The Rule of Saint Benedict

Regula Benedicti · Rule of Benedict

Benedict of Nursia · c. 530–540 · Latin

Notable
Creeds, confessions & rules
Early Church (shared)
Benedictine
Spirituality & mysticism

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What it is

A short rule for monks in 73 chapters, covering the abbot's authority, obedience, humility, the daily round of communal prayer, work and reading, meals, and the welcome of guests. Benedict calls it a little rule for beginners, and he tempers its demands with moderation.

Why it matters

It became the basic rule of Western monasticism. Benedictine houses carried learning, farming, and prayer through the early Middle Ages, and its balance of prayer and work still shapes Christian ideas of life in community.

Reading it

About 100 pages.

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Influenced by2

Built on
Conferences · John Cassian · c. 420s
The Rule of Saint Benedict prescribes Cassian's Conferences as reading for the monks (chapters 42 and 73).
Rule of Benedict 42 and 73
Built on
Sayings of the Desert Fathers · Anonymous · compiled late 5th c. (4th–5th-c. sayings)
The Rule of Saint Benedict commends the 'Lives of the Fathers', the desert literature that includes the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, as reading for monks.
Rule of Benedict 73

Influenced0

No later works recorded yet.

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