The Rule of Saint Benedict
Edition & AttributionTranscribed from a dated scan; artifacts may remain. Translator, publisher and source details.
- Text source
- OCR-derived transcription
- Translator
- D. Oswald Hunter Blair (in religion, Dom Oswald Hunter Blair; David Oswald Hunter Blair, 4th Baronet, 1853-1939), a Benedictine monk of Fort Augustus Abbey
- Series
- Not part of a named series — a standalone Abbey Press printing
- Editor
- D. Oswald Hunter Blair
- Publisher
- St. Benedict’s Abbey (The Abbey Press), Fort-Augustus, Scotland
- Year
- 1906
- Revision
- Transcribed from the Internet Archive DjVu XML of IA item ruleofstbenedict00bene_1 (the Princeton Theological Seminary Library copy, BX3004.A2 1906), using per-word coordinates to separate the English rectos from the Latin versos, recover paragraph indents, and strip the marginal reading-day date column. Chapter numbering is by ordinal position, not the printed roman numeral, because the scan damages 7 of the 73 (see the QA report); the result is cross-checked against the edition’s own printed CONTENTS (pp. xi-xv). All 74 chapter/Prologue openings and every OCR-word repair below were read directly off the page images at archive.org/download/ruleofstbenedict00bene_1/page/leaf<N>_w1000.jpg (leaf = printed page + 22), not inferred from context; see the QA report for the full corrections ledger and for the nine chapters (3, 4, 23, 29, 36, 41, 61, 63, 64) whose OCR text layer lost a whole leading clause rather than merely misreading it.
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Accessed
- 2026-08-09
- License
- public-domain-base
- edition
- Second Edition — the printed "Note to Second Edition" and the 21 March 1906 imprimatur (Bishop of Aberdeen) date this printing; catalogued publication year 1906/1907. Bilingual Latin/English facing-page edition; only the English column is transcribed.
Contents
PrologueChapter 1. Of the several kinds of Monks and their way of lifeChapter 2. What kind of man the Abbot ought to beChapter 3. Of calling the Brethren to CouncilChapter 4. What are the Instruments of Good WorksChapter 5. Of ObedienceChapter 6. Of the Practice of SilenceChapter 7. Of HumilityChapter 8. Of the Divine Office at NightChapter 9. How many Psalms are to be said at the Night-HoursChapter 10. How the Night-Office is to be said in Summer timeChapter 11. How the Night-Office is to be said on SundaysChapter 12. How the Solemn Office of Lauds is to be saidChapter 13. How Lauds are to be said on Week-daysChapter 14. How the Night-Office is to be said on Saints’-daysChapter 15. At what times of the year Alleluia is to be saidChapter 16. How the Work of God is to be done in the day-timeChapter 17. How many Psalms are to be sung at these HoursChapter 18. In what order the Psalms are to be saidChapter 19. Of the Discipline of saying the Divine OfficeChapter 20. Of Reverence at PrayerChapter 21. Of the Deans of the MonasteryChapter 22. How the Monks are to SleepChapter 23. Of Excommunication for OffencesChapter 24. What the measure of Excommunication should beChapter 25. Of graver FaultsChapter 26. Of those who, without leave of the Abbot, consort with the ExcommunicateChapter 27. How careful the Abbot should be of the ExcommunicateChapter 28. Of those who, being often corrected, do not amendChapter 29. Whether the Brethren who leave the Monastery are to be received againChapter 30. How the younger boys are to be correctedChapter 31. What kind of man the Cellarer of the Monastery is to beChapter 32. Of the Iron Tools, and Property of the MonasteryChapter 33. Whether Monks ought to have anything of their ownChapter 34. Whether all ought alike to receive what is needfulChapter 35. Of the Weekly Servers in the KitchenChapter 36. Of the Sick BrethrenChapter 37. Of Old Men and ChildrenChapter 38. Of the Weekly ReaderChapter 39. Of the Measure of FoodChapter 40. Of the Measure of DrinkChapter 41. At what Hours the Brethren are to take their MealsChapter 42. That no one may speak after ComplineChapter 43. Of those who come late to the Work of God, or to tableChapter 44. Of those who are excommunicated, how they are to make satisfactionChapter 45. Of those who make mistakes in the OratoryChapter 46. Of those who offend in any other mattersChapter 47. Of signifying the Hour for the Work of GodChapter 48. Of the Daily Manual LabourChapter 49. Of the Observance of LentChapter 50. Of the Brethren who are working at a distance from the Oratory, or are on a journeyChapter 51. Of the Brethren who go not very far offChapter 52. Of the Oratory of the MonasteryChapter 53. Of receiving GuestsChapter 54. Whether a Monk ought to receive letters or tokensChapter 55. Of the Clothes and Shoes of the BrethrenChapter 56. Of the Abbot’s TableChapter 57. Of the Artificers of the MonasteryChapter 58. Of the Discipline of receiving Brethren into ReligionChapter 59. Of the Sons of Nobles, or of Poor Men, that are offeredChapter 60. Of Priests who may wish to dwell in the MonasteryChapter 61. Of Stranger Monks, how they are to be receivedChapter 62. Of the Priests of the MonasteryChapter 63. Of the Order of the CommunityChapter 64. Of the Appointment of the AbbotChapter 65. Of the Provost of the MonasteryChapter 66. Of the Porter of the MonasteryChapter 67. Of Brethren who are sent on a journeyChapter 68. If a Brother be commanded to do impossibilitiesChapter 69. That no one presume to defend another in the MonasteryChapter 70. That no one presume to strike anotherChapter 71. That the Brethren be obedient one to the otherChapter 72. Of the good zeal which Monks ought to haveChapter 73. That the whole observance of perfection is not set down in this Rule