monasticismCor. 9.26–27; John 12.25), monasticism begins around the third century
in the Egyptian desert with St. Anthony, who begins to organize hermits.
However, Christian tradition credits St. Pachomius (d. 346) as the first
founder of monasticism by establishing monasteries in southern Egypt.
St. Basil (c. 330-379) devises monastic rules known as Basilian, requir-
ing a monk to lead a life of prayer, work, poverty, chastity, and obedi-
ence. These principles are practiced in hospitals, orphanages, and schools
operated by the monks.
A simple, rustic, and largely uneducated community is envisioned by
St. Benedict of Nursia (480–543) in order for a monk to live a quiet
Christian life. From Benedict’s perspective, it is not a monk’s duty to
reform the world but rather to reform himself. A basic presupposition of
the monastic order is that it is impossible to live a Christian life in towns.
The famous Benedictine Rule includes both an absolute obedience to
God and the monastic community and a vow of stability, meaning that a
monk is to remain in a particular monastery until death. A monk is for-
bidden to own anything and all property is to be shared. Letters and
presents cannot be received without the abbot’s permission, and he can
allot such presents to other monks as he wishes. The over-arching ideal
is humility, which one learns by praising God and working in the fields.
It is not unusual for monks to view themselves as slaves of God. The
Benedictine Rule seeks to create an ideal community within the church
but it is exclusive in demanding of an individual permanent loyalty. Later
Benedictines attempt to stimulate the scholarly and artistic life of the
church from within it, while other monastic movements make other con-
tributions to the development of the church.
The Dominicans, founded by Dominic (1170–1221), adopt the apostle
Paul as their role model, and are convinced that they can win people to
Christ by preaching. Dominic adopts the rule of St. Augustine and obtains
approval for his order in 1216. Dominic’s order adopts the principle of
mendicancy, which means that members are to beg for their food. The
constitution of the Order of Preachers specifies a master-general as head
of the order chosen by the general chapter. The field is divided into prov-
inces with a provincial prior in charge who is elected for a four-year term,
while each monastery also elects a prior for four years. This system com-
bines church authority with representative government.
The Franciscans are founded by Giovanni Bernadone (1182–1226) on
February 24, 1208 after he hears words from the Gospel of Matthew
(10.7–14) at a service that make him decide to preach repentance and the
Kingdom of God. In addition to his preaching, Francis imitates Christ
by taking a vow of absolute poverty, wearing plain garments, and prac-
ticing love like Christ. Francis sends his monks out in pairs, preaching