Rule of St. Benedict

Online Text of the Rule of St. Benedict 

Prologue

Chapter 1 Of the Several Kinds of Monks

Chapter 2 What Kind of Man the Abbot Ought to Be

Chapter 3 Of Calling the Brethren to Council

Chapter 4 What are the Instruments of Good Works

Chapter 5 Of the Obedience of the Disciples

Chapter 6 Of Silence

Chapter 7 Of Humility

Chapter 8 Of the Divine Office at Night Time

Chapter 9  How Many Psalms are to be Said at Night Hours

Chapter 10  How Night Office is to be Celebrated in Summer

Chapter 11 How Night Office is to be Celebrated on Sundays

Chapter 12 How Solemnity of Lauds is to be Performed

Chapter 13 How Lauds are to be Celebrated on Weekdays

Chapter 14 How the Night Office is to be Said on the Feast of the Saints 

Chapter 15 At What Times the Alleluia is to be Said 

Chapter 16  How the Work of God is to be Performed during the Day

Chapter 17 How Many Psalms Are to be Sung at these Hours

Chapter 18 In What Order the Psalms Are to Be Said 

Chapter 19 Of the Manner of Reciting the Psalter 

Chapter 20 Of Reverence of Prayer

Chapter 21 Of the Deans of the Monastery 

Chapter 22 How the Monks Are to Sleep 

Chapter 23 Of Excomunication for Faults 

Chapter 24 What the Manner of Excommunication Should Be

 (The rest of the Chapters are under construction.  We will provide an audio for each chapter.  Stay tuned)

Chapter 24: What the Manner of Excommunication Should Be
Chapter 25: Of Graver Faults
Chapter 26: Of Those Who without the Command of the Abbot Associate with the Excommunicated
Chapter 27: How Concerned the Abbot Should Be about the Excommunicated
Chapter 28: Of Those Who Having Often Been Corrected Do Not Amend
Chapter 29: Whether Brethren Who Leave the Monastery Ought to Be Received Again
Chapter 30: How Young Boys Are to Be Corrected
Chapter 31: The Kind of Man the Cellarer of the Monastery Ought to Be
Chapter 32: Of the Tools and Goods of the Monastery
Chapter 33: Whether Monks Ought to Have Anything of Their Own
Chapter 34: Whether All Should Receive in Equal Measure What Is Necessary
Chapter 35: Of the Weekly Servers in the Kitchen
Chapter 36: Of the Sick Brethren
Chapter 37: Of the Aged and Children
Chapter 38: Of the Weekly Reader
Chapter 39: Of the Quantity of Food
Chapter 40: Of the Quantity of Drink
Chapter 41: At What Times the Brethren Should Take Their Refection
Chapter 42: That No One Speak after Complin
Chapter 43: Of Those Who Are Tardy in Coming to the Work of God or to Table
Chapter 44: Of Those Who Are Excommunicated -- How They Make Satisfaction
Chapter 45: Of Those Who Commit a Fault in the Oratory
Chapter 46: Of Those Who Fail in Any Other Matters
Chapter 47: Of Giving the Signal for the Time of the Work of God
Chapter 48: Of the Daily Work
Chapter 49: On the Keeping of Lent
Chapter 50: Of the Brethren Who Work a Long Distance form the Oratory or Are on a Journey
Chapter 51: Of the Brethren Who Do Not Go Very Far Away
Chapter 52: Of the Oratory of the Monastery
Chapter 53: Of the Reception of Guests
Chapter 54: Whether a Monk Should Receive Letters or Anything Else
Chapter 55: Of the Clothing and the Footgear of the Brethren
Chapter 56: Of the Abbot's Table
Chapter 57: Of the Artists of the Monastery
Chapter 58: Of the Manner of Admitting Brethren
Chapter 59: Of the Children of the Noble and of the Poor Who Are Offered
Chapter 60: Of Priests Who May Wish to Live in the Monastery
Chapter 61: How Stranger Monks Are to Be Received
Chapter 62: Of the Priests of the Monastery
Chapter 63: Of the Order in the Monastery
Chapter 64: Of the Election of the Abbot
Chapter 65: Of the Prior of the Monastery
Chapter 66: Of the Porter of the Monastery
Chapter 67: Of the Brethren Who Are Sent on a Journey
Chapter 68: If a Brother is Commanded to Do Impossible Things
Chapter 69: That in the Monastery No One Presume to Defend Another
Chapter 70: That No One Presume to Strike Another
Chapter 71: That the Brethren be Obedient to One Another
Chapter 72: Of the Virtuous Zeal Which the Monks Ought to Have
Chapter 73: Of This, that Not the Whole Observance of Righteousness is Laid Down in this Rule