Roots of Monasticism and the Rule of St Benedict

1. Roots of Monasticism and the Rule of St Benedict

2. Christian Monasticism • Christianity began and spread as a city religion • All-consuming materialism, gross sexual promiscuity, political corruption, etc. • Once the Christians figured out that they would be around for a while, they realized that it would be difficult to live the Christian life in the midst of the decadence • They rejected the values of Roman society • Many religious believed that Roman clergy sacrificed morality in exchange for wealth and prosperity • “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” Mark 8:34

3. 4th and 5th Centuries • Christians went from being the persecuted minority to the state-affiliated majority • Martyrdom disappeared for the most part and a new brand of it developed • Extreme asceticism • St Anthony of Egypt became the father of monasticism • Established Eremitical Monasticism • He went to Alexandria during the last persecution to strengthen the faith of the martyrs and probably to be martyred himself but he survived

4. Eremitical Monasticism • Small colonies of men and women who lived in the desert as hermits • No way to know for sure how many there were because they wanted to have a hidden life known only to God • This was a break from the traditional view of religion as an urban social existence • Soon these monks and nuns were sought out as holy people and spiritual guides • Saint Pachomius in Egypt • His sister Mary set a convent up in 320

5. Evolution of Monasticism • As monasticism spread to Europe it was modified because of cold winters which discouraged isolated living • Dense woods with wandering Teutonic tribes also contributed to the adjustment • Also, if hermits could communicate directly with god, what good was the church and its priests? • St Basil opposed eremitical life because it did not provide the opportunity for charity, self-sufiecience was impossible, it led to excessive individualism • Saint Basil, Bishop of Caesaria established a rule that made monasteries self-suffiecient

6. Coenobitic Monasticism • Communal living in monasteries • Experiments in Gaul, Italy, England, and Ireland • St. Martin of Tours established a monastery in Gaul to convert pagan peasants • In 540 the Roman Senator Cassiodorus retired and built a monastery on his estate that was intended to be a center of culture and learning and had a scriptorium • Monks copied both sacred and secular texts • Developed into a lasting medieval tradition

7. St Benedict of Nursia • Aristocratic Roman Family- well educated • Experimented with both forms of monasticism • Established a monastery in Monte Cassino between Rome and Naples • Created the Rule of St Benedict which became the foundation for religious life in the Roman Church • Strict discipline and regulations • Eliminated excessive individualism • Spend the day in prayer- Opus Dei

8. The Rule • Chanting and praying, manual labor, study • Vows • Stability- to prevent wandering • Conversion of manners- improve oneself in order to be closer to God • Obedience- complete surrender of will to the abbot • Reveal the Roman spirit in Christianity • Logic, organization, law • Egalitarian- “the abbot should avoid favoritism…. A man born free is not to be given higher rank than a slave who becomes a monk.”

9. Women and Monasticism • Women took part in eremitical monasticism but early monasteries were for men only • Soon after convents were formed where the brothers would be in charge of the material needs of the community but couldn’t eat or sleep there • Double monasteries • Beguines, anchorites, and anchoresses

10. Saint Augustine • Profoundly influenced the course of western civilization • Born n North Africa and attended school at Carthage • Trying to find meaning in a world ridden by evil • First turns to Manichaeism but gives up and turns to philosophy • Inspired by the sermons of Saint Ambrose • Wrote the City of God • Response to the crisis of the Roman Empire like Plato’s Republic was a response to the crisis of the Athenian polis • The earthy city was the opposite of the heavenly city but Christians cannot reject the earthly city • The city that would rise out of the ruins of Rome would have to based on Christian principles • The Church must guide the state to protect its citizens from their sinful nature

11. A New Worldview • For Socrates, individuals could arrive at standards of good and evil through reflection • For Augustine, reason alone could not get us there • “to live according to oneself is sin” • Reason was not the enemy of faith • Faith and reason integrated with revelation was the key to wisdom • This sets up a new paradigm and gives the church a new mission