The Monastic World - a 1,200 Year History (Andrew Jotischky, 2024)

I liked this a lot though a few sections dragged. 

Palestine, Egypt, East - early days - mentor/initiate relationships. A lot of freelancing away from episcopal control. Some supported by local populations (the Stylite). The desert as a place of cleansing and retreat - echoing Jesus’s 40 day trial.

Western Europe comes later - quickly evolves into more of a relationship with aristocracy (most of the monks are from the aristocracy) and royalty. Sons or daughters without another place to go. A way to retain control over assets (principally land) that otherwise might well revert to the king. Quickly evolves to control by the bishops and/or the king (these also were tied together).  Adept abbots might be able to play off bishops, king, aristocracy and retain control.

As Western Europe evolves, huge chunk of recruits come as “oblates” - they never knew any other life than the monastery. 

Benedict, Monte Cassino, his Rule.  A major and enduring set of reforms, widely adopted and more or less followed.

Ireland - never in the Roman Empire. Yet lots of monks and they filter back to Western Europe.

Waves of reform over the centuries as folks perceive the monasteries get too wealthy and worldly.  Francis of Assisi and mendicant orders - more urban.

I kept thinking there are similarities between monasteries and today's NGO's. Public/private, a way for the wealthy to squirrel away funds and control, a way for the rulers to share in the same, all while appearing to support worthy causes. Jobs for members of the granting family and/or the royal family were common. Including control. Tax advantaged. Reformers would show up to purify things, but reversion followed inevitably. The larger the monastery, the more potential for material gain, the greater likelihood of people seeking it.

But that’s not to say there weren’t a lot of folks seeking a genuinely ascetic, prayerful lifestyle.

The ideal of the monk-as-laborer, perhaps even self-sufficient - didn’t work well and monasteries typically had enough lay “brothers” to do the actual work. Choir monks were freed up for their work of prayer and worship, plus (often coming from aristocracy) they often weren’t suited to labor anyway. 

Vikings, Magyars, other raiders as threats. Monasteries typically near coast or river and had portable valuables.  Favorite targets, rough years for the monks.

Other forms of raiders emerge post-Reformation and later - England closes down/seizes all monasteries. French Revolution. Russian Revolution.

Cluny 

Cistercians 

Bernard of Clairvaux

Heloise and Abelard

Because of the need to own land to pay the monastery bills, management needed to be basically professional in nature, yet the abbot often was someone promoted from within (sometimes an oblate - meaning someone raised from childhood in the monastery) with pretty much zero relevant experience.

There was violence depicted in Eco's “The Name of the Rose” - this book describes that there plenty of violent incidents in the monasteries.  Strong opinions in close quarters; valuable assets and a leading or at least important role in the larger community; incidents not common but not unheard of. 

This focuses on Christianity though other religions have monks. Christian monastaries not prominent but not dead. We visit one outside Magog in Quebec province. 

The Silk Roads - A New History of the World (Peter Frankopan, 2015)

Interesting, readable summary though there are plenty of aspects I didn’t love, per below. The subtitle - “A New History of the World” - suggests too much scope - hard to be comprehensive - yet I like the focus on the old Silk Road territories (though he applies the “____ Road” concept pretty much around the world). 

Presents history in this part of the world as sort of a discovery, unknown; I think anyone that’s read much history would have quite a bit of knowledge here.  Still - it’s a useful book, a good overview notwithstanding the annoyances. 

I do the think the author falls prey to the 2015 (not new in 2015, and persisting) trend of demonizing the West and acting like other regions lack agency. Maybe I’m too sensitive to this approach but I don’t think so.  The chapter about slavery suggesting Europe more or less invented it - c’mon. Dismiss European motives as gold, power. Europeans as backward, venal. Mongols as wise administrators - OK a little violent in the conquest phase but then long periods of peace and prosperity, OK maybe so. Muslims as tolerant, open minded. Etc. Seems to selectively present the histories on these topics. 

British actions post-WWI described as making the Middle East unstable - this after hundreds of pages often describing conflicts in the Middle East going back thousands of years. OK. 

Interesting - the idea that the spread of the religions along the trade routes somewhat threatened those same religions, motivating the religions to become more strident.  Buddhism starts using big statues and nice shrines and stupas to stand out; Zoroastrianism becomes more nationalistic, loses much of its famous tolerance; Christianity more of a threat especially when Constantine gets on board. This lets up when Rome weakens due to the Huns, etc., but then resurfaces when the Huns weaken. And has continued.

Vikings/Rus were effective, a bigger factor than I normally think. 

His summary of the run-up to the Crusades was a useful complement to this recently-read book. 

Spanish taking silver and gold from the Americas on the ships; later oil is taken from the Middle East; this is discussed as some sort of illegitimate plundering. Not sure if this can be distinguished from actions of conquering groups throughout history.  And these supposedly advanced-peaceful societies didn’t have the know-how or interest to ever utilize these resources in the same way anyway. See Venezuelan oil. Yes, local labor was not treated well at all as part of the resource extraction, at least in the 16th-17th century Americas. As it happens. 

Russia experiencing difficulties in handling new central Asian territories, including fear of Islamic populations. Some history here.

Author kind of got bogged down in a lot of detail about Iran and Iraq in mid-20th century and into the 21st, I didn’t need that much detail plus the history here isn’t aged enough to draw conclusions. Britain trying to hang in there especially with Iran, I can see why Saeed’s generation saw the British behind so many things - they often were! US kind of steps into this role later. Lots of blame assigned to Brits and US. 

Russian revolution in early 20th-century - he writes that Russia was pushing self-determination in the various republics ha ha. Hilarious Lenin quote about freedom and rights on 335.

Page 391, Stalin’s speech opposing capitalism; author says (I think or hope paraphrasing Stalin) that capitalism is responsible for suffering, mass murder and horrors of the war of the twentieth century. Communism as “a new system that accentuated similarities rather than differences, that replaced hierarchies with equality” (author’s words) What?

Page 503 - the usual wrap up - everything is in a transition stage at the time the book is written, totally unclear what’s coming next! (As to everything looking back, it was obvious and easy to criticize.)

Gospels according to Matthew and Luke (60-95 AD)

I re-read chunks of the Bible from time to time just because.  Inherently interesting; foundational no matter one's religious persuasion; and these still resonate given the emphasis on them during my growing-up years.

A Man at Arms (Steven Pressfield, 2021)

(316 pages)

St. Paul's letter (epistle) to the Corinthians needs to be delivered from [wherever it was penned]; copies are entrusted to several messengers; all but one are intercepted by Roman forces (Rome considering the letter as highly insurrectionary).  The final copy is entrusted to a courier named Michael, traveling with a mute girl named Ruth. Rome enlists Telamon - former Roman legionary - as a mercenary to find the pair and bring back the letter.  Telamon has an unexpected apprentice (Michael); they are dogged by a sorceress who accompanies them for long stretches. 

Rome is not trustworthy and pursues the pair with its own forces; also chased by Jews feeling threatened by Christianity, other bounty hunters.

The tale of the pursuit and the journey in general - from Judea to the Nile and across to Greece - is very well done.

I did not see the ending coming, but I thought it was really effective.  The contrast between Roman brutality and St. Paul's messaging.  

(I don't know much theology though understand that chunks of St. Paul's writings are out of favor with some; but yes there remain many quite fine passages.) 

Having attended literally thousands of Roman Catholic Masses - St. Paul included in the readings for no doubt a large majority of them - the familiarity with the topic makes this story more compelling.  

Dominion - The Making of the Western Mind (Tom Holland, 2019)

(525 pages) (Gift from PJr/Nedda)

At outset:  useful survey of Christian thinkers, leaders, interaction with Jews, Muslims, what came to be called pagans, atheists.

Main thesis appears to be that Christianity deeply affects the worldview of 21st century folks in the West.  Not shocking; makes a lot of sense; not sure if widely appreciated anymore.  

As author recounts, Christianity's dominance of the West doesn't have a parallel in history.

I had always associated this development very heavily with Constantine in 312 - and no doubt this was important.  Brought Christianity into the mainstream, gave it an imperial model (centralized control, hierarchy; Council of Nicea).

But I was struck how distant that was from what happened quite a bit later in the West.  Rome a hollowed-out dump centuries after 312. The papacy a haven for, at best, well-meaning provincials.  

Then along comes Gregory the Great (pope from 590-604). Charlemagne's needs (he's crowned in 800). This kind of thing really solidified the build-out in the West.

And the scope was incredible.  Bishops, priests, monks, nuns, eventually across literally every country in Europe.  Create major feast days and also saint's days to cover every day of the calendar year.  Create prayers specific to the hours of each day; separate prayers for each day; the idea of confession, tithing.  Cradle to grave sacraments. The Curia. It grows and grows.

(I was struck by this going through my parent's house recently (part of the estate process) - all the Catholic church residuum lingering into their childhoods and beyond.)

As to the importance of Christianity's effect on Western world view - of course - but I thought some of Holland's argument rested on the contradictions that pop up in Christianity (or any religion, for that matter). St. Paul talking about only needing to follow the law as written on the heart; but then detailed regulations.  St. Paul talking about treating women equally, and then backing off.  Jesus saying the poor will always be with us, and also that the rich should give away their goods, and the parable of the savvy investor - which strand dominates?  The existence of the contradictions allows Holland to claim everything, including contradictory thrusts, flows from Christianity.  Hmm.

Unabashed praise for good things from Christianity, which were real - respect for individual, importance of monogamous marriage, concern for the poor - yes of course so many hypocrites and grand failures, but these were revolutionary concepts that took root for the first time.  Refreshing that someone is willing to say so.