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

The monastic rules often speak informally to their audience. Sometimes this will take
the form of direct evocations of the type: “imprimis, fratres charissimi, monasterium
uestrum miram conclauis diligentiam habeat”. 302 The more normal way of fostering this
sense, however, is through the use of third person plural conjugations, with sentences of the
type: “monachi, qui ob religionis obtentum monasterium ingredi petunt, primum ante foras
tribus diebus et noctibus excubent, et ex industria iugiter ab hebdomadariis exprobrentur‖; 303
“omnes decani a suis praepositis admoneantur ut cuncti fratres a minimo usque ad maximum
diebus Dominicis in monasterio uno loco congregentur”; 304 “ uerno uel aestate, dicta prima,
commoneantur decani a praeposito suo quale opus debeant exercere atque illi reliquos
admoneant fratres”. 305 The employment of the third person plural is indicative of spoken
language and contrasts with the use of an impersonal qui that occasionally, though rarely,
also appears: “qui in monasterio prior ingreditur, primus erit in cunctis gradu uel ordine”; 306
“qui prius in monasterio conuersus fuerit, primus ambulet”. 307 The use of a relative clause
would perhaps be more indicative of a formal or elevated type of language, whereas the use
of the third person plural certainly lends a sense of familiarity and colloquialism to the style.
At times the writers will try and engage with their audience through the use of personal
renderings of verbs. This is something that is found in most monastic rules: “haec igitur, o
serui Dei et milites Christi, contemptores mundi, ita uobis custodienda uolumus, ut maiora
302 Rule of Isidore 1.1.
303 Common Rule 4.
304 Common Rule 13.
305 Rule of Fructuosus 6.
306 Rule of Isidore 4.3
307 Rule of Fructuosus 23.
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