Eastern Christian monasticism
Eastern Christian monasticism is the life followed by
History
The Early Church
The mystical and other-worldly nature of the Christian message very early laid the groundwork for the ascetical life. The example of the
The Founders
The beginning of monasticism per-se comes right at the end of the
As time went on, monks began to congregate into closer communities.
On this threefold foundation all subsequent Christian monasticism was built.
Coptic monasticism
As the birthplace of monasticism, Egypt has continued the monastic tradition unbroken until the present day. After the
Syrian monasticism
The monastics of Armenia, Chaldea, and of the Syrian countries in general were influenced by neither the ecclesiastical nor imperial authority of Byzantium, and continued those observances which were known among them from the time of St. Anthony.
Monasticism was very popular in early Syrian and Mesopotamian Christianity, and originally all monks and nuns there were hermits, like the notable
Under pressure from their
This decision was reverted in 553, and in 571 Abraham the Great of Kashkar founded a new monastery on Mt. Izla with strict rules. The third abbot of this monastery was his student Babai the Great (551 - 628). Babai finally drove out the married monks from Mt. Izla, and as "visitor of the monasteries of the north" ensured that the monastic ideal was taken seriously throughout northern Mesopotamia.
Especially in the region of the
Armenian monasticism
In 301, Armenia became the first sovereign nation to officially accept Christianity as a state religion.[2] The Armenian Apostolic Church eventually became a great defender of Armenian nationalism.
In 451 the Armenian church rejected the
The Armenian church has both married (secular) and monastic (celibate) clergy. Armenian monks follow much the same monastic tradition as Coptic and Byzantine monastics, but are much stricter in the matter of fasting. The novitiate lasts eight years. A Hieromonk, or celibate priest, declares a vow of celibacy the evening of the same day he is ordained and is given a veghar (Armenian: վեղար), a special head-cover, which symbolizes his renunciation of worldly things. A celibate priest is given the title of Monk (Armenian: աբեղա abegha). Upon successful completion and defense of a written thesis, on a topic of his choosing, the Monk receives the rank of Archimandrite (Armenian: վարդապետ vardapet). This indicates that he is a “Doctor” of the Church and receives the right to carry the staff of an Archimandrite. A higher rank of Senior Archimandrite (Dzayraguyn Vardapet) can be granted after completing and defending a doctoral thesis. The rank can only be granted by Bishops who themselves have attained the rank of Senior Archimandrite. The bishops are elected from among those celibate priests who have achieved the rank of archimandrite.
Most Armenian bishops live in monasteries.
At present, there are three monastic brotherhoods in the Armenian Church: the Brotherhood of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Brotherhood of St. James at the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Brotherhood of the Holy See of Cilicia. Each Armenian celibate priest becomes a member of the brotherhood in which he has studied and ordained in or under the jurisdiction of which he has served. The brotherhood makes decisions concerning the inner affairs of the monastery. Each brotherhood elects two delegates who take part in the National Ecclesiastical Assembly.
The
Byzantine monasticism
Part of a series on the |
Eastern Orthodox Church |
---|
Overview |
St. Basil the Great
St. Theodore the Studite
The monks, as a rule, enjoyed the favor of the emperors and patriarchs, but during the iconoclastic persecution they suffered terribly for the orthodoxy of their faith; the stand they took in this aroused the anger of the imperial powers and many were martyred for the faith, monasticism itself (not merely individual monks) became the target of the heretical emperors. Many of them were condemned to exile, and some took advantage of this condemnation to reorganize their religious life in Italy. Ironically, St. John of Damascus, living in a Moslem nation was independent of the iconoclast emperors and could defend the faith from afar.
The second half of the 8th century seems to have been a time of very general decadence; but about the year 800
Later Byzantine monasticism
Monastic life on
The
Notable Byzantine monks include:
- Eutychians;
- St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem (d. 638), one of the most vigorous adversaries of the Monothelite heresy;[5]
- St. Maximus the Confessor, Abbot of Chrysopolis (d. 662), the most brilliant representative of Byzantine monasticism in the seventh century, who in his writings and letters steadily combated the partisans of the doctrines of Monothelitism;[6]
- St. John Damascene (d. 749), together with St. Theodore the Studite defender of the veneration of icons, whose works include theological, ascetic, hagiographical, liturgical, and historical writings;[7]
- Saint Gregory Palamas (1296–1359), who defended the tradition of hesychasm;
- Imperial Russia.
The Byzantine monasteries furnish a long line of historians who were also monks:
There were, besides, a large number of monks,
Fine penmanship and the copying of manuscripts were held in honor among the Byzantines. Among the monasteries which excelled in the art of copying were the Studium, Mount Athos, the monastery of the Isle of
Byzantine monasticism in Ukraine
Following the Union of Brest and partitions of Poland, the Ruthenian Church was catholicized and later dissolved by the Russian authorities. All of its property including churches and monasteries were transferred to the Russian Orthodox Church. The remaining eparchies of the Ruthenian Church that were kept by the Austrian Empire were reorganized into the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.
Following the Union Brest which catholicized the Ruthenian Church, there was established a religious order of
Slavic Monasteries
Serbia
- Saint Sava of Serbia 1169 - 1236
Russia
St.
Some Orthodox Christian Monasteries in the United States
As of December 2015 there were 79 Orthodox Christian monasteries in the United States of America, 40 monastic communities for men and 39 for women, with 573 monastics (monks, nuns, and novices), 308 men and 265 women.[12]
Of these 79 monasteries, three are:
- Holy Trinity Monastery (Jordanville, New York)
- St. Paisius Serbian Orthodox Monastery, Safford, Arizona
- Saint Herman of Alaska Monastery, Platina, California
References
- ISBN 9781108915922.
- ^ "Information about Armenia on nationalgeographic.com". Archived from the original on 2007-01-30. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
- ^ "Armenian Church History and Doctrine". Archived from the original on 2009-07-30. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
- ^ "The Holy City and the Mother Church of St. Etchmiadzin". Archived from the original on 2017-08-23. Retrieved 2007-02-06.
- Patrologia Graecae, LXXXVII, 3147–4014
- Patrologia Graecae, XC and XCI.
- Patrologia Graecae, XCIX.
- Patrologia Graecae, XCVII, 9–190.
- Patrologia Graecae, CVIII.
- Patrologia Graecae, C, 879–991.
- Patrologia Graecae, CX.
- ISBN 9781935317616.
Sources
- Thomas, John P. (1987). Private Religious Foundations in the Byzantine Empire. Washington, D.C.: Dumbarton Oaks. ISBN 9780884021643.