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Explanation of the rule of St. Augustine
Explanation of the Rule of St Augustine
A Way of Life
This particular piece is a rather minute effort; it is a set of rules for a monastic community, which he founded at Hippo Regis in North Africa. This work has become so pervasive, that it either has been the sole foundation or has been the basis for hundreds of religious communities of men and women through the centuries. It has influenced religious life for more 16 centuries, thus guiding more than 150 around the world.
Augustine went to great lengths to spell out these procedures in order to protect offenders, witnesses, and superiors from acting unjustly, rashly, or uncharitably. Being ever mindful of his own unworthiness, Augustine provided opportunities for sinners to repent and rejoin their brothers or sisters.
In communal life, there are factors, which each person brings to the community, and their adherence to the rule varies upon the characteristics of the individuals. The objective of this rule is to create a harmonious environment whereby all participants may ascend in their quest to life a life for God.
The idea of service learning also could be said to have roots in the Rule. This becomes apparent at Augustinian educational institutions, where the Rule’s influence can be noticed, although less directly than most of Augustine’s works. Chief among its legacies is an emphasis on learning and living for a higher purpose than individual enhancement.
Augustine’s Rule had a very pastoral side to it, for it was written for an urban community that was out and about the city of Hippo Regis.
It is also important to recognize that these groups have not only adopted Augustine’s Rule, but also Augustine himself as their father. Like that little family at Hippo, the Augustinian friars took a mission that was monastic but not cloistered. Right from their union they preached and taught in the cities and towns of Europe and later around the world.
Those who follow this or any other rule will point out that this Rule is more complex in practice than it appears at face value. This is because accepting the larger formularies and timetables are easily incorporated into one’s manner of life. This is because everyone has a schedule of some form or another. The dilemma is in the finer points, which need to be considered in any relationship.
This work is done by Hugh of St Victor, whom many consider the second Augustine.
To write the book on the work of monks, the need, which compelled me, was this. When at Carthage monasteries there had begun to be somewhat maintained themselves, by their own hands. This was achieved through obeying the Apostle, but others wished so to live on the generosity of the faithful. The resultant being they did not work, from which they might either have or supply the necessaries of life. Thus, they thought and boasted that they were fulfilling the precept of the Gospel; “Behold the fowls of heaven, and the lilies of the field.”
History hands down the following rational for the rule; the following is an accepted response for its formulation, “There were contentions between those who reprehended and those who justified the practice. These same, according to their party affections, increased. On these accounts the venerable Aurelius, Bishop of the Church of the same city, desired that I should write something concerning this matter, and I obliged him.”
A Way of Life
This particular piece is a rather minute effort; it is a set of rules for a monastic community, which he founded at Hippo Regis in North Africa. This work has become so pervasive, that it either has been the sole foundation or has been the basis for hundreds of religious communities of men and women through the centuries. It has influenced religious life for more 16 centuries, thus guiding more than 150 around the world.
Augustine went to great lengths to spell out these procedures in order to protect offenders, witnesses, and superiors from acting unjustly, rashly, or uncharitably. Being ever mindful of his own unworthiness, Augustine provided opportunities for sinners to repent and rejoin their brothers or sisters.
In communal life, there are factors, which each person brings to the community, and their adherence to the rule varies upon the characteristics of the individuals. The objective of this rule is to create a harmonious environment whereby all participants may ascend in their quest to life a life for God.
The idea of service learning also could be said to have roots in the Rule. This becomes apparent at Augustinian educational institutions, where the Rule’s influence can be noticed, although less directly than most of Augustine’s works. Chief among its legacies is an emphasis on learning and living for a higher purpose than individual enhancement.
Augustine’s Rule had a very pastoral side to it, for it was written for an urban community that was out and about the city of Hippo Regis.
It is also important to recognize that these groups have not only adopted Augustine’s Rule, but also Augustine himself as their father. Like that little family at Hippo, the Augustinian friars took a mission that was monastic but not cloistered. Right from their union they preached and taught in the cities and towns of Europe and later around the world.
Those who follow this or any other rule will point out that this Rule is more complex in practice than it appears at face value. This is because accepting the larger formularies and timetables are easily incorporated into one’s manner of life. This is because everyone has a schedule of some form or another. The dilemma is in the finer points, which need to be considered in any relationship.
This work is done by Hugh of St Victor, whom many consider the second Augustine.
To write the book on the work of monks, the need, which compelled me, was this. When at Carthage monasteries there had begun to be somewhat maintained themselves, by their own hands. This was achieved through obeying the Apostle, but others wished so to live on the generosity of the faithful. The resultant being they did not work, from which they might either have or supply the necessaries of life. Thus, they thought and boasted that they were fulfilling the precept of the Gospel; “Behold the fowls of heaven, and the lilies of the field.”
History hands down the following rational for the rule; the following is an accepted response for its formulation, “There were contentions between those who reprehended and those who justified the practice. These same, according to their party affections, increased. On these accounts the venerable Aurelius, Bishop of the Church of the same city, desired that I should write something concerning this matter, and I obliged him.”
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First published October 8, 2008
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About the author
Hugh of Saint-Victor
32 books23 followersHugh of Saint-Victor, also called Hugo of Saint-Victor was an eminent scholastic theologian who began the tradition of mysticism that made the school of Saint-Victor, Paris, famous throughout the 12th century.
Of noble birth, Hugh joined the Augustinian canons at the monastery of Hamersleben, near Halberstadt (now in Germany). He went to Paris (c. 1115) with his uncle, Archdeacon Reinhard of Halberstadt, and settled at Saint-Victor Abbey. From 1133 until his death, the school of Saint-Victor flourished under Hugh’s guidance.
His mystical treatises were strongly influenced by Bishop St. Augustine of Hippo, whose practical teachings on contemplative life Hugh blended with the theoretical writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Hugh’s somewhat innovative style of exegesis made an important contribution to the development of natural theology: he based his arguments for God’s existence on external and internal experience and added a teleological proof originating from the facts of experience.
Of noble birth, Hugh joined the Augustinian canons at the monastery of Hamersleben, near Halberstadt (now in Germany). He went to Paris (c. 1115) with his uncle, Archdeacon Reinhard of Halberstadt, and settled at Saint-Victor Abbey. From 1133 until his death, the school of Saint-Victor flourished under Hugh’s guidance.
His mystical treatises were strongly influenced by Bishop St. Augustine of Hippo, whose practical teachings on contemplative life Hugh blended with the theoretical writings of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite. Hugh’s somewhat innovative style of exegesis made an important contribution to the development of natural theology: he based his arguments for God’s existence on external and internal experience and added a teleological proof originating from the facts of experience.
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April 22, 2014
Excellent insight added to a class rule of the Faith.
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