They believed that giving away possessions and money was a way to be pure in their religion. Documents 4, 5 and 6 all demonstrate the benefits of giving up wealth in the eyes of religions. Document 4, the biography of a saint written by a Christian monk, says “So the blessed ones fearlessly gave away all their possessions, which were enough for the entire world… They presented their numerous expensive silk clothes at the altars of churches and made many other offerings to God.” The Christian monk is indicating that for other followers/believers in God to become like “blessed Melina” they need to give away all of their possessions.
They followed their own religion that was similar to sorcery. They followed strict rituals in many areas of their lives and community. They had little to no “monetary” economy as each of the people had specific jobs that would sustain the
Some monasteries were based on his model, and they were spread widely. The Rule of Benedict was the starting point for many western European monastic life, which is still used today, proves that Benedict is the "founder" of monasticism. 27) Monasteries and monks played an important role in medieval politics and education in the early medieval
who lived in the St. John of Studion monastery were split into 3 groups of singers so that prayers could continue and be heard 24 hours a day without taking a break. Rules in monasteries were very strict. Monks could not socialize with other people outside the monastery. They could not trade or take part in personal profit.
and I limp’”(67). The character of Marissa is an accurate example of why women would join convents in Medieval Europe. To join a convent or monastery, one must make a vow of chastity. When the pretty girls arrived and the young boys were attracted to them and tried to resist temptation, “The advent of the two young women made the younger monks restless and distracted, and it was best to get them out of sight” (74). Monasteries were under Latin rule and the rules made the nuns and monks take a vow of chastity, poverty and obedience
The author of Lives of the Nuns name is Shi Baochang and he constructed this article during the Tang Dynasty (618-906 CE). Shi Baochang was a Buddhist himself, his intention of writing these pieces is to spread the belief of Buddhism throughout the world. Lives of the Nuns is not the only Buddhist piece he has constructed , he has written many more to prevent the belief of Buddhism from going extinct. His theme in his writings is not to just spread the idea of the religion, but also to show the people what Buddhism really is about. Shi Baochang, writing pieces were so influential, they made the people of the empire have more of an open minded thinking of the idea Buddhism and saw it differently.
In Medieval Europe, women was an essential part of society, especially during the Middle Ages. Women had several roles they carried out that contributed to Europe's growth, such as a peasant woman and the Lady of the Manor. Women also and many expectations in society for their behavior and their way of life. Society's view on women and their treatment towards them weren't the best at times. Despite being seen as defenseless, without women, Europe would not be like it is today.
They would seek out life in the desert as a form of solidarity, spending years alone or with other hermits in order to focus on prayers and their devotion to God. The Desert Fathers would leave whatever society they were present in and move to the desert. They would eat nothing but bread, salt and water. To live life in the simplest form, they gave up their life in society to become a part of the monastic community. With years of life in solitude to focus on prayers and devotion to God, they ”think anyone who controls himself and makes himself content with just what he needs and no more, is indeed a monk” (Deserts Fathers, 4).
Monasticism is a very religious way of life in which one gives up worldly pursuits to devote their self fully to spiritual work. The monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially in the Catholic and Orthodox traditions. An epidemic happened and it hit many saints like St. Anthony. The disease was called St Anthony 's fire and many of
The devastation behind the soldier stood on the edge of his mind, but nevertheless was not in his thoughts. The man standing in front of him dominated his thoughts and instigated a war deep within the soldier. The man was plain on all accounts; he was middle-aged, wore glasses, had a receding hairline, but his image was now stained in the soldier’s memory. This man merely wanted to get by, most likely to confirm the death of a loved one, but no matter how many times the soldier thought about it, he would never know exactly why. The only knowledge that burdened the soldier was his duty, and his duty was to keep this man at bay.
In medieval Europe, monasticism had a powerful influence on society, culture and art and it was one of the key reasons medieval Christianity was so dominant. Monasticism, derived from the Greek word ‘Monachos’ meaning a solitary person, involved men and women devoting their life to God in prayer and service. Hence, monks and nuns performed many practical services which were significant to medieval society. They assisted the poor, cared for the sick and housed travellers, abbots and abbesses also advised the wealthy of the society. Medieval monastic communities were also key in the popularising of innovations as agricultural methods and processes invented to assist in making one monastery self-sufficient often spread to other orders and
Most servants were young unmarried women. The working conditions for domestic servants were very poor. Servants were often treated badly by their employer, young women especially, would be abused or even raped. “I saw a man forty years my senior daily violating the most sacred commandments of nature. He told me I was his property; that I must be subject to his will in all things.”
Beginning with the emergence of the Middle Ages, it is safe to say that men completely overshadowed women. The concept of the Medieval Period was taken over by thoughts of the male gender. Perhaps, it is safe to say women in the Medieval Period were neglected Not only did the women lack appreciation, they were also stripped of some of the most basic rights that men possessed. Unfair laws at the time stated that women could not marry without their parents’ consent,and to make matters worse, they also couldn’t divorce their husbands. Another outrageous law stated that women could not inherit land if she had surviving brothers .
The rulebook for the monastic life was written by Benedict around 529- 530, as guidance of the abbot. The idea is the monks giving their life and be submissive to God. Benedict created the rules at a time when the Roman Empire had collapsed in the West, and Europe was being overrun by barbarian tribes, most of them pagans. Benedict sets the rule that the abbot and the monk are on the same level and have a high moral standard. The abbot and monks work together to come up with a tactic to fix the uncertain and unstable and to keep the faith alive and the monk are required to study to keep their culture alive.
For them, life was difficult. They had to work long, hard hours on the manor that belonged to their lord. Most peasants were farmers. Peasants did not have good food or clothing. They did not have the right to be educated.
