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Jesus In Every Age. Session Three: Jesus, the Monk Who Ruled the World. Saint Benedict ( 480 – 547) : The Rise of Monasticism. The rise of institutional Christianity (the Pantocrator ) and Christian prosperity goes hand-in-hand with the desert fathers, and early monasticism.
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Saint Benedict (480 – 547): The Rise of Monasticism • The rise of institutional Christianity (the Pantocrator) and Christian prosperity goes hand-in-hand with the desert fathers, and early monasticism. • Benedict began his formal ministry as a hermit. Followers gathered around him, and he established a Rule of Life for these communities, one of the most influential Christian documents of the western Church. • The Rule: The attempt to carve out a space for a deeper relationship with Christ, a Lord who demands total commitment. • A life of attainable sacrifice ordered towards a life of humility. • Based on biblical teachings and example of Jesus • An all-encompassing pattern of life that deals largely with daily practicalities- ora et labora, work and prayer. • Benedicts Monasticism was Hugely Influential in Shaping the History of Christianity in the West
Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) and the Cistercians: Divine Love • Cistercians as reform Benedictine order • Rapid growth during the life of Bernard, who became abbot of Clairvaux at age 25 • In the Cistercian cloister, mystical theology of ascent blossomed, drawing on Platonist influence through Pseudo-Dionysius • Via purgativa, via illuminativa, via unitiva • Song of Songs in the Medieval Cloister • Why was this reading so appealing in monastic communities? • Jesus as the Beloved Lover • Jesus as the model of Humility • Jesus as the object of Conversion and Union with Him. How do we know God? • Mystical Union and ascent. • Know Thyself • Christ as the perfect Imago Dei- Image of God
Francis of Assisi (1182-1226): The Friars • The Humanity of Christ • Holy Poverty • The Humility of Christ • The wounds of Christ • The Body and Blood of Christ • Imitatio Christi (the Imitation of Christ) being at the heart of Christian life. Doing penance is living the life of Christ’s simplicity in order to receive Christ and his blessings. • Friars: Living in, but not of the world • A preaching order.
St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) • A Dominican friar • University of Paris, medieval Scholasticism • Aristotelian Synthesis • Image of God resides largely in potential human intellectual capacity • Relation to Christ as model and Savior which enables growth in the virtues. • Eucharistic Theology and Piety: Corpus Christi- centers thinking even more intensely on sacrifice and the death of Christ (cult of the precious blood, flagellants, etc) • Christ as the Perfect Friend and the telos (goal) of human life.