The Benedictines

by David Knowles

What then, are the particular aspects--moral and intellectual--of the full Christian life that are emphasized by Benedictines in the form of the life they lead? It is an objective form of life, sane, strong, unchanging from year to year, a life of work and liturgical prayer which can be seen and heard, lived in conditions which aim at representing all that is best in the basic family life of Christianity, aided by all human courtesies, reverences and affections. It is nothing secret or esoteric, nor an impossibility, but an ordered form of ordinary life. It is a religious life which is free from all that is doctrinaire or experimental. It is the Christian life writ large for all to see, with all the non-Christian elements removed that are normally interwoven with the devout life as lived in the world. The message of Saint Benedict is simple and direct. Work, obey, keep silent, praise God in common, and if you wish to pray to Him alone, enter the church and pray.

100 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Fr. David Knowles, OSB, FRHistS was born Michael Clive Knowles and was given the name 'David' when he joined the Order of Benedict in 1923. He was a historian and professor at University of Cambridge from 1947 to 1968 and served as president of the Royal Historical Society from 1957 to 1961.

*Note: there is more than one author named 'David Knowles,' however this particular individual is the most widely published.

Reviews

[Luke Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to Benedictine life and theology that doesn't go any further.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had been meaning to read this book because so many of the books that I enjoy on the Benedictines quote it. So, when I found it on Google Play on the my phone, I thought it would be worth getting it. I wished I had done it earlier because it is one of those classics which deserve the title. While it is a getting a little long in the tooth (written in the 1920s and you can tell by its style), its good humour, erudition and peacefulness makes it a brilliant introduction to the Benedictine Order.

Father Knowles doesn't just offer a history of the order (he does that to a degree), but he seeks to explain the ethos of Benedictine spirituality. Now, anyone who has read my reviews over the last few years would know that I probably picked this up for the history element and they'd be right. I do know a fair bit, but I wanted to hear what Father Knowles had to say about the development of the order. That history is explained sympathetically, but, without glossing over the occasional bouts of laxity which have always been juxtaposed to periods of reform in Benedictine history. The point of view tends to stress the English Benedictines, for understandable reasons, but it provides an important story of the development of this order.

The discussion of the spirituality of the Benedictine order was a pleasant surprise for me. Of course, I find Benedictine spirituality appealing (as a look on my read shelf would tell you), so I'm biased. There is something grounding about this form of spirituality and that grounding is here in Father Knowles book.

So, for anyone interested in the Benedictines, this is a valuable introduction. Read it, you'll be glad you did.

[Andrew Marr · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a short amount of space, Dom David Knowles, important Benedictine scholar and historian from the early 20th century, has outlined the fundamental values of Benedictine spirituality as outlined in the Rule of St. Benedict.