RB 1980- The Rule Of St Benedict

by Saint Benedict

  31.7 (English / Latin) Aug. in psalm. 103,1,19.

  31.8-10 (English / Latin) Reg. iv patr. 3,26-27.

  31.10 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 103 (cf. 104); Cassian. inst. 4,19,3-20.

  31.16 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 22,6; Cypr. de pat. 24.

  32.3 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 66.

  32.4 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 32; Reg. iv patr. 3,29.

  33.t Basil. reg. 29.

  33.1 (English / Latin) Cassian inst. 7,21; 7,27; Cassian. conl. 16,6,4.

  33.2 (English / Latin) Reg. ii patr. 10; Vigil. reg.(orient.) 30-31; Pachom. reg. 106.

  33.3 (English / Latin) Vita Pachom. 28; Sulpic.Sever. Mart. 10,6; Aug. ord.mon. 4.

  33.4 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 2,3 (cf. conl. 24,23) (cf. RB 58.25); Basil. reg. 106 (cf. RB 58.25).

  33.5 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.mon. 2; 16; Pachom. reg. 81.

  33.6 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,5.

  33.7 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 7,21.

  34.1 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,5.

  34.3-4 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,9.

  34.5 (English / Latin) Cypr. domin.orat. 23.

  35.1 (English / Latin) Hier. epist. 22,35.

  35.6-11 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,19,1-3.

  35.13 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,13.

  35.15 (English / Latin) Sacr.Gelasianum 41.

  36.1-3 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 36.

  36.8 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 29

  36.9 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.mon. 24.

  37.2 (English / Latin) Hier. epist. 22,35

  38.5 (English / Latin) Hist.mon. 3.

  38.5-7 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,17.

  38.6 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 14,2.

  38.7 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 16; Pachom. reg. 33 (cf. 116).

  38.8 (English / Latin) Reg. iv patr. 2,42; Cypr. epist. 4,2.

  38.9 (English / Latin) Ps-Macar. reg. 18.

  40.4 (English / Latin) Cassian. conl. 24,2,3.

  40.5 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 2,2.

  40.6 (English / Latin) Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,4,31; Basil. reg. 9.

  40.8 (English / Latin) Cypr. testim. 3,14; Cypr. epist. 2,2.

  41.1-4 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. praef. 5.

  42.2-5 (English / Latin) Aug. ord.mon. 2.

  42.3-8 (English / Latin) Aug. ord.mon. 2.

  43.1-3 (English / Latin) Reg. ii patr. 31; Cassian. conl. 4,12.

  43.2 (English / Latin) Cypr. domin.orat. 4.

  43.3 (English / Latin) Porcar. mon. 12.

  43.4 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 10; Cassian. inst. 3,7,2.

  43.8 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 4,2.

  43.10-11 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 9; Cassian. inst. 3,7,1.

  43.14-16 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 10-12.

  43.18 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,18.

  43.19 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 96.

  44.1 (English / Latin) Ps-Macar. reg. 26.

  44.1-3 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 2,16; 4,16,1.

  45.1 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,16,2.

  45.2 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 3,7,2.

  45.3 (English / Latin) Aug. ord.mon. 10.

  46.1-2 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,16,1.

  46.2 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 125; 131.

  46.3-4 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,11.

  46.5 (English / Latin) Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,4,25; 5,5,3.

  46.5-6 (English / Latin) Cypr. de op. et el. 3; Cassian. inst. 4,9; Cassian. conl. 2,12-13.

  47.3 (English / Latin) Reg. iv patr. 2,10-11.

  48.1 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 192; Cypr. testim. 3; Cypr. domin.orat. 7; Cypr. ad Fort. pr. 1; pr. 3; Cypr. zel. et liv. 16; Cypr. epist. 38,2; Aug. op.mon. 37.

  48.3 (English / Latin) Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,6,21.

  48.8 (English / Latin) Vita Anton. 25; Hist.mon. 1; Aug. mor.eccl. 1,70; Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,1,16; Cassian. inst. 2,3; 5,39,3; Cassian. conl. 18,11; 24,12,2.

  48.10-11 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.mon. 14; Ps-Macar. reg. 11.

  48.22 (English / Latin) Hier. epist. 22,35.

  48.23 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 179.

  49.1-4 (English / Latin) Leo. M. tract. 39,2; 42,1,6.

  49.2 (English / Latin) Leo.M. tract. (de quadragesima) 5,2.

  49.3 (English / Latin) Leo.M. tract. 89,2; Leo.M. tract. 2.2,3.

  49.5 (English / Latin) Leo.M. tract. 40,1; Ambr. virg. 3,17.

  49.5-7 (English / Latin) Pallad. hist.laus.: de Macario Alexandrino 1.

  49.7 (English / Latin) Leo.M. tract. 42,2; Sacr.Gelasianum 55.

  49.10 (English / Latin) Reg. ii patr. 1.

  50.1 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 107.

  50.4 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 142.

  51.1 (English / Latin) Aug. ord.mon. 8.

  52.1-3 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,7.

  52.2-5 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 2,10,2.

  52.4 (English / Latin) Cypr. domin.orat. 4-5; Cassian. inst. 2,5,5; 2,10,2; 2,12; 5,34; Cassian. conl. 1,7; 2,12; 4,4; 9,6,7,12,35; 10,8; 12,8; 21,22; 23,11.

  53.1-13 (English / Latin) Hist.mon. 1-2; 9; 21.

  53.2 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 51.

  53.3-13 (English / Latin) Hist.mon. 7; Hist.mon. 17.

  53.4 (English / Latin) Cypr. domin.orat. 23.

  53.7 (English / Latin) Sacr.Gelasianum 38; 66; Ambr. off. 2,107.

  53.9 (English / Latin) Cassian. conl. 2,25-26.

  53.10 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 5,24; Cassian. conl. 21,14,3; 24,17.

  53.15 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 14,2; Cassian. inst. 4,7; Ps-Macar. reg. 20.

  53.21-24 (English / Latin) Reg. iv patr. 2,37-38; 2,40.

  53.23-24 (English / Latin) Basil. reg.fus. 32-33; Pachom. reg. 50.

  54.1 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,11; Pachom. reg. 106; Caes.Arel. reg.mon. 15; Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 23; Cassian. inst. 4,16.

  54.2-3 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,12; Caes.Arel. reg.mon. 1; Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 40; Pachom. reg. 52.

  54.4 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 4,2.

  55.1 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 1,10.

  55.1-2 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 14,2.

  55.7 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 9.

  55.7-11 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 1,3.

  55.9 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 40.

  55.10 (English / Latin) Orsiesii lib. 22.

  55.11 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 81.

  55.16 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,14; 4,16,3; 7,7.

  55.17-18 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 2,2.

  55.20 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,5; Basil. reg. 94.

  56.1 (English / Latin) Reg. iv patr. 2,41.

  57.2 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,6.

  57.4-7 (English / Latin) Aug. ord.mon. 8.

  57.5-6 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 7,25,1.

  57.9 (English / Latin) Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,10,98.

  58.1 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 49.

  58.1-4 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.mon. 1; Caes.Arel. recapit. 8; Cassian. conl. 20,1; Cassian. inst. 4,3.

  58.3 (English / Latin) Reg. iv patr. 2,27.

  58.6 (English / Latin) Vita Pachom. 25; Cassian. inst. 4,7.

  58.7 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 6.

  58.8 (English / Latin) Cassian. conl. 24,25,2; Reg. iv patr. 2,26; Cypr. hab.virg. 21.

  58.9 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 58.

  58.9-14 (English / Latin) Caes.Arel. recapit. 8; Ps-Macar. reg. 23; Decret.Gelasianum 21.

  58.16 (English / Latin) Vita Macar. Rom. 2.

  58.17 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 7,9.

  58.18 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,36,2.

  58.23 (English / Latin) Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,13,13.

  58.24-25 (English / Latin) Ps-Macar. reg. 24; Caes. Arel. reg.mon. 1.

  58.25 (English / Latin) Cassian.
inst. 2,3,1; 4,20; Cassian. conl. 24,23; Basil. reg. 106.

  58.26 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,5-6; Pachom. reg. 49.

  59.6 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 15,2.

  59.8 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 7.

  61.6 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 6.

  61.13 (English / Latin) Reg. iv patr. 4,3-8.

  62.4 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 13,16.

  62.10 (English / Latin) Vigil. reg.(orient.) 35.

  63.2-3 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 55,21.

  63.4 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. praef. 3.

  63.6 (English / Latin) Hier. epist. 58,1.

  63.7 (English / Latin) Sulpic.Sever. dial. 1,10,1.

  63.12 (English / Latin) Hier. epist. 117,6.

  63.16-17 (English / Latin) Cypr. testim. 3,85.

  64.1-5 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 67, 2-3; Cypr. domin.orat. 23.

  64.7 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,15.

  64.8 (English / Latin) Aug. serm. 340,1; Aug. civ. 19,19; Aug. c.Faust. 25,56.

  64.11 (English / Latin) Aug. serm. 49,5; Aug. civ. 14,6; Aug. epist. 211,11; Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 22.

  64.12 (English / Latin) Ter. Andr. I,i,34; Hier.epist. 60,7; 108,20; 130,11; Aug. in psalm. 118,4,1.

  64.15 (English / Latin) Aug. epist. 211,15.

  64.19 (English / Latin) Cassian. conl. 2,4,4; Cassian. inst. 2,12,2.

  65.t Caes.Arel. reg.virg. 16; Ps-Macar. reg. 27.

  65.1-2 (English / Latin) Cypr. eccl.unit. 10; Cypr. zel. et liv. 6.

  65.11 (English / Latin) Cypr. domin.orat. 23.

  65.12 (English / Latin) Cypr. eccl.unit. 10; Cassian. inst. 7,9.

  65.15-22 (English / Latin) Cypr. zel. et liv. 6.

  65.16 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 158.

  66.1 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,7; Hist.mon. 17.

  66.6-7 (English / Latin) Hist.mon. 17.

  66.7 (English / Latin) Hist.mon. 2.

  67.5 (English / Latin) Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,15,59; Pachom. reg. 57; 86.

  67.7 (English / Latin) Pachom. reg. 84; Vigil. reg.(orient.) 31; Cassian. inst. 4,10.

  68.1-3 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 69; Basil. ad fil. 6.

  68.4-5 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,10.

  69.1 (English / Latin) Basil. reg. 26; Orsiesii lib. 24; Pachom. reg. 176.

  71.1 (English / Latin) Aug. civ. 13,20; Cassian. inst. 4,30,1; 12,31.

  71.6-8 (English / Latin) Cassian. conl. 16,15.

  71.9 (English / Latin) Clem. ad Cor. 3.

  72.0 (English / Latin) Clem. ad Cor. 2; 3; 38.

  72.1 (English / Latin) Cypr. zel. et liv. 10-11; Ambr. expos. de psalm. 18,10,11,12,13,17; Clem. ad Cor. 9; Iren. demonstr. apost. praedic. 1; Hier. in Ezech. 16,52.

  72.3 (English / Latin) Ambr. expos. de psalm. 18,14.

  72.5 (English / Latin) Cassian. conl. 6,3,5; 19,9.

  72.7-8 (English / Latin) Ambr. expos. de psalm. 18,11.

  72.9 (English / Latin) Cypr. domin.orat. 15; Sacr.Leon. 30,1104; Ambr. expos. de psalm. 18,10.

  72.11 (English / Latin) Cypr. domin.orat. 15; Cypr. ad Fort. 6; Aug. in psalm. 29,9.

  72.11-12 (English / Latin) Cypr. epist. 76,7; Cypr. quod idola 11.

  73.t Clem. ad Cor. 3.

  73.1 (English / Latin) Cassian. conl. 21,10,1; Cassian. inst. 4,39; Hist.mon. 31; Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,11,29.

  73.2 (English / Latin) Cassian. inst. 4,8; Cassian. conl. 2,24; 9,2,3; 9,7,4; 10,8; 21,5,4.

  73.6 (English / Latin) Ambr. expos. de psalm. 18,17-18; Cassian. conl. 6,10.

  73.7 (English / Latin) Ambr. expos. de psalm. 18,11; 18,13; Cassian. conl. 12,16,3.

  73.8 (English / Latin) Vitae patr., Verb.senior. 5,11,29; Aug. ord.mon. 10.

  73.9 (English / Latin) Cassian. conl. 18,15; 21,34,3; 22,7; Cassian. inst. 4,23.

  Part Three

  APPENDIX

  Longer Expositions of Monastic Topics

  Appendix 1

  Monastic Terminology: Monk, Cenobite, Nun

  Chapter 1 of RB on “The Kinds of Monks” contains a number of traditional monastic terms, such as “monk,” “cenobite,” “sarabaite.” Because of the complex philological and literary background of these words, they are conveniently treated together in this section. Other conventional terms are considered elsewhere in this Appendix.

  1. The term “monk”

  The term “monk” (Greek: monachos)1 has been used in antiquity and even more so in recent times to denote many different forms of religious life.2 The anachronistic use of the term to describe groups as disparate as the Pythagoreans, Essenes, Therapeutae and Buddhists may be dismissed at once, because none of these people used the term monachos to describe themselves. It has been argued in the Introduction to this volume that, on the basis of the available historical evidence, the rise of the monastic movement is essentially a Christian phenomenon of the first half of the fourth century. Here it will be argued on philological grounds that the development of the special terminology of the movement, including above all the term “monk,” is likewise essentially a Christian phenomenon of the same period.

  Even after excluding from consideration this late and anomalous use of the term “monk,” there remain considerable difficulties in describing the original content and the development of this terminology. This is due chiefly to the fact that already in antiquity the term “monk” was widely applied, and diverse meanings were given to the term by ancient writers. In fact, it is apparent from the variety of definitions offered that already in the late fourth century there was some uncertainty over the original meaning of the term. It has been commonly supposed, even in the ancient world, that the term monachos was originally equivalent to “solitary” or “hermit.”3 In one place Jerome interprets it this way (Hier. epist. 14,6,1). But, writing his famous letter to Eustochium in 384, Jerome mentions that in Egypt there are three kinds of monks, and he clearly refers to the cenobites as monks (Hier. epist. 22,34). If the term was originally equivalent to solitary or hermit, it is difficult to understand how it could so quickly have come to denote a form of life as different as that of the Pachomian cenobites.

  The usual explanation for this has been a historical one. From antiquity until very recent times, a stereotyped picture of monastic origins has been a commonplace in historical writing on the subject.4 In this picture monasticism begins when the first hermits retire to the Egyptian desert. Gradually colonies of anchorites develop around them. A little later Pachomius established cenobitic monastic life and later still Basil reformed cenobitic life, giving it the form in which it has survived in the East, while even later Benedict reformed monasticism in the West. It is now generally admitted that this picture hardly does justice to the complexities of the evidence.

  A similar stereotype of the philological development of the terminology has served to reinforce this simple historical picture. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the philological picture was developed on the historical model. At any rate, the common and insufficiently questioned assumption has been that the term monachos (and related terms) originally referred to the anchorite or hermit and that its extension to the cenobite paralleled the historical development itself. The notion of “kinds of monks” would represent the last stage of this development. Thus history and philology have been repeatedly invoked to reinforce each other. And finally, both history and philology have been invoked in the perennial theological dispute over the relative merits of the hermit and the cenobite. It has been repeatedly argued, either explicitly or implicitly, that because the original meaning of the word “monk” is ‘hermit’ or ‘anchorite,’ this must be the original and truest form of monastic life.

  The complexities of the historical question have already been dealt with at some length in the Introduction to this volume, and some of the theological positions developed in antiquity have also been indicated. It remains to indicate the complexity of the philological question. But first it is necessary to distinguish and formulate it more precisely. Although the histori
cal, philological and theological questions are inevitably intertwined, it is important, for purposes of analysis, to insist that these are three distinct questions. The historical question belongs to the history of Christian asceticism and relates to the emergence of those forms of life that have traditionally been called “monastic.” In its simplest, indeed simplistic, form the question has usually been put: Which came first, the hermit or the cenobite? The philological question is distinct but related: What did monachos originally mean (i.e., denote), when did it first come into currency, and did it undergo development and expansion? The theological question is again quite distinct: Which is preferable or more meritorious, the eremitic or the cenobitic form of life? Although history and philology have frequently been invoked to answer this question, it really ought to be dealt with on strictly theological grounds. No attempt will be made to answer this last question here.

  The manner in which a question is posed, of course, can greatly affect the outcome of research on the subject. As has already been indicated, the philological question has often been cast in the form: How did the term monachos, which originally meant ‘hermit’ or ‘solitary,’ come to be used in a wider sense? In other words, the problem has been posed in historical terms, as if the only possibility of accounting for what appear to be disparate uses of the term was one of simple linear development.

  A more obvious, non-historically oriented question has generally gone unasked: What do these various forms of life have in common that permitted them to be denoted by the same term? The reason why this more logical question has been generally ignored is not difficult to discover. It seems to be due in large part to the overwhelming influence of Athanasius’ Life of Antony. This influential work created the archetype and equation of monk-hermit. It has tended ever since to dominate, often unconsciously, the historical, philological and theological questions described above. It has often been cited as primary evidence for the original equivalence of monk-hermit; the question of what contribution this work itself made toward producing that equivalence has gone unasked.5 In view of these considerations, the following presentation of the evidence has been guided by the logical rather than the historical formulation of the philological question.6

  Etymology is one factor, though often not the decisive one, in determining the meaning of words.7 The decisive factor is usage, or in literary works, context; if the word is used many times, the context must be considered to include the entire work. Monachos is derived from the adjective monos, which, though itself of uncertain etymology, is generally understood to involve the idea of ‘one,’ ‘one alone,’ ‘one only,’ or ‘single.’ It (monachos) is a post-Homeric formation and occurs first in classical Greek literature in an adverbial form, monachē, for which there are other analogous numerical formations. Monachē is used by Xenophon to refer to passage by a single or unique mountain pass, by Plato to refer to a single as opposed to a double way and also in the sense of ‘unique.’ Aristotle uses the adjective monachos in the sense of ‘unique,’ and the adverb in the sense of ‘single’ as opposed to several. Epicurus uses both adjective and adverb in the sense of ‘single,’ ‘simple,’ and ‘unique.’8