TABLE 7.1 image Eremitical Monasticism and Cenobitic Monasticism

Eremitical Monasticism Cenobitic Monasticism
  • Began in third-century Egypt
  • Developed by the Egyptian ascetic Pachomius (290–346?)
  • Centered on individual withdrawal from society
  • Centered on organized groups of religious men and women
  • Epitomized by Saint Anthony (251?–356)
  • Dominant form of monasticism in western Europe
  • Profoundly shaped in the West by Benedict of Nursia (480–543)