BENEDICT, SAINT. The founder of mona chism in the West. He was born of a rich and respected family at Nursia (now Noreia), 70 miles northeast of Rome. in A.D. 480. At an early-age Benedict was sent to the schools of lit erature and jurisprudence in Rome. but soon grew dissatisfied with the sterile character of the instruction dispensed. The world was full of distractions, impurities, and ignorance: and it was difficult to resist, by the ordinaiy safe guards of virtue, the colossal evils by which men were environed. Only, therefore, in the devotions of religion, in the holy silence of solitary medita tion. did Benedict see a safe refuge from the sins of the time, and the possibility of realizing a spiritual strength which would enable him to stein the tide of corruption that was setting in. He resolved to leave the city, and betake himself to some deep solitude in which the murmur of the world would be inaudible, and alone in the rocky wilderness wrestle with his own nature until be had conquered it and laid it a sacri fice on the altar of God. In pursuance of this resolution, when he had only reached, accord ing to some, the age of 14, be departed from Rome, accompanied for the first 24 miles by the nurse whom his parents had sent with him as an attendant to the city. Benedict then left her and retired to a deserted country lying on a lake, hence ealled Sublocum (now Subiaco). Here, in a cavern (which afterwards received the name of the Holy Grotto), he dwelt for three years, until his fame spread over the coun try, and multitudes came to see him. He was now appointed abbot of a neighboring mon astery. but soon left it. as the morals of the half-wild monks were not severe enough for his taste. This, however, only excited a livelier interest in his character, and as he lived in a period when the migration and interfusion of races and nations were being rapidly carried on, he could not fail to draw crowds of wan derers about him. Wealthy Romans also placed their sons under his care, anxious that they should lie trained for a spiritual life. Benedict was thus enabled to found twelve cloisters, over each of which he placed a superior. The bar barous Goths even were attracted to him, and were employed in the useful and civilizing prac tice of agriculture, gardening, etc. lie now sought another retreat, and, along with a few followers, founded about 529 a monastery on Monte Cassino, afterwards one of the richest and most famous in Italy. Here he extirpated
the lingering relics of paganism, and had his celebrated interview with Totila. King of the Goths, to whom he spoke frankly and sharply on his errors. in 515 he is said to have com posed his Rcqukt Monachorum, in which he aimed, among other things, at repressing the irregular and licentious life of the wandering monks by introducing stricter discipline and order. it eventually became the common rule of all Western monachism. The monasteries which Benedict founded were simply religious colleges, intended to develop a high spiritual character, which might beneficially influence the world. To the abbot was given supreme power, and he was told to acquit himself in all his relations with the wisdom of God, and of his Master. The discipline recommended by Saint Benedict is, nevertheless, milder than that of Oriental monachism with regard to food, cloth ing. etc.: but enjoins continual residence in the monastery, and, in addition to the usual re ligious exercises, directs that the monks shall employ themselves in manual labors, imparting instruction to youth, copying manuscripts for the library, etc. By this last injunction. Saint Benedict, though this was not directly intended, preserved many of the literary remains of an tiquity; for the injunction, which he gave only with regard to religious books, was extended afterwards to many secular productions. It is remarkable that the founder of the most learned of all the monastic orders was himself so little of a scholar, that Saint Gregory the Great de scribed him as being seienter veseiens, et sapien ter indoetus— learnedly ignorant, and wisely unlearned. Saint Benedict died :March 21, 543.
BIBLIOGRAPHY. For editions of his rule, conBibliography. For editions of his rule, con- sult: German, E. WiiInn, If. von Nursia and .seine Monchsreget (Leipzig, 1895) English, G. F. Henderson, Historical Documents of the Middle Ages, pp. 274-314 (London, I892). in general, consult: E. Spreitzenhofer, Die historis•he Fo raussetzungen der Regel des hciligen Benedict con Nursia (Vienna, 1895) ; and for his bibliogra phy, F. C. Doyle, The Teachings of Saint Bene dict (London. 1887) : also his Life by Gregory the Great (Old English translation edited by P.
II, Luck, London, ISSO), and J. G. Waitzmann (Augsburg, 11335).