Introduction I. Basil of Caesarea and the Emergence of an Ideal 1. Monks and Bishops in the Christian East from 325 to 375 2. Asceticism and Leadership in the Thought of Basil of Caesarea 3. Reframing and Reforming the Episcopate: Basil's Direct Influence II The Development of an Ideal 4. Gregory of Nyssa: On Basil, Moses, and Episcopal Office 5. Gregory of Nazianzus: Ascetic Life and Episcopal Office in Tension 6. John Chrysostom: The Model Monk-Bishop in Spite of Himself III The Triumph of an Ideal 7. From Nuisances to Episcopal Ideals: Civil and Ecclesiastical Legislation 8. Normalizing the Model: The Fifth-Century Church Histories 9. The Broadening Appeal: Monastic and Hagiographical Literature Epilogue: The Legacy of the Monk-Bishop in the Byzantine World Abbreviations Notes Frequently Cited Works Index
Andrea Sterk is Assistant Professor of History, University of Florida.
Sterk offers a study of bishops of the early Christian period and
their pursuit of the 'mixed life.' Bishops lived in the world: they
traveled from their see to synods; they petitioned court
functionaries; they engaged in ecclesiastical politics and
corresponded on doctrinal and administrative matters. Some admired
the monastic life while simultaneously grappling with worldly
affairs, wishing to adopt the discipline and ideals of monks and
apply the ethics and asceticism of the monastery to the governance
of the church. One such bishop was Basil of Caesarea, who wrote
extensively on the need for bishops, like abbots, to be above
reproach, to be careful in the selection of subordinates, and not
to be forgetful of prayer and instruction. The author provides a
well-written survey of Basil's conceptualization of the relevance
of the monastic life for church leaders, follows up with a review
of the impact of Basilian literature on Gregory of Nyssa, and
provides a clear account of the further evolution of the concept of
the 'monk as guide' in the thought of Gregory Nazianzus and John
Chrysostom. Lively style, no pomposity.
*Choice*
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