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48-466: Cassiodorus was born at Scylletium , near present-day Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy , into a family of Syrian origin. His ancestry included some of the most prominent ministers of the state extending back several generations. His great-grandfather held a command in the defense of the coasts of southern Italy from Vandal sea-raiders in the middle of the fifth century; his grandfather appears in

96-570: A Roman embassy to Attila the Hun , and his father (who bore the same name) served as comes sacrarum largitionum and comes rerum privatarum to Odovacer and as Praetorian Prefect to Theoderic the Great . Cassiodorus began his career under the auspices of his father, about in his twentieth year, when the latter made him his consiliarius upon his own appointment to the Praetorian Prefecture. In

144-697: A considerable town after it received the Roman colony, and continued such throughout the Roman Empire . Towards the close of this period it was distinguished as the birthplace of the Roman statesman Cassiodorus , founder of the Vivarium , a monastery dedicated to the coexistence of coenobitic monks and hermits, who has left us a detailed but rhetorical description of the beauty of its situation dated to around 530 AD, and fertility of its territory. Cassiodorus also mentioned production of highly priced terra cotta . His villa

192-543: A lengthy period of time, from the 530s into the 550s, with redactions up to the time of Cassiodorus's death. Cassiodorus composed the Institutiones as a guide for introductory learning of both "divine" and "secular" writings, in place of his formerly planned Christian school in Rome: I was moved by divine love to devise for you, with God's help, these introductory books to take the place of a teacher. Through them I believe that both

240-616: A minor place and a mere dependency of Crotona until it was wrested from its power by the elder Dionysius , who assigned it with its territory to the Locrians . It was still a small and unimportant place at the time of the Second Punic War , as no mention is found of its name during the operations of Hannibal in Bruttium, though he appears to have had his headquarters for some time at Castra Hannibalis very near Scylletium. In 124 BC

288-481: A nun who lived an equally cloistered life to the monks, is well known for her contributions to the medical tradition in the Middle Ages. Although Medieval monasteries are most known for their contributions to medical tradition, they also had a hand in other sciences. One of these sciences that would have been important to life in the monastery is astronomy. While they did not put forth new information or advancements in

336-465: A specific order of texts to be read, Cassiodorus hoped to create the discipline necessary within the reader to become a successful monk. The first work in this succession of texts would be the Psalms , with which the untrained reader would need to begin because of its appeal to emotion and temporal goods. By examining the rate at which copies of his Psalmic commentaries were issued, it is fair to assess that, as

384-590: Is no mention in Cassiodorus's selection of official correspondence of the death of Boethius. Athalaric died in early 534, and the remainder of Cassiodorus's public career was dominated by the Byzantine reconquest and dynastic intrigue among the Ostrogoths. His last letters were drafted in the name of Vitiges . Around 537–38, he left Italy for Constantinople , from where his successor was appointed; Cassiodorus remained in

432-577: The frazione of Roccelletta, near Catanzaro , facing the Gulf of Squillace . Skylletion may originally have been founded in the 7th c. BC on the Punta di Staletti promontory. In any case Scylletium was situated from the 6th c. BC on the east coast of Calabria (ancient Bruttium), on the shores of an extensive bay, to which it gave the name of Scylleticus Sinus. According to a tradition generally received in ancient times, Scylletium ( Ancient Greek : Σκυλλήτιον )

480-536: The Benedictine monks to study the medical texts of that era, the known herbals and texts of Hippocrates , Dioscorides and Galen . Cassiodorus is rivalled only by Boethius in his drive to preserve and explore classical literature during the 6th century AD. He found the writings of the Greeks and Romans valuable for their expression of higher truths where other arts failed. Though he saw these texts as vastly inferior to

528-957: The Codex Grandior of the Bible being purchased by the Anglo-Saxon Ceolfrith when he was in Italy in 679–80, and taken by him to Wearmouth Jarrow , where it served as the source for the copying of the Codex Amiatinus , which was then brought back to Italy by the now aged Ceolfrith. Despite the demise of the Vivarium, Cassiodorus's work in compiling classical sources and presenting a sort of bibliography of resources would prove extremely influential in Late Antique Western Europe. Cassiodorus devoted much of his life to supporting education within

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576-466: The Romans , at the instigation of C. Gracchus , sent a colony to Scylletium, which appears to have assumed the name of Minervium or Colonia Minervia . The name is written by Velleius Scolatium ; and the form Scolacium is found also in an inscription of the reign of Antoninus Pius , from which it appears that the place must have received a fresh colony under Nerva . Scylletium appears to have become

624-603: The liberal arts . Cassiodorus set out this program of study as a substitute for the Christian school he and Pope Agapetus had hoped to establish in Rome. In any event, the curriculum that Cassiodorus set out involved the literary study of well-established texts that he had listed in his Institutiones , following the rules that he laid out in his De orthographia . Centers of learning were also found in seventh-century Spain, both at major monasteries and at episcopal centers. Students at

672-522: The Benedictine Rule. These activities ranged from gardening to copying texts. Through the latter, monks became learned in the Classical Greek texts and later began to contribute their own knowledge to more practical and daily texts. Much of the great libraries and scriptoria that grew in monasteries were due to obligation of the monks to teach the young boys who came to them having been committed to

720-473: The Christian community at large. When his proposed theological university in Rome was denied, he was forced to re-examine his entire approach to how material was learned and interpreted. His Variae shows that, like Augustine of Hippo , Cassiodorus viewed reading as a transformative act for the reader. It is with this in mind that he designed and mandated the course of studies at the Vivarium, which demanded an intense regimen of reading and meditation. By assigning

768-452: The Classical medical texts survived through the early part of the Middle Ages. Herbals are one of the largest and most well-known contributions of monastic schools to science, offering some of the most comprehensive amounts of historical evidence. Monasteries were, and are still today, isolated centers. This meant that they had to be able to provide treatment for themselves, including treating

816-421: The Classical period would have been lost without the dedication of the monks, is a very real one. It may even be said that they saved many of the Classical Greek texts from extinction. Medical practice was highly important in medieval monasteries. Caring for the sick was an important obligation. There is evidence of this from the monastery Vivarium, the monastery of Cassiodorus, whose monks were instructed to read

864-554: The Good . This inspired him to adjust his educational program to support the aesthetic enhancement of manuscripts within the monastery, something which had been practiced before, but not in the universality that he suggests. Classical learning would by no means replace the role of Scripture within the monastery; it was intended to augment the education already under way. It is also worth noting that all Greek and Roman works were heavily screened to ensure only proper exposure to text, fitting with

912-529: The age, including Bede , as an obscure supporter of the Church. In their descriptions of Cassiodorus, medieval scholars have been documented to change his name, profession, place of residence, and even his religion. Some chapters from his works have been copied into other texts, suggesting that he may have been read, but not generally known. The works not assigned as a part of Cassiodorus's educational program must be examined critically. Because he had been working under

960-583: The calculator of the Anno Domini era. In his retirement, he founded the monastery of Vivarium on his family estates on the shores of the Ionian Sea , and his writings turned to religion. Cassiodorus's Vivarium "monastery school" was composed of two main buildings: a coenobitic monastery and a retreat, for those who desired a more solitary life. Both were located on the site of the modern Santa Maria de Vetere near Squillace . The twin structure of Vivarium

1008-401: The characteristics of a school that dealt with both religious and secular subjects. Beginning in the 5th century, a variety of abbots took upon themselves the responsibility of educating those who entered the monastery at a young age. The earliest of these monastic schools had more of a spiritual and ascetic focus than a scriptural or theological one, but it has been suggested that these were

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1056-506: The eastern capital for almost two decades, concentrating on religious questions. He notably met Junillus , the quaestor of Justinian I there. His Constantinopolitan journey contributed to the improvement of his religious knowledge. Cassiodorus spent his career trying to bridge the 6th-century cultural divides: between East and West, Greek culture and Latin, Roman and Goth, and between an orthodox people and their Arian rulers. He speaks fondly in his Institutiones of Dionysius Exiguus ,

1104-483: The emerging medieval universities, the rise of the universities did not go unchallenged. Some monastic figures such as Bernard of Clairvaux considered the search for knowledge using the techniques of scholasticism to be a challenge to the monastic ideal of simplicity. The rise of medieval universities and scholasticism in the Renaissance of the 12th century offered alternative venues and new learning opportunities to

1152-424: The field, they did continue its use. If they were not going to add to astronomy, then why was it important? As previously stated, monasteries had to be self-sufficient. That meant that in order to comply to their religious obligations they had to be able to tell the time. This ranged from a day to day timekeeping for prayer to yearly observations. Astronomy was particularly important to the yearly religious calendar and

1200-627: The first work in his series, Cassiodorus's educational agenda had been implemented to some degree of success. Beyond demanding the pursuit of discipline among his students, Cassiodorus encouraged the study of the liberal arts. He believed these arts were part of the content of the Bible, and some mastery of them—especially grammar and rhetoric—was necessary for a complete understanding of it. These arts were divided into trivium (which included rhetoric, idioms, vocabulary and etymology) and quadrivium : arithmetic, geometry, music, and astronomy. He also encouraged

1248-403: The general agriculture of growing herbs such as which plants can be or should be grown in the same vicinity, and what is the best location in the garden for the optimum amount of sunlight to reach any given plant. Much of the knowledge of exotic plants that can be found in herbals are due to trading of the plants themselves and knowledge between monasteries. While not a monk, Hildegard of Bingen ,

1296-457: The judicial capacity of the prefect, he held absolute right of appeal over any magistrate in the empire (or Gothic kingdom, later) and the consiliarius served as a sort of legal advisor in cases of greater complexity. Evidently, therefore, Cassiodorus had received some education in the law. During his working life he worked as quaestor sacri palatii c. 507–511, as a consul in 514, then as magister officiorum under Theoderic, and later under

1344-422: The medical works of Greek writers such as Hippocrates, Galen, and Dioscorides. There is also evidence for the use of secular texts on medicine. It is likely that most monasteries had large amounts of expertise in medical practice. Despite the monastery school's obvious focus on theological instruction, they did hold a place for Classical and secular medical texts. It is through medical instruction in monasteries that

1392-475: The monastery of Saints Cosmas and Damian , at Agali near Toledo , learned such scientific subjects as medicine and the rudiments of astronomy. In the heyday of the monastic schools in the 9th and 10th centuries, the teachings of important scholars such as Alcuin , Hrabanus Maurus , Heiric of Auxerre and Notker Balbulus raised the prestige of their abbeys and attracted pupils from afar to attend their courses. Although some monastic schools contributed to

1440-437: The monastery. This approach to the development of the monastic lifestyle was perpetuated especially through German religious institutions. This change in daily life also became associated with a higher purpose: the process was not merely associated with disciplinary habit, but also with the preservation of history. During Cassiodorus's lifetime, theological study was on the decline and classical writings were disappearing. Even as

1488-445: The monastic life by their parents. Cassiodorus (ca.480–ca.575) wrote a handbook for his monastery in which he recommends numerous pagan authors for studying by the monks. Although it is understood that Cassiodorus recommended those studies that enhanced spiritual learning or served some kind of sacred purpose, it is vital to remember that the study of classical and secular text did exist in monasteries. The idea that many great texts of

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1536-463: The monks who would become ill. Since maintaining a hospital wing was a necessity, it is no surprise that monks invested a lot of time on medical treatment. At the time, this was almost exclusively through herbal medicine. Much of the evidence for their contributions to this field can be found as notes in the margins of herbal texts of the Medieval time period. Some of the contributions that they made were to

1584-454: The newly dominant power of the Ostrogoths, the writer demonstrably alters the narrative of history for the sake of protecting himself. The same could easily be said about his ideas, which were presented as non-threatening in their approach to peaceful meditation and its institutional isolationism. Scylletium Scylletium or Skylletion or Scolacium was an ancient seaside city in Calabria , southern Italy . Its ruins can be found at

1632-474: The observation of such feasts as Christmas and Easter. In the grand scheme of intellectual advancement, monasteries and monastery schools make up a small portion of the larger whole. They were, however, important in their own right in their contribution to the preservation of textual philosophical and scientific tradition. Monasteries provided a stable environment for learning in Medieval Europe. While much of

1680-429: The perfect word of Scripture, the truths presented in them played to Cassiodorus's educational principles. Thus he is unafraid to cite Cicero alongside sacred text, and acknowledge the classical ideal of good being part of the practice of rhetoric. His love for classical thought also influenced his administration of Vivarium. Cassiodorus connected deeply with Christian neoplatonism , which saw beauty as concomitant with

1728-499: The prime ministership of the Ostrogothic civil government and a high honor to finish any career. Cassiodorus also collaborated with Pope Agapetus I to establish a library of Greek and Latin texts that were intended to support a Christian school in Rome . James O'Donnell notes: [I]t is almost indisputable that he accepted advancement in 523 as the immediate successor of Boethius , who

1776-545: The qualities that led many monks trained at the monastic school at Lerins to be selected as bishops. The Roman statesman Cassiodorus had abandoned politics in 537 and later in the century established a monastery on his own lands at Vivarium in southern Italy. Cassiodorus stipulated that his monastery would be a place of study, providing a guide for that study in his Introduction to the Divine and Human Readings ( Institutiones ), which encompassed both religious texts and works on

1824-511: The regency for Theoderic's young successor, Athalaric . Cassiodorus kept copious records and letterbooks concerning public affairs. At the Gothic court his literary skill, which seems mannered and rhetorical to modern readers, was so esteemed that when in Ravenna he was often entrusted with drafting significant public documents. His culminating appointment was as praetorian prefect for Italy, effectively

1872-418: The rest of the structured learning. Cassiodorus's legacy is quietly profound. Before the founding of Vivarium, the copying of manuscripts had been a task reserved for either inexperienced or physically infirm devotees, and was performed at the whim of literate monks. Through the influence of Cassiodorus, the monastic system adopted a more vigorous, widespread, and regular approach to reproducing documents within

1920-664: The standard curriculum incorporated religious studies, the Trivium , and the Quadrivium . In some places monastic schools evolved into medieval universities which eventually largely superseded both institutions as centers of higher learning. Since the cenobitic rule of Pachomius (d. 348 AD) and the sixth-century Rule of the Master and the Rule of St. Benedict , monks and nuns were required to actively engage in reading. This reading took on

1968-490: The students and thus led to a gradual decline of the monastic schools. The monastery played a large role in the preservation and continuation of science throughout the Middle Ages. The largest part of their contribution was keeping the textual traditions of philosophers the likes of Aristotle and Plato alive in the transition from the height of Classical learning into the Middle Ages. In between prayer, meals, and sleeping, monks engaged in various labor activities in accordance to

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2016-484: The study of divinity, much in the same manner as St. Augustine . Cassiodorus's Institutiones thus attempted to provide what Cassiodorus saw as a well-rounded education necessary for a learned Christian, all in uno corpore , as Cassiodorus put it. The library at Vivarium was still active c. 630, when the monks brought the relics of Saint Agathius from Constantinople, dedicating to him a spring-fed fountain shrine that still exists. However, its books were later dispersed,

2064-714: The textual sequence of Holy Scripture and also a compact account of secular letters may, with God's grace, be revealed. The first section of the Institutiones deals with Christian texts, and was intended to be used in combination with the Expositio Psalmorum . The order of subjects in the second book of the Institutiones reflected what would become the Trivium and Quadrivium of medieval liberal arts : grammar, rhetoric, dialectic, arithmetic, music, geometry, and astronomy. While he encouraged study of secular subjects, Cassiodorus clearly considered them useful primarily as aids to

2112-439: The victorious Ostrogoth armies remained in the countryside, they continued to pillage and destroy Christian relics in Italy. Cassiodorus's programme helped ensure that both classical and Christian literature were preserved through the Middle Ages. Despite his contributions to monastic order, literature, and education, Cassiodorus's labors were not well acknowledged. After his death he was only partially recognized by historians of

2160-561: Was founded by an Athenian colony of Magna Graecia , a part of the followers who had accompanied Menestheus to the Trojan War . Solinus also mention that the Scylaceum was established by Athenians. Another tradition was, however, extant, which ascribed its foundation to Ulysses . However, it did not display any friendship towards the Athenians. It appears during this period to have been

2208-539: Was located at Punta di Staletti. In 2006 a sculpture with the title Time Horizon was set up in the park by the English sculptor Antony Gormley . Monastic school Monastic schools ( Latin : Scholae monasticae ) were, along with cathedral schools , the most important institutions of higher learning in the Latin West from the early Middle Ages until the 12th century. Since Cassiodorus 's educational program,

2256-512: Was then falling from grace after less than a year as magister officiorum , and who was sent to prison and later executed. In addition, Boethius' father-in-law (and step-father) Symmachus , by this time a distinguished elder statesman, followed Boethius to the block within a year. All this was a result of the worsening split between the ancient senatorial aristocracy centered in Rome and the adherents of Gothic rule at Ravenna. But to read Cassiodorus' Variae one would never suspect such goings-on. There

2304-486: Was to permit coenobitic (communal) monks and hermits to coexist. The Vivarium appears not to have been governed by a strict monastic rule, such as that of the Benedictine Order . Rather Cassiodorus's work Institutiones was written to guide the monks' studies. To this end, the Institutiones focus largely on texts assumed to have been available in Vivarium's library. The Institutiones seem to have been composed over

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