Christian Monasticism - History - Early Christianity - Cenobitic Monasticism

Cenobitic Monasticism

At Tabenna. in upper Egypt, sometime around 323 AD, Saint Pachomius, chose to mold his disciples into a more organized community in which the monks lived in individual huts or rooms (cellula in Latin,) but worked, ate, and worshipped in shared space. Guidelines for daily life were created, and separate monasteries were created for men and women.Saint Macarius established individual groups of cells such as those at Kellia (founded in 328.) The intention was to bring together individual ascetics who, although pious, did not, like Saint Anthony, have the physical ability or skills to live a solitary existence in the desert. This method of monastic organization is called cenobitic or "community-based." In Catholic theology, this community-based living is considered superior because of the obedience practiced and the accountability offered. The head of a monastery came to be known by the word for "Father;" - in Syriac, Abba; in English, "Abbot."

The community of Pachomius was so successful he was called upon to help organize others, and by one count by the time he died in 346 there were thought to be 3,000 such communities dotting Egypt, especially the Thebaid. Within the span of the next generation this number increased to 7,000. From there monasticism quickly spread out first to Palestine and the Judean Desert, Syria, North Africa and eventually the rest of the Roman Empire.

There were two types of cenobitic monks: permanent and mendicant. The permanent monks were committed to stay in one community while the mendicants renounced all of their worldly possessions and traveled the world to preach. Their purpose was to emulate Christ's life as much as possible. They constantly searched for Via Imitato Christi, which means a way to imitate Christ. Within the permanent order, there are two main saints: St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Benedict. St. Bernard was commissioned by the pope to lead the Second Crusade. St. Benedict was more focused on schools, and the education of the monks in their respective orders. He wished to reform the educational tactics throughout the monasteries in order for the monks to be a better person, and more greatly achieve their quest of living a life like that of Christ. Within the mendicant order there are two categories of monks: the Franciscans and the Dominicans. The Franciscan order was started by St. Francis of Assisi in the early 13th century. St. Francis saw many problems among the monks that he encountered. He realized that as the monks became rich from their earnings, they ultimately started to become lazy and prideful. He felt the need to fix these problems throughout the monasteries, therefore creating the Franciscan order.They believed in living in total poverty and would not accept any money which meant they survived by begging. The main focus of the Franciscan order was love and mercy. The Dominican order was founded by St. Dominic de Guzman in the 13th century. He established a systematic and organized method of teaching the monks so they would be prepared to travel and preach to the people. St. Dominic, unlike St. Francis, was more concerned with the laws of monasticism. He thought that the most important thing was to make sure that the monastic rules of poverty, chastity, and obedience were being followed throughout all the monasteries. He also put an emphasis on both charity and meekness by devoting his own time to serving others and encouraging the monks in his order to do the same. The Dominican friars were ultimately the men who were responsible for the Spanish Inquisition, a period of torture and religious persecution.

Scholars such as Lester K. Little attribute the rise of monasticism at this time to the immense changes in the church brought about by Constantine's legalization of Christianity. The subsequent transformation of Christianity into the main Roman religion ended the position of Christians as a minority sect. In response a new form of dedication was developed. The long-term "martyrdom" of the ascetic replaced the violent physical martyrdom of the persecutions.