From Monachos.net
Welcome to Monachos.net,
Monachos.net[1] exists to further the study of Orthodox Christianity through reflection on its patristic, monastic, liturgical and ecclesiastical heritage. Its aim is to be a resource for academic, scholarly and personal study, a forum for the provision of patristic source and secondary materials as well as ecclesiastical information on related matters, an environment for the discussion of and reflection upon the Church's patristic, monastic, liturgical and ecclesiastical heritage, and a means of providing access to materials on the Church's thought and life.
This web site first appeared in September 2000, in response to repeated requests for the type of materials described above. Monachos.net has thus been, from its inception, specifically designed not to emulate or duplicate the function and character of the great number of web sites offering information on the Orthodox Church as a whole, especially as it relates to other Christian traditions thoughout the world; nor was it designed to be another forum for the discussion of general Orthodox theology. Those web sites which take these goals in hand are ample to the task, and many of the best are indexed in our Links Catalogue on-line. Our purpose has remained specifically to address an area less often explored in detail on-line: the thought and life of the Church through the reading, study of and reflection upon the rich traditions of the patristic and monastic witnesses, together with the liturgical and ecclesiastical life of the Church throughout its history.
| Monachos.net Statistics | |
|---|---|
| Avg unique visits per month | 48,000+ |
| Avg unique pg views per month | 250,000+ |
| Avg unique visits per day | 1,560+ |
| Avg pg views per day | 8,650+ |
| Avg hits per month | 1.2+ million |
For those unfamiliar with the terminology, the broad title patristics refers to the lives and writings (thus both the history and theology) of the Fathers and Mothers of the Church: the pillars and theological mainstays of Orthodox Christianity. Patristic studies have long been believed to stand at the heart of a true knowledge of the Church and her doctrines, and thus the field is of the utmost importance for those both in the Church and outside it, who share an interest in Christian doctrinal history and authentic theology. Yet despite this importance, under- and post-graduate enrolment in Christian patristics declines year to year, and while many are interested in studying the Fathers on a casual level, few persue that interest in an academic or dedicated setting. Part of the aim of Monachos.net is to bring the 'study' of the patristic heritage to a wider population than only the seminaries and universities, making available on-line patristic source texts in translation, studies of themes and specific Fathers, and other resources to foster such study at various levels.
Monasticism as a general term encompasses the whole life, history and theology of the monastic tradition throughout Orthodox Christian history. These represent the stories and teachings of the men and women who have—since the first days of the Church—devoted every aspect of their lives to 'working out their salvation in fear and trembling'. These individuals, and the monastic tradition which they represent, have thereby produced some of the deepest, richest spirituality in the history of humankind, as well as many of the Church's most important theological reflections. The monasticism resources on Monachos.net aim to further the knowledge of and appreciation for this monastic heritage through the provision of monastic source texts, studies on monastic history and practice, resources on specific monasteries and monastics, and other such materials.
Resources are also provided for the study of the Church's liturgical traditions, including the texts of various prayers, hymns and services, with reflections and studies on many of the same. Ecclesiastical history is addressed in several forms throughout the web site. Supplementary tools for detailed study in our areas are also offered: Monachos.net includes an extensive resource area for the study of Classical/Patristic Greek and an interactive collection of book reviews on relevant publications; a database of quotations from various Church Fathers that can be used as a homepage; an individually-reviewed Links Catalogue that sorts into specific categories hundreds of web sites across the internet that relate to our focus; a powerful search engine for quickly locating specific materials; and an extremely active discussion community in which members and guests discuss themes raised by the web site or other resources, in an on-line forum environment that includes several 'resident' scholars, priests, monastics and laity and over 38,000 archived and categorised posts from past discussions.
Since Monachos.net first went on-line in September 2000, it has grown into a resource used by thousands of individuals across the world, generating well over 1.5 million 'hits' per month from more than 1,500 unique visitors each day. That its materials and tools are used by universities, seminaries and other institutions around the world, as well as by parishes and individuals, seems a fitting witness to the genuine desire for the availability of such materials on-line. We are grateful for the support of so many frequent visitors and members, and wish you, as a new visitor, a useful and enjoyable experience.
Yours in Christ,
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Dr M.C. Steenberg, Webmaster
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