Katie's Reviews > The Rule of Saint Benedict

One of my favorite things about the Rule of St. Benedict is how kind it is. I think that the popular perception of medieval monks is still filled with hair shirts and flagellation, or, at best, an authoritarian abbot lording over servile monks. Those things aren't made up and they certainly had their place in a medieval monastery. But Benedict's writing gives a much better idea of what it was actually like most of the time - a rather difficult life, and a daunting lack of privacy, but overall a life that was deeply communal and by medieval standards, deeply productive. The basic thesis underlying the whole thing is that it's easier to get closer to God when you're surrounded by people to help you, and who are aiming for the same thing. Of course, there's still a big cultural gap - laughter is generally frowned upon and the heavy emphasis on absolute obedience will be distasteful to some people. But on the whole, the Rule is not looking to punish people, or to force them into unthinking servility. It is a "little rule for beginners" that on the whole is very flexible and compassionate.

It's also fun to read because there are all kinds of interesting historical bits - why was Benedict's Rule the one that has been in use for almost 1500 years and the one that dominated the first 500 or so years of monasticism? Why is militaristic language so prevalent? Why/how was Benedictine monasticism, despite some similarities, different from the monasticism that grew up in the East and in the British Isles?

Not the most action-packed of reads, but it offers a nice little window onto how spirituality in the 6th century was at the same time hugely different from today, but at the same time, somewhat similar in its ultimate cares and aims. And it's an absolute must for anyone interested in the history of monasticism.


Edit: At one point, the Rule states that monks should all sleep in the same room, partially in order to encourage each other upon waking. "For," as Benedict writes, "the sleepy like to make excuses." This may be my life motto.