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c. 325 – 636 AD
John Cassian
c. 360 – c. 435 AD
Marseilles, Gaul (possibly born in Scythia Minor)
Overview
A bridge between East and West. After learning from Egyptian monks, he brought their ascetic wisdom to southern Gaul and helped shape Western monastic spirituality.
Did You Know?
Benedict recommended Cassian's Conferences to his monks, which is one reason Cassian's voice echoes through so much later Western monasticism.
Major Writings
The Institutes
A practical manual for the external life of monks (clothing, rules, food). It famously identifies the "Eight Principal Vices" (Gluttony, Lust, Greed, Anger, Sadness, Sloth, Vainglory, Pride)—the list that Gregory the Great later streamlined into the "Seven Deadly Sins."
ReadThe Conferences
A collection of dialogues with the Desert Fathers of Egypt. While The Institutes deals with external behavior, The Conferences deals with the inner battle of the mind and unceasing prayer.
ReadOn the Incarnation of the Lord
A defense of Christ's divinity written at the request of the future Pope Leo the Great to help defeat the Nestorian heresy.
ReadRead John Cassian’s Commentary
See what John Cassian wrote about Scripture. Open any book in the Bible reader and switch to the Commentary tab to find their insights.
Open Bible ReaderHistorical Context
The Golden Age: Latin (Western) Fathers
The Western teachers whose preaching, biblical scholarship, monastic vision, and doctrinal battles shaped Latin Christianity for centuries.
11 Church Fathers in this era
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Part of The Golden Age: Latin (Western) Fathers