Part II (Vita Apostolica) How the Monastic Movement Evolved

In Part I of this two-part series on the Vita Apostolica we learned that monasticism, whether originally eremitic or later cenobitic, had evolved through the centuries along a two-fold path and not always in a positive way.

Mentioned briefly in Part I, under the feudal system many monasteries had become wealthy by various means, including regal endowments. Such an accumulation of wealth translated into a lavish lifestyle with the construction of palatial buildings, gilded fixtures, and increasingly ornate liturgies.  Manual labor, the crux of the Benedictine routine, was replaced by more “heavenly” occupations such as that of the choir monk.  These material and spiritual changes, noticed by the Papacy, called for a revisiting of the original concept of Vita Apostolica.  As M. –D. Chenu points out in his work Nature, Man, and Society in the Twelfth Century: 

At the council of Rome in 1059, Hildebrand urged the common life, following the example of the primitive church (vita communis, exemplo primitavae ecclesiae) which fueled a competitive atmosphere between monks and regular cannons between which best represented this ideal.  All the elements of traditional asceticism – simplicity of food, clothing, and shelter; modest manners; fraternal correction; and penitential manual labor – reappeared in this inspired movement against established customs and the general relaxation of standards.

As criticism of grandiose monasticism expanded, Cluny Abbey (France) would become the focus of reform and the specific target of the Cistercians in general, and the Abbot of Clairvaux (St. Bernard) in particular.  In Bernard’s Apologia to William, Abbot of St. Thierry, he attacked the splendor of Cluny’s buildings with décor of marbled statues and gilded reliquaries stating,  There is more admiration for beauty than veneration for sanctity. Thus churches are decorated, not simply with jeweled crowns, but with jeweled wheels illuminated as much by their precious stones as by their lamps…. Good Lord! If we aren't embarrassed by the silliness of it all, shouldn't we at least be disgusted by the expense?

In addition to the vast accumulation of wealth by certain monks, there was an increasing awareness that the monastic life was static, that is to say, - its physical remoteness to population centers - afforded no workable application of the Vita Apostolica to evangelistically engage with the world. Of the traditional model, Chenu observes, ...this Vita Apostolica left out of its consideration that confrontation of the world which the gospel demanded.  Such a realization would provoke a call to reorient monks to extend beyond the customary life of solitary holiness by including the proselytizing activities of the Apostles (Luke 10:1-12), where our Lord appointed 70 disciples and sent them out to evangelize, two by two, with little more than the shirts on their backs.  This new emphasis meant finding a way to expand the monastic Vita to incorporate a dynamic aspect; itinerant preaching.   

Resistance to Change

Of course, this appeal for change did not go without defense of the traditional interpretation.  Rupert of Deutz (d. 1129), a theologian and Benedictine abbot, admonished in his De Vita Vere Apostolica that the Vita was not the “preaching, baptizing, and performing miracles that makes the apostle, but being virtuous, and, as it was taught to them, to make themselves humble before others.”  The emphasis on a continued separation from the world was further summed up by St. Anthony of Padua (d. 1231) who once stated, “Just as fish die if they stay on dry land, so monks who spend too much time out of their cells and keep company with worldly people are weakened in their resolution to lead a life of solitude.”  After all, the root of Monastery, and Monastic is the Greek for “alone”.

In spite of those who might cringe at the shift in emphasis, the cry from the Spirit of God to promote the gospel, especially in the emergent cities, would be heard by monks and laymen, such as St. Dominic and St. Francis.  Both of these men, though for different reasons, would embrace the expanded idea of living a mobile apostolic life. Their enthusiasm for this new life was captured by Jacobus De Voragine, a contemporary of both saints, when he wrote of Dominic in his hagiographic book The Golden Legend (published in 1265 AD);

Day and night Dominic gave himself up to reading and prayer, begging God unceasingly to deign to give him grace to devote himself entirely to the salvation of his neighbor,

And wrote of Francis,

Then one day he heard the words Jesus spoke to his disciples when he sent them out to preach, and at once resolved to carry out every one of his commandments to the last letter. [And once the proto-rule of Francis’ Order of Friars Minor was approved by Pope Innocent III], Thereafter Francis began to sow the seeds of God’s word with even greater zeal, going about the cities and towns with a fervor that was remarkable.

The newly espoused application of Vita did not reject Acts 4:32, per se, but emphasized Luke 10:1-12.  It was this calling by Christ to “go” that fueled new religious orders, such as the Franciscans and Dominicans, to maintain many components of traditional monasticism (e.g. chastity, poverty), but with the caveat of no ownership or subsequent ties to real property.   This expansion – of the life of the apostles - provided monks the mobility to preach anywhere, including the emerging cities, universities and foreign missions. 

Summation

The reorientation of Vita Apostolica, expanding it from individual/static to communal/dynamic, would set in motion a great evangelical awakening. And, in the words and wisdom of Pope Urban II, it did not mean an either/or definition of religious lifestyle.  As Chenu points out regarding the traditional monastic version versus the new interpretation, “Urban’s choice of words was significant: ‘not less praiseworthy to revive than to maintain’; which was to say that both interpretations of the Vita Apostolica were acceptable means for serving God. 

Under the continued guidance of the Holy Spirit, and for more than 900 years, both versions of the apostolic life thrive today and provide the world with the way and the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.