Encyclopedia of Monasticism [Hardcover]

William M. Johnston (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2000

The Encyclopedia of Monasticism is the first reference work to bring together information, insight, and methodological reflection concerning the monastic traditions of Christianity and Buddhism, their institutions, behaviour, thought, spirituality, and influence. It is also the first reference work to treat Eastern Christian monasticism and Western Christian monasticism with parity. A large number of articles discuss topics found in no other reference work. More than 600 entries cover important monastic figures of all periods and places, surveys of countries and localities, and topical essays covering a wide range of issues (e.g. art, behaviour, economics, liturgy, politics, theology, and scholarship). Coverage encompasses not only geography and history worldwide but contemporary dilemmas of monastic life, highlighting recent upheavals in Korea, Russia and Sri Lanka. It also includes more than 500 illustrations covering monastic life, art, architecture and practices.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Throughout history, human beings have struggled to discover what gives life its ultimate meaning and purpose. Many have explored these questions in the world's religious traditions, and some of these have found answers in a profoundly personal and interior pursuit. That pursuit, the monastic life, is the subject of a wonderful new reference work.For the purposes of this encyclopedia, "monasticism is defined as a single-minded commitment to religious life conducted apart from the surrounding society (almost always in celibacy and relative poverty) and following a rule that usually involves emulating or obeying a founder." The strength of this treatment is its descriptions of and comparisons among three great monastic traditions: Buddhist, Eastern Christian, and Western Christian.More than 600 entries are alphabetically arranged and cover important persons, such as the founders of particular orders or great reformers; concepts; doctrines; practices; and the monastic history of places, whether country, city, or individual monastery. Aspects of monastic life such as celibacy and fasting are described in both their Buddhist and Christian contexts. One would expect entries for the various monastic rules that have guided Buddhist and Christian communities, but this work includes entries one might not expect, such as monastic attitudes toward animals (Animals, Attitude toward: Buddhist Perspectives; Animals, Attitude toward: Christian Perspectives) and the contributions of Western Christian monasteries to the development of pharmacology. The encyclopedia is historical in scope but includes specific concerns of the twentieth century as well, including intermonastic dialogue between Buddhists and Christians, the growth of Buddhism in the U.S., and the use of the Internet by Buddhist and Christian monasteries. The entry Internet, Buddhist and Chris tian even includes Web and e-mail addresses, demonstrating just how contemporary ancient lifestyles can be.Entries conclude with supplemental bibliographies and are signed by the scholars who wrote them. Cross-references lead readers to appropriate headings or related text. The work is illustrated throughout, including 48 pages of well-chosen color plates, and concludes with a thorough index. An alphabetical list of entries and an outline of entries by theme precede the main text.As the introduction states, "except in one or two comparative entries, the Encyclopedia of Monasticism does not encompass Hindu, Jain, Daoist, or Islamic monastics or confraternities." This is really too bad, given the paucity of encyclopedic reference sources in English for these traditions, with the exception of Islam. Interested readers will have to rely upon the Encyclopedia of Religion (Macmillan, 1987) and the Encyclopedia of Islam (Brill, 1960- ).Withdrawal from society and its cares is a hallmark of monastic life, but this is not to say that monastic seclusion has had no influence on the broader society. The contributions of monastics to art, architecture, agriculture, philosophy, theology, and even the brewing of beer (covered in Brewing, Western Christian ) are immense. The Encyclopedia of Monasticism presents these contributions as well, making it a reference tool of use to interests other than religion. Highly recommended for all academic and large public libraries. RBB
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

Stands alone in offering broad and deep coverage of Buddhist and Christian monastic places, concerns and controversies, ideas, spirituality, social dynamics, and practices. A superb resource for historical, cross-cultural, sociological, and phenomenological studies.
–Choice, March 2001

This magnificant work on monasticism is the first of its kind... the first time under one cover that an extensive encyclopedic work is dedicated to monasticism in both the Christian (Eastern and Western) traditions, with Buddhist traditions treated on a par.... It is recommended for all library collections: academic, college, convent, monastery, public, seminary, and theological.
–Catholic Library World

Johnston and his editorial team have produced an excellent central resource for the world history of monasticism. This work is highly recommended for junior college and college and university libraries, in addition to any reference collection pertaining to religious history.
–American Reference Books Annual

Withdrawal from society and its cares is a hallmark of monastic life, but this is not to say that monastic seclusion has had no infuence on the broader society. The contributions of monastics to art, architecture, agriculture, philosophy, theology, and even the brewing of beer are immense. The Encyclopedia of Monasticism presents these contributions as well, making it a reference tool of use to interests other than religion. Highly recommended for all academic and large public libraries.
–Booklist/RBB

Product Details

• Hardcover: 2000 pages
• Publisher: Routledge; Ill edition (August 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1579580904
• ISBN-13: 978-1579580902
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 8.9 x 3.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,648,330 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extraordinarily well done, December 26, 2008

By 

markfromphilly "markfromphilly" (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Encyclopedia of Monasticism (Hardcover)

For those even remotely interested in the topic, this set is peerless. And if you're not interested, you will likely become so after you dip into this work a few times. Highly comprehensive, it is replete with clear, well written (and edited, I'm sure) entries that entice you to keep reading. There are many excellent black and white and color photos. One feature that I especially like is the "thematic table of contents" which organizes articles under various themes, such as medieval western monasticism. This enables a reader to connect threads on topics of interest with an ease not typical in a work of this size and scope. It is an expensive set but I can't imagine anyone who purchases it will be anything less than thrilled with their decision. It is a work I will continue to turn to for years to come.