Abstract
It is the purpose of this thesis to demonstrate not only the importance and high esteem which St. Augustine held in monastic life, but also his influence on this form of life through his treatise De Opere Monachorum and his other writings. |It is not my intention to prove that St. Augustine directly influenced the monastic life of his times by any important contribution toward the foundation of a particular religious order; nor do I attempt to show that St. Augustine is the outstanding figure and leading character in the formation and regulation of the monastic life. Many other great saints of the Church, such as St. Basil and St. Benedict, have already been acclaimed throughout Christendom for their zealous efforts and successful work in laying the foundation for the great religious orders as we know them today.