Christian Monasticism has its roots in Jewish spiritual practice of the first century BCE (Before the Common Era), an inheritance which has continued into the present era. Developing in the Middle East in the third and fourth centuries CE (Current Era), monasticism rapidly spread throughout the Eastern Roman Empire. In the West, the monastic impetus received a major formulation, which describes the basis for monasteries to this day, attempting to bridge Eastern mysticism with Roman pragmatism. A separate monasticism, more appreciative of natural environments, flourished among the Irish of the sixth century. For the next thousand years, Western monasteries represented the most learned institutions in Europe—and some of the wealthiest. Subsequent reforms meant a redefinition and lessening of its influence in the West, but monasticism still figures to this day as a major spiritual force in the Orthodox Church, particularly in Greece, the Balkans and Russia.
