Nguyen 1

Br. Paul M. Nguyen, OMV

Medieval Church History, Orlando
October 7, 21!
On the "se o# $cri%ture in the &ule o# $t. Benedict
Benedict o# Norcia used $acred $cri%ture %ervasively in his Regula #or cenobitic 'on(s,
thereby de#ending his %olicies and ins%iring devotion to the )ord o# *od in the very e+%ression
o# the li#e described in that Rule.
Benedict o##ers %assages #ro' the *os%els concerning the 'oral li#e and care o# younger
or ,ea(er 'on(s, %lacing that res%onsibility on the older and stronger ones. He also o##ers
scri%tural %assages #ro' the Ne, -esta'ent .%istles to rein#orce the ,or( ethic o# the 'onastery
and encourage the brothers to /uiet and #aith#ul e+ecution o# the tas(s given the' by the abbot.
0lthough he #re/uently cites the *os%els and .%istles, Benedict also gives a'%le
attention to the Psal's and ,isdo' literature o# the Old -esta'ent. Multi%le succinct %assages
#ro' Proverbs and $irach rein#orce and authori1e his teachings on the counsel o# obedience and
the virtue o# hu'ility, as ,ell as his descri%tion o# the abbot and his o##ice to direct and
disci%line the 'on(s. Benedict see's to e'%loy these te+ts both to encourage the %ractice o#
virtue 2es%ecially %rudence3 and to discourage vice, and to realistically %rotect the co''unity
against hu'an ,ea(ness, ,ell a,are o# his ti'es.
0s he care#ully arranges the order o# the hours o# %rayer and the scri%tures to be %rayed at
each, Benedict structures the ,ee(ly rhyth' around the Psal's the'selves, co'%le'ented by
edi#ying readings #ro' both scri%tural and hagiogra%hical sources o# %rudent length. 4t see's
/uite clear, ho,ever, that his docility to the divine revelation in the Psal's 2and indeed he /uotes
the Psal'ist as 5the Pro%het6 throughout the Rule3 has led hi' to drin( very dee%ly o# the
,isdo' they contain and to i'%art those %earls to his 'on(s via this Rule and undoubtedly his
o,n e+a'%le o# cenobitic li#e, rein#orcing the' in the cyclic recitation o# the Psal's each ,ee(.