Monastic Tonsure & Vows
A cut of hair and a lifelong vow that open the door to the monastic life
Monastic tonsure and vows form the rite by which a person enters the monastic state, marked by cutting the hair and professing vows. Rooted in early Pachomian and Basilian rules and the Rule of St. Benedict, the practice took varied forms across traditions. It remains central to Catholic, Orthodox, and Oriental life, though vow-sets and tonsure styles differ. The Reformers largely abolished such vows, while some Anglican and Lutheran communities later revived them.
How it traveled
- Selected Epistles of Gregory the GreatRome · c. 604 CEapplies
- The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext CouncilConstantinople (Istanbul) · c. 692 CEapplies
Key passages(20)
Each passage is tagged by what it does with the idea: explains it, applies it in practice, redefines it with a new meaning, or challenges it. Relevance shows how directly the passage is about this idea.
Selected Epistles of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great
Epistle XXIV. To Fortunatus, Bishop of Neapolis (Naples). Gregory to Fortunatus, &c. When your Fraternity pays too little attention to the monasteries that are under you, you both lay yourself open
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The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon XXXIII. Since we know that, in the region of the Armenians, only those are appointed to the clerical orders who are of priestly descent (following in this Jewish customs); and some of those who
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The Seventh Ecumenical Council. The Second Council of Nice · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon XIX. That the vows of those in holy orders and of monks, and of nuns are to be made without the exaction of gifts. The abomination of filthy lucre has made such inroads among the rulers of the
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The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon XLIII. It is lawful for every Christian to choose the life of religious discipline, and setting aside the troublous surgings of the affairs of this life to enter a monastery, and to be shaven i
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The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great
I have taken care to transmit to your Fraternity the law which the most pious Emperor has issued, to the effect that such as are bound by engagements of military service or public liabilities, may not
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The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon XL. Since to cleave to God by retiring from the noise and turmoil of life is very beneficial, it behoves us not without examination to admit before the proper time those who choose the monastic
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The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon XLII. Those who are called Eremites and are clothed in black robes, and with long hair go about cities and associate with the worldly both men and women and bring odium upon their profession—we
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Book Fourth. of the Holy Catholic Church · John Calvin
25. Let us now attend to the ceremonies which they employ. And first, all whom they enroll among their militia they initiate into the clerical status by a common symbol. They shave them on the top of
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The Fourth Ecumenical Council. The Council of Chalcedon · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon IV. Let those who truly and sincerely lead the monastic life be counted worthy of becoming honour; but, forasmuch as certain persons using the pretext of monasticism bring confusion both upon t
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Letter L. To Domnio. Domnio, a Roman (called in Letter XLV. “the Lot of our time”), had written to Jerome to tell him that an ignorant monk had been traducing his books “against Jovinian.” Jerome, in
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Thoughts Helpful in the Life of the Soul · Thomas à Kempis
IF YOU wish peace and concord with others, you must learn to break your will in many things. To live in monasteries or religious communities, to remain there without complaint, and to persevere faithf
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The Letters · Basil of Caesarea
Letter CXCIX. Placed in 375. Canonica Secunda. To Amphilochius, concerning the Canons. I wrote some time ago in reply to the questions of your reverence, but I did not send the letter, partly beca
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Jerome's Apology for Himself Against the Books of Rufinus · Rufinus of Aquileia
31. I might well reply as I have done even if it were a question of a promise made with full consciousness. But this is a new and shameless thing; he throws in my teeth a mere dream. How am I to answe
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Selected Epistles of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great
Epistle VII. To Januarius, Bishop of Caralis (Cagliari). Gregory to Januarius, &c. It has been laid down by the plain definition of the law that those who go into a monastery for the purpose of ent
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The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great
Gregory here asserts the view of his day, which after his manner he takes for granted that Gaul had derived its Christianity from Rome. Similarly, long before him, pope Zosimus (417–418), writing to t
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The Book of Pastoral Rule, and Selected Epistles, of Gregory the Great · Pope Gregory the Great
Many foolish men have supposed that, if I were advanced to the rank of the episcopate, I should decline to address thee, or to keep up communication with thee by letter. But this is not so; since I am
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The Canons of the Council in Trullo; Often Called The Quinisext Council · The Ecumenical Councils
Canon XXI. Those who have become guilty of crimes against the canons, and on this account subject to complete and perpetual deposition, are degraded to the condition of layman. If, however, keeping c
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The Conferences of John Cassian. Part I. Containing Conferences I-X · John Cassian
But in one matter vainglory is found to be a useful thing for beginners. I mean by those who are still troubled by carnal sins, as for instance, if, when they are troubled by the spirit of fornication
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The Genuine Acts of Peter. ———————————— Were all the limbs of my body to be turned into tongues, and all the joints of my limbs to utter articulate sounds, it would noways be sufficient to express w
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The Letters of St. Jerome · Jerome
Letter LXXXVII. From Theophilus to Jerome. Theophilus informs Jerome that he has expelled the Origenists from the monasteries of Nitria, and urges him to shew his zeal for the faith by writing agains
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