Forced Religious Callings

According to the textbook, “monks saw copying manuscripts and even writing books as a religious calling.”  The Rule of St. Benedict: Work and Pray states “the brothers ought to be occupied in manual labor; and again, at fixed times, in sacred reading.” The preservation of ancient works was part of a sacred and structured routine of balanced life that used reading and copying ancient works as a form of manual labor to represent the Monks’ devotion to God.  In contrast with the textbook, Work and Pray portrays reading and writing not as a “religious calling” but as a forced activity where disruptions were punishable. 

            The textbook implies that reading and writing was a personal choice that a member of the monastery selected.  The “religious calling” to literature seems to promote the idea of task selection due to personal interest.  According to Work and Pray, all members of the monastery were required each day to devote several hours to reading. Manual labor and reading were the major activities of the day.  These activities were viewed as a way of life, and as a means of worship. 

            The structure of life in the monasteries was not to be disrupted.  One or two elders would “go round the monastery at the house in which the brothers are engaged in reading, and see to it that no troublesome brother…is not intent on his reading.” This signifies that reading and writing might have been unpleasant for some members of the monastery.  The elder doing rounds seems almost comparable to teachers supervising detention or study hall in middle school. 

            When the disruption of reading is caught, “he shall be admonished once and a second time.” If the disruption is caught again, then “he shall be subject under the Rule to such punishment that the others may have fear.”  These punishments can be interpreted two ways. First, the guidelines for punishment have been set in place because disruption occurs often.  Therefore, reading must not be a favored activity.  Second, the monastery views reading as such a sacred task that the punishments are present to communicate the importance.

            In contrast with the textbook, reading and writing may not have been an enjoyable experience.  Work and Pray conveys reading as an obligatory activity with punishments for disruptions or disobedience.  Reading and writing may not have been a “religious calling,” but more of a forced labor that was viewed as a sacred activity.

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