ABSTRACT
Monasticism had originated in the deserts of Egypt in the early fourth century and had taken two different paths the solitary ascetic life of the hermit, and the cenobitic life of the monastic community, devoted to life and work in common. Gregory's Dialogues show cenobitic monasticism flourishing, and the mountains full of hermits festering with sores, lashing themselves, rolling in beds of nettles to conquer carnal desire, casting out demons, and causing water to spring from rocks, jars to fill with oil, the dead to rise and the lame to walk. To preserve monastic seclusion, Gregory ordered that officials be appointed to deal with the secular business of the monasteries in order to prevent crowds of people invading them, and banned the holding of public masses by bishops in monasteries. Gregory's most important contribution to the growth of monasticism was perhaps that he defined it in terms of its relations with the secular clergy and in particular the bishops.
