Daniel Naroditsky

10.09.18
History 115D

Class Discussion Report: The Rule of St. Benedict

Note: I was not able to find The Rule of St. Benedict in the bookstore, and it was too slow
to arrive from Amazon. Therefore, I used the following online copy:
https://www.ewtn.com/library/priests/benrule.htm#39%20-%20Food

In The Rule of St. Benedict, the abbot and saint Benedict of Nursia offers a
comprehensive guide to the tenets that underlie proper monastic life. Benedict leaves no stone
unturned, balancing the spiritual essence of his teachings with an emphasis on the countless
practical aspects of monastic livelihood. In this analysis, I would like to make a few remarks
about the avowedly practical nature of the codex. In particular, I advance that The Rule of St.
Benedict epitomizes the early Christian fixation with the body as a conduit to self-actualization
in the afterlife. Indeed, The Rule of St. Benedict reveals that neither blind asceticism nor
hedonism were seen as particularly effective means to ascend the spiritual ladder; spiritual
fulfillment in death, in the eyes of the religion’s early movers and shakers, could be attained only
through a deeply practical concern in the nature of one’s everyday actions while alive.
Before delving into an analysis of the book itself, it is important to note that Benedict’s
audience was, presumably, limited to the narrow cross-section of high-ranking clergy and
perhaps political dignitaries who were both literate and interested in Benedict’s teachings. The
former group consisted of abbots and priests who were effectively the common people’s only
way to access higher teachings. It stands to reason, then, that The Rule of St. Benedict can be said
to represent the theological and philosophical viewpoints held by most Christians during
Benedict’s time.
It seems reasonable to assume that Benedict’s precepts would be squarely focused on the
transcendence of one’s body, but that is decidedly not the case. The body, far from being the
object of flagellation, is seen as forming “the sides of this ladder…which Jacob beheld in his
dream and on which Angels appeared descending and ascending” (Chapter 7). Indeed, three
whole chapters are dedicated to outlining various rules and dictates concerning food and drink.
To this end, Benedict observes, in the case of a monk having performed particularly heavy work,
that “it shall be in the discretion and power of the Abbot to make some addition, if he thinks it
expedient” (Chapter 39). This passage seems to indicate that Benedict considered it crucial that
monks keep their bodies strong, and that the ways of asceticism may not come at the cost of
health.
The centrality of the body in The Rule of St. Benedict is further emphasized in chapters
dealing with physical labor. To this end, Benedict commences Chapter 48 (“On Manual Labor”)
with the old adage “Idleness is the enemy of the soul,” proceeding to meticulously outline the
schedule and nature of monks’ daily labor. He finishes this chapter by making a special clause,
as he did in the section on dining, for monks suffering from weakness or illness: “As for those
brethren who are sickly or weak…” (Chapter 48). This emphasis on practicality and
reasonableness stands in contrast to the harsh asceticism and self-denial one can observe in early
Christian tales such as that of Perpetua. Juxtaposing the two works, one can observe a shift from
the euphoria of adhering to a mysterious, heretofore-unknown religious — one actively
persecuted by the authorities in power — to the cold practicality one must possess to clarify the
strictures of the now-well-established religion.
It would be a mistake to claim that The Rule abandons spirituality entirely. Needless to
say, Benedict plainly states that the purpose of his codex is to enable the faithful reader to “fight
for the Lord Christ, our true King.” Even in this statement, however, is hidden the essential
premise of Benedict’s rulebook: Christ is referred to as a “king.” A king is a deeply earthly
figure, who rules over real people. In a sense, then, this comparison primes the reader to consider
his own person, to ground his thoughts in pragmatism rather than nebulous spirituality.
Given its centrality, The Rule of St. Benedicts’s manifolds precepts almost certainly
shaped the lives and dealings not of only Benedict’s fellow monks, but also of common working
individuals to whom the abbot’s teachings ultimately trickled down. I believe that The Rule of St.
Benedict epitomizes a larger trend that prevailed in the latter period of the first millennium. At
the heart of this trend was a recognition that Christianity was no longer a new religion at the
vanguard of spirituality; it was by now well-established, and further incantations were not
necessary. What was necessary, and what Benedict sought to produce, was a bridge from the
spiritual underpinning of his religion to the deeply practical methods of pursuing this spirituality.