How often can one call a dictionary, encyclopedia, or handbook 'exciting'? Scholars will find in these chapters much of interest, and even some challenges. The authors write clearly; thus the chapters can appeal to a wide audience. The 'Suggested Reading' section within each chapter is very helpful, and those interested in a topic will find plenty to work with in it and the bibliographies; although footnotes are kept to a minimum, each chapter also has an extensive bibliography. The volume most certainly succeeds at 'reinvigorating enquiries that are already underway.' All in all, The Oxford Handbook of Christian Monasticism is a very welcome addition to the bibliographical world and discussions of ancient, medieval, and modern monasticism(s).
Bernice M. Kaczynski is Professor Emerita of History at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, and Adjunct Professor in the Centre for Medieval Studies at the University of Toronto. Her primary research interests lie in the area of early medieval monastic culture. She writes on manuscripts and the transmission of texts, on medieval Latin and Greek, on notions of patristic authority, and, most recently, on the extended historical experience of Christian monasticism.
Thomas Sullivan, OSB, is a monk of Conception Abbey in Conception, Missouri, USA, and Professor of History and Humanities at Conception Seminary College. His primary research interest is the intersection of monastic life and the medieval university; other research interests include the Parisian Faculty of Theology, 1200-1500, and the history of medieval ecclesiastical libraries.