Monk

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A monk may be conveniently defined as a member of a community of men, leading a more or less contemplative life apart from the world, under thevows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, according to a rule characteristic of the particular order to which he belongs. The word monk is not itself a term commonly used in the official language of theChurch. It is a popular rather than a scientific designation, but is at the same time very ancient, so much so that its origin cannot be precisely determined. So far as regards the English form of the word, that undoubtedly comes from the Anglo-Saxon munuc, which has in turn arisen from the Latinmonachus, a mere transliteration of the Greekmonachos. This Greek form is commonly believed to be connected withmonos, lonely or single, and is suggestive of a life of solitude; but we cannot lose sight of the fact that the wordmone, from a different root, seems to have been freely used, e.g. byPalladius, as well asmonasterion, in the sense of a religious house (see Butler, "Palladius's Lausiac History"passim). Be this as it may, the Fathers of the fourth century are by no means agreed as to the etymological significance ofmonachus. St Jerome writes to Heliodorus (P.L., XXII, 350), "Interpret the name monk, it is thine own; what business hast thou in a crowd, thou who art solitary?"St. Augustine on the other hand fastens on theidea of unity (monas) and in hisexposition of Psalm 82, extols the appropriateness of the words "Ecce quam bonum et quam jucundum habitare fratres in unum" when chanted in amonastery, because those who are monks should have but one heart and onesoul (P.L., XXXVII, 1733). Cassian (P.L., XLIX, 1097) andPseudo-Dionysius (De Eccl. Hier., vi) seem to have thought monks were so called because they werecelibate.

In any case the fact remains that the wordmonachus in the fourth century was freely used of thoseconsecrated toGod, whether they lived ashermits or in communities. So again St. Benedict a little later (c. 535) states at the beginning of his rule that there are four kinds of monks (monachi):

It is probably due to the fact that theRule of St. Benedict so constantly describes the brethren asmonachi and their residence asmonaslerium, that a tradition has arisen according to which these terms in Latin and English (though not so uniformly in the case of the corresponding German and French works) are commonly applied only to those religious bodies which in some measure reproduce the conditions of life contemplated in the oldBenedictine Rule. Themendicant friars, e.g. theDominicans,Franciscans,Carmelites, etc., though they live in community and chant theDivine Office in choir, are not correctly described as monks. Their work of preaching, mixing with their fellow men in the world, solicitingalms, and moving from place to place, is inconsistent with the monastic ideal. The same is to be said of the "clerks regular", like theJesuits, in whose rule the work of the apostolate is regarded as so important that it is considered incompatible with theobligation of singing office in choir. Again members of the religious congregations of men, which take simple but not solemnvows, are not usually designated as monks. On the other hand it should be noted that in former days a monk, even though he sang office in choir, was not necessarily apriest, the custom in this respect having changed a good deal sincemedieval times. Besides theBenedictines with their various modifications and offshoots, i.e. the Cluniacs,Cistercians,Trappists etc., the best known orders of monks are theCarthusians, thePremonstratensians, and theCamaldolese. The honorary prefix Dom, and abbreviation ofDominus is given toBenedictines andCarthusians.

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