Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8bljj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-05T00:06:39.752Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Rise of Monasticism in the Church of Africa

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2009

R. Pierce Beaver
R. Pierce Beaver
Affiliation:
Baltimore, Maryland
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

An important development in the life of the church of Africa during the last decade of the fourth century and the first quarter of the fifth century was the rise of monasticism, first instituted, inspired, and directed by Saint Augustine. A lively consciousness of sin and the comparison of his sensual life with the career of several exponents of monachism had resulted at the time of his conversion in a strong ascetic reaction to his former mode of thought and life. In succeeding years the saintly bishop lost none of the ardor for asceticism which marked his conversion, largely because his active imagination continued to dwell on his earlier life and to magnify his former sins and shortcomings out of all proportion, so that he was ever driven to make atonement by “newness of life.” Divorcing himself entirely from his former career, Saint Augustine with some of his friends returned to his birthplace, Thagaste in Numidia, and there he founded on his own lands the first African monastery, and endowed it with that portion of his patrimony which he had not yet given to other charities. For three years he dwelt there “with those who had also consecrated themselves to God, in fastings and prayers and good works, meditating day and night in the law of the Lord.” Soon after he had been ordained priest under compulsion at Hippo in 391, Saint Augustine founded there a second monastery for men on property provided by the aged Bishop Valerius.

Type
Research Article
Information
Church History , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , December 1937 , pp. 350 - 372
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Church History 1937

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1 Especially Anthony the Hermit and two friends of Augustine's acquaintance, Ponticianus. Confessions, VIII.

2 By Africa is designated the Roman Diocese of Africa, which comprised from east to west Tripolitana, Byzacenum, Proconsular Africa, Numidia, Mauretania Sitifiensis, and Mauretania Caesariensis. Mauretania Tingitana was joined with these provinces ecclesiastically although it belonged to Spain politically.

3 Possidius, , Vita Sancti Augustini, IIIGoogle Scholar; Augustine, , Epistula, 126.7 (CSEL, XLIV, 12–43).Google Scholar

4 Ibid.

5 Augustine, , Serm., 355.1.2Google Scholar (PL, XXXIX, 1570).

6 Mentioned in a letter of Paulinus of Nola to Alypius in 394, included in the Letters of Saint Augustine. Ep. 24.6 (CSEL, XXXIV, (1), 77).

7 Augustine returned to Thagaste in July or August 388, and the monastery must been established almost immediately. The monas ery at Hippo was probably founded in the summer of 391, since Augustine asked for a leave of absence until Easter, and, therefore, did not begin his work in Hippo until late in the spring. See Augustine, , Ep. 21.4Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV (1), 52) and Possidius, , Vita Aug., XI. In Ev. 22.9Google Scholar (CBEL XXXIV, (1), 62), written in the year 392 Saint Augustine commends Archbishop Aurelius for his gift of land for a monastery which can only be located at Carthage.

8 Augustine, Ep. 31.9; 38.3; 149.34; 158.9 and 10; 214; 215; 216 (CSEL, XXXIV, (2) 8; 66 XLIV, 380; 494–495; LVII, 380–402; and Possidius, , Vita Aug., XIGoogle Scholar. Possidius, bishop of Calama, undoubtedly includes himself among those pupils of Augustine who founded monastic houses.

9 Augustine, , Ep., 163Google Scholar; 210; 211 (CSEL, XLIV, 520; LVII, 353–371); Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXVI.Google Scholar

10 Goyau, Georges, Sainte Mélanie, 113Google Scholar; quoted by McNabb, , “Was the Rule of Saint Augustine Written for Saint Melania the Younger?,” Journal of Theological Studies, XX, (1919), 245.Google Scholar

11 Augustine, , Ep. 262.5 (CSEL, LVII, 625).Google Scholar

12 They continued to afflict the church during the next century, and are condemned by Benedict, Saint in his Rule. Regula Monast., I.Google Scholar

13 Ep. 35.2; 111.7–9; 188; 208; 212; 263 (CSEL, XXXIV, (2), 28–29; 653–657; LVII, 119–130; 342–347; 371–372; 631–634.)

14 Council of Hippo, 393, Statuta Breviata et Collata, can. 1, 24, 31, and 34 (Mansi, III, 919, 922, 923, 924; Hefele, , Conciliengeschichte, II, 56, 58, 59.)Google Scholar

15 Augustine, , Ep. 35.2Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV, (2), 28).

16 Ibid.

17 The Cireumcellions were nomadic bands of Donatist fanatics. See Beaver, , “The Donatist Circumcellions,” Church History, IV (06, 1935), 123–133.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

18 Augustine, , Ep. 212Google Scholar (CSEL, LVII, 371–372).

19 Ibid., 188.1 (CSEL, LVII, 120); Jerome describes this conversion in detail in his Ep. 130.4–6 (PL, XXII, 1108–10).

20 Ibid., 150 (CSEL, XLIV, 380–382).

21 Jerome, , Ep. 130Google Scholar (PL, XXII, 1107–1124); Pelagius, , Ep. ad Demetriadem (PL, XXX, 13–45)Google Scholar; Augustine, Ep. 150 (CSEL, LVII, 380–382). A letter of warning written by Augustine and Alypius, now lost, is mentioned in Ep. 188, in whieh Augustine repeats his admonition (CBEL, LVII, 119–130).

22 Augustine, , Serm. 355.I.2Google Scholar (PL, 1569–1570) and Ep. 83.6 and 125.5 (CBEL, XXXIV, (2), 392; XLIV, 7).

23 Augustine, , Serm. 356.10 and 15Google Scholar (PL, XXXIX, 1578, 1580–1581).

24 Augustine, , Ep. 210, 211, 264Google Scholar (CBEL, LVII, 353–356, 356–371, and 635–638); Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXVI.Google Scholar Maxima, who presided over a religious community and who wrote to Augustine complaining about the teaching of false doctrine in her neighborhood, must have lived in the diocese of Hippo, for this was a matter for her own bishop and no other to consider.

25 Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXXI.Google Scholar

26 Augustine, Ep. 210 and 211 (CSEL, LVII, 353ff).

27 Ibid.; Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXVI.Google Scholar

28 Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXVI.Google Scholar

29 Augustine, , Ep. 210Google Scholar (CSEL, LVII, 353–356).

30 Ibid., 211 (CSEL, LVII, 356–371). Although this letter is without address or salutation, I assume–and I see no reason to doubt it–that this letter is addressed to the same monastery as Ep. 210.

31 CBEL, XLI, 235–302 and 532–596.

32 Speakman, , “The Rule of Saint Augustine,” Historical Essays, Owens College (Manchester, 1907), 57–75).Google Scholar

33 Augustine, , Ep. 211.5 and 6Google Scholar (CSEL, LVII, 360–361); Baxter, , St. Aug. Sei. Letters, 381–383).Google Scholar

34 Leclercq, , L'Afrique chrètienne, II, 59Google Scholar; Leclercq, article on “Affranchissement,” in Dict. d'arch. chrètienne et de liturgie, I, 544; see Augustine, , Serm. 356.3Google Scholar (FL, XXXIX, 1575–6).

35 Georges, Goyau, Sainte Mélanie, 113Google Scholar; see note 10.

36 De Opere Monachorum, 25 (XXII) (CSEL, XLI, 570).

37 Possidius, , Vita Aug., VGoogle Scholar. Saint Augustine retained a small amount of property until he became priest at Hippo, and then gave it to the Church of Thagaste. Ep. 126.7.

38 Ibid.; Augustine, , Serm. 355.2Google Scholar (PL, XXXIX, 1570).

39 Augustine, , Ep. 83Google Scholar (CBEL, XXXIV, (2), 388–392).

40 Ibid., 211.7–16 (CSEL, LVII, 361–369).

41 Posidius, , Vita Aug., VGoogle Scholar; Augustine, , Serm. 355.2Google Scholar and Ep. 83; for life in the monastery see Possidius, Vita, XXII if.

42 Quisquis amat dicitis absentum rodere vitam, hac inensa indignam noverit esse suam.

43 It is interesting to note that nuns employed serving women, at least when visiting away from their nunnery.

44 Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXVI.Google Scholar

45 Leclercq, , L'Afrique chrètienne, II, 27.Google Scholar

46 Augustine, , Ep. 83.6Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV, (2), 391–392). Augustine states that he will have money to give to a parish churh in his diocese only when a large sum again falls to his monastery.

47 Ibid., 60; 64.3; 78.2–3, 6, 9; 125.5; and Serm. 355.2 (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 221–222; 231; 333–336; 339–341; 344–345; XLIV, 7; and PL, XXXIX, 1570).

48 Ibid., 262.8 (CSEL, LVII, 627).

49 Ibid., 60; 64.3 (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 221–222;231).

50 De Opere Monachorum, 25 (CEEL, XLI, 570).

51 Augustine, , Ep. 78.9Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 344–345).

52 Ibid., 64.3 (CSEL, xxxiv (2), 231). This would be a Canon of the Council of Carthage of September 13, 401.

53 Ibid., 60.1 (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 221); tr., Baxter, , St. Aug. Sel. Letters, 121.Google Scholar

54 Possidius, , Vita Aug., III.Google Scholar

55 Augustine, , Ep. 10.2Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV (1), 23–24).

56 Ep. 10 (22ff).

57 Ibid., 22.1 (CSEL, XXXIV, (1), 54–55).

58 Ibid., 31.4; 98.5; 102.1; 118.3; 139.3; 151.13; 169.13; 213.5; 261; and Serm. 839.1.

59 Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXXI.Google Scholar

60 Avgustine, , Ep. 220.12Google Scholar (CSEL, LVII, 44); tr., Baxter, , St. Aug. Sel. Letters, 435–437).Google Scholar

61 Ibid., 48.1 (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 137).

62 De Opere Monachrum, 20 (CSEL, XLI, 564); see also tile sections following this, and Montgomery, , St. Augustine, 251–252.Google Scholar

63 Augustine, , Ep. 48.2Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 138).

64 Possidiua describes (Vita, VII) the church of Africa at the time of Augustine's ordination at Hippo as having for a long time lain prostrate, seduced, oppressed, and overpowered, while the Donatists were gaining strength. Later (XI) he relates how the church began to “raise her head” after Augustine's seminary began to send out clergy. This would indicate that lack of clergy was one of the chief troubles of the Catholic church.

65 Augustine, , Ep. 60.1Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 221).

66 Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXVII.Google Scholar

67 Laistner, Thought and Letters in Western Europe, A.D. 500–900, 17–26; Leclercq, , L'Afrique chretienne, II, 6–19Google Scholar; Dill, , Roman Society in the Last Century of the Roman Empire, 391 ff.Google Scholar

68 Augustine refers to Rome and Carthage as “the living centers of Latin Literature,” Ep. 118.9 (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 674).

69 Laistuer, , Thought and Letters in Western Europe, A.D. 500–900, 26 ff.Google Scholar

70 Bardenhewer, , Geschichte der altkirchlichen Literatur, IV, 446–447.Google Scholar

71 Retract., I.3 (CSEL, XXXVI, 19–20); tr., Laistner, Thought and Letters, 32.

72 Augustine, , Ep. 118.9Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 673).

73 Goldbaeher, S. Aurclii Augustini Hipponiensis Episcopi Epistulae, Index IV B, Loci ex aliis scriptoribus, V, 109–114 (CSEL, LVIII).

74 Augustine, , Ep. 117 and 118Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 663–664 and 665–698); Simpson, Sparrow, Letters of St. Aug., 52–55Google Scholar, reviews the letter in detail.

75 Ep. 118.34 (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 697–698).

76 De Doctrina Christiana, IV.3; Montgomery, St. Aug., 203.

77 Augustine, , Ep. 118.9Google Scholar; 211.13; 231.7 (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 679; LVII, 368; 510); De Hacresbus, 80.

78 Ibid., 231.7.

79 Possidius, , Vita dug., Xl.Google Scholar

80 Augustine, , Ep. 84.1Google Scholar (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 392).

81 Ibid., 48.2 (CSEL, XXXIV (2), 138).

82 Council of Hippo, 393, Stat. Brev. Col., can. 11, 12, 13 (Mansi, III, 921). One finds mention of children of clerics in the letters of Saint Augustine, such as tile son of a priest in Ep. 158 and the granddaughter of Bishop Severus of Milevis in Ep. 111.7.

83 Possidius, , Vita Aug., XXVIII.Google Scholar