John Moschos' Spiritual Meadow ─ Authority and Autonomy at the End of the Antique World

John Moschos' Spiritual Meadow is one of the most important sources for late sixth-early seventh century Palestinian, Syrian and Egyptian monasticism. This undisputedly invaluable collection of beneficial tales provides contemporary society with a fuller picture of an imperfect social history of this period: it is a rich source for understanding not only the piety of the monk but also the poor farmer. Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen fills a lacuna in classical monastic secondary literature by highlighting Moschos' unique contribution to the way in which a fertile Christian theology informed the ethics of not only those serving at the altar but also those being served. Introducing appropriate historical and theological background to the tales, Llewellyn Ihssen demonstrates how Moschos' tales addresses issues of the autonomy of individual ascetics and lay persons in relationship with authority figures. Economic practices, health care, death and burials of lay persons and ascetics are examined for the theology and history that they obscure and reveal. Whilst teaching us about the complicated relationships between personal agency and divine intercession, Moschosa€? tales can also be seen to reveal liminal boundaries we know existed between the secular and the religious.

Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen teaches courses in early and medieval Christianity and Islam, and specific topics in historical theology and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Her research is focused primarily on the social ethics found in the writing of fourth-century Cappadocian authors and in monastic and spiritual texts of Orthodox Christianity during the age of the Byzantine Empire. Dr. Ihssen's publications include 'Smashing God's Face: Art, Theology and Violence in the Byzantine Empire,' in ARTS: The Arts in Religious and Theological Studies, 'Strip the Rich Right Down to Their Shirts': St. John the Almsgiver and the Transformation of the City,' in Ekklesiastikos Pharos, and the forthcoming 'They Who Give From Evil'; the Response of the Eastern Church to Money-lending in the Early Christian Era' (Wipf and Stock, 2012).