Medieval Christianity (TRS/Religious Studies)

Question 1 – Monastic Spirituality
For this essay, I want you to pretend that you are a medieval monk who has been given the responsibility of writing a “handbook on Christian spirituality” for others who aspire to a life of spiritual perfection. The challenge here is to demonstrate that you understand medieval monastic spirituality by writing as if you were part of that movement (NOT from the perspective of a modern person).
Such a handbook must explain the starting condition of human life, the goals of Christian spirituality, and the best means to achieve those goals.
Your handbook must draw upon at least three different ancient sources to support and/or illustrate your argument. Such ancient sources could be (1) the Bible, (2) a saint’s Life, or (3) a Rule for monastic life. (Madigan’s book and my video lectures are not ancient sources.)
Grading Criteria (specific): The goal of this essay is to test (1) your ability to synthesize material from a variety of ancient resources into a single, coherent argument and (2) your ability to understand another worldview by writing from its perspective. Your grade for the essay will reflect how well you have achieved these two specific goals.
Grading Criteria (general): All essays are evaluated based on the argument’s strength and thoughtfulness, the clarity and organization of the writing, the depth of explanation of central ideas, and the effective use of evidence (which should be specific, explained, and cited). Your grade for the essay will reflect how well you have achieved these general goals.
Other details: The essay should be 600-800 words. Please include the word count at the top of your essay when you submit it. Please do not re-copy this prompt as part of your submitted essay. Keep quotations short (a sentence or two, at most); do not block quote. Cite properly (parenthetical is fine). Include a short “Works Cited” list at the bottom of the essay. Run a spell check and capitalize proper names. No introductory or concluding “fluff” is required; use your words to directly address the prompt.

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