This thesis explores principles inherent in Eastern Orthodox monasticism as they contribute to informing a philosophy of religious education. Beginning with an examination into the origins of Christian monasticism, we proceed to investigate the divergence between monastic practice in the Latin West and Greek East. This discussion is followed by an inquiry into the prayer of the heart, and the pedagogical principles discernable in Athonite hesychastic practitioners. Theirs is a lived pedagogy directed toward theosis, a participation in the divine energies of God. If theosis is the telos of their education, it is an end occasioned through asceticism (i.e. praxis). The pedagogy of Eastern monastics is infused with an inward-oriented gaze, concerning itself not with external objects, but rather inward relation. This interior cultivation is put into dialogue with John Henry Newman’s educational theory, as this serves as a useful lens through which to read the Eastern monastic tradition.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/25674 |
| Date | 01 January 2011 |
| Creators | Schaeffer, Jeffrey |
| Contributors | Levine, David |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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