Abstract
Closely allied are the age of Jerome and the twentieth century. There is a marked conformity in the political, social, and economic structures of the two periods, similarly there is a parallelism existing between the monastic state of the one period and that of the other. The Religious Orders of the Church of the twentieth century are united to the ancient hermits and cenobites by the binding force of asceticism. Christian asceticism has as its basis the example and teaching of Christs and monasticism -- in both essence and continuity -- is one with the asceticism of the first three centuries. | The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the principles and practices of asceticism and monasticism recommended by Saint Jerome in his letters, and to indicate briefly wherein they are intrinsically the same as those constituting religious life today. | As a helpful preliminary for the study the writer has endeavored, by summarizing the principles of ascetic spirituality and the origin and development of monastic life in general, to supply for the reader a background which may lend itself to a better understanding of the thesis proper. | Since it is also pertinent for us to be acquainted with the life of Jerome in as far as it affected his attitude toward monasticism, the first chapter offers a brief life sketch which, in a cursory manner, describes the effect of the time on Jerome's own character end on the influence he exerted toward others.