Sarabaites

A widely spread pre-Benedictine class of ascetics who lived either privately or in small groups in or near cities, with neither superior nor definite rule, keeping the result of their manual labors. Jerome speaks of them under the name of “Remoboth,” and John Cassian notes their existence in Egypt and elsewhere, both references being adverse. The name, of which the original meaning is undetermined, later signified degenerate monks.