Pitfalls of Intellection: Pedagogical Concerns on Mount Athos

This paper is based on the findings of social anthropological fieldwork which was carried out in one of the principal monasteries of Mount Athos between June 1991 and January 1993. In the article, I explore the logic of pedagogical concerns on Mt. Athos, and compare it with that of western monastic models. By briefly revisiting the historic rift between the Greek and Latin Churches, I seek to highlight some of the deeper theological foundations on which the Athonite attitude to education rests. More specifically, I concentrate on the importance which ritual participation acquires in the socialization of Athonite novices, and discuss the implications which this has for the religi ous life of Orthodox Greeks. I also dwell upon the anti-intellectualist attitudes that one often encounters on Athos, and examine the social implications which this orientation has for coenobitic life on the Mountain.