Synopsis
Monastic Institutions; Their Origin, Progress, Nature And Tendency by Samuel Phillips Day. This 1855 work surveys the origin and spread of monasticism from early Christian times through the medieval period, tracing its rise in Egypt, Palestine, and Europe, and detailing the growth of major orders such as the Benedictines, Cistercians, Carthusians, Franciscans, Dominicans, and Jesuits. Day argues that fanaticism, social ambition, and worldly ends fueled its expansion, leading to wealth, strict rule, and harsh discipline that frequently bred abuse, cruelty, and corruption. The volume critically examines the lives of cenobites and anchorites, critiques legendary hagiographies, and discusses the presence and influence of monastic orders in Great Britain and Ireland. Concluding with a sweeping indictment of monasticism as anti-social, morally and physically injurious, and politically perilous, Day advocates reform or abolition of cloistered life. The Preface defends an impartial, rational inquiry into religious institutions, warning against the excesses of zeal and the dangers of dogmatic doctrine.
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