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Early Western Christendom, c.500-700 - The early medieval church - monasticism

5 important questions on Early Western Christendom, c.500-700 - The early medieval church - monasticism

Who started (2) monasticism in the east and what was their goal

1. Pachomius
2. Basil the Great
goal: prized companionship and joint striving toward holy life, sharing a common spiritual journey

Who helped spreading monasticism in the west

Cassian

Because Ireland was never part of the Roman Empire, there were 2 differences

1. they had no cities where bishops and dioceses could build their ecclesiastical structure. Therefore the Irish monasteries took over the functions, like administration, that was elsewhere done by bishops
2. Irish monks embraced pilgrimage-as-mission, and because it also took the work of converting, Irish pilgrimage was called penitential exile (form of self-denial)

What are double monasteries

Monasteries that housed both sexes

What are family monasteries

Monasteries that were linked to powerful local families that supported them, this meant that the abbot or abbess was a descendant of the donor and that the monasteries offered favours to the donor's family.