MONASTIC EDUCATION
=Literature.=--_Lord_, Beacon Lights; _Lecky_, History of European
Morals; _Myers_, Mediaeval and Modern History; _White_, Eighteen
Christian Centuries; _Harper_, Book of Facts; _Mrs. Jameson_, Legends of
Monastic Orders; _Gasquet_, Henry VIII. and the English Monasteries;
_Chateaubriand_, The Genius of Christianity; _Allies_, The Monastic
Life; _Taunton_, The English Black Monks of St. Benedict.
=Monasteries.=--Monasteries were established as early as the third
century A.D.; but it was not until the sixth century that they
became powerful. The spirit of asceticism, urged by the Church as one of
the most important virtues, took a strong hold upon the people, and led
many to withdraw from the world. For such the founding of monasteries
became a necessity. The monasteries were the result of the ascetic
spirit, and their teaching was based upon authority and not upon free
investigation or original research. Thus there was introduced into
society and education a principle that, wrongly interpreted, impeded
progress for a thousand years.
Most of the time during this period the Church held supremacy over the
State with authority unquestioned. This authority was carried not only
into spiritual matters, but also into social, political, and educational
affairs. Everything that conflicted with that authority, or with the
decrees of the Church, was condemned. Even scientific discoveries that
did not harmonize with preconceived and accepted theories were
reluctantly received, if not absolutely rejected. Discoverers in the
realm of science were silenced, and sometimes actually punished, for
promulgating theories contrary to the teachings of the Church. A
notable example is that of Galileo, who taught the Copernican theory of
the universe, and for which teaching he was condemned to imprisonment
and a ban put upon his work. This exaggerated interpretation of
authority worked harm to the Church. It seemed to be forgotten that the
Bible is a book of religion and morals and not a text-book of science.
=The Benedictines.=--The most important monastic order from the
standpoint of education was that of the Benedictines. St. Benedict
founded the first monastery of the order that bears his name--Monte
Cassino, near Naples,--in 529. It will be remembered that this is the
date of the abolition of pagan schools by Justinian. On the site of
Monte Cassino had stood a pagan school. The monastery which supplanted
it remains to the present day.
Benedict's two important principles--to which cloisters hitherto had
been unaccustomed--were industry and strict discipline. These principles
made the Benedictine the most successful and beneficent of all monastic
orders. It grew rapidly, and within one hundred years from its
foundation there were more than two hundred and fifty Benedictine
monasteries. It is claimed that the order has produced 4600 bishops,
1600 archbishops, 200 cardinals, 40 popes, 50 patriarchs, 4 emperors, 12
empresses, 46 kings, 41 queens, 3600 canonized saints, and 15,700
authors, and that prior to the French Revolution it possessed 37,000
cloisters. There have been times when the wealth of this order in some
states comprised more than half of all the property. The Benedictine
monks tilled the soil of the country surrounding their monasteries,
literally making the "desert blossom as the rose." They were untiring in
zeal for the Church and in deeds of mercy. They established cloister
schools in Italy, France, Spain, England, Ireland, Germany, and
Switzerland. Monte Cassino (529), Italy; Canterbury (586) and Oxford
(ninth century), England; St. Gall (613), Switzerland; Fulda (744),
Constance, Hamburg, and Cologne (tenth century), Germany; Lyons, Tours,
Paris, and Rouen (tenth century), France; Salzburg (696), Austria; and
many other schools were founded chiefly by the Benedictines. Among the
many great teachers that they produced were Alcuin of England, Boniface
of Germany, Thomas Aquinas, Duns Scotus, and Abelard. It thus appears
that the Benedictine order took a deep interest in education, and their
work deserves a most honorable place among the educational agencies of
the period under discussion.
=The Seven Liberal Arts.=--We have seen that much attention was always
given to religious instruction in the Christian schools. The Bible, the
doctrines of the Church, and its rites and ceremonies were at first
exclusively taught. But later secular branches were introduced. These
secular branches were known as the seven liberal arts, which comprised
the following subjects:--
{Reading and
{1. Grammar. {Writing.
{I. Trivium[1] {2. Rhetoric.
The Seven { {3. Logic.
Liberal Arts. {
{ {1. Arithmetic.
{ {2. Music.
{ II. Quadrivium[31] {3. Geometry.
{ {4. Astronomy.
This course required seven years. Latin was the only language used, and
consequently the native tongues suffered. The _trivium_ was the most
popular course; such knowledge was considered an absolute necessity for
any one making claim to culture. After completing the _trivium_, those
who wished for higher culture studied the _quadrivium_.
Under the term _grammar_ were included reading and writing, as well as
the construction and use of language. In _rhetoric_ the works of
Quintilian and Cicero were studied, and sermons delivered in the
churches were made to serve for a practical application of the rules. In
_logic_ the works of St. Augustine were used in the exercises of
constructing syllogisms, of disputation, and of definition. In
_arithmetic_, before the introduction of the Arabic notation, numbers
were considered to have a mysterious meaning. The hands and fingers were
used to indicate numbers. For example, the left hand upon the breast
indicated ten thousand; both hands folded, one hundred thousand. For the
practical purposes of life the reckoning board was used. This was a
board with lines drawn upon it, between which pebbles were placed to
indicate the number to be expressed. For example, the number 3146 would
be indicated as follows:--
| 3 | 1 | 4 | 6 |
| | | | |
| ''' | ' | '''' | '''''' |
_Music_ was designed for the church service. Knowledge of music was held
to be positively essential to priest and teacher. Under the term _music_
were also sometimes included the fine arts, painting, drawing,
architecture, sculpture, etc.
In _geometry_ Euclid was used. Lines, angles, surfaces, and solids were
studied. With geometry there seems to have been connected a meager study
of _geography_. Early maps have been found, one dating from the seventh
century, being in possession of St. Gall monastery. Astronomy was
closely connected with _astrology_. Its practical application was
limited to the formation of the Church calendar, fixing the date of
Easter, etc.
This celebrated course of study formed the basis of secular instruction
in the monasteries, and, indeed, in all schools, for several centuries.
Religious instruction always remained a prominent feature of the work.
History had no place in the curriculum.
=Summary of Benefits conferred upon Civilization by the
Monasteries.=--1. They preserved classic literature. Though many of the
Church Fathers, as we have seen, were bitterly opposed to pagan
literature, the monasteries copied it with great industry and preserved
it with care. The archives of these institutions have yielded up some
most remarkable and valuable manuscripts that otherwise would have been
lost to the world.
2. They kept alive the flickering flame of Christianity. The Middle Ages
were indeed dark for Christianity, as unbelief, ignorance, and
faithlessness prevailed. But the monasteries were centers of religious
interest and zeal.
3. They maintained educational interest during this long, dark period.
We have seen that the monasteries contained the only schools. Through
them the Church kept up whatever educational interest survived during
the Middle Ages, and her work then conserved the energies employed in
later educational enterprise.
4. They originated a great course of study by giving to the world the
seven liberal arts.
5. They furnished places of refuge for the oppressed.
FOOTNOTES:
[31] Laurie thinks that these names were first appropriately used about
the end of the fourth century.