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

Patrum regulae, tacentes recogitent”. 252 The use of audiant rather than perhaps legunt is
interesting here, implying that the regulae Patrum were texts that were listened to.
In addition, there are various instances of assemblies or lessons where instruction
appears to be wholly oral. For example: “Ad audiendum in collatione patrem tribus in
hebdomada uicibus fratres post celebrationem tertiae, dato signo, ad collectam conueniant;
audiant docentem seniorem, instruentem cunctos salutaribus praeceptis; audiant patrem
studio summo, et silentio, intentionem animorum suorum suspiriis et gemitibus
demonstrantes. Ipsa quoque collatio erit uel pro corrigendis uitiis, instruendisque moribus,
uel pro reliquis causis ad utilitatem coenobii pertinentibus”; 253 “Caeterum uero talem
consuetudinem facere mandamus, ut si in unam collationem ad audiendum uerbum salutis
fratres et sorores copulati fuerint, iuxta uiros sorores sedere non audeant, sed uterque sexus
diuisis choris sedeat”. 254
The use of the term ―caeteris simplicioribus” in one of the quotations above is
interesting. Elsewhere in Latin, the term simplex often refers to something being „simple, not
difficult‟, 255 although it can also refer to people, to mean „simple, uneducated‟. 256 In this
sense, the term probably means the latter, referring to monks who do not understand the
spiritual message of what is being read to them. However, it might also imply monks being
read to who cannot read for themselves. Indeed, “recent studies have shown that medieval
252 Common Rule 9.
253 Rule of Isidore 7.
254 Common Rule 17.
255 For example, Ammianus Marcellinus Res Gesta 26.2, “proinde pacatis auribus accipite, quaeso,
simplicioribus uerbis, quod conducere arbitror in commune”
256 For example, Jerome Expos. s. Hieronimi in lib. Cant. Cant 8, “Hi ergo tales uiri, exponendo
diuinam legem, ostendunt simplicioribus occultas insidias daemonum”
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