The Rule of Saint Benedict, written around 540, not only remains a directory for many people today, but is also a key work in the history of Christian monasticism. Saint Benedict, born around 480 in today's Norcia, was sent to Rome to study. Eventually, embittered by the self-centered Roman lifestyle, Benedict left for a place of confinement to pursue a life dedicated to God. Benedict founded a monastery in Montecassino with the intention of establishing the framework of monastic life. The Rule of Saint Benedict is based on the key principles of humility, obedience and justice and aims to create a harmonious and well-organized religious community in which individuals can progress in Christian virtues, appeal to God and prepare for the future. hope of eternal life. Benedict constructs ideal monastic routines and regulations, including the qualities of an exceptional abbot, each day's agenda, steps towards humility, and the value of living a virtuous and faithful life. The meticulous way in which the abbot handles punishment embodies the ideas of obedience, humility and justice and, in a broader sense, the Rule establishes the idea that the abbot is ultimately responsible for his disciples and their actions, thus preventing the abbot from becoming unjust or proud. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay From the opening of the Rule, St. Benedict outlined the criterion for how an abbot should act. Benedict wrote: “…the abbot must not teach, or decree, or command anything contrary to the instructions of the Lord; he must instead instill the commands of the Lord and his teaching in the minds of his disciples, as if they were leaven of divine justice". From this it is clear that the abbot must be someone who is not only honest, but also knows how to interpret and teach what is truly important in life. The abbot and his monks were to hold Christ dearer than anything else in life. If you maintain this lifestyle, you can achieve absolute humility. Chapter 5 of the Rule states that as soon as the superior gives an order, the friar must "carry it out with the utmost promptness, as if the order came from God". This standard was expected to be met by each member of the monastic community, however, in some cases, if a brother were to become disobedient, punishment was meted out by the abbot. As demonstrated by Benedict, it was the abbot's duty to adapt to every circumstance, be it a first offense or constant evil acts. The general process comes from the apostle Paul's advice to Timothy to "rebuke, appeal, and rebuke." This serves as a rough reference for the punishment system in the monastery. Rule 23, entitled “Excommunication for Crimes”, states: “If a brother is insubordinate, disobedient, arrogant, complaining or in any way uncooperative and contemptuous of the sacred rule and the orders of his superiors, he shall be reprimanded by his elders a or twice, in private, as the Lord had advised.” For the first and second offense the brother should be reprimanded, or scolded rather gently and privately. This allows the monk to make amends and correct his wrongdoing before facing a public admonition. If no correction is made to his behavior, the abbot will be publicly reprimanded in front of everyone. Then, if there is still no improvement, "he must be excommunicated" and if he persists in his error "he should suffer corporal punishment". This system of punishment is clear and simple enough for monks to understand. For both God and the abbot, the only truly acceptable form of obedience was that in which "the given order was carried out without.