Renunciation and Embrace

Abstract This contribution to the Common Knowledge symposium “The Satisfactions of Asceticism” addresses gaps in the study of Christian asceticism by telling a narrative of its development from the late antique world to the present. In so doing, the article seeks to expand the range of ascetic phenomena studied, including both new time periods and new practices. The narrative is organized according to a dialectical tension between renunciation and embrace, with different ascetic figures emphasizing opposite poles of the dialectic. A distinct picture of Christian asceticism thereby emerges, one that holds pain and pleasure in tension, highlights neglected phenomena such as stability, and extends beyond the ancient and medieval periods to include the present.