Demons and the Making of the Monk. Spiritual Combat in Early Christianity.

Aus der Bibliothek von Prof. Wolfgang Haase, langj�igem Herausgeber der ANRW und des International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT) / From the library of Prof. Wolfgang Haase, long-time editor of ANRW and the International Journal of the Classical Tradition (IJCT). - Lediglich der Schutzumschlag ist minimal besto�n. Sonst ein sehr gutes und sauberes Exemplar/ Only the dust jacket is minimally bumped. Otherwise a very good and clean copy. - Demons�whether in embodied form or as inward temptation�make vivid appearances in early Christian monastic literature. In this finely written study of demonology and Christian spirituality in fourth- and fifth-century Egypt, David Brakke examines how the concept of the monk as a holy and virtuous being was shaped by the combative encounter with demons. Brakke studies the �making of the monk� from two perspectives. First, he describes the social and religious identities that monastic authors imagined for the demon-fighting monk: the new martyr who fights against the pagan gods, the gnostic who believes he knows both the tricks of the demons and the secrets of Cod, and the prophet who discerns the hidden presence of Satan even among good Christians. Then Brakke employs recent theoretical ideas about gender and racial stereotyping to interpret accounts of encounters with demons, especially narratives in which demons appear as the Other�as Ethiopians, as women, or as pagan gods. Drawing on biographies of exceptional monks, collections of monastic sayings and stories, letters from ascetic teachers to their disciples, sermons, and community rules, Brakke crafts a compelling picture of the embattled religious celibate. Demons and the Making of the Monk is an insightful and innovative exploration of the development of Christian monasticism. ISBN 9780674018754