Does anyone here know what was the first Christian monastery? My Western Civilization I teacher is offring extra credit to anyone who can answer this, and document it.

I thought I knew the answer: Saint Antony the Great founded eremetic monasticism, and Saint Pachomius founded cenobitic monasticism.

Therefore, the first monastery would be Saint Pachomius's, which was founded in the Thebaid of Egypt.

However, I'm having a hard time finding documentation for this. Worse, the information I do find seems to attibute the first forms of communal monasticism both to Saint Anthony and/or Saint Pachomius. Which one is right?

Your help is appreciated.

I think it's going to be hard to "document" the first monastery, unless you first define what you mean by it, and by "community."

I think you've got a good start.

Christian monastic life definitely began in the desert, with folks like St. Anthony, and Paul the Hermit - living alone. (or with helpful ravens, lions, etc. ) Was that the first monastery? Or did it become a monastery when the first wannabees came to live "near" and learn from Anthony? Or perhaps was the first monastery the monks who lived in cells in the desert a couple miles from each other, but came together for "the Synaxis" and maybe on great feasts? Or was the first monastery when two monks decided to live in adjoining kellia, perhaps one as father and the other as disciple? Or was the first monastery when St. Pachomius gathered folks inside of one set of walls?

Christ gave us the measure of "where two or more are gathered." At what point does community commence?

I think your sources both have part of the answer.
St. Anthony is generally attributed with founding Christian monasticism. (If memory serves, in his later years he was not exactly alone in his part of the desert either.) His life of prayer and asceticism became the model for the Desert Fathers and Mothers who folowed him - some of whom eventually adopted the cenobitic life, which was pilot-tested by St. Pachomius, and eventually (down the road a piece) given a formal rule by St. Basil.

So what makes a monastery? One hermit monk? Two monks? How close together do they have to live? How often do they have to come together? Do they have to have a formally codified Rule? Community life?

I think if you define your parameters, you can answer the question. But you've got to decide what qualifies as a monastery.

Dunno if this helps at all.


Sharon

Dear Pax,

The documentation, is the contemporary and eye witness account of Saint Athanasius "The Life of Antony" PG 26 (1887) 835-976.

The original was probably written by Athanasius as early 357 (just a year after Antony's death). It is widely considered to be the foundation document for the monastic tradition.

I believe the greek text in Minge (PG) is that edited by Bernard de Montfaucon (Paris 1698). There were very early Latin and Syriac translations, and the text was widely known in the late 4th century.

The "Life of Pachomius" is somewhat later, and so probably doesn't help you in looking for the 1st documentation.

Saint Antony does usually get the credit for founding Christian monasticism. However, there is a problem: the Vita Antonii informs us that when he decided to go off into the desert and embark upon the eremitical life, he was still responsible for his sister - so he enrolled her in a monastery of women! This clearly implies that there was already monasticism for women. Incognitus