Benedict's ranking of four monastic orders and their adherence to rule

3

Q1. What relationship does Benedict envisage between his rule and each of the four kinds of monk? In his Rule, St. Benedict lays forth a distinction between four different kinds of monks. The first monks, cenobites, “belong to a monastery, where they serve under a rule and an abbot” and are governed by monastic rules and the guidance of the abbot on a daily basis (I.1). The second kind, anchorites or hermits, were once cenobites but have internalized the rules enough so that they can be obey them on their own: “Self-reliant now, without the support of another, they are ready with God’s help to grapple single-handed with the vices of body and mind” (I.5). Benedict clearly sees this second class of monk as superior to ordinary cenobites on some level, as they can be relied upon to obey monastic law without the official guidance of the monastery. Benedict does not approve of all monks, however. He calls sarabaites, “the most detestable kind of monks” (I.7). Although they are monks in name, Benedict does not believe them to be monks in deed and for Benedict, monastic dedication is not solely measured in terms of the fact that a monk has taken vows. Above all, it is important to obey the law and in the case of these monks, “Their law is what they like to do, whatever strikes their fancy” (I. 9). The worst kind are unaffiliated monks he calls gyrovagues. They are worse than the sarabaites because they go from monetary to monetary “slaves to their own wills and gross appetites” (I.10). Thus for Benedict, the monk’s dedication to and obedience to rules is part of monastic living. Benedict above all stresses the need for a community spirit and subjugation of the individual will, both to the rule of the abbot and to the collective needs of other monks living in Christ. The fact that the gyrovagues are considered the worst type of monks reflects Benedict’s belief that those who serve their individual will and desire and live apart from the Christian community are not true believers. Of course, Benedict does consider monks who live in a state of solitude to be of the highest order. But that is only because the anchorites are still living according to the monastic law. The community of monks is not for social pleasure; in fact, many monasteries are largely silent. The presence of others is to be observed and to ensure obedience to the rule. Anchorites no longer need to be observed and can spend most of their time alone, without the tempting need for the comforting presence of their fellow human beings. Benedict is very clear that the types of hermits of which he approves have lived as part of a community before breaking off; he views this as a kind of cleansing process of the worldly ways that might lead them astray. Although there can be spiritual benefits in solitude, Benedict sees it fraught with potential danger as well. The fact that Benedict sees individualism as antithetical to Christianity is expressed in his condemnation of his views of the bad types of monks. Questioning the law in any way is problematic for him, and an expression of the individual, sinful will.