The Rule of St. Benedict and Beowulf books - Essay Example

The Rule of St. Benedict was written at a time when the world was ravaged by great political and economic upheaval brought about by warfare. It was during this time that there was immense chaos and hardship and there was no integrated community whatsoever. Even the monks and hermits spent their lives in tiny cells, huts or caves with self imposed hard rigor. Most of them lived on bread-crusts, indulged in self-flagellation for decades together. Saint Benedict understood that such living was not healthy for community living and therefore revolutionized the existing rules to make life much better.

The most important thing he did was to allocate specific time for different activities. He divided the Pg. 2 day by setting aside time for work, prayer, study, relaxation and sleep respectively. This arrangement was rather innovative and well accepted all around since it made life much easier to lead even while creating a good community atmosphere by bringing about order in their daily lives. An ideal ruler always wants the best for his subjects and considering the masterpiece he offered his subjects, there is no doubt that St.

Benedict could be called an ideal ruler because he had the good of his people at heart. As a good ruler he was responsible for bringing about peace and harmony through community life by releasing his people from the bondage of hardship and chaos. Even though Benedict was a monk himself, he was not a rigid taskmaster who penalized his subjects. In fact, in his book he states that these rules were ‘nothing harsh, nothing burdensome.’ (St. Benedict ( 1998) On the other hand, he was a concerned leader who wanted to bring about order and peace in his environment.

Benedict’s rule is an integral and invaluable guide to us in this contemporary society because it forms the basis of order and structure in our daily lives. Benedict’s vision of order was aimed at bringing people much closer to God. According to Benedict, all individuals are equal before God and therefore equality within a community lays the foundation for spirituality and drawing people closer to the Divine. Benedict’s rules have great significance and Pg. 3 relevance in today’s society as it continues to help us maintain order and discipline in our lives.

Beowulf is in sharp contrast to ‘The Rule of St. Benedict’ because it is a narrative that comprises of both fact and fiction. It is a mixture of images of people and creatures who are less human and comprises of both comedy and tragedy. Written in the early part of the tenth century A.D. Beowulf is one of the oldest epics in British literature that has managed to survive. Presently a house timber British library in London, Beowulf describes the interesting adventures of a well known Scandinavian warrior belonging to the 6th century.

While ‘The Rule of St. Benedict’ is based on factual evidence of real people within a real environment, ‘Beowulf’ is based on fact as well as fiction to express the thoughts and ideas of its author. Throughout the narrative, the author speaks of the descendants of each warrior, the conquests they fought and the manner in which they lost their lives, but constantly keeps close proximity with the Divine and expressing that God is ever present and is a solace and guide to mankind. One such warrior was Shield who though was an orphan, put an end to many enemies and took care of his people like a good king.

This idea of a good king is