The aim of this volume is to sketch the history of the monasticinstitution from its origin to its overthrow in the Reformationperiod, for although the institution is by no means now extinct,its power was practically broken in the sixteenth century, and nonew orders of importance or new types have arisen since thattime.
A little reflection will enable one to understand the greatdifficulties in the execution of so broad a purpose. It wasimpracticable in the majority of instances to consult originalsources, although intermediate authorities have been studied aswidely as possible and the greatest caution has been exercised toavoid those errors which naturally arise from the use of suchavenues of information. It was also deemed unadvisable to burdenthe work with numerous notes and citations. Such notes as werenecessary to a true unfolding of the subject will be found in theappendix.
A presentation of the salient features of the [pg 6] whole history wasessential to a proper conception of the orderly development of theascetic ideal. To understand the monastic institution one must notonly study the isolated anchorite seeking a victory over a sinfulself in the Egyptian desert or the monk in the secluded cloister,but he must also trace the fortunes of ascetic organizations,involving multitudes of men, vast aggregations of wealth, andsurviving the rise and fall of empires. Almost every phase of humanlife is encountered in such an undertaking. Attention is dividedbetween hermits, beggars, diplomatists, statesmen, professors,missionaries and pontiffs. It is hoped the critical or literarystudent will appreciate the immense difficulties of an attempt topaint so vast a scene on so small a canvas. No other claim is madeupon his benevolence.
There is a process of writing history which Trench describes as"a moral whitewashing of such things as in men's sight were asblackamoors before." Religious or temperamental prejudice oftenobscures the vision and warps the judgment of even the mostscholarly minds. Conscious of this infirmity in the ablest writersof history it [pg7] would be absurd to claim complete exemption from thepower of personal bias. It is sincerely hoped, however, that thestrongest passion in the preparation of this work has been thatcommendable predilection for truth and justice which shouldcharacterize every historical narrative, and that, whatever othershortcomings may be found herein, there is an absence of thatunreasonable suspicion, not to say hatred, of everything monastic,which mars many otherwise valuable contributions to monastichistory.
The author's grateful acknowledgment is made, for kindlyservices and critical suggestions, to Eri Baker Hulbert, D.D.,LL.D., Dean of the Divinity School, and Professor and Head of theDepartment of Church History; Franklin Johnson, D.D., LL.D.,Professor of Church History and Homiletics; Benjamin S. Terry,Ph.D., Professor of Medieval and English History; and Ralph C.H.Catterall, Instructor in Modern History; all of The University ofChicago. Also to James M. Whiton, Ph.D., of the Editorial Staff of"The Outlook"; Ephraim Emerton, Ph.D., Winn Professor ofEcclesiastical History in [pg 8] Harvard University; S. Giffard Nelson,L.H.D., of Br