St. John Cassian, Abbot and Ascetical Writer

Latin Father of the Church: ca. 360-435 A.D.

Introduction

St. John Cassian was a monk who was able to connect Eastern monasticism and early Western monasticism. As an ascetical writer, his thought was influenced by the writings of Evagrius Ponticus. His two major writings were of great influence in the West for more than a millenium. These two writings were:

• "The Conferences (ca. 426-429 A.D.),
• and "The Institutes" (ca. 430 A.D.).

The life of St. John Cassian

The writer Gennadius in the fifth century A.D. says that St. John Cassian was born in Scythia, of wealthy parents, and that at 380 A.D., he went to Palestine with a friend named Germanus.

St. John Cassian and Germanus became monks at Bethlehem. Then they went to Egypt where they lived as hermits under Archebius. They continued on and visited the famous Fathers (abbas) of the desert until they arrived at Skete.

In about 400 A.D., John Cassian became a follower of St. John Chrysostom at Constantinople and was ordained a deacon by him. When John Chrysostom was deposed, together with others, John Cassian went to Rome in 405 A.D., to defend Chrysostom before Pope Innocent I. Several years later he went to Marseilles and lived there until his death in 435 A.D.

Founded monasteries

In about 415 A.D., St. John Cassian founded two monasteries, where he applied the spirit of Egyptian asceticism and monastic life. It was for his monks that he wrote "The Institutes" or "Institutes of the Monastic Life". Through this writing, he set forth the rules for monastic life - listing eight chief hindrances to a monk's perfection. St. John Cassian's "Institutes" greatly impressed St. Benedict that it influenced Benedict's own spirit of Western monasticism.

Other writings

"The Institutes" was St. John Cassian's second major work. His first major writing was "The Conferences" or "Conferences on the Egyptian Monks". This writing contains twenty-four recollections of conversations with noted abbas and leaders of Eastern monasticism - conversations on the interior spiritual practices of monastic life.

This writing was censured by Pope Pelagius for containing erroneous doctrine in some of its passages. His other writing, "De Incarnatione Domini", which was against Nestorian, was written at the request of an archdeacon who was later to become Pope St. Leo the Great. In this work, St. John Cassian denounces Pelagianism.

"Purity of heart"

Despite censure from Pope Pelagius, St. John Cassian's works was of great influence to Western monasticism. Especially important was his emphasis on "purity of heart" (puritas cordis: Mt 5:8) as the aim, or direction, the monk uses to attain the goal of the kingdom of heaven. Although St. John Cassian wrote for his fellow monastics, important parts of his teaching are also applicable to all devout Christians - especially his teaching on prayer.

Though coming from the East, St. John Cassian is listed also as one of the Latin Fathers of the Church.

References of this article

• Pocket Catholic Dictionary, by John A. Hardon, SJ
• The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism, by editor Bernard McGinn
• Dictionary of Saints, by John J. Delaney