Hermit

Definition and Meaning

A hermit (Korean eunsuja, 隱修者) is a person who leaves the world to live hidden (隱) in a remote place and cultivates (修) faith through prayer and ascetic discipline. Other Korean terms for a hermit translate as "recluse" or "solitary monastic." The English word hermit derives from the Greek erēmos, meaning "wilderness" or "desert." The term denotes a solitary form of monastic life, as distinguished from communal monasticism, in which many live together under a rule.

Biblical and Historical Background

Advocates of the eremitic life point as models to Elijah and John the Baptist, who lived in the wilderness; to Jesus, who remained in the wilderness for forty days (the temptation in the wilderness); and to Jesus going out to a solitary place to pray (Mark 1:35). Scripture, however, does not establish a distinct institution of hermits.

The eremitic life spread widely in the Egyptian desert in the third and fourth centuries. According to Jerome's account, Paul of Thebes is traditionally regarded as the first hermit. Anthony of Egypt became widely known through the biography written by Athanasius. These figures are commonly called the "Desert Fathers." Later, as Pachomius and others founded communal monasteries, the center of monastic life shifted to community. Nevertheless, the eremitic tradition continued in the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, and Catholic canon law still recognizes the eremitic life as a form of consecrated life.

During the Reformation, Martin Luther criticized monastic vows (formal promises made to God) as potentially becoming an attempt to earn salvation by works. He emphasized instead the calling to serve God within one's everyday occupation. For this reason, no institution of hermits took root in mainstream Protestantism.

Practice in the Korean Church

Korean Protestantism has no official status or institution of hermits; the term appears mainly in writings on church history or spirituality. Nonetheless, the practice of withdrawing temporarily from the world to devote oneself to prayer is widespread. Representative examples include going up to a prayer retreat center to pray with fasting, and "mountain prayer" (sangido), in which a person prays alone on a mountain.

Attitudes toward the eremitic tradition vary by denomination.

• Reformed traditions such as Presbyterianism strongly tend to emphasize the church community and one's calling in daily life over seclusion.
• In Methodism, John Wesley is known to have warned against solitary religion and emphasized "social holiness."
• The Anglican Church of Korea maintains religious orders and is comparatively open to the monastic tradition.

In recent years, interest in silent retreats and contemplative prayer has grown across various denominations, although some criticize these practices as mysticism.

In the history of Korean Protestantism, figures such as Yi Se-jong and Yi Hyeon-pil, who lived in seclusion amid voluntary poverty and asceticism, have sometimes been called "Korea's monastics."