John Cassian, Rhetoric and Education : Reading the Conferences as Elaborated Chreias
Dahlman, Britt LU
(2025)
In Religions
16(12).
- Abstract
- John Cassian’s writings reveal an extensive education. In his works, he reflects on his own education, such as a case of mnemotechnical distraction, and also provides education for his readers. But it is also clear that he employs his own rhetorical education by using conscious rhetorical strategies. This third aspect is the focus of this article. In Late Antique higher education, the chreia was one of the basic rhetorical progymnasmata exercises. It could be elaborated through the so-called ergasia exercise. By providing examples from the first conference, it is shown how Cassian employs elaborated chreias presenting his own patterns of ergasia elements. In connection with this, Cassian’s view on the origin of thoughts as drawn from... (More)
- John Cassian’s writings reveal an extensive education. In his works, he reflects on his own education, such as a case of mnemotechnical distraction, and also provides education for his readers. But it is also clear that he employs his own rhetorical education by using conscious rhetorical strategies. This third aspect is the focus of this article. In Late Antique higher education, the chreia was one of the basic rhetorical progymnasmata exercises. It could be elaborated through the so-called ergasia exercise. By providing examples from the first conference, it is shown how Cassian employs elaborated chreias presenting his own patterns of ergasia elements. In connection with this, Cassian’s view on the origin of thoughts as drawn from Origen and Evagrius is discussed. Reading model texts, especially the Bible, is seen as a transformative practice that shapes the reader’s heart. Though Cassian rejects classical content, replacing it with spiritual writings, he retains classical form. As a collection of Christian chreic texts, the Conferences could have functioned as model texts for monks and monastic students wanting not only to read, but also to compose their own monastic texts according to the rhetorical structures taught in traditional schools of rhetoric. Cassian thus emerges as a new kind of monastic rhetorician. (Less)
- Abstract (Swedish)
- John Cassian’s writings reveal an extensive education. In his works, he reflects on his own education, such as a case of mnemotechnical distraction, and also provides education for his readers. But it is also clear that he employs his own rhetorical education by using conscious rhetorical strategies. This third aspect is the focus of this article. In Late Antique higher education, the chreia was one of the basic rhetorical progymnasmata exercises. It could be elaborated through the so-called ergasia exercise. By providing examples from the first conference, it is shown how Cassian employs elaborated chreias presenting his own patterns of ergasia elements. In connection with this, Cassian’s view on the origin of thoughts as drawn from... (More)
- John Cassian’s writings reveal an extensive education. In his works, he reflects on his own education, such as a case of mnemotechnical distraction, and also provides education for his readers. But it is also clear that he employs his own rhetorical education by using conscious rhetorical strategies. This third aspect is the focus of this article. In Late Antique higher education, the chreia was one of the basic rhetorical progymnasmata exercises. It could be elaborated through the so-called ergasia exercise. By providing examples from the first conference, it is shown how Cassian employs elaborated chreias presenting his own patterns of ergasia elements. In connection with this, Cassian’s view on the origin of thoughts as drawn from Origen and Evagrius is discussed. Reading model texts, especially the Bible, is seen as a transformative practice that shapes the reader’s heart. Though Cassian rejects classical content, replacing it with spiritual writings, he retains classical form. As a collection of Christian chreic texts, the Conferences could have functioned as model texts for monks and monastic students wanting not only to read, but also to compose their own monastic texts according to the rhetorical structures taught in traditional schools of rhetoric. Cassian thus emerges as a new kind of monastic rhetorician. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/3137644f-8649-4945-a999-df71314fb1f3
- author
- Dahlman, Britt
LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- John Cassian, Conferences, rhetoric, education, progymnasmata, chreia, John Cassian, Conferences, rhetoric, education, progymnasmata, chreia
- in
- Religions
- volume
- 16
- issue
- 12
- article number
- 1574
- pages
- 14 pages
- publisher
- MDPI AG
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105025769732
- ISSN
- 2077-1444
- DOI
- 10.3390/rel16121574
- project
- Authority, community and individual freedom - Latin monastic culture and the roots of European educational ideals
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- This article belongs to the Special Issue "Tracing Early Monastic Culture: Books and Authority in New Textual Communities".
- id
- 3137644f-8649-4945-a999-df71314fb1f3
- date added to LUP
- 2025-12-07 18:41:17
- date last changed
- 2026-02-09 04:00:33
@article{3137644f-8649-4945-a999-df71314fb1f3,
abstract = {{John Cassian’s writings reveal an extensive education. In his works, he reflects on his own education, such as a case of mnemotechnical distraction, and also provides education for his readers. But it is also clear that he employs his own rhetorical education by using conscious rhetorical strategies. This third aspect is the focus of this article. In Late Antique higher education, the chreia was one of the basic rhetorical progymnasmata exercises. It could be elaborated through the so-called ergasia exercise. By providing examples from the first conference, it is shown how Cassian employs elaborated chreias presenting his own patterns of ergasia elements. In connection with this, Cassian’s view on the origin of thoughts as drawn from Origen and Evagrius is discussed. Reading model texts, especially the Bible, is seen as a transformative practice that shapes the reader’s heart. Though Cassian rejects classical content, replacing it with spiritual writings, he retains classical form. As a collection of Christian chreic texts, the Conferences could have functioned as model texts for monks and monastic students wanting not only to read, but also to compose their own monastic texts according to the rhetorical structures taught in traditional schools of rhetoric. Cassian thus emerges as a new kind of monastic rhetorician.}},
author = {{Dahlman, Britt}},
issn = {{2077-1444}},
keywords = {{John Cassian; Conferences; rhetoric; education; progymnasmata; chreia; John Cassian; Conferences; rhetoric; education; progymnasmata; chreia}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{12}},
publisher = {{MDPI AG}},
series = {{Religions}},
title = {{John Cassian, Rhetoric and Education : Reading the Conferences as Elaborated Chreias}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel16121574}},
doi = {{10.3390/rel16121574}},
volume = {{16}},
year = {{2025}},
}