Oratores

Monks

The reality, in this as in the other elements of medieval society, was far more complex than this, and far more interesting.

Early monasteries Monks appeared very early in Christian history, but the early instances were what we would call hermits. They appear first in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire; people would go off into the desert (following the example of Christ) to seek God. They lived on minimum of worldly comforts, were celibate, fasted often, and scourged themselves. A famous early example was St. Simon the Stylite, lived atop a pillar for years.

The early monks lived alone, but the reputation of some for holiness caused other seekers to come to them for guidance and inspiration. Some of these imitated the saint and themselves became hermits. Whole colonies of hermits developed in this way, and communities began to form.

St. Pachomius (290-346) of Egypt was the first to try to organize these ad-hoc communities in a more formal way. He wrote a Rule to guide those who would live a monastic life that was followed by thousands of monks throughout the eastern Empire. The Rule stated that monks must obey their superiors and stressed the importance of manual labor. The Rule also established that any suprlus accumulated by the community must be distributed to the poor.

St. Basil (ca. 360) emphasized the virtues of communal living. His Rule had the monks not only live together in the same area but take common meals and engage in common prayers. He de-emphasized personal acts of asceticism and again emphasized manual labor.

Monasticism came to the West in the 4th century, with St. Athanasius (ca. 340), St. Martin of Tours (316-397), and St. John Cassian (360-432). It took its final medieval form with St. Benedict of Nursia (480-543), the real founder of western monasticism.

St. Benedict wrote the Holy Rule for monks--becomes known as the Benedictine Rule. Those who follow it are Benedictine monks, and this order still exists to this day. The classical ideals of moderation and stability inform this work; there is no heroic asceticism here, only a hard and disciplined life. The ideals of the Benedictine Rule are chastity, poverty, obedience, and stability. The aim of the monastic life is to bury one's will in the life of the monastery.

Benedictine monasticism