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

obsculto, along with the noun auris is indicative of the importance placed on oral
transactions. The idea of orality in monastic rules has recently been touched on by Moorhead
(2005), who asserts that in the Rule of Benedict, “Scripture is something which speaks and
can be heard […] it seems that for Benedict, the primary way in which Scripture exhorts
humans is through their sense of hearing” (ibid.: 10; see also his 2008).
In the Visigothic monastic rules, the majority of instances of lectio occur within a group
context, where only one person need necessarily be reading. Isidore reveals that the Rules of
the Fathers were to be recited during assembly: “cunctis pariter congregatis praecepta
Patrum regularia recensenda sunt”, 248 and then also reveals that oral group work was to be
undertaken so as to ensure that the texts were not misunderstood: “de his autem quaestionibus
quae leguntur, nec forte intelliguntur, unusquisque fratrum aut in collatione aut post
uesperam abbatem interroget et, recitata in loco lectione, ab eo expositionem suscipiat ita ut
dum uni exponitur, caeteri audient”. 249 Fructuosus suggests the use of public readings:
“sedentibus cunctis, unus medio residens releget librum, et ab abbate uel a praeposito,
disserente caeteris simplicioribus quod legitur patefiat”. 250 The Common Rule suggests both
reading and listening to Scripture: “Illi manna manducando mortui sunt, et isti scripturas
legendo et audiendo spirituali fame quotidie moriuntur [...]et liquide audiant quod obseruare
debeant”. 251 It also suggests that those who complain about having to care for the flocks
should listen to what the rules of the Fathers have to say on the matter: “Et quia solent
nonnulli qui greges custodiunt murmurare, et nullam se pro tali seruitio putant habere
mercedem, cum se in congregatione orantes et laborantes minime uident, audiant quid dicunt
248 Rule of Isidore 7.2.
249 Rule of Isidore 8.2.
250 Rule of Fructuosus 3.
251 Common Rule 5.
96