ALL DISCUSSION  FORUMS    “Teaching Monk,” The Articella, 13th c.

April 3, 2006

13) FORUM FOURTEEN Origins and Types of Early Christian Monologistic Prayer

How would you respond to a Christian who confides to you their discomfort with monologistic prayer because it seems to contradict the Lord's warning to avoid "vain repetition" in prayer?  (And if you have not yet encountered this concern, I guarantee you one day will!)

Any surprises in the texts from Cassian or on the Rosary?  Many modern advocates of monologistic prayer quote Conferences 9 and 10 in a very truncated and selective way.  Do yo have any r experiences in this regard?

3) FORUM FOUR Early Egyptian Monasticism; the Life of Antony.

a) One of the first terms used in reference to the monks and nuns of antiquity is anchorite, from the Greek anachoreo, which means to withdraw or to flee.  Based on your reading and study, what were the early monastics running from, and what were they running towards?

b) What are your thoughts about the formation Antony received from his local Christian community (i.e. before he withdrew into the solitude of the abandoned fort)?

3) FORUM SIX Lectio Divina, Praying the Scriptures.

a) In the practice of lectio divina the terms meditation and contemplation describe two aspects or movements within a process, rather than ends in themselves or “states” to be maintained.  How does this correspond to your own understanding of these terms, or your experience with them as spiritual practices?

b) The text we studied from the Constitution on Divine Revelation suggests that lectio divina is one of the means by which sacred tradition makes progress over the centuries. Is this an exaggeration? What could it mean in practical terms?

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January 16, 2006

For those who have not yet introduced themselves (see the explanation below, dated January 13, 2006): INTRODUCTORY FORUM

 [Please note that the questions below the link to the forum (they will be repeated within the forum itself) are intended only to BEGIN our conversation; feel free to share your own observations and insights]

1) FORUM ONE Plato, The Parable of the Caves, The Myth of Er

a) Which elements in Plato's parables would be most appealing for Christian seeking to understand and practice "contemplation"?

b) What in Plato's thought could be problematic or misleading?

January 23, 2006

2) FORUM TWO Cicero, Enoch, The authentic meaning of "contemplation" and "action"

a) Is Enoch a more attractive (or more confusing) model of the contemplative than Plato's Er?

b) What elements of contemplation did you notice in Cicero that were less obvious in Plato?

c) Do you find the notion of a dynamic interrelationship between contemplation and the ascetical quest for virtue helpful?  Have you had much experience with the tradition of stages in - or a stepwise movement of - spiritual progress?

3) FORUM THREE The Apophatic and Kataphatic Ways; Ascent to Vision in the Bible, the Martyrs, and the Monastic Founders

a) Although the notion of God present in "a deep but dazzling darkness" is perplexing to some Christians, apophatic prayer techniques based on the via negativa (e.g. centering prayer, the Jesus Prayer) have become increasingly popular in recent years.  Is this a mixed blessing?

b) What is your personal reaction to the visions of the martyrs and early monastic founders? What role (if any) do such visions play in your own Christian tradition?

c) Does the notion of spiritual vision in the martyrs and monastic founders differ significantly from what we have seen in Er, Scipio, and Enoch?

January 13, 2006

THE Discussion link on the navigation panel (that you presumably just clicked) opens this “portal” page, permitting you a choice of the different forums that will be opened successively throughout the course.

The first “Introductory Forum” (the link is given below) is for the purpose of self-introductions. I would be grateful if everyone would introduce themselves, saying a few words about themselves and their religious tradition, and perhaps sharing something of their hopes for this course. We share a great richness of different religious traditions and communities among one another, and it will be helpful to attune ourselves to this from the start.

FEEL free to interact with one another by responding to each another's postings and starting new “threads”.  Don't worry if you don't know what that means: you'll soon discover it through practice.  Use this introductory forum as an opportunity to play with the technology and see how it works. This is also an opportunity to ask each other questions about using the technology

ONE point to bear in mind is that you can't remove or edit comments after you have submitted them; so if you wish to write a longish note, it may be helpful to create it first in another program, then cut-and-paste it into the forum. 

[I should warn you that the following comment may not make much sense until after you have played with the discussion forum a bit:] In regard to seeing one another's "threads" and responses, please note that you can adjust [by clicking, holding, and moving] the size of the frames in any discussion.  Widely expanding the size of the left-hand frame will make it easier to see the "flow" of the threads.

Once you are in the forum you can always return to this course site by clicking the link in the upper left panel ("Monast.Spir.Theol").

OKAY, here we go.  Click on this link to go to the Introductory Forum and introduce yourself: INTRODUCTORY FORUM

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