The Rise of Monasticism

Many people link the beginnings of Monasticism with the Desert Fathers. However,

evidence of this way of life can be traced back to the Gospels and the letters of St. Paul. For

example, this can be seen in Jesus’ response to the question of divorce, “His disciples said to

him, ‘If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry.’ But he said to them,

‘Not everyone can accept this teaching, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs

who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others, and

there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

Let anyone accept this who can,’” (Matthew 19:10-12). Those who “make themselves eunuchs

for the sake of the kingdom,” are those that set themselves apart in a unique for the service of

God and His Church.

Furthermore, an ancient petition was found that referenced a monachos, meaning

“solitary,” which indicates that even before the monks in the desert there were monks who lived

solitary lives of prayer within the villages of Egypt.1 Despite the existence of monasticism before

the Fourth Century, there is no denying that the Desert Fathers and other key monastics had a

significant impact on the development and flourishing of the monastic life. In particular, it will

be helpful to examine the lives of three such monastics: St. Antony, St. Pachomius, and St. Basil

the Great.

St. Antony, who grew up in a wealthy Egyptian family, left it all behind and went out into

the desert to begin a life dedicated to prayer and asceticism for twenty years. While in the desert,

he was assailed with temptations from the evil one. Brakke in a book entitled, Demons and the

Making of the Monk, identifies the fundamental point of the witness of Antony’s life was to
1
Wilken, Robert Lewis. 2012. The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity. New Haven and
London: Yale University Press. 99.
affirm that Jesus Christ is God and also that He and those who follow Him have the power and

authority to conquer demons. 2 When he emerged from the desert, he was so transfigured that he

was a source of inspiration to all those he encountered and encouraged many to take up the

monastic way of life. Due to the biography of his life, written by St. Athanasius, he is perhaps

the most well known of the monastics. He is often referred to as the father of monasticism, but as

it has been noted, he was not technically the founder.

Secondly, St. Pachomius, who served in the army, had such a profound encounter with

Christians that he converted and desired to become a monk. He prevailed upon a certain

anchorite named, Palaemon, to make him a monk.3 To this day, Pachomius is known as the

founder of the coenobitic life. Coming from the Greek words for “common” and “life,” this way

of life was characterized by the fact that it was lived in common. He started by gathering

monachos into a community, and gradually evolved into a network of buildings, but with each

monk having their own cell for prayer, etc.4

Lastly, the Cappadocian Father, St. Basil, may often only be thought of in reference to his

theological defense of doctrine and contributions to the articulation of the Church’s Trinitarian

doctrine. However, he conceived his own vision for monastic living, which he articulated most

clearly in the Long Rules. They were more of guidelines for the ascetic and monastic life.5

In conclusion, the evolution of the religious life has continued throughout the history of

the Church beginning with the call of Christ found in the Gospels. Those who answer the call to
2
David Brakke. 2006. Demons and the Making of the Monk: Spiritual Combat in Early Christianity. Cambridge,
Mass: Harvard University Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=282253&site=ehost-live. 24.
3
Wortley, John. "Desert Fathers." In An Introduction to the Desert Fathers, 1-15. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 2019. doi:10.1017/9781108646116.001. 2.
4
Wilken, Robert Lewis. 2012. The First Thousand Years: A Global History of Christianity. New Haven and
London: Yale University Press. 102.
5
Harmless, William. Desert Christians. US: Oxford University Press, 2004.
https://doi.org/10.1093/0195162234.001.0001. 454.
live a life according to the evangelical counsels add to the splendor, holiness, and flourishing of

the Church throughout the centuries; and owe a deep debt of gratitude to those who helped to lay

this foundation.

“Samaritan Woman at the Well” by an Early Christian Painter (Italian)

4th century Fresco in Catacomb of Via Latina, Rome (Web Gallery of Art, https://www.wga.hu)