Unit I: Prologue

A. Benedict’s Prologue is sometimes called an exhortation to conversion for a prospective candidate. What concrete images does the author use to symbolize this vigorous return to God. Do you find any interesting aspects in his use of these images? (1 page)

B. RB Prologue 46-49 is probably Benedict’s addition to the Rule of the Master. How does this addition alter spirituality of the end of the Prologue? (1 page)

C. What picture of God (=theology) comes through in the Prologue? Back up your argument with citations. (1 page)

Unit II: The Abbot

A. Read RB 2 and 64 in rapid succession. If Benedict wrote RB 64 in later life to modify RB 2, in what way did he change it? (1 page)

B. Although the Rule of the Master presents an even more authoritarian abbot than Benedict, this is not true for RM 2/RB 2. Demonstrate. (1 page)

C. While RB is written for cenobites, its theology of the abbot is heavily based on the desert master/disciple relationship. What are some consequences of this for good and bad? (1-2 pages)

Unit III; The Council

A. Some modern scholars consider RB 3 an “anomaly,” that is, a surprising chapter that does not match its surroundings. Why is this? How did it come to be? (1 page)

B. How can RB 3 still provide a good basis for modern monastic chapter meetings? Where does it fall short? (1 page)

C. Working through the exegetical notes of RB 3 (pp. 70-75), do you find insights that do not surface in a casual reading? (1 page)

Unit IV: Tools for Good Works

A. Benedict’s remarks about tools and the workshop (4.75-78) are more concrete than both of his sources (Cassian and the Master), but they are not clearer. Explain. (1 page)

B. On the surface, RB 4.51-58 appear to be just nine more verses in a long list of one-liners. But on closer inspection they can be seen as a coherent unit. How do 51-54; 55-56; 57-58 interrelate? (1 page)

C. Benedict’s almost shocking statement in 4.42-43 has to be understood in context. How so? (1 page)

Unit V: Obedience

A. With its peremptory demands for instant obedience, RB5 makes a particularly harsh impression on the modern sensibility. How does literary analysis serve to soften this harshness? (1 page)

B. Nothing is so obnoxious to Benedict as self-will, but obviously a monastic person needs a strong will. Reconcile this apparent contradiction by studying the notes on “will” indicated in the index (p. 641). (1 page)

C. Although RB 68 allows a monastic to question a order, it is far from “soft.” Discuss (1 page)

Unit: VI: Humility

A.In RB 7.67, Benedict claims that his ladder of humility leads from fear to love, yet steps one (1-30) and twelve (62-66) are both heavily marked by fear of the Lord. Explain. (1 page)

B. Why do you think step four is considered by some scholars as the high point of the chapter on humility? (1 page)

C. By remodeling Cassian’s ten “signs” into a “ladder” of twelve steps, the Master and Benedict risk throwing the subject of humility into confusion. Agree or disagree? (1 page)

Unit VII: Prayer

A. Benedict presents no theory of prayer, but we can still glean insights from his offhand remarks. Can you, for example, see a thread running through RB 20, 33 and 52? (1 page)

B. RB 19.1-2 contain a cluster of spiritual themes repeated in 4.44-63; 7.10-14; 7.26-30. Study the notes on these verses and write a synthetic essay on these themes. (1 page)

C. Of all the hours of the Divine Office, Vigils is probably the most “monastic.” Substantiate this from the notes and overview, indicating how we might learn from it, even if we do not rise to pray in the middle of the night. (1 page)

Unit VIII: Material Goods

A. Some commentators think RB 33-34 were written as a pair to create a rounded picture of monastic poverty. Can you see how this is so? (1 page)

B. Borias thinks RB 31.1 and 31.12 form an inclusion. What does this mean and what are its implications? (1 page)

C. Although RB 55 is based on the Rule of the Master, the principle influence seems to be Basil of Caesarea. What is the significance of this? (1 page)

Unit IX: Care of the Sick and the Traveler

A. Benedict’s picture of God and Christ is very austere (see RB 7.10-13), but chapters like RB 36 and RB 53 show how this doctrine can have compassionate consequences. Expand (1 page)

B. What is it that makes RB 36 the most successful early monastic treatise on the care of the sick? (1 page)

C. How can we explain the sharp shift in tone between the beginning and the end of RB 53? Provide both technical and common-sense arguments. (1 page)

X. Meals and Fasting

A. The early monastic Rules sometimes appear to consider eating a shameful thing. Benedict, however, wishes to humanize and dignify the process. Substantiate and illustrate from RB 37-41. (1 page)

B. The meal is a primary symbol of human community. How do these texts illustrate that? RB 39.8-9; RB 40.5-7; RB 41.3-5; RB 43.13-17; RB 51; RB 56. (3 pages)

C. Benedict is uncharacteristically more narrow-minded than the Master in regard to food and drink. Agree or disagree? (1 page)

XI. The Daily Horarium

A. RB 48 is full of minute adjustments of the horarium that tend to bore the reader. What is their positive value? (1 page)

B. The motto of (modern) Benedictines is “work and pray,” but RB 48 does not bear this out. How so? (1 page)

C. On the basis of RE 48, show how lectio divina is one of the most important, but almost most difficult, monastic practices. (1 page)

XII: Lent

A. Given that the Lenten Sermons of Pope Leo 1 are the principal source of RB 49, what are the implications for monastics? (1 page)

B. RB 49 has important things to contribute to a Christian spiritual of joy and sorrow. What are they? (1 page)

C. Benedict’s approach to Lent emphasizes both individual initiative and community control. Develop. (1 page)

XIII; Formation

A. Some contemporary monasteries have ceased to have the rite of profession during Mass. Does RB 58 corroborate this move (1 page)

B. RB 58 is a rather confusing text to follow. What is the reason for this in terms of the literary history of this chapter? (1 page)

C. A casual reading of RB 58 does not seem to yield much insight for modern formation work but a closer reading is more productive. How so? (1 page)

XIV: Mutual Love

A. RB 71 could be seen as an aborted discussion of mutual obedience. Illustrate. (1 page)

B. A. de Vogüé tends to dismiss RB 72 as a “purple patch,” i.e., a flight of overheated rhetoric not to be taken literally. He has stylistic grounds for saying this, but ultimately he is wrong. Discuss (1 page)

C. Although RB only quotes Scripture explicitly once, it is in fact saturated with biblical themes. Demonstrate. (1 page)

XV: The Epilogue

A. RB 73 is all about “sources,” some of which Benedict himself mentions. Yet it is not so clear which sources really influenced him. Discuss (1 page)

B. Is “perfection” a major theme of Benedict? Why does he employ it in this final chapter? (1 page)

C. Benedict calls his Rule a “little Rule” in RB 73. Do you agree with him? (1 page)

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