Becoming a Community of Disciples

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Becoming a Community of Disciples

The Various Kinds of Monks (RBen §1) 1 It is clear that there are four kinds of monks. 1 2 First are the “ cenobites ”: that is, those who live in monasteries and serve under a rule 2 and an Abbot. 3 3 The second kind are the “ anchorites ,” that is hermits: no longer in the first fervor of their way of life, they have undergone long testing in the monastery; 4 they have been trained to fight against the devil through the help and training of many others. 5 And well-armed, they go forth from the battle line held by their brothers to the solitary combat of the desert; now able to fight safely without the support of another, single-handed against the vices of flesh and thoughts with God’s help. 6 The third and most detestable kind of monks are the “ Sarabaites ,” who have neither been tried by a Rule nor taught by experience like gold in the furnace (Prov 27:21); instead they are as soft as lead, 7 faithful servants of the world in their works, obviously lying to God by their tonsure. 8 Living in twos or threes, or even singly without a shepherd, they enclose themselves not in the Lord’s sheepfolds but in their own. Their law consists in their own willful desires: 9 whatever they think fit or 1 Monk – one called to a unique expression of Christian living consisting of prayer, study, and work, often in community with other monks in a monastery (see further Greg Peters, The Monkhood of All Believers: The Monastic Foundation of Christian Spirituality [Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018], 1). 2 Rule – the written rule of life which organizes the community, describes each person’s role, and establishes codes of conduct within the monastery. See resource section for further information. 3 Abbot – the leader of the monastery. “Abbot” comes from the Greek word abba that means “father.”