The Library of Paradise A History of Contemplative Reading in the Monasteries of the Church of the East

Contemplative reading is a spiritual practice developed by Christian monks in sixth- and seventh-century Mesopotamia. Mystics belonging to the Church of the East pursued a form of contemplation which moved from reading, to meditation, to prayer, to the ecstasy of divine vision. The Library of Paradise tells the story of this Syriac tradition in three phases: its establishment as an ascetic practice, the articulation of its theology, and its maturation and spread. The sixth-century monastic reform of Abraham of Kashkar codified the essential place of reading in East Syrian ascetic life. Once established, the practice of contemplative reading received extensive theological commentary. Abraham's successor Babai the Great drew upon the ascetic system of Evagrius of Pontus to explain the relationship of reading to the monk's pursuit of God. Syriac monastic handbooks of the seventh century built on this Evagrian framework. 'Enanisho' of Adiabene composed an anthology called Paradise that would stand for centuries as essential reading matter for Syriac monks. Dadisho' of Qatar wrote a widely copied commentary on the Paradise. Together, these works circulated as a one-volume library which offered readers a door to "Paradise" through contemplation. The Library of Paradise is the first book-length study of East Syrian contemplative reading. It adapts methodological insights from prior scholarship on reading, including studies on Latin lectio divina. By tracing the origins of East Syrian contemplative reading, this study opens the possibility for future investigation into its legacies, including the tradition's long reception history in Sogdian, Arabic, and Ethiopic monastic libraries.

David A. Michelson, Associate Professor of the History of Christianity, Vanderbilt University

David A. Michelson is Associate Professor of the History of Christianity at Vanderbilt University. He earned his PhD from Princeton University in 2007. His research is focused on Christianity in Late Antiquity with a particular interest in monasticism, Christianity in the Middle East, and the
transmission of Syriac literary and manuscript culture. Michelson is the author of The Practical Christology of Philoxenos of Mabbug (OUP, 2014). He is also the co-editor of The Syriac Gazetteer and other digital research tools published by Syriaca.org.