Religion and the Rise of Western Culture - Chapter 3 notes

The Monks of the West and the Formation of the Western Tradition:

The monasteries were the most common institution during the decline of classical civilization to the twelfth century (close to 700 years). Monks exercised a great influence over the culture. "It was only by the Church and, particularly, by the monks that the tradition of classical culture and the writings of classical authors, "the Latin classics", were preserved. This was not the original intent of this group however; it was close to the opposite. "It was born in the African desert as a protest against the whole tradition of the classical culture of the Greek and the Roman world. It stood for the absolute renunciation of everything the ancient world had prized -- not only pleasure and wealth and honour, but family life and citizenship and society." Monks took the place of martyrs to be a sort of "quiet missionaries". They were thought of as the "watchmen or guardians who 'kept the walls' of the Christian City and repelled the attacks of its spiritual enemies". St. Augustine was a monk, as well as a bishop, and helped create the Western monastic tradition. He was very key in this process. Augustine helped in the West and Basil helped in the East. Monasticism was a free choice, and was based wholly upon a spiritual life. In the East, the state ruled partially over the monasteries, but in the West, the state was too weak to attempt that. It was to be an institution that was very enclosed. Nothing must interfere with them or their lives, except for God alone. St. Gregory was a monk and was very essential to the defending of the Christian faith as well as promoting the monks' life, because he saw how important the monastic institution had become and how vital it would eventually be in the continuation of the Christian faith. St. Gregory believed that the world was soon ending and in order to live in eternity, you must become a monk. Monasticism built up the Christian culture. There were also monasteries in Ireland set up. St. Patrick helped with these. Monks were extremely learned: they knew the Christian doctrine, Latin, how to read and write, and sciences necessary for the maintenance of the Church, and the liturgy, such as calligraphy, painting, music,and above all, chronology and the knowledge of the calendar which had a similar importance for the liturgical culture of the early Middle Ages. In Ireland, it was the abbot, not the bishop who was the real source of authority, and the latter was often a subordinate member of the monastic community who possessed the power of ordination, but no territorial or hierarchical authority. Also, a new system of confession was pronounced. The old system was consisted of any public sin being condemned and then certain privileges restricted for a time before the bishop granted the penitent forgiveness. Now, the system concluded of any law being broken would be met with the appropriate measures being decided upon by the abbot or the confessor. The Irish monks helped spread the fame of Christian and restore the monastic life within the Western Europe. Through the conversion of a few Germanic tribes - Hessians, Saxons and Frisians - was a small gain in the picture of Christianity missionary work.

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