Saint Benedict of Nursia (born in Nursia, Italy c. 480 - died c. 547) was a founder of Christian monastic communities and a rule giver for monks living in community. His purpose may be gleaned from his Rule, namely that "Christ
may bring us all together to life eternal" (RB 72.12). The Roman Catholic Church canonized him in 1220.
Benedict founded twelve communities for monks, the best known of which is his first monastery at Monte Cassino in the mountains of southern Italy. There is no evidence that he intended to found also a religious order. The Order of St Benedict is of modern origin and, moreover, not an "order" as commonly understood but merely a confederation of congregations into which the traditionally independent Benedictine abbeys have affiliated themselves for the purpose of representing their mutual interests, without however ceasing any of their autonomy.[1]
Benedict's main achievement is a "Rule" containing precepts for his monks, referred to as the Rule of......
Join Now or Login to view the rest of this paper.
Approximate Word Count: 781
Approximate Pages: 4 (260 words per double-spaced page) |