monk praying in his
cell. in Egypt, built over the tomb of
Saint Anthony, the "Father of Christian Monasticism" Monasticism in Christianity, which provides the origins of the words "monk" and "monastery", comprises several diverse forms of religious living. It began to develop early in the history of the Church, but is not mentioned in the scriptures. The precise origins of the movement are obscure but it seems that it originated in more than one place with Egypt and Syria as important early centres. It has come to be regulated by religious rules (e.g. the Rule of St Basil, the Rule of St Benedict) and, in modern times, the Church law of the respective apostolic Christian churches that have forms of monastic living. The Christian monk embraces the monastic life as a vocation from God. His objective is to imitate the life of Christ as far as possible in preparation for attaining eternal life after death. Titles for monastics differ between the Christian denominations. In Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism, monks and nuns are addressed as Brother (or Father, if ordained to the priesthood) or Mother, Sister, while in Eastern Orthodoxy, they are addressed as Father or Mother. Women pursuing a monastic life are generally called nuns, religious sisters or, rarely, canonesses, while monastic men are called monks, friars or brothers. During the fourth and fifth century monasticism allowed women to be removed from traditional lifestyles such as marriage and childbearing to live a life devoted to God. Guided by daily rules and lifestyle guidelines, monasticism afforded women great spiritual autonomy. Women also played a crucial role in promoting and financing the monastic movement. Monasteries served as a space for communal living for monks and nuns many operated under different ranges of severity for rules and punishment of disobedience towards practices that largely originated from the Desert Fathers, these parameters were administered by a superior (Father/Mother). While the practices of female monastic communities varied, they were united by a commitment to a life of prayer, contemplation, and service to others. Teachings from Shenoute of Atripe, an influential figure in the development of the monastic tradition in Egypt and for his writings on monastic life were also implemented throughout monasteries. Sometimes written in the masculine gender as if exclusively applicable to the male congregations, despite the fact Shenoute commanded a federation that included both male and female congregations. Later, during 379 AD the first monastery for women was founded in Jerusalem by Saint Melania the Elder. This was a significant moment in history: before then, female monasteries were solely adjunct to male monasteries, although the history of female ascetics predates even the earliest recognized female ascetic pioneers, such as Saint Mary of Egypt, who lived during the 5th century AD. In fourth century Egypt, Christians felt called to a more reclusive or
eremitic form of living (in the spirit of the "Desert Theology" for the purpose of spiritual renewal and return to God). Saint
Anthony the Great is cited by
Athanasius as one of the early "Hermit monks". Especially in the Middle East, eremitic monasticism continued to be common until the decline of
Syriac Christianity in the late Middle Ages. Around 318 Saint
Pachomius started to organize his many followers in what was to become the first Christian
cenobitic or communal
monastery. Soon, similar institutions were established throughout the Egyptian desert as well as the rest of the eastern half of the Roman Empire. Notable
monasteries in the East include: •
Monastery of Saint Anthony, one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world. •
Mar Awgin founded a monastery on
Mt. Izla above
Nisibis in
Mesopotamia (c. 350), and from this monastery the cenobitic tradition spread in Mesopotamia, Persia, Armenia, Georgia and even India and China. • St.
Sabbas the Sanctified organized the monks of the Judean Desert in a monastery close to
Bethlehem (483), now known as
Mar Saba, which is considered the mother of all monasteries of the
Eastern Orthodox churches. •
Saint Catherine's Monastery was founded between 527 and 565 in the
Sinai Peninsula,
Egypt, by order of Emperor
Justinian I. In the West, the most significant development occurred when the rules for monastic communities were written down, the Rule of St Basil being credited with having been the first. The precise dating of the
Rule of the Master is problematic. It has been argued that it antedates the Rule of Saint Benedict created by
Benedict of Nursia for his monastery in
Monte Cassino, Italy (c. 529), and the other
Benedictine monasteries he had founded as part of the
Order of St Benedict. It would become the most common rule throughout the Middle Ages and is still in use today. The
Augustinian Rule, due to its brevity, has been adopted by various communities, chiefly the
Canons Regular. Around the 12th century, the
Franciscan,
Carmelite,
Dominican,
Servite Order (see
Servants of Mary) and
Augustinian mendicant orders chose to live in city
convents among the people instead of being secluded in monasteries.
St. Augustine's Monastery, founded in 1277 in
Erfurt, Germany is regarded by many historians and theologians as the "cradle of the
Reformation", as it is where
Martin Luther lived as a monk from 1505 to 1511. Today new expressions of
Christian monasticism, many of which are
ecumenical, are developing in various places such as the
Bose Monastic Community in Italy, the
Monastic Fraternities of Jerusalem throughout Europe, the Anglo-Celtic Society of Nativitists, the
Taizé Community in France, the Eastern Orthodox monasteries of
New Skete, New York, and the mainly Evangelical
Protestant New Monasticism. ==Hinduism==