The Benedictines Midterm!

HU 320

St. Anthony born

251 in Egypt

Pachomius born

292 in Egypt

Athanasius born

296

Emperor Constantine reign

306–337 AD

Edict of Milan

313; official toleration of Christianity

Pachomius conversion

313 after witnessing the kindness of Christians while serving as a soldier

Council of Nicaea

325; declared Jesus truly God and rejected Arianism

Foundation of Nitria

325 by Abba Amoun

St. Jerome born

347

Basil born

330 in Eastern Anatolia (modern Turkey)

Apophthegmata Patrum monks active

roughly 330s–460s

St. Anthony died

356 at age 105; his teeth were worn to the gums

John Cassian born

360 in Romania

Palladius of Aspuna born

around 360

Edict of Thessalonica

380; Christianity becomes the official religion of the Roman Empire

Rule of the Four Fathers written

around 400–410 in the South of France

Caesarius of Arles born

470

St. Benedict born

480 in Italy

Rule of St. Benedict written

about 530 AD

St. Benedict died

547

Dialogues of Gregory the Great written

around 593–594

Jesuit order founded

1530

Father of monks

St. Anthony

Greatest monastic hero in Egypt

St. Anthony

Monk

from Greek word monos meaning alone

Monos

Greek word meaning alone

Monastic

adjective relating to monks

Monastery

place where monks live

Monasticism

the life or way of life of monks

Vocare

Latin word meaning “to call”

Vocation

a calling from God

Abba

Aramaic word meaning father

Abbot

head of a monastery

Abbey

monastery governed by an abbot

Habit

distinctive clothing worn by monks

Tunic

garment received at the novitiate

Scapular

garment received at temporary vows

Cuculla

monastic cloak with 73 pleats representing the 73 chapters of the Rule of St Benedict

Anchorite

monk who lives alone

Eremitical life

solitary monastic life

Cenobite

monk who lives in community

Friar

member of a mendicant religious order (not a monk)

Mendicant

religious who relies on begging

Religious

a member of a religious order who takes vows

Anachoresis

Greek word meaning withdrawal from society

Fuga mundi

Latin phrase meaning “flight from the world”

Asceticism

strict self-denial for spiritual discipline

Ascesis

Greek word meaning training or discipline

Renunciation

giving up worldly things for God

Mortification

dying to passions and desires

Contemplation

focusing on spiritual things in prayer

Abstinence

refraining from certain foods or pleasures

Logismoi

Greek word meaning thoughts or temptations

Telos

ultimate goal (for monks this is union with God or heaven)

Synaxis

gathering of monks for prayer

Koinonia

Greek word meaning fellowship or community

Ora et Labora

Latin phrase meaning “pray and work”

Prayer

central activity of monastic life

Psalms

main prayers of monks (150 total)

Fasting

eating little to discipline the body

Vigils

late night prayer with little sleep

Hospitality

welcoming guests

Manual labor

weaving baskets, ropes, and mats

Typical monk meal time

around 3 PM

Typical monk food

bread, vegetables, water; never meat

Goal of prayer

“pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Arianism

heresy denying the divinity of Jesus Christ

Arius

teacher who promoted Arianism

Athanasius

bishop of Alexandria who fought against Arianism and wrote Life of St Anthony

Life of St Anthony

biography written by Athanasius that spread monasticism

Apophthegmata Patrum

“Sayings of the Desert Fathers”

Number of sayings in Apophthegmata Patrum

about 1,000 sayings from about 130 monks

Forms of Apophthegmata Patrum

alphabetical collection and systematic collection

Cassian’s Institutes

work describing Egyptian monastic life

Cassian’s Conferences

interviews with desert monks