...monasticism demonology. Up-to-date modern scholarship as well as grounded in the original sources, Professor Brakke divides his book into two sections. The first is a vivid, sympathetic, and critical study of four Egyptian monks: Antony, Evagrius, Pachomius, and Shenoute--and what amounts to a fifth: Antony as presented by Athanasius. The second part consists of analysis of a variety of topoi in early monastic literature, including the formation of legends; the place of black Africans, women, and boys in monastic consciousness; the transformation of gods into demons; and the monastic hero's replacement of the pagan priest as wonderworker. The Afterword describes how the Egyptian model spread throughout the Empire and was eventually translated into medieval thought through Cassian.

The author centers on "the negative...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



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