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Primary sourceBook1907 edition

The Rule of St. Benedict, edited by D. Oswald Hunter Blair

Benedict of Nursia · 1907 edition

An English translation with notes of Benedict's Rule, the monastic code he wrote for his community.

An annotated edition of Benedict's own Rule, useful for studying his instructions with explanation.

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The Rule of St. Benedict, edited by D. Oswald Hunter BlairPDF · 253 pages
The Rule of St. Benedict, ed. D. Oswald Hunter Blair, 1907.

About this source

What it is

This is a 1907 edition of the Rule of St Benedict, giving the Latin text alongside an English translation and explanatory notes by D. Oswald Hunter Blair. The original Rule was written by Benedict of Nursia for the monks under his guidance.

Why it matters

The preface describes the Rule as one of the most powerful tools of European civilisation, shaping religious life for more than a thousand years. Editions like this one made Benedict's instructions accessible to English-speaking readers studying monastic history.

Look closer

  • Why would an editor add notes and an introduction to a text written so many centuries earlier?
  • What does the preface claim about the Rule's influence on Europe, and is that a fact or an opinion?
  • How might reading a translation differ from reading Benedict's own Latin words?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saint Benedict on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Rule of Saint Benedict

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