That is, Pseudo-Gregorian Dialogues (Studies in Christian Thought no.37)
Leiden 1987
The spoil-sport!
More seriously: the question is really the other way round. The Rule is
plain enough, and old enough for most of us (Hatton MS in Bodley is eighth
century I think, and St Gall ninth). If Dialogues II is fiction (or at any
rate hagiographic mimesis) it merely means that we are in much the same
position as Homer has been for years - Odyssey and Iliad may well have been
composed by a committee of savants from Smyrna, Rhodos, Colophon, Salamis,
Chios, Argos, Athenae - but somebody put th Rule together, because there it
is. I reckon I know a lot more about Benedict from the Rule than I do from
Gregory's stories, agreeable reflections though these are.
The fact is, if Benedict did not exist, we would have to invent him. Which
Gregory did. Can anyone do better?
Nobody tells any nice stories abut the Master....
For further reading, see RB 1980, ed T. Fry et al., Collegeville 1980 ISBN
08146 12113
(There is also a paperback edn 08146 12202)
Anselm Cramer OSB (or, as our fathers used to write, mon.ben.)
Ampleforth Abbey, York
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-----Original Message-----
From: Bill East <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: 11 October 1999 10:03
Subject: Re:
>
>> Here is one of those basic questions that I just realized I didn't
>> know the
>> answer to. Is there any evidence before Gregory I's Life of Benedict,
>> that
>> the latter was the author of the Rule for Monks attributed to him?
>> Does all
>> later evidence stem from Gregory's Vita or are there independent
>> testimonies
>> to Benedict's authorship.
>> thanks,
>
>
>Do you know the book by Francis Clark - I can't remember the title, but
>I have seen it in the Ampleforth Library, so no doubt Fr Anselm can
>supply it - which casts doubt on Gregory's authorship of the Vita,
>maintaining that was written by someone in the papal curia a good deal
>later than Gregory? If that is true - and I gather that its opinions
>have not found universal favour - then we really do know very little
>about Benedict.
>
>Oriens.
>
>=====
>
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