The ''Book of the First Monks'' ( la, Decem Libri – Liber de Institutione Primorum Monacharum) is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

book in the contemplative and

eremitic A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

tradition of the

Carmelite Order , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Ca ...

, thought to reflect the spirituality of the Prophet

Elijah Elijah ( ; he, אֵלִיָּהוּ, ʾĒlīyyāhū, meaning "My El (deity), God is Yahweh/YHWH"; Greek form: Elias, ''Elías''; syr, ܐܸܠܝܼܵܐ, ''Elyāe''; Arabic language, Arabic: إلياس or إليا, ''Ilyās'' or ''Ilyā''. ) w ...

, honored as the Father of the Order.

Overview

The book is one of the most important documents of the Order because it influenced many of the Carmelite Saints according to the spirituality of the first Carmelite hermits. Some medieval Carmelites thought it antedated the

Carmelite Rule of St. Albert The eremitic Rule of Saint Albert is the shortest of the rules of consecrated life in existence of the Catholic spiritual tradition, and is composed almost exclusively of scriptural precepts. To this day it is a rich source of inspiration for the ...

, although this is disputed due to a lack of evidence. It is this dispute that has caused this manuscript to be questioned today.

Imitation of the Prophet Elijah

{{Christian mysticism The original charism of the Carmelite hermits, which still animates the spirituality of many contemporary Carmelites and the cloistered contemplative life of other hermits, monks, and nuns, was in imitation of the Prophet

. Carmelite tradition relates that Elijah inspired the early hermits who settled near the spring on

Mount Carmel Mount Carmel ( he, הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har haKarmel; ar, جبل الكرمل, Jabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias ( ar, link=no, جبل مار إلياس, Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit=Mount Saint Elias/ Elijah), is a ...

, Palestine which bear's Elijah's name. Most often quoted from the ''Book of the First Monks'' is the following passage in which

is named as the spiritual father of the Order:

The goal of this life is twofold. One part we acquire, with the help of divine grace, through our efforts and virtuous works. This is to offer God a pure heart, free from all stain of actual sin. We do this when we are perfect and in
Cherith Cherith, Kerith ( he, נַחַל כְּרִית ), or sometimes Chorath (; from the Septuagint's gr, Χειμάῤῥους Χοῤῥάθ ), is the name of a wadi, or intermittent seasonal streamFrederick Fyvie BruceThe Gospel of John: Introduc ...
, that is, hidden in that charity of which the Wise Man says: "Charity covers all sins " roverbs, 10: 12 God desired Elijah to advance thus far when said to him: "Hide yourself by the brook Cherith" irst Kings, 17: 3-4

The other part of the goal of this life is granted us as the free gift of God: namely, to taste somewhat in the heart and to experience in the soul, not only after death but even in this mortal life, the intensity of the divine esence and the sweetness of the glory of aven. This is to drink of the torrent of the love of God. God promised it to Elijah in the words: "You shall drink from the brook." It is in view of this double end that the monk ought to give himself to the eremitic and prophetic life.From the ''Collected Works of St. John of the Cross'', translated by Rev. Kieran Kavanaugh, OCD and Rev. Otilio Rodriguez, OCD, revised edition, copyright 1991 ICS Publications. Permission is hereby granted for any non-commercial use, if this copyright notice is included.

The book also gives one of the oldest explanations of the Carmelite habit and what each part of the habit signified.

Influence on Carmelites

Exemplars of the contemplative and mystical spirituality described in the book include the

Discalced Carmelite The Discalced Carmelites, known officially as the Order of the Discalced Carmelites of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel ( la, Ordo Fratrum Carmelitarum Discalceatorum Beatae Mariae Virginis de Monte Carmelo) or the Order of Discalced Carme ...

Sts.

Teresa of Avila Teresa (also Theresa, Therese; french: Thérèse) is a feminine given name. It originates in the Iberian Peninsula in late antiquity. Its derivation is uncertain, it may be derived from Greek θερίζω (''therízō'') "to harvest or rea ...

John of the Cross John of the Cross, OCD ( es, link=no, Juan de la Cruz; la, Ioannes a Cruce; born Juan de Yepes y Álvarez; 24 June 1542 – 14 December 1591) was a Spanish Catholic priest, mystic, and a Carmelite friar of converso origin. He is a major figu ...

Thérèse of Lisieux Thérèse of Lisieux (french: Thérèse de Lisieux ), born Marie Françoise-Thérèse Martin (2 January 1873 – 30 September 1897), also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face (), was a French Catholic Discalced Carmelite ...

, and Teresia Benedicta a Cruce, and also the Polish

layman

Jan Tyranowski Jan Leopold Tyranowski (9 February 1901 – 15 March 1947) was a Polish Roman Catholic. He was an ardent admirer and follower of the Discalced Carmelite charism – but was not of their order – and was a central figure in the spiritual forma ...

who guided

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...

in his young adulthood.

References

External links

Official site of the Order of Carmelites

For a recent translation (in English) of the '"Institutione Primorum Monachorum" with an introduction, see: Felip Ribot, O.Carm., The Ten Books on the Way of Life and Great Deeds of the Carmelites, ed. and trans. by Fr. Richard Copsey, O.Carm., 2nd edn(Kent: St. Albert's Press, 2007). Only Book 1 is currently available online
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20090119142153/http://karmel.at/ics/john/gen_2.html ''Book of the First Monks'' in John of the Cross' writings
For a recent translation (in French) of the '"Institutione Primorum Monachorum" with an introduction, see: Philippe Ribot, ''L'institution des premiers moines'', trad. par Sr Pascale-Dominique Nau op, révisée par Yves-Marie du Très-Saint-Sacrement ocd, et introduction de Jean-Philippe Houdret ocd (Éditions du Carmel, 2013).
Carmelite spirituality Documents of the Catholic Church Christian monasticism

Overview

Imitation of the Prophet Elijah

Influence on Carmelites

See also

References

External links