This book concerns those who sought the perfection of their souls and who were prepared, for that reason, to leave the earthly world behind. They retreated into a monastic community that to them seemed a safe haven amid the futile storms of the world, and there they subjected themselves to the strict regulation of every aspect of life in prayer, ascesis, and work. Such a way of life laid claim to the whole person. It required the absolute faith of approaching God in a way that secured spiritual salvation in the world beyond.
This book traces, from the earliest days of Christianity to the end of the Middle Ages, the many paths that men and women took to achieve this end—a journey that was an all-consuming struggle to adapt to changing spiritual needs and shifting cultural conditions. The history of monastic ways of life thus reveals itself as a multifaceted interweaving not only of experiments, of bold new beginnings and persistent reforms, but also of decline and failure. But in the end, it is the story of remarkable success, one set in a time when the Christian faith, as the bearer of hope for salvation from the afflictions of the world, was the foundation and measure of culture. The women and men of the monastery stood as a model for those who remained “in the world,” a model that revealed to all that salvation was actually possible.
The book shows, from the perspective of the monastery, how such a way of life concretely influenced politics, society, economy, and the intellectual world. Monasteries offered themselves as a secure kind of investment, whether spiritual, political, or economic, and they often thereby fell into a dangerous dependence on earthly powers and into worldly temptations. On the other hand, the monastic world saw itself in principle as responsible for the salvation of mankind, and it performed fundamental services in that regard. It understood itself as a relay station, so to speak, between God and the world. Through prayer, preaching, and the communication of knowledge, it sought to bring God and humankind closer together. Through care for the sick, the poor, and the forgotten, those in the monastery sought to follow Christ and to proclaim the message of love of neighbor through their own prominent example. Monasteries were an efficient, fundamental element of a medieval culture that nourished the roots of modernity.
The book paints in broad strokes across long stretches of time, traces particular ramifications, and ends with a presentation of the basic structural elements of monastic forms of life. In this wide thematic field, some things can only be treated briefly; the references to literature in the footnotes thus serve primarily to provide suggestions for further reading.
The book is the result of decades of engagement with the monastic world of the Middle Ages. In the course of writing it, I have enjoyed the support of numerous colleagues and friends. I would like to recognize two people in particular: my wife gave me strength, encouraging criticism, and room for quiet reflection, and Mirko Breitenstein accompanied the entire project with prudent patience, countless suggestions, and knowledgeable references. I also offer most sincere thanks to my coworkers in the Research Center for the Comparative History of Religious Orders (FOVOG), established under my direction at the University of Dresden (Germany). My esteemed colleague James Mixson (The University of Alabama) has prepared the competent and careful translation of this book. I owe a special thanks to him as well.
Gert Melville