The Monastic Rules of Visigothic Iberia - eTheses Repository ...

In truth, many of the early medieval monastic rules do not make explicit reference to
the act of writing or the existence of a scriptorium, although in some cases it is implied. The
Rule of Ferreolus, for example, suggests that “ut paginam pingat digito, qui terram non
praescribit aratro”, 241 playing on the physical difficulty of writing. The Rule of Benedict,
meanwhile, says famously: “Oratorium hoc sit quod dicitur, nec ibi quicquam aliud geratur
aut condatur”. 242 The Latin condo can imply either „to store‟ or „to write‟, and so its sense
here could imply writing. However, although the monastic rules do not describe explicitly
the act of writing, other sources of evidence, such as those discussed above, would seem to
suggest that such activity did take place in some monasteries.
3.9 Illiteracy and Aurality in the Visigothic Monastery
The evidence suggests that a culture surrounding the use of written texts was
extremely important in Visigothic monasticism. This might also imply that literacy rates
were fairly high, influenced by the later medieval notion of lectio divina, implying a solitary
reading exercise. However, it is fitting to question the extent to which this ideal of the
literate monk is appropriate: can the fact that the written word might have been particularly
widespread in certain monasteries really imply that all those in the communities relied or
even made use of it in through personal reading?
Notwithstanding the importance attributed to written texts, the monastic rules also
present some evidence for the illiteracy in monastic communities. Indeed, even the Rule of
Benedict caters for the fact that some monks might not be able to read: “Si quis uero ita
neglegens et desidiosus fuerit ut non uelit aut non possit meditare aut legere, iniungatur ei
241 Rule of Ferreolus 28.
242 Rule of Benedict 52.
93