MONAGHISM. 



637 



well watered spot in the desert, and ultimately fixed 

 his residence on a hill near the Red Sea. He also lived 

 to the very advanced age of 105, and before his death, 

 a numerous body of men lived in community with him, 

 and led under his guidance and example a life of piety 

 and manual labour. Perhaps, therefore, he may more 

 properly than Paul be regarded as the first monk, since 

 he undoubtedly first established a monastery. 



The first written rule for the conduct of the monks, 

 was composed by Pachoraius, who lived in the reign 

 of ConsUntine : Pachomius, with 1 400 of his brethren, 

 occupied the isle of Tabenne, in the Nile, and found- 

 ed, besides, nine monasteries of men, and one of women : 

 according to other accounts, the Isle of Tabenne con- 

 tained about 13 monasteries ; 30 or 40 monks occupi- 

 ed one house : 30 or 40 having composed a monastery ; 

 a Dean was placed over every 10 monks; a superior 

 over every house ; every monastery had its abbot ; and 

 a general director superintended all. All the monks 

 met every Sunday at the general oratory of the monas- 

 tery ; and Easter was occasionally celebrated by the 

 monks of all the communities, amounting to nearly 

 Canobltei 50.000 assembling in one body. The same mistaken 

 nd An- views of religion which introduced and established 

 '*"" monachism, induced some of the monks to aim at a still 

 more retired mode of life, and what was deemed a 

 ::T degree of perfection. Hence, the monks were 

 divided into two classes, the Carnobites, who lived in 

 community, and the Anchorites, who lived in separate 

 cell*. Between these extremes, there seems to have 

 been a third kind of establishment of monks ; each se- 

 parate cell of the Anchorites was surrounded by an 

 enclosure, and their general precinct was called a 

 Laura. 



Besides these sects of monks, who renounced the 

 world, and lived in perpetual celibacy, there was an- 

 other order which, however, was never numerous, who 

 lived in a married state, and enjoyed their own pro- 

 perty and possessions. Originally all monks were lay- 

 men : The council of Chalcedon expressly distinguish- 

 es them from the clergy, and ranks them with laymen ; 

 and it was not till the time of Clement V. A. D. 131 1, 

 that monks were obliged to take holy orders, that they 

 might say private mass for the honour of God. 



Anthony had enjoyed the friendship of Athanasius; 

 and the latter introduced into Rome the knowledge 

 and practice of the monastic life, about the year A.D. 

 341. At first, the uncouth and savage appearance of 

 the Egyptian monki, whom Athanasius brought for 

 the purpose of initiating the Romans, excited disgust 

 and laughter : but these feelings soon gave way to an 

 enthusiastic admiration of the new sect, and senators 

 and matrons transformed their palaces and country 

 seats into religious houses. About the same time, mo- 

 nachism was introduced into Palestine by Hilarian, 

 and into Pontun, by Basil. In the year A.D. 370, 

 Martin, " a soldier, an hermit, a bishop, and a saint," 

 erected the first monastery in Gaul ; his funeral is 

 said to have been attended by 2000 of his disciples. 



In the (ith century, a new order of monks arose, 

 which reached a greater degree of influence and cele- 

 brity than any which had preceded it. St. Benedict, 

 an Italian monk, was its founder, his religious rules 

 were at first intended and framed merely for the go- 

 Ternment of a convent at Mount Cassino, between 

 Rome and Naples, over which he presided, but it after- 

 ward* wa? adopted by, or forced upon a very great 

 number of monasteries. His rule was founded on that 

 of Pachomius, though in many respects it deviated from 



Mona- 

 chism. 



. 341. 



it. His great object seems to have been, to render the 



discipline of the monks milder, their establishment 



more solid, and their manners more regular than those 



of other monastic establishments. The whole time of 



the monks of his order, he directed to be divided be- 



tween prayer, reading, the education of youth, and 



other pious and learned labours. All who entered his 



order were obliged to promise when they were received 



as noviciates, and to repeat their promise when they 



were admitted as full members of the society, that they 



would in no respect, and on no account attempt to 



change or add to the rules which he had instituted. 



His rule was embraced by all the monks of the west. 



Benedict admitted both the learned and unlearned into 



his order ; it was the duty of the first to assist at the 



choir ; of the latter to attend to the household economy, 



and temporal concerns of the monastery. At this period, 



it may be observed, that the recitation of the divine 



office at the choir, (as it is called by the Catholics,) 



was confined to the monks ; afterwards it was estab- 



lished as the duty of all priests, deacons, and sub-dea- 



cons. The Benedictines at first, admitted none into their 



order, who were not well instructed how to perform it ; 



but it was not ne*cessary that they should be priests, 



or even in holy orders. Afterwards, many were ad- 



mitted into the Benedictine order who were ignorant 



of the duty of the choir; those were employed in me- 



nial duties: Hence the introduction of Lay lirot/iert Lay broth- 



into the Benedictine order. When first introduced, en intro- 



they were not considered as a portion of the monastic duced. 



establishment, but as merely attached and subordinate 



to it ; but, in course of time, both the order and the 



church acknowledged them to be, in the strictest sense 



of the word, professed religious. All other religious 



orders, both men and women, following the example 



of the Benedictines, have admitted lay brothers and 



sitters. In l.')22, the council of Vienne ordered all 



monks to enter into the order of priesthood. The 



monks of Vallombrosa in Tuscany, are the first among 



whom lay brothers are found under that appella- 



tion. 



The irruption of the Lombards into Italy, and of 

 the Saracens into Spain, and the civil wars in France 

 niter the death of Charlemagne, having introduced 

 great disorder among the Benedictines, they were re- 

 formed by St. Odo, in his monastery at Cluni ; and 

 several monasteries adopted this reform. In the eleventh 

 century, the Benedictine order again fell from its ori- 

 ginal purity and strictness. This gave rise to many 

 attempts to restore it to its pristine form and object : 

 Hence arose the Carthusians, the Caraadules, the Celes- 

 tines, the monks of Grandmont, the Congregation of 

 M. Maur, and the celebrated monks of Latrappe. 



In the eighth century, a kind of middle order be- Cinoni re- 

 tween the monks and the clergy was formed ; they g" lar o f 

 were called the c.inons regular of St. Augustine ; their 

 dwellings and table were in common, and they asscni- 

 bled at fixed hours for the divine service; in these 

 respects they resembled the monks ; but they differed 

 from them in taking no vows ; and they often officiated 

 in churches committed to their care. Having degene- 

 rated in the twelfth century, Pope Nicholas II. intro- 

 duced a considerable reformation among them. At 

 this period, they seem to have divided into several 

 branches of the original order ; some formed themselves 

 into communities, in which there was a common dwel- 

 ling and table, but each monk, after contributing to 

 the general stock, employed the fruits of his benefices 

 as he deemed proper. At the head of another sect waa 



A "K U - 

 ' 



