Explanation of the Rule of Benedict, by Hildegard of Bingen

Translated, with introduction and notes, by Hugh Feiss, osb1

INTR !"#TI N Hildegard and Her $or%s The outline of Hildegards life is well known, thanks to the attention she has received recently from mediaevalists.2 According to the reconstruction of Sr. Marianna Schrader,3 Hildegards no le and numerous family came from !ermersheim, near Al"ey, a out ten miles from Main". The family was well connected in church and civil society, although it did not elong to the highest ranks of the no ility. #hen she was a ess, Hildegard would allow only women of no le family to $oin the convent at the %u&erts erg, which included mem ers of the highest no ility, such as %ichardis von Stade.' (ater, her rothers gave some of the family &ro&erty to the convent on the %u&erts erg. Hildegard was orn in )*+,, the tenth and youngest child orn of her &arents, Hilde ert and Mechtild.- #hile she was still a small child she had a visionary e.&erience/ it was also during childhood that she was trou led y illness.0 At the age of eight she was sent to the recently refounded !enedictine monastery of 1isi oden erg.2 There she was enclosed with an anchoress named 3utta, the eautiful young daughter of a local count. Soon others attached themselves to 3utta, and her cell e.&anded to ecome a convent su $ect to the a ot of 1isi oden erg. 4n ))30 3utta died and Hildegard succeeded her as leader of the community. 5ive years later she had a vision of linding light when gave her heavenly understanding of the !i le. 4n the vision she was told to write down what she had seen and heard, ut she hesitated to do so for a long time. She ecame ill and inter&reted this as a sign of divine dis&leasure. So, with the hel& of the monk 6olmar and of %ichardis von Stade, she egan writing down the visions which underlay her first work, Scivias 78scite9 vias9domini: know the ways of the (ord;< and which she finished some ten years later., Meanwhile, a commission a&&ointed y =o&e >ugene iii at Trier in ))'2?))', had a&&roved her visions as authentic. A out this time Hildegard announced that she had a command from @od to move her community to %u&erts erg, at the confluence of the Aahe and the %hine, a out fifteen miles from 1isi oden erg. #ith the hel& of another illness and some outside su&&ort, Hildegard and her community of a out twenty nuns made the move around ))-*. Although there were dis&utes etween the two communities for some years, the community of 1isi oden erg did agree to su&&ly a cha&lain. To the early years at %u&erts erg &ro a ly elong many of Hildegards hymns and seBuences+ and her medical and scientific works,)* all of which may have served the liturgical and &hysical well9 eing of the new community and its guests.

Meanwhile, Hildegard was ecoming more widely known in the world and she corres&onded with many im&ortant &eo&le.)) Although she was ill etween ))-, and ))0), she found the energy to kee& working at her second ma$or work, Liber vitae meritorum 7!ook of (ifes Merits<.)2 She also went on some &reaching tours to monasteries and other churches, which took her considera le distances y river and land. 4n ))03 she egan her Liber divinorum operum 7!ook of 1ivine #orks<,)3 which took her over ten years to com&lete. A out ))0- her community made a foundation across the %hine at >i ingen/)' in ))2* wrote the vita of St. 1isi od ? ut only after she had suffered another out of sickness ? and in ))2*C2) she went on another &reaching tour. 4n a out ))2' 6olmar, her advisor and confessor, died and his &lace was taken, tem&orarily, first y (udwig from St. >ucharius at Trier and then y Hildegards ne&hew, #e"elin from St. Andreas at Dologne. 5inally, after Hildegard a&&ealed to the &o&e, a monk named @odfrey was sent from 1isi oden erg around the eginning of ))2-. He egan writing a life of the a ess ut died in ))20 efore he could finish it.)- His secretarial work was taken over y Hildegards rother Hugo who was re&laced as cha&lain hE a canon of Main". Around this same time,the monk @ui ert of @em lou. egan corres&onding with Hildegard.)0 #hen Hugo and the canon died in ))22, @ui ert re&laced them oth and he remained at %u&erts erg until )),*. 1uring the last year of her life, Hildegard was involved in a dis&ute with the clergy of Main" over the urial of a man who had een e.communicated. 4t was settled efore her death on Se&tem er )2, ))2+. The #ircu&stances of Hildegard's Explanation of the Rule of (t) Benedict There are several &u""ling as&ects a out this short work of Hildegard. 5or one thing, although she was a mem er of a !enedictine convent for all her adult life and an a ess for over forty years, in her works she very seldom mentions !enedict or his %ule.)2 This may sim&ly have een another instance of her &ractice of avoiding Buotations from human authorities. 4n any case, we must rely on this short work for most of what we know of Hildegards views on monastic &ractice.), =ractice, it would seem, is the focus of the work, for Hildegard does not comment on the more theological as&ects of !enedicts teaching. Fne slight clue to the time of com&osition may e the &reface to the Liber vitae meritorum which mentions that she had een s&ending time on 8answers and admonitions to many &ersons great and small . . . and letters, with certain other e.&ositions.)+ 4f her Explanation of the Rule of St. Benedict was among these e.&ositions, then she wrote it in the late ))-*s or early ))0*s. The identity and location of the reci&ients of the Explanation are even more intracta le. The letter reBuesting the commentary comes from the 8congregatio Hunniensis.; Scholarly suggestions regarding the identity of this community include the convent of Dluniac nuns at Huy near (iGge, Heningense in the diocese of #orms, and %avengiers urg HHunsrIckJ in the diocese of Trier.2* The &etitioners seem to e males H8&er$uri; in &ar. 3J, followers of the %ule of St. Augustine H8!. =ater . . . religionem nostram; in &ar. 'J. Their lack of clarity a out o servance seems unlikely in such a venera le house as %avengiers urg, es&ecially since it was surrounded y houses following the carefully ela orated customs of S&ringiers ach.2) 4t seems more likely that a small, out9of9the9way canonical house with

eclectic customs drawn from various sources HDhrodegang, !enedictinesJ was accused y the !enedictines of la. o servance. To acBuire authority for their e.isting &ractices andCor advice on how to reform their customs, they asked Hildegard, a recognised !enedictine authority. #hatever theory one advances, however, it remains difficult to know why Hildegard answered their rather general letter with such a s&ecific re&ly. =erha&s a messenger rought not $ust the letter, ut some s&ecific Buestions. 4n any case, &u""ling as the identity of 8Hunniensis; is, it does not seem to affect the inter&retation of the te.t very much. As =itra has noted,22 Hildegards style in The Explanation of the Rule of St. Benedict is sim&ler and more straightforward than elsewhere in her work. Fnly at the eginning and end is there a hint of her &ro&hetic and visionary e.&erience. Text and Translations The letter from the 8congregatio Hunniensis cKno ii; and Hildegards res&onse, the Regulae S. Benedicti Explanatio, are &rinted among her works in volume )+2 of Mignes Patrologia Latina, cols. )*-3?)*00. Migne re&rinted the te.t from 6olume 23 of the Maxima bibliotheca veterum patrum H(yons, )022J which, in turn, re&rinted the te.t from 3. !lanckwalt, ed., Epistolarum liber HDologne, )-00J.23 Aone of these &rinted editions is wholly satisfactory. The te.t is here translated from Migne HMJ, ut with corrections drawn from the %iesenkode., #ies aden, Hessische (andes i liothek MS 2 2' and =itra H=J, nalecta Sacra ,:'+-. The footnotes to the translation indicate variants in these sources and which reading 4 have chosen to follow. Three modern translations offered some guidance in rendering difficult &assages: M. =ots 1utch translation, a @erman translation and &ara&hrase y Maria Assum&ta HLnmann, 81ie %egula Sancti !enedicti H%!J im Mommentar der heiligen Hildegard von !ingen,; rt! und "hrist 22 H)+,)J: 32?'-, and a translation &re&ared y =amela 3ouris as &art of an MA thesis at !isho&s Nniversity, (enno.ville, OuP ec, )++*. The divisions and su titles are my own, although 4 have &rofited y the suggestions of HLnmann, as listed on &. 3- of her translation of HildegardsExplanation. My commentary follows the &aragra&h num ers of the translation, The &refi. => refers to the &aragra&hs of the &etitionary letter, while the &refi. >. refers to the &aragra&hs of Hildegards >.&lanation of the %ule and my commentary on it. Re*uest of the #o&&unity of the #on+ent of Hunniensis to Hildegard 1) To Hildegard, the tem&le of the Holy S&irit and Dhrists revered ride, eloved of @od, and to the sisters of the greatly desired mistress of St. %u&ert in !ingen.2- The whole community of the convent of %avengiers urg, with the humility and insistence of good deeds, 7&rays< that she e e.alted with eternal glory.

,) As though s&rinkled with the &riceless flower of the narcissus of &aradise,20 we have so delighted u& to now in the revelations of your thought, that we are com&elled to say with the a&ostle: 8Thanks e to him who always trium&hs in us, in who he dis&lays the fragrance of his knowledge everywhere; H2 Dor 2.)'J. As we contem&late the whole framework of the entire ody of the church in which 8the one S&irit divides u& to each as he wishes; H) Dor )2.))J, we re$oice that his a undance overflows in your outstanding holiness. !ecause in &ost9a&ostolic time we contem&late you as a mirror of divine love, in a moment of need we flee to you as to the steadfast refuge of an im&regna le city, and we entreat you to aid us with your counsel and &rayers. -) Although we are different from you22 in all res&ects, our order is honoured and lessed y you. #e have een told of your deeds, how in a short time you estowed desira le riches on the children of the res&lendent church. !ecause you do not lack this gift now, we cast ourselves2, at the feet of your holiness and all of us together ask your holy love, that you leave to us as a memorial what is needful to us regarding the %ule of our lessed father !enedict. .) 5or we are called liars, &er$urers and2+ violators of that aforesaid %ule, and &eo&le who hold in contem&t the synodal decrees. #hat ha&&ens most es&ecially is that if, y the wilfulness of their mind, any of our &relates comes3* to think contem&tuously of the canonical statutes of the %ule, then as a law unto themselves they say ? according to the testimony of the %ule itself ? that what they want is holy and $ust, and what they do not want they think is not allowed H%! ).+J. Hence, it comes to &ass that we are carried a out y every wind of doctrine H>&h ': )'J and the &resum&tions of men weigh3) heavy on us. Fur lessed father Augustine also shuddered at such &resum&tions. He s&oke of them in the same way. He wished our religious community to e free from them, y the grace of @od, for a few o vious sacramental cele rations. Although it may not e against faith, they o&&ress our religious community with servile urdens to such an e.tent that the state of the 3ews would e more eara le. 5or although they32 did not know the time of true li erty, they were su $ect to the sacraments of the law,33 not to human &resum&tions. /) Qou would &resent a work more &recious than the riches of Droesus or indeed of all the treasuries of the world, if you would meet our reBuest in this matter of necessity3' for all cloisters. >ven if you were to e.&ound the whole of sacred scri&ture, you could not &resent us with anything so useful and so dear. 5or the rest, &ray for us, so that through the Holy S&irit our gathered community may not ever e distur ed y any hostile trickery. !ut3- may he who has egun a good work in us H=hil ):0J, deign to &reserve it in us y the working of his good will. May your maternal love &ros&er.

The Rule of (t) Benedict Explained by (t) Hildegard-0

Introduction) The 1irtues of (t) Benedict, The Inspired 2uthor of the Rule 1) And 4, a &oor little female in form, unlearned y human teaching, looked toward the true light and to the memory of lessed !enedict as you reBuested, in order that the matters in the teaching of the %ule which are more difficult and o scure to human understanding might e revealed to me through the grace of @od. And 4 heard a voice from the true light saying to me: The Holy S&irit effected most rilliant gifts32 and mystic ins&irations in St. !enedict, so that his mind glowed with the love of @od, and y his virtues he shone like the dawn.3, He &erformed in his deeds none of the things the crafty devil urged. He had een so filled with the grace of the Holy S&irit that in no deed of his did he lack the &ower of the Holy S&irit for even a second or the link of an eye. ,) !iscretion 5urthermore, he was a closed fountain HSong ':)2J who &oured forth his doctrine in the discretion of @od. 5or he drove in the shar& nail of his doctrine neither too high nor too low, ut in the middle of the wheel, so that each one, whether strong or weak or sick,3+ would e a le to drink from his according to his ca&acity. This turning wheel Hcf. >" ):)-/ )*/ +/ 1n 2:+J is the &ower of @od, y which @od worked in the saints of old u& to the time of Moses, who gave the law to the &eo&le of @od. !y the same &ower @od was at work in other holy men as well, the nail of whose la ours was fi.ed at such great height that the common &eo&le were not a le to gras& it. -) Fear, 3iety, #harity and #hastity !lessed !enedict drank his doctrine most mildly in the fear of @od/ he taught the commandments of @od in &iety/ he constructed the wall of the holiness in charity of the %ule/ and in chastity he was a stranger to the &om&s and delights of this world. !ecause he wrote his doctrine in fear and &iety and in charity and chastity, nothing should e added to or taken away from that doctrine. Aothing is lacking in it ecause it was done and com&leted in the Holy S&irit. .) 3aternal Teacher !ecause he was the son of a dove Hcf. Mt 3:)0?)2 &ar.J, he said: 8(isten F Son,'* to the &rece&ts of your father; H%! =rol. )J. Thus, he was full of the holiness of the virtues

mentioned a ove, $ust as 8Moses was the meekest of all the &eo&le who lived on the earth; HAm )2:3J. 2) (earching for 4od in the 5onastic 6ife /) The 7inds of 5on%s As') a loving father he says that some monks diverge in their ha its of life/ to those who &onder this, it is clear how the reward of their deeds will e given them in accord with their merits. 5or efore the time of lessed father !enedict, monks were fortified y no certain rule, and they wandered here and there, uncertain and unsta le in various ways. They lacked certain teaching and a fi.ed &lace. 5or this reason he descri es the evil elements of their lack of moral sta ility as a warning that their way of life should e avoided y faithful monks. 0) n (ilence 8RB 09 Fn account of the im&ortance of silence, &ermission to s&eak'2 is rarely given Hcf. %! 0:3J to those who truly are followers of his teaching. Such &ermission is granted when there arise things reBuiring consultation or usiness matters or serious needs/ such &ermission is for s&eaking together, moderately and riefly as need dictates, not &rivately. '3 Then when a sign is given, let all e Buiet in silence as is customary. !enedict had not &redetermined this &ermission for a stated hour on a certain day, ut retained the &ower to grant it insofar as it was necessary. 5or he gave this &ermission to s&eak'' only as some $ust need or kindly &ur&ose urged it. However, since it is almost'- inhuman for a &erson to e silent always and never s&eak, the same father left this matter, as he did many other things, in the &ower of the $udgement of the a ot. He may &rovide a suita le time for the disci&les to s&eak together a out matters which are good and necessary, so that they will not e urdened with weariness ecause of e.cessive silence. After such &ermission to s&eak together, they could all the more fittingly and sternly e urged and com&elled to the s&irit and &ractice of silence. :) 3rayer; The 2rrange&ent of the !i+ine ffice 8RB <=,>9

He says: 84n the winter, that is from the first of Aovem er until >aster, &rudent consideration suggests that rising take &lace at the eighth hour of the night. !y resting until a little &ast midnight, they may rise with digestion com&lete; H%! ,:)J. This is ecause one who kee&s watch for a third &art of the night hours in the winter, or who slee&s for a third &art of the night and day hours in winter, is not weakened in his rain or in the rest of his ody y staying awake or y slee&. Someone who stays awake immoderately, or who slee&s immoderately, suffers damage to his senses and ody. Thus the slee&ing rothers will'0 rise for vigils with digestion com&leted ecause after'2 food has een eaten and drink taken, it is changed', into something else during these &rolonged hours of inactivity. Then a &erson should get u&, for these vigils also confer health on a &erson when he shakes himself

from his idle slee& and &urges himself. 4f a &erson slee&s immoderately, he will easily fall victim'+to fevers and ecause of the interior heat, he will feel stirring-* in his flesh. !ut to guard himself from these things and faithfully serve @od, let him with a good attitude fulfil the e.hortation of his loving father. <) There follows: 8Those rothers who need to study the &salter or readings may devote the time after vigils to such meditation; H%! 0:3J. He says this to warn them not to give themselves afterwards to slee& or idleness/ instead, this winter interlude is carefully arranged for the utility of the soul as the season then &ermits until, at the dawning of the day, morning &raise egins. He assigns this interval after vigils, that is after the nightly &salms are finished, for &rayerful meditation or reading. Then immediately he says of the interval in the summer: 85rom >aster until Aovem er ), the hour for vigils should e arranged that a very small interlude will give the rother a chance to go out for the needs of nature. Then as the day egins to reak, lauds are to egin; H%! 0: 'J. Fne should notice in this &assage that oth in summer and in winter, that is whether there are three readings or only one, the rothers do not return to rest on their eds either after vigils nor after lauds. %ather, in oth instances they so arrange the nightly vigils after midnight that they are already singing lauds as they see the day dawn. They will not e urdened y this &ro&er and moderate arrangement. Fn the contrary, they will re$oice ecause, to re&eat what was mentioned earlier, when a man kee&s vigil after he has rested for more than half the night and then is awakened, his strength is not undermined y such vigils. ?) Then he says: 8#hen these have een recited and a verse said, let the a ot give a lessing; H%! +:-J. This does not indicate that the (ords =rayer &receded there/ the same is true when he writes regarding the first nocturn on Sunday: 8As we said a ove, when si. &salms and the verse have een said and all are sitting in orderly fashion on their enches, four other lessons are to e read from the ook, as we said a ove; H%! )):2J. Aor is the (ords =rayer mentioned in connection with the second and third nocturn, ecause after the third nocturn is finished, he says: 8After the verse has een said and the a ots lessing, another four lessons are to e read; H%! )):2J. He makes no mention of the (ords =rayer there so that it will not e an interru&tion. 1>) !ut when the si. &salms of the second nocturn of an ordinary day are finished, he says: 8After these, the reading from the A&ostle follows/ it is to e recited y heart; H%! +:)*J. And after these, 8instead of three lessons, one from the Fld Testament is to e &ronounced from memory; H%! )*.2J. And again/ 8Then one lesson of the A&ostle recited y memory; follows H%! )3:))J. This shows that while the rothers devote themselves to readings and meditation,-) they commit to memory the necessary &assages in Holy Scri&ture. Then when the &ro&er time comes and they need to,-2they can &roduce these lessons y heart and from memory without any written material, that is they will recite without a ook, for these lessons are short. !ecause of their revity, it will e no hindrance should they have at hand

no ook to read or no light to see. !ut he is silent a out these matters in the day hours of the work of @od, ecause during daylight he leaves it to their $udgement whether to recite the cha&ters, that is the lessons mentioned a ove, either y heart and from memory or from a code.. There will e less hindrance then ecause of the daylight. 11) He commands that the @os&el e read after the nocturns on Sunday and other solemnities. He wants it to e understood that at all times, that is oth at night and during the day, the message of @od should e heard and &ractised and, in this way, @od e served. 5urthermore, when the @os&el has een heard, let the monks remem er that saying of the @os&el: 8!ehold we have left everything and followed you; HMt )+:22J. And he also intended-3 that if anyone, ecause of scarcity of &riests or ecause of the hindrance of some occu&ation, was not a le to have Mass that day or to e &resent at it, it will e enough that he has read and heard the @os&el. 1,) #hen the @os&el has een read, he says: 8After the enediction has een given,; that is y the customary &rayer 8let them egin lauds; H%! )):)*J. This te.t does not indicate that an interval should e ke&t-' for meditative &rayer or readings/ nor does he &rohi it the rothers to return to their eds to rest on these days once lauds is finished. %ather, he tacitly leaves it to their $udgement to return to their eds if time &ermits, ecause they have risen earlier ecause they are worn out y the length of the nights divine service. The things he will not &ermit to ha&&en, he o&enly for ids. He makes clear what things he urges to e done. !ut the things a out which he is silent in this way, he leaves to the $udgement and discretion of the a ot and the rethren. 1-) Hence, at the end of nocturns, of lauds and of the day hours of the divine service, he makes it clear that after the 8(ord have mercy,; the (ords =rayer should e said. He says: 8At other services, let the last &art of this &rayer e said so that all may answer R!ut deliver us from evil; HMt 0:)3/ %! )3:)'J. He does not indicate that a collect &rayer should e said there, for after having mentioned 8!ut deliver us from evil,; he says: and 8thus the night vigils are ended; H%! +:))J. And again: 8And it is com&leted; H%! )2:'/ )3:))J. And still again: 8The dismissal; H%! )2:)*J. Ao collect &rayer is indicated lest it e tedious for those &raying or the &receding (ords =rayer-- e said negligently, for one does not find any &rayer more &recious than the (ords =rayer through which the divine service is ended. Then, at the end of com&line, he adds: 8(ord have mercy, a lessing and the dismissal; H%! )2:)*J. He refers to the lessing which has een used from his time to ours. 1.) He says: 8(et us always remem er what the =ro&het says: RServe the (ord with fear H=s 2:))J/ and again: RSing wisely H=s '0 7'2<:,J; H%! )+.3J. !y this he wanted it understood that he had shortened the divine service, so that it could e com&leted "ealously, $oyfully

and without weariness. 4t is known to e short/ and where a section is long, it is sustained y all the reath of all the singers/ where it is truly short, it &roceeds without the su&&ort of such reathing. #ordiness in the divine office counts for almost nothing efore @od. 4t is fitting that one standing efore a king ? lessed !enedict says this H%! 2*:)J ? address him in an honoura le way. Afterwards he adds: 84n community, &rayer should always e ke&t short; H%! 2*:-J. He recommends &rayer efore each canonical hour. (ater he commands: 8A kiss of &eace should not e offered the guest unless &rayer has &receded; H%! -3:-J. 4f almighty @od is the one to e greeted, it is all the more &ro&er that a rief &rayer &recede. Then later when they are taking &art in the &salmody, they will not e less attentive to the &salmody ecause they will not e fatigued y the length, &receding &rayer. 1/) (leeping 2rrange&ents 8RB ,,9 8 As &rovided y the a ot, monks receive edding suita le to their way of life; H%! 22:)J. This is clarified when he s&eaks of the clothing of the rethren: 85or edding a mat, a woollen lanket and a light covering as well as a &illow will e sufficient; H%! --:)-J. 8(et them slee& clothed; H%! 22:-J, that is with the single, sim&le woollen garment which is worn ne.t to the skin, so they will not lie naked. They do not wear two layers of clothes, ecause they could not stand it.-0 They slee& 8girded with elts or cords; H%! 22:-J so that the clothes they are wearing will not fall off and so that they will not a&&ear naked. 10) n 3unish&ents 8RB ,-=->9 He also says: 84f any rother e found stu orn or diso edient or &roud; H%! 23J. %ight after that he adds: 8&rovided he understands the nature of this &enalty, let him e su $ected to e.communication; H%! 23:'J. This is not the lawful e.communication &ronounced y &riestly right under the stole, ut one which y sim&le words se&arates from the com&any of the rothers, in the refectory, or the divine office in choir, or the dormitory, or the like. To those with understanding, this &enalty rings greater shame and confusion-2 than cor&oral &unishment. Since cor&oral &unishment is to e inflicted on those who lack such understanding, he adds: 84f, however, he lacks understanding, let him undergo cor&oral &unishment; H%! 23:-J. 4n other words, let him e &unished with lows or other &hysical chastisements, ecause such a one is not led to amendment y words and scarcely y the shar& &ains of the flesh. !. Dommunity Tasks and Dare for Those with S&ecial Aeeds 1:) The #ellarer 8RB -19 He s&eaks this way of the cellarer of the monastery: 8He will &rovide the rothers their allotted amount of food; ? that is without any &redetermined measure eing e.&licitly esta lished ? 8without any &ride 78ty&o;< or delay; H%! 3):)0J. 4n the word 8ty&o; one should understand 8ti,; that is 8to you; and 8in-, &o,; that is, &ower. Hence, the cellarer should not say to himself: 8Qours is the &ower to give and deny when you wish,; so he may

give more and etter food to whom he wishes and may &rovide less and worse food for whom he wishes. To some e.tent, &eo&le of the world, dis&ensing allotments in the administration of &rinces, are wont to do this at time. He is not to arrogate this &ower. 5or he does not su&&ly a greater &ortion to the one who needs than to the one who is not needy, when he gives more to the one who needs than to the one who is not needy.-+ Aor will he delay0* to give the things which are to e given. 1<) 7itchen (er+ice 8RB -/9 Then there follows: 8Fn Saturday the rother who is com&leting his work will do the washing; H%! 3-:2J, washing out stains and dust with ranches when this is necessary. Again: 8!oth the one who is ending his service as well as the one who is a out to egin are to wash the feet of everyone; H%! 3-:+J. This refers to the mandatum. Again: 8Fne hour efore mealtime, let him receive something to drink; H%! 3-:)2 S 3,:)*J. This means a snack, that is read and wine, s&ecifically read di&&ed in drink, ite si"ed, so it can e mi.ed with drink. Afterwards it says: 8(et the one going out receive a lessing,; that is a &rayer. 4mmediately there follows: 8Fnce he has received the lessing, let him enter/; this refers to a suita le &rayer0) H%! 3-:)2?),J. 1?) #are for the (ic%, the @oung and the 2ged 8RB -0=-:9 Then he says: 8Moreover, to regain their strength, the very sick and infirm may eat meat; H%! 30:+J. He wishes this to e understood to mean the meat of four9footed animals and of irds/ it e.cludes no meat which men ordinarily eat. 8!ut when they have ecome etter, let all a stain from meat as is customary; H%! 30:+J. This refers to the meat of four9footed animals, for those who are healthy do not usually eat them and their $uices, while those who are sick do. The healthy do eat the flesh of irds ecause these are clean and they do not induce lusty desire in those who eat them.02 Then he adds: 8and let them antici&ate the canonical hours; H%! 32:3J. This refers to eating efore the hours laid down in the %ule. The aged and the children eat their meal earlier than others/ they eat and more often than others, and they receive more delicate food. ,>) Table Reading 8RB -<9 Again he says: 8And thus after receiving a lessing03 let him egin his reading; Hcf. %! 3,:'J with a &rayer of lessing. And immediately he adds: 8Ao one should &resume to ask there a out the reading or a out anything else, lest occasion e given 7to the devil<, unless the su&erior should wish to say a rief word of edification; H%! 3,:,+J. At that time, he who was the su&erior of the rest gave salutary admonitions regarding the reading to those &resent efore they &arted. They were few then/ later, as num ers grew, they avoided this lest on such an occasion they reak forth in idle words. 8The rother who is reader for the week should receive a drink,; as was said a ove, 8 efore he egins to read, ecause of the Holy Dommunion; H%! 3,:)*J. 5or in the time of lessed !enedict, the one who was going to read, ecause he uttered holy words, was like one serving at the altar and so he received

Dommunion0' on Sunday. !ut0- then he had lunch so that he would not e fasting when he read and &erha&s feel faint. Another factor that the 5ather 7!enedict< wished understood was that after receiving Dommunion, each eliever should kee& a more close and careful watch than usual on himself in all things. ,1) The 5easure of Food 8RB -?9 He adds: 8Two cooked dishes should suffice for all the rothers; H%! 3+:3J. 8Dooked; here refers to those foods which are &laced on the fire and moved ack and forth with a stick so that they will not e urned. Then he says: 84f there is any fruit or fresh vegeta le, let a third e added; H%! 3+:3J. He indicates eans and &eas and other vegeta les of that kind which are collected fresh from the field, $ust as fruit is taken from trees/ he orders these to e &laced efore the rothers as a third food, not cooked, ut with the shell removed. 5ish and cheese and eggs are also included in this third dish/ they are a treat. The loving father does not mention these e.&licitly ecause he knew that monks would not a stain from them. Hence he neither for ade them nor did he mention them e.&licitly. Afterwards he writes: 8(et everyone, e.ce&t the very weak and sick, com&letely a stain from eating the meat of four9footed animals; H%! 3+:))J. He makes no mention of irds ecause he did not for id the healthy to eat them. Since in his time the monastic way of life was crude and still rather unusual, the same father avoided for idding them the eating of meat com&letely. He &ermitted them to make use of irds as food. #) !isciplines of the #o&&on 6ife 8RB .-=/,9 ,,) 5a%ing 2&end&ent 8RB .-=.09 Then he says: 8So that he may e seen y him and y all, until he does &enance y &u lic satisfaction at the end of the work of @od; H%! '3:0J y &rostrating and asking &ardon. And again: 8Thus let the guilty one make satisfaction y this; H%! '3:)2J, that is y &rostrating u&on the ground. Then he adds: 8#hen the time comes that he wants what he earlier refused, or anything else, let him receive nothing at all, until he makes suita le amendment; H%! '3:)+J. !ecause of the disres&ect he showed, everything, however necessary, will e denied to the im&udent rother until he demonstrates his amendment y hum le &enance.00 And again: 8Then at the feet of all that they may &ray for him; H%! '':'J to @od whom he has offended y his grave faults. And immediately: 8(et them kee& doing this until he 7the a ot< lesses them; H%! '':)*J y greeting them in &u lic and arousing humility. And then: 8And if he do not seek satisfaction,; that is y seeking &ardon with his ody flat on the ground, 8there he will e humiliated efore all. (et him e su $ect to greater &unishment; H%! '-:)J y the &unishment of his flesh efore all. And when he says: 84f the cause of sin is hidden in his soul,; he means if a rother has secretly deviated in any matter or has secretly committed02 some sin. 8(et him make it known only to the a ot or to s&iritual seniors; H%! '0:-J y confessing the ond of sin and thus gaining forgiveness.

,-) 3enitential 3ractices 8RB .?9 He adds: 8>veryone should, however, make known to the a ot what he is offering u& since it should e done with his lessing and a&&roval; H%! '+:,J. Aone of the rothers should a stain com&letely from the regular communal food and drink regularly and communally set efore him in the community of his rothers unless he has the &ermission of his a ot. Aor, when the rothers are gathered for the common &rayers and works should he y his own decision de&art from them, unless he is allowed to do so y his s&iritual father. However, for the sake of his ody he can lawfully withdraw &art of some of the regular and common food and drink regularly and communally set efore him in the community of his rothers. However, he should do this so that clamour does not arise, y regularly and hum ly following the common custom of the monastery in all matters without com&laint. ,.) 3rohibition of Eating 2way fro& the 5onastery 8RB /19 He writes afterwards: 8(et him not &resume to eat outside, even if someone strongly urges it, unless he should e commanded to do so y his a ot; H%! -):)J. 4f he does otherwise, let him e e.communicated with that e.communication y which an insolent and diso edient rother is se&arated from the communion and com&any of his rothers until he makes satisfaction, as was said a ove. ,/) Re+erence 8RB /,9 And he says:0, 8#hen the work of @od is finished, let all go out with the greatest silence/ and let a reverence e made to @od; H%! -2:2J. (et them ow reverently as they go out, and let them have reverence in their other works which are done in the service of @od, and not rush into anything wanton or e.cessive. !) Hospitality ,0) Hospitality 8RB /Then he says: 8#hen a guest is announced, let the su&erior or the rethren hurry to meet him with the courtesy of charity, and first let them &ray together; H%! -3:3J. All are led to church in order to offer adoration. Thus, the rothers &ray to @od so that they will not violate their order with the guests/ the guests, that they will e etter for seeing their way of life. And again: 8#ith their heads owed or their whole ody on the ground, they adore Dhrist in the guests, $ust as He is received in them; H%! -3:2J. 5or it is as though Dhrist is &resent when guests arrive and they receive them, or when guests de&art and they less them as they go, or they ow efore the guests out of reverence for Dhrist or ask &ardon from them Hcf. %! -:0J. He adds immediately: 8And after this let all courtesy e shown him; H%! -3:+J. This includes oth friendly and com&aniona le conversation and every

odily need. And further: 8(et the a ot &our water for the guests hands; as a duty0+ of humility 8and let oth the a ot and the community wash the feet of all guests; H%! -3:)2? )3J. The latter means those for whom the a ot en$oins such a service. 5or when the guests whom lessed father !enedict received were a out to eat, he gave them water for their hands/ and when they had risen from ta le, he washed their feet. He did this ecause of the e.am&le offered at the (ast Su&&er to the disci&les y the Son of @od. #omens feet he did not touch/ ut he modeled contem&t of the world for them oth in his dress and in his holy way of life. At that time monks did not yet feel the &ress of a tumult of strangers crowding u&on them. However, those who did come to them were seeking there nothing else ut Dhrist/ and they found Him there in the holy works. E) #lothing 8RB //9 ,:) uter #lothing Then he &roceeds: 8The clothing given the rethren should vary according to the local conditions where they live and the climate; H%! --:)J. He shows here that clothing is given to the rethren with regard to what they can stand and so that they may not murmur. #here the area is so cold that necessity forces men to not forego the use of warm clothing, oth linings of lam s wool and tunics with a lam s skin collar are monks clothing which meets with the heavenly 3udges a&&roval, ecause they make a su&erfluity of clothes unnecessary. Then there follows immediately: 8#e elieve that for each monk a cowl and a tunic will suffice in tem&erate regions; H%! --:'J. The cowl should e full and e.tend to the ankle/ it should have short sleeves so that the hands e.tend slightly eyond them. 4t should have two o&enings running down elow the arm&it on each side. The ca&uch was attached a ove. 4t is a s&ecial sign of the monk when he has it on his head, signifying he looks neither left nor right toward the world. There should e a wool tunic somewhat less am&le than the cuculla, ut wider in the legs and reaching to the feet. The sleeves should not e too wide or too tight and should reach to the hands. There should e an o&ening going down on each side elow the arm&it. The tunic2* had no ca&uch. ,<) "nderclothing Then he adds: 8(et the a ot take care of the measurements, so that they will not e too short; H%! --:,J as some lay &eo&les are. %ather, let the monks clothing reach to the ankle, ecause they do not wear underclothing in their Buarters. Hence, he adds: 8!rothers going on a $ourney should get underclothing from the wardro e, and when they return they should wash it and give it ack H%! --:)3J. 5rom this one can understand that monks who lived under the teaching of this father did not use underclothing e.ce&t when they were leaving their Buarters. The ma$ority of &eo&le did not use underclothes at that time so, ecause of the customs of the &eo&le and as a sign of childlike sim&licity and humility, the same father did not allow underclothes to his disci&les while they were in their2) Buarters. !ut he granted them to those who were going out on horse or on foot22 as an e.am&le of chastity and for the sake of manly decency and human res&ect. !ut now in our times, ecause the customs of men indicate it, it is not dis&leasing to @od if monks, ecause of the

las&hemy of sacrilege which they might e.&erience in naked flesh, wear underclothes so that they will not e naked and touch flesh with flesh, and thus e reminded of fleshly sins. ,?) Bedding He continues: 85or edding monks need a mat, a lanket; H%! --:)-J. The latter is made of coarse cloth or from hem& and sha&ed like a sack, filled with some sort of edding material and &laced u&on the mat which the monks had s&read over their ed. 74n the same sentence< he says they should have a 8light covering; of wool, which is s&read over the ed during the day for decorum and with which they may cover themselves at night when they wish. 4mmediately he says: 8(et all the things that are necessary e &rovided y the a ot; H%! --:),J. He mentions a cincture which is cinched over the tunic so it will not sli& off ecause they slee& without underclothes/ and a 8garter; which was worn ne.t to the skin from which the tied sandals hung/ a 8handkerchief; or cloth made of line with which they wi&ed away their sweat while they were working. F) The Reception of Brethren 8RB /<=0,9 ->) #hildren 8RB /? (ater he says: 8And with the offering let them wra& the &etition and the hand of the oy in the altar cloth; H%! -+:2J. This means that the &etition of the &arents of a ody is committed to writing as confirming evidence when they offer him to @od, $ust as that of the one who himself &romised sta ility, conversion and o edience efore @od and His saints in his own consecration as descri ed earlier. -1) 3riests 8RB 0>9 Then he writes: 84f any of the order of &riests asks to e received into the monastery, do not let consent e granted too Buickly; H%! 0*:)J. Such a &riest is understood to e one who &resided over a charge or a deanery or a &arish and so could, with difficulty, force himself23 into su $ection. There is no Buestion of a isho&, ecause it would not e fitting that one who was a ruler of &eo&les souls and was the master of an a ot, should e su $ect to an a ot. 4f a isho& wishes to convert, he should do it only y &enance, without su mitting to any teaching authority. Then he says: 84f there is Buestion of an a&&ointment or another matter in the monastery; H%! 0*:2J ? referring to res&onsi ilities and teaching2' offices or e.ternal usiness matters which are to e handled with consultation ? 8let him kee& the &lace which is his according to entry into the monastery; H%! 0*:2J: 8the &lace,; that is his &rofession of their way of life of humility and su $ection which gains for him a good and high grade H) Tm 3:)3J. (et him kee& efore the eyes of his heart what &lace he is going to enter since he received the monastic ha it in the monastery which shows contem&t for the world, 8not that which is granted him out of reverence for his &riesthood; H%! 0*:,J. This means he is not to &ay attention to the &lace of teacher that earlier was his when he was a teacher and master among the &eo&le and clergy. (et him not

think or $udge himself more &rudent or learned or more ready or circums&ect in s&eech than his rothers who were raised in the cloister, nor that ecause he dwelt in the world and consorted with seculars he sur&assed them all. 4nstead, ecause of his voluntary conversion y which he freely su $ected himself to the disci&line of the %ule and out of reverence for his &riesthood, he will give good e.am&le with the others and will show himself o edient and su $ect in all matters. -,) 5on%s fro& Elsewhere 8RB 019 And the same father then says: 84f afterwards he wishes to &ledge his sta ility, such a wish is not to e denied.; And then: 8Aot only should he e $oined to the community if he asks to e received. He should even e urged to stay so that others may learn from his e.am&le, for the (ord is served in every &lace and one fights for the same king; H%! 0):,?+J. This father first wrote that 8the novice is to e received in the oratory where he should &romise his sta ility efore all; H%! -,:)2J/ and then he added: 8He states his &romise in a &etition in the name of the saints whose relics are there; H%! -,:)+J/ and then he says this: 8Such a wish is not to e denied; and 84ndeed, let him e urged to stay; and, again, 8!ecause the one (ord is served in every &lace; H%! 0):,?+J. He wishes this to e understood as follows. Fn account of his own insta ility, a monk secretly or wantonly leaves his monastery in which he has &romised sta ility and made his &etition as is written a ove. He comes to a distant region and there sees a monastery of his ty&e of religious life. He is moved y re&entance to want to stay there in sta ility. He has asked for confirmation that he may e received. 4n such a case, if he is worthy, even if ecause of his lengthy travels he does not and could not have letters of commendation, it will e etter that he e received than that entry e denied him. 5or if he were not received, he might e discouraged y weakness, infirmity, old age, or some other hindrance, or y the length of the return $ourney to the monastery he left, and in des&air he might return to the world. Then, remaining in the world, he would &erish in soul and ody. However, it would e much etter for him if he could somehow return to his monastery which he left without the &ermission of his s&iritual father or seek forgiveness, than if he stu ornly remained in the other2- monastery. >s&ecially is this the case if he knows that the disci&line of the monastic life is o served there in his former monastery. The father affirms this in what follows: 8(et the a ot eware of ever granting mem ershi& to a monk from another known monastery without the consent of his a ot or a letter of commendation; H%! 0):)3J. He does not wish that monks o liged y their sta ility and &etition move from &lace to &lace as they choose without &ermission. %ather they are to kee& their vow with firm tenacity. 4) Relations a&ong 5e&bers of the #o&&unity 8RB 0,=:-9 --) 3riests 8RB 0,9 There follows: 8(et him not, ecause of his &riesthood, forget the o edience and disci&line of the %ule, ut let him advance more and more toward @od. (et him always kee& that &lace which is his y entry into20 the monastery, e.ce&t in his duties at the altar; H%! 02:'J. This means that a &riest monk who is ordained in his monastery should not ecome &roud

ecause of his &riesthood ut, with loving devotion, kee& efore the eyes of his heart that &lace of humility and su $ection for which, following the e.am&le of Dhrist H) Dor 2:)J, he received the monastic ha it and em raced contem&t of the world. At that moment he su $ected himself to the service of @od and man. A ove all, let him think hum ly that he ecame the servant and minister of @od when he yoked himself to the service of the altar. 4n this way he will show himself more hum le and more o edient in all things. He will recall that he hum ly and devoutly received the ha it of a monk ecause of which he will, without &retence, think himself worthy and o edient in everything. !ut he must also recall that ecause of the way he su $ected himself to @od in the duties of the altar H) Dor ':)J, he will sincerely account himself hum le, meek and in last &lace HMt )):2+J. -.) Respect for (eniors 8RB 0-9 Then he adds: 8#henever the rothers meet each other, the $unior should ask a lessing from the senior; H%! 03:)-J, that is y way of the greeting, he will show himself to e su $ect to his senior in all humility. -/) 3rayer for 2bsent Brethren 8RB 0:9 Then he says: 8All those who are a sent should always e commemorated at the closing &rayer of the work of @od; H%! 02:2J. This last22 &rayer of the work of @od is the (ords &rayer for, as was said a ove, the work of @od is ended with this &rayer since he showed that the litany, the (ords &rayer and the dismissal, occur there. #hen the disci&les of this lessed2, father &ray in the same &rayer 8!ut deliver us from evil,; they add regarding those a sent: 8and your servants and our a sent rothers,; there y commemorating them.2+ They did not have fully develo&ed collect &rayers at that time and so they often ended the divine service with the Fur 5ather. -0) Boys 8RB :>9 Then he says: 8!oys u& to the age of fifteen should, however, e carefully disci&lined and su&ervised y everyone; H%! 2*:'J. That is, $ust as a oy under fifteen years of age is delicate of ody, so he is delicate of mind. 5or the time eing he has no fear and can e ent toward what is good/ he does not dare wantonly to resist those who correct him. !ut when he reaches fifteen years he is already in the loom of youth. (ike a flowering tree strengthened y the &ith and fluids in it, so the &owers of his mind surge u& so that he disdains to acce&t and ear the childish corrections he used to acce&t. -:) (traight to the 4oal 8RB :,9 5inally the lessed father affirms all these things: The kingdom of heaven will lie o&en to those who do these things Hcf. r 22:))J. All the things which are descri ed in this %ule are

not too slack,* nor too restrictive/ they look to the right and not,) to the left, so that they lead the one who kee&s them straight to heaven. -<) #onclusion Therefore 4, a &oor little female in form, heard these words from #isdom who taught me the o scure things in the %ule of lessed father !enedict so that 4 could &resent them o&enly. So let the meek, mild and timorous hear them, let them understand them,2 with a loving heart, and let them acce&t them with hum le devotion. #o&&entary on the Re*uest of the #on+ent of Hunniensis 1) The whole community writes. (ater in &aragra&h ' of their &etition H=> 'J, they com&lain a out the ar itrariness of their &relates. =erha&s this suggests a collegiate church of canons, su $ect to a diocesan isho& who is not a mem er of the community. Hildegard is a tem&le of the S&irit and a s&ouse of Dhrist eloved of @od, two titles which were a&&lica le to any Dhristian ut which seem es&ecially a&&ro&riate to a visionary Htem&le of the S&iritJ and an a ess HmistressJ who is renowned for her sanctity Hs&ouse of Dhrist, eloved of @odJ. She is revered/ hence the &etitioners address their reBuest to her. ,) The attri utes of sanctity and s&iritual vision are re&eated: they re$oice in her holiness and they have already delighted in the revelations of her thought. 4t is clear, therefore, that Hildegard is already an esta lished figure since she was already known to them. -) The first sentence of this &aragra&h is enigmatic. 8Frder; could refer to a way of life governed y a %ule He.g. Dluniac, 6ictorineJ or even to a community. The &etitioners order is honoured y Hildegard, 8although we are Buite different from you in all res&ects.; Here they refer to 8the %ule of our lessed father !enedict;/ in => ' they mention 8our lessed father Augustine.; The most likely meaning is that they consider themselves followers of St. Augustine, whose Frder Hildegard has held in honour, ut they also have great res&ect for !enedict and so can also refer to him as their father. The &etitionary letters reads 8omnes in commune; Hall of us togetherJ/ the %! favours the eBuivalent forms 8omnes &ariter; H2*:-/ '+.3J,3 and 8&ariter; Htogether: -3:'/ 22:)2J. They ask for a 8memorial; Hmemoriale vestrumJ/ remem ering and forgetting are key conce&ts in Hildegards writings.,' .)

8 =er$urers; H&er$uriJ is the one word in the first sentence of this &aragra&h which suggests the gender of the &etitioners. There may e one or two issues at stake here: the &etitioners may e indicating that they themselves are un$ustly accused of violating the synodal decrees, whereas their &relates do indeed violate the canons and the rule, or they may e saying their &relates force them to live in such a way that they are rightly accused of eing violators of the rule. The first inter&retation seems more likely. The main fault of the &relates, from the &etitioners &oint of view, is that they ar itrarily im&ose added H8servile;J urdens which go eyond the rule.,- They want a rule governed y the laws of the church and the %ule. Their &relates are 8sara aites; H%! )+J. The Rule of ugustine is very short and does not im&ose many minute regulations. /) (ike =eter de Delle, a !enedictine who wrote his School of the "loister,0 for a canon regular, the &etitioners recognise the close affinity of all claustrals. The &etitioners end where they egan with a reBuest for counsel and &rayer from one who is wise and holy and conclude with a final salute to Hildegards maternal love Hcf. => )?2J. They ask her to &ray that they may have a share in the S&irit who guides her. #o&&entary on Hildegard's Explanation of The Rule of Benedict 1) Hildegard often egins her works with a &assage de&recating her human ca&acities as an unlettered woman.,2 Such avowals of incom&etence are common in twelfth9century authors. Hildegard, however, adds a different twist. Since there is no human source for her teaching, she can then claim divine enlightenment and warrant. 6iewed another way, Hildegard, as a woman who was not highly educated, could not ho&e to receive a hearing unless she claimed su&ernatural authority.,, 4n this instance she invokes not $ust the 8true light; ut also 8the memory of !lessed !enedict,; there y echoing the &etitioners => 3. Hildegards claim to eing uneducated and therefore taught y the Holy S&irit is su&&orted y the fact that a&art from the !i le and, in this work, The Rule of Benedict, she does not Buote earlier or contem&orary Dhristian authorities. Although she was certainly influenced y Dhristian tradition, her voca ulary and ideas are often freshly minted.,+ Hildegard mentions the grace and &ower of the Holy S&irit three times in this one rief &aragra&h. She will mention them often in su seBuent &aragra&hs. Hildegard says that she has een enlightened regarding the more difficult and o scure matters in the %ule. (ike Hildegard herself, St. !enedict was filled with the grace of the Holy S&irit. Although the virtues she attri utes to St. !enedict are Buite general, they seem to reflect the influence of !ook 2 of The 1ialogues of @regory the @reat which, with the %ule, &rovide almost all the information we have a out !enedict. The devil looms large in @regorys Life of Benedict H1ial. 2:2, 2:,, 2:)*, 2:)0, 2:2*, 2:2-, 2:3*J/+* @regorys

descri&tion of !enedicts mystic vision was universally known H2:3-/ cf. 2:)0, 3?,: !enedict was one s&irit with @odJ/ @regory shows that !enedict had the virtues of all the $ust H2:,?+J/+) !enedict had the gift of &ro&hecy from the Holy S&irit H2:2), 3?'J. ,) @regory says that !enedicts %ule was 8outstanding for its discretion; H2:20: regulam discretione &raeci&uamJ. The Rule of Benedict insists on discretion in the a ot/ @regory says a ot !enedict could not have lived other than he legislated H2:30J/ !enedicts discretion is one of the most insistent themes of Hildegards commentary. !y insisting on !enedicts discretion, Hildegard is im&licitly $ustifying her own inter&retation of the %ule, which is marked y discretion instead of an infle.i le commitment to literal o servance or austerity.+2 Hildegard is also im&lying an affinity etween !enedicts discretion and her own conviction that &hysical and s&iritual health are ased on harmony. +3 The circle or wheel is a recurring sym ol in Hildegards works, which often stands for the creative dynamism of the divine nature.+' Here the meta&hor seems to e of a arrel of wine or eer lying on its side, in which a s&igot has een &laced at a convenient height.+- The idea of drinking wisdom or grace occurs in =rov ,:3-, )2:2, ),:22, 4s. )2:3 and is a theme of 3n '. The meta&hor is continued in the first line of >. 3. Moses is a favourite figure of Hildegard+0 and also a&&ears in this work H>. 'J. -=.) Fnce again, !enedict is endowed with all the virtues of the $ust. !enedicts doctrine was &erfected in the Holy S&irit/ hence it ought not to e altered. The o&ening words of the %! echo the didactic tone of the wisdom tradition,+2 and thus identify the author as a divinely guided teacher. /) Hildegard $um&s from the 8&ius &ater; of %!, =rol. ) to Dha&ter ) on the kinds of monks on which she gives some rather general comments and em&hasises the im&ortance of sta ility. The nail fi.ed in the centre of the circle of >. 3 suggests sta ility as well as discretion. 0) Having already &assed over the doctrinal content of the &rologue, Hildegard now fails to comment on im&ortant cha&ters: H2J on the a ot/ H3J calling the community for counsel/ H'J instruments of good works/ and H-J o edience. She treats silence at length as a &ractical matter: evidently it was an issue in cloisters of her day. Her &osition is that !enedict allowed s&eaking times when they were necessary ut did not esta lish a certain time each day for s&eaking. This was a matter he left to the $udgement of the a ot. S&eaking should e in common and moderate. Here Hildegard is referring to immoderate silence, not to the

disci&le9master relationshi& or to evil s&eaking, two to&ics that loom large in %!. 4t must e noted that she makes no mention of sign9language. :) 4n her lengthy discussion of the arrangement of the divine office, one of Hildegards concerns is to decide whether what %! says of one hour a&&lies to other hours: usually she says it does not. 3ust as Dhrist was a healer, so too did !enedict have the touch of a &hysician/ his discretion ke&t him fi.ed and sta le at a healthy &oint of alance in matters such as silence and s&eaking. His rule for slee&ing and kee&ing awake shows the same healthy alance.+, Hildegard shares the common mediaeval view that ha its of eating,like the times of slee& when food is digested, correlate with inclinations towards se.ual arousal. !enedict used the words 8&ietas; and 8&ius; He.g., in the &hrase 8loving father;J only in the &rologue. Hildegard uses it in the same way at the end of this &aragra&h. <) !enedicts %ule is also moderate in reBuiring the monks to stay awake after 6igils and (auds. ?) Dommenting on %! +?)2 HFn the Aight FfficeJ, Hildegard sim&ly says that no 8Fur 5ather; should e added where !enedict does not &rovide for one. 1>) This &aragra&h deals with which of the short readings at the 1ivine Fffice should e memorised and recited y heart. (ike modern commentators on the %!, Hildegard inter&rets !enedicts &rovisions for reading and meditation H',.)3,23/ -,.-J as including memorisation of te.ts.++ As usual Hildegard sees a &ractical $ustification for this legislation. 11) Hildegard em&hasises hearing and listening to the word of @od. She &icks out for &articular em&hasis the @os&el &assage: 8!ehold we have left everything and followed you; HMt )+:22J. 4n so doing, she a&&lies a &assage s&ecifically to monastics which e.egetes traditionally a&&lied to the A&ostles or to all elievers and which the liturgy has used as the Dommunion anti&hon for the Dommon of a confessor who was not a isho&.)** The im&lication of the last &art of the &aragra&h seems to e that Hildegard considered daily cele ration of the >ucharist usual, ut foresaw that there were e.ce&tions.)*) 4n

the Scivias H2.0.'0, ed. 5IhrkLtter, &. 22*J, she says that Dommunion should e received under oth s&ecies e.ce&t y those who are likely to s&ill the wine. 1,) Hildegard here discusses one sentence in %!, Dh. )2 which deals with 6igils on Sunday. Fffering the unlikely inter&retation that on Sundays there might e an interval etween 6igils and (auds, she concludes that mem ers of the community could go ack to ed during this time. She ases this reading on what, for her, is a key &rinci&le for her inter&retation of the %ule: the fact that !enedict is Buite clear a out those things he wishes to e done and o&enly for ids what he does not wish to ha&&en. He leaves those things which he does not mention to the discretion of the a ot and the mem ers of the community. 1-) Here and in >. 3-, Hildegard maintains that !enedict did not end the hours of the Fffice with Dollect &rayers ut that all the hours, with the e.ce&tion of Dom&line, conclude with the (ords =rayer. 1.) Hildegard enunciates the &rinci&le that liturgical &artici&ation should e 8"ealous, $oyful and without weariness; H8in gaudio et sine taedio studiose;J. #ith this &rinci&le in mind, she says that St. !enedict shortened the divine service)*2 and that wordiness has no &lace in liturgical &rayer Hcf. Mt 0:2J. She thus a&&lies to liturgical &rayer as a whole what !enedict may have intended to a&&ly only to the silent &rayer or to the Dollect &rayer following the =salms.)*3 #hen Hildegard says that long sections H8distinctiones;J should e sustained y the reath H8ad s&iritum;J, she is &erha&s referring to the &ractice of taking dee& reaths at the start of a section and then reathing at different times during it. She may also e referring to the Holy S&irit. Hildegards suggestion that a rief &rayer should &recede each canonical hour com ines two dis&arate ideas of St. !enedict. This may e a criticism of the rather lengthy accretions which &receded the Fffice in mediaeval monastic &ractice. 1/) Hildegard inter&rets %! 22.- in the light of her argument in >. 2, that it was fitting in her time that monastics wear underclothes. Here she says that they should take off their outer clothes and slee& in their underwear if it ecame too warm. Her concern that monastics not e seen naked is re&eated in >. 2,. 10)

Hildegard comments on the &enal code of the %ule in one rief &aragra&h. She &oints out that monastic e.communication is something Buite different from formal ecclesiastical e.communication.)*' She herself was to e.&erience some of the com&lications of the latter sort of e.communication near the end of her life.)*1:) Hildegards commentary on the work of the cellarer is carefully constructed. He is to su&&ly H)J the allotted &ortion H2J without favouritism and H3J without delay. To give more to one who needs more does not im&ly that the cellarer is either e.ceeding the allotted &ortion or showing favouritism. 8Tu&hos; H&ride, vanityJ is a term used freBuently y @reek Dhristian writers and it is occasionally found in Augustine.)*0 Although her etymology of the word is false)*2 ? the root meaning of the word is 8smoke; ? she has ca&tured the meaning of the word very well: 8tu&hos; is the o&&osite of humility. Hildegard conflates the &rovisions for a snack efore meals for readers H%! 3,J and kitchen servers H%! 3-J which was to e &rovided in order that the servers e strengthened for their work. 4n allowing a reader a drink)*, efore the midday meal, !enedict also seems to have wanted the reader to rinse out his mouth lest he s&it out any of the >ucharistic wine while he was reading out loud. Hildegard does not here advert to this Hsee >. 2*J, ut seems to eBuate 8mistum; S 8&randium; 7midday meal< S read and drink 78&anem et &otum;< S read di&&ed in drink 78&anem &otui intinctum;< S ite9si"ed &ieces 78offae;< which make it &ossi le for read to e mi.ed with wine. 4t is &ossi le that she meant 8&randium; 7midday meal< to e in a&&osition with 8hora refectionis; 7mealtime<, and the rest in a&&osition to 8mistum.; 1?) Hildegard inter&rets !enedicts references to meat in the light of %! 3+.)) where he for ids the healthy to eat the meat of four9footed animals H8carnium Buadru&edum;: see >. 2)J. She elieves that red meat is more likely to nourish se.ual inclinations than the meat of fowl.)*+ ,>) Hildegard im&lies that the custom of su&eriors commenting on the ta le reading had la&sed y her time. %eturning to the drink given to the ta le reader ecause of Dommunion Hsee >. ),J, Hildegard inter&rets this to mean that since he has fasted efore Dommunion, he will need to eat so that he will have the strength to do his reading: a feat which, efore the days of micro&hones, reBuired considera le e.ertion. The &arallel which Hildegard draws etween reading holy words and serving at the altar is reminiscent of the &arallel which !enedict makes etween the tools of the monastery and the vessels of the altar H%! 3).)*J. Although her statement that !enedict wanted those who

had received Dommunion to kee& a more careful watch on themselves is interesting, its connection with the conte.t is o scure. =erha&s her &oint is that Dommunion should &ut one in a &ro&er frame of mind for the reading of holy words. 4n her last sentence, Hildegard seems to im&ly that only those who served at the altar regularly received Dommunion on Sundays. ,1) Hildegard is e.&ansive in her inter&retation of %! 3+. To the two cooked vegeta le dishes and a third dish of fruit and fresh vegeta les, she adds fish, cheese and eggs. 4n this she invokes her &rinci&le of leaving to the discretion of !enedicts followers what he does not for id or command. She does, however, seem to consider !enedicts endorsement of the eating of the meat of fowls Hsee >. )+J as a concession which might no longer e needed. ,,) Here Hildegard conflates two sections of %! ''. He who has een e.communicated from oratory and ta le for serious faults is to &rostrate himself at the a ots feet and 8then at the feet of all that they may &ray for him; H%! ''.'J. Those, however, who have een e.communicated only from ta le for less serious faults 8are to make satisfaction in the oratory . . . until he 7the a ot< lesses and says R>nough; H%! ''.+?)*J. 4t is not clear on grammatical grounds to whom Hildegard is referring in the clause 8 y greeting in &u lic and eliciting humility; 4t could either e the a ot or the &enitent himself. Hildegard a ridges into three &rinci&les the &rescri&tions of the %ule for making amendment: H)J those who transgress against the %ule, the a ot or the community, should make &u lic satisfaction/ H2J such of these who will not make &u lic satisfaction should receive &u lic cor&oral &unishment/ H3J those who commit a secret fault should confess it only to their su&erior or to their s&iritual seniors. She does not distinguish here etween monastic and sacramental confession.))* ,-) Here, as in Scivias ).0.,2, Hildegard &asses from a discussion of confession to alms and cor&oral &unishment as means to make satisfaction Hed. 5IhrkLtter, &. ,,J. Her em&hasis here, however, is that one should a stain from food only with the &ermission of the a ot and within the conte.t of the common life. She enunciates three guidelines: H)J unless the a ot &ermits it, voluntary a stinence should not include all the food and drink at a meal/ H2J one should not e a sent from other common works and &rayers without the a ots &ermission/ H3J &artial a stinence at meals is allowed for the sake of ones health, &rovided that it is done uno trusively. Hildegard concludes that, in general, one ought to follow the common custom of the monastery regularly, hum ly and without com&laining. The fact that she leaves room for &ersonal discretion in matters of food and drink for the sake of odily health is indicative of the high value she &laced on &hysical health.

,.) Hildegard omits the first &hrase of !enedicts short cha&ter and adds a descri&tion of e.communication. ,/) Here Hildegard sees reverence as an attitude towards @od which should accom&any all the works done in @ods service))) and unruliness as its o&&osite.))2 ,0) %everence, then, should e shown guests. After the guests have een greeted &rom&tly, they are taken to the church where the monks &ray that their hos&itality will not violate their daily routine H8ordo;J and the guests &ray that they will e edified y the monks way of life H8conversatio;J. Hildegard em&hasises !enedicts &oint that Dhrist is served in the guests. The courtesy H8humanitas;J e.tended to them includes conversation, care for their odily needs and the washing of their hands and feet H8mandatum;: see >. ),J. !enedict, she says, was a le to devote more time to guests than a modern su&erior could since there were fewer guests in his day and, furthermore, they were more religiously motivated. Throughout this &aragra&h, Hildegard em&hasises the effect of good e.am&le. The a ot washes the feet of the guests ecause of Dhrists e.am&le. The guests are to e edified y the e.am&le of the daily routine and works of the monks. Although !enedict did not touch the feet of women, he did give them an e.am&le y his dress))3 and demeanour. Here and in >. 3) Hildegard sees outward de&ortment in the conte.t of 8contem&t of the world; as a sign or e.am&le for others.))' ,:) 4n the matter of clothing, discretion must take into account the climate and situation, and Hildegard &refers that monks try to get y with few ut suita le clothes. Her descri&tions of the cuts of the garments are somewhat o scure. Her edifying inter&retation of the ca&uche is re&eated in her (etter -) in res&onse to the &rior of > er ach))- where she also discusses the significance of the cuculla.))0 ,<) Here Hildegard gives two reasons for her views on the wearing of underwear: custom and decorum. Nnderwear was not in common use in !enedicts day ut he recommended that, for decorums sake, it e worn outside the monastery. !y Hildegards time, however, it was customarily worn and thus she legislates its use oth inside and outside the monastery, es&ecially since, she says, its use may lessen carnal tem&tation. 4n >. )- she had said that contem&orary monastics should slee& in their underwear.

,?) Hildegard had discussed edding in >. )-, ut since !enedict rings u& again the to&ic here, so does Hildegard. Her inter&retations of the items of clothing and edding mentioned y !enedict are interesting and reasona le, if occasionally Buestiona le. The ed, mat, lanket and a light covering s&ecified are similar to &resent9day slee&ing eBui&ment for a mountain ca in: unk, &ad, slee&ing ag and dust cover. ->) The &arents of child o lates are to &ut their &etitions in writing, like adult novices. Hildegard concludes the &aragra&h y saying 8as descri ed earlier.; This is a clear reference to the &rovisions of Dha&ter -, of the %ule on the &rocedure for receiving candidates, a cha&ter u&on which, in fact, she has not commented. -1) Hildegard gives a detailed commentary on the rece&tion of &riests. As a ruler of souls, a isho& was not to e received into a monastery since it would e ina&&ro&riate for such a one to e su $ect to an a ot. 4n the same way, Hildegard considers it unwise to receive &riests who are used to &ositions of authority. 4f admitted, they should esteem their &resent hum le and su $ect &osition as more valua le than their &riestly rank. His status as &riest should o lige him to e an e.am&le of o edience and su $ection in his freely chosen &osition as monk. 5inally, he should eware lest he think himself wiser than those who were raised in the monastery since their childhood. Here Hildegard seems an.ious to o viate tension etween 8o lati;C;nutriti; on the one hand, and 8conversi; on the other, a realisation &erha&s ased on her e.&erience as an o lata, a sister, and an a ess. -,) Acce&tance into a monastery of &ersons who had een &rofessed in other monasteries was an a rasive to&ic in the twelfth century.))2 4n >. -, Hildegard indicated the im&ortance of sta ility and she closes this &aragra&h y insisting on the o ligation of monks to remain faithful to this vow: they should not move to another &lace without &ermission. She narrows the issue down to the s&ecific situation of a monk who, through his own lack of sta ility, leaves his original monastery without authorisation.)), Her imagined renegade travels far and wide and, finding a monastery similar to his own, is moved y re&entance and asks to e allowed to $oin it. Although, a stractly s&eaking, it would e etter for such a one to return to his original monastery, there remains the &ossi ility that he might die efore he is a le to return to the community he a andoned. Thus, in Hildegards $udgement, it is etter to receive him into the new monastery even if he has no letters of recommendation. She reiterates !enedicts caution that admittance should never e given to a monk from another known monastery without consent of his &revious a ot. --)

4n this &aragra&h, Hildegard returns to the Buestion of the &lace of &riests in the monastery. Her concern, however, is no longer a out &riests who have e.ercised administrative and teaching authority ut, rather, any &riest. She develo&s the idea roached in >. 3) that the &riest9monk should find in his monastic &rofession and in his &riesthood a motivation to humility and o edience, since oth commit him to a life of service to @od and others. Here, as in >. 3), the considera le attention Hildegard gives to the &osition of &riests in the monastery may well reflect a concern at the community at Hunniensis. -.) #hen a $unior greets his senior y asking a lessing, he signifies his su $ection to him in humility. -/) 4n >. )3 Hildegard did not think that in !enedicts time the hours of the Fffice ended with a collect &rayer. Here she concludes that the commemoration of the a sent rethren which !enedict had mandated for the end of Dom&line was attached to the Fur 5ather. -0) 4n this &aragra&h, Hildegard ela orates on a single line of the %ule regarding the disci&lining of oys u& to the age of fifteen.))+ -:) 4n this &assage, which is an inclusion with >. 2, Hildegard returns to !enedicts discretion. #here there she said that !enedict aimed neither too high nor too low, here she says that he deviated neither to the right nor to the left. -<) Hildegards concluding &aragra&h is an inclusion with >. ): she is a &oor woman taught y #isdom itself. She ends with a word of encouragement to others who, like her and the fearful community of Hunniensis are not among the mighty of this world and who therefore are a le to hear, understand and acce&t these words with loving heart and hum le devotion.