| Until the early twelfth century the Benedictines all but monopolised Western monasticism. |
| By contrast, the vision of early monasticism presented in the Letters of Antony should be understood as both authentic and reliable. |
| Although monasticism is not part of mainstream Judaism, the Essenes, a messianic sect, founded a remote community by the Dead Sea. |
| But Greek monasticism was not eclipsed until the thirteenth century, when Latin culture finally prevailed in southern Italy. |
| Chapter 3, on pre-Christian Egyptian monasticism, along with a paragraph on Sufi mysticism, is too sketchy and vague to be of much help. |
| The two brands of monasticism differed in their attitude toward the state, and toward the question of monachal property. |
