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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Colman O Clabaigh wrote: > > Thanks for this. Sorry I should have been more clear. I wasn't referring to the division of the RB into chapters, rather to its division into sections to facilitate a daily reading at chapter (or wherever). In modern editions the dates when each section is to be read are often printed in the margins of the page. Following this arrangement a monastic community would hear the Rule read aloud three times each year. > > My friend would like to know when this practice of daily reading of a section of the RB began and if there is any medieval evidence for a cursus of daily readings. > I don't think modern usage is any help. It is widely believed that "Chapter" derives its name from the reading of a chapter of the Rule at that Office. This may or may not be the case - and it is certainly possible that it is the other way round: that the name of the Office encouraged the reading of a chapter of the Rule. I haven't checked this, but it is suggested that St Augustine was the first to require that his (rather short!) rule was read once a week. In St Chrodegang's Rule (c.755), Chapter 8, he writes: "It is required that all the canonical clergy come to Chapter, where they will hear the Word of God, and this little rule of ours, which we have written with God's help for their own benefit and for their soul's salvation. Every day they should read one chapter, except on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays when they shall read at Chapter some tracts and other homilies or whatever may edify the hearers. [...]" Translation from Bertram (2005). The next mention of the Chapter Office is in the Canons of the Council of Aachen (817): "XXXVIIII. Vt lectio ad capitulum tradatur similiter ad collationem si tempus fuerit oportunum." This is fine as far as it goes, but we seem to just have the chapter heading rather than the text of the canon! The same is repeated by Benedict of Aniane. The assumption is that at some stage the Benedictines (to use an anachronistic term) began to read one chapter of their Rule a day. But whether they copied Chrodegang's canons or whether Chrodegang copied them is anyone's guess. John Briggs ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: unsubscribe medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/medieval-religion