School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses
Date of Award
5-9-2007
Document Type
Graduate Paper
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Liturgical Studies
Department
School of Theology and Seminary
First Advisor
R. Kevin Seasoltz, OSB
Subject Categories
Religion
Abstract
It is the object of this paper to examine the roots of the rhetoric which developed almost as early as monasticism itself of monastic profession as a “second baptism.” The reader will see how Neo-Platonic thought contributed to the reinforcement of this rhetoric, and how it has been expressed down the ages in both the West and East. Further, this paper examines the challenges this rhetoric received at the hands of the Sixteenth Century Reformers. Finally, it suggests a way to move toward a deeper investigation of the ongoing challenges within the Roman Catholic Church to advance and reinforce a full appreciation of the “universal call to holiness” as taught by the Second Vatican Council and the interrelation of the order of the baptized and the monastic orders. This will lend a proper appreciation for the way the universal call is embodied in the individual lives of Christians.
Recommended Citation
Gothman, August L., "Vulgar and Ascetic Christians: the Myth of a Higher Spirituality The rhetoric of monastic profession as a second baptism" (2007). School of Theology and Seminary Graduate Papers/Theses. 11.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/sot_papers/11
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