Early Christians See Deafness as Sin St. Augustine tells early Christians that deaf children are a sign of God's anger at the sins of their parents. Meanwhile, hearing and speaking Benedictine monks take vows of silence to better honor God. To communicate necessary information, they develop their own form of sign language. BENEDICTINE MONKS WITH ST. BENEDICT OF NURSIA IMAGE CREDIT: ILLUSTRATION FROM ST. GREGORY'S "SECOND BOOK OF DIALOGUES" <-- BACK       NEXT -->