History 2401E Lecture Notes - Lecture 13: Evangelical Counsels, Secular Clergy, Basil Of Caesarea
Document Summary
Isolate yourself from the world, devote yourself entirely to god. Bank of spirituality, can support the state, pray for everybody else - social function. Christians in the middle ages had very thin line between the living and the dead, fairly culturally uniform. Death is a narrow veil + high mortality rates -> lots of people you know on the other side, you might be there quickly. Christianity rejects the world while providing service to the world. Give people political context, support, lands as people want to be associated with you. Easy to get pulled aside from the rejection of the world, then reform, and cycle continues. St. anthony 310: founder of eastern monasticism, retreated into desert. St pachomus early 4th century: developed it more. St basil of casaeria c. 350: regula - once you have people living together you need to organize their lives to help them stay on track.