Benedictine Rule

            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.