Question

How did Constantine’s patronage of the church affect the monastic movement.

It stimulated the movement.
It slowed the movement.
It corrupted the movement.
It ended the movement.
It reinforced the movement.

Answer 1

It stimulated the movement.

Constantine’s patronage made the church wealthy and closely tied to the imperial state. That led many Christians to withdraw from the increasingly worldly, institutional church and pursue ascetic, communal, or hermit lives — fueling the growth and organization of monasticism (e.g., Anthony, Pachomius).