Lecture 13: Monasticism (HIST 210)
This lecture delves into the paradoxes of early medieval monasticism, tracing its evolution from eremetic asceticism in the East to communal life under the Rule of St. Benedict. It reveals how the emphasis on prayer and labor in the Benedictine Rule inadvertently fostered manuscript copying and intellectual pursuits.
The Early Middle Ages, 284--1000 (HIST 210)
Professor Freedman discusses some of the paradoxes of monasticism in the Early Middle Ages. To the modern mind, monks and learning make a natural pair. However, this combination is not an obvious outcome of early monasticism, which emphasized asceticism and renunciation of the world. As it moved west, monasticism shifted away from its eremetic beginnings in Egypt and Syria to more communal way of life under the Rule of St Benedict. In addition to communal life, the Rule emphasized prayer and labor; the latter of which was interpreted to include reading and eventually the copying of manuscripts.
Lecture 12: Britain and Ireland (HIST 210)
Next · Lecture 14Lecture 14: Mohammed and the Arab Conquests (HIST 210)