Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume XI/John Cassian/Conferences of John Cassian, Part III/Conference XVIII/Chapter 10

Chapter X.

The answer.

indifferently speak of monasteries instead of C&#339;nobia, yet there is this difference, that monastery is the title of the dwelling, and means nothing more than the place, i.e., the habitation of monks, while C&#339;nobium describes the character of the life and its system: and monastery may mean the dwelling of a single monk, while a C&#339;nobium cannot be spoken of except where dwells a united community of a large number of men living together. They are however termed monasteries in which groups of Sarabaites live.
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