READING GUIDE, WEEK 4: Salic Law and the Benedictine Rule
A. Salic Law (the Law of the Franks), circa 511 CE
The Salic Law was the first of the ‘barbarian law codes' to be produced
in the aftermath of the collapse of Rome. It serves as a compilation of
the customs of one of the major sub-sets of the Frankish tribe, the Salian
Franks (hence "Salic" law). [Note: there were initially several important
groups of Franks (including the Ripuarian Franks), but the Salians, under
Clovis, won out]. Note: we have read only certain sections of the
Salic Law.
1. Why is it important that the Franks chose to write down their laws?
In what language did they write them?
2. Generally speaking, how are offenses punished according to the law?
Do you think many ordinary Franks possessed, say, the 2500 pennies (denars)
necessary to excuse the theft of 25 sheep? If not, why was the code
based upon monetary payments?
3. How does the Salic Law differ from the Theodosian Code? Are there
different conceptions of law, order, and society at work here? How so?
4. Note: ‘rape' in this text often meant ‘abduction', without any necessary
connotation of sexual violation. How do the Franks deal with ‘rape'?
What considerations govern the Law here?
5. Is this law a ‘territorial' law, or a ‘personal' law? Does it apply
to a whole region, or only to certain individuals?
6. Notice the different ‘worth' of women of different status in Title
XXIV. What do the Franks care about here?
7. Make sure to notice the sliding scale of ‘worth' of different types
of people in the murder section (Title XLI). What are the implications
of this scale? Are all people of equal worth? Are there universal human
rights?
8. Title LVI refers to the ‘kettle ordeal'. What is this? When was
it used? Why? The same section also refers to ‘composition'. What is that?
9. Title LIX, section 6, is one of the most famous elements of Salic
Law. Most scholars think it was pretty irrelevant in the 6th century, but
was seized upon by later generations as an excuse to limit women from inheriting
property. Does this section seem to be borne out by the stories of Frankish
queens you read for this week?
10. What is ‘wergeld'?
B. Saint Benedict (c.480-547), Rule for Monasteries (aka, The Benedictine
Rule)
Benedict of Nursia is one of those incredibly influential historical
figures about whom not much is actually known. Most of our information
comes from Pope Gregory the Great (d. 604), who popularized Benedict's
life through Gregory's own Dialogues and through heavy promotion of Benedict's
Rule. As a set of regulations for the monastic life, Benedict's Rule was
hardly unique: it seems to have been based on an earlier rule (the Rule
of the Master), and was merely one of many rules in existence in the early
Middle Ages. What does mark Benedict's rule as unique was its popularity.
While others existed, they existed in mostly localized settings, whereas
Benedict's rule became the standard, even universal rule for monks. If
we were to speak generically about monks prior to 1100, 90% of the time
we would be speaking about Benedictine monks. Scholars genrally argue
that one reason for the success of Benedict's rule was its combination
of traditional monastic asceticism with an easy practicality; Benedict
knew that monks needed rigor and self-denial, but was canny enough to allow
them sufficient food, the comfort of a community, and the satisfaction
of labor (and reading). Note: the dates found at the top of many
paragraphs of the Rule refer to one of Benedict's commandments, that the
monks appoint a brother to read to them at each meal; part of this daily
reading was the Rule itself. So the date tells you what would be read on
a given day of the year. Notice, too, that a community would generally
read the entire Rule three times per year.
Monks vs. Priests, or notes on terminology: "Rule" comes from the
Latin word ‘regula' (meaning ‘rule'). Thus when you see mention
made of ‘regular clergy' the meaning is not ‘ordinary' or ‘everyday' but
rather ‘those clergy who follow a regula, or rule'. In most cases, then,
‘regular clergy' is synonymous with ‘monks'. ‘Secular clergy' (from
the Latin ‘saeculum') are those clergy who do not adopt a rule and
do not retreat from the world, but choose instead to live in the world
and minister to lay people's needs. Examples of secular clergy are
parish priests and cathedral canons. Notice, however, that priests
are defined not by their relation to the world, but by their special status
gained through ordination. This means that there can be ‘regular' priests
(that is, monks who have been ordained as priests) and ‘secular' priests
(those priests who live among laypeople and minister to them). Most
monasteries would have several monks ordained as priests, so that those
priest-monks could perform the mass and other sacraments for the rest of
the brethren. One last term: we will encounter the word ‘friar' later
in the semester. "Friars" are a variety of regular clergy, quite similar
to monks but with some major distinctions (mostly they were clergy who
followed a rule but remained in the world; an example of a Friar is a Franciscan
or a Dominican).
1. Read the 2nd paragraph of the prologue carefully. What metaphor does
Benedict apply to monks? How is that analagous to the roles played by aristocrats
in early medieval society? Hint: monks were often referred to as
‘warriors of Christ'.
2. Under the reading for January 4, notice the concept of ‘faith and
good works'. What does this mean? What does it tell us about sources of
authority in early medieval Christianity?
3. Chapter one describes the different varieties of monks. Which sort
are Benedict's monks? How do Benedict's monks differ from the other sorts?
4. What are the abbot's duties in the monastery? What authority does
he have? What sort of person should he be?
5. The monastery is supposed to be a community - how much input do
the individual monks have on matters?
6. Look at the list of ‘instruments of good works'. Try to boil them
down to a set of meta-traits. How should a monk act? What virtues should
define him? What vices will mar his profession?
7. Obedience is one of the pillars of the Benedictine Rule. Why was
obedience important? Was Benedict a greedy power-monger, interested in
getting others to obey him? What virtues does obedience teach? [hint: think
humility]
8. Make a list of the twelve degrees of humility. How does each ‘degree'
help attain humility? Why is humility to be valued by a monk?
9. How are monks ascetics? What is ascetic about their lives?
10. The divine offices were the primary ‘work' of monks (called in
Latin the "Opus Dei", literally the "Work of God"). Here is the schedule
of monastic offices:
Matins (also Vigils or Nocturns):
2 AM in winter, 3 AM summer
Lauds : first light
Prime: Sunrise (1st hour
of day)
Terce (3rd hour of day)
Sext (6th hour of day)
Nones (9th hour of day)
Vespers: evening
Compline: sundown
What did the monks do in these services? Why? What function did the
Opus Dei have for the broader early medieval society?
11. When and why could a monk be expelled or excommunicated from the
monastery?
12. What should monks do during the days (when they aren't performing
the Opus Dei, that is)? Why? What is Benedict's rationale for these tasks?
13. How much food do the monks eat? When do they eat? What are mealtimes
like?
14. What role does silence play in the monastic life? Why was it considered
important?
15. Monasteries played an important role in receiving and hosting guests.
How did the Rule provide for this?
16. What are ‘oblates'? (see chapter 59)? Who could become a monk?
Who in practice became monks? Why?
17. What officers (below the abbot) should a monastery possess? What
are their functions?
18. Could monks possess property? Of what sort? Could the monastery
possess property? What distinction was drawn between individual and collective
property?
19. Describe the monks' living quarters. Why does Benedict require
all to sleep together, with the younger nearer to the older monks?
20. The ‘three pillars of monasticism' are often described as poverty,
chastity, and obedience. Locate evidence to support this statement. Why
did Benedict consider these traits to be so important?