St. Benedict and Gregory the Great (A)

(Originally written July 22, 2006 in Book 5)

The History of Western Philosophy
Bertrand Russell

Chapter VI - St. Benedict and Gregory the Great

The monastic movement, the rise of the papacy, and the conversion of the Barbarians were the greatest achievements of the Church in the 6th and succeeding centuries.

Monasticism was began in both Egypt and Syria simultaneously in the 4th century.

Monasticism initially had two forms:
1) Hermitage (solitary)
2) Monasteries (communal)

The communal form is what conquered the Christian world.

Syrian monks were more ascetic than others.

St. Basil (360 AD) introduced monasticism in Greek-speaking nations.

St. Athanasius brought the Church and monasticism together.

St. Jerome promoted monasticism. Augustine introduced it to Africa. St. Martin of Tours introduced it to Gaul. St. Patrick introduced it to Ireland.

Monasticism initially caused disorder in the Church.

St. Benedict was the founder of the Benedictine Order and the Benedictine Rule. He was born in 480 to a noble family and founded Monte Cassino in 520. Benedict stabilized monasticism and created order.

Pope Gregory the Great was a Benedictine and wrote about St. Benedict.

Gregory was born in 540 into a rich and noble Roman family. He became prefect of Rome in 573 but turned to religion.

He went to Constantinople from 579-585 as a Papal official in the Eastern Empire's imperial court. Gregory became Pope in 590 and faced political turmoil, ecclesiastical turmoil (simony and corrupt bishops) Arianism, and a reversion of England back to Paganism.

As Pope Gregory consolidated and asserted dominance to the Pontiff.