St. Antony, the first desert father, is credited for initiating the monastic movement in the Christian world and is known as the "father of all monks". Coenobitic or communal monasticism was founded by an Egyptian monk, Pachom, who is said to have established at least nine monasteries with 5,000 monks and two convents by the end of his life. The Pachomian communities bound the monks to fixed rules and provided them with practical advice for their religious and daily life.
This parchment sheet is an excerpt from the monastic
rules of St. Pachom. 7th – 8th century AD.
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