Augustine of Hippo and His Monastic Rule.

Abstract

The rule of Augustine, very likely the oldest monastic rule with Western origins, provides daily inspiration for more than 150 Christian communities. In giving an account of Augustine's distinctive contributions to the monastic spirituality of the late Roman world, and in particular of his achievement as a monastic legislator, Augustine of Hippo and his Monastic Rule fills a gap in Augustinian studies. Father Lawless traces Augustine's progress from a philosophical to a biblical spirituality and his development of a monastic ideal largely shaped by Graeco-Roman philosophical and rhetorical influences. He discusses Augustine's renunciation of sexuality, property, and worldly ambition at his conversion as an adumbration of the future vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, and argues for the existence of a bona fide monastery at Thagaste during the years 388-91. A fresh English translation of the Regulations for a Monastery, the Rule, and Letter 211 is printed with facing Latin text, and a comprehensive historical study is provided of these documents, their authorship, their dates of composition, and their original public.

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