The Benedictine Life
An introduction to the benedictine history and the founding of Belmont Abbey.
by Anselm Biggs, O.S.B.
From the beginnings of Christianity there have always been persons who, eager for the closest possible union with God in this life, have sought to do far more than is strictly required of all true followers of Christ. Today we would say they were “seeking perfection.” At first, such a special way of life was possible only within the privacy of the home. Persons so inclined, ascetics, spent long hours in prayer, fasted more often than was expected of their fellow Christians, and devoted themselves to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Many of them abstained from marriage or, if already married, lived as though unmarried. Those who were blessed with an abundance of worldly goods kept their own needs to a minimum and used their wealth for the relief of the poor and the care of the sick and travelers. These early ascetics continued to belong to the society of their own city and local church and to take a more or less active part in the life of the day. Their special character as ascetics was something over and above their role as citizens and Christians. But toward the end of the third century, some of them sought greater seclusion and more freedom for their ascetical practices and so there began a process of withdrawal from “the world.” This new form of the ascetical life is known as monasticism, or the life of monks. It differed from the original form in its flight from society and in its organized structure.
Monasticism, as an organized way of life, began in Egypt early in the fourth century and spread rapidly into Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Asia Minor. In the same century, it became known in Italy, Gaul, and other parts of the West, and here too it acquired great popularity. Everywhere it assumed one of two forms. The earlier ascetic type was the eremitical or hermit life, in which the monk lived in a more or less total seclusion from all human society. While the eremitical type produced a number of great heroes of sanctity, the difficulties inherent in it were such that it was not suited for the great majority of those seeking Christian perfection. And so a second form, the cenobitic life, came into existence. Cenobites, while withdrawing from the world, live in community. They are governed by a superior and other officials, and their activities are regulated by a rule which seeks to apply the teachings of the Gospel in such a way as to promote the particular aims of the community or of an association of communities.
Ascetical practices which were successful in the warm, dry climate of Egypt were eventually found to be impracticable in other areas, notably in western Europe. And so, after an auspicious beginning, the monastic life went into decline in the fifth century—at the very moment when the Western Roman Empire was being absorbed by various Germanic invaders and many persons thought that the end of the world, or at least of the civilized world, was rapidly approaching. But in A.D. 480, four years after the deposition of the last Western Emperor, there was born a man who was destined to rescue western monasticism from its degradation, adapt it to local conditions, and fit it to be the instrument for converting and educating the new Germanic kingdoms and thus for constructing a new Europe. This was Saint Benedict, whom Pope Pius X honored with the title of “Father of Europe” In 1947.
Benedict at first had no intention of reforming the monastic way of life; even less was he preoccupied with bringing a new Europe into existence. As a youth, he felt restless in the society of his own middle class and aspired to a life that was more satisfying and productive of good than was possible in his native town of Nursia or in Rome. And so, like many before him, he withdrew into solitude to live as a hermit. But before long his retreat was discovered and like-minded persons asked to be allowed to live with him under his direction. Abandoning the eremitical life he became a cenobite and eventually the Father of Western Monasticism. After years of practical experience he wrote his celebrated Rule of Monasteries, in which he laid down the principles he had discovered and legislated for a way of life, which he regarded as only the first step in the path of perfection. His chief aim was to make his form of the monastic life accessible to all men. It was not intended to be easy, but neither were its demands so severe as to scare away all but the most heroic souls. It was intended to satisfy the needs and abilities of the ordinary person and to encourage the generous and the strong to do even more for God.
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