ism was introduced in the
West by Athanasius, who came from Egypt to Rome in 339. From Italy it
spread to the rest of western Europe. The great organizer of western
monasticism was Benedict, who lived in the early sixth century, and
founded the monastery at Monte Cassino about 520 A. D. His monastic rule
definitely abandoned the eremitical ideal in favor of the cenobitical. In
addition to worship and work, the Benedictine rule made reading a monastic
duty. This stimulated the collection of libraries in the monasteries and
made the monks the guardians of literary culture throughout the Middle
Ages.

As yet no distinct monastic orders had developed, but each monastery was
autonomous under the direction of its own abbot.

V. LITERATURE AND ART

*General characteristics.* The period between the accession of Diocletian
and the death of Justinian saw the gradual disappearance of the ancient
Graeco-Roman culture. In spite of Diocletian's reestablishment of the
empire, there was a steady lowering of the general cultural level. This
was due chiefly to the progressive barbarization of the empire and to the
decline of paganism which lay at the roots of ancient civilization. The
one creative force of the time was Christianity, but, save in the fields
of religion and ethics, it did little to stem the ebbing tide of old world
culture.

*Literature.* The dying out of this culture is clearly to be seen in the
history of the Greek and Roman literatures of the period, each of which
shows the same general traits. In the fourth century, under the impulse of
the restoration of Diocletian, there is a brief revival of productivity in
pagan literature. But this is characterized by archaism and lack of
creative power. The imitation of the past produces not only an
artificiality of style, but also of language, so that literature loses
touch with contemporary life and the language of the literary world is
that of previous centuries, no longer that of the people. Rhetorical
studies are the sole form of higher education, and are in part responsible
for the archaism and artificiality of contemporary literature, owing to
the emphasis which they laid upon literary form to the neglect of
substance. In the fifth century, following the complete triumph of
Christianity, pagan literature comes to an end.

The recognition of Christianity as an imperial religion by Constantine,
its subsequent victorious assault upon pagan