This book explores Cassian's use of scripture in the 'Conferences', especially its biblical models to convey his understanding of the desert ideal to the monastic communities of Gaul. This book demonstrates how the scriptures functioned as a dynamic force in the lives of Christian, emphasizes the importance of Cassian in the development of the western monastic tradition, and offers an alternative to the sometimes problematic descriptions of patristic exegesis as "allegory" or "typology."

Table of contents: Cassian and the Conferences -- Martha and Mary : distraction and discretion -- Job : the ambidextrous hero -- Abraham and Moses : withdrawal and obedience -- Prophets, Psalms, and Proverbs : the continuity of experience -- Afterword : transformative knowledge and experiential transmission -- Appendix : Cassian's Preface to the first part.