Monastery

Background

A monastery is a place where monastics live together, remaining unmarried, owning no property, and devoting themselves to prayer and labor according to a rule. From the late third century, hermits who practiced solitary asceticism appeared in the deserts of Egypt and Syria. According to the common explanation, when the Roman Empire officially recognized Christianity in the fourth century, those who believed the church was becoming worldly went out into the desert in search of a more rigorous faith. Jesus' words to the rich young man, "sell that thou hast, and give to the poor" (Matthew 19:21), are frequently cited as a basis for the monastic life.

Development

• Late third century: According to The Life of Antony, written by Athanasius, Antony of Egypt heard Matthew 19:21, gave away his possessions, and withdrew into the desert. He is often called the father of monasticism.
• Fourth century: Pachomius of Egypt founded cenobitic monasteries, in which many monks lived together under a single rule. The rule written by Basil of Caesarea became the foundation of monastic life in the Eastern church, and in the West Augustine also left a rule for communal life.
• c. 529: Benedict of Nursia is believed to have founded a monastery at Monte Cassino in Italy. His rule, often summarized as "Pray and work" (ora et labora), later became the standard for Western monasteries.
• 910 and 1098: The Abbey of Cluny and the Cistercian Order, respectively, were founded in France and led movements of monastic reform.
• Early thirteenth century: The mendicant orders (orders that supported themselves by begging) founded by Francis and Dominic traveled through the cities, preaching and practicing poverty.

The Reformation and Protestantism

Martin Luther was a monk who entered the Augustinian order in 1505. He later criticized monastic vows (lifelong promises made to God) on the grounds that they were regarded as earning merit toward salvation. He also taught that the work of a farmer or a homemaker is as holy a calling as that of a monk. John Calvin likewise criticized monastic vows. As a result, many monasteries in Protestant territories closed, and some were converted into schools or charitable institutions.

Results and Influence

Medieval monasteries copied the Bible and classical texts and operated schools and hospitals. They also cleared wasteland for cultivation and sent missionaries throughout Europe. The monastic tradition continues today in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.

There have also been attempts within Protestantism to revive communal life. In the 1930s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer lived in community with seminarians and wrote Life Together. In the mid-twentieth century, the ecumenical Taizé Community was founded in France. In Korea, the Anglican Church of Korea has religious orders, and Jesus Abbey, founded in 1965 in Taebaek, Gangwon Province, by the Anglican priest Archer Torrey (Dae Cheon-deok), is widely known. Donggwangwon, led by Lee Hyun-pil in the Gwangju area, is also cited as an example of a Protestant monastic community. The prayer retreat centers common in Korean Protestantism differ in character from monasteries: they are places where people stay for a set period to devote themselves to prayer and fasting, without vows or a rule of communal life.

Assessment

The Catholic and Orthodox churches hold monastic life in high esteem as a distinctive way of following Christ. Many Protestant traditions, including the Reformed tradition, warn that it risks admitting the notion of merit and can fall into a dualism that separates sacred life from secular life. On the other hand, some Protestants advocate learning from the spiritual disciplines and communal spirit that the monasteries left behind. In the Korean church, debate continues over whether to embrace contemplative prayer, which arose from the monastic tradition. Historians regard monasteries as having contributed to church reform and the preservation of culture. At the same time, they note that the accumulation of wealth and power led to corruption, making reform necessary again and again.