...“The Rule of Saint Benedict” The spirit of St. Benedict's Rule is summed up in the motto of the Benedictine Confederation: pax ("peace") and the traditional ora et labora ("pray and work"). According to St. Benedict, these rules are guide for Christians who are committed in the monastic movement but it shouldn’t be viewed as an exclusively legal code though it includes prescriptions for living in a monastery. The Rule actually contains a treasure of spiritual wisdom concerning the monastic movement in the Church. If we practice these rule everyday of our lives then we are most likely living the way God wants us to by then we shall receive the Lord’s promise of eternal life. In the Rule's prologue, Benedict said he intended to prescribe "nothing harsh, nothing burdensome" for his followers. His approach to seeking God was both sensible and humane. For Benedict, a spiritual pathway was not one to be littered with weird and unusual practices; rather, all that is needed is to be faithful to finding God in the ordinary circumstances of daily life. How to prepare oneself for this simple-but not necessarily easy-way of life is the substance of the Rule. Benedict envisioned a balanced life of prayer and work as the ideal. Monastics would spend time in prayer so as to discover why they're working, and would spend time in work so that good order and harmony would prevail in the monastery. Benedictines should not be consumed by work, nor should they spend so much time in prayer...
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...Benedict and Beowulf: The Great Ruler and Loyal Subjects In The Rule of St. Benedict, an ideal ruler is presented as a good abbot who follows all the rules of God, but also one who properly leads his monks in the word of God. An ideal subject is presented as a loyal monk, who properly follows the rules and teachings of his abbot and follows the word of God. Though, in Beowulf, an ideal ruler is a man who is fierce and almighty warrior. An ideal subject would be a warrior who is extremely loyal and is willing to die for his ruler at any time. The Rule of St. Benedict and Beowulf propose some similar ideals of a good ruler, but they also differentiate in numerous ways; however, this applies to the fairly similar ideals for a good subject as...
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...Codes – ethical, honor (discipline), moral, and religious laws • Concern for order • STRUCTURE – defines their purpose in life (gives them a strong sense of purpose), as well as clarifying their responsibilities – to live a virtuous life? • Set of rules which everyone/all needed to follow; there was a moral obligation to serve the “lord” in faith and/or valor (courage/bravery) • Follow a chain of command; respect for authority (Abbott and King of the court) • Establishes commitment within a community (religious or court/chivalric code) to bring unity • ? powers used to tempt or destroy o The Green Knight – the beheading game; Lady Bertilak at the castle (3 temptations/seductions); the green girdle o Rule of St. Benedict (Prologue lines 17?)...
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...The Decameron and the Rule of Saint.Benedict Beginning from the 10th century, the religion of Christianity in Europe was fragmented and localized, as well as in the secular sphere. The Church was in a state of weakness and disorder with rural popes supported by competing nobles, the Abbot of Cluny felt the need to revitalize the church by adhering to the Rule of St. Benedict. The Rule was meant to foster an understanding of the relation nature of human beings, and to provide a spiritual support to strengthen the individual’s ascetic effort and growth that is required for the fulfillment of the theosis. Despite crises happening constantly during the long existence of the Rule, the Benedictines have not been immune to periods of laxity and decline. In the fourth story of Day One in the Decameron, Boccaccio uncovers the negligent of monasticism in the late middle ages through a witty sexual story took place within a monastery. Using great details in the tale, Boccaccio tries to claim the unfeasible practice of monasticism, as well as the viability of the Christian church in the later middle ages. This tale is about the monastic life under the governing of the Rule of St.Benedict. In the context, the ecclesiastical characters attempt to break the Rule for the sake of their body. The monk uses his wit to free his body rests on the assumption that the freedom and pleasure of the body are good, and that the physical vigour of the young monk is very good. This is particularly...
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...RYERSON UNIVERSITY Department of History Seminar: Early Christianity St Ambrose (340-397), Concerning Virginity, chapters 2-6, (377) (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/34071.htm) 1. What does Ambrose say about Agnes, virginity and marriage? In essence, Ambrose is speaking about praise for Agnes. He encourages both married, unmarried, and children to both admire as well as take courage from the example set by Agnes. He goes on to talk about even at her young age of 12 there was strong faith in this girl who has suffered martyrdom. He praised virginity as a whole as it was thought to be brought down by the word of heaven. Virgins were strong as they were able to overcome powers which were not visible. In terms of marriage he talks about how there are benefits to a life of virginity but not discouraging marriage as a whole. Basically stating if you don’t have a wife do not seek one. In regards to virgins in general he states a person who gives a virgin in marriage is doing no wrong, but a person who does not is no better or worse than the one who does. Furthermore, he goes on to discuss how having children increases a woman’s sorrows (more responsibility). St Jerome (c. 340-420), Letter to Magnus, an orator of Rome (397) http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3001070.htm 1. Why is it all right for Christians to refer to the pagan authors of the ancient world? An example was stated in a passage which stated that a bishop of an Athenian church delivered...
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...To bring about this unity, Charlemagne “undertook to make liturgical practices uniform by imposing the same liturgical books on all the churches.” Prior to this endeavour, the churches followed the practices and traditions of their metropolises. There were some liturgical books in circulation at this time, some had Roman origin, some Gelasian, some Gallican, or a combination of several. The main sacramentary used in Francia was the Gallicanized Gelasian; this sacramentary took its roots from a version of the Gregorian Sacramentary revised for use in St. Peter’s in the Vatican, which was widely diffused and made its way to Gaul, where it “was used in conjunction with the Old Gelasian to form the Frankish or Galicanized Gelasian of the eighth century.” The Gallicanized Gelasian was “a clumsy book” which did not foster unity, nor was it purely Roman....
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...St. Benedict patron saint of students. He was born in the year 480 A.D. in Ignatius. When he was nineteen he decided to live as a hermit in Subiaco with his sister, Scholastica. On there way to Subiaco they stopped in a village were Scholastica met some friends. One of her friends borrowed her a harp and she broke it so she went to Benedict to see if he could fix it. After hours of prayer asking God to help fix the harp God heard him and made a miracle. Soon every one in town heard about it and he became famous but Benedict didn't like all the attention so he continued his journey without Scholastica. When he got to Subiaco a man greeted him he said he was a monk from a near by monastery Benedict told him he was going to be a hermit and the monk said I will bring the food you need to stay alive then Benedict thanked him afterwords he found a cave and lived there praying to God and receiving his meal from his friend the ,monk, but one day the monk died so Benedict had to forge for food. Benedict started preaching to small groups about God. He started to become famous again but he loved preaching about God. Benedict started preaching a lot so he got some men that were willing and they started to build a monastery Soon it became popular and more people wanted to help build the monastery When it was done it became filled with monks and Benedict started preaching to hundreds of people about the holy rule, gospels,and they all would pray together. Benedict left Subiaco and...
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...CHAPTER 9 – Test Bank Multiple-Choice Questions 1. The “Middle Ages” in Western Europe includes which of the following time periods? a. the beginning of the Early Christian period through the 13th or 14th centuries b. the end of the Roman Empire through the Byzantine period c. the beginning of Byzantine period through the end of the Roman Empire d. A.D. 300–A.D. 1600 Answer: a 2. The new religion that entered Europe in the 8th century was a. Buddhism. b. Hinduism. c. Islam. d. Judaism. Answer: c 3. Which of the following cultures influenced Islamic art? a. Byzantine b. Archaic Greek c. Early Christian d. both the Byzantine and Early Christian Answer: d 4. The Christian recovery of Moorish strongholds was called the a. Reformation. b. Rebellion. c. Revolution. d. Reconquest. e. Renaissance. Answer: d 5. Which is true? a. Muhammad was born in Mecca in 622. b. Muhammad claimed to be the son of Allah. c. The Hijra marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. d. Muslims are required to pray six times a day. Answer: c 6. The hadj refers to a. the Islamic calendar. b. a pilgrimage. c. a leader. d. a mosque. Answer: b 7. Jihad is a a. religious sentence. b. priest. c. holy book. d. holy war against sin, in oneself and in the world. Answer: d 8. Muslims must pray a. in a mosque. b. facing west. c. facing Mecca. d. facing a qibla. Answer:...
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...Injustices are a daily occurrence especially in our nation for all people. Sadly, this has become a norm, that we do not pay attention to these injustices anymore. This has resulted in many groups protesting in what may be considered radical or extreme. They try this to try and gain attention for their cause and bring forth a new change in life. The quote, “Justice is the natural result of a heart steeped in God. Benedict exhorts his followers, impelled by a personal experience of God’s love for us, to immerse ourselves in sacred scripture and the teaching of our “Benedictine” Tradition until they permeate every aspect of our being. Justice comes more naturally from a heart steeped in God’s truth. Attitudes, motives and thoughts become...
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...famous figures, St. Odo of Cluny and St. Theodore of Studite, paved the path for this monastic thought. Together, St. Odo and Theodore were involved with the most important issues in the East and West, which were monastic reform and renewal. In the West, the Clunaic reforms wanted a more independent abbot that would further instruct the Rule of St. Benedict. Western monasticism was in decline due to the social and political conditions brought on by invaders, poverty and rulers of the abbeys. There were added complications “that the Empire preserved the tax-structures of the Roman Empire, and depended on tax receipts for the running of the Empire [p. 234].” With monasteries being powerful, they also had to be maintained. In order for monastics to remain at their duties in solitary, layman were hired to keep the grounds safe. Thus the monastics were able to continue their daily solitary prayer. At Cluny, St. Odo was known for inspiring the Western reform of monasticism to focus on traditional monastic rules. Odo succeeded the abbot, and continued Berno's work of reforming abbeys from Cluny. In 931 the Pope John XI authorized...
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...Universität zu Köln Lehrstuhl für Mittelalterliche Geschichte Einführungsseminar: Dozentin: SS 12 Das Leben und die Persönlichkeit des Hl. Benedikt Aleksandra Zavyalova LA Gy/Ge Englisch: 1 Semester Geschichte: 1 Semester Inhaltsverzeichnis I. Einleitung ………………………………………………………….…………………….3 II. Die Quellenanlage ..……………………………………………….…………………… 4 1. Gregor der Große …………………………………………………………………….4 2. Die Dialoge …………………………………………………………………………..6 III. Hl. Benedikt: Lebensstationen …………………………………………........................7 1. Die Vorbereitung zum Aufstieg ……………………………………….......................8 2. „Unter der Erde“ ……………………………………………………………………10 3. „Auf der Erde“ ………………………………………………………………………12 4. „Über der Erde“ …………………………………………………………………….14 IV. Persönlichkeitsskizze Benedikts ……………………………………………………...16 1. Benedikt und seine Wunder …………………………………………........................16 2. Der angefochtene Mönch ……………………………………………........................18 3. Geistliche Begleitung ……………………………………………………………….19 V. Schluss …………………………………………………………………........................21 VI. Literaturverzeichnis …………………………………………………………………...23 I. Einleitung Benedikt gehört zu jenen Persönlichkeiten, deren Wirkung ihre Lebenszeit übersteigt. Rund 1500 Jahre nach seinem Leben und Wirken, wird der Hl. Benedikt oft als „Patron Europas“, als „Vater des Abendlandes“, ja sogar als „zivilisationsbringend“ und „Patriarch des abendländischen Mönchtums“ bezeichnet. Dennoch wenn wir versuchen, uns das...
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...December 10, 2011 Dante and St. Augustine Spiritual Journeys During St. Augustine’s life, there was extreme decline while Christianity was being accepted as an official religion. In this era, there was intense political stress, as well as widespread religious concern. The confessions of St. Augustine reveal things in his formative years. During these years, he tried inexorably in overcoming sensual desires, finding faith and understanding philosophical and religious doctrines. Augustine often experienced confusion, blindness and darkness while seeking to find the truth in the creator. Inside him, he truly knew that after he eventually finds him, there would be redemption of his confused heart. Augustine’s confessions begin as a prayer (Kline Para. 5). In 1300 AD, Dante could have headed to hell together with an ancient Roman poet as a guide. In this case, he required better help to find heaven. Virgil’s Aeneid gives an approximation of the Homeric song. The song borrows extensively from Odyssey and Iliad (Kline Para. 7). However, the politics are anti-Greek while there is also a lack of Homer’s irony and a penetrating observation of violence from humans. May be, Virgil could have successfully achieved all of Homer’s effects if he had tried since he is considered to be a strong imitator. However, the Roman imperialist politics determined his agenda. One of Augustine’s confessions consists of the eternal Rose’s yellow that stretches and slopes while diffusing fragrance of...
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...that the words of text describe something that factually happened. This restrictive meaning of “literal” is not what the Catholic Church means by the literal sense, literal level, or the literal meaning of the Bible. Rather, this modern contemporary American understanding of “literal” is closer to what is called literalism, which means, “fidelity to observable fact.”[1] The literal sense of some Biblical texts may require “fidelity to observable fact” but this is not always the case. Thus, in Catholic teaching, the “literal sense” is not synonymous with literalism. What the Catholic Church means by the literal sense is that the “literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation” (CCC[2]116).[3] It is called “literal” because the English word literal is derived from the Latin word “littera,” which is the Latin word for “letter.” So the literal sense, according to Catholic teaching, is not a literalist reading of the text based upon literalism but is the “meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture” (CCC 116) or the letters that comprise the words: The literal sense is not to be confused with the “literalist” sense to which fundamentalists are attached. It is not sufficient to translate a text word for word in order to obtain its literal sense. One must understand the text according to the literary conventions of the time. When a text is metaphorical, its...
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...Cathedral Project – Unit 3 St. Paul’s Methodist Here we are able to see one of the side Transepts located on the North side of St. Paul’s Methodist. It sprang from the need of procuring sufficient space for the increased number of clergy and for the proper celebration of the service. This design feature was also used in Asia Minor. These were formerly considered to belong to the medieval period, because they were not fully developed until the Middle Ages. This is the cross-shaped or cruciform church. In the cruciform design the transept is organically developed from the structure. Also, we can barely see the Crossing at the top of the Church roof where the Transepts meets at the top. Holy Rosary Catholic Church Sometimes a church has one side-aisle only. Often the aisle is continued around the apse such is the case at Holy Rosary. As a rule in Gothic architecture the aisle-roofs are much lower than the nave roof, allowing the admission of light through the clerestory windows. Also, the aisles extending the length of an apse at one end. It was this type that the early Christians adopted for their churches, possibly because similar halls in large private houses had been used for Christian worship before the religion was officially recognized by the Roman emperor Constantine in 313. St. Paul’s Methodist Here is one of the side portals at St. Paul’s. Since this is not one of the main entrances there are no portal jam works of art. Some of the portal decorations encompass...
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...Should Pope Benedict XVI have resigned? For the first time in over 600 years, the Pope has stepped down from his holy position and abandoned his role in the Roman Catholic Church. In history, only four other Popes have resigned. Every Pope for the past 600 years has lived through their issues, personal matters, and problems to serve the Roman Catholic community and has died in their position. The Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, which values tradition, should have kept with the tradition of dying in his seat of holy power. However, in his resignation statement, Benedict states; “In today’s world … both strength of mind and body are necessary, strength which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.” The Pope argues that, with his deteriorating strength, he can no longer carry out the responsibilities of the papacy. It is also true that Pope Benedict XVI is leaving the church in a more troubled state than when he first received the grand position. For years, controversy has plagued Catholicism. The controversy has only intensified since his coronation. The Pope no longer signifies true morality, especially after sex scandal controversies appeared in recent years . An increase in religious disregard and apathy has brought a societal shift in perspective of the church. The position of The Pope, and the church in general, promotes backwards moral values from a...
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