Christian monasticism

Examples of Christian monasticism in the following topics:

• The Rise of the Monasteries

  • Christian monasticism, which consists of individuals living ascetic and often cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship, became popular during the Middle Ages and gave rise to several monastic orders with different goals and lifestyles.
  • Christian monasticism is the devotional practice of individuals who live ascetic and typically cloistered lives that are dedicated to Christian worship.
  • Monasticism became quite popular in the Middle Ages, with religion being the most important force in Europe.
  • The Benedictines were founded by Benedict of Nursia, the most influential of western monks and called "the father of western monasticism."
  • By the 9th century, largely under the inspiration of Emperor Charlemagne, Benedict's Rule became the basic guide for Western monasticism.

• Erasmus

  • Among humanists he enjoyed the name "Prince of the Humanists," and has been called "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists."
  • His revolt against certain forms of Christian monasticism and scholasticism was not based on doubts about the truth of doctrine, nor from hostility to the organization of the Church itself, nor from rejection of celibacy or monastical lifestyles.
  • His serious writings begin early with the Enchiridion militis Christiani, the Handbook of the Christian Soldier (1503).
  • In his examination of the dangers of formalism, Erasmus discusses monasticism, saint worship, war, the spirit of class and the foibles of "society."
  • The essay ends with a straightforward statement of Christian ideals.

• The Church

  • The expansion of the Christian Church across Europe, through developments in monasticism, pilgrimages, and the Crusades, was the greatest contributing factor to the development of Romanesque art and architecture.
  • As monasticism spread across Europe, Romanesque churches sprang up in Scotland, Scandinavia, Poland, Hungary, Sicily, Serbia, and Tunisia.
  • The system of monasticism, in which individuals became members of a religious order, was established by the monk Benedict, in the 6th century.
  • In France, Burgundy was the centre of monasticism.
  • Compare the expansion of the Christian Church to the art and architecture produced in the Romanesque period.

• Living in Europe

  • Romanesque art developed in the period between about 1000 to the rise of Gothic art in the 12th century, in conjunction with the rise of monasticism in Western Europe.
  • The style developed initially in France and then spread to Christian Spain, England, Flanders, Germany, Italy, and elsewhere to become the first medieval style found all over Europe, though with regional differences.

• The Anglo-Saxons

  • During this period, Christianity was re-established and there was a flowering of literature and language.
  • It developed from divergent groups in association with the people's adoption of Christianity, and was integral to the establishment of various kingdoms.
  • Although Christianity dominates the religious history of the Anglo-Saxons, life in the 5th/6th centuries was dominated by 'pagan' religious beliefs with a Scando-Germanic heritage.
  • Almost no poem from before the Norman Conquest, no matter how Christian its theme, is not steeped in pagan symbolism and their integration into the new faith goes beyond the literary sources.
  • Monasticism, and not just the church, was at the centre of Anglo Saxon Christian life.

• Cathedrals

  • The spread of Christianity brought the construction of churches and cathedrals throughout the world, built with local materials and local techniques.
  • The period of architecture termed Early or Paleo-Christian lasted from the first Christian Church buildings of the early 4th century until the development of a distinctly Byzantine style that emerged in the reign of Justinian I in the 6th century.
  • Santa Sabina, in Rome, exemplifies the simplicity of architectural decoration that characterized many of the early Christian basilicas.
  • After the decline of the Roman Empire, the building of large churches in Western Europe gradually gained momentum with the spread of organized monasticism under the rule of Saint Benedict and others.
  • The style spread with monasticism throughout Europe.

• Zoroastrianism

  • Leading characteristics, such as messianism, heaven and hell, and free will are said to have influenced other religious systems, including Second Temple Judaism, Gnosticism, Christianity, and Islam.
  • This active participation is a central element in Zoroaster's concept of free will, and Zoroastrianism rejects all forms of monasticism.
  • During the period of their centuries long suzerainty over the Caucasus, the Sassanids made attempts to promote Zoroastrianism there with considerable successes, and it was prominent in the pre-Christian Caucasus (especially modern-day Azerbaijan).

• Painting

  • Early Christian art is the art produced by Christians or under Christian patronage from about the year 100 AD to about the year 500 AD.
  • Early Christian art is the art produced by Christians or under Christian patronage from about the year 100 CE to about the year 500 CE.
  • Furthermore, early Christians used Roman forms and styles.
  • The result, was a fusion of pagan motifs and Christian symbolism that infused early Christian painting and iconography.
  • During the persecution of Christians under the Roman Empire, Christian art was necessarily and deliberately furtive and ambiguous, using imagery that was shared with pagan culture but had a special meaning for Christians.

• Early Christian Art

  • Early Christian, or Paleochristian, art was created by Christians or under Christian patronage throughout the second and third centuries.
  • Early Christian, or Paleochristian, art was produced by Christians or under Christian patronage from the earliest period of Christianity to, depending on the definition used, between 260 and 525.
  • Christians could have made or purchased art with pagan iconography but given it Christian meanings.
  • When Christianity emerged in the Late Antique world, Christian ceremony and worship were secretive.
  • House churches, where Christians congregated secretly, were common prior to the legalization of Christianity.

• The Rise of Christianity

  • Christianity posed a serious threat to the traditional Romans.
  • As such, Christianity was considered criminal and was punished harshly.
  • Christians were never purged systematically in any part of the empire, and Christian evasion continually undermined the edicts' enforcement.
  • Although the persecution resulted in death, torture, imprisonment, or dislocation for many Christians, the majority of the empire's Christians avoided punishment.
  • Christianity became the greatest beneficiary of imperial largesse.