Saint John Cassian was a monk and theologian who lived in the late 4th and early 5th centuries. He was probably born somewhere in Romania, and traveled to Egypt to study with the desert monastic community that was active there (to learn more about them, listen to our fourth episode, "Desert Fathers and Mothers"). He also was a disciple of Saint John Chrysostom for a time. Eventually he ended up in Marseille in France, where he founded two monastic communities there, drawing from the lessons he learned in Egypt. Saint John Cassian produced many profound spiritual writings, which have been incredibly influential with regard to the development of monasticism in the western church. These writings have also been treasured by lay Christians everywhere. In this episode we will briefly go over John Cassian's life, and read extracts from his major works.