Monasticism and Local Self-Organisation: Monastic Letters, Horizontal Binding Forces, and Urban Community in Late Antiquity

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Jan Stenger
• Subject Area: Greek and Latin Philology ; Ancient History
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 517271793

The project investigates the role and functions of monastic epistolary writing in the emergence and practice of local self-organisation in the eastern part of the late Roman Empire (fifth and sixth centuries AD). The massive letter collections of Isidore of Pelusium (eastern Nile delta) and the monks Barsanuphius and John of Gaza show a sustained contact with other monastics, ecclesiastical officials, representatives of the state, and laypeople. On the one hand, the letters fulfilled crucial functions in organising the life of their own monastic communities; on the other hand, they enabled a second group, the local lay community, to deal with communal tasks. The project explores the question of how epistolary communication contributed to the social cohesion and integration of the respective groups. Which were the shared needs that were identified and addressed in the groups? What communicative strategies and means were employed to negotiate and implement rules for the groups and to secure their acceptance? In what ways did the letters shape and enhance the internal organisation of the groups? The study of the communicative praxis aims to reveal the contribution that the monastic letters made to the establishment and stability of horizontal binding forces at the local level. This will achieve a new understanding of the social dimension of monastic epistolography.This aim is pursued in two case studies, one on Egyptian Pelusium in the fifth century and one on Gaza in the sixth century. Both case studies analyse the mode of communication of the letters in order to describe the establishment of rules, the generation of horizontal binding forces, and the functioning of self-governing groups. Based on an understanding of the letter as social practice, the parallel study of the corpora of Isidore and Barsanuphius and John will elucidate the vital functions fulfilled by monastic letters for local community building and addressing societal problems. This will make it possible to recognise the great importance and effectiveness of horizontal binding forces in the vertically structured late antique societies and thus to gain a more accurate picture of local governance in this period. At the same time, we will establish a re-evaluation of the social functions of monastic epistolography by illuminating its contribution to the stability and functioning of the societies of the late Empire.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants