Primary Analysis: The Rules Of St. Benedict

Primary Analysis: The Rule of St. Benedict (c. 530) (excerpt)

St. Benedict was an Italian monk of the 6th century. He is most commonly known for his writing on community living within the monastic lifestyle. St. Benedict wrote The Rules of St. Benedict in c. 530. In his writing he focuses on how monks should live according to Christ and demonstrate a lifestyle devoted to Jesus through these rules. In the prologue of The Rules he writes “...We are about to found therefore a school for the Lord's service”. Benedict is creating a set of rules to live by under the moistary (“school for the Lord's service”). An excerpt of the prologue consists of why the rules are being written and how under God you shall receive Heaven with the text stating,

“Thus, never departing from His guidance, continuing in the monastery in his teaching until death, though patience we are made partakers in Christ's passion, in order that we may merit to be companions in His kingdom”. Benedict writes these rules and sets forth the main principles and reasons behind the religious life of Monks.

In the excerpt given, the document consists of sixty four rules that include how Abbots should live, humility, clothing, food, Divine services, obedience, and the reading of the Bible; specifically the book of Psalms.

The first rule explains the different type of Monks (Cenobites, anchorites, sarabaites, and the gyratory) and where they fall in terms of their way of living and duties to God. The rest of the text is referring to Cenobites, with St. Benedict calling them the best kind of Monks. After he explains the different types of Monks there are, the rules focus more on Monistic

living.

The intended audience of this source were Monks and anyone looking into joining the monastic lifestyle. The purpose of this source was to establish order for spiritual growth, like a guideline to salvation. It was a message to be dispersed throughout a religious community in order to inherit the kingdom of God.

Another one of the purposes of this document was to promote rules. Benedict starts his writing with a statement about serving the Lord, making it into the Kingdom of God, and broadening the heart through one's faith, stating “But as one's way of life and one's faith progress, the heart becomes broadened, and, with the unutterable sweetness of love, the way of the mandates of the Lord is traversed”. This would catch the ears and eyes of people who truly wshed to live a Monastic lifestyle for God, and those already living out this lifestyle. In the prologue St. Benedict explains the foundation of the school under “nothing server and nothing burdensome..salvation, which cannot be entered upon except through a narrow entrance”. This means that living this way, the monastic lifestyle, is not meant to be a burden, but simply a way of life. In life a person will experience trials and tribulations but this is the way to Christ, through a “narrow entrance”.

This document also shows a prescription for ethical behavior.

The rules written are not just pertaining to when to read the book of Psalms and when a Monk can sleep, but it also tells how to show good characteristics of obedience, humility, prayer, receiving brothers, and how an Abbot should treat other below him. This set or moral principles included Monks saying “ I was reduced to nothing and was ignorant; I was made with the cattle before thee, and am always with thee”, The Lord also says “As soon as he heard of me he obeyed me”. These new set of rules written by St. Benedict created a set in stone code ofmoral and ethical

ideas.

From the text given we can answer other historical questions such as, how Cenobites and Abbots were to live after 530, as well as the different authorities and burdens Abbots were obliged to do. The text gives in detail how a monk should live as well and the duties of an Abbot. This gives us a look into the roles Abbots played in the monastery and why they are important. An Abbot is to holy in deeds more than by words and his “teaching and the obedience of his disciples” displays his true heart.

When historians read The Rules of St. Benedict they need to be aware of possible biases when reading the source. The source was meant for monks and Abbots. It should not be looked at today by practicing Monk, for situations may have changed. Other bias that historians should be aware of when studying this source is that not all Monks lived this way. This source is coming straight from St. Benedict and was not written by multiple people at the time.

To better understand this source historians might want to look for other writings at the time pertaining to monastic living or documentation of the response that The Rules of St. Benedict received. Historians would want to do this to compare and contrast the living situations of other cenobites at the times, as well as gyratory, scarabites, and anchorite Monks at the time. If I had access to another additional source to better understand this one I would want a primary source that came from a Cenobite that practiced there rules a the time. This would be a good second source to help better understand St. Benedict's rules because we would be able to see how heavily these rules were followed.