Lecture 16: monasticism as Radical Christianity
o Among the notable figures on whom Palladius reports are
wealthy patronesses, such as Macrina, a Roman matron who
used her massive fortune to establish and support monastic
foundations and meet the practical needs of the monks. Here,
we see the practice of patronage in yet another form.The Influence of Monasticism
• Monasticism found a permanent place within Christianity and
exercised enormous influence from the first.• It was important to the imperial church of the 4th to the 6th centuries.
o Many bishops of those centuries were drawn from monastic
ranks and were, thus, leaders who were ascetical, celibate,
and often scholarly, shaped by the discipline and sharing the
outlook of monastic life.o Monks served as “foot soldiers” in the fierce doctrinal wars
of these centuries. They were the most activist, mobile, and
militant Christians; it was not unknown for them to riot in
patriarchal cities in support of one doctrine or another.• The role of monasticism in the long run was equally important.
o Through the ages, monasteries provided a constant “alternative
lifestyle” that enabled Christians to express their discipleship
in more radical fashion. They were an outlet for those with
reforming impulses, and while not always approved by more
enculturated Christians, they were always admired.o At some times and places, monasteries provided centers
for reform through knowledge and practice. In the early
medieval period of the West, monasteries preserved and copied
manuscripts and taught the techniques of agriculture.