Early Monasticism and its Relevance to Modern-Day Christianity

Worship throughout History
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Worship throughout History
Christian worship has its origins in the ancient Israel traditions and modifications by apostles and Jesus' early followers. Moreover, they form the basis of worship. Earlier churches inherited a wide array of practices and convictions from Judaism that put an inedible stamp on Christian worship. At the center was the belief that Old Testament Scriptures were authentic and authoritative. They glued together the scriptural interpretation in the person and work of Jesus coupled with its Trinitarian implications. As such, corporate worship became centered on the yearly calendar alongside historical acts of God that are presently rooted in Christ. Notably, worship majorly focused on the ceremonial commemoration rites, including reading and interpreting holy texts that ultimately incorporated the New Testament.. Also, prayer, whether sung or uttered, found its meaning and pattern in Psalms that were viewed in light of Christ. In essence, worship assumed the conventional four-fold structure that baptized people, read and interpreted scriptures, celebrated the Lord's Supper, and went out to spread the Gospel.[Saugatuck. “A brief history of Christian worship.” Saugatuckcrc.org, /single-post/2015/04/30/a-brief-history-of-christian-worship]
Over its first three hundred years, the family home formed the basis of the Christian Church and poured its rich and colorful heritage. There is little evidence, but apparent homes were transformed into worship spaces, and after celebrations, they returned to their everyday use. Notably, worshippers followed the Liturgical Calendar guidelines as a path that dictated a series of services, rituals, ceremonies that followed the annual cycles of birth, life, death, and Jesus' resurrection.. The calendar is divided into four to include the Advent of Christmas, Time after Epiphany, Lent to Easter through Pentecost, and the period post-Pentecost known as Kingdomtide.[New Year. "The traditional liturgical calendar of the roman." The Construction of Time in Antiquity: Ritual, Art, and Identity (2017): 248] [Leah, Woods. "Where Time and Eternity Intersect: the Integration of the Liturgical Calendar into the Worship Practices of the Evangelical Church." (2018).]
Often, the main congregation would converge in the atrium when the weather was favorable or sometimes in the dining rooms. In wealthier homes, the tablinum became the shrine and reception room where believers read and deliberated on the word as they celebrated communion. Home furnishings such as utensils, tables, and chairs, among others, acted as the articles of worship. Interestingly, the homes provided much cover and served as Church, especially during persecution.. The home as a church indeed affected worship. Limited space resulted in higher intimacy coupled with a sense of community involvement. During these times, Christianity was not mainstream, and during moments of persecution and in spaces of social stigma, commitment to worship experienced newfound strength in Church as God's family. Local homes led to the adoption of local customs and language.[Saugatuck. “A brief history of Christian worship.” Saugatuckcrc.org, HYPERLINK "/single-post/2015/04/30/a-brief-history-of-christian-worship"/single-post/2015/04/30/a-brief-history-of-christian-worship]
In the fourth century, there was a monumental shift in the Church's status in the Roman Empire, including changes in worship spaces. In 313 CE, the revered Roman Emperor- Constantine the Great- put to a stop the periodic yet terrifying persecutions meted on Christians by the Roman Empire following his Edict of Milan. Consequently, the Christian Church fell under imperial protection.. Unsurprisingly, there were significant changes in the normative and social cultures for early Christian believers. While they previously faced danger from outside and hid from pagans and some Jewish factions, Constantine’s imperial endorsements and favoritism for Christians allowed for new cultural permissiveness and secularism to emerge within the faith. However, pious believers worried more about the immorality of the Church, including vices and abuse. This period also laid the foundation for the monastic movement. With the newfound privileges and power, church leaders acted arrogantly, and some slipped into corruption. Consequently, other Christians of pursued a different and less secular path in their spirituality. Many of them adopted the monastic life that the Eastern Church majorly practiced. It laid the foundation of the monastic movement in the West.[Dominik, Markl. "What Biblical Scholars Can Learn from Jerome: Sixteen Centuries After His Demise?" Vulgata in Dialogue. A Biblical On-Line Review 4 (2020): 33-44]
Christian monasticism demanded that believers conform to the ascetic way of living and dedicate their lives to Christian worship. When monasticism began in the early Church, it was founded on biblical ideals, especially those of the Old Testament. However, it was not mandated as an institution in the scriptures. This lifestyle was simple initially, but as is common to every society, the practice evolved and increasingly became convoluted as years passed.. Often, nuns and monks converted cemeteries, caves, and swamps into worship centers to proclaim God's calling, including affirming their lifestyles. Ultimately, there were particular rules coupled with over-arching regulations created by the Church to put the many specific groups into a more conducive, more consistent expression of Christianity during this movement. No exact date is given to be the start of this movement. However, it became common in the fourth century. This movement spread to many other parts of Europe when individuals like John Chrysostom and John Cassian developed the Egyptian-style monastery in Gaul. Furthermore, among the most famous monastics was Saint Benedict of Nursia, credited with establishing a monastic rule of order instituted to be the benchmark of all monasticism.. This practice was first developed in the sense of practical life then became a canonical order. It peaked in the 8th century and lasted for another four centuries. During this period, monasteries were an integral part of the society and dictated believers to live with the purpose of salvation from sin and death and manifested when individuals met the needs of their counterparts. In essence, monasticism reminds the believers by the voice of tradition and history and that the only good thing for the human race is to live a fulfilled life in Christ to acquire God's Kingdom.[Michal Bar-Asher, Siegal. "The Collection of Traditions in Monastic and Rabbinic Anthologies as a Reflection of Lived Religion." Religion in the Roman Empire 2, no. 1 (2016): 72-90] [Ibid,82]
With more freedom and interaction with Romans, Christians adopted some of the practices. For instance, the Roman civil basilica acted as the blueprint for church construction in the subsequent centuries. Because of its nave, such architectures allowed for a larger congregation. Also, due to its projected platform for the judges and scribes, the Roman apse acted as the bishop's throne where sermons were preached. Often, bishops sat while preaching as a testament to their teaching authority. However, these radical changes came with negative impacts on worship. There were increased distances between the clergy and the laity with larger worship spaces so as the distance between the Lord's Table and the laity.. As a result, there was reduced intimacy previously witnessed in home churches. Likewise, a larger setting brought a greater sense of power and majesty. The degree of professionalism heightened the artistic and authoritative quality of worship. Decorations of aesthetic qualities communicated scriptural stories to believers. Beautifully designed buildings showed good acoustics as well as sight-lines.[Saugatuck. “A brief history of Christian worship.” Saugatuckcrc.org, HYPERLINK "/si...