1st Edition

An Analysis of St. Benedict's The Rule of St. Benedict

By Benjamin Laird Copyright 2017
    90 Pages
    by Macat Library

    80 Pages
    by Macat Library

    The Rule of St Benedict, written around 1500 years ago by the Italian monk St Benedict of Nursia, is a slim handbook for monastic life – a subject many modern readers would regard as relatively niche. It is, however, also a model of the organized and clearly expressed thought produced by good reasoning skills – a mainstay of critical thinking.

    Reasoning is all about making a good case for something, through logical arguments, neatly and systematically organised. In Benedict’s case, his main concern was to lay out a set of rules and practices that would allow monasteries to run as well-organised communities. Communal living presented huge challenges, and yet it was also, Benedict believed, the best way for monks to sustain themselves, their religion, and the learning and teaching that went with it. His Rule laid out concise but detailed chapters on the best way to achieve this, including provisions for all areas of personal and communal discipline, right down to how tasks might be allotted to individual monks.

    Providing a complete roadmap for successfully running a community, the concise brilliance of The Rule has even been suggested by some business professors as useful model for running small businesses today.

    Ways in to the Text 

    Who was St Benedict of Nursia? 

    What does Rule of St Benedict Say? 

    Why does  Rule of St Benedict Matter? 

    Section 1: Influences 

    Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context 

    Module 2: Academic Context  

    Module 3: The Problem 

    Module 4: The Author's Contribution  

    Section 2: Ideas  

    Module 5: Main Ideas 

    Module 6: Secondary Ideas 

    Module 7: Achievement  

    Module 8: Place in the Author's Work 

    Section 3: Impact 

    Module 9: The First Responses 

    Module 10: The Evolving Debate 

    Module 11: Impact and Influence Today  

    Module 12: Where Next? 

    Glossary of Terms 

    People Mentioned in the Text  

    Works Cited

    Biography

    Dr Benjamin Laird gained his PhD on the early circulation of St Paul's letters at the University of Aberdeen. He currently teaches in the School of Divinity at Liberty University.