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

It cannot be imagined that all converts necessarily would have entered the monastery
with a good knowledge of the Bible, and the employment of direct quotations and references
would have been a method of highlighting and imparting important figures and stories. As
Young (2004a) stated: “there was, of course, a massive need to re-educate with the stories of
the Bible a populace whose minds were filled with the myths of the Gods” (ibid.: 465). Even
in the sixth century, Martin of Braga in his De correctione rusticorum was able to highlight
the continued presence of the old religion as being especially prevalent amongst those living
in the countryside (also McKenna 1938; Hillgarth 1980). Notwithstanding purely exegetical
purposes, biblical references also satisfied the need for moral exempla. Ancient literature
offered the encapsulation not only of mythological cycles but also guidance on the gods,
illustrating not only examples of hubris, but also of its aftermath. In short, Greco-Roman
mythology gave its listeners heroes, on whom they could base behaviour, even if it were only
ideological. Early Christians also required such a viewpoint. Biblical examples, therefore,
also possessed a purely paraenetic purpose: “les héros bibliques offrent en effet des leçons de
morale capables de guider les moins” (Chartier 1984: 313).
Direct quotations must be separated from allusions to biblical characters in a much
wider sense, which monastic rules often use to support their teaching. It has been noted that
allusions are “cultural products” (Conte 1986: 53), and the frequent use of biblical characters,
rather than allusions to other Scriptural writings or Church Fathers, must be indicative of the
important position of the text in monastic society. This includes the expected core examples
of figures such as Mary and Joseph, Christ, 422 the Apostles 423 and Moses. 424 However,
422 Rule of Fructuosus 6.
423 Rule of Isidore 5.3.
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