Project Gutenberg 2004-08-17 Public domain in the USA. 345 Wishart, Alfred Wesley 1865 1933 A Short History of Monks and Monasteries Produced by Christine Gehring, Charlie Kirschner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team. "A Short History of Monks and Monasteries" by Alfred Wesley Wishart is a historical account written in the late 19th century. The book aims to trace the development of monastic institutions from their origins to their decline during the Reformation. The author seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of monasticism, emphasizing not only its spiritual aspects but also its impact on society, culture, and the evolution of religious thought. At the start of the text, Wishart introduces the challenges of documenting such a vast subject, highlighting the difficulty of accessing original sources and the importance of contextualizing monastic practices within broader historical movements. He begins by discussing monasticism's roots in various ancient religions, pointing out that the ascetic traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism, and early Christianity share common traits. The opening portion sets the stage for exploring the lives of influential monks and hermits, such as Anthony and Simeon Stylites, illustrating their profound spiritual journeys amidst the harsh landscapes that defined their existence. The author’s narrative reflects both admiration and critique of the monastic life, raising questions about the balance between individual asceticism and community engagement. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 59.7 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Monasteries -- History Monasticism and religious orders -- History BX Text Category: History - Religious 695692 2025-10-06T04:23:17.762337 text/html 630037 2024-10-28T20:10:14 text/html 771462 2025-10-06T04:23:31.895209 application/epub+zip 783736 2025-10-06T04:23:22.605252 application/epub+zip 332900 2025-10-06T04:23:20.552257 application/epub+zip 1091155 2025-10-06T04:23:38.225690 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 1028128 2025-10-06T04:23:29.758270 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 574121 2022-09-07T00:52:22.639493 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 563317 2025-10-06T04:23:16.069335 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 543533 2024-10-28T20:10:14 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 15928 2025-10-06T04:23:38.369671 application/rdf+xml 15588 2025-10-06T04:23:21.114269 image/jpeg 3605 2025-10-06T04:23:20.834259 image/jpeg 735019 2025-10-06T04:23:17.821397 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog