📖 Biblical Definition
Scripture commends solitude and withdrawal for prayer — Jesus Himself frequently withdrew to lonely places to pray (Luke 5:16). However, the monastic ideal of permanent withdrawal from the world is not commanded or modeled in the New Testament. Christ's prayer for His disciples was not "take them out of the world" but "keep them from the evil one" (John 17:15). Believers are sent into the world as light and salt (Matthew 5:13-16). The biblical pattern is engagement with the world from a position of holiness, not retreat from the world into religious isolation.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
A monastery or nunnery; a house inhabited by monks or nuns. Also, a covered arcade or walk in a convent.
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CLOIS'TER, n. [L. claustrum.] 1. A monastery or nunnery; a house of religious retirement. 2. An arched way or covered walk in a convent. 3. A close or enclosed place. Note: Webster defined the cloister as a place of religious retirement — seclusion from the world for devotion.
📖 Key Scripture
• John 17:15 — "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one."
• Matthew 5:13-16 — "You are the light of the world...let your light shine before others."
• Luke 5:16 — "He would withdraw to desolate places and pray."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
The cloister ideal either produces unbiblical withdrawal or is romanticized as superior spirituality.
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The monastic tradition elevated withdrawal from the world as the highest form of Christian life — creating a two-tier spirituality where monks and nuns were considered holier than married farmers, merchants, or soldiers. The Reformation rejected this with the doctrine of vocation: all lawful callings are sacred when done for God's glory. Today, some evangelicals romanticize monastic practices, adopting "new monasticism" or contemplative retreats as though spiritual maturity requires religious seclusion. While seasons of solitude are biblical, permanent withdrawal from the world contradicts Christ's command to go and make disciples. The cloister can become an escape from the Great Commission disguised as devotion.
Usage
• "Jesus withdrew to pray but always returned to the people — the cloister was never meant to replace the mission field."
• "The Reformation recovered the truth that a farmer plowing his field in faith is as holy as a monk in his cell."