The Rule of Saint Benedict has shaped monastic life for centuries. Perspectives on the Rule of Saint Benedict provides a unique guide to the richness of this Rule. Focusing on vv. 1-4, 45-50 of the Prologue and chapters 72, 73, 58, and 53, Sister Aquinata Backmann presents an interpretive key for understanding the entire Rule and appreciating its spiritual and practical values. Presenting a wealth of material, she never loses sight of the christological center of the Rule or the questions involved in living it in our time, both in monasteries and the world. Combining the tools of a scholar with the love of a Benedictine, Sister Aquinata focuses on the parts of the Rule where Benedict's own teaching is most clearly expressed. She has a special gift of presenting complex ideas and challenging insights in a manner accessible to non-specialists without compromising the depth of her research. This book will be engaging for scholars, monastics (whether professed or in formation) oblates, and non-monastics.
Chapters are Prolog 1 '4: Listen, Excursus: Militia, Prolog 45 '50: School of the Lord's Service, Excursus: Scola, Chapter 72: Of the Good Zeal which Monks Ought to Have, Excursus: Brotherhood, Chapter 73: That This Rule Does Not Contain the Full Observance of Justice, Excursus: Dynamism, Chapter 58: The Procedure for Receiving Brothers, Excursus: RB within Monastic Tradition, Excursus: Seeking God, Excursus: Stability, and Chapter 53: About the Reception of Guests, Excursus: Hospitality in Sacred Scripture, before RB. Aquinata Beckmann, OSB, PhD, is a member of the Benedictine Missionary Sisters of Tutzing, Germany. She has taught in Rome since 1973 at the Pontifical Institute for Spirituality and Moral Theology Regina Mundi and as the first woman professor at Saint ' Anselmo. She was the formation director of her congregation's novitiate in Rome and a board member of the alliance for International Monasticism.