Coptic monasticism is said to be the original form of
monasticism
Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important rol ...
as
St. Anthony of Egypt became the first one to be called "
monk
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...
" (Gr: μοναχός) and he was the first to establish a Christian
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...
which is now known as the
Monastery of Saint Anthony at the base of
Mount Colzim. St. Anthony's Monastery (also known as the Monastery of ''Abba Antonious'') is the oldest Christian monastery in the world.
Although Saint Anthony's way of life was focused on solitarity,
Saint Pachomius the Cenobite, a
Copt from
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ar, صعيد مصر ', shortened to , , locally: ; ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the lands on both sides of the Nile that extend upriver from Lower Egypt in the north to Nubia in the south.
In ancient E ...
, established communal monasticism
in his monasteries in upper Egypt which laid the basic monastic structure for many of the monasteries today in many monastic orders, even outside of
Coptic Orthodoxy.
Origins
Institutional Christian monasticism seems to have begun in the deserts in 4th century AD
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
as a kind of living
martyrdom
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...
. Scholars such as
Lester K. Little attribute the rise of monasticism at this time to the immense changes in the church that had been brought about by
Constantine's acceptance of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...
as the main
Roman
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
* Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...
religion. This ended the position of Christians as a small group that believed itself to be the godly elite. In response a new more advanced form of dedication was developed to preserve a nucleus of the dedicated. The end of persecution also meant that martyrdom was no longer an option to prove one's piety. Instead the long-term "martyrdom" of the
ascetic
Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...
became common.
Many Egyptian Christians went to the desert during the 3rd century, and remained there to pray and work and dedicate their lives to seclusion and worship of God. This was the beginning of the
monastic movement, which was organized by
Anthony the Great
Anthony the Great ( grc-gre, Ἀντώνιος ''Antṓnios''; ar, القديس أنطونيوس الكبير; la, Antonius; ; c. 12 January 251 – 17 January 356), was a Christian monk from Egypt, revered since his death as a saint. He is d ...
,
Saint Paul
Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
, the world's first
anchorite
In Christianity, an anchorite or anchoret (female: anchoress) is someone who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society so as to be able to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic, or Eucharist-focused life. While anchorites are ...
,
Saint Macarius the Great and
Saint Pachomius the Cenobite in the 4th century.
St. Pachomius
Pachomius
Pachomius (; el, Παχώμιος ''Pakhomios''; ; c. 292 – 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, ...
established his first monastery between 318 and 323 at Tabennisi, Egypt, and when it grew too large, his second one, Pabau monastery, was built in Faou. Pachomius spent most of his time at Pabau. By the time of his death in 345, one count estimates there were 3000 monasteries dotting Egypt from north to south. Within a generation after his death, this number grew to 7000 and then expanding out of Egypt into Palestine and the Judea Desert, Syria, North Africa and eventually Western Europe.
Monasticism
Christian
monasticism
Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic life plays an important rol ...
was born in Egypt and was instrumental in the formation of the
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...
character of submission, simplicity and humility, thanks to the teachings and writings of the Great Fathers of Egypt's Deserts. By the end of the 5th century, there were hundreds of monasteries, and thousands of cells and caves scattered throughout the Egyptian desert. A great number of these monasteries are still flourishing and have new vocations to this day.
All Christian monasticism stems, either directly or indirectly, from the Egyptian example:
Saint Basil the Great Archbishop of Caesaria of Cappadocia, founder and organizer of the monastic movement in Asia Minor, visited Egypt around 357 AD and his rule is followed by the Eastern Orthodox Churches;
Saint Jerome who translated the Bible into Latin, came to Egypt, while en route to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, around 400 AD and left details of his experiences in his letters;
Benedict founded the Benedictine Order in the 6th century on the model of Saint Pachomius, but in a stricter form. Countless pilgrims have visited the "
Desert Fathers" to emulate their spiritual, disciplined lives.
The Coptic monasticism took three forms:
* Monachism
* The
coenobitic system
* The communal System or semi-eremitic Life
Modern status
The
Coptic Orthodox Church
The Coptic Orthodox Church ( cop, Ϯⲉⲕ̀ⲕⲗⲏⲥⲓⲁ ⲛ̀ⲣⲉⲙⲛ̀ⲭⲏⲙⲓ ⲛ̀ⲟⲣⲑⲟⲇⲟⲝⲟⲥ, translit=Ti.eklyseya en.remenkimi en.orthodoxos, lit=the Egyptian Orthodox Church; ar, الكنيسة القبطي� ...
has many monasteries and
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...
s that host many monks and nuns. All of the Coptic bishops are chosen from monks, although this was not necessary traditionally.
Coptic monasticism saw a revival that started in the 1960s during the papacy of
Pope Cyril VI of Alexandria, and currently there are Coptic monasteries and convents in
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...
, the United States,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...
and Europe that have been recognized by
the Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church
The Holy Synod of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria is the highest Orthodox authority in the Coptic Orthodox Church. It formulates the rules and regulations regarding matters of the Church's organisation and faith.
The synod is chaired by t ...
.
There are currently 33 monasteries in Egypt and in the lands of the immigration with a total of more than 1,000 monks, and six convents with about 300 nuns. The largest monasteries, and most famous, are at
Wadi Natrun,
Lexicorient
/ref> about 60 miles northwest of Cairo. They are the only four of the ancient fortified self-sufficient monasteries which have survived out of many that were in the Wadi Natroun valley.
Image gallery
File:St. Anthony's Monastery 2006.jpg, Monastery of Saint Anthony, Eastern Desert, Egypt
File:MonasteroAntonio2.jpg, Monastery of Saint Anthony, Eastern Desert near Mount Colzim, Egypt
File:MonasteroPaolo4.jpg, Monastery of Saint Paul the Anchorite, Eastern Desert, Egypt
File:Monastry3.jpg, Coptic Monastery in Scetes, Egypt
File:Bischoy Kloster BW 10.jpg, Monastery of Saint Pishoy, Scetes, Egypt
File:Bischoy Kloster BW 1.jpg, Monastery of Saint Pishoy, Scetes, Egypt
File:Bischoy Kloster BW 9.jpg, Monastery of Saint Pishoy, Scetes, Egypt
File:St marcarius.JPG, Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Scetes, Egypt
File:Macarius Kloster BW 1.jpg, Monastery of Saint Macarius the Great, Scetes, Egypt
File:Deir as Suriani.jpg, Syrian Monastery
The Monastery of Saint Mary El-Sourian is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in Wadi El Natrun in the Nitrian Desert, Beheira Governorate, Egypt. It is located about 500 meters northwest of the Monastery of Saint Pishoy.
The monastery is dedi ...
, Scetes, Egypt
File:Monastery of Abu Mena (03-2009).jpg, Monastery of Saint Mina, Western Desert, Egypt
File:Kroeffelbach Koptisches Kloster.jpg, Monastery of Saint Anthony, Kröffelbach, Germany
File:Frescos from the Wadi Natrun monastery1.jpg, Frescos at the Syrian Monastery
The Monastery of Saint Mary El-Sourian is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in Wadi El Natrun in the Nitrian Desert, Beheira Governorate, Egypt. It is located about 500 meters northwest of the Monastery of Saint Pishoy.
The monastery is dedi ...
, Scetes, Egypt
File:Frescos from the Wadi Natrun monastery2.jpg, Frescos at the Syrian Monastery
The Monastery of Saint Mary El-Sourian is a Coptic Orthodox monastery located in Wadi El Natrun in the Nitrian Desert, Beheira Governorate, Egypt. It is located about 500 meters northwest of the Monastery of Saint Pishoy.
The monastery is dedi ...
, Scetes, Egypt
See also
* Christian monasticism before 451
*The Daughters of St. Mary
The Daughters of St. Mary (Deir Banat Maryam) is a Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Coptic community of Coptic monasticism, nuns based in Beni Suef, Egypt.
History
Athanasius, Metropolitan of Beni Suef, Bishop Athanasius founded The Daughte ...
* Desert Fathers
* Eastern Christian monasticism
* List of Coptic monasteries
* Members of the Covenant
* Parabalani
* Tall Brothers
* Matta El Meskeen
* Chronology of early Christian monasticism
References
Further reading
* Gabra, Gawdat. 2010. ''Coptic Monasteries: Egypt's Monastic Art and Architecture''. University of Cairo Press.
*Gruber, Mark. 2003. ''Sacrifice In the Desert: A Study of an Egyptian Minority Through the Lens of Coptic Monasticism''. Lanham: University Press of America.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coptic Monasticism
Coptic Christianity