HINDUSTAN BIBLE INSTITUTE AND COLLEGE

CHENNAI- 10

Thematic Paper on: Early Christianity and the Monasticism

Submitted to: Rev. Greeto Racharia

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirement for the Course

‘History of Christianity- 1’

Presenter: Hesheka Achumi

Date of Presentation: 24th September, 2024

 ii

Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Rise and Development of Monasticism
1.1. Early Influences
1.2. The Desert Fathers and Mothers
1.3. Appearance of Cenobitic Monasticism
1.4. The Role of St. Benedict
2. The Spread of Monasticism
2.1. Spread in the East
2.2. Monasticism in the British Isles
2.3. Role in Missionary Work
3. The Consequences of Monasticism
3.1. Spiritual and Theological Impact
3.2. Cultural Contributions
3.3. Economic and Political Influence
3.4. Reform Movements
3.5. Monasticism’s Legacy
Conclusion
Bibliography
 1

Introduction
Christian monasticism was inspired by Christ who became flesh, lived with a poor (Lk. 9:58) and
celibate life, sharing a community of prayer and ministered with disciples, and obedient to the
will of the Father even to the point of death on the cross. Monastic followed Christ’s teachings
such as detachment and giving up of goods (Mt. 19, Lk. 12:32-34) which shows path to the union
with Christ (Lk. 10:1-5). These lead to Kingdom of God (Mt. 19), and commitment to the will of
God (Jn. 4:32-34, 6:38-39) which gives confidence and hope for the eternal life (Mk. 10:28-31).1
The other term for monasticism could be best described as monk which is taken from the Greek
word monachos meaning one who lives alone which means monk is the one who lives separated
from the others. The origin of Christian monasticism could be traced back to the middle of
second century C.E. Early monastery consisted of four stages; ascetic life as not totally separated
from the church, hermit life or anchoretism leading to solitary life, coenobitism or community
life and it got developed in the Latin Church during the Middle Ages.2 One of the most
interesting facts about monasticism is that it progressed from small number to larger group.
Egypt play a base for Christian monasticism in which in its early stage it did not have any
instituted any state of life in the church which proved authentic witness to the teachings of
Chrsit. 3 Many Christians abandoned cities to live out their faith in a truer and purer form. These
early monastics, for instance, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, were seeking a life of solitude,
prayer, and fasting; most of them retired into the deserts of Egypt and Syria. By their influence,
the particular community forms of monasticism began to appear and take their spread throughout
the Christian world, leaving an indelible impression on both Eastern and Western Christianity. 4
Christian monasticism has a firm foundation from the Egypt who involved in solitary and
connection with God which lead to the authentic witness to the teachings of Christ.

1. Rise and Development of Monasticism

1.1. Early Influences

1
Rijomon Joseph, “Monasticism in the Life of the Church” (Bachelor’s Degree in Theology, Institute of
Theology, 2023), 4.
2
Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol.III (Michigan: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989),
156-157.
3
Jordan Aumann, Christian Spirituality in the Catholic Tradition, (London: Sheed &Ward, 1985), 36.
4
David Knowles, Christian Monasticism: A History of Monastic Spirituality (London: Sheed & Ward,
1969), 11-15.
 2

Many religious and philosophical traditions influenced early development of Christian

monasticism. Jewish asceticism was one of them. The most significant influence, however, came
from the ascetic practices of such groups as the Essenes, who lived in communities near the
Dead Sea in monastic settlements. Their community practised strict celibacy, communal
ownership of property, and rigorous observance of religious law, all reflects of later Christian
monasticism. This was influenced also by Stoicism and Neoplatonism, both of which speak for
self-control, a renunciation of worldly pleasures, and the seeking of spiritual wisdom. Christian
monasticism, despite all its distinctive, emphatic focus on Christ and the Scriptures, drew from
these ascetic and philosophical traditions to form a unique way of life dedicated to spiritual
growth in and union with God.5 Christian monasticism was deeply influenced by others religious
and philosophical traditions like Judaism, Essenes, Stoicism and Neoplatonism.
The emergence of Christian monasticism is that it was considered a substitute for
martyrdom. When we come to the Christian world we find the beginning of monasticism as a
substitute for martyrdom. It is a replacement for martyrdom affirming the possibility of
achieving the inner dimensions of martyrdom and acknowledging the impossibility of always
attaining bloody martyrdom. During the first three centuries of Christianity, martyrdom was a
clear possibility. The persecution offered many martyrs to the Catholic Church. The death of
martyrs showed the meaning and implications of discipleship. But once Emperor Constantine
granted freedom to the Christians to practice their religion through the Edict of Milan in 313,
persecutions came to an end but the desire for martyrdom did not disappear from the hearts of
the Christians. The committed early Christians were longing for martyrdom to meet the Christian
perfection.6 Thus, when the early Christians were freed from martyrdom, they found a new
method to replace martyrdom by monasticism.

1.2. The Desert Fathers and Mothers

Desert is approximately one-third of the land surface, with poor environmental conditions and
extreme heat of the sun which could cause humans to meet little of their basic needs. Even then,
it plays a key role in search of spiritual connection with God as it denounce one’s physical needs
and long to connect with God. It plays as an open space for humans to be open to God. Early

5
William Harmless, Desert Christians: An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism (New York:
Oxford University Press, 2004), 5-9.
6
Joseph, “Monasticism in the Life of the Church,” 7.
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Christian men and women underwent this suffering by 3rd century which could have continued
for 300-400 years, and those who could go through it became to be called as desert fathers and
mothers. They isolated themselves in the deserts of Egypt, Palestine, Arabia, Syria and modern
day Turkey; they denied themselves and sought their identity in Christ trying to become a citizen
of heaven in present life and even after death.7 Despite of extreme environment early Christian
men and women dedicated themselves to connect with God.
Lives of Prayer, Asceticism, and Solitude lived by the Desert Fathers and Mothers who
were the Christian Monastics in the Egyptian and Syrian Deserts. Some of the earliest Christian
monastics lived in the Egyptian and Syrian deserts, where they survived with deep implications
towards the development of Christian monasticism. The most famous of these early monastics
was St. Anthony the Great, often referred to as the father of monasticism. Anthony’s withdrawal
from the world to the desert to lead an ascetic life and wage spiritual warfare provided a pattern
for other Christians in search of a way of out of the corruptions of the world so that they could
give themselves fully to God. The sayings and writings of these desert monastics are collectively
known as the Apophthegmata Patrum or “Sayings of the Desert Fathers,” offering profound
insights into early Christian spirituality, focusing on humility, prayer, and the constant battle
against the passions. They left for the desert had many reasons where the heresies were present
in the Church especially focusing on the nature of Christ and His relationship with God,
functions of the Church, scripture and leaders, and daily life under Roman empire were totally
opposite to Christian ethics. Love was the centre of their daily life as a means of fulfilling the
Great Commandment given by Christ in Matthew 22:37-40, and it hovered around their daily
tasks with labour as work and prayer. They laboured on providing the basic needs for the
survival in the desert such as food and clothing, and alms for the poor, they also memorized the
whole 150 psalms and came together to sing 7-8 psalms a day which, in a week, they prayed the
whole 150 psalms. They had plenty of time for the personal time to pray to God in stillness and
silence.8 In the process of connecting with God they lived a life based on the great
commandment given by Christ which is to love. They also meditated and memorized the whole
Psalms 150, and later they at least prayer and sung psalms a day and completed the whole 150
Psalms within a week.

7
Diane Stephen, “Desert Fathers and Mothers,” Thoughtful Christians (2008), 1.
8
Stephen, “Desert Fathers and Mothers,” 2-4.
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Desert Fathers and Mothers were adapted to a form of monasticism known as eremitic or
anchoritic monasticism, as practitioners of a solitary lifestyle, often in extreme conditions,
focused on deepening their relationship with God. Although this solitary form of monasticism
remained influential, more communal forms were developed, as more and more monastics
realized the difficulties of total solitude.9 Desert fathers and mothers followed solitary lifestyles
which could outstand other practitioners.
1.3. Appearance of Cenobitic Monasticism
A contrast between the lonely life of the Desert Fathers is the discovery of cenobitic
monasticism. Cenobitic monasticism was the common living model; common life in Greek,
koinos bios. The founder of cenobitic monasticism was credited to be St. Pachomius (c. 290–
346), who founded the first Christian monastery in Egypt around 320 AD. Pachomius believed
that solitary monasticism was spiritually helpful while also thinking that a communal life would
give more support and check to the monks. He emphasized communal prayer, manual labour,
and mutual service among the monks. 10 Cenobitic monasticism spread quickly, especially in the
Eastern Roman Empire. It formed a foundation for many later orders of monastic communities.
In this type of monasticism, monks were allowed to live together in an organized environment
under a common rule, which considered meals, prayers, and every other duty of the monastery as
common. The monastic rule formed the core for cenobitic communities because it governed
every aspect of life with guidelines about prayer, work, and discipline.11
1.4. The Role of St. Benedict
In the East, however, as the movement took shape with monastic giants such as St. Basil the
Great, it was in St. Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-547) that the nature of Western monasticism is
defined. His Rule, written about 540 AD, provides the basis for most Western monastic
communities today and has had such lasting influence on the practice of monastic life.
Moderation, obedience, and balance remained the hallmark of monastic life. It demanded vows
of poverty, chastity, and obedience and a rigid routine of prayer, work, and study. Central to
Benedictine monasticism is the ‘ora et labora’ principle which is the actual principle of praying
and labouring implying that the spiritual life cannot be independent of the practicalities of daily
9
Benedicta Ward, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers: The Alphabetical Collection (Kalamazoo: Cistercian
Publications, 1975), 45-47.
10
Philip Rousseau, Pachomius: The Making of a Community in Fourth-Century Egypt (Berkeley:
University of California Press, 1985), 63-65.
11
Rousseau, Pachomius: The Making of a Community in Fourth-Century Egypt, 67.
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labor. 12 The Benedictine monasteries were, in medieval Europe, centers of learning, agriculture,
and hospitality; the role of such institutions adds significantly to the preservation of culture and
knowledge during the so called Dark Ages. The Benedictine Rule asserted a coherent and
resilient form of monasticism that could flourish even in the light of political and social
instabilities.

2. The Spread of Monasticism

2.1. Spread in the East
Monasticism swept across the Eastern Roman Empire, particularly in Egypt, Syria, and Palestine.
St. Basil the Great (329–379) adopted the monastic rules of Pachomius and incorporated
monasticism into a wider life in the Church. Basil’s rules placed focus on life communally, with
an emphasis on service to the poor and participation in the liturgy. The East Orthodox tradition
still doggedly follows monastic precepts set by Basilian monasticism.13 The first known form of
Christian monasticism was hermitage and the first known hermit in the Christian tradition was
Paul of Thebes in Egypt. 14
He first traditionally accepted Christian hermit was born around 227 in the Thebaid of
Egypt. During the persecution against Christians under the emperor Decius (249-251), St. Paul
fled into the wilderness, settling into a mountain cave and dwelt there ninety-one years, praying
incessantly to God. Saint Antony the Great, who also lived as an ascetic in the Thebaid desert,
had a revelation from God concerning St. Paul. Antony thought that there was no other desert
dweller such as him. He went into the desert and came to St. Paul’s cave. Falling to the ground
before the entrance of the cave, he asked to be admitted. They introduced themselves, and then
embraced one another. They conversed through the night, and Antony revealed how he had been
led there by God. Paul disclosed to Antony that for sixty years a bird had brought him half a loaf
of bread each day. Now the Lord had sent a double portion in honour of Saint Antony’s visit.15
The next morning, St. Paul spoke to Antony of his approaching death, and instructed him to bury
him. He also asked Antony to return to his monastery and bring back the cloak he had received
from St. Athanasius. He did not really need a garment, but wished to depart from his body while
12
Timothy Fry, ed., The Rule of St. Benedict in English (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 1981), 21-23.
13
St. Basil, Ascetical Works. trans. M.M. Wagner (New York: Fathers of the Church, 1950), 150-151.
14
Henry C. Sheldon, History of the Christian Church: The Early Church, Vol. I (New York: Hendrickson
Publishers,1994), 507.
15
Joseph, “Monasticism in the Life of the Church,” 8.
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Saint Antony was absent. As he was returning with the cloak, Antony beheld the soul of St. Paul
surrounded by angels, prophets, and apostles, shining like the sun and ascending to God. He
entered the cave and found Paul on his knees with his arms outstretched; Antony mourned for
him, and wrapped him in the cloak. Two lions came running from the wilderness and dug a grave
with their claws, St. Antony buried the holy Elder, and took his garment of palm leaves, then he
returned to his own monastery. St. Paul of Thebes died in the year 341, when he was 113 years
old. He did not establish a single monastery, but soon after his end there were many imitators of
his life, and they filled the desert with monasteries. St. Paul is honoured as the first desert-
dweller and hermit.16
Antony of Egypt is considered as the patriarch of all monks and the founder of Christian
monasticism. He was the son of a rich peasant, entered into the eremitical life, later went to the
desert between Nile and Red Sea. He built a cell and attracted disciples and cells were built for
the disciples on the Nile Valley. His life had a very positive influence upon his age and the
successive generations and Emperor Constantine had regular correspondence with Antony and
the former often visited the latter. Main occupations of the monks include prayer and gardening.
St Antony taught that meditation on last things strengthens the soul against one’s passions and
against the devil. Since the hermit carries with him into solitude his own imperfections and evil
tendencies, and since the devil seems to attack the hermit with special ferocity, the life of a
solitary monk is essentially a warfare and a struggle. 17 In silent prayer, meditation on scripture,
singing psalms and tough manual labour, he purified his heart and entered into deep intimacy
with God. This lifestyle soon attracted many followers; however, Antony came out of the desert
in 305 to organise a community of ascetic near Faiyum under a rule. While this was a major
development and the group of monks are generally held to have formed the first Christian
monastery. In 311 he went to Alexandria where he gave moral support to the Christians who
were suffering under the persecution of the Roman Empire. He then returned to the desert near
Red Sea, with his disciple Macarius. In addition, he continued to make journeys to visit his
disciples scattered throughout the desert and strengthened them in prayer and spiritual advices
and he gave more importance to solitude.18 Antony of Egypt followed St. Paul of Thebes and
continued to carry out the inspiration after the death of St. Paul of Thebes.

16
Joseph, “Monasticism in the Life of the Church,” 8-9.
17
Aumann, Christian Spirituality, 39.
18
Joseph, “Monasticism in the Life of the Church,” 9-10.
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2.2. Spread in the West

The influence of two great figures in Western Europe, St. Martin of Tours (316–397) and St.
Benedict of Nursia, spread monasticism into the West. A former soldier, Martin became a monk
and later bishop; he founded the first monastery in Gaul, modern-day France, which spread
monastic ideals throughout Western Europe. In the West, Benedict’s Rule adapted into a stable
and flexible model of monastic life. The centres of early medieval learning, hospitality, and
social stability were found to be in Benedictine monasteries.
Monasticism in the West was strongly linked with mission work of the Church. Missionary
outposts were the monasteries in regions that had yet to be reached by Christianity. The
monastery monks also played an important role in the conversion of the Germanic tribes and the
establishment of Christianity in northern Europe. 19
2.2. Monasticism in the British Isles
Monasticism in the British Isles took different forms; both Celtic and Roman traditions. Celtic
monasticism which was flourishing in Ireland and Scotland was more ascetic and missionary-
minded. St. Patrick (385–461) and St. Columba (521–597) founded monasteries that became
centres of learning and of evangelization. The Iona monastery that Columba founded played a
crucial role in Christianizing Scotland and northern England. While Roman monasteries tended
to be more communal. The very common internal feature of a Celtic monasterium is its semi-
autonomous, often family-oriented, character. The monastic communities here were strongly part
of the local culture in which they became centres for learning, spirituality, and missionary
activity.20 Monasticism was implied in context.
2.3. Role in Missionary Work
Monasticism played a very crucial role in the Christianization of Europe. Monks were often at
the forefront of missionary work, setting up monasteries in pagan lands, and from these monastic
centres, they conducted evangelization. Famous missionary monks include, for example, St.
Boniface (675–754), an apostle to the Germans. This monk and his fellow brothers founded
several monasteries across Germany while spreading the Christian faith and different centres of
learning and agriculture and governance. Monastic missionaries also had a great role in
converting Scandinavia, Slavic lands, and parts of Eastern Europe. Monasticism provided such

19
C.H. Lawrence, Medieval Monasticism: Forms of Religious Life in Western Europe in the Middle Ages
(Harlow: Pearson Education, 2001), 56-60.
20
Ian Bradley, Columba: Pilgrim and Penitent (London: Darton, Longman, & Todd, 1996), 95-97.
 8

an organizational structure and resources needed for a long-term missionary project, maintaining
through the service of monks in evangelization.21 They not only denied themselves and
connected with God but they also kept on spreading the Gospel by setting up monasteries.

3. The Consequences of Monasticism

3.1. Spiritual and Theological Impact
Monasticism produced profound effects on the spirituality and theology of the Church. Monks
and nuns mostly stood as models of Christian discipleship cum virtues in matters of humility,
poverty, chastity, and obedience. Monasticism even contributed to the unfolding of Christian
mysticism. Many such figures, for instance, St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila in the
Roman Catholic tradition, or Gregory Palamas in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, developed such
deep insights as they reflected about monastic spiritual practices about the nature of the union of
soul and God. Then, there were monasticism discourses in theological writings by the monastic
theologians including St. Bernard of Clairvaux, St. Anselm, and St. Gregory the Great. And their
writings are still very strong on the importance of contemplative prayer, the ascetic life, and
pursuit of spiritual wisdom.22
3.2. Cultural Contributions
Monasteries also served as the focal points for the preservation and production of culture. During
the medieval period, monasteries had scriptoria, or a place in which monks copied and
illuminated manuscripts of Christian texts and, oftentimes, classical texts also. Monasteries
evolved into centres of learning which would eventually form the backbone of the European
university system. Monastic art, architecture, and music also made giant cultural contributions.
As in the case of Gothic architecture, that forms a pole around which the centuries revolve in so
many aspects of European life, the great abbeys and cathedrals serve as the physical
embodiments of the monastic ideal of connecting to God.23 The monks of the monasteries
preserved the monastic culture through making copies of them; art, architecture, music, and
Christian texts.
3.3. Economic and Political Influence
21
Willibald, The Life of St. Boniface. trans. C.H. Talbot (London: Penguin, 1954), 31-35.
22
St. John of the Cross, The Dark Night of the Soul (trans. E. Allison Peers; New York: Image Books,
1959), 45-50.
23
Christopher De Hamel, Medieval Craftsmen: Scribes and Illuminators (Toronto: University of Toronto
Press, 1992), 33-36.
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Monastic communities gathered significant wealth and therefore became significant economic
and political units. Many monasteries owned vast areas of land and had estates that were
involved in farming, crafts, and trade. The extent to which the economy was controlled by the
monasteries put them in a position of considerable influence in local and regional politics. Most
abbeys held political power relative to secular lords; besides, many monasteries would play
critical roles in local governance. Monasteries contributed toward the development of new
economies in the medieval period by developing new agriculture techniques, managing estates,
and fostering trade networks. However, this economic power came with attendant corruption and
abuses in some monastic orders, which led to calls for reform.24 The monastic communities were
corrupted due to political and economic influence.
3.4. Reform Movements
Medieval monasticism saw cycles of reform throughout the medieval period. The Cluniac
Reforms, which emerged in the 10th century, aimed at restoring spiritual life to monastic life by
emphasizing liturgical prayer, discipline, and independence from lay authority. Later reform
movements along the same lines include those under St. Bernard of Clairvaux who founded the
Cistercians and the Carthusians who sought the restoration of monasticism to the principles of
poverty, simplicity, and meditation. Monasticism was faced with great problems in the 16th-
century Reformation, since many monasteries were abolished within the Protestant territories.
Catholic Counter-Reformation, on the contrary, helped to bring back monasticism in the form of
new orders, with the notable Jesuits and the Discalced Carmelites as driving forces in the
spiritual reneging of the Church.25 Thus, the reform movements throughout history aimed at
restoring and reshaping monastery.
3.5. Monasticism’s Legacy
The legacy of monasticism is profound and enduring. Still at the heart of the spiritual life of the
Church in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions, monasticism remains a
focus for prayer, contemplation, and hospitality. Monasteries continue to be places of retreat and
renewal for Christians searching for a deeper relationship with God. Monasticism remains an
influence on Christian theology in those spheres of spirituality and ethics as well as ecclesiology.
Its witness has therefore continued to be a powerful gospel witness in the present world

24
Henry Mayr-Harting, Church and Cosmos in Early Ottonian Germany: The View from Cologne (Oxford:
Oxford University Press, 2007), 86-89.
25
Bernard of Clairvaux, On Loving God. trans. E.G. Gardner (London: Mowbray, 1951), 21-23.
 10

characterized by much materialism and self-interest: prayer, poverty, and service. 26 Still the
monasticism plays an important role in Christians’ lives and enables them to re-connect with
God with the existing challenges.

Conclusion
One of the oldest and most enduring institutions in the history of Christianity, monasticism
started early by founding monastic sites in Egypt but began to spread across the Christian world
in creative and lasting ways to form the Christian theology, spirituality, culture, and society. The
monastic commitment to prayer, asceticism, and communal living has thus borne such fruitful
witness to the transformative power of the gospel that its contribution in education, culture, and
social stability has permanently left its mark on the West’s civilisation.
Through monasticism, with all its challenges and reformative actions since its foundation,
inspires Christians today in modelling an important way of discipleship. It calls believers to go
deeper into their commitments to Christ and His Church.

26
Rowan Williams, Silence and Honey Cakes: The Wisdom of the Desert (Oxford: Lion Books, 2003), 33-
36.
 11

Bibliography

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 12

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