Complete summary of saint benedict of nursias rule of st. Conception abbey, conception, missouri 64433 usa the portrait of an abbot painted by saint benedict in the rule is nothing short of a christportrait. Pdf the rule of st benedict in english download full. Benedict was written in the early 6th century by benedict of nursia, italy. Saint benedicts name has garnered more attention of late due to the conversation across the catholic and christian blogosphere over rod drehers bestselling book, the benedict option. Ora et labora pray and work is the wellknown phrase that reflects the basic idea underlying the rule of monastic life, which was originally formulated by saint benedict of nursia around 480. It is easy enough to see the model that benedict had in mind. Christ is the beginning and the end, the ground of my being and the goal of my seeking.
The rule of benedict is not a treatise in systematic theology. Benedict and the twelve steps of humility july 11th is the feast day of st. Leadership in the rule of saint benedict abbot gregory polan, o. Benedict, patriarch of monks, from the old english edition of 1638. Benedict to date about the publication we now have rb 1980. As he was travelling to this place, a certain monk called romanus met him, and demanded whither he went, and understanding his purpose, he both kept it close. Pdf the rule of st benedict download full pdf book. The life of saint benedict, patriarch of the western monks.
I was silent and was humbled, and i refrained even from good words ps 3839. Abridged, modernized and introduced by stephen tomkins. Benedict is still the most foundational piece of monastic spirituality in the western world. Very little is known about the life of benedict of nursia, who lived approximately 480547, and most of what is known comes from a biography written by gregory the great. Benedict in english timothy fry, timothy horner, imogene baker on. Its logic is the logic of daily life lived in christ and lived well. There is no sense of excess here, no wrestling alone in the dark with shapechanging demons, no rejection of learning. Forsaking worldly desires for a vocation to the monastic life, he was a respected and deeply spiritual man who highly influenced the culture and civilization of europe. Benedict 1 the rule of saint benedict translated into english. Benedict is a classical spiritual document of the sixth century. Hearken continually within thine heart, o son, giving attentive ear to the precepts of thy master. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. George washington, benedict arnold, and the fate of the american revolution the holy twins. Benedict pdf feedback end users havent still remaining the writeup on the overall game, or otherwise not make out the print yet.
This is a really difficult teaching for our present age, which generally judges a persons worth by what they have. Cotter, using the division into sense lines for public reading of the first edition that was republished in 2001 to mark the 75th anniversary of liturgical press. Benedict, i had developed and implemented a rule of life. He founded the famous abbey of monte cassino about 525, and died there in 543. Benedict and scholastica god is love deus caritas est benedict xvi st. Sep 22, 2015 free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. Benedict the great founder of monastic communities all across italy. He has already included us as his sons, and therefore we should never grieve him by our evil actions line 5.
Benedict was the creation of his rule, what we call. I said, i have resolved to keep watch over my ways that i may never sin with my tongue. This early monastic rule is part of the wisdom tradition of christianity and is rooted in the bible for its inspiration and its end. The rule of saint benedict spread widely beginning in the seventh century, but in. As we find so often with saint benedict, he gives us a scriptural basis for the distribution of goods. Modestly described by its author as a little rule for be. My rule was fairly simple entailing daily bible reading, prayer, study, church attendance, retreats and fasting. Benedict by saint benedict, abbot of monte cassino.
English commentary on the rule of saint benedict smaragdus of saintmihiel. Years ago i became an associate with the order of holy cross, which is benedictine in nature. Almost all we know about st benedict comes from st gregory the greats dialogues, where he says that benedict, vir dei benedictus, the blessed man of god, wrote a rule for monks that is remarkable for its discretion and its clarity of language dialogues, book 11, ch. Daily reading from the rule of benedict benedictine sisters. Benedict and his monastic way of life, it might have been something like the. Benedicts rule has become the basis for the rules of practically every christian monastic community in the west. Benedicts rule for monasteries by abbot of monte cassino. Texts and translations of the rule of saint benedict osb dot org.
One of many rules, the rule of st benedict was simple and adaptable and gave priority to communal life based on a balance of prayer and work. Benedict has a completely different feeling about it. Benedict provides tangible advice regarding how a community of christians can cultivate contented souls that are modest and free from want. Benedicts own life, see the article saint benedict. Our present pope has chosen the name benedict and his very good reasons for this. It was there, too, that he wrote the rule that eventually became the standard and pattern of monastic life throughout western christendom. The rule contains 73 chapters which outline a way of life based on the gospel and lived in community under the guidance of and obedience to an abbot men or prioress women, and obedience to one another. Benedicts rule contains seventythree chapters of varying length, and is comparable in size to the gospel of matthew. Since about the 7th century it has also been adopted by communities of women. Understand with willing mind and effectually fulfil thy holy fathers admonition. Saint anthony and saint benedict lectures in medieval history. In this kindle version, it is preserved in solid english, with a guide to reading it day by day. Free kindle book and epub digitized and proofread by project gutenberg. There are many scenes in the gospels and within the larger scope of the.
This rulebook for the monastic life was written by benedict around 530. The rule as it is usually called is about community livinga daytoday basic guide originally written for christian men who wanted to be monks, telling them what to do, how to be christfollowers in that unique way, and how to get. Saint benedict for busy parents knights of columbus. An oblate is a catholic layperson who follows the ancient way of. In this introduction we read about some of the key concepts to the rule. Understand with willing mind and effectually fulfil thy holy fathers. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3. The concept of hell is more foreign, less visceral and immediate, to those of us who live in a secular society than it was for christians in benedicts time. This book contains a thorough set of principles for.
Benedict s rule has become the basis for the rules of practically every christian monastic community in the west. Benedict in english the extraordinary education of nicholas benedict the mysterious benedict society the rule of benedict. Benedict, and is used by monastics and oblates, provides a brief introduction and a timeline of monastic development from before the christian era to after the time of benedict. The language used is careful and friendly, sounding like a loving father welcoming and advising his sons.
The following reflection on the rule of st benedict offers us countless opportunities for reflections of our own. There are five core gospel values that the sisters of. Scholastica and patron saint of students, he is also widely recognized for his john cassianinfluenced rule of st. Benedict prologue chapter 1 of the several kinds of monks chapter 2 what kind of man the abbot ought to be chapter 3 of calling the brethren to council chapter 4 what are the instruments of good works chapter 5 of the obedience of the disciples chapter 6 of silence chapter 7 of humility. The rule of saint benedict regula benedicti is a book of precepts written by st. Prologue we are about to found therefore a school for the lords service.
Benedict introduces the main principles of religious and spiritual life. Benedict was the founder not only of the abbey montecassino, but also the father of the entire benedictine order. Benedict was made from the third edition of the text as edited by dom cuthbert butler of downside abbey in. Reflecting on chapter 72 of the rule, in which benedict tells us to make every effort to show respect to one another. Let not a freeborn monk be put before one that was a slave, unless there be some other reasonable ground for it. A monastic rule of life might seem an unlikely bestseller but the rule of st benedict was almost certainly the mostread book outside of the bible for five centuries around ad. This work holds the first place among monastic legislative codes, and was by far the most important factor in the organization and spread of monasticism in the west. Benedict prologue chapter 1 of the several kinds of monks chapter 2 what kind of man the abbot ought to be chapter 3 of calling the brethren to council chapter 4 what are the instruments of good works chapter 5 of the obedience of the disciples chapter 6. Ampleforth abbey in yorkshire has recognised the power of the rule for guiding life and work in the modern world and has been running courses for business. Spirituality for daily life a critical study of the. The rule of saint benedict, translated from the latin by leonard j. Rule of st benedict new norcia benedictine community.
Gregory thegreat,supremepontiff,wasbornin540, aboutthreeyearsprevioustothedeathof saintbenedict. A spirituality for the 21st century spiritual legacy series the rule of benedict for beginners. The rule of saint benedict yankton benedictine sisters. Compared to other precepts, the rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism.
If a news report had appeared in the sixth century about st. The spirit of saint benedict s rule is summed up in the motto of the benedictine confederation. Benedict was fully aware of human frailty, as true 1500 years ago as it is today. L et us get up then, at long last, for the scriptures rouse us 3 when they say, it is high time for us to arise from sleep. Benedict exhorts his readers to live in fear of judgment day and have a great horror of hell. The rule of benedict relevant and appropriate the christcentredness of the rule and of the life to which it gives rise is overwhelming. Saint anthony and saint benedict lectures in medieval.
Instead, the emphasis is upon balance, order, moderation, and collective action. Benedict of nursia for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. Benedict explains the responsibilities of the abbott, or community leader, in whose care rests the welfare of the communitys members. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source. Benedict was the son of a nobleman in the umbrian region of what is now italy, in the late 5th early 6th century. Benedict was born about 480 at nursia, the son of a roman noble, and his boyhood was spent in rome. In it are the guidelines for living the spiritual life through work, prayer, study, obedience, community, and moderate asceticism. Benedict wrote for monks e arly in the 6th century preferring noth ing whatever to christ rb 4. Composed for the guidance of his own monks at monte cassino, st. Let him not make any distinction of persons in the monastery.