Monks: St. Benedict's Holy Rule

World Civilization 1

Primary Source Paper

Monks: St. Benedict's Holy Rule

In the 4th and 5th century religious men and women looked for escape from the new Christian-Imperial, which they viewed as the corrupt and decaying society of Egypt, Syria-Palestine, and Anatolia. These fugitives were referred to as the "Desert Elders." They all had a desire to live the spirit of the Gospels alone with their God. This so called flight into the desert was considered by many the foundation of Christian monasticism. The first Desert Elders, usually made of hermits also referred to as anchorites, lived solitary lives. Overtime these hermits banned together into communities. The members of these communities were referred to no longer as hermits, but now as cenobites. The end of the 6th century showed the cenobitic community to be the Christian monastic norm in the East and West, though the hermits were never totally disbanded. Whether cenobite or anchorite, these monks were dedicated to worshipping and seeking God away from the distractions of the world.

The world was not as eager to let go of the monks. They were viewed as living Christian heroes. Monks in accordance with the Christian call to save and transform the world have been known to offer their lives as agents of divine grace. Monks have never been a significant percentage of the population, but they became folk heroes of such magnitude, that they were responsible for turning Christianity into a mass religion. The document that I read researched the two major forms of monasticism that took shape in the West during the 5th and 6th centuries. These groups played an extremely important role in the eventual transformation of Western civilization.

During the 4th and 5th centuries Christian monasticism spread into western Europe from the eastern Mediterranean. The monastic organization of these monasteries in the west varied. Usually following their own rules of adapting rule's from neighboring houses that they admired. Early in the 6th century, St. Benedict, an Italian Monk established a house in the south of Rome for Male Recluses, in which he resided. Liberally basing statute on previous sets of monastic regulations, St. Benedict created a rule solely for his monks and a few associated houses. Despite Benedict's humble beginning, his rule in time became the Holy Rule of Western monasticism and the norm for all monastic life in the West.

Several reasons explain the success of Benedict's rule. St. Benedict was a proficient student of the human condition and created a rule that harmonized with his insights. Furthermore his rule was and still is highly adaptable. Benedicts rule was praised by Pope St. Gregory the Great who celebrated the life and legend of Benedict in his widely distributed Dialogues, which was a collection of stories about contemporary saints in Italy.

Benedicts Holy Rule consists of a prologue and seventy-three short chapters that convey practical instruction covering many different areas of monastic concern. The most important include how one enters and stays on the pathway to individual spiritual growth, the manner in which the ideal monastery is to be organized and governed, and the monk's day to day activities, including their lives of prayer. Benedict's vision included everything from the types of monks and the role of the leader, to punishment and the measure of food and drink.

To start, Benedict saw that there were four different types of categories monks could be classified into. The first were the Cenobites or those that lived in the monasteries. Secondly there were the Hermits who relied on there own strength and God to battle temptations of flesh and mind. Next are the Sarabaites. The Sarabaites were soft and had no rule; they were referred to as liars of God, because there law was satisfaction of desire. And finally at the bottom of the chain is the Gyrovagues, much like gypsies they wandered, setting up camp or visiting established monasteries for only weeks at a time. They were slaves of their own will, and were considered be the lowest of all Monks.

St. Benedict established many characteristics that the abbot, leader, should hold. The abbot is believed to serve as the representative of Christ in the monastery. When the abbot dies he will be judged by his teachings and by the obedience of his disciples. The abbot is to instruct primarily by example