Christian Monasteries in the Judean Desert

The story begins in the 2nd Holy Temple period, when a sect of Second Temple Judaism, the Essenes, chose to live in a Qumran village in the Judean Desert. They spent most of their time writing down the scriptures (what we nowadays call the Scrolls of the Dead Sea).

More on the Dead Sea Scrolls: scroll down to related posts and click on the relevant video.

The Essenes congregated in communal life dedicated to asceticism. They were committed to a strict observance of the Sabbath. They also ritually immersed in water every morning. They believed in communality, ate together, prayed together and dined together. This communal life was called ‘be-yahad’ (meaning: together). In some cases, they chose not to get married.

In the beginning of the 4th century, when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire, and many Christians came to Israel to build their Churches on the holy places, some of them, chose to live a secluded Christian way of life. They chose the Judean desert because it was far from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It was quiet, peaceful and serene. Location wise, the Judean Desert is between Jerusalem and Jericho and within a day or two walk from Jerusalem.

The life of the first monks in the desert was very similar to the Essenes as they lived a simple holy pure life. Each had his own cave and there was a large cave where they could pray and eat together and keep their rituals.

Today, there are still some active monasteries, and when you first catch a glimpse of these amazing cliff-hanging monasteries, it is a WOW! These monasteries are usually located above a natural spring or other source of water. In the past this unique type of location also provided the monks security from animals and/or bandits.

It is not easy to get to these monasteries as it requires a long walk, but it is worth every step of the way.