George E. Demacopoulos

When it comes to spiritual direction that Christians provide and receive among themselves, there is a global challenge to face. That challenge pertains to directing the vocation to manifest a "little Christ" (Christian), lest Christians ignore what they have received in Baptism. Note the use of a singular noun, "vocation," for there is but one vocation in Christ to run through George Demacopoulos's monograph, even though there are five models of spiritual direction entertained.

Five models of spiritual formation, as identified in this text, grew in various places, cultures, and languages where the ancient Church had been planted. More to the point, Professor Demacopoulos of the Fordham University theology faculty explores how tensions between institutional and charismatic contexts for spiritual direction shaped ascetic practices for lay (institutional leaders) and monastic (charismatic leaders) communities.

As history of the ancient Church reveals, a universal emphasis on ascesis varied by intensity of performance and expectation between these two categories of Christian communities. Moreover, recommendations for ascesis differed according to: (1) identified ancient author, (2) place and exigencies where the author distributed his model, and (3) date. Demacopoulos measures ascetic intensity by characterizing the monastic communities as "ascetic," and the lay communities as "clerical." Therefore, this review will employ a similar convention of speech, and acknowledges the author's cautionary distinctions in what he means by the terms.

The author evaluates five authors from the 4th-5th centuries, AD:
(1) Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria, Egypt (born c. 299, died 373);
(2) Gregory Nazianzen ("the Theologian"), writing from Nazianzus in Cappadocia (Aksaray Province in modern Turkey), later from Sasima where he was bishop, and still later from Constantinople as Patriarch (born c. 329, died c.391); (3) Augustine, bishop of Hippo, which is Annaba, Algiers today (born c. 356, died 430); (4) John Cassian, writing from Massalia of Gaul, which is Marseilles, France today (born c. 360, died 435); and (5) Greogory I, writing initially as Abbot of St. Andrew's Monastery in Rome and later as Pope of Rome--Pope Gregory I (born 540, died 604).

The author's rule of thumb was to select for study what ancient spiritual directors wrote that survives to this day. In order to compare five models, which was the author's goal in this monograph, he needed access to sufficient primary and secondary sources to merit conclusions. In addition, all five sources shared biographical similarities that Demacopoulos considers salient to his investigation: they received formation in monasteries, explored "anxieties and policies" in writing, and were ordained to priesthood (clerics). Finally, the author selected on the basis of sufficient secondary sources to study how subsequent clerics--some of whom were monks, as well-- praised or maligned these spiritual fathers (directors).

The author's approach entertains ambiguities, even within primary sources, to reach novel ideas that assure a place for this book in discussions of contemporary Christian spiritual formation for decades to come. For example, the book identifies similar reticence by Athanasius and Augustine to employ the spiritual father model, but entertains why their hesitance should be examined in context. Contextual analysis leads the author to speculate that Athanasius hesitated in order to arrest authority from lay leaders, and Augustine resisted promoting any perception that confused Christian spiritual direction with similar models among adherents to Manichean and Pelagian heresies. However, less speculation is required for the author to compare Gregory Nazianzen and Augustine in reference to requiring formal education for clerics to protect their flocks from heretics of the time.

In addition to a chapter devoted to each of five models, the book rewards readers with copious end-notes, 20 pages of references arranged by primary and secondary source, and a 19-page index that combines subjects and names. Pastoral care providers today, both lay and clerical, will benefit from accessible prose and measured assumptions about prior knowledge of the history and apologetics of these centuries. The book, however, assumes at least beginning familiarity with theology, but avoids travel on less-traveled roads without first giving the reader enough signs to follow along. Among many reasons as these, I recommend the book to spiritual directors, pastors, teachers, and others who will be able to see themselves and their work in these pages.… (plus d'informations)