Part 1: From Apostles to Apostates
The idea of monks, monasteries and hermits began long before Christ. It is thought to have begun in India and early writings of such holy monks date back to 2400, B.C. Its origin was not Christian and there were no Christian monks or monasteries prior to the middle of the third century. It was certainly never a teaching of Christ who taught love, serve and treat your neighbours as yourself. Rather, it was motivated by a more selfish withdrawal from the wicked world in an attempt to save one’s own self. Somehow, the idea of torturing the body to increase the purification of the soul seems to be linked to all sects who embrace this style of life.
The beginnings of Christian monks began as a movement of individuals without any kind of Church authority or encouragement. All were laymen without priesthood or office. During the period of the Decian persecutions (250 A.D.), many Christians fled to the caves in Upper Egypt spawning a legacy of hermits and small communities.
There were of course no rules and each not only lived as they saw fit but also developed lifestyles that included a competition to see who could out do the other in their extremes of self-punishment. Athanasius, defender of the Nicaean Creed, wrote a biography of one such person known only as Anthony. He, like his mentor Augustine, was influenced by the words of Christ who said, “If thou wouldst be perfect, Go, sell all that thou hast and give to the poor and come follow me.” Strange how some people react to that scripture. They seem to get the first part right, “go sell all that thou hast,” but totally miss the next part, “Come follow me.” They all seem to get lost by trying to find themselves.
Living a life in rags, solitude and perpetual pain was never what Christ advocated. How could such behaviour produce the leaven for the bread that Christ spoke about? (1 Corinthians: 5: 7-8) This lifestyle was more like the salt that had lost its savour (Matthew 5: 13). The idea of fleeing to the wilderness and giving up all luxuries has a very luring melody. Even in our society today, there are those who yield to it. Alaska, British Columbia, Montana and other areas of North America have become havens for those who have the desire to do the exact same thing for the exact same purpose: “Me first”. In the process, they have become lost to Christ, to the rest of society and most of all, to themselves.
Anthanasius’ biography of Anthony, pictured such a lifestyle choice with such colour and allure that it started a headlong rush to the hills and caves. Before too long, Saint Anthony, as he has since become known, had over 15,000 followers. Well know personalities of the early Church promoted the concept. Hilary brought monastic life to Palestine. Cassian took it to Gaul. Even Anthanasius became a monk and when he was banished to Alexandria, his lifestyle drew admiration. To those in Rome who could see the Church absolutely devoid of morals, this life of asceticism became a very attractive option for those still seeking personal salvation. By the end of the fourth century there were legions of hermit monks. The life of a hermit was even more popular than the institute of Monasteries. Neither had any sort of ecclesiastical authority or formal connection to the Church.
It was not until the Bishop of Caesarea, Basil, visited the Monks in Egypt, Syria and Palestine that things changed for the better. He started to live the life of a monk at age 21 but became disgusted by those he perceived had, through ignorance, self-deprivation and austerity, reduced themselves to a collection of wasted lives and meaningless ideals. As a priest first, then a Bishop, he was determined to turn the lives of Monks towards religious channels or at least something that could be beneficial to both the Church and the lost legion of humanity of self-imposed exiles. He drew up a new rule to be added to the three existing rules of Voluntary, Poverty and Chastity. The fourth was “Irrevocable vows.”
Many monks began to join his order. He insisted upon law and order and in particular, absolute obedience. The monastic life began to shift somewhat to being subject to the supervision of the Church, which was Basil’s hope and desire. This all took place about the same time that Jerome was busy translating the Bible from Greek to Latin. So the timing was perfect to rewrite the rules regarding Church Monasteries into Latin as well.
The movement towards the Monastic life had a great revitalizing effect to the flagging Christian Church in the fourth Century. By the fifth century convents for Nuns began to appear. Christianity found its greatest strength in the cloisters of the monks. Here they provided training, discipline and education as they qualified themselves as missionaries, teachers and even leaders of the Church. At first things seemed to benefit everyone:,the monasteries, the Church, the monks and those common people both in and out of the Church. But the fundamental ideals of monastic living are not supported or in harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ for a very good reason.
As the monasteries grew, they became prosperous. Various orders of monks (Augustine, Benedictine, Trappist, Cistercians, Medicant Friars, Dominicans, Jesuits and Franciscan), each in their own time and in their own turn became rich, powerful, corrupt and self-indulgent. In the medieval monasteries, the majority of monks were priests. The abbots became landowners and as such they wielded great social and political power. They became immoral and their behavior brought denunciation and condemnation from the very populous they were commissioned to teach. They became so impervious to Christian virtues and moral living, the core principles of personal salvation, as to produce extreme personal and offensive selfishness.
Under the leadership of corrupt Bishops or despot Emperors, they became, in some cases, armies or militias to enforce edicts and suppress heretics. Fanatical and cruel, they fought soldiers as well as one another. To press their cause, they incited riots and intimidated members of meetings into submission. They were instrumental in keeping Bishops in office or likewise, deposing them. Through it all, lots of innocent blood was shed. Augustine, Jerome, Ambrose and many others tried to contain the abuses and corruption but with little success. The persecution and obliteration of the Albigenses was just a forerunner to the period of the inquisitions when thousands were tortured before dying on the rack, burned alive or mercifully beheaded. They interfered in the political affairs and drew the wrath and hatred of every nation in Europe.
Started by the noble and pure intent of seeking salvation for themselves by purifying themselves to the honour of Christ, and while rejected by a cruel and corrupt society themselves, they evolved instead into the perhaps most brutal, cruel and completely corrupt religious force the Christian world had ever known.
In hindsight it was entirely predictable what the end result would be. Such men, living such austere conditions without the moderating influence of the Holy Ghost, became what King Mosiah described as the “Natural Man.” (Mosiah 3 :19)
“For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been from the fall of Adam and will be for ever and ever unless he yields to the enticing s of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man and becometh a Saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord and becometh as a child, submissive, meek humble, patient, full of love willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him even as a child doeth submit to his Father.”
The Holy Ghost is the source of such virtues as love, compassion, mercy and forgiveness. And we are obliged to mention women for whom in this world is more responsive, generally speaking, to the enticing of the Holy Spirit than women?
Proverbs 31: 10 – 31 “Who can find a virtuous woman for her price is far above rubies …”
Men most often truly only learn such virtues by the examples they see at the feet of their mothers and in the arms of their wives. In monasteries, the monks would have had none of these influences. Once they were brought into the political influence and control of the most powerful Emperors of Europe as well as the Roman Church, what should anyone have expected?
Through such a willing, natural minded, brutal army to enforce its will, the Church was able to survive as a powerful political entity well into the nineteenth century.