Reading Benedict's Rule

The Rule of St. Benedict can be read at various levels. Let’s consider three. At the most superficial level, the Rule is a long list of do’s and don’ts. The list begins immediately in the prologue. “Listen… welcome it… put it into practice… labor of obedience… give up your own will… battle.” This is only the first paragraph. The demands do not subside. The second paragraph begins with the obligation to pray. Each “do” has a corresponding “don’t” stated explicitly or implied. Don’t be disobedient, slothful, inattentive, stubborn, etc. At this level, the Rule becomes an overwhelming burden. 

Reading at a deeper level, we hear the voices of the great philosophers of antiquity. We encounter the practical wisdom of the stoics as Benedict engages the Greek and Latin schools of thought that informed so deeply the socio-cultural worldview surrounding him. At this level, the distinction between do’s and don’ts becomes the distinction between living and merely existing, between flourishing and languishing. Benedict takes up the teachings known as virtue ethics. In sports, it is said a novice practices until she can complete an action correctly, but a professional practices until she cannot complete the action incorrectly. This is virtue. For Socrates, and Benedict, a good life does not consist in endless deliberation between right and wrong, but in becoming the kind of person who cannot choose the wrong, who is free from its influence. The Rule embodies this approach to living well. But, there is a reading of the Rule that goes deeper than the practical wisdom of self-care and self-improvement. 

At this level, the Rule becomes truly transformational. Benedict skillfully reorients Greek and Roman wisdom within the Christian understanding of the world and humanity’s place in it. He confronts us with the realization that our lives are grounded in the grace of God and that we are to be conduits of that grace. God’s grace is the necessary context for our flourishing, as we extend that grace to each other, and to ourselves. Scripture teaches, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10 RSV). The Rule helps us see why encountering God’s grace is the beginning of living out this wisdom. 

It’s been said, “There is nothing more practical than a good theory.” Knowing why we do something is often far more important than knowing how to do it, or simply that it should be done. So, Benedict tells us to pray whenever we start a new work (v. 4). Why? Because only God can bring a work to perfection. We are imperfect and cannot bring anything to perfection, so it is to our benefit to seek God’s blessing and guidance. Benedict then exhorts us to obey (v. 6). Why? Because we will only realize God’s blessings to the degree that we follow God’s guidance. Benedict assures us we are already God’s sons and daughters. God has already given us good gifts for the battle. After recounting God’s encouragement to us in scripture, Benedict again leads us to prayer with the counsel, “What is not possible by nature, let us ask the Lord to supply by the help of his grace” (v. 41). To this end of living in God’s grace, Benedict offers this Rule. Nothing harsh or burdensome but rather an aid toward obedience, so that we might flourish in the gracious blessing and guidance of God.

About Dr. Paul Anders

Paul Anders has his PhD in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is an Associate Professor of Philosophy. His research interests lie at the intersection of science, religion, and ethics.