The Life Of St. Benedict In Plato's The Republic

519 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Research paper on constantine christian

The Life of St. Benedict was written by St. Gregory the great. Like Plato’s The Republic, it is written as a dialogue between Gregory and Peter. By using this method, the author is able to stop and explain himself better and more thoroughly. Benedict was credited with establishing twelve monasteries. Gregory says that the things he recorded to him where related to him by Benedict’s disciples, Constantine, Valentinian, Simplicius, and Honoratus. Gregory records the events of Benedict’s life and portrays him to be one of the most pious and righteous men to ever live. Benedict seems to be portrayed through his actions and works as a mixture of Paul, Elisha, and Jesus Christ. One of the major themes throughout the book is the way Benedict devoted his entire life to Christianity. When he was a boy, Benedict wanted to convert to a life of suffering for God. He lived in a cave until a priest was instructed by God to find and nourish him. Even as a young man, he was already called a man of God. Even as a small child he is said to be able to pray for miracles at a young age. Some people were jealous of his righteousness that on a few occasions he was almost poisoned. With divine enlightenment Benedict was aware of these evil plots and was able to demonstrate his righteousness and that God was protecting him. After …show more content…

He was able to petition to God through prayer and by calling on the power without prayer. When Benedict performs miracles it is to either teach a lesson or to show authority. Although, on a few occasion there seems to be no reason for his miracles. For example, in chapter nine Benedict prays for a stone to be a moved. This kind of miracle seemed to be for convenience only. The miracles he is credited with mimic those of other people from the Bible. He healed leprosy, prayed for a stream of water, and through him his disciple was able to walk on water. He mimics Paul, Moses, Elisha, and

Show More
Related

  • Paul of Tarsus

    1339 Words  | 3 Pages

    There is a lot that has been said about the missionary trips of this distinguished servant of Christ which started about fourteen years after his transformation. His travels have left many Bible scholars confused about his powerful impact and how he founded of the Western Christian Church.

    Read More

  • Michael Sattler and the Anabaptist Movement

    3030 Words  | 7 Pages

    ... credited with Anabaptist theology, he was an unmistakably valuable element to both the sixteenth century’s Reformation and the Christian community in the years which followed.

    Read More

  • Jospeh Aloisius Ratzinger´s Steps as Pope Benedict XVI

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    At the balcony in Saint Peters Benedicts first words to the crowd was as follows:

    Read More

  • The Road of Joseph Ratzinger t Pope Ementus Benedict

    1271 Words  | 3 Pages

    He started off as Joseph Ratzinger, a kid from Germany who unwillingly served in the Nazi army and ended as Pope Emeritus Benedict, one of the most beloved Popes of all time. His life was a roller coaster, however it has now calmed down. He continues to spend his final days in the Vatican monastery where he continues to pray and follow in the footsteps of Christ while he waits for inevitable the time when he will join Jesus Christ in heaven.

    Read More

  • St. Gregory Of Tours

    485 Words  | 1 Pages

    Saint Gregory of Tours was born around the year 538 at Arverni, which is now Clermont-Ferrand. He belonged to the Gallo-Roman family, which was a very prestigious family. He was also related to the houses of Gaul. Gregory’s original name was Georgius Florentius. He took the name Gregory to honor his late grandfather who was named Gregory. His Grandfather was the Bishop of Langres. When Gregory was young, his father died and he went to live with his Uncle. His uncle, Gallus, was the Bishop of Clermont. Gallus educated him until his death in 554. Gregory’s mother left to live with friends in Burgandy and left her son to Avitus who became Bishop of Clermont after Gallus. Avitus taught Gregory all about the Scriptures. Gregory was not too impressed with the scriptures. Gregory got seriously ill and wasn’t supposed to recover. He did recover though and this made him more mindful of God and the scriptures. Gregory then became a friend with the Bishop of Tours whose name was Euphronius. Euphronius died in 573 and Gregory succeeded him as Bishop of Tours.

    Read More

  • Magna Carta, St. Francis' Admonitions, and Summa Theologica

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    St. Francis of Assisi work, Admonitions, is a virtual instruction manual on how to live a Christian life. St. Francis was born into a merchant family and was headed to a secular career. He then experienced a deeply religious vision. He turned away from all worldly things, and began to concentrate on preaching in urban areas. The fact that he began to preach in urban areas and not live a cloistered life of a monk in a monastery is very important in itself. St. Francis took advantage of his lure and charismatic personality to preach to the people. St. Francis and his followers believe that not only do they have to read the Bible or pray but also they must believe in what they are reading and believe in what they praying.

    Read More

  • Benedict's Theory Of Obedience

    1652 Words  | 4 Pages

    Benedict lived in the 16th century from 480 – 547 in Italy (Nursia) at the time when the great Roman Empire was crumbling. This period was stuffed with wars and paganism. Benedict left his native land to the city of Rome to pursue his education, but paganism in the city disgusted him and he desist from the world to embrace a life of solitude. His life style came to the noticed of many people. Some monks joined him, and he then established twelve monasteries with twelve monks each. He later abandon his monastery due to jealousy and went up the mountain of Cassino where he lived till his death in 547 AD. Benedict thought that establishing rules will act as a guide for the monks to advance in holiness and for the smooth running of the monastery.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Rule Of Benedict By Saint Benedict

    761 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book The Rule of Benedict, written by Saint Benedict, he provided outlines of how things should go in the monastery, and day to day life for monks. Saint Benedict uses biblical references and also his own thoughts. Through his writings, he believes that there should be very strict guidelines to follow, in order to be a good monk and/or person. Although Saint Benedict means well when he gives his thoughts on how things should be gone about, he sometimes seems arrogant, by giving the abbot so much power. In addition to this, at some points, it seems as if the abbot has more control and power over the people, than God himself. Three things stuck out to me when reading Saint Benedict’s thoughts. First, his use of violence, when disciplining.

    Read More

  • Postive Effects of Medieval Social Classes

    744 Words  | 2 Pages

    He was part of the ruling class, along with the Pope and the rest of the royalty (Pattie). The Pope was the religious ruler and had power over the church and the whole town (Newman, “Clergy in the Middle Ages”). He was viewed as the human version of God, so he was extremely respected and the townspeople followed his advice and direction. Queens, princes, and princesses made up the rest of the ruling class (“People of the Middle Ages”). The King counted on the queen to support and encourage him, and also as someone he could trust with confidential information.

    Read More

  • St. Boniface

    1467 Words  | 3 Pages

    In his youth, St. Boniface encountered many priests or clerics who traveled from town to town. Through these spiritual conversations, it became evident to St. Boniface that he wanted to pursue a life with God. Eventually, after continuos begging and his fathers fatal sickness, he was sent to the care of the Monastery of Examchester. (Appleton) It is here, that St. Boniface expressed to the Abbot at the time, that he wanted to live a monastic life. The father of the monastery, after council, granted him his wish. Here is where the saint began to prove his love for God, and could begin his journey of the Christian life. After exceeding all expectations and surpassing the knowledge of his teachers, he moved to a neighboring monastery, called Nursling, whereby he studied under the influence of Abbot Winbert.(St. Boniface Church) Here he gained vast knowledge of scriptures and the spiritual exposition of the Bible. Here, he gained such a reputation that men and women from far and wide traveled to study scriptures under his guidance. At the age of 30 he was humbly ordained a priest and yet another branch of his life was fulfilled.

    Read More

  • St. Benedict

    1293 Words  | 3 Pages

    Late in the fifth century the son of a well-off family in Italy left for isolation on his mission to truly seek god. This man was St. Benedict, who is credited with the first establishment of the concept of withdrawing from all temptation for Christian beliefs in the west. St. Benedict left his home and went to the top of a mountain, where he established a monastic community. In this community the individuals who resided there, constantly reiterated their faith. They sacrificed whatever they may have had to prove their true commitment to God. This became an early ideal of Christianity, that one must suffer loss and sacrifice to prove their loyalty to the faith. It was believed in this time period that if one is content with only what they truly need one is freer to think about other people and to think about God . These individuals were called Regular Clergies (monks) and were considered heroes of the faith.

    Read More

  • Analysis of The Canticle of Brother Sun

    1913 Words  | 4 Pages

    One of the values Francis instilled the most in his monks was obedience to God. In his life, Francis was devoted to serve God and gave God complete control over his life. Part of this trust that Francis had was that God would provide for him in same way ...

    Read More

  • The March Of Folly Barbara Tuchman

    1158 Words  | 3 Pages

    She examines 6 popes between 1470-1530 who she claims lead in a way similar to politicians. They lost touch with the common people both emotionally and intellectually. A little known cleric led the revolution challenging papacy that culminated in the reformation of the church. In that context, Barbara outlines that the popes were venal, immoral, and their power politics was calamitous. The faithful were distressed by their leadership, which ignored all the protests and the signs that a revolt was coming. In the end, the papal constituency lost almost half of its followers to Protestants. Barbara says that these people were driven by the greed and the urge to create a family empire that would outlive them. This chapter sums up the essence of folly in these major failures, lack of a fixed policy, over extravagance, and the illusion that their rule was

    Read More

  • Monasticism And Western Religion: Basil Of Caesarea

    1083 Words  | 3 Pages

    This increased ability to have to different groups coexisting within the monastic movement hadn’t been done before. This creation of harmony between two different communities allowed Basil to preach his beliefs regarding deep personal reflection and the benefits of living a life according the Gospel. On top of creating a harmony between the hermits and those who need community, Basil created a way of checks and balances between laity and clergy. Basil believed that the authority is the gospel, through the clergy they have the ability to bear witness, but it is up to the laity to confirm the clergy’s witness.

    Read More

  • Miracles Of Jesus Essay

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    During the time of Jesus, God’s and demigods were believed to have healed the sick and raised people from the dead. Some believed famous and virtuous men could calm storms, chase away pestilence, and abide by greetings as gods. Christian authors viewed the miracles of Jesus as works of love and mercy showing compassion for a sinful and suffering humanity. Each miracle involves specific teachings and they were an important component of Jesus’ divinity and the dual natures of Jesus as God and ...

    Read More

More about The Life Of St. Benedict In Plato's The Republic

Open Document