Monasteries and the Care of Souls in Late Antique Christianity: Cognition and Discipline by Paul C. Dilley

Abstract

Drawing on an enormous corpus of monastic literature, especially texts connected to Pachomius and Shenoute, Dilley structures his study in three parts: I) Evaluating Postulants, II) Cognitive Disciplines, and III) Collective Heart-Work. Dilley compares Shenoute's public revelations of his inner state and his many warnings and curses with the anthropology of spirit possession (265) and musters evidence for Shenoute's theory of the relations between minds: Sinners pollute the congregation because of evil thoughts and deeds; and just as he expels these sinners from the congregation, obedient disciples must remove evil thoughts from their (266) or . . bad thoughts were easily transferable among disciples through illicit speech, resulting in the spread of cognitive pollution within the monastic body; similarly, assenting to demonic suggestions was figured as cognitive fornication (290). three sections are structured around a developmental arc from induction into the monastic life to the function of leaders with special cognitive capacities to intuit the secret thoughts of others or experience revelation: The key aspects of the care of souls in cenobitic monasticism, including initial vetting procedures, cognitive disciplines, and collective rituals, all have the goal of eliminating negative thoughts and emotions and redirecting the heart towards, for example, scriptural meditation and images of divine judgment and magnificence (293).