Lindsay Rudge PhD Thesis - University of St Andrews

intended would be used to guide and support the transition of monastic houses to the
Benedictine rule. 82 Its structure is simple: in turn each of the chapters of the Benedictine
rule is listed, followed by the relevant sections from older rules, all to illustrate cohesion
of old and new tradition, and to place the tenets of the Benedictine rule in a context that
would be easily comprehensible to existing monastic communities. To give an example at
random, Benedict accompanies chapter forty-six of the Benedictine rule – on the elderly
and children – with selections from the rules of the Master, Caesarius, Fructuosus of
Braga, Isidore of Seville and the Regula cuiusdam. 83 Benedict offers no commentary on
any of his selections, and excludes those aspects of rules which do not fit his schema. Of
course, silent omissions are often an index of shifts in monastic norms and practice.
However, the sheer amount of material from which Benedict could make his selections
might indicate that an attempt to catalogue those aspects of rules he omitted would not
reveal much in the way of a consistent policy on inclusions and exclusions, beyond the
criterion of broad agreement with the Regula Benedicti.
In general terms, the Regula virginum itself is used relatively seldom in the
Concordia, in only ten out of the seventy-seven chapters. These mainly encompass
organisational matters – the care of the sick, weekly cooking duty, no personal servants –
and disciplinary affairs, particularly the prohibition of arguments and insults. 84 There is
no place for the Regula virginum’s most celebrated requirement, the prohibition on
leaving the monastery. 85 The rules of Basil and the Master are referred to most
frequently; this is not unexpected, since one was a supply of wisdom from the eastern
beginnings of coenobitism, and the other was itself a source for the Benedictine rule. 86
However, even some relatively recent rules are used almost as frequently. Chief among
82 Vita Benedicti 38.
83 P. Bonnerue Benedicti Anianensis Concordia Regularum CCCM 168 A (Turnhout, 1999) 392-8.
84 Concordia caps. 25 and 45 (care of the sick); 44 (cooking); 46 (servants); 30, 32, 42 (arguments and
insults). The extracts of Caesarius throw an interesting sidelight on Benedict’s working method, as there
appears to be an error. Caesarius’ stipulation that young children should not be admitted is used twice, in
chapters 46 (as part of a longer extract) and 75. Benedict may well have given an assistant a list of chapters
to copy from other works, and did not specify clearly which part of Caesarius’ chapter 7 was to be included
where.
85 RV 2.
86 The Regula Basilii is used in 43 chapters; the Regula Magistri in 45. Editions of the rules are available in
K. Zelzer (ed.) Basili Regula a Rufino latine uersa CSEL 86 (Vienna, 1986); L. Eberle (ed. and tr.) The
Rule of the Master (Kalamazoo, 1977).
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