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St. Benedict writing the rules, painting (1926) by Hermann Nigg (1849–1928)
St. Benedict writing the rules, painting (1926) by Hermann Nigg (1849–1928)

The Rule of St Benedict (fl. 6th century) is a book of precepts written by St. Benedict of Nursia for monks living in community under the authority of an abbot. A Precept (from the Latin præcipere, to teach is a commandment instruction or order intended as an authoritative rule of action "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective Those living the monastic life are known by the generic terms Monks (men and Nuns (women The word abbot, meaning Father, is a title given to the head of a Monastery in various traditions including Christianity. Since about the 7th century it has also been adopted by communities of women. During the 1500 years of its existence, it has become the leading guide in Western Christianity for monastic living in community, in Orthodoxy, Catholicism and (since the time of the Reformation) in the Anglican and Protestant traditions. The word orthodox, from Greek orthodoxos "having the right opinion" from orthos ("right true straight" + doxa ("opinion Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation.

The spirit of St Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation: pax ("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and work"). This article is about the organizational structure of the Order of Saint Benedict within the Roman Catholic Church.

Compared to other precepts, the Rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism; because of this middle ground it has been widely popular. Benedict's concerns were the needs of monks in a community environment: namely, to establish due order, to foster an understanding of the relational nature of human beings, and to provide a spiritual father to support and strengthen the individual's ascetic effort and the spiritual growth that is required for the fulfillment of the human vocation, theosis. Ascetic redirects here You might also be looking for Acetic acid. In Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic theology theosis (written also theiosis, theopoiesis, theōsis

The Rule of St Benedict has been used by Benedictines for fifteen centuries, and thus St. Benedictine refers to the Spirituality and Consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in Benedict is sometimes regarded as the founder of Western monasticism. Those living the monastic life are known by the generic terms Monks (men and Nuns (women There is, however, no evidence to suggest that Benedict intended to found a religious order. A religious order is a lineage of communities and organizations of people who live in some way set apart from society in accordance with their specific religious devotion usually Not until the later Middle Ages is there mention of an "Order of St Benedict". His Rule is written as a guide for individual, autonomous communities; and to this day all Benedictine Houses (and the Congregations in which they have associated themselves) remain self-governing. An autonomous area is an area of a Country that has a degree of Autonomy, or freedom from an external authority Advantages seen in retaining this unique Benedictine emphasis on autonomy include cultivating models of tightly bonded communities and contemplative life-styles. Disadvantages are said to comprise geographical isolation from important projects in adjacent communities in the name of a literalist interpretation of autonomy. Other losses are said to include inefficiency and lack of mobility in the service of others, and insufficient appeal to potential members feeling called to such service.

Contents

Origins

Christian monasticism first appeared in the Eastern Roman Empire a few generations before Benedict of Nursia, in the Egyptian desert. "Saint Benedict" redirects here This article is about the founder of Western monasticism for other saints named Benedict see Benedict. This article is about the country of Egypt For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Egypt topics. Under the spiritual inspiration of Saint Anthony the Great (251-356), ascetic monks led by Saint Pachomius (286-346) formed the first Christian monastic communities under what became known as an Abba (Aramaic for "Father", from which the term Abbot originates). Saint Anthony the Great (c 251–356 also known as Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Events By Place Roman Empire July 1 — In the Battle of Abrittus, the Goths defeat the Romans emperors Decius Events By Place Roman Empire February 8 — Roman authorities make an attempt to arrest Athanasius on the accusation of supporting Ascetic redirects here You might also be looking for Acetic acid. Saint Pachomius (ca 292-348 also known as Abba Pachomius and Pakhom in Arabic الأنبا باخوميوس, is generally recognized as the founder of For the processor see Intel 80286. Events By Place Roman Empire March 1 — Diocletian Events By Place Asia In Korea, the Puyo tribes are absorbed by the Koguryŏ.

Within a generation, both solitary and communal monasticism became very popular and spread outside of Egypt, first to Palestine and the Judean Desert and thence to Syria and North Africa. Palestine is a name which has been widely used since Roman times to refer to the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Judea or Judæa ( Hebrew: יהודה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh, "praised Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Saint Basil of Caesarea codified the precepts for these eastern monasteries in his Ascetic Rule, or Ascetica, which is still used today in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (c 330 – January 1, 379) (Άγιος Βασίλειος ο Μέγας Latin The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to The Eastern Orthodox Church: the Eastern Christian churches of Byzantine

In the West in about the year 500, Benedict became so upset by the immorality of society in Rome that he gave up his studies there and chose the life of an ascetic monk in the pursuit of personal holiness, living as a hermit in a cave near the rugged region of Subiaco. Events By Place Europe Possible date for the Battle of Mons Badonicus: Romano-British and Celts defeat an Anglo-Saxon Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Subiaco is a town in the Province of Rome, in Lazio, Italy, twenty-five miles from Tivoli alongside the river Aniene. In time, setting a shining example with his zeal, he began to attract disciples. After considerable initial struggles with his first community at Subiaco, he eventually founded the monastery of Monte Cassino, where he wrote his Rule in about 530. For information about the World War II battle see the Battle of Monte Cassino. For the California area code see Area code 530 Events By Place Byzantine Empire Battle of Daras:

In chapter 73 St Benedict commends the Rule of St Basil and alludes to further authorities, obviously. He was probably aware of the Rule written by (or attributed to) Pachomius; and his Rule also shows influence by the Rules of Augustine of Hippo and Saint John Cassian. Saint John Cassian (ca 360 – 435 ( Latin: Jo(hannes Eremita Cassianus, Joannus Cassianus, or Joannes Massiliensis) John the Benedict's greatest debt, however, may be to the anonymous Rule of the Master, which he seems to have radically excised, expanded, revised and corrected in the light of his own considerable experience and insight. The Rule of the Master is an anonymous Sixth-century collection of monastic Precepts It was used by Benedict of Nursia as source material for [1]

Overview of the Rule

The Rule opens with a prologue or hortatory preface, in which St Benedict sets forth the main principles of the religious life, viz. : the renunciation of one's own will and arming oneself "with the strong and noble weapons of obedience" under the banner of "the true King, Christ the Lord" (Prol. This article discusses the title of Jesus Christ Christ the King. 3). He proposes to establish a "school for the Lord's service" (Prol. 45) in which the way to salvation (Prol. 48) shall be taught, so that by persevering in the monastery till death his disciples may "through patience share in the passion of Christ that [they] may deserve also to share in his Kingdom" (Prol. MONK is a Monte Carlo software package for simulating nuclear processes particularly for the purpose of determining the neutron multiplication factor or k-effective 50, passionibus Christi per patientiam participemur, ut et regno eius mereamur esse consortes; note: Latin passionibus and patientiam have the same root, cf. Fry, RB 1980, p. 167).

Secular significance

Beyond its religious influences, the Rule of St Benedict is one of the most important written works in the shaping of Western society, embodying, as it does, the idea of a written constitution, authority limited by law and under the law, and the right of the ruled to review the legality of the actions of their rulers. A constitution is a system for government often Codified as a written document that establishes the rules and principles of an autonomous political entity The rule of law, in its most basic form is the principle that no one is above the law It also incorporated a degree of democracy in a non-democratic society. Democracy is a form of government in which the supreme power is held completely by the people under a free electoral system

Outline of the Benedictine life

St Benedict's model for the monastic life was the family, with the abbot as father and all the monks as brothers. Family denotes a group of People affiliated by consanguinity affinity or co-residence The word abbot, meaning Father, is a title given to the head of a Monastery in various traditions including Christianity. Priesthood was not initially an important part of Benedictine monasticism – monks used the services of their local priest. Because of this, almost all the Rule is applicable to communities of women under the authority of an abbess. An abbess ( Latin abbatissa fem form of abbas Abbot) is the female superior, or Mother Superior, of an Abbey

St Benedict's Rule organises the monastic day into regular periods of communal and private prayer, sleep, spiritual reading, and manual labour – ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus, "that in all [things] God may be glorified" (cf. Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit Rule ch. 57. 9). In later centuries, intellectual work and teaching took the place of farming, crafts, or other forms of manual labour for many – if not most – Benedictines.

Traditionally, the daily life of the Benedictine revolved around the eight canonical hours. Canonical hours are divisions of time developed by the Christian Church, serving as increments between the prescribed Prayers of the daily round The monastic timetable or Horarium would begin at midnight with the service, or "office", of Matins (today also called the Office of Readings), followed by the morning office of Lauds at 3am. Horarium ( Latin for "The hours" is the name given to the daily Schedule of those living in a Religious Community. Before the advent of wax candles in the 14th century, this office was said in the dark or with minimal lighting; and monks were expected to memorize everything. These services could be very long, sometimes lasting till dawn, but usually consisted of a chant, three antiphons, three psalms, and three lessons, along with celebrations of any local saints' days. Afterwards the monks would retire for a few hours of sleep and then rise at 6am to wash and attend the office of Prime. They then gathered in Chapter to receive instructions for the day and to attend to any judicial business. Then came private Mass or spiritual reading or work until 9am when the office of Terce was said, and then High Mass. At noon came the office of Sext and the midday meal. After a brief period of communal recreation, the monk could retire to rest until the office of None at 3pm. This was followed by farming and housekeeping work until after twilight, the evening prayer of Vespers at 6pm, then the night prayer of Compline at 9pm, and off to blessed bed before beginning the cycle again. In modern times, this timetable is often changed to accommodate any apostolate outside the monastic enclosure (e. g. the running of a school or parish).

Many Benedictine Houses have a number of Oblates (secular) who are affiliated with them in prayer, having made a formal private promise (usually renewed annually) to follow the Rule of St Benedict in their private life as closely as their individual circumstances and prior commitments permit. An oblate in Christian Monasticism (especially Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican) is a person who is specifically dedicated

In recent years discussions have occasionally been held concerning the applicability of the principles and spirit of the Rule of St Benedict to the secular working environment.

Reforms

During the more than 1500 years of their existence, the Benedictines have not been immune to periods of laxity and decline, often following periods of greater prosperity and an attendant relaxing of discipline. In such times, dynamic Benedictines have often led reform movements to return to a stricter observance of both the letter and spirit of the Rule of St Benedict, at least as they understood it. Examples include the Camaldolese, the Cistercians, the Trappists (a reform of the Cistercians), and the Sylvestrines. The Camaldolese are part of the Benedictine family of Monastic communities which follow the way of life outlined in the Rule of St Trappist redirects here This article is about the Cistercian order The Sylvestrines are an order of monks under the Benedictine rule forming the Sylvestrine Congregation within the Benedictine Confederation. At the heart of reform movements, past and present, lie hermeneutical questions about what fidelity to tradition means. For example are sixth-century objectives, like blending in with contemporary dress or providing service to visitors, better served or compromised by retaining sixth-century clothing or by insisting that service excludes formal educational enterprises?

Urban legend concerning the Rule of St Benedict

A popular urban legend claims that the Rule of St Benedict (when translated into English), contains the following (or similar) passage:

If any pilgrim shall come from distant parts with wish to dwell in the monastery, and will be content with the customs of the place, and does not by his lavishness disturb the monastery but is simply content, he shall be received for as long as he wishes. An urban legend or urban myth is a form of modern Folklore consisting of stories thought to be factual by those circulating them
If, indeed, he shall find fault with anything, and shall expose the matter reasonably and with the humility of charity, the Abbott shall discuss it with him prudently lest perchance God hath sent him for this very thing.
But, if he shall have been found contumacious during his sojourn in the monastery, then it shall be said to him, firmly, that he must depart. If he will not go, let two stout monks, in the name of God, explain the matter to him.

Though much of the supposed passage is condensed from Chapter 61 (LXI) of the Rule, the Rule of St Benedict contains no language corresponding to the last sentence about "two stout monks"; though it is a popular myth that it does, with several reputable publications (and more than one church, and at least one Benedictine organization) repeating and propagating the error. At least one of the sources cited attributes the passage to a mythical Chapter 74; the Rule of St Benedict contains only 73 chapters. [2]. [3] [4] [5]

An early source for the quotation is the University of California, Berkeley faculty club, which has, for years, posted the above passage on its bulletin board in Gothic script. The University of California Berkeley (also referred to as Cal, Berkeley and UC Berkeley) is a major research university located in Berkeley Blackletter, also known as Gothic script or Gothic minuscule, was a script used throughout Western Europe from approximately 1150 (There, the notice was not attributed to St Benedict). [6].

References

This article incorporates text from the public-domain Catholic Encyclopedia of 1913. The public domain is a range of abstract materials &ndash commonly referred to as Intellectual property &ndash which are not owned or controlled by anyone The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia

External links

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