The Beauty of the Monastic Tradition
The Breck Conference 2021
By Alexis Torrance, D. Phil.
“Is Christ divided?” - 1 Cor. 1:13
There is often a double temptation when Christians think about monasticism: either we are tempted to dismiss it out of hand as alien to the gospel of Christ or to idolize it as the only real path to salvation. Yet yielding to either of these temptations brings about the same result, namely placing a firm wedge between one group of Christians and another, if not severing the very members of Christ asunder. But, as Paul forcefully asks us: “Is Christ divided?”
The diversity of gifts and functions in the Body of Christ is a cause of celebration, not consternation. It is also a call to learn from the other, to revere the other, and ultimately to love the other. As a married Orthodox Christian priest and a scholar of early and Byzantine Christianity, I find this is a natural approach to the phenomenon, or rather gift, of monasticism. The Orthodox Church in her thought and practice has continuously owed so much to the witness, writings, and guidance of her monks and nuns, that to try to sever the bond between monasticism and broader church life would be unthinkable. I thus have always tried to cultivate an attitude of discipleship, reverence, and love toward the monastic tradition.
In my talks for the “Parish Asceticism” conference at Nashotah House this June 24 and 25, I will begin by sketching out the history of the monastic movement in the Christian east. In doing so, however, I will have an eye not only on the external development of monastic institutions but, perhaps more importantly for our purposes, I will also attempt to set out some of the key theological principles, drawn from the New Testament itself, that motivate and animate early and Byzantine monastic thought. This will allow us, in my second talk, to further explore the beauty and the relevance of monastic theology and anthropology for the daily life of every Christian.
A key thread running through these presentations is the ultimate unity of Christian life, whether monastic or lay. This a unity grounded on “one Lord, one faith, one baptism” (Eph. 4:5), on the life-bearing commandments of Christ, whose fulfillment is the token of our love for him (cf. John 14:15), and ultimately on the gift of Christ himself bestowed in the Holy Eucharist, without which, whether monastic or lay, “you have no life in you” (John 6:53). In the end, I will try to convey how the monastic tradition bears witness to this single and undivided life in Christ in an especially intense and powerful way, giving us motivation and inspiration to grow ever deeper in our own thirst and longing to “ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:17).
Alexis Torrance, Archbishop Demetrios College Chair of Byzantine Theology, University of Notre Dame Alexis Torrance is the Archbishop Demetrios College Chair of Byzantine Theology at the University of Notre Dame, where he has taught since 2014. Dr. Torrance will be a plenary speaker at The 2021 Breck Conference on Monasticism & The Church June 24-25, 2021 at Nashotah House. Join us for this exciting conference!