Northumbria Community

A. Monastic Theology

 If theology is the contemplation of God, then monastic theology is devoted to the inner life, practices and spiritual disciplines that nurture that contemplation. Put simply, the term 'monastic theology' refers not just to the local setting of the theologians but to the approach that they adopted. They worked in an atmosphere of commitment and devotion, within the framework of a way of life that has its focus not on externals but on seeking God (from Gk Monachos: alone, solitary). Their goal was not the pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, but edification and worship. Their approach was one of meditation and adoration. The theologian was not a detached academic observer studying his material from outside, but a committed, involved participant.

 Monastics have been among the most productive spiritual and theological writers down the centuries, and at some periods, notably those up to the Middle Ages, the story of monastic spirituality is almost indistinguishable from that of theology in general. In later centuries, there arose another form of theology – scholastic theology. Theology came to be studied outside of the cloister – in the university and other 'secular' (non-monastic) settings. The goal was objective intellectual knowledge. The approach was one of questioning, logic, speculation and disputation as theology became a detached objective science. This approach did not eliminate the older monastic approach, but it was to displace it from the front line of theology. Bernard of Clairvaux (d.1153) is called 'the last of the fathers' although he does not end the list of those who have continued to contribute to monastic spirituality.