The Rule of Saint Benedict
by St. Benedict
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Book Summary Information
Author: St. BenedictEditor: Timothy Fry
Foreword: Thomas Moore
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1998-03-24
ISBN: 037570017X
Number of pages: 112
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of The Rule of Saint Benedict
Book Review: Fine Historical Source.Inspiration but impractical for today.
Summary: 4 Stars
St. Benedict, The Rule of St. Benedict, Thomas Moore (preface), edited by Timothy Fry (New York, Vintage Spiritual Classics, a Division of Random House, 1981)
I'm exploring Christian works on communal living for three main reasons.
First, I feel the Protestant traditions have lost something which Jewish, Catholic, and Islamic traditions still have, to their advantage. This is a discipline of daily rituals which permeate their life from rising in the morning to retiring at night. Why, for example, do Catholics hold daily services while our Protestant churches are locked on weekdays? If you are not a student in a church-run school or a teacher in such a school, you are on you own between Sunday noon and the next Sunday morning. If you participate in a church committee, you meet once a month (or less often) and it takes many months to arrive at any decision which is not pressing, such as fixing a leaky roof. Monastic orders and other practices common among Catholics such as the Book of Hours schedules of prayer is one way to approach a desire to make one's life more holy.
Second, the growth of the relative number of elderly in our population suggests a return to an extended family's living together for the younger to help care for the elderly. The problem is that decentralization of centers of employment may force one to travel far from one's `hometown' to find work. This is ok. Everyone should get the best job they can find, to permit retirement while they can still enjoy it, and assist in a community life. Thus, an extended family living under the same roof may consist of many who are not related by blood.
Third, the exhaustion of fossil fuels sometime in the future, maybe within the next 100 years, may make `living locally' a necessity rather than a culinary catch-phrase. A community which can grow 40% of its own food and have the skills to make and repair clothing will have a great advantage when gasoline costs $20 a galleon. Add a local water supply, a capacity to generate electricity from solar power, and people with medical skills as part of the community will save enormous resources to buffer the community against difficult times.
The most obvious models for this kind of life are the communes of the 1960's, the American utopian communities of the 19th century, and the cloistered monastic orders. The first was a flash in the pan, most valuable for showing the way and creating The Whole Earth Catalogue. The second was more successful, but still not a keeper. The third was by far the most stable model, with some 317 different orders and monasteries in Europe going back for a millennium. The rule of St. Benedict is one of the earliest (530 CE), and the one which was copied by many cloistered orders such as the Trappist .
The Rule of St. Benedict is available in several different editions, and all are inexpensive. This Vintage edition has a nice preface and a history of early Christian monasticism up to St. Benedict.
My overall impression is that this rule is not unlike a lifelong Marine boot camp, except that the drill sergeants don't raise their voices and don't use profanity. Otherwise, it is a rule to empty oneself of ego and any desires for possessions, yielding an all-encompassing feeling of humility and subservience to the order and to God. One also gets the feeling that there is an air of the English workhouse of the 17--19th centuries. One submitted to the rules of the house and did work, in exchange for food and a place to eat.
The most common form of punishment was excommunication, which was not the same as expulsion from the community, but an `in place' severance from the sacrament and from communication with fellow monks. It was probably seen as the earthly version of the OT sense that God had turned his back on you. Corporeal punishment was also common, similar to the workhouses, and far more common than in Marine Corp basic training.
Much of the `rule' is taken up by the schedule for worship. This uses several terms unfamiliar to we us today, such as:
Matins 3 AM Vigil
Lauds Dawn
Prime 7 AM Arising
Terce 9 AM
Sext Noon
Nones 3 PM
Vespers 6 PM
Compline 9 PM Retiring
There is nothing about how work is apportioned between, agriculture and crafts. And there is virtually nothing regarding creative intellectual work, as one may find today among orders such as the Jesuits (and the Dominicans) which operate colleges today. The rule rarely goes far beyond the simple statements in the Bible on how food and duties are apportioned by abilities and needs. There is also virtually nothing regarding work to produce items for sale, although there is a fair amount of instruction on craftsmen not being proud of their work.
There is an excellent index on the sources of all Biblical quotes, and it is not too surprising to find many from the Psalms (the authors of which are referred to as `the prophet'), Proverbs, and Sirach.
It is fair to say that this model is simply unworkable today. Even the most celebrated Trappist, Thomas Merton, was able to find time to write and publish many books. A modern `rule' would have to take care of the complexities of the law, acquiring funds to purchase what they could not make, and the expenses of medical care. I can see huge moral and legal issues if a `poor' community like this ignores prompt medical treatment. Could such a community qualify for a group medical insurance rate?
Aside from its use as an historical document, this rule shows the limits of human reverence and humility. It is not for everyone, but it may be a specter of what life may be like if and when the exhaustion of resources brings on a new `Dark Ages'. This may be an inspiration to the new monasticism movements of today.
Summary of The Rule of Saint Benedict
Composed nearly fifteen hundred years ago by the father of Western monasticism, The Rule of St. Benedict has for centuries been the guide of religious communities. St. Benedict's rules of obedience, humility, and contemplation are not only prerequisites for formal religious societies, they also provide an invaluable model for anyone desiring to live more simply. While they presuppose a certain detachment from the world, they provide guidance and inspiration for anyone seeking peace and fulfillment in their home and work communities. As prepared by the Benedictine monk and priest Timothy Fry, this translation of The Rule of St. Benedict can be a life-transforming book. With a new Preface by Thomas Moore, author of The Care of the Soul."God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land. The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home."
--Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Everybody has a rule of life, but it's a rare person who takes the time to spell her ethos out. St. Benedict's Rule, formulated in the sixth century, is among the most comprehensive and vital rules of life in the history of monasticism. Benedict was a tough guy--his standards of obedience, humility, and contemplation can sound awfully rigid to contemporary ears. But his rule has nurtured millions of lives not only in the cloisters, but in every city, suburb, and countryside where people strive to lead simpler lives. --Michael Joseph Gross
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