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THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE HUMAN PERSON THROUGH CONTEMPLATION: AN ANALYSIS OF JOHN CASSIAN’S CONFERENCES Thesis Submitted to The College of Arts and Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Master of Arts in Theological Studies By Lindsay Horn Dayton, Ohio August 2021 THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE HUMAN PERSON THROUGH CONTEMPLATION: AN ANALYSIS OF JOHN CASSIAN’S CONFERENCES Name: Horn, Lindsay Rose APPROVED BY: ___________________________________ Sandra Yocum, Ph.D. Faculty Advisor ___________________________________ Meghan Henning, Ph.D. Faculty Reader ___________________________________ Jana Bennett, Ph.D. Faculty Reader ___________________________________ Jana Bennett, Ph.D. Department Chair ii ABSTRACT THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE HUMAN PERSON THROUGH CONTEMPLATION: AN ANALYSIS OF JOHN CASSIAN’S CONFERENCES Name: Horn, Lindsay Rose University of Dayton Advisor: Dr. Sandra Yocum This thesis examines the desert mothers’ and fathers’ view of contemplation as a journey toward theosis, or communion with God. To accomplish this, “contemplation” is analyzed within the fifth century document, The Conferences of John Cassian¸ where John Cassian, the document’s author, has conversation with various desert abbas on the monastic life. The argument presented within this thesis is that ascetic practices of renunciation and purification serve as a catalyst for the contemplative life where the contemplator comes face-to-face with God. In the process of experiencing purity of heart, the contemplator transforms into the likeness of God. Also needed in the process of transformation is the cultivation of silence, for it is within silence the contemplator recognizes God’s nearness. The conclusion of this thesis ties together the themes of theological anthropology, renunciation, purity of heart, and contemplation in the story of Martha and Mary Luke 10:38-42. Mary, an exemplar to the abbas in the Conferences, personifies transformation by contemplation through her choosing “the one thing necessary.” iii Dedicated to the Campus Ministry GA cohort of 2019-2021. I could not have done this without all of you. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am deeply grateful to Dr. Sandra Yocum for the support and wisdom she provided me with during the writing of this thesis. Her assistance and insightful comments and suggestions greatly encouraged me along this journey of exploring the world of the desert mothers and fathers. I am also thankful to Dr. Meghan Henning and Dr. Jana Bennett, who served as readers on my thesis committee. My colleagues in Campus Ministry and the Center for Social Concern have supported me immensely during this time, especially Samantha Kennedy, Sam Mayne, Rachel Bell, and Rebecca Judge. Additionally, I would like to express my gratitude toward my family, especially my parents, for their continual support throughout my graduate coursework. I would also like to thank my friends, Hannah Stephonze, Hannah Grace, and Becky Boban, for their emotional and spiritual support during this process. You all have my deepest gratitude. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... iii DEDICATION .................................................................................................................. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ..................................................................................................v INTRODUCTION ..............................................................................................................1 CHAPTER 1: THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY: WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE HUMAN? ............................................................................................................................4 Part 1: The Purpose of Human Life ..............................................................................4 Introduction: What does it mean to be human? ......................................................4 Theological Anthropology: Created, Separated, and Incarnated ............................6 Interior Freedom: Metanoia of the Heart .............................................................. 10 Contemplation ...................................................................................................... 14 Part 2: Contemplation as a Proposed Means to Theosis ............................................. 15 What is contemplation?......................................................................................... 15 Why is contemplation needed for theosis? ........................................................... 21 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 25 CHAPTER 2: RENUNCIATION AND PURITY OF HEART AS A PRELUDE TO CONTEMPLATION......................................................................................................... 27 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 27 Who is John Cassian? ................................................................................................ 28 Introduction to the Conferences of John Cassian ....................................................... 29 Renunciation in the Desert .......................................................................................... 34 vi Purity of Heart............................................................................................................ 39 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 44 CHAPTER 3: “CONTEMPLATION” IN JOHN CASSIAN’S CONFERENCES .......... 46 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 46 The Use of “Contemplation” in Cassian’s Conferences ............................................. 47 Scriptural Meditation and Unceasing Prayer .............................................................. 52 Contemplation as Unceasing and True Prayer ............................................................ 56 Contemplation of Mysteries in Conferences 6 and 14 ................................................ 57 Dynamics Between the Active and Contemplative Life ............................................. 60 Becoming Prayer: Remembrance, Meditation, Contemplation .................................. 61 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 65 CHAPTER 4: LEARNING TO EMBRACE SILENCE ................................................... 67 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 67 Silence: Discovering the Holy Temple Inside of Us .................................................. 68 Silence: Recognizing God Within Us ........................................................................ 75 Conclusion .................................................................................................................. 83 CHAPTER 5: EXPERIENCING THEOSIS AND LUKE 10:38-4 .................................. 85 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 85 Part 1: Theosis: Deification, and Contemplation ........................................................ 85 Introduction to an Understanding of Theosis ........................................................ 86 Becoming the Likeness of God ............................................................................. 88 Origin of Theosis .................................................................................................. 90 vii Experiencing Theosis ............................................................................................ 92 Part 2: Contemplation in the Story of Mary and Martha of Bethany .......................... 97 Conclusion .................................................................................................................103 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................105 BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................................108 viii INTRODUCTION I had never heard of John Cassian before pursuing the beginning of this thesis. Maybe I ran across his name once or twice in class, but he never stood out to me as significant. However, what I learned through this research is how important John Cassian is, especially for the beginnings of monasticism in the 4th and 5th centuries. As this thesis discusses, Cassian was a traveler and a bridge. He was traveler on a journey to heaven, and a bridge between the East and the West. Cassian the Traveler and Cassian the bridge birthed The Conferences of John Cassian, which is the central document of this thesis. The Conferences are a collection of dialogues and sayings between Cassian and several Egyptian desert fathers. Within this document, the fathers instructed Cassian, and Cassian’s friend Germanus, on monastic living. One constant theme throughout the document which the desert abbas instructed Cassian toward is contemplation. In this thesis, I argue that contemplative prayer transforms us into the likeness of God, because through contemplation we come face-to-face with God and are
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