, multireligious, and multidisciplinary perspective, Asceticism offers a sweeping view of an elusive and controversial aspect of religious life and culture.

Careful attention to references, notes and appendices demonstrate the outstanding research and writing which helped produce this monumental volume."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc.

St. Symeon (942-1022), abbot, spiritual director, theologian and church reformer, was the great spiritual master of Eastern Christianity. His Discourses, the central work of his life, were preached to his monks during their Matins ritual.

"Written in response to a book on the origins of morality by his erstwhile friend Paul Ree, the three essays comprising The Genealogy of Morals -- all three advancing the critique of Christian morality set forth in Beyond Good and Evil -- ...

" Available again, Philip Rousseau's careful reading of the available texts reveals that Pachomius's pioneering enterprise has been consistently misread in light of later monastic practices.