Caner has written a superb history of the early monastic movement in the Constantinian empire. He deals at length about those labelled "Messalians" by a church hieriarchy anxious about their own donatee status in the patronage-heavy Roman world. He has a good blend of the anecdotal reference with the historical record, and offers insights into the complex interactions of church politics with the sincere desire to comply with the more rigorous quotations of Jesus. I found his observations with regards to the Christological controversies very interesting, as they were fueled to large extent by the ambitions of itinerant monks who found economic support outside ecclesiastical circles. Ultimately, the Council of Chalcedon and subsequent imperial proscriptions made the business of wandering, begging monks a very risky one, with the result that monks became exclusive dwellers of static, easily-controlled, church-run monasteries. The day of the trouble-making, doctrine-spouting "Have Gospel, Will Preach" Monk came to an end. Caner's book belongs in the bookscase of every early church history fan.

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