The “Rule of Saint Benedict” is a collection of passages written as a guide on how Christian monks should live or behave. Written in 540, the book contains less than 20,000 words and consists of seventy-three chapters. The writer is Benedict of Nursia , the present day Italy. The book promotes monasticism; a way of living that rejects the political power of the church and being detached from the world to fulfill the spiritual vows. Benedictine views stressed on prayers and obedience to the regulations .
The documents addressed the material and spiritual life of the cenobites, who are monks living together in a community and observe an uncompromising obedience to the teacher. The composition is highly based on subject matter. The prologue is the first part, and it seems it was written after the entire document. It is followed by several chapters which contain the “rule” and act as the constitution of the life of monasticism as well as serving as the guide to the spiritual being. The document is also arranged in a political format where the monastery supremacy is conferred to the abbot, who is answerable only to God and the constitution itself. The “Rule” is balanced by the structure of the life at the monastery. As far as the organization is concerned, there is a proper regimen of prayer, learning, feeding, manual labor, as well as the appropriate behavior for the monks and the penalties they get for failing to abide by the regulations. In fact, the document would be seen as a legal framework for the life of a monk in a monastery. It has sections on the guidance of how one should lead their life, and the part where failure to heed the guidelines would be punishable. The other concern that the Rule has is the work of God ( Opus Dei ), which the monks were required to recite daily, and has been given the name Cursus S. Benediti.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The most intriguing of the rules in the book is chapter seven which is titled “On Humility.” This chapter acts as the base of the reasons behind the adoption of the document. It deals with the spiritual instructions to the monks. In chapter seven, Benedict describes the twelve degrees of humility that he denotes by arranging the symbol of the old ladder of ascent to heaven. According to him, each of the steps of the ladder shows one of the many virtues of being humble that the monk has to embrace. The fear of God drives him to be aware of the silence and have knowledge of his sinful guilt. The twelve aspects of humility act as the bridge between him and the goal of union with God. Few instructions in the chapter serve as the ultimate guideline of the monastic lifestyle that the monk should lead to being at peace with God or within themselves. They have to follow the rules which require them to work well with others and be obedient to the authorities. He quotes, “The third degree of humility is, that for the love of God a man subject himself to a Superior in all obedience (27).”
The motive of such a step is to route for the relationship that should exist between the hierarchies of power within the monastery. It establishes a mutual respect for those in the higher ranks and makes the ones the hierarchy to follow in order. It is important to note that when the document was being written, there was a well-established knowledge of Jesus Christ and the apostles and how they lived in respect of each other. This could be the same concept that Benedict borrowed to demonstrate the humility that existed between Jesus (a higher power or abbot) and his disciples (monks). Each apostle worked for Jesus obediently and followed whatever he said without question. Thus, the “Rule” acts as the ultimate guide on the way the monks should behave without questioning. This is true as he notes that the true living is “Imitating the Lord, of whom the Apostle saith: “He became obedient unto death (27).” If the monks who are in the lower ranks serve their master or the abbot diligently and unquestionably, their behavior will be likened to the obedience apostles of Jesus.
The hierarchy helps in outlining the roles of the monks in the monastery with the newest being the most obedient to the rest. The “Rule of Saint Benedict” also serves as a guide not only to the monks but the rest of the population. If a person is caught up in a society that makes one silent and not able to boast. Such an individual is just caught up in himself and within reason. The life of being alone and praying is stressed in the rule. But as the person is caught in their selves, they have to practice humility as they see God would not accept them for who they are without being humble at heart. The life of being humble in the community depends on the amount of authority one has. Without authority, you are nothing but just a servant who has to obey the orders. Obedience and simplicity go hand in hand in Benedict’s monasteries. The strict rules strengthen the connection between man and God as opposed to other ways of worship. Thus, the “Rule of Saint Benedict” contains some form of bureaucracy which is pronounced and well designed to make sure that the Benedictine type of monastery is moving smoothly and by the will and decree of God.
References
Benedict, S. (2000). The Holy Rule of St. Benedict : Christian Classics Ethereal Library; Net Library.
