At first these hermits lived alone in their cells or caves, entirely cut off from their fellows. Soon, however, Pachomius (d. 348), a pupil and follower of Anthony the Great, founded the more communal system which is called the “coenobite.” Assembling all the scattered hermits on the island of Tabenna on the Nile, he imposed on them a common rule of prayer and fasting; and by introducing suitable forms of work among them, he made their life more practical and interesting. The system of Pachomius was soon transplanted to the hill of Nitria in Egypt by Ammon, to the Scythian desert by Macarius, to the desert of Gaza by Hilarion and to other places by other men. The great Fathers were admirers of the monastic life which they themselves had followed for some time as the best preparation for their ministry; and Basil the Great drew up a set of rules for the monastic life which are still followed by the monks of the Eastern Church. In the West, too, monasticism was introduced very early, thanks to the efforts of Ambrose, Jerome and Martin of Tours, but it was reorganized in 529 on an entirely new basis by Benedict, who made the monks not only scientific cultivators of the soil, but the invisible copyists and guardians of the literary treasures of antiquity. The Benedictines are the glory of the Western Church, which later produced and still preserves, other orders devoted to works of public benefit or to the achievement of Roman-Catholic predomination. Of quite a different kind were certain extraordinary modes of life into which Eastern monasticism degenerated, and of which the most curious was that of the “Stylites,” who spent their whole life in a hut built on the top of a high pillar. Yet even these had their uses, for from the height of their tower they drew the attention of hundreds of semi-barbarous people, and attracted them to the Christian faith. One of the most conspicuous of the Stylites was Simeon (d. 422), who preached the Gospel in this way in Arabia.

Places of Public Worship.

   Worship, which brings the believer into relation and communion with God, forms a component part of the moral life. In the earliest times, Christians met together for worship at private houses, where they received the Holy Sacraments and ate together the so-called “agapes,” or love-feasts; during the persecutions, they took refuge in hiding-places, caves and catacombs. But when the persecutions came to an end, they began to meet together for worship in magnificent churches, which were often built and adorned by emperors, such as Constantine the Great, who embellished his newly-built capital with the churches dedicated to God's Wisdom, God's Peace and God's Power, and whose example was followed by many of his successors. In shape, the first buildings for public worship were quadrilateral and oblong, with the altar at the east end, and the porch at the west, and were known as “basilicas.” In the course of time, wings were added on either side of the basilica, and thus the once quadrangular building took on the appearance of a cross. When for the first time Justinian placed a round dome on this cruciform building, the true Byzantine style of architecture was evolved, such as we see it in the beautiful church of Saint Sophia, built by Anthemius in 537. Icons were not unknown even in the earliest times, but they were at first of a symbolic character, as is evident from the catacombs. Thus, e.g., a dove stood for the Holy Spirit; and anchor for hope; a phoenix for the resurrection; a ship for the Church; a basket with loaves for Holy Communion; a fish was depicted to represent cryptographically our Lord; because each letter of its equivalent in Greek was taken as the initial of one of His attributes; thus: —

Ι Ιησους — Jesus

Χ Χριστος — Christ

Θ Θεου — God's

Υ Υιος — Son

Σ Σωτηρ — Savior

Later, scenes from the Bible began to appear in church decoration, and the icons of Christ, the Virgin Mary and the Saints. Some of these icons were made of mosaic, and so lasted indefinitely; but no statues were allowed in churches.