Vita Apostolica - A 12th Century Monastic Renewal

During the 12th century, the Roman Catholic Church in western Europe witnessed a spiritual awakening that would significantly alter the traditional, monastic concept of the Vita Apostolica or “Apostolic Life” that married a life of personal poverty within the confines of a secluded religious community. No single event would shift the focus from isolation to an almost extroverted monastic model of itinerant preaching made popular by the Mendicants.  It was, rather, an organic process in response to the needs of a rapidly changing population shift from rural to urban areas; a response that would alter the essence of historical monasticism.    

Vita Apostolica - Historical Background

Inspired, at least in part, by the eremitic (individualistic) form of monastic life popularized by Athanasius’ The Life of St. Anthony, the Vita Apostolica (Vita)evolved over the early centuries of Christianity shifting from eremitic to cenobitic (communal) societies. These communities of dedicated religious were heavily influenced by Benedict of Nursia (480-550 AD) who, in writing his now famous Rule of St. Benedict, called for both spiritual and physical separation from the world.  Unlike the roles typical of ecclesiastical hierarchy, monasticism was considered to be a “state of being” rather than a service or officium. 

The Rule of St. Benedict provided a guideline for a daily life marked by prayer, work, personal poverty and communal property.  It was a life-long commitment to reignite the spirit of the community described in Acts 4:32, “Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common.”  

The Ripple Effect of Societal Change

The 12th century witnessed the rise of the metropolis with trade guilds, growing commerce and a burgeoning population shift from rural to urban areas.  During this century Europe’s dominating feudal system was in decline, with economic power transferring from “land and vassals” to emerging cities filled with skilled labor and an aspiring merchant class.  Cathedral schools, once dedicated to priestly formation, would expand into universities to fill needed secular roles in law and administration, exposing young scholars to literature recently translated into Latin, such as the works of Maimonides, Avicenna and Aristotle.  As C.H. Lawrence points out in his book Mediaeval Monasticism, “By 1080 the law doctors were lecturing on the Digest and Code of Justinian in the Bologna schools; and the whole corpus of Aristotle’s logic was known and taught at Chartres by 1140.” The influx and subsequent influence of intercultural literature would result in new perspectives on faith, grace and nature and produce great thinkers such as Peter Abelard and Thomas Aquinas.

Parallel to the societal shifts mentioned above, there was a growing spiritual desire to reform the Vita, which had transformed significantly since the time of St. Benedict.  Under centuries of feudal government, the monasteries had become entangled in the temporal world as centers of administration, hospitality, education, and significant land ownership.  In short, many an abbey became wealthy and such prosperity was not considered universally positive. As affluence supplanted poverty, and standards of conduct weakened in soft surroundings, there came a call to reform.  Reformation was first focused on recapturing the original precepts of the Rule of St. Benedict; no great surprise here.  After this, however, came the question of relevancy, that is, how to make the decidedly rural monastery relevant in light of the substantial shift in population to urban areas; areas where spiritual needs were going largely unmet.    

End of Part I.  Part II will address the Churches Monastic Adaptation to Societal Changes.