This is not part of high school or college class, nor job related. It's more of a hobby of mine. I study philosophy in my free time, and I came across a reference that I haven't been able to verify. Specifically I'm interested in the Hellenistic school of philosophy Stoicism.

The reference in question is that ‘monasteries’ in the west were firstly a Stoic development. I chased down the following lineage of this info, but ran into a wall. If anyone is interested, please feel free to help.

Dr. Olson, in her book “Daily life in a Medieval Monastery” makes this claim:

“Monasterium is the Latinized version of a Greek word (monos, alone; monachos, one who dwells alone, whence the word “monk”) that was coined by pre-Christian Stoic philosophers to denote a place set apart where the lover of wisdom could retreat from worldly distractions to study and meditate.”

But, there was no source. So I wrote her. Much to my surprise, she responded to me, and referred me to her immediate source for that statement which was Maxwell Staniforth’s introduction to his translation of Marcus Aurelius’ ‘Meditations’ (Penguin Classics, translation first published 1964), p. 26, which reads:

“A notable Stoic contribution, too, to the manners of the Church, and one which has had a lasting influence, was the practice of asceticism. Christians who desired to follow counsels of perfection took the Stoic sage and his way of life as their formal exemplar. The coarse garment, the untrimmed locks and beard, were adopted as the badges of aspiration to sanctity. Just as the Stoic professor was accustomed to withdraw from society and meditate in solitude, his Christina imitators not only followed his example but appropriated his terminology. In the Stoic vocabulary one who went into retreat was an ‘anchorite’; one who practiced self-discipline was an ‘ascetic’, those who lived apart from their fellows were ‘monachi’, and the place of their retreat was a ‘monasterium’. Each of these borrowed expressions has retained its place and significance in the language of the Church to this day.”

But there the trail ends, as that is also not cited. It's not common for citations in the introduction of books, and that's where both of these references occur. The common understanding is that western monasticism is based in the lifeways of the Desert Fathers, but this hint suggests that their practice might be the descendant of an older tradition which would be interesting if true.

So, any further help would be great If anyone has any additional information or suggestions which wold help support or refute that assertion, I would surely appreciate it. Either way, support or a refutation would be helpful, I'm not heavily invested in either result; I'm just looking for the origin of this information that I've seen, and if it's true or not.

Thanks!

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Jews are not supposed to work on Saturdays, Christians on Sundays and Muslims on Friday, and this is all derived from the Ten Commandments. But then how come they have different days for the seventh day? Was it a conscious decision by Christians and the Muslim leaders to differentiate themselves from the other faiths? Did the specific day of the week commemorate some other event? Can it be tracked down to a clerical error early in those religions' history?

Also has there been any cases of different (geographically separate) sects of the same broader religion disagreeing on which day they should not work?

Another month gone, another round of recognizing the best of the month.

Submit answers you feel are deserving, upvote those already here that you really enjoyed.

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Is there a historical reason for this?

Can anyone recommend to me a history of financial markets and products?

I'm studying their current use at the moment for a professional qualification but they seem ripe for a historical study (who doesn't want to know the context in which the first zero-coupon bond was issued as opposed to all the other options? ).

I've had a look down the master book list and can't see anything that may be relevant but I may have missed it.

Edit: clarity

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Any insight you may have is appreciated, seeing it made me curious, and not being able to find any information at all was very frustrating. Thanks for reading this long post, and for any information you might have.

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Or a bit of all three?

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I use the word adventurer mainly because my love for fantasy is what has me asking this question but to be more realistic im talking about a normal traveler. Someone on a pilgrimage, a group of mercenaries on the move, vagabonds, travelling wise men, stuff like that.

What kinds of food would they make if they set up camp? What would be common if they stopped at an Inn or tavern for the night. What kind of snacks would be eaten while they walked or rode?

EDIT: Noticed after I posted the theme is "Cooking and Baking" so I'm relevant!

How did a candidate with no political experience have the ability to convince voters and become president? Did any significant programs/legislation pass(for better or worse). Was he able to win reelection? Did he cause more damage or beneficial things economically, socially, or politically? What kind of leadership background he have?