'Idleness is the enemy of the soul' Saint Benedict's advice to monks - on everything from correct posture to the value of silence - has offered spiritual guidance to many for fifteen centuries. One of 46 new books in the bestselling Little Black Classics series, to celebrate the first ever Penguin Classic in 1946. Each book gives readers a taste of the Classics' huge range and diversity, with works from around the world and across the centuries - including fables, decadence, heartbreak, tall tales, satire, ghosts, battles and elephants.

The Rule of Benedict (Penguin Little Black Classics)

Religion & Spirituality

Benedict, St.

Worship & Devotion

Penguin Classic

About the Author ST. BENEDICT OF NURSIA is a Christian saint born in 480. He is best known for his Rule which he wrote in 516 to guide and instruct monks living together in community.PHILIP FREEMAN earned a PhD from Harvard University and currently holds an endowed chair in humanities at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. He has published over twenty books on ancient and medieval history and religion, including works on Celtic mythology and St. Patrick. Product Description A timeless source of wisdom for people looking to lead a life of simplicity, purpose, and serenityThe Rule of St. Benedict has governed monastic communities for centuries, but it is far more than a standard religious text. The Rule is, above all, a handbook for living a deliberate life―no matter your religious background or beliefs. It teaches the importance of contemplation and silence, of solitude, and the power of community and unity. With lessons focusing on the simple acts of everyday life, like eating and daily work, along with wisdom for the deeply personal and internal facets of living, such as cultivating humility and practicing forgiveness, The Rule of St. Benedict is a profound guide to living a good and meaningful life. An award-winning translator, Philip Freeman’s version of The Rule is beautifully accessible in its language. With a simple and direct style, the book lays out a way of living that is transformative in its simplicity and striking in its power. Review Praise for The Rule of St. Benedict: "The same desire that accompanied men and women to the first European monasteries, drive many of us today to the spiritual riches of St. Benedict and his famous Rule. And there is no better guide than Philip Freeman. Highly recommended!" ―Jon M. Sweeney, author of St. Francis of Assisi: His Life, Teachings, and PracticePraise for Phillip Freeman:“Philip Freeman brings sexy back in Searching for Sappho.” ―Vanity Fair"Freeman’s book is full of light and life, and readers seeking an accessible introduction to this marvelous poet need look no further.” ―Wall Street Journal

The Rule of St. Benedict: An Introduction to the Contemplative Life

Self-Help

Motivational

St. Martin's Essentials

Thank you for checking out this book by Theophania Publishing. We appreciate your business and look forward to serving you soon. We have thousands of titles available, and we invite you to search for us by name, contact us via our website, or download our most recent catalogues.   Listen, O my son, to the precepts of thy master, and incline the ear of thy heart, and cheerfully receive and faithfully execute the admonitions of thy loving Father, that by the toil of obedience thou mayest return to Him from whom by the sloth of disobedience thou hast gone away.  To thee, therefore, my speech is now directed, who, giving up thine own will, takest up the strong and most excellent arms of obedience, to do battle for Christ the Lord, the true King.  In the first place, beg of Him by most earnest prayer, that He perfect whatever good thou dost begin, in order that He who hath been pleased to count us in the number of His children, need never be grieved at our evil deeds. For we ought at all times so to serve Him with the good things which He hath given us, that He may not, like an angry father, disinherit his children, nor, like a dread lord, enraged at our evil deeds, hand us over to everlasting punishment as most wicked servants, who would not follow Him to glory.

The Holy Rule of St. Benedict

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

The Rule of Benedict constitutes a basic guide for living the Christian life and continues to be followed by every Benedictine monastery and convent in the world today. Just the idea that a guide for living could not only last 1500 years but continue to be followed by thousands of people makes its study valuable for monks and nuns as well as laypeople. The Rule offers people a plan for living a balanced, simple, and prayerful life. In it Benedict tells his monks and nuns that ora et labor is their way (work and prayer), that the Divine Office is their work (opus dei) and the vows of stability, conversion, and obedience are their commitments. These vows have much to say to those of us not living in a monastery or convent:  Stability Stability refers to the importance of community and commitment in life. For a monk or nun it refers directly to a commitment to the monastery where they will live for the rest of their life. While we all may not be a member of a monastic order, we can make our vow of stability to our families, to our faith communities, to our local and global communities, and to our fellow pilgrims along the journey of faith. The vow of stability also speaks to our current environmental crisis—for when we remain committed to the earth we learn how to be good stewards of that which God has given us. Conversion Conversion is not confined to a one time experience. To a monk or nun, conversion of life reminds them that everything they do is from, for, and with God and that God converts us continually. The vow tells the monastic they are to acknowledge that conversion and be open to it. For those of us not in the monastery conversion is an ongoing process as well, one that helps us walk continually in the presence of God. In order to open our ears to God’s voice and our eyes to God’s presence among us, Benedict tells us we must keep our hearts and our minds open to the ways that God is moving us. When we block the transformation that God is working within us, then we are not living into the Benedictine Way. An open heart is one that allows balanced practices of prayer, work, study, hospitality, and renewal to illuminate the ways that God is working within us and within the world. Obedience When Benedict wrote his Rule obedience meant what it said: the monk was to be obedient to the Abbot, the Rule, and the Gospels. Obedience can be a heavy word for us today. Yet a healthy, balanced view of obedience - as a way of cultivating a disciplined, intentional life that is yearning to be obedient to God - is a desire that many people in today’s world have and this makes the vow of obedience relevant. Obedience can entail a healthy sense of humility - thinking neither less nor more of yourself than who you are - and of respecting and following the guides, leaders, teachers, and fellow travelers who are guiding you on your path. The Rule revolves around five practices: Prayer, Work, Study, Hospitality and Renewal.

Rule of St. Benedict

Christian Books & Bibles

The Rule of Saint Benedict (Latin: Regula Benedicti) is a book of precepts written by Benedict of Nursia (c. AD 480-550) for monks living communally under the authority of an abbot. The spirit of Saint Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation: pax ("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and work"). Compared to other precepts, the Rule provides a moderate path between individual zeal and formulaic institutionalism; because of this middle ground it has been widely popular. Benedict's concerns were the needs of monks in a community environment: namely, to establish due order, to foster an understanding of the relational nature of human beings, and to provide a spiritual father to support and strengthen the individual's ascetic effort and the spiritual growth that is required for the fulfillment of the human vocation, theosis. The Rule of Saint Benedict has been used by Benedictines for 15 centuries, and thus St. Benedict is sometimes regarded as the founder of Western monasticism due to reform that his rules had on the current Catholic hierarchy. There is, however, no evidence to suggest that Benedict intended to found a religious order in the modern sense and it was not until the later Middle Ages that mention was made of an "Order of Saint Benedict". His Rule was written as a guide for individual, autonomous communities, and all Benedictine Houses (and the Congregations in which they have grouped themselves) still remain self-governing. Advantages seen in retaining this unique Benedictine emphasis on autonomy include cultivating models of tightly bonded communities and contemplative lifestyles. Perceived disadvantages comprise geographical isolation from important activities in adjacent communities. Other perceived losses include inefficiency and lack of mobility in the service of others, and insufficient appeal to potential members. These different emphases emerged within the framework of the Rule in the course of history and are to some extent present within the Benedictine Confederation and the Cistercian Orders of the Common and the Strict Observance.

St. Benedict's Rule for Monasteries

Independently published