Description
Book SynopsisFor fifteen centuries Benedictine monasticism has been governed by a Rule that is at once strong enough to instil order and yet flexible enough to have relevance fifteen-hundred years later. This pocket-sized, English-only edition is perfect for individual or group study.
Table of ContentsContents PREFACE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
CHAPTERS OF THE RULE
Prologue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
1. The Kinds of Monks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
2. Qualities of the Abbot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3. Summoning the Brothers for Counsel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4. The Tools for Good Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
5. Obedience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
6. Restraint of Speech . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
7. Humility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
8. The Divine Office at Night . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
9. The Number of Psalms at the Night Office . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
10. The Arrangement of the Night Office in Summer . . . . . . 44
11. The Celebration of Vigils on Sunday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
12. The Celebration of the Solemnity of Lauds . . . . . . . . . . . 46
13. The Celebration of Lauds on Ordinary Days . . . . . . . . . . 46
14. The Celebration of Vigils on the Anniversaries of Saints .47
15. The Times for Saying Alleluia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
16. The Celebration of the Divine Office during the Day . . . .48
17. The Number of Psalms to Be Sung at These Hours . . . . . 49
18. The Order of the Psalmody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
19. The Discipline of Psalmody . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
20. Reverence in Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
21. The Deans of the Monastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
22. The Sleeping Arrangements of the Monks . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
23. Excommunication for Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
24. Degrees of Excommunication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
25. Serious Faults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
26. Unauthorized Association with the Excommunicated . . . .57
27. The Abbot’s Concern for the Excommunicated . . . . . . . . 57
28. Those Who Refuse to Amend after Frequent Reproofs . . .59
29. Readmission of Brothers Who Leave the Monastery . . . . .60
30. The Manner of Reproving Boys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
31. Qualifications of the Monastery Cellarer . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
32. The Tools and Goods of the Monastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
33. Monks and Private Ownership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
34. Distribution of Goods According to Need . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
35. Kitchen Servers of the Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
36. The Sick Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66
37. The Elderly and Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
38. The Reader for the Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
39. The Proper Amount of Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
40. The Proper Amount of Drink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
41. The Times for the Brothers’ Meals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71
42. Silence after Compline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
43. Tardiness at the Work of God or at Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
44. Satisfaction by the Excommunicated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
45. Mistakes in the Oratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
46. Faults Committed in Other Matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
47. Announcing the Hours for the Work of God . . . . . . . . . . . .77
48. The Daily Manual Labor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78
49. The Obervance of Lent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
50. Brothers Working at a Distance or Traveling . . . . . . . . . . . 81
51. Brothers on a Short Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
52. The Oratory of the Monastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
53. The Reception of Guests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83
54. Letters or Gifts for Monks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
55. The Clothing and Footwear of the Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
56. The Abbot’s Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
57. The Artisans of the Monastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88
58. The Procedure for Receiving Brothers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89
59. The Offering of Sons by Nobles or by the Poor . . . . . . . . . .92
60. The Admission of Priests to the Monastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
61. The Reception of Visiting Monks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94
62. The Priests of the Monastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
63. Community Rank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
64. The Election of an Abbot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
65. The Prior of the Monastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
66. The Porter of the Monastery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
67. Brothers Sent on a Journey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
68. Assignment of Impossible Tasks to a Brother . . . . . . . . . . . 105
69. The Presumption of Defending Another in the Monastery . 106
70. The Presumption of Striking Another Monk at Will . . . . . . 106
71. Mutual Obedience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
72. The Good Zeal of Monks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
73. This Rule Only a Beginning of Perfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
