The Origins of Monks
Spielvogel defines a monk as, "a man who sought to live a life divorced from the world, cut off from ordinary human society, in order to pursue an ideal of godliness or total dedication to the will of God." The idea of Christian monasticism, or the idea of being a Christian monk living in a monistary, was based on the humble hermit and his pure journey for spirituality. Saint Anthony (c. 250-350) was one such hermit who had heard Jesus preaching about how one should sell what he has and follow him, so Anthony sold his possessions and traveled into the desert to persue holiness. Others followed in Anthony's footsteps, oncluding Saint Simeon, a man who spent 30 years living in a basket on top of a 60 foot pillar. Because of men like Anthony and Simeon, the model for the ideal Christian changed from a martyr who died for eternal life to a monk who denied the world in order to gain eternal life through a sort of spiritual cleansing.
Benedictine Monasticism
The life of a monk varied depending on which region you became a monk in. In the eastern Mediterranean world monks fasted often and practiced self-inflicted torments, but Saint Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-c. 543) created his own monastic house in the west and set up a group of rules sometime between 520-530 that governed the monks in his house. These rules were different from those a monk might have in the east. Benedict was very much against emphasizing fasting and self-inflicted torment, but he was still a firm believer in a disciplined life style that was founded on the principles highlighted in the lives of St. Anthony and St. Simeon, which were the ideals of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Because of his rules, each monks day was separated into parts consisting of private and communal prayer time, time for meals with the other monk, time for worship with the other monks, time for rest and a good amount of time each day spent with physical labor. The monks would keep themselves active and their minds stimulated with a physical work or toil each day, because they believed that, "idleness is the enemy of the soul," which most likely meant that if one is unoccupied then his mind is more susceptible to wander in sin.
In each Benedictine monastic community there were monks and an abbot. The monks were the general men living in the community, but the Abbot was the "leader" of all of them. He was almost like a community pope. He controlled what happened in the community and all of the monks answered to and obeyed him without question.
All of the Benedictine communities also had land, so that they were able to be completely self-sustaining. By the 8th century many places in the west had taken up Benedictine Monasticism. By that point monks had played a key role in modeling for the rest of the population the ideal Christian life.
Because of his rules, each monks day was separated into parts consisting of private and communal prayer time, time for meals with the other monk, time for worship with the other monks, time for rest and a good amount of time each day spent with physical labor. The monks would keep themselves active and their minds stimulated with a physical work or toil each day, because they believed that, "idleness is the enemy of the soul," which most likely meant that if one is unoccupied then his mind is more susceptible to wander in sin.
In each Benedictine monastic community there were monks and an abbot. The monks were the general men living in the community, but the Abbot was the "leader" of all of them. He was almost like a community pope. He controlled what happened in the community and all of the monks answered to and obeyed him without question.
All of the Benedictine communities also had land, so that they were able to be completely self-sustaining. By the 8th century many places in the west had taken up Benedictine Monasticism. By that point monks had played a key role in modeling for the rest of the population the ideal Christian life.
Monasticism for Women
Women too sought life removed from the sins and troubles of the world, so Caesarius of Arles created a community for his sister, who wanted spiritual cleansing, in the 5th century. Women who joined these western communities created by Ceasarius, were referred to as nuns, and followed a set of rules similar to those of the monks. It wasn't until later in the 7th and 8th centuries that both nuns and monks were able to begin living near eachother in communities called double monasteries.
Irish Monks as Missionaries
Ireland for a time seemed to be beyond the reach of missionaries, or for that matter beyond the reach of Roman armies or German tribes. The first recognized missionary to travel to Ireland is St. Patrick (c. 390-461). As a boy Patrick was kidnapped by Irishmen and, after some years, he escaped captivity and traveled back to Gaul, but upon returning found himself almost sad for the Irish, and decided to become a missionary. With his success came a gratifying title, "the founder of Irish Christianity."
Because the Irish were so far removed from the influence of Roman culture and government, Irish Christianity developed much differently than Roman Catholic Christianity. The church was centered around the monistary and because of this the Abbot exercised a considerably greater amount of power in Ireland than the Bishop. by the 6th century Irish Christianity had taken on a form of its own. Monks fasted constantly, prayed nonstop and confessed their sins all the time. It was an extreme form of living.
Irish monks were charictarized by their love of education. They focused heavily on preserving classical Latin at the same time spoken Latin was being morphed into other languages such as French. The Irish emphesized ascetism. The ascetism did not involve isolation, but missionary work.
Irish monks quickly became obsessed with missionary tasks. One such monk, St. Columba (521-597), ventured into Scotland in 565. From Scotland the Irishmen went to preach in northern England. Then a monk named Aidan of Iona set up a monistary on the island of Lindisfarne. Monks could now become learned in Lindisfarne and from there could spread out into even further outreaching parts of Anglo-Saxon England. Irish monks also ventured onto the European mainland.
Because the Irish were so far removed from the influence of Roman culture and government, Irish Christianity developed much differently than Roman Catholic Christianity. The church was centered around the monistary and because of this the Abbot exercised a considerably greater amount of power in Ireland than the Bishop. by the 6th century Irish Christianity had taken on a form of its own. Monks fasted constantly, prayed nonstop and confessed their sins all the time. It was an extreme form of living.
Irish monks were charictarized by their love of education. They focused heavily on preserving classical Latin at the same time spoken Latin was being morphed into other languages such as French. The Irish emphesized ascetism. The ascetism did not involve isolation, but missionary work.
Irish monks quickly became obsessed with missionary tasks. One such monk, St. Columba (521-597), ventured into Scotland in 565. From Scotland the Irishmen went to preach in northern England. Then a monk named Aidan of Iona set up a monistary on the island of Lindisfarne. Monks could now become learned in Lindisfarne and from there could spread out into even further outreaching parts of Anglo-Saxon England. Irish monks also ventured onto the European mainland.
The Conversion of England
The Irish Christians were not the only Christians attempting to convert England, Gregory the Great had also set in motion a missionary program in England, with his most reliable missionary being Augustine. Augustine was a monk from St. Andrew's monastery in Rome. He was sent to England by Gregory and arrived there in 597.
Augustine's first target kingdom in England, as there were many, was Kent, where he succeeded in convering King Ethelbert, and in turn many of his loyal followers also converted.Augustine had an interesting way to convert non-believers. He did so, not by force, but by persuasion. He would let on that it was ok to assimilate the pagan gods and practices into Christianity, but this was just to ease the pagans into the faith. Augustine's work changed the landscape of England. Pagan temples became churches and pagan celibrations were given different names and made into a Christian holiday.
As Irish Christianity moved south in England and Roman Catholic Christianity moved north, problems and feuds arose concerning specific differences between the two sects of Christianity, but most of the differences lied among the rules of discipline. Eventually in 664, at the Synod of Whitby in the kingdom of Northumbria, the king of Northumbria declaired Roman Catholic Christianity the official religion of the region, but dispite this declaration a mix of the two religions began to form. While the religion remained mostly Roman Catholic, it did retain some Irish Christianity in it. Mainly the emphasis on learning and missionary work was retained, and this, in turn, soon made the English clergy the most learned in western Europe.
The English Christians still, like the Irish, stressed missionary work and sent missionaries into Europe. The most important English missionary was Boniface, who decided to convert Germans in Frisia, Bavaria and in Saxony. Boniface became a type of celebrity by 740, as he was the most famous church man in Europe. He died 14 years later while trying to convert the Frisians.
Augustine's first target kingdom in England, as there were many, was Kent, where he succeeded in convering King Ethelbert, and in turn many of his loyal followers also converted.Augustine had an interesting way to convert non-believers. He did so, not by force, but by persuasion. He would let on that it was ok to assimilate the pagan gods and practices into Christianity, but this was just to ease the pagans into the faith. Augustine's work changed the landscape of England. Pagan temples became churches and pagan celibrations were given different names and made into a Christian holiday.
As Irish Christianity moved south in England and Roman Catholic Christianity moved north, problems and feuds arose concerning specific differences between the two sects of Christianity, but most of the differences lied among the rules of discipline. Eventually in 664, at the Synod of Whitby in the kingdom of Northumbria, the king of Northumbria declaired Roman Catholic Christianity the official religion of the region, but dispite this declaration a mix of the two religions began to form. While the religion remained mostly Roman Catholic, it did retain some Irish Christianity in it. Mainly the emphasis on learning and missionary work was retained, and this, in turn, soon made the English clergy the most learned in western Europe.
The English Christians still, like the Irish, stressed missionary work and sent missionaries into Europe. The most important English missionary was Boniface, who decided to convert Germans in Frisia, Bavaria and in Saxony. Boniface became a type of celebrity by 740, as he was the most famous church man in Europe. He died 14 years later while trying to convert the Frisians.
Spread of Christianity in the 6th Century
Dark Blue = High concentration
Light Blue = Lower concentration
Gray = None
Light Blue = Lower concentration
Gray = None
Women and Monasticism
Double monasteries were places where monks and nuns could worship together while still fulfilling a spiritual life and were found in England and in Frank territory. Usually these double monasteries were headed up by Abbesses rather than an Abbot. This is where women were able to play a significant role in the monastery. As and Abbess, a woman was able to teach others and lead them in a way that she couldn't elsewhere in the world. Other women often became nuns because it also offered them with a unique opportunity to learn and basically go to school when they couldn't in otherplaces at the time. One of the most famous Abbesses was St. Hilda, who founded a monastery in Whitby in 657. She was resonsible for stressing learning in life, and as a result of her efforts 5 future bishops were taught in her monastery.
Women also played important roles in the mission field. Boniface was not able to procede with his missionary work in Europe with the aid of English nuns, who constantly sent him books and money. He also relied on the Abbess Wimborne to send nuns to Europe to establish convents in the German territories he had converted. The first convent established in Germany was founded by a nun named Leoba, and she established it in Bischofsheim.
Women also played important roles in the mission field. Boniface was not able to procede with his missionary work in Europe with the aid of English nuns, who constantly sent him books and money. He also relied on the Abbess Wimborne to send nuns to Europe to establish convents in the German territories he had converted. The first convent established in Germany was founded by a nun named Leoba, and she established it in Bischofsheim.
The Path of Celibacy
After the monastic movement women and men were able to follow after a practice called celibacy. This was to make sure that their bodies were not corrupted by the sins of physically pleasing themselves in dissodence with the Bible. It was contrary to what the Romans and Greeks had seen the body as; they saw it as a source of beauty and enjoyment, but the Christians saw it as a hindrance to a pure connection to God.
The concept of celibacy moved much further than the monasteries. It spread across the Mediterranean world and soon men were meeting to speak of the importance of celibacy, and one woman in Rome, Marcella, even noticed how a group of aristocratic women were studying celibacy.
The concept of celibacy moved much further than the monasteries. It spread across the Mediterranean world and soon men were meeting to speak of the importance of celibacy, and one woman in Rome, Marcella, even noticed how a group of aristocratic women were studying celibacy.