Christian Monasticism

Christian Monasticism

Christian Monasticism is a way of life either individual or communal that is dedicated to separating the individual from the physical world and perfecting performances that make the individual worthy for God who manifests through Jesus Christ. With the legalization of Christianity in 313CE and its subsequent dominance throughout the Roman Empire, many Christians rejected the growing Christian populism and entered the desert in search of God. These eremites or “one who lives in the dessert” abandoned the dominant social system and instead focused on a life to God through anachoresis or “withdrawal.” Overtime, hermits gathered in cloistered communities to be monos or “alone” together, influencing the English term “monk”.

For example, after the fall of Rome in 410CE, Demetrius, the daughter of one of the most influential families of Rome, evacuated to the city of Carthage in North Africa and eventually dedicated herself to the virgin life. Many times Demetrius, her mother, and grandmother receive letters from various ascetic masters, hoping to teach their daughter in the ways of Christian asceticism. Jerome (347-420CE), Pelagius (350-425CE), and Augustine of Hippo (354-430CE) all prized the virgin life as the prime state of life to be with God. Nevertheless, the three disagreed on more doctrinal issues concerning grace. Pelagius, a British monk, thought Christians had the choice to choose actions that granted one grace. Augustine, however, in Letter 188 rebuked Pelagius’s claims saying that grace comes from God alone and not human action. Either way, ascetic actions become necessary in order to reach the kingdom of

Benedict of Nursia (480–540 CE) who was influenced by Basil of Caesarea and Pachomius, wrote The Rule of Saint Benedict, which became the most influential monastic text of the medieval period due to its accessibility and its support by the emerging Roman Catholic Church. Raised in Italy by a wealthy family, he abandoned his family and peers and emulated the life of Antony. After earning persistent followings, he formed monastic communities across Italy, and overtime, hundreds of Benedictine monasteries were established in Europe. Much like Antony, these groups of monks were considered demon fighters and the authentic religious community. Another person who embodied the cloistered life was Julian of Norwich (1342-1426CE). She was an English anchorite who lived in an enclosed cell attached to the Church of St. Julian in Norwich, England. At the age of thirty, she suffered a serious illness that led to her receiving visions directly from Christ. After these experiences, she recorded what happened to her in The Short Text and The Long Text. Her mystical experiences reflected another development within Christianity. While Julian was loyal to the Church, she claimed to have received an individualized experience with God, where she discovered sacred knowledge. Just like those monks before her, through ascetic impulse and individual determination, she receives power bestowed by