HOLINESS IN THE WILDERNESS THE BEGINNINGS OF MONASTICSM Text pg

IN THIS CHAPTER… Monasticism: Defining monasticism The appeal of the monastic life Contributions of monasticism to civilization

TIMELINE 300Antony of Egypt establishes a group of hermits 313 Constantine legalizes Christianity in Edict of Milan 325 Council of Nicaea writes the Nicene Creed 350Basil develops his monastic rule 374 Ambrose is made bishop in Milan 380Jerome translates the Bible into Latin 400 Augustine writes his Confessions 400 Church settles on books in the Christian canon 420 Rome falls to the Goths 445 Leo the Great becomes pope 451 Council of Chalcedon affirms Jesus’ human and divine natures.

ASCETICISM From the Greek: ἄ σκησις áskēsis, " exercise " or " training " The practice of denying oneself pleasure in hopes that through this denial of self, one will grow in self- control and be better able to imitate Jesus.

MONASTICISM from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from μόνος, monos, “alone” a religious way of life that involves renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to prayer & spiritual work.

MONASTICISM: INTRODUCTION Started in North Africa, and later grew into the wastelands of Syria and Palestine A new form of Christian witness was evolving. The goal of monasticism was to follow Jesus by retreating from everyday life in the world in order to find truth in the silence of the wilderness Video

MONASTICISM: INTRODUCTION Monastics took inspiration and examples from Moses, the prophets, and Jesus. Examples from the Bible: Moses finding God in the burning bush in the wilderness; Jesus in the desert when he was being tempted by the devil.

ANTONY OF EGYPT Religious pioneer. When he was 18, his parents died. He then had to take care of their farm and his sister. One day he was thinking of how the Apostles sold all of their things and gave the money to the poor. Antony was inspired by a passage from Luke; “Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven” (Luke 18:22) He sold the farm, gave the money to the poor, found his sister a group of Christian women to live with, and went out to the wilderness. (approx. 270AD) Video

ANTONY OF EGYPT When Antony was older, many young people looked to him as an example. People were inspired by his wisdom People began to join him and the community grew. As he grew old, he felt God calling him to withdraw further into the wilderness. He died at his final hermitage on a mountain in the depths of the Egyptian desert.

Selections from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers Considered wisdom literature Written by the early ascetics including Antony (Anthony) of Egypt. Themes: monasticism, asceticism, prayer, holiness, wisdom. “Abba Anthony” – abba is the familiar word for father (amma is for mother). These titles were given to some of the men and women who practiced desert asceticism.

Selections from the Sayings of the Desert Fathers On Loving God: “I no longer fear God, but I love Him. For love casts out fear.” On Fearing God: “Always have the fear of God before your eyes. Rememeber Him who gives death and life. Hate the world and all that is in it. Hate all the peace that comes from the flesh. Renounce this life, so that you may be alive in God.” On bearing good fruit: “Man is like a tree, bodily asceticism is the foliage, interior vigilance is the fruit. On perfect charity: “If I could meet a leper, give him my body and take his, I should be very happy.”

BASIL Early monastic life sometimes got eccentric and obsessive. and with harsh practises in order to free them from their “demons” Ex. Self-mortification Monastics followed their own ideas of what would lead them to holiness. Basil, a teacher who became a hermit, recognized that this was problematic. He developed a “monastic rule” to guide Monastics in their way of life.

BASIL’S MONASTIC RULE 1.Own almost nothing 2.Eat only what is necessary 3.Obey the abbot of the monastery The Abbot: (the father/leader of the monastery) his role was to lead monastics in following the Gospel in their everyday life.

JEROME Another 4 th century monk He grew up as a pagan in northern Italy and went to Rome. where he was educated in both Latin and Greek When he was 18, he followed the example of his Catholic mother. Then he went to the desert to become a hermit. He studied Hebrew. He studied more and more and eventually became the popes secretary.

BIBLE TRANSLATION The pope wanted Jerome to translate Christian testaments into Latin, the language of most people in the west. He eventually traveled to Bethlehem where he built a monastery for religious men and convents for women. In Bethlehem, he continued to translate the bible, with help from his students and Jewish rabbis nearby. It took 15 years to complete. Why is this such a significant contribution to society?

ST. BENEDICT CE Began a monastery at Monte Cassino Developed a rule for monastics called: Spirit of the rule: pax & “pray & work” Recognized the needs of monks in community: Order Relationship Spiritual guide Spiritual growth Video

8 TH CENTURY COPY OF BENEDICT’S RULE

CONCLUSION After Christianity was legalized, there was a burst of growth in the church. Monasticism was extremely popular and has had a huge impact on society (even today!) Lots of people helped shape the church and lead as examples (Anthony, Basil, Augustine, Ambrose, Benedict) List of Catholic religious ordersCatholic religious orders