Book Review: Early Christian Lives by Various Authors

Early Christian Lives by various authors

This anthology gathers several lives of the saints written in the first centuries of the Catholic Church's existence.

Life of Antony by Athanasius

Antony is a monk who went out to the desert in Egypt to live an ascetical life. There, he dealt with many temptations and assaults by demons. His response was to rely on the Lord Jesus Christ, invoking His name against the power of the devils. The devils naturally fled. Antony's reputation spread and people constantly came to him for prayers and advice. Some came to join him in the hermit's life of prayer and penance. He welcomed them reluctantly, preferring his solitude but recognizing the needs of others. As the flow of visitors grew stronger, he fled further into the desert. People had to prove they really wanted his help by enduring a dangerous and taxing journey. Of course, "his help" was merely the working of God, a fact he constantly pointed out to the monks and the pilgrims alike. This book details some of the miracles and many of the teachings of Antony, ending with his pious death. I thought was good but a little long and repetitive.

Paul of Thebes by Jerome

In a short work, Jerome describes how Paul of Thebes was the first desert hermit even before Antony. The narrative explains how Paul came to be in the desert and then skips almost a hundred years to the point when Antony goes to visit Paul, who is near death. They have some interesting conversation and Paul asks Antony to get a special cloak for him to be buried in. By the time Antony gets back, Paul is dead. Without a shovel to dig a grave, Antony wonders what to do when two lions come and dig out a hole for the corpse of the holy man. Jerome's style is entertaining to read, a nice plus to the pious actions and conversations.

Hilarion by Jerome

Hilarion lived toward the end of Antony's life. They were in contact a few times. Hilarion modeled much of his life after Antony's style. He lived as a hermit, contending with the Devil and his minions while living a very simple life. Like Antony, his reputation got around and people started coming to him for advice and miracles, once the miracles started happening.  Later in his life, Hilarion tried going other places, even sailing to Mediterranean islands and the European mainland.

Jerome's writing style makes this a fascinating read. Hilarion has a very interesting character. It's easy to imagine him sighing as the public invades his privacy, knowing that he needs to help out other people. I had a lot of sympathy for Hilarion and enjoyed the vivid descriptions and fun little side comments.

Malchus by Jerome

Malchus's story is fairly simple but highly dramatic. He was living an ascetic life in a monastery when he decided to return to his parents. He sold off his few possessions but kept some "traveling money" to get him home. The abbott cautioned him against leaving and against hanging on to wealth. Malchus did not listen. On his way, he was captured by bandits and sold into slavery. He worked honestly as a shepherd for his new master, so well that the master decided to give a female slave to Malchus as a wife. Malchus had readopted his monastic lifestyle as a shepherd, eating hardly anything, praying constantly, and working hard. He did not want to give up a celibate life that was going so well, especially with a slave woman he did not find particularly attractive. The two went off to a cave where Malchus decided to kill himself rather than renounce virtue. The woman told him not to do it or she would be blamed. He should kill her first or they could live a pretend marriage. She didn't want to sleep with him either. They lived as brother and sister (though the master did  not know) and their Christian care for each other convinced the master that they were happily married. Eventually, they decided to escape through some harrowing adventures. Malchus returned to his monastery to live the holy life he was meant for.

The story is quick and exciting, full of action and drama. It's also full of faith and good examples. Jerome's writing style is top notch. Why isn't this story a movie yet?

Life of Martin by Sulpicius Severus

Martin of Tours was a very popular saint back in the day, thanks in part to this hagiography. He started life as son of a Roman soldier. Martin became a soldier as well, fighting bravely though slowly withdrawing from the military life. He famously saw a beggar in winter and cut his cloak in half to give part of it to the destitute man. Others mocked Martin for his shabby cloak. That night, Martin had a dream where Christ was wearing that half-cloak, a confirmation of the goodness of Martin's behavior. Martin left the army and became a monk. He made the mistake of settling just outside Tours, France. He was close enough to the city that people came to him for advice and miracles. They were so impressed with him that they insisted he become their bishop. After many efforts at resistance, Martin finally gave in. Severus chronicles many miracles attributed to Martin's intervention and some conflicts with devils who tried to pass themselves off as holy people (one even claimed it was Christ!). The story does not end with Martin's death because Severus wrote before Martin died.

Martin's story is fascinating and well told by Severus. He captures the innocent wiliness of Martin and how much of an impression he made on others, be they fellow soldiers, monks under his care, or Christians in search of help. 

Life of Benedict by Gregory the Great

 This is the classic text of hagiography. Gregory the Great chronicles the life of Benedict, the father of western monasticism. Like others, he tried to live in isolation in order to achieve spiritual perfection. He was tempted by many sins. He famously distracted himself from lustful thoughts by stripping naked and rolling around in thorny bushes. The physical pain was enough to put any other thoughts out of his mind! His life soon drew the typical combination of men to imitate his lifestyle and general populous who wanted advice or miracles. Benedict's lifestyle was so popular that he had to open several monasteries, which required the further step of appointing abbots and writing his famous Rules to guide the communities. Gregory tells the many miraculous stories of Benedict's life, ending with one performed by his sister Scholastica. In another famous incident, she came for her yearly visit with Benedict and they had such a good time talking about holy things that it gets late. She asked Benedict to stay up all night and continue the pious conversation. He said he wanted to get back to the monastery. She put her head down, cried and prayed to God for him to stay. When she raised her head, the rain poured down with lightning and thunder convincing Benedict that he could go nowhere.

The stories are interspersed with little dialogues between Gregory and his disciple Peter, who asks questions about the incidents and miracles, helping to add some more theological explanations to the situations. Many of the miracles read like pious exaggerations, especially when there are so many examples presented. It makes for lively reading that's spiritually enjoyable but that nagging thought of "is this for real?" crops up too often. 

Recommended--these are classics of Christian hagiography.

Book Review: The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton

The Greek Way by Edith Hamilton

Classical scholar Edith Hamilton writes this panegyric to Ancient Greece, the land of city-states that was able to come together under the leadership of Athens and conquer the invading Persians. She describes the Greek culture in detail, looking at historians like Herodotus and Thcuydides, playwrights like Aeschylus and Sophocles, and philosophers like Socrates and Plato. She compares them both to what came before and what came after, showing the greatness of Greek thinking and understanding. She presents a lot of arguments showing their love of human perfection (seen in their art, especially sculpture) and human knowing (which moved on from superstitious assumptions about reality to insights on the true nature of things). Their love of freedom gave them the strength to overcome massive odds, both in war and in the cultural development. She esteems them quite highly over the Eastern cultures of their time and the modern cultures of our time.

Unfortunately, the author writes in such glowing terms that it is very hard to go along with her thesis. Certainly Ancient Greece provided a turning point in Western culture and has had an on-going impact. The authors mentioned above are well worth studying, but surely there have been others who have equaled or surpassed them in the two thousand five hundred years since their time.

I enjoyed reading the book, Hamilton writes well and knows a lot. But I am not quite convinced by it.

Mildly recommended--this is a great overview of the Greek contribution to Western Civilization, if it is a bit overblown.

Book Review: The Apostle of the Marianas by Alberto Risco

The Apostle of the Marianas: The Life, Labors, and Martyrdom of Ven. Diego Luis de San Vitores 1627-1672 by Alberto Risco

This book from the 1970s was published by the Diocese of Guam to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the death of Father Diego Luis de San Vitores. He was a Spanish Jesuit who had a vision of himself dying as a martyr in Asia. He was born in 1627 and grew up in a well-to-do family. His family objected to his vocation but he was able to enter the priesthood early. After his vision in seminary, he kept asking to be sent to China or Japan. The order sent him to the Philippines, which meant stops in Mexico and the Pacific. He spent a few years in Mexico teaching at a university while he waited for a ship to the Pacific. He finally sailed west. The Spanish ships typically stopped in the Marianas Island, which were called the Ladrones Islands at the time. When Father Vitores saw the natives bringing out fruit and fresh water to the ship, he recognized them from the vision and wanted to stay. He obediently continued on to the Philippines where he worked as a professor, though he did plenty of street preaching. He kept requesting to be sent to Guam, the main island where the Spanish stopped for resupply. He sent letters to the head of his order and to his father to get help. Securing the islands both spiritually and as a port was attractive to the Spanish government, so they sent orders and some supplies for missionaries to go with some soldiers to establish a fort.

Father Vitores worked tireless among the natives and made many converts. As with any community, some were uninterested in the Christian faith and some were openly hostile. A war broke out between two villages on Guam, eventually turning into a fight against the Spanish soldiers and priests. After several other priests died, Father Vitores was also martyred. After his death, more personnel and resources were sent to the islands and the Spanish continued with their typical inculturation of the natives.

The book is an interesting mixture of scholarly research and hagiographic indulgence. The author did some thorough research in the Philippines and in Spain. Occasional footnotes cite letters from Vitores's time and a few other books on the Jesuits's activities. The author also is not shy about attributing miracles and visions to Father Vitores and his companions. For example, a priest on a different island had a vision of heavenly music and lights the night before Father Vitores came on a surprise visit. At another time, a painting of St. Francis Xavier (who was an inspiration for Father Vitores) in Spain sweated and wept when Father Vitores was suffering on the other side of the globe. I don't mind details like that but I do see how they can be hard to swallow.

Father Vitores was beatified in 1985 by Pope John Paul II, which is the second step (after being declared Venerable) on the way to canonization (i.e., being declared a saint).

Mildly recommended.

Book Review: The Life of St. Benedict by Gregory the Great

The Life of St. Benedict by Gregory the Great, translation and commentary by Terrence G. Kardong

Over a millennium ago, the biographies of saints were written in a far different style than today. Today, an author probably focuses on the challenges and failings of a saint rather than any miraculous or seemingly superhuman feats they accomplished. By contrast, the ancient tradition of hagiography (writings about the holy ones) reveled in miraculous events and conversions, almost like the saints were superheroes powered by grace rather than gadgets or gamma radiation. Pope St. Gregory the Great wrote just such a biography of St. Benedict, founder of the monastic tradition in the western church.

The text follows Benedict's life from childhood and his first experiences at school in Rome. Living in the late 400s, life was decadent. Benedict was appalled at the behavior of his Roman classmates and fled to the countryside where he became a monk. People heard about him and came to him. A nearby community lost its leader and they invited Benedict to be the new leader. He wanted them to live a holy life, giving up their luxuries. They were unhappy with this and poisoned Benedict's wine. As they brought the pitcher, he blessed it according to the local tradition. The pitcher shattered; Benedict instantly knew they were trying to poison him. He upbraided them and told them to find another father more suited to them.

That's just one example among many along the way. The commentary by Terrence Kardong does a good job of explaining the ancient style and relating the stories both to other examples of hagiography and other writings by and about Benedict. Kardong is well aware and sympathetic with the modern discomfort over miracles, especially when they happen on almost every page. He also is very aware of the literary style of the work. Not only is the prose beautiful to read but the ordering of the stories sets up interesting contrasts or similarities between events in Benedict's life.

For those afraid of finding a miracle-laden text too unbelievable, this translation and commentary makes it much easier reading. The stories told are very interesting and vivid, making this book worth reading just as literature. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Sample Quote--the famous story when Benedict was tempted by lust:

A victim of lust, he almost decided to desert the hermitage. Suddenly, favored by grace from above, he came to his senses. Seeing a thicket of briars and nettles growing close at hand, he stripped naked and threw himself in the sharp thorns and stinging nettles. He rolled in them for a long time and as a result was scratched from head to toe. The physical wounds on his skin removed the wound of his mind, for it converted lust into sorrow. By means of an external punishing fire, he snuffed out what unlawfully burned inside. So he conquered sin by switching fires. [p. 13]