Commentary on the rule of Saint Benedict / Smaragdus of Saint-Mihiel ; translated by David Barry ; introductory essays by Terrence Kardong, Jean Leclercq, Daniel M. LaCorte.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Smaragdus, Abbot of St. Mihiel, active 809-819.

Contributor:

Kardong, Terrence.

Leclercq, Jean.

La Corte, Daniel M. (Daniel Marcel), 1963-

Series:

Cistercian studies series

Standardized Title:

Expositio in Regulam Sancti Benedicti. English

Language:

English

Latin

Subjects (All):

Benedict, Saint, Abbot of Monte Cassino. Regula.

Benedict.

Physical Description:

v, 568 pages ; 22 cm.

Place of Publication:

Kalamazoo, Mich. : Cistercian Publications, [2007]

Summary:

Born around 760, Smaragdus became a monk of Saint Mihiel in the diocese of Verdun. As abbot of his monastery he took part in 816 in the Council of Aachen, at which a single monastic rule, the Rule of Benedict, was imposed on all monasteries in the Carolingian Empire. Knowing the Rule from long experience, Smaragdus wrote a detailed Commentary to introduce it to monastics coming to its full observance for the first time.

In typical Carolingian style, Smaragdus draws on Scripture, the Rule itself, several Fathers of both Church and Desert, as well as on earlier monastic rules which had been collected by Benedict of Aniane in the Concordia Regularum. But Smaragdus did not simply reproduce others' ideas. He evinces a deep devotion to Christ and great reverence for Saint Benedict and his Rule; he emphasizes the need to update the Rule's observances to meet the needs of a different society, period of history, and breed of monk. His ninth-century work, largely the fruit of lectio divina, is essential, in the opinion of the late Jean Leclercq, to understanding the monastic and spiritual life of the Middle Ages; and his insights may yet be found enlightening to scholars and monks of the twenty-first century.

Contents:

Introduction: Smaragdus and His Work / Terrence Kardong 1

The Expositio and Monastic Reform at Citeaux / Daniel M. LaCorte 9

The Relevance of Smaragdus to Modern Monasticism / Jean Leclercq 25

Translator's Preface and Acknowledgments 35

Abbreviations of Works Cited 37

Authors and Works Cited 38

The Commentary of Abbot Smaragdus on the Rule of Saint Benedict

Metrical Preface 43

Book 1 Prologue to the Rule 49

Chapters of the Rule 111

Chapter One through Chapter Three 115

Book 2 Chapter Four through Chapter Seven 163

Book 3 Chapter Eight through Chapter Seventy-three 311.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

ISBN:

0879072121

9780879072124

OCLC:

170057919