Discuss the origins and development of monasticism in early medieval Europe.
‘It is ironic that given the pre-eminence of the papacy and the Church of Rome, [i]it was the monks and the monastic movement that effectively shaped early medieval civilization. The ascetic ideal of fleeing the materialistic world, giving up all worldly possessions and devoting oneself to worship is common to many religions. What I think, separates the European monastic movement is that for many centuries, the monks became the heroes of medieval civilization’- Steven Kreis,’Early Medieval Monasticism’ in the History guide. The withdrawal
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‘An eremitic is a recluse or hermit under religious vows. They live in a seclusion from society, whereas, cenobitic is all about community life, It is a monastic tradition that stresses community life. Community belongs to a religious order and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a religious rule, a collection of precepts’ St Benedict begun his life as a hermit, sickened by the violence he saw in the world. He got a community called the disciples and moved away from society. In 529 he founded Monte Cassino. ‘In it the emphasis was on obedience and discipline, regular and congregate meals, a moderate life divided equally between work, sleep and prayer. He uses a sort of military discipline and it worked’. This type of monastery became common. Benedict’s monastery slowly began to spread and eventually became the most common form of all monasteries mostly western. Monasteries became a significant part of life in Western Europe. The Benedictine rule had enormous importance for Western values. It stated that the abbot was in complete control of the monastery but that he had to consult with the entire body of monks on all important matters and take full responsibility for all his decisions. ‘As heroes of medieval Europe, the monks exerted a very powerful influence over all facets of society. They were now to possess outstanding agricultural skills and because Benedict specific that their lives include