Last time we looked at martyrs and how their faithful testimony amidst the backdrop of persecution was ultimately an encouraging and edifying experience for the church. So then where did the church go from there? In answer of this question, we now look then to the development of monks and monasticism.
The Changing Landscape
Martyrdom was and is a product of persecution. It is the natural outcome of a situation where a group of people can be systematically attacked by the State. This however all changed in AD 312 when the Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. Obviously the Emperor was not going to be persecuted by his own kingdom and so soon after Christianity legalised. Eventually in AD 380, The Emperor Theodosius would make Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
Though the positive benefit of such an event is obvious, it also posed a number of problems. There was a blurring of state and church, but perhaps more immediately difficult for the Christian community to deal with was a rising nominalism. When the church was persecuted, it was unlikely that a person not genuinely committed to Christ would persevere in faith and endure the hardship. With government sponsorship and encouragement however the doors were opened to those simply going through the motions.
What then did real belief look like? One answer that has persisted through the ages to this question of what it means to live rightly before God is the life of poverty. In this some would give up worldly pleasures such as money, good food and marriage in order to devote themselves to prayer and good works. Eventually this grew to include a practice of solitude from the Christian community and the larger society as well. Some also resorted to this living as a way of getting away from the nominalism that the institutionalisation of the Church had brought. No matter the motive, their seclusion was thus a sign of their devotion to real faith.
On top of this, it was a somewhat strange dilemma that as persecution had ended, so too did the somewhat regular flow of martyrs. Who now would believers look up to as examples of their faith, now that the tangibly 'hardcore' believers didn't need to be so 'hardcore' anymore? Monks would fill this void. Ultimately, those who sought the life of poverty and solitude developed followers, and it is from here that monks and monastery's developed.
Some Unchanged Truths
The development of monks and monasticism can be seen a number of ways, both positive and negative. Positively speaking, these people exhibited a desire to live for God in a way that affected and overtook all areas of their life. They took Jesus at his word when he called them to throw off everything for his sake. When asking the question of what a person must do to be saved, they recognised that God demanded everything. And not only did they recognise this fact, they sought to live it. For them, nothing was off limits in offering to God because they understood the weight of what relationship with God required. These believers display both a fervour for and a trust in God that we should be confronted by. Indeed in our lifestyle of comfort and pleasure, it can be difficult for us to fathom even a temporary self-denial of lavish food, technology and entertainment, let alone a permanent, life-long one. In this we would all do well to learn from their example.
Negatively however, the response of poverty in answer to this question of God's requirements results in a sadly misguided understanding of Jesus! It is by grace we are saved, through faith in him! This is the only way, and no amount of poverty could make any difference. Though those engaging in this sort of lifestyle did not necessarily attribute their actions towards their salvation, what was inevitably established was a sort of hierarchy of believers. These were people who willing sacrificed in order to be near to God. They were seen in some sense 'more holy' than 'ordinary' Christians and their example drew attention and followers. The legalisation of Christianity and the end of organised persecution meant that martyrs were no longer needed to be the heroes of the Church. This status was transferred to the monks.
Though not their intention, the line between admiration and reverence for them was eventually blurred and often crossed. It is a sobering thought that a well-intentioned desire to give priority to God could result in such misdirected energy. The simple fact of the matter here is that humanity was made for worship. With the corrupting influence of sin, this innate desire drives worship towards things other than the one true God. This is idolatry. Whether it is martyrs or monks, money or magnificence, the ease with which people throughout history, and indeed our own lives, are side-tracked by the veneration of created things is unnerving. We must then hear the lesson of history and ensure that our efforts to glorify God remain firmly entrenched in a consciousness of both our own debilitating sin, and God gracious love in his Son. Only then can our worship be right.