Story of Monasticism – Retrieving an Ancient Tradition for Contemporary Spirituality

Greg Peters (PhD, University of St. Michael's College, Toronto) is associate professor of medieval and spiritual theology in the Torrey Honors Institute, Biola University, in La Mirada, California. He is also visiting professor of monastic studies at St. John's School of Theology in Minnesota and adjunct professor at Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Wisconsin.

• ContentsIntroduction: The Monastic ImpulsePart I: Anthony to Benedict1. The Origins of Christian Monasticism2. Of Anchorites and Cenobites3. The RulePart II: Benedict to Bernard4. The Flowering of Benedictine Monasticism5. Other Voices: Celtic, Frankish, and Eastern Monasticism6. Challenges of Christendom7. The Road to ReformPart III: Bernard to Luther8. The Cistercians, Carthusians, and Other Reforming Orders9. Regular Canons, Hospitallers, and the Military Orders10. The Friars11. Decline or Development? Lay Piety and Religious Life in the Late Medieval EraPart IV: Luther to Merton12. The Reformers and Counter-Reformers13. Protestants and Monasticism after the Reformation14. Continuing Roman Catholic Monastic PracticeEpilogue: Monasticism Today and Tomorrow