CATH 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Desert Fathers, Cenobitic Monasticism, Hagiography
Document Summary
Monks: desert fathers (c. 250-400, benedict of nursia (c. 480-550) It"s important to note that the desert fathers weren"t practicing monasticism. There wasn"t this organization and structure developed yet. Europe specifically from st. benedict, who established the first rule. He wrote down how to live as a member of a monastic community in very detailed terms that monks use to this day. He wrote on what was required to live a spiritual life. He also added a practical aspect (how do you set up a community, who is the leader, etc. ) He initially lived as a hermit in a cave outside rome. He started out as an erimite rather than a cenobite. He later established 12 monastic communities, each of which had 12 monks and one abbot, or father in each community. St. benedict"s regula entailed: god was to be exalted, calling humanity to face god with fear and humility, the importance of the very least in society.
