St. Benedict wrote a book in which he listed all the
rules and guidelines for monasteries and monks. He begins by describing the
qualifications necessary for becoming the abbot of a monastery. Since the abbot
represents Christ as the head of the monastery, he must show no bias or
favoritism and must be strict in nurturing his flock to obey Christ. The monks
must show complete obedience to the abbot or face severe punishment. All of the
rules and regulations for monastic life ultimately come from humility, which
Benedict discusses thoroughly. Benedict then explains the regulations for how
monks are to live during their stay in the monastery. Worship is segmented in
to seven services throughout the day and night. Monks also must always be kept
busy. He then lays down some house rules such as the abolishment of personal
property and the equal treatment of all monks. Benedict writes about the
process of accepting new monks and how they are to be received. There are
several “tests” to determine the devotion of a candidate, then a trail period
in which the person can leave if they do not think it right to be a monk.
Finally, after a year, they become an official monk. During their tenure, they
can have no unnecessary contact with the outside world.
Monastic life is too structured. There is no “free time”
for a monk to do as he pleases. “Idleness is the great enemy of the soul” is
what Benedict says in regards to free time. There is no room for Sabbath rest,
which is necessary to men. Seclusion from the sinful world is a good thing, to
an extent. Total seclusion, as enforced in Benedictine monasteries, does not
allow for the spreading of the gospel into the world.
The
monastic order, as ordered by Benedict, exhibits communism/communalism. The
lack of personal property and capitalism gives no reason to try hard or be
thrifty. Men can take no pride in their God-given abilities and in God himself
if they own nothing. The idea of equal treatment is unbiblical. Luke 12:47-48
demonstrates that God will judge people differently, according to what they
have been given. The Parable of the Minas and the Parable of the Sower both show
the unequal distribution of gifts among believers. Benedict says that owning
personal property is a “sin”, however, if we are given gifts from God, there is
no sin in possessing them. The only sin can come from greed. This view of
society is extremely similar to the Spartan society described by Xenophon as
well as Aristotle’s ideal city state.
Benedict
describes humility as essential for monks. He says that “for we have special
favor in His sight only in so far as we excel others in all good works and
humility.” The heart of this statement rings true, although it leans slightly
toward works-based faith. Romans 12:10 tells us to “Outdo one another in honor”
(ESV). A Christian must imitate Christ, whose main mission was to serve. In
order to be a true servant, to “outdo one another in honor”, we must “excel
others in all good works and humility.” All throughout Greek civilization,
honor was essential quality to possess; a man was nothing without it. From
Homer to Xenophon and Thucydides, from Aristotle to Sophocles, honor was
everything. The true honor to which Benedict and Paul refer to is the honoring
of God. All of the Greeks were only concerned with bringing honor to
themselves, or in some rare cases to their city-state. They were right in that
honor is a good thing, but wrong as to whom the honor must go. Benedict saw and
knew what was necessary to be a true Christian and servant of Christ. While the
monastic life and order were not perfect, the underlying ideals behind it were
pure.
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