The Book of the First Monks (Latin: Decem Libri – Liber de Institutione Primorum Monacharum)[1] is a medieval Catholic book in the contemplative and eremitic tradition of the Carmelite Order, thought to reflect the spirituality of the Prophet Elijah, honored as the Father of the Order.
Most often quoted from the Book of the First Monks is the following passage in which Elijah is named as the spiritual father of the Order: The goal of this life is twofold.
The other part of the goal of this life is granted us as the free gift of God: namely, to taste somewhat in the heart and to experience in the soul, not only after death but even in this mortal life, the intensity of the divine [P]resence and the sweetness of the glory of [H]eaven.
Exemplars of the contemplative and mystical spirituality described in the book include the Discalced Carmelite Sts.
Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Teresia Benedicta a Cruce.