The Carmelites and Antiquity: Mendicants and their Pasts in the Middle Ages

In this volume Andrew Jotischky establishes himself as the foremost scholar currently working on the medieval Carmelites. He provides an illuminating and important account … This is also an important contribution to our understanding of mendicant ideas of antiquity. ― Journal of Ecclesiastical History

Jotischky is aware of the limitations of an approach which cannot trace the lay reception of the arguments presented, but this remains an important project, accomplished with enviable lightness of touch. ― Journal of Ecclesiastical History

Jotischky’s account is clear and thorough. It is enriched by a narrative of the documentable early history of the Order as well as by insightful comparisons with myth-making in the rival Orders. ― Robert Lerner, Times Literary Supplement

An invaluable contribution to Carmelite historiography … The Carmelites and Antiquity is a major contribution to Carmelite studies. It has grown out of an earlier work, The Perfection of Solitude (Penn University Press, 1996) and not only represents an awareness of Carmelite historical studies but also says something significant about the Order’s self-awareness. It has much to offer the Carmelite Family in the twenty-first century for its own current growth in self-understanding. ― Wilfrid McGreal, O’Carm, Food For The Journey (Mount Carmel April-June 2003)