The Making of the Self

A leading scholar of ascetical studies, Richard Valantasis explores a variety of ascetical traditions ranging from the Greco-Roman philosophy of Musonius Rufus, the asceticism found in the Nag Hammadi Library and in certain Gnostic texts, the Gospelof Thomas, and other early Christian texts. This collection gathers historical and theoretical essays develop a theory of asceticism that informs the...