ABSTRACT

In his thoroughgoing attempt to define asceticism, Richard Valantasis argues that “every asceticism becomes a performance”; asceticism constitutes a “highly complex performance genre.”1 Being an ascetic, however, is not a part-time job, at least not in the Christian tradition-it is a way of living one’s life. Indeed, it is a way of constructing one’s identity.2 By stressing that the ascetic performs the regime that is his or her life, Valantasis highlights the self-conscious intention with which the ascetic carries out the facets of that life. Furthermore, in literate societies, the lives of exemplary ascetics are memorialized in narratives not only for the purpose of entertainment and admiration, but also for the purpose of mimesis, so that neophyte ascetics can imitate the masters. Thus, asceticism is a highly scripted form of behavior.