Coptic icon of Pachomius the Great, the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. Saint Pachomius (ca 292-348 also known as Abba Pachomius and Pakhom in Arabic الأنبا باخوميوس, is generally recognized as the founder of Monasticism (from Greek μοναχός, monachos, derived from Greek monos, alone is the religious practice in which one

Cenobitic (also spelled cœnobitic, koinobitic) monasticism is a monastic tradition that stresses community life. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. Often in the West, the community belongs to a religious order and the life of the cenobitic monk is regulated by a religious rule, a collection of precepts. A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion usually The older style of monasticism, to live as a hermit, is called eremitic; and a third form of monasticism, found primarily in the East, is the skete. A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" A skete is a community of Christian Hermits following a monastic rule allowing them to Worship in comparative Solitude, while also

The English words "cenobite" and "cenobitic" are derived, via Latin, from the Greek words κοινός and βίος (koinos and bios, meaning "common" and "life"). Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The adjective is κοινοβιακόν in Greek. A group of monks living in community is often referred to as a "cenobium".

Cenobitic monasticism exists in various religions, though Buddhist and Christian cenobitic monasticism are the most prominent. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

The organized version of Christian cenobitic monasticism is commonly thought to have started in Egypt in the 4th century AD. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. As a means of recording the passage of Time, the 4th century (per the Julian calendar and Anno Domini / Common era) was that Century Christian monks of previous centuries were usually hermits, especially in the Middle East; this continued to be very common until the decline of Syrian Christianity in the Late Middle Ages. A hermit (from the Greek ἔρημος erēmos, signifying " Desert " "uninhabited" hence "desert-dweller" adjective "eremitic" The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية The Late Middle Ages is a term used by historians to describe European history in the period of the 14th and 15th centuries (AD 1300–1499 This form of solitary living, however, did not suit everyone. Some monks found the eremitic style to be too lonely and difficult; and if one was not spiritually prepared, the life could lead to mental breakdowns. ^[1]

For this reason, organized monastic communities started to be created, so that monks could have more support in their spiritual struggle. While eremitic monks did have an element of socializing, since they would meet once a week to pray together, cenobitic monks came together for common prayer on a more regular basis. ^[2] The cenobitic monks also practised more socializing because the monasteries where they lived were often located in or near inhabited villages. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. For example, the Bohairic version of the Life of Pachomius states that the monks of the monastery of Tabenna built a church for the villagers of the nearby town of the same name even "before they constructed one for themselves. Coptic or Coptic Egyptian ( MetRemenkīmi) is the final stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt Tabenna (Tabennae Tabennisi is considered the first Cenobitic Monastery. "^[3] This means that cenobitic monks did find themselves in contact with other people, including lay people, whereas the eremitic monks tried their best to keep to themselves, only meeting for prayer occasionally.

Cenobitic monks were also different from their eremitic predecessors and counterparts in their actual living arrangements. Whereas the eremitic monks ("hermits") lived alone in a monastery consisting of merely a hut or cave ("cell"), the cenobitic monks ("cenobites") lived together in monasteries comprising one or a complex of several buildings. This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. In the case of the latter, each dwelling would house about twenty monks and within the house there were separate rooms or "cells" that would be inhabited by two or three monks. ^[4] This structure of living for the cenobitic monks has been attributed to the same man that is usually hailed as the "father of cenobitic monasticism," St. Pachomius. Saint Pachomius (ca 292-348 also known as Abba Pachomius and Pakhom in Arabic الأنبا باخوميوس, is generally recognized as the founder of Pachomius is thought to have got the idea for living quarters like these from the time he spent in the Roman army, because the style is very "reminiscent of army barracks. "^[5]

Though Pachomius is often credited as the "father of cenobitic monasticism," in actuality it is better to think of him as the "father of organized cenobitic monasticism" as he was the first monk to take smaller communal groups that often already existed and bring them together into a larger federation of monasteries. ^[6]

The account of how Pachomius was given the idea to start a cenobitic monastery is found in Palladius of Galatia's "The Lausiac History" and says that an angel came to Pachomius to give him the idea. Palladius of Galatia was Bishop of Helenopolis in Bithynia, and a devoted disciple of Saint John Chrysostom. The Lausiac History is a seminal work archiving the Desert Fathers (early Christian Monks who lived in the Egyptian desert by ^[7] Though this is an interesting explanation for why he decided to initiate the cenobitic tradition, there are sources that indicate there were actually other communal monastic communities around at the same time as Pachomius, and possibly even before him. In fact, three of the nine monasteries that joined Pachomius' cenobitic federation were not founded by him, meaning he actually was not the first to have such an idea since these three "clearly had an independent origin. "^[8]

The groundplan of the monastery of St. Gall in Switzerland, providing for all of the needs of the monks within the confines of the monastery walls. Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry The Abbey of St Gall (Sankt Gallen was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine Abbeys in Europe

Aside from the monasteries that joined Pachomius' federation of cenobitic monasteries, there were also other cenobitic Christian groups who decided not to join him. The Melitians and the Manichaeans are examples of these cenobitic groups. Manichaeism (in Modern Persian fa-Arab آیین مانی Āyin e Māni; Chinese zh 摩尼教 was one of the major Gnostic Religions originating Even before Pachomius had started on his path toward monastic communities, the Melitians were a group already recruiting members. They actually had "heard of Pachomius' monastic aspirations and tried to recruit him" to join their community. ^[9]

As for Manichaeans, a group founded by a man named Mani, some scholars believe they were the "pioneers of communal asceticism in Egypt,"^[10] and not Pachomius and the Pachomians as has become the common thought. Mani, himself, was actually influenced to begin cenobitic monasticism from other groups, including Buddhists and Jewish-Christian Elkasites^[11] who were practising this tradition already. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices

Though he was not the first to implement communal monasticism, Pachomius is still an important part of cenobitic monastic history, since he was the first to bring differing separate monasteries together into a more organized structure. This is the reason why (as well as the fact that much hagiography and literature has been written about him) he has continued to be recognized as the father of the tradition.

The overall idea of cenobitic monasticism cannot be traced to a single source, however, as many have tried to do in calling Pachomius the "founder" of the tradition, but rather is thanks to the ideas and work of numerous groups, including the aforementioned Melitians, Manichaeans, Elkasites, Buddhists and, of course, the Pachomians.

The cenobitic monastic idea did not end with these groups, though, but rather inspired future groups and individuals:

• Mar Awgin founded a monastery on Mt. Mar Awgin, also known as Saint Eugenios (died ca 379 founded the first Cenobitic Monastery of Asia. Izla above Nisibis in Mesopotamia (~350), and from this monastery the cenobitic tradition spread in Mesopotamia, Persia, Armenia, Georgia and even India and China. Nusaybin ancient Nisibis, Nisibia Nisibin is a city in Mardin Province, southeastern Turkey populated by Turks, Aramean-Syriacs Mesopotamia (from the Greek meaning "land between the rivers" is an area geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers largely corresponding Events By Place Roman Empire January 18 — Magnentius is proclaimed emperor by the army in Autun. The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia Armenia (Հայաստան transliterated: Hayastan,) officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Georgia ( საქართველო, Sakartvelo) is a Transcontinental country in the Caucasus region situated at the dividing line between India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National

• Mar Saba organized the monks of the Judean Desert in a monastery close to Bethlehem (483), and this is considered the mother of all monasteries of the Eastern Orthodox churches. The Great Lavra of St Sabas, known in Arabic as Mar Saba ( is a Greek Orthodox Monastery overlooking the Kidron Valley Bethlehem ( بيت لحم,, lit "House of Meat" Βηθλεέμ Bethleém בית לחם Beit Lehem, lit "House of Bread" is a Events By Place Byzantine Empire Due to Zeno I 's Monophysite sympathies general Illus and Verina, mother-in-law The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world

• St. Benedict of Nursia founded the monastery of Monte Cassino in Italy (529), which was the seed of Roman Catholic monasticism in general, and of the order of Benedict in particular. "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. For information about the World War II battle see the Battle of Monte Cassino. Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Events By Place Byzantine Empire April 7 — The first draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in

• St. Bruno of Carthusia, prompted by the spectre of the damnation of the Good Doctor of Paris Cenodoxus founded a monastery just outside of Paris in the 11th Century. Saint Bruno of Cologne ( Cologne, c 1030 &ndash Squillace, 6 October, 1101) the founder of the Carthusian Order personally Cenodoxus is one of several medieval Miracle plays by Jacob Bidermann, an early 17th century German seminarian and prolific playwright Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

In both the East and the West, cenobiticism established itself as the primary form of monasticism, with many foundations being richly endowed by rulers and nobles. The excessive acquisition of wealth and property led to several attempts at reform, such as Bernard of Clairvaux in the West and Nilus of Sora in the East. Bernard of Clairvaux, OCist ( 1090 - August 20, 1153) was a French abbot and the primary builder of the reforming Cistercian monastic order Nil Sorsky ( Russian: Нил Сорский, also Nilus of Sora and Nil Sorski; birth name Николай Майков or Nikolai

Notes

References

• Attridge, Harold W. and Gohei Hata. “The Origins of Monasticism” in Ascetics, Society, and the Desert : Studies in Egyptian monasticism. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International, 1999.

• Dunn, Marilyn. The Emergence of Monasticism: From the Desert Fathers to the Early Middle Ages. Malden, Mass. : Blackwell Publishers, 2000.

• Goehring, James E. "Withdrawing from the Desert: Pachomius and the development of Village Monasticism in Upper Egypt. " Harvard Theological Review 89(1996): 267-285.

• Halsall, Paul. “Chapter XXXII: Pachomius and Tabennesiots” in Palladius: The Lausiac History. September 1998. Internet Medieval Sourcebook. 30 March 2007 <http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/palladius-lausiac.html>.

• Harmless, William, S. J. “Chapter 5: Pachomius” in Desert Christians - An Introduction to the Literature of Early Monasticism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

• Lawrence, C. H. “Chapter 1: The Call of the Desert” in Medieval Monasticism. 3rd edition. Toronto: Pearson Education Limited, 2001.

External links

• Opera Omnia of St. Pacomius by Migne Patrologia Latina with analytical index