With a POD no earlier than AD400, can you think of a scenario which would stop the rise of Western Monasticism? Do you think it is possible, or do you think that pre-printing press Christianity is always going to see people wish to take up the religious life?
Furthermore, how do you see the development of Western European without monasticism? How different do you think it would be, or do you think that ultimately something similar to monasticism would arise in the West anyway?