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
conception 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 God, and
the prophet who discerns the hidden presence of Satan even among
good Christians. Then he employs recent theoretical ideas about
gender and racial stereotyping to interpret accounts of demon
encounters, especially those 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.
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