THE LITURGICAL PRESS
Collegeville, Minnesota 56321
Nihil obstat: Joseph C. Kremer, S.T.L., Censor deputatus.
Imprimatur: George H. Speltz, D.D., Bishop of St. Cloud. February 9, 1981.
Copyright © 1981 by The Order of St. Benedict, Inc., Collegeville, Minnesota. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of The Liturgical Press.
Printed in the United States of America.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Benedict, Saint, Abbot of Monte Cassino.
RB 1980: the rule of St. Benedict in Latin and English with notes.
Translation of: Regula.
Bibliography: p.
Includes indexes.
1. Benedictines—Rules. I. Fry, Timothy, 1915–
II. Title. III. Title: Rule of St. Benedict.
BX3004.E6 1981 255’.106 81-1013
ISBN 0-8146-1211-3 AACR2
ISBN 0-8146-1220-2 (pbk.)
FOREWORD
In the fall of 1974, presidents of Benedictine federations whose convents and monasteries are located for the most part in Central and North America came together to discuss appropriate ways of marking the fifteen hundredth anniversary of the birth date traditionally ascribed to St. Benedict of Nursia, A.D. 480. Although a variety of ideas surfaced in the course of the meeting, unanimous agreement prevailed concerning the need for a fresh translation into English of the Rule of Benedict.
The renewal of monastic and religious life called for by the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council emphasized “both a constant return to the sources of the whole of the Christian life and to the primitive inspiration of the institutes, and their adaptation to the changed conditions of our time” (Perfectae Caritatis, n.2). What better way for Benedictines to return to the sources than through a careful study of the Rule of St. Benedict?
A number of Benedictine scholars were therefore invited to a meeting held at the Convent of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, Minnesota, in August, 1976, under the chairmanship of Rev. Ambrose Wathen, O.S.B. The group concluded that a new edition of the Rule for English readers could be produced, and when it met again in St. Joseph a year later, some of the work was well underway, with various tasks apportioned. An editorial board was chosen, consisting of Rev. Timothy Fry, O.S.B., editor, and Sister Imogene Baker, O.S.B., Rev. Timothy Horner, O.S.B., Sister Augusta Raabe, O.S.B., and Very Rev. Mark Sheridan, O.S.B., as associate editors.
Early in the project, the entire group agreed that far more than simply a translation was needed. If Benedictines were to move into the twenty-first century with a keen awareness of their tradition, if serious study of the Rule of Benedict was to be undertaken in the years ahead, the proposed edition of the Rule would have to contain those scholarly helps that could lead to a deepened understanding of what Benedict taught.
The Benedictine presidents were completely in accord with this kind of thinking. Monasticism in America is a little more than a hundred years of age, and during the early decades much of the energy of the daughters and sons of Benedict was expended on apostolic endeavors. Scholarship was in evidence in certain quarters, but did not penetrate to a study of the Rule of Benedict. Further, the renewed interest in monasticism that arose in the late nineteenth century took time to make itself felt in America, and the pertinent studies that appeared in European languages were not easily available to Benedictines on this side of the Atlantic.
But a new age is upon us, and if ever there was a need for clear understanding of the monastic ethos, the time is now. This edition of the Rule can be a valuable tool if it is well employed, and one can foresee an awakening of interest in the rich monastic tradition represented by St. Benedict and St. Scholastica, given the serious study of the Rule that this volume makes possible.
The presidents are most grateful for the scholarship and dedication of those who undertook the present work. They thank, too, the communities that have generously donated the services of their confreres and sisters to accomplish the task. This volume is dedicated to all who follow the Rule of St. Benedict, with the hope that renewed study of the Rule will lead to a recovery of the riches of the tradition transmitted to us by the Patriarch of Western Monasticism.
RT. REV. MARTIN BURNE, O.S.B.
Chairman, Council of Presidents of Federations
St. Mary’s Abbey
Morristown, New Jersey
PREFACE
The progress of Benedictine studies in the past forty to fifty years is in many ways almost as phenomenal as the knowledge explosion that marks this century. Studies of manuscripts, literary sources and relationships, the origin and development of monasticism — all these and other aspects have made possible a fuller understanding of the Rule of St. Benedict. Most of this work has been accessible only to specialists. Our purpose in this volume is to make these developments available to English-speaking monks and nuns for the enrichment of their lives, and to give the general reader a better understanding of the monastic tradition. We do not present a commentary on the Rule, but offer readers a volume that includes a new translation together with the basic tools needed for serious study and analysis of the Rule.
The principal aim of the translation is to present a faithful rendering of the Latin into contemporary English. St. Benedict wrote in the popular Latin of his time, a mixture of classical and later usages. He borrowed frequently from contemporary monastic authors, and sometimes from other sources, and reflects their varying styles. We have tried to show, in the translation and the notes, some awareness of this. St. Benedict liked to use key words both in particular chapters and throughout the Rule. We recognize the significance of these words and have attempted to reflect this in the translation, without, however, following the principle intransigently. For the scriptural passages the Vulgate numbering of chapters is followed; for the psalms the Hebrew numbers are also given. Chapter titles of the Rule have not been translated literally.
The initial translation was made by the group of translators and was then submitted to the stylists. After considerable interaction between them, a version was sent to the editorial board, who, with the help of comments from many others, forged the final version.
The scope of this book
This book is made up of four major divisions: Part I — The Introduction is a history of monasticism, with special attention to its origin in the East and its establishment in the West. This survey enables the reader to see the many elements of the monastic tradition with which St. Benedict was working when he wrote his Rule. There are cross references to the Introduction throughout the volume.
Part II — The text is the core of the book, with the Latin text and English translation on facing pages. (Patristic and Ancient sources are indicated immediately after the Latin text; explanatory notes are given at the bottom of the pages of the translation.) The Latin text is presented with each chapter versified, following the practice established by Anselm Lentini in 1947. This is the first English translation that follows the Lentini versification. Scriptural loci for explicit citations are given only in the English translation; many Scripture allusions can be found with the help of the Scripture Index. Frequent cross references from the explanatory notes to the Introduction, the Appendix, the Thematic Index and the Selected Latin Concordance provide access to more extensive information.
Part III — The Appendix contains longer, expository essays on topics that could not be considered in the explanatory notes. The nature of the subject matter, it was thought, warrant
ed presentation in synthetic form rather than in references at various places in the notes. Again, cross references are made to other parts of the volume.
Part IV contains further study aids, especially in the Thematic Index and the Selected Latin Concordance. Patristic and Scripture indexes and a General Index (proper names and subjects) close the volume. The Thematic Index is a feature unique to this book. On first glance, it appears to be no more than a gathering of pertinent chapter and verse references for ideas or themes in the Rule. But close and purposeful attention to the relationships of concepts will reveal the depth of St. Benedict’s spirituality of the monastic life. The Thematic Index, then, provides a skeletal guide; of itself, it is no more than that, but with reflective use it will provide an enrichment seldom realized through any other study aid. For the Latin student, and also for the reader not too familiar with Latin, the Thematic Index and the Selected Latin Concordance can be helpful guides to clusters of words and concepts in the Rule and thereby provide a means of forming à synthesis of St. Benedict’s teaching.
Areas of responsibility
In a collaborative work of this kind, it is difficult to say exactly where responsibility for some parts of this volume lies. This is particularly true of the translation. The essays are more readily identifiable, although here again many changes were made at the suggestions of readers in the project. Generally, the procedure was to seek the comments and suggestions of all the members of the project on all parts of the volume. For the record, it should be made clear that the final responsibility for all decisions rests with the board of editors.
The areas of responsibility and the collaborators in the project are as follows:
1. Introduction, Notes, Bibliography, Appendix, Scriptural and Patristic Indexes: Very Rev. Mark Sheridan, O.S.B., St. Anselm’s Abbey, Washington, D.C., with Rev. Kenneth Hein, O.S.B., Holy Cross Abbey, Canon City, Colorado; Rev. Timothy Horner, O.S.B., St. Louis Priory, St. Louis, Missouri; Rev. David Hurst, O.S.B., Portsmouth Abbey, Portsmouth, Rhode Island; Rev. Ansgar Kristensen, O.S.B., Mount Saviour Monastery, Pine City, New York; Brother John Leinenweber, O.S.B., Monastery of Christ in the Desert, Abiquiu, New Mexico; Rev. Nathan Mitchell, O.S.B., St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana; Rev. Claude Peifer, O.S.B., St. Bede Abbey, Peru, Illinois; Rev. Ambrose Wathen, O.S.B., St. Joseph Abbey, St. Benedict, Louisiana.
2. Translators: Rev. Timothy Horner, O.S.B., St. Louis Priory, St. Louis, Missouri, with Rev. Marian Larmann, O.S.B., St. Joseph Abbey, St. Benedict, Louisiana; Very Rev. Matthew Martin, O.S.B., Esquipulas, Guatemala; Rev. Nathan Mitchell, O.S.B., St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, Indiana; Rt. Rev. Jerome Theisen, O.S.B., St. John’s Abbey, Collegeville, Minnesota.
3. Stylists: Sister Imogene Baker, O.S.B., Mount St. Scholastica Convent, Atchison, Kansas, with Rev. Timothy Fry, O.S.B., St. Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, Kansas; Sister Raphael Joseph, O.S.B., Immaculate Conception Convent, Ferdinand, Indiana; Sister Elizabeth Mason, O.S.B., Annunciation Priory, Bismarck, North Dakota.
4. Thematic Index, Selected Latin Concordance and General Index: Sister Augusta Raabe, O.S.B., House of Bread, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, with Sister Angelo Haspert, O.S.B., St. Benedict’s Convent, St. Joseph, Minnesota; Sister Joan Taylor, O.S.B., Mount St. Scholastica Convent, Atchison, Kansas; Rev. Odo Zimmermann, O.S.B., Monasterio Benedictino del Tepeyac, Tlalnepantla, Mexico.
Specific authors of various parts of the volume are identified by their initials as follows:
Introduction —
The Origins of Monasticism in the Eastern Church, pp. 3–41 : MS
Pre-Benedictine Monasticism in the Western Church, pp. 42–64: CP
The Rule of St. Benedict, pp. 65–112: CP
The Rule in History, pp. 113–141: CP
The Relevance of the Rule Today, pp. 141–151: MS
Patristic Sources and Notes to text of the Rule, pp. 156–297 : MS, TH, JT, CP
Appendix — 1. MS; 2. CP; 3. NM; 4. KH; 5. CP; 6. AK and MS; 7. MS
Acknowledgments
In the first place, the associate editors and I wish to express our appreciation to Les Éditions du Cerf, Paris, for permission to use the text of the Rule established by Dom Jean Neufville for the monumental commentary of Dom Adalbert de Vogüé in the Sources Chrétiennes edition, 181–186 (1971–72). The work of de Vogüé was an invaluable guide for us in preparing this volume.
There is an endless list of people to whom our group owes a great debt of gratitude. We regret that we cannot name each one of them. However, we must mention Rev. Quentin Schaut, O.S.B., St. Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and Miss Dorothy Schmanke, Topeka, Kansas. We want to express our thanks to two communities for their hospitality to our group in the various stages of the work: Mother Evin Rademacher, O.S.B., St. Benedict’s Convent, St. Joseph, Minnesota, and Rt. Rev. David Melancon, O.S.B., St. Joseph Abbey, St. Benedict, Louisiana. Without the inspiring leadership of Rt. Rev. Martin J. Burne, O.S.B., St. Mary’s Abbey, Morristown, New Jersey, this collaborative undertaking would never have been completed. To the four associate editors I owe a great debt of appreciation. Their generous expenditure of time and energy has made it possible to bring this book to publication. To John Schneider, editor at The Liturgical Press, it is a pleasure to record my gratitude for his keen sense of the language and for his many helpful suggestions. To Sister Imogene Baker, O.S.B., the coordinator of the project, I wish to express personal thanks for her constant support and prudent judgments. Finally, to Volkmuth Printers, Inc., St. Cloud, Minnesota, grateful recognition is given for their generous grant toward the production of this book.
REV. TIMOTHY FRY, O.S.B.
St. Benedict’s Abbey
Atchison, Kansas
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FOREWORD
PREFACE
ABBREVIATIONS
SHORT TITLES OF PATRISTIC AND ANCIENT WORKS
A SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Part One
INTRODUCTION
Historical Orientation
THE ORIGINS OF MONASTICISM IN THE EASTERN CHURCH
1. Introduction
2. Pre-Christian Monasticism
3. The Literature of Early Christian Monasticism
4. The Development of Monasticism in Relation to the Church
5. Anachōrēsis and the Eremitical Movement
6. Pachomius and Cenobitic Monasticism
7. St. Basil and Monasticism in Asia Minor
8. Origen and the Spirituality of Northern Egyptian Monasticism at the End of the Fourth Century
PRE-BENEDICTINE MONASTICISM IN THE WESTERN CHURCH
1. The Origins of Western Monasticism
2. Monastic Origins in Italy
3. Latin Monasticism in the Holy Land
4. Monasticism in Gaul
5. Monasticism in Roman Africa
THE RULE OF ST. BENEDICT
1. The Sixth Century
2. St. Benedict and His Rule: The State of the Question
3. St. Benedict of Nursia
4. Relationship of the Rule to the Regula Magistri
5. The Context of the Rule
6. The Content of the Rule
7. The Language of the Rule
8. Text and Editions of the Rule
THE RULE IN HISTORY
1. The Early Diffusion of the RB
2. The Triumph of the RB: The Benedictine Centuries
3. Decline and Renewal: The RB from the Thirteenth Century to Modern Times
4. The Rule in the New World
5. The Relevance of the Rule Today
Part Two
REGULA SANCTI BENEDICTI
Latin and English with Patristic Sources and Notes
CHAPTERS OF THE RULE
Prologue
1. The Kinds of Monks
2. Qualities of the Abbot
3. Summoning the Brothers for Counsel
4. The Tools for Good Works
5. Obedience
6. Restraint of Speech
7. Humility
8. The Divine Office at Night
9. The Number of Psalms at the Night Office
10. The Arrangement of the Night Office in Summer
11. The Celebration of Vigils on Sunday
12. The Celebration of the Solemnity of Lauds
13. The Celebration of Lauds on Ordinary Days
14. The Celebration of Vigils on the Anniversaries of Saints
15. The Times for Saying Alleluia
16. The Celebration of the Divine Office during the Day
17. The Number of Psalms to Be Sung at These Hours
18. The Order of the Psalmody
19. The Discipline of Psalmody
20. Reverence in Prayer
21. The Deans of the Monastery
22. The Sleeping Arrangements of the Monks
23. Excommunication for Faults
24. Degrees of Excommunication
25. Serious Faults
26. Unauthorized Association with the Excommunicated
27. The Abbot’s Concern for the Excommunicated
28. Those Who Refuse to Amend after Frequent Reproofs
29. Readmission of Brothers Who Leave the Monastery
30. The Manner of Reproving Boys
31. Qualifications of the Monastery Cellarer
32. The Tools and Goods of the Monastery
33. Monks and Private Ownership
34. Distribution of Goods According to Need
35. Kitchen Servers of the Week
36. The Sick Brothers
37. The Elderly and Children
38. The Reader for the Week
39. The Proper Amount of Food
40. The Proper Amount of Drink
41. The Times for the Brothers’ Meals
42. Silence after Compline
43. Tardiness at the Work of God or at Table
44. Satisfaction by the Excommunicated
45. Mistakes in the Oratory
46. Faults Committed in Other Matters
47. Announcing the Hours for the Work of God
48. The Daily Manual Labor
49. The Observance of Lent
50. Brothers Working at a Distance or Traveling
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