Primary Analysis: The Rules Of St. Benedict

914 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay christian monasticism

Primary Analysis: The Rule of St. Benedict (c. 530) (excerpt)

St. Benedict was an Italian monk of the 6th century. He is most commonly known for his writing on community living within the monastic lifestyle. St. Benedict wrote The Rules of St. Benedict in c. 530. In his writing he focuses on how monks should live according to Christ and demonstrate a lifestyle devoted to Jesus through these rules. In the prologue of The Rules he writes “...We are about to found therefore a school for the Lord's service”. Benedict is creating a set of rules to live by under the moistary (“school for the Lord's service”). An excerpt of the prologue consists of why the rules are being written and how under God you shall receive Heaven with the text stating, …show more content…

The first rule explains the different type of Monks (Cenobites, anchorites, sarabaites, and the gyratory) and where they fall in terms of their way of living and duties to God. The rest of the text is referring to Cenobites, with St. Benedict calling them the best kind of Monks. After he explains the different types of Monks there are, the rules focus more on Monistic …show more content…

The rules written are not just pertaining to when to read the book of Psalms and when a Monk can sleep, but it also tells how to show good characteristics of obedience, humility, prayer, receiving brothers, and how an Abbot should treat other below him. This set or moral principles included Monks saying “ I was reduced to nothing and was ignorant; I was made with the cattle before thee, and am always with thee”, The Lord also says “As soon as he heard of me he obeyed me”. These new set of rules written by St. Benedict created a set in stone code ofmoral and ethical

Show More
Related

  • Why Henry VIII Closed the Monasteries

    515 Words  | 2 Pages

    Why Henry VIII Closed the Monasteries There were 800 monks and nuns in 1500s they had strict rules, The rule of St. Benedict for monks of the Benedictine order was prayer should take place eight times a day, all monks should sleep in separate beds, all monks must rise quickly when signal is given to attend the services and all monks must not grumble about the colour or rough material of their clothes. The rule of St. Augustine for the monks of the Augustine order was love god and your neighbour and monks should spend their time when not praying, coping books, looking after the poor and old, nursing the sick and crippled, teaching children and looking after travellers. Between 1536 and 1539 Henry V111 and Cromwell decided to close the monasteries because the monks are not flowing rules and take all the wealth to defend the country. In order to complete this essay I am going to explain below in detail why the monasteries were closed by Henry V111 between 1536 and 1539

    Read More

  • The Catholic Faith Chapter Summary

    1823 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lawrence S. Cunningham's The Catholic Faith: An Introduction is a difficult book to muster up a response to. One is tempted to quip "there it no there there,"although more accurately I would say that there is little there that inspires much more than an indifferent shrug in response. Perhaps the blame lay in the purpose of the book, which is set out first to not be "an encyclopedia of Catholic trivia" (Cunningham, 8). I was disappointed to read this, since while an explanation of the meaning of the different titles and offices in the Catholic hierarchy, or an explanation of the various vestments and ceremonies may be "trivia" to some, at least it is information. Had I spent my time with this book acquiring a knowledge of these facts, I could claim to have added something to my education, albeit maybe only some banalities, lacking in profundity. Instead, what does the book set out to be? Cunningham seeks to "provide an account, as fully as space allows, of the texture of the Catholic experience and the bases for that experience" (9). I have learned to be a little nervous on reading words like "texture" used in this way; usually the author is unintentionally trying to warn the critically-trained reader away. Doubly so with the word "experience," as in hackneyed phrases like "the African American Experience" or the "Gulf War Experience." Such writings have established that they do not wish do deal in facts, nor in reasoned argument to support their conclusions. They deal in "impressions," to complement the "textures" that they will be skimming the surface of. Their primary justification for their existence is that each person's "experience" is of value, and no one...

    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

  • Foundation Charter of Cluny: Source Analysis

    635 Words  | 2 Pages

    ...le. This sovereignty emphasises an essential notion that differed the Cluniac rule to that of previous monasteries incorporating the Rule of St. Benedict with the alterations of Duke William I. The Cluniac monks became renowned for their prayers for the dead, which attracted more and more attention throughout the lay people gaining the monastery popularity and subsequently wealth. In the monasteries attempt at the monks living an isolated life with uncompromising respect for monastic purity, the attraction of lay people forced the monks to interact and become involved with temporal matters consequently contradicting entirely the Foundation Charter. The Cluniac Monastery attracted a lot of attention across the Kingdom of France and other European Kingdom’s, which greatly influenced the Foundation Charter’s expanding influence and therefore significance historically.

    Read More

  • Eastern Orthodox Vs. Roman Catholicism

    420 Words  | 1 Pages

    One of the biggest spiritual reforms was the development of monasteries. Before this time monasteries were a place for social revolutionaries and rejects, but St. Benedict set up a code of values for these monasteries that emphasized such values as prayer, poverty, obedience and chastity. Therefore, monasteries became an acceptable way to show devotion to God and the church.

    Read More

  • The Importance Of The Early Christian Monk

    902 Words  | 2 Pages

    Monks are known to live in seclusion and to focus their mind on spirituality. Yet, there is more to their lives than just that. Early Christian monks strived to protect Christianity. Christians during this time were being persecuted for their religion. Many were in danger of pagans whose religion maintained a stronghold on theirs. In order to protect the faith, monks tried to get people to remain resilient in their faith. Monks wanted ideas like this to be passed down to other fellow Christians. That is why the intended audience from the Early Christians Lives is fellow Christians. Early Christian monks stressed the idea of having faith in God, so that fellow Christians who have faith would be protected from enemies, that certain situations

    Read More

  • Order Out of Chaos

    1283 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... time when much of the barbarian west was only nominally Christian, Benedict’s Rule kept alive the spirit of pursuing a life of gospel perfection” (Reid 50). “Benedict’s rule, which was a synthesis of several rules, could be applied to any number of monasteries and locations” (Vidmar 79). This universality of his rule helped to stabilize not only monasticism and the church, but also rub off on the common people and nobility that the monastics encountered.

    Read More

  • Religion

    552 Words  | 2 Pages

    Early Christian monasticism derived from individuals whom fled to the deserts of Egypt in order to practice their faith. The monk, in attribute to the private nature of these first worshippers, is Greek for the word monachos, meaning “solitary”. These individuals, both men and women, were considered to be hermits and in addition to living alone, were under strict moral codes that enabled them from obtaining spouses, eating meat, and drinking wine. They simply devoted themselves to the Lord. These early worshippers were the foundation for the very first organized monasticism. The fourth century was the forthcoming of coenobitic monasticism. These communal monks followed Pachomius’ “rule”, which were a collection of governing guidelines that controlled daily life. They adopted this life in order to for “disciplining of body and spirit to foster contemplation of God”. The monks followed strict diet, prayer, and work procedures. Their living quarters were simple and their dress consisted of solely habits. These monks woke in the darkness of morning for prayer and weaved baskets...

    Read More

  • The Protestant Reformation

    1843 Words  | 4 Pages

    Many bishops and abbots (especially in countries where they were also territorial princes) bore themselves as secular rulers rather than as servants of the Church. Many members of cathedral chapters and other beneficed ecclesiastics were chiefly concerned with their income and how to increase it, especially by uniting several prebends (even episcopal sees) in the hands of one person, who thus enjoyed a larger income and greater power. Luxury prevailed widely among the higher clergy, while the lower clergy were often oppressed. The scientific and ascetic training of the clergy left much to be desired, the moral standard of many being very low, and the practice of celibacy not everywhere observed. Not less serious was the condition of many monasteries of men, and even of women (which were often homes for the unmarried daughte...

    Read More

  • Saint Benedict

    1221 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Rule of St. Benedict is a very thorough document. It goes into considerable detail regarding many varying matters of the monastery, from the type of man the abbot should be to how much laughter

    Read More

  • The Prioress In The Canterbury Tales

    1118 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Monk partook in and greatly enjoyed hunting, contradicting the common belief that monks devote their lives to peaceful prayer, study, and work. The Monk devoted himself to a hobby he loved, appeared healthy and happy, and was never said to have hurt or otherwise acted against anybody else as a result (or at all). The Monk did not live as was common among and expected of most monks, but he appeared to be virtuous nonetheless and lived a fulfilling life, so one could say he was justified in deviating from the norm. Others, however, lived differently to what one would expect not to lead a better life, but for personal gains. The Friar, the Summoner, and the Pardoner all used the powers of their occupations corruptly in order to satisfy their own greed, accepting bribes from and pardoning sinners who didn't truly repent, removing the wealthy from the consequences of their actions.

    Read More

  • Cluniac Monasticism

    1492 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main strenghts of cluniac monasticism lay in its independence, it’s early spiritual energy, it’s observence of the benedictine rule and it’s sainly abbots. These provided very well for Cluny for a significant period, but over-growth of the order led to a slackening in observence of the Rule, and with the disasterous abbacy of Pons and a basic shift in religious opinion these strenghts became weaknesses that

    Read More

  • Differences Between the Laity and Monastic Worshippers Within Buddhist Tradition

    1759 Words  | 4 Pages

    The differences between the laity and monastic worshippers within Buddhist tradition are distinguished by the extent to which these two groups are willing to follow the middle-way as taught by Buddha. Typically, in order to have a functional Buddhist society, there must be the devout, and those who support the devout, giving aid in the form of food, monies, shelter, transportation, etc. The devout who sacrifice the purity of a true monastic lifestyle in order to support the community (who in turn are the recipients of merit or punya; a bank of ‘good’ actions tied to ‘good’ karma) (Gethin 101), from the monastic worshippers, are called the laity; upasakas (men laity) and upasikas (women laity). The monastics, or Bhikkhus (monks) and Bhikkhunis (nuns) are responsible for accepting the devotion shown by the laity, reciprocally, the laity are obliged to maintain devotion for “in order to be free from guilt […] the bases of a clear conscience [is] generosity and good conduct” (Ibid 83) . Good conduct is the realization and active partaking of the “eight significant dimensions [the Noble Eight-fold Path] of one’s behavior” (Ibid 82), which constitute right (in all actions of) understanding, thought, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration (although not limited to, rather expanded upon realization). The importance of a laities duty within society is to support, through their livelihood, the only traditional Buddhist teaching available to them (Ibid 92). In order to adapt a Buddhist ideology, some conducts were left out of lay worship to support a less strenuous spiritual life (putting the emphasis on merit earned) in pursuit of maintaining a functional community. The purpose, to establish the five lay percepts ...

    Read More

  • Christian Monasticism Essay

    815 Words  | 2 Pages

    Many Christians today know very little if anything about Monasticism. Some probably have never heard of the term before. Monasticism also referred to as monarchism is the act of living alone. It is a religious practice where one fully devotes one’s life to those things that are wholly spiritual.

    Read More

  • Chaucer's Use of Satire towards the Corruptness of the Medieval Church

    668 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the middle ages Friars, Monks and Prioresses had very specific roles in society. A Friar had to follow the mendicant order while living off of charity, preaching, educating, attending to the sick and absolving people from their sin. The Prioress was the head of a group of nuns. She would have had a low social standing as she belongs to the Theocracy. Her roles included growing vegetables and grain, producing wine and honey, providing medical care for the community and being in charge of the Priories. Lastly, the Monk’s role was to remain in his cloister and study religious texts; “And that a monk uncloistered is a mere/ Fish out of water, flapping on the pier…”(177-178). All of these people were supposed to model holiness; they were bound to the community and had no personal possessions. They are supposed to be selfless Christians dedicated to the Church.

    Read More

More about Primary Analysis: The Rules Of St. Benedict

Open Document