Shenoute and the Women of the White Monastery: Egyptian Monasticism in Late Antiquity, by Rebecca Krawiec

Shenoute was a hugely important figure in the world of Egyptian Christian monasticism during the late fourth and early fifth centuries. However, his contributions have received much less attention than other key figures in this movement. Part of this lack of attention has to do with the difficulty of Shenoute's writings. Shenoute composed in rhetorically dense and complex Coptic, and the sources themselves are in such disarray that it has been and continues to be difficult to get a clear picture of Shenoute or his world. Rebecca Krawiec's intriguing study aims to redress this neglect and to shed new light on both Shenoute and the monastic community he headed. But while the figure of Shenoute is important to Krawiec's study, it is important to note that he is part of a larger set of concerns. These concerns revolve around the women who took monastic vows as part of Shenoute's White Monastery in Upper Egypt and whose lives unfolded in more-or-less continuous debate with Shenoute, their self-appointed monastic superior. The subject of Krawiec's book-how these women composed their lives within the context of this strict and deeply patriarchal monastic culture-is both timely and important. But it is also, at least at first glance, improbable. Shenoute was a fierce, even harsh disciplinarian, meting out strict punishment (often corporal punishment) to men and women alike. He could be exacting and violent in demanding compliance with his vision of monastic life. This would not appear to be a very promising place to examine women's monastic life and experience.