To be taught on Holy Saturday, 4/18.
Having surveyed the doctrinal debates and theological literature of first 800 years of the Church in the previous chapters, in this third chapter Metropolitan Hilarion turns to the development of monasticism and the ascetical writings during this same period.
He says,
The age of ecumenical councils was marked by the appearance and development of the monastic movement, which exerted enormous influence on all aspects of the spiritual life of the Orthodox Church.
The Metropolitan makes the connection between the end of the great persecutions in the early 300s and the subsequent “transformation of the Christian Church into a well-organized institution enjoying all the benefits of civilization” with the movement of many Christians into the desert of Egypt. Three types of monasticism emerged during this 4th century movement: anchoritic (hermits), cenobitic (large groups), and skeet (small groups).
As is always a possibility with splinter groups, early monasticism did not emerge in opposition to the Church, thanks in large part to Basil the Great who emphasized the ecclesiastical nature of the monastic communities. Basil is also credited with developing the idea of “monasticism in the world” rather than monasticism as an escape from the world.
By the 700s, some estimate that there were approximately 100,000 monks in Byzantium. This was critical, particularly during the iconoclastic controversy when Church hierarchs were often “tamed” by the emperors; however, the monastics would not bend to the political will. In fact, throughout the centuries, the Church has often been “tamed” by the monastic community.
The Metropolitan notes a key difference between monasticism of the West and East. Whereas Western monastics are usually independent from episcopal structures, not so in the East where monastics remain under the jurisdiction of the local bishop.
A final note about monasticism and the nature of “eldership” and how it developed during the iconoclastic period. Metropolitan Hilarion, quoting Bishop Kallistos Ware, notes that there were always two kinds of apologetic succession within the Church: 1) the “visible succession of the hierarchy (bishops), and 2) the “charismatic” succession of spiritual fathers and mothers. Because of the “taming” of many of the hierarchs, mentioned above, many within the Church turned to the monks to be their spiritual fathers or mothers and to receive spiritual guidance.
The rest of the chapter is spent on a survey of the early ascetic writers, such as Evagrius and St John Climacus, to mention only a few.
Join with us on Holy Saturday at 4pm to discuss this chapter!