Alternate History The Ramifications of Expanded Monasticism in North Africa: A Timeline
- Thread starter Eparkhos
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Preface: Why North Africa?
Eparkhos
Well-known member
Preface: Why North Africa?
During the time of Saint Augustine, North Africa was one of the great centers of Christianity, hundreds of bishoprics prospering despite frequent conflicts between fractured sects. Yet by 1200 the last churches in North Africa were circling the drain, their congregations staggered and almost non-existent, and by the present day--despite centuries of rule by Christian states intent on converting the local populace--Christianity is almost non-existent. This is quite strange, but it might just be explained away as an effect of Muslim conquest and persecution if it weren’t for the surviving Christian communities in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. These communities survived persecutions just as great as, if not greater than, those that beset the Christians of North Africa, and persist to the present day. If they were able to survive, why not the North Africans?
The answer is monks, or the lack thereof.
In the Christian communities of the Middle East, there were a great number of monasteries and monks, and with their lives devoted to religious study and apologia they were able to maintain the structure needed for the churches of the region to survive even while under Muslim rule. The monks were able to preserve the teachings and ideas of their churches, ensuring that their surrounding parishes did not decay into heresy and thence into complete apostasy. Apologists such as Saint John of Damascus and Eliya bar Moqli wrote defenses of Christian thought that helped maintain continuity of belief and provide a counter-argument to the dominant Muslims beliefs. On occasion, they were even able to engage in theological debate with Muslim scholars, and existing Nestorian sources show that they even won some of them. Because of these and many other activities, the monks shepherded their communities through persecutions and allowed them to survive bodily and religiously. Further supporting the correlation between monastic communities and the survival of Christianity was the distribution of monasteries in the Medieval Middle East. The centers of monasticism in the region were Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Iraq, and communities in these regions--with the exception of Turkey with its Greek and Armenian genocides and Iraq with its Timurid and Safavid-era effective genocides--are by far the strongest extant communities in the Islamic world.
In North Africa, meanwhile, there was a grand total of one monastery despite there being four hundred bishoprics by 430. This sole monastery was abandoned by the time of Muslim conquest, and without any existing Christian narratives or apologetics the region’s peoples converted in droves, the final native churches dying out by 1200. This was exacerbated by many other problems, of course, such as the split between Roman and Berber Christian groups and the incessant conflict between the Chalcedonians and the Donatists which further weakened the community in the region. Indeed, conflict between the Chalcedonians and Donastists may have been almost as impactful on the decline of Chrisitnaity in the region as the dearth of apologists.
All of this leads me to ask: What if there had been monasteries in North Africa? I am certain there would be a much larger Christian community in the region, but the theological and social ramifications of a surviving monastic tradition in North Africa would be immense. As such, I intend to create a timeline centered on the monks of North Africa, focusing primarily on the social and spiritual fate of the locals and its impact on church history, albeit while delving somewhat into the politics of the period. But this will not be the main focus, as what I really want to explore is the ramification of these monasteries prospering in the most realistic manner possible. The content will likely be….dry….by alternate history standards, but I invite everyone who reads this to follow along and I hope not to disappoint.
During the time of Saint Augustine, North Africa was one of the great centers of Christianity, hundreds of bishoprics prospering despite frequent conflicts between fractured sects. Yet by 1200 the last churches in North Africa were circling the drain, their congregations staggered and almost non-existent, and by the present day--despite centuries of rule by Christian states intent on converting the local populace--Christianity is almost non-existent. This is quite strange, but it might just be explained away as an effect of Muslim conquest and persecution if it weren’t for the surviving Christian communities in Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. These communities survived persecutions just as great as, if not greater than, those that beset the Christians of North Africa, and persist to the present day. If they were able to survive, why not the North Africans?
The answer is monks, or the lack thereof.
In the Christian communities of the Middle East, there were a great number of monasteries and monks, and with their lives devoted to religious study and apologia they were able to maintain the structure needed for the churches of the region to survive even while under Muslim rule. The monks were able to preserve the teachings and ideas of their churches, ensuring that their surrounding parishes did not decay into heresy and thence into complete apostasy. Apologists such as Saint John of Damascus and Eliya bar Moqli wrote defenses of Christian thought that helped maintain continuity of belief and provide a counter-argument to the dominant Muslims beliefs. On occasion, they were even able to engage in theological debate with Muslim scholars, and existing Nestorian sources show that they even won some of them. Because of these and many other activities, the monks shepherded their communities through persecutions and allowed them to survive bodily and religiously. Further supporting the correlation between monastic communities and the survival of Christianity was the distribution of monasteries in the Medieval Middle East. The centers of monasticism in the region were Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey and Iraq, and communities in these regions--with the exception of Turkey with its Greek and Armenian genocides and Iraq with its Timurid and Safavid-era effective genocides--are by far the strongest extant communities in the Islamic world.
In North Africa, meanwhile, there was a grand total of one monastery despite there being four hundred bishoprics by 430. This sole monastery was abandoned by the time of Muslim conquest, and without any existing Christian narratives or apologetics the region’s peoples converted in droves, the final native churches dying out by 1200. This was exacerbated by many other problems, of course, such as the split between Roman and Berber Christian groups and the incessant conflict between the Chalcedonians and the Donatists which further weakened the community in the region. Indeed, conflict between the Chalcedonians and Donastists may have been almost as impactful on the decline of Chrisitnaity in the region as the dearth of apologists.
All of this leads me to ask: What if there had been monasteries in North Africa? I am certain there would be a much larger Christian community in the region, but the theological and social ramifications of a surviving monastic tradition in North Africa would be immense. As such, I intend to create a timeline centered on the monks of North Africa, focusing primarily on the social and spiritual fate of the locals and its impact on church history, albeit while delving somewhat into the politics of the period. But this will not be the main focus, as what I really want to explore is the ramification of these monasteries prospering in the most realistic manner possible. The content will likely be….dry….by alternate history standards, but I invite everyone who reads this to follow along and I hope not to disappoint.
gral
Well-known member
Hmm. I have the impression that one of the reasons there weren't as many monasteries as other regions was North Africans were bigger on hermits than monks - those who wanted to isolate themselves to contemplate God chose to take the hermit's way instead of joining or founding a monastery.
Pre-Augustinian Era (361 - 423)
Eparkhos
Well-known member
Pre-Augustinian Era
361 - 423
In 360 in Sitifis (Setif), a small group of devout Chalcedonians meet in a church on the edge of town. All of them wish to devote their lives to God, but the priesthood seems too connected to the world and hermitage far too distant. After some discussion, Timasius brings up the idea of founding a communal monastery such as that founded by St. Pachomius in Egypt, and they agree that it is the best option. They sell their worldly goods and move to a small village in the mountains west of Zarae (Ain Azel). The villagers are somewhat confused, but the monks are nice enough and don’t steal anything or cause trouble, so they let them be.
By the winter of 361, the monks had raised a chapel and a small lodge, subdivided into two-man cells, at the peak of the mountain above the village, Mount Maius[1]. Over the following years they tend to a small series of farms in the isolated valley north of the mountain to support themselves and begin preaching to the predominantly pagan population of the surrounding countryside. They find success, and begin building churches in the closest villages and instructing priests in the African Rite. Word of the monastery spreads, and over time a number of hermits living in the desert and hills tire of their lonesome existence or decide God can also be found amongst people and decide to join them[2].
Mount Maius is important not because it succeeded in converting great numbers of people--which it did not, having a direct impact only on the small number of villages surrounding it--but because it established the footprint for future cenobitic monasticism in the region. In future years, many more communal monasteries were founded and some of the existing hermits coalesced into settled establishments. These early monasteries were devoted entirely to prayer and contemplation when possible--i.e. when under patronage--but the bulk of them had rotating periods of field work and herding to keep themselves fed, establishing the future tradition of monastic labor and business, but did very little else. It should be noted that these early cenobitic monasteries were far from unified and there was no central rule system like that which would emerge in later periods, being very much disparate units separate from each other. Broad characteristics are difficult to make, but generally these monasteries were small complexes surrounded by a small area of monastery-owned land that the monks would work to support themselves. Their sole unifying force was African Rite Chalcedonianism[3], but this was soon to be joined by the Augustinian Rule.
[4]
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[1] I am unsure of the current name for Mt. Maius, but it is the largest mountain in the small chain just north of El Hamma in Algeria
[2] This process of hermetic consolidation was a major factor in the development of cenobitic monasteries in Syria and Egypt, and I see no reason why it would not occur in Africa/Mauretania
[3] There were no Donatist monasteries organized during this period for a number of reasons--most pressingly that many felt adopting monasteries similar to the Chalcedonians would be ‘surrender’ in their ongoing culture war--and so be default all cenobitic monasteries were Chalcedonian. The African Rite was universal during this period and will be elaborated upon later.
[4] My apologies if this comes off a bit rushed, not much really happens before St. Augustine writes his famous Rule. By the way, I’m erecting a butterfly net around St. Augustine himself because Christianity would be almost unrecognizable in a world without him. Hope that doesn’t break immersion, but it’s the only reasonable option.
361 - 423
In 360 in Sitifis (Setif), a small group of devout Chalcedonians meet in a church on the edge of town. All of them wish to devote their lives to God, but the priesthood seems too connected to the world and hermitage far too distant. After some discussion, Timasius brings up the idea of founding a communal monastery such as that founded by St. Pachomius in Egypt, and they agree that it is the best option. They sell their worldly goods and move to a small village in the mountains west of Zarae (Ain Azel). The villagers are somewhat confused, but the monks are nice enough and don’t steal anything or cause trouble, so they let them be.
By the winter of 361, the monks had raised a chapel and a small lodge, subdivided into two-man cells, at the peak of the mountain above the village, Mount Maius[1]. Over the following years they tend to a small series of farms in the isolated valley north of the mountain to support themselves and begin preaching to the predominantly pagan population of the surrounding countryside. They find success, and begin building churches in the closest villages and instructing priests in the African Rite. Word of the monastery spreads, and over time a number of hermits living in the desert and hills tire of their lonesome existence or decide God can also be found amongst people and decide to join them[2].
Mount Maius is important not because it succeeded in converting great numbers of people--which it did not, having a direct impact only on the small number of villages surrounding it--but because it established the footprint for future cenobitic monasticism in the region. In future years, many more communal monasteries were founded and some of the existing hermits coalesced into settled establishments. These early monasteries were devoted entirely to prayer and contemplation when possible--i.e. when under patronage--but the bulk of them had rotating periods of field work and herding to keep themselves fed, establishing the future tradition of monastic labor and business, but did very little else. It should be noted that these early cenobitic monasteries were far from unified and there was no central rule system like that which would emerge in later periods, being very much disparate units separate from each other. Broad characteristics are difficult to make, but generally these monasteries were small complexes surrounded by a small area of monastery-owned land that the monks would work to support themselves. Their sole unifying force was African Rite Chalcedonianism[3], but this was soon to be joined by the Augustinian Rule.
[4]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] I am unsure of the current name for Mt. Maius, but it is the largest mountain in the small chain just north of El Hamma in Algeria
[2] This process of hermetic consolidation was a major factor in the development of cenobitic monasteries in Syria and Egypt, and I see no reason why it would not occur in Africa/Mauretania
[3] There were no Donatist monasteries organized during this period for a number of reasons--most pressingly that many felt adopting monasteries similar to the Chalcedonians would be ‘surrender’ in their ongoing culture war--and so be default all cenobitic monasteries were Chalcedonian. The African Rite was universal during this period and will be elaborated upon later.
[4] My apologies if this comes off a bit rushed, not much really happens before St. Augustine writes his famous Rule. By the way, I’m erecting a butterfly net around St. Augustine himself because Christianity would be almost unrecognizable in a world without him. Hope that doesn’t break immersion, but it’s the only reasonable option.
Another important thing for that region - arabs take over Berbers,but not enslaved them.They remained semi-independent.
We could have Berber monasteries helping them keep not only faith,but also technology.Which would let them remain more independent.
Result - in 19th century french meet christian Berber semi-states.They could get their real states after french colonial empire fall,supported by France till our days.
Donatists,of course,would not made it.Lack of monks.
We could have Berber monasteries helping them keep not only faith,but also technology.Which would let them remain more independent.
Result - in 19th century french meet christian Berber semi-states.They could get their real states after french colonial empire fall,supported by France till our days.
Donatists,of course,would not made it.Lack of monks.
Assuming the OTL collapse of the west occurs and you get the Vandal occupation - although not sure if their power reached that far westwards rather than just passing through - their likely to clash with the Arian Vandals but that could actually possibly strengthen them if that gives them local popularity.
Either they survive stronger and made tradition of leading fight against invaders,and then it would lead later to semi-independent christian Berber states,or they perish.And then,nothing change.
The Rule of Saint Augustine and Monastic Life in the Early Augustine Period
Eparkhos
Well-known member
The Rule of Saint Augustine and Monastic Life in the Early Augustine Period
Despite a common cenobitic foundation, monasteries of the Pre-Augustinian Era followed dozens of different rulesets both written and unwritten. These rules were as varied as the towns the monasteries surrounded, and the only true unifying force across these dozens of institutions was a common Chalcedonian African Rite. In such a state they could barely be described as a cohesive unit, and while this situation was enough for many of the monks there was always a head of conflict simmering between monasteries over perceived worldliness and impiety.
Enter Saint Augustine. Over his distinguished ecclesiastical career, Augustine had written hundreds of letters to men, churches and monasteries across Africa and Mauretania, many of them containing advice and recommendations for living better, more pious lives. In 423, the abbess of a nunnery in Hippone received an extensive letter on pious communal living from Augustine, the brother of her predecessor, and found it so excellent that she had it copied and passed it on to a local abbot, who in turn had it copied and passed on. Within a few short years, copies of the letter--renamed to the Rule of Augustine--had circulated across Africa and further north into Hispania and Sicilia. Evidently it was a persuasive text, because monasteries across the region embraced the lifestyle outlined by Saint Augustine as their central and guiding text (monastic charter) in droves, with half of the known cenobitic monasteries in the region using it in some manner by 435. By 450, it would be the charter in North Africa, the common bedrock that the Augustinian Era of monasticism would rest upon and from which future monasteries would rise. A common charter and lifestyle helped mend the early wounds in intermonastic relations, and within a few short years a view of monastic collectivism--that all monasteries were simply extensions of each other, united by a love of God and neighbor--had begun to emerge.
The twin practices of Augustinian monasticism were work and prayer. All members of the community were expected to meet in chapel at regular hours to pray, chant, sing psalms and read scriptures (later extended to hagiography). All time not spent sleeping, praying or meditating would be spent working. Augustine believed that many monks and nuns only took holy orders out of a desire to escape the duties of normal life and would descend into slothfulness and neglect their faith if they were not kept busy with work. Idle hands and all. This work was expected to benefit the monastic community and the community at large and could vary from farming to tending animals to building churches and homes to tending to the ill and wounded to giving alms. The bulk of this work, of course, consisted of hard labor. Monastic farming helped support the monasteries and the communities around them and so became the predominant form of labor, with its proceeds being used to feed the monks or given to the poor of the surrounding community. Another notable change was the end of the first-among-equals system of monastic governance, with abbots holding near-absolute control over their monks and dispensing punishments for violating the charter and smaller, localized rules, the template which would dominate all future monasteries in the region.
Spiritually speaking, Augustine emphasized monastic poverty, believing that monks who owned anything more than the bare necessities for life would become unable to connect to God. Most of the monks in the region had taken vows of poverty before the Rule became widespread, and so this was met with little objection. Similarly, the encouragement of charitable giving and medical treatment was also far from controversial and merely expanded existing patterns. There was a not-insignificant increase in deaths at many monasteries due to a combination of fasting and exposure to infectious diseases, but this mattered little in the long run. Ultimately, there was little controversial or innovative about the Rule of Saint Augustine, which helped facilitate its widespread adoption and spread.
The unification offered by the Rule of Saint Augustine was just the first half of the transformations that spread across North African monastic communities in the early 5th century. The other would be the equally impactful and far more dramatic Vandal persecution….
Despite a common cenobitic foundation, monasteries of the Pre-Augustinian Era followed dozens of different rulesets both written and unwritten. These rules were as varied as the towns the monasteries surrounded, and the only true unifying force across these dozens of institutions was a common Chalcedonian African Rite. In such a state they could barely be described as a cohesive unit, and while this situation was enough for many of the monks there was always a head of conflict simmering between monasteries over perceived worldliness and impiety.
Enter Saint Augustine. Over his distinguished ecclesiastical career, Augustine had written hundreds of letters to men, churches and monasteries across Africa and Mauretania, many of them containing advice and recommendations for living better, more pious lives. In 423, the abbess of a nunnery in Hippone received an extensive letter on pious communal living from Augustine, the brother of her predecessor, and found it so excellent that she had it copied and passed it on to a local abbot, who in turn had it copied and passed on. Within a few short years, copies of the letter--renamed to the Rule of Augustine--had circulated across Africa and further north into Hispania and Sicilia. Evidently it was a persuasive text, because monasteries across the region embraced the lifestyle outlined by Saint Augustine as their central and guiding text (monastic charter) in droves, with half of the known cenobitic monasteries in the region using it in some manner by 435. By 450, it would be the charter in North Africa, the common bedrock that the Augustinian Era of monasticism would rest upon and from which future monasteries would rise. A common charter and lifestyle helped mend the early wounds in intermonastic relations, and within a few short years a view of monastic collectivism--that all monasteries were simply extensions of each other, united by a love of God and neighbor--had begun to emerge.
The twin practices of Augustinian monasticism were work and prayer. All members of the community were expected to meet in chapel at regular hours to pray, chant, sing psalms and read scriptures (later extended to hagiography). All time not spent sleeping, praying or meditating would be spent working. Augustine believed that many monks and nuns only took holy orders out of a desire to escape the duties of normal life and would descend into slothfulness and neglect their faith if they were not kept busy with work. Idle hands and all. This work was expected to benefit the monastic community and the community at large and could vary from farming to tending animals to building churches and homes to tending to the ill and wounded to giving alms. The bulk of this work, of course, consisted of hard labor. Monastic farming helped support the monasteries and the communities around them and so became the predominant form of labor, with its proceeds being used to feed the monks or given to the poor of the surrounding community. Another notable change was the end of the first-among-equals system of monastic governance, with abbots holding near-absolute control over their monks and dispensing punishments for violating the charter and smaller, localized rules, the template which would dominate all future monasteries in the region.
Spiritually speaking, Augustine emphasized monastic poverty, believing that monks who owned anything more than the bare necessities for life would become unable to connect to God. Most of the monks in the region had taken vows of poverty before the Rule became widespread, and so this was met with little objection. Similarly, the encouragement of charitable giving and medical treatment was also far from controversial and merely expanded existing patterns. There was a not-insignificant increase in deaths at many monasteries due to a combination of fasting and exposure to infectious diseases, but this mattered little in the long run. Ultimately, there was little controversial or innovative about the Rule of Saint Augustine, which helped facilitate its widespread adoption and spread.
The unification offered by the Rule of Saint Augustine was just the first half of the transformations that spread across North African monastic communities in the early 5th century. The other would be the equally impactful and far more dramatic Vandal persecution….
gral
Well-known member
So, Saint Augustine instead of Saint Benedict is the one to codify Christian monasticism? Interesting. St. Benedict might still be the founder of European monasticism, though. It seems to me this Augustine Rule is very similar, but not the same as the Benedictine one, but I'll have to take a deeper look to find the differences.
Also, this seems to predate the plan to have monasteries as the keepers of Classical knowledge(which is a 6th Century thing, IIRC).
Also, this seems to predate the plan to have monasteries as the keepers of Classical knowledge(which is a 6th Century thing, IIRC).
Eparkhos
Well-known member
The Rule of Saint Augustine in OTL, actually, it's just that its impact has been magnified by the presence of more monasteries in the region. As I plan to elaborate upon later, African monasticism will take on a very different flavor from European monasticism, but both are ultimately derived from the Rule of the Master which predates the Augustinian Rule.