A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

446 A Source Book for Ancient Church History[407]commandment and the one most helpful to salvation is neglected;neither the hungry are fed nor the naked clothed. Who wouldtherefore value higher the idle, useless life than the fruitful whichfulfils the commandments of God?3. … Also in the preservation of the gifts bestowed by Godthe cenobitic life is preferable.… For him who falls into sin, therecovery of the right path is so much easier, for he is ashamed atthe blame expressed by so many in common, so that it happens tohim as it is written: It is enough that the same therefore be punishedby many [II Cor. 2:6].… There are still other dangers whichwe say accompany the solitary life, the first and greatest is thatof self-satisfaction. For he who has no one to test his work easilybelieves that he has completely fulfilled the commandments.…4. For how shall he manifest his humility, when he has noone to whom he can show himself the inferior? How shall hemanifest compassion, cut off from the society of many? How willhe exercise himself in patience, if no one opposes his wishes?(c) Council of Chalcedon, A. D. 451, Canon 4. Bruns, I, 26.The subjection of the monastery and the monks to the bishop.Asceticism of the solitary life was apart from the organizationof the Church; when this form of life had developed incenobitism it still remained for a time, at least, outside theecclesiastical organization. Athanasius, who was a patron ofthe monastic life and often found support and refuge amongthe monks, did much to bring Egyptian monasticism back tothe Church, and in the fifth century monks became a greatpower in ecclesiastical affairs, cf. the Origenistic controversy,v. infra, § 88. Basil, at once archbishop of Cæsarea andleading exponent of monastic ideas, brought the two to someextent together. But always the episcopal control was onlywith difficulty brought to bear on the monastic life, and in