From very early in the history of Christian spirituality, there have been two models for the contemplative life: the eremitic (or solitary) and the coenobitic (or communal). Both were practised from the third century by the Desert Fathers and by all accounts there was considerable movement of individual monks and nuns from one form of life to the other. Speaking very broadly, the eremitic model was seen as the “highest” in the Eastern Churches, but in the West the community tradition “won out” for a number of reasons, including the influence of John Cassian (AD 360-435) who had been trained in the Egyptian desert, and who came to Gaul where he established a coenobitic community near Marseilles in 415. He wrote a “rule” (in powerful but simple Latin) tha