Newly translated by Fr. Jerome Bertram of the Oxford Oratory. Includes "On the training of a Monk" and "The Eight Deadly Sins." A spiritual classic with practical advice on how to become holy.
This is the first complete and unabridged translation into English of this key text from one of the most important masters of the spiritual life. Cassian's teaching underlies that of St Philip Neri and St Francis de Sales and was also one of the major influences on St. Benedict.
Cassian had experienced monastic life in Egypt in the ancient desert tradition. He was ordained deacon by St John Chrysostom, but ended life in Marseilles where he had founded two monasteries. He wrote this practical treatise at the request of a French bishop who was seeking guidelines on the monastic life.
The work is divided into two sections, both of which are full of practical and hopeful advice for the living of the Christian life. The first part, "On the Training of a Monk", relates many of Cassian's fascinating first hand experiences of the tradition of the Desert Fathers. He makes suggestions as to how their spirit can be reapplied in a Western, more urban context.
In the second part, "The Eight Deadly Sins", Cassian sees the classic weaknesses of the human condition as obstacles or hurdles in the Christian life, which the spiritual athlete - under grace - can conquer one by one on the road to sanctity.
From the Translator's Introduction:
"…Lay people today, both in the Church and outside it, are eager for spiritual guidance, longing to develop a life of prayer, and ready to listen to almost anyone who offers a path to holiness. Teachers from many exotic cultures, both sound and dubious, are sure of an audience. Yet the spiritual traditions of the West have been almost lost to sight, for reasons which still remain unclear. This version of Cassian, who influenced Western spirituality more than most, is offered as a help and guide for those in our modern world who are still struggling against the ancient problems of life, and who yearn for a deeper union with God. Cassian's name is not familiar, indeed if he is remembered at all, he is usually considered a monk's writer, a voice from the remote past speaking to men of terrifying asceticism who lived far apart from the hurly-burly of everyday life. Monks, it used to be safely assumed, can all read Latin with ease, and therefore no translation of this ancient writer is necessary, save for those few academics who still concern themselves with such matters.Published by The Saint Austin Press as part of our Honeycomb Series. (You may subscribe to this exciting new collection of key spiritual writings and be acknowledged by name in each volume.)Presenting Cassian to the laity may therefore seem rather perverse - but there is good precedent. The teaching of Cassian, although unacknowledged, underlies the spirituality of St Philip Neri and St Francis de Sales, both of whom dedicated themselves to the sanctification of the lay state, teaching methods of prayer suitable for men and women in different states of life, both busy and leisured. Theirs is not the only Western spiritual tradition available for the laity - indeed the teaching of the Jesuits is far better known and widely practiced - but it is one which certainly suits many people who find St Ignatius rather difficult. …"
The Monastic Institutes, by St. John Cassian.
216 pages, clothbound with ribbon. ISBN 1 901157 04 0.
£14.95 ; $26.95 in the U.S.A.
Published by The Saint Austin Press.
Click here to find out how to order from your local supplier.