Tradition and Theology in St John Cassian

John Cassian (d. c.435) brought the teachings of the Egyptian desert fathers to the Latin West. A. M. C. Casiday offers a revisionist account of his work, restoring the stories he tells to a position of importance as an integral part of his monastic theology.
Though the monastic writings of St John Cassian have been enduringly popular, his reputation (not least as a theological author) has been seriously compromised. A. M. C. Casiday begins with an evaluation of conventional ideas about Cassian and, finding them seriously flawed, offers the uirst sustained attempt at re-reading Cassian's works for their theological significance. Specific attention is called to the Christological aspects of Cassian's monastic anthropology.
Throughout, reference is made to Cassian's contemporaries - both well-known figures like Augustine of Hippo, Evagrius Ponticus, Vincent of Lerins, and Nestorius, and lesser-known figures such as Prosper of Aquitaine, Valerian of Cimiez, and Paul of Tamma - in order to offer an analysis of Cassian's
writings and their significance that is unencumbered by anachronism.