In the writings of ancient Christians, the near-ubiquitous references to the "fear of God" have traditionally been seen as a generic placeholder for piety. Focusing on monastic communities in late antiquity across the eastern Mediterranean, this book explores why the language of fear was so prevalent in their writings and how they sought to put it into practice in their daily lives. Drawing on a range of evidence, including sermons, liturgical prayers, and archaeological evidence, Daniel An explores how the languages monastics spoke, the socioeconomic settings they inhabited, and the visual spaces in which they prayed came together to shape their emotional horizons. By investigating emotions as practices embedded in the languages, cultures, and sensorial environments of late antiquity, this book offers new insights into the spiritual world of Christian monasteries.

About the Author

Daniel E. An is Assistant Professor of Church History at Yonsei University in Seoul.

Reviews

"Deftly integrating visual and textual sources for monastic emotionality, this study vividly exposes the importance of the sensorial environment in late antique monasticism. Establishing a central role for fear as an emotional practice, it fundamentally shifts our understanding of how Byzantine Christians related with the divine and with one another."—Felicity Harley-McGowan, Lecturer in the History of Art, Yale University

"This is a truly original work, combining textual and archaeological material in search for a better understanding of the mentality and emotional register of the early monastic communities. An excellent contribution to the field."—Samuel Rubenson, Professor Emeritus of Affiliated Church History at Lund University