Download or read book Contextualizing Cassian written by Richard J. Goodrich and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2007-08-02 with total page 309 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A study of how John Cassian, a fifth-century Gallic author, tried to direct and reshape the development of Western monasticism. Richard J. Goodrich focuses on how Cassian's ascetic treatises were tailored to persuade a wealthy, aristocratic audience to adopt a more stringent, Christ-centred monastic life.