New Page 3

ALL LECTURES
& ASSIGNMENTS

“Teaching Monk” Illum.MS. , Amiens 1547

[The discussion for this section (Forum Fifteen)
will be open on Monday, April 24]

PART 9 - MONASTIC REFORM & RENEWAL

THE subject of monastic reform and renewal is vast; and we must of necessity confine ourselves to a very few representative examples. We begin with an overview of themes and epochs of monastic reform:

OUR first model of monastic reform and renewal is the wonderfully paradoxical example of St. Benedict. For nearly eighteen hundred years the concept of "monastic reform" has usually meant return from lax observance to stricter, more literal interpretation of monastic ideals. St. Benedict, however, does not institute a stricter form of monastic life; but instead modifies his principal source, the anonymous Rule of the Master, in the direction of greater compassion and gentleness. We will note first the Master's positive contributions, especially his notion of monasticism as a renewal of the baptismal covenant. Then in a second lecture we will observe the more negative elements he emphasizes, such as a rather individualistic model of the monastery as a burdonsome "school" of painful obedience.

70) The Rule of the Master [Part 1]: Monasticism as renewal of baptismal covenant: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

71) The Rule of the Master [Part 2]: Monasticism as the burdonsome School of suffering with Christ. AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE [note that this is the same text file as in §71)

SAINT Benedict reforms and renews monastic observence, not by abolishing, but by carefully, respectfully adjusting and editing his primary source, the Rule of the Master. A word or phrase inserted here, a phrase or whole chapter deleted there: this is his methodology; it allows the former observance to be revered and at the same time energized in the direction of greater compassion and discretion. For Benedict the monastic "School" is a place where the whole community grows in "widened-hearted" charity and runs together into a transcendent, unspeakable encounter with the loving Father:

72) The Rule of St. Benedict [The Prologue]: To run with widened heart: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THE founder of the Abbey of Solesmes in France, Prosper Gueranger, affords an example of a modern renewer of monastic life. His unfinushed magnum opus, The Liturgical Year inspired others with his conviction that the principal treasure of all who look to St. Benedict as their founder is the Work of God, communal liturgical prayer:

73) Prosper Gueranger, Preface to The Liturgical Year. AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THE living out of Gueranger's dream can be discerned in the General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours, which invites the whole people of God, not only nuns and monks, to incorporate in their own lives the riches of the Divine Office.

74) The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours. AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

75) Thesaurus Liturgiae Horare Monasticae [selections]: . AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THE conclusion of our discussion of MONOLOGISTIC PRAYER is now available in “Lectures and Assignments”. Discussion Forum Fifteen is open for you to share your reflections.

[The discussion for this section (Forum Fourteen)
will be open on Monday, April 24]

PART 8 - MONOLOGISTIC PRAYER (introd.)

THE origins of the Christian tradition of monologistic (short-phrase) prayer can be found in the Scriptures and early Christian reflection on the command to pray without ceasing. We will also note in passing several defining characteristics of the later Jesus Prayer-tradition, that will help us identify the remote origins of this practice

59) Biblical and Early Patristic Sources; Introduction to the Jesus Prayer: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THE principal patristic source to which all contemporary Christian exponents of monologistic prayer point is John Cassian. In his Ninth and Tenth Conferences Cassian extols the virtues of formula prayer and reveals the formula given to him by Abba Isaac:

BEFORE plunging headlong into the mysteries of eastern hesychastic prayer with Bishop Kallistos, it will be helpful to remind ourselves of a developing parallel monologistic prayer-form in the Christian West: namely, the rosary. While the rosary is not a specifically monastic devotion; it arose, as we shall see, out of the monastic practice of psalmody and the growing conviction that those unfamiliar with the psalms ought to be permitted to substitute more easily-memorized, simple prayers.

PART 8 - MONOLOGISTIC PRAYER (concl.)

THE most knowledgeable and experienced living author on the subject of the Jesus Prayer and the Hesychastic tradition is Bishop Kallistos Ware. The four articles that follow contain the substance of his lectures on this subject at Oxford, and are unparalleled in their clarity and depth. Although I urge you to read all four articles, the one that could be skipped (if absolutely necessary!) is § 64 on Symeon the New Theologian. If you read all four you will be able to take pride in having become one of the most knowledgeable authorities on this subject in your area.

63) The [5^th-9^thCentury] Origins of the Jesus Prayer, Diadochus of Photike, Gaza, Sinai: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

66) The [Modern] Hesychast Renaissance : AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

LESS authoritative than Bishop Kallistos' magisterial treatment, but nonetheless of great interest, are Thomas Spidlik's articles on the Jesus Prayer. In addition to a discussion of the physical technique of the hesychasts he describes the principles according to which recitation of the Jesus Prayer may in some circumstances be substituted for specific hours of the Divine Office (!!).

67) Spidlik, sel. from Prayer: The Spirituality of the Christian East: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

AGAINST the background of the traditions we have studied it is possible to assess two modern variants of traditional Christian monologistic prayer: Centering Prayer and the “Christian Meditation” of John Main.

PART 2 - BIBLICAL and EARLY CHRISTIAN MODELS
of SPIRITUAL ASCENT

THE terms kataphatic (the “way of affirmation”) and apophatic (the “way of denial”) were first introduced in the sixth century; but it is only in modern times that they have become widely-used by Christian spiritual theologians to distinguish two contrasting poles of theology and spirituality. We will first review their meaning and application:

NEXT we will review biblical texts, often cited by monastic authors, that illustrate both spiritual ascent into the “vision of God” and the kataphatic and apophatic “ways”:

THE story of the martyrdom of Saints Perpetua and Felicity will help us understand how spiritual vision was popularly associated with the holiness and intercessory power of the seer. [We should bear in mind while reading this text that early monks and nuns were considered to be the spiritual successors of the martyrs as seers and intercessors]

FINALLY, Saints Antony, Evagrius, and Benedict afford models of spiritual vision that expands or widens the heart of the seer.

When you have finished § 7) - 11) in Part Two, please share your reflections in Discussion Forum Three, which will be open on January 30.

PART 1 - CELESTIAL VISIONS, HEAVENLY VOYAGES

BEHIND the monastic understanding of "the contemplative life" stands the towering figure of Plato, whose philosophical system provided both the underlying concepts and the language that would ultimately be used to describe the experience of beholding The Divine. In these first three lectures and texts we will discover Plato, the mystical theologian who longs for union with "The One" [God] and who believes that this union is both facilitated and anticipated by contemplation: that is, by seeing through and beyond superficial appearances into the deeper realities and truths hidden within ordinary circumstances and objects.
Please read Louth, chapter 1, pp. 1-17, “Plato”, in conjunction with these lectures and texts.

FIRST an introductory lecture will present several fundamental concepts:
1) Introd. to Plato: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

THEN We will turn to Plato's Republic for two stories that were constantly read and extensively commented throughout classical antiquity and into the medieval and renaissance periods:
2) The Parable of the Caves: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE
3) The Myth of Er: AUDIO_LECTURE _:_ TEXT_FILE

PART 1 - CELESTIAL VISIONS, HEAVENLY VOYAGES
(CONCLUDED)

THROUGHOUT the monastic tradition references abound to an inward "ascent" from earth to heaven. As we have seen in Plato's "Myth of Er", this notion long predates Christianity. Now we will see how Cicero retold Plato's myth for the Latin-speaking world in his "Dream of Scipio", creating a classic that would be read, until relatively recently, by nearly every educated person in the Christian West. [Those interested in learning more about the influence of "The Dream of Scipio" in the middle ages will find C.S. Lewis' The Discarded Image a valuable and very readable introduction.]

SOME modern scholars, such as Alexander Golitzin , believe that early monastic models of contemplative ascent may owe as much or more to Jewish apocrypha than to Plato (or Cicero). We will look briefly at excerpts from The Book of Enoch, an text from the Jewish pseudepigrapha (intertestamental literature) that certainly influenced some of the authors of the New Testament. Fr. Golitzin emphasizes how this text depicts the Jewish prophet as a "seer", one whose vision of the heavenly places authenticates his moral message. Fr. Golitzin believes the intertestamental seer is the true forerunner of the monastic contemplative; however, it should be noted that his theories have not yet won widespread acceptance ( a link to his website, - optional for this course - may be found in the Syllabus and in "External Links").

THE ancient sources we have read all presume a dynamic interrelationship between contemplative experience and ascetical practice (i.e. virtue). This dynamic understanding has sometimes been obscured in Christian tradition by the desire to define "steps" or "stages" of spiritual progress: [This will be a review for some of you who have already seen this in a previous webcourse]:

When you have finished § 4) - 6) of Part One, please share your reflections in Discussion Forum Two, which is now available. .

A) INTRODUCTION to AUDIO-LECTURES

An indispensable part of this course will be downloadable audio-lectures that you may download to your computer or play directly from the Internet, depending on the speed of your connection. New texts and audio-lectures will be made available every week, and once posted will remain available for review throughout the course.

THIS is a link to the type of file (“.wma” for those who wish to know) that we will be using for audio lectures: AUDIO-FILE (don't click on it quite yet). This is a music file consisting of the medieval prolix responsory Homo Quidam, and it will serve as a test of your computer's ability to play the kind of audio files we will be using in this course.

THIS is a link to a text-and-image file showing (at the bottom of the page) Gregorian notation of the Homo Quidam: TEXT-FILE . The navigation panel on the left will remain visible when you link to the text file, so you can return to this page at any time by clicking on “Lectures”

THE goal is: (1) to get the AUDIO-FILE playing; then (2) minimize the player so you can see this window again; then (3) click on the link to the Gregorian TEXT-FILE, so you can look at the notated music while you hear the music being sung. If you are able to do this, all is well; and you will have no trouble with the materials that will begin to appear here next week.

If you have trouble doing this, I strongly urge you to spend this weekend obtaining the technical assistance you need. Be aware that the download time for these audio files on a very slow modem may be as long as five to ten minutes. If you need a new version of Windows Media Player, it may be downloaded from the Microsoft Website (http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/search.aspx?displaylang=en&categoryid=4). If your computer is so old that it simply cannot be induced to play the audio files, you will need to use another computer for this course.

B) REVIEW the-SYLLABUS

ONCE you are comfortable listening to audio while reading from a linked text-file, please click on the SYLLABUS link in the navigation panel (the grey panel on the left), and review the Syllabus while listening to the audio-lecture discussion.

C) SELF-INTRODUCTIONS in the DISCUSSION FORUM

AFTER you have reviewed the syllabus, please click on the DISCUSSION link in the navigation panel, read what will then appear, and go on to the INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION forum to introduce yourself and meet your classmates.

ON Monday evening, January 16th, the lectures and readings for Part 1, CELESTIAL VISIONS, HEAVENLY VOYAGES, will be posted at the top of this page. Until then, enjoy getting to know one another in the Introductory Discussion!