Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen – författare

The translation of The Life of St. Stephen the Younger details the unique birth narrative, monastic life, and martyrdom of an Eastern Christian monk named “Stephen,” killed by a blow to the head on the way to his formal execution in approximately 765 AD.Composed in the early ninth century, this entertaining and interesting life and death narrative has resulted in Stephen the Younger being easily identified as one of the best known and popular martyrs. Between Stephen’s birth and death, the reader is introduced to the theological and social culture of ninth-century Constantinople through Stephen’s relationship with male and female monastics, religious councils, and imperial figures. This saint’s life, unique for its length, detail, and effect on the literary tradition, is essential for scholars and lay-readers alike who wish to understand the priorities of the Byzantine world.Scholars, students, and non-specialist readers with an interest in hagiography and medieval religious literature, Orthodox Christianity, or Byzantine history will find that the translation of The Life of St. Stephen the Younger provides an elegant recounting of the stirring tale, while the historical commentary offers detailed insight into a historic moment of great religious and political complexity.

John Moschos' Spiritual Meadow is one of the most important sources for late sixth-early seventh century Palestinian, Syrian and Egyptian monasticism. This undisputedly invaluable collection of beneficial tales provides contemporary society with a fuller picture of an imperfect social history of this period: it is a rich source for understanding not only the piety of the monk but also the poor farmer. Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen fills a lacuna in classical monastic secondary literature by highlighting Moschos' unique contribution to the way in which a fertile Christian theology informed the ethics of not only those serving at the altar but also those being served. Introducing appropriate historical and theological background to the tales, Llewellyn Ihssen demonstrates how Moschos' tales addresses issues of the autonomy of individual ascetics and lay persons in relationship with authority figures. Economic practices, health care, death and burials of lay persons and ascetics are examined for the theology and history that they obscure and reveal. Whilst teaching us about the complicated relationships between personal agency and divine intercession, Moschos’ tales can also be seen to reveal liminal boundaries we know existed between the secular and the religious.

John Moschos' Spiritual Meadow is one of the most important sources for late sixth-early seventh century Palestinian, Syrian and Egyptian monasticism. This undisputedly invaluable collection of beneficial tales provides contemporary society with a fuller picture of an imperfect social history of this period: it is a rich source for understanding not only the piety of the monk but also the poor farmer. Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen fills a lacuna in classical monastic secondary literature by highlighting Moschos' unique contribution to the way in which a fertile Christian theology informed the ethics of not only those serving at the altar but also those being served. Introducing appropriate historical and theological background to the tales, Llewellyn Ihssen demonstrates how Moschos' tales addresses issues of the autonomy of individual ascetics and lay persons in relationship with authority figures. Economic practices, health care, death and burials of lay persons and ascetics are examined for the theology and history that they obscure and reveal. Whilst teaching us about the complicated relationships between personal agency and divine intercession, Moschos’ tales can also be seen to reveal liminal boundaries we know existed between the secular and the religious.