pes: vis 8.0 2 See 2 Tim. ii, 21. ° No time limit is imposed for this noviciate. See Ep. xxiii for methods of treating novices.
4 Mt. vi. 14 omit suiv*, add td mapartdyata Sudy.
DG NIE
XII. — How the Married are to be Received
Married men who want to be admitted to such a life as ours must be questioned whether their action is approved by their wives, according to the apostle’s commandment, “The husband hath not power over his own body,” after which the applicant may be received before a number of witnesses. For obedience towards God takes precedence of everything else. But if the other party dissent and resist the step caring little for pleasing God, then let the apostle’s words be remembered, “God hath called us in peace”; and let the Lord’s commandment be fulfilled, “If any man cometh unto me, and hateth not his own father, and mother, and wife, and children, and the rest, he cannot be my disciple.” For obedience towards God takes precedence of everything else. However, we have known many cases in which through earnest prayer and perseverance in fasting the life of chastity has been attained, since as a result of bodily austerities the Lord often leads the recalcitrant to acquiesce in a right decision.
1 Philemon 15, 16 (shortened). 2 See Acts v. 29.
3 Tf B.’s advice was followed, great friction must have arisen. The question was dealt with at Gangra (Can. 3). The Council of Chalcedon forbade the reception of a slave into a monastery without the master’s leave (Can. 4). Cf. Greg. Naz. Hp. Ixxix; Jer. Hp. Ixxxii. 6; Ben. Reg. ii. and Theod. Cant. Poen. viii: Graecorum monachi seruos non habent, Romani habent. 4 1 Cor. vi. 4.
5 1 Cor. vil. 15, taken to mean that the man who has been called to the monastic life must not allow scruples to interfere with his response.
6 Lk. xiv. 26 civoat before pabyth.
7 Garnier interprets this to mean that reception was provisional only, liable to be annulled if the consent of the partner was not obtained. But (a) nothing in the text supports this view, note the double pro-nouncement that obedience is unconditional; (b) such cases did exist and cause scandal, as is shown by the decrees of Gangra, directed against Hustathius, to whom B. owed much of his system; (c) in Mor. \xxiii. 1 B. allows separation if one is hindered in godliness; (d) F. 11 allows the reception of slaves on whom unlawful commands are imposed.
oo XIII.
XIII. — That the Practice of Silence is Beneficial for Novices
The practice of silence is beneficial for novices. For, if they control the tongue, they will both give sufficient proof of continence and will learn in quiet, eagerly and attentively, from those that are skilled in instruction, how they must ask questions and answer each individual question. For there is a tone of voice and symmetry of language and appropriateness of occasion and special vocabulary which are peculiar to the religious, and can only be learned by the man who has unlearned his former habits. Now silence both induces forgetfulness of the past through lack of practice and affords leisure to learn good habits. Accordingly a novice must keep silence, except of course for the psalmody, unless he is constrained either by a special need concerning the care of his own soul or the unavoidable necessity of the work he has in hand, or by some question that is put to him.
XIV. — Concerning those who after Making a Profession to God Try to Annul their Profession
Every such man that has been received into the brotherhood and then has annulled his profession must be looked on as sinning against God, before Whom and to Whom he made a profession and undertaking. “But if a man sin against God,” it says, “who shall pray for him?” For a man who dedicates himself to God and then springs away to another form of life has committed sacrilege, for he has stolen away himself and robbed God of His votive-offering. It is only reasonable that the brethren’s door be no longer opened to such men, not even for a mere sojourn for the sake of shelter as they pass by. For the apostolic rule is plain, which bids us withdraw from every unruly man, and refrain from intercourse with him, in order that he may be ashamed.
1 Cf. B. 208. Note that this Rule, with 26, 27, 38, 39, 49, 51, 53, 54 alone among the Longer Rules has no Scripture proof-texts.
2 R. uses the question and part of the answer of 15, with the concluding words of 14.
3 1 Sam. ii. 25. B. differs considerably from Sw.’s (B) text.
x Vi
XV. — At What Age Should we Allow Professions to be Made, and When May we Consider the Profession of Virginity to be Valid?
Since the Lord says: “Suffer the children to come unto me,” and the Apostle praises him who from a babe has learned sacred letters, and elsewhere enjoins the bringing up of children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we judge every time, even that of early youth, to be fitting for the reception of novices. Those who are bereft of parents we accept without more ado, and become fathers of orphans after the example of Job’s zeal; but such as are under their parents’ control, when they are brought by them in person we receive in the presence of a number of witnesses, so as not to give a handle of accusation to those who seek one but rather to stop every unjust mouth that utters blasphemy against us. Accordingly we must receive them in accordance with the above principle, but it is expedient that they be not numbered and enrolled with the body of the brethren immediately—so that in case of failure on their part no reproaches fall on the life of godliness. They should be trained in all godliness as common children of the brotherhood, but both houses and meals, of boys and girls alike, should be kept separate, so that neither boldness nor excessive freedom towards their elders be engendered, but owing to rarity of meeting reverence for seniors be preserved. (Two other dangers will thus be obviated:) the encouragement to sin that arises from seeing the punishments inflicted on their elders for neglect of duty, should they ever happen to be careless, and the elation which often arises imperceptibly, when they see their seniors stumbling in matters where their own conduct is correct. For he that is childish in mind is no better than the child in years. So that it is not surprising if the same faults are often found in both. Furthermore it is inexpedient for the young through intercourse with their elders to show premature and rash zeal as regards those things in which their elders owing to their age are naturally decorous.
Therefore both for the above reasons and because it is seemly in other respects, it is right to keep the apartments of the boys and the elders separate. Besides, the house of the monks will not be disturbed by the repetition of lessons necessary for the young. But let the prayers ordered for daily use be common both to boys and elders. For both boys are commonly stirred up by the zeal of their elders and the seniors get no small help in prayer from the presence of children. But as regards sleep and rising, the hours of meals and their quantity and quality, let a separate régime and manner of life be prescribed suitable for boys.
Let a monk of some age be put in charge of them, surpassing the rest in experience and with a reputation for patience; able to correct the sins of youth with fatherly compassion and skilled words, while he applies to each offence the appropriate remedies, so that at the same time he both punishes the sin and trains the soul in impassivity. For example: has a boy been angry with his comrade? Then let him be compelled to appease him and serve him in a manner befitting the offence. For the habit of humbling oneself cuts out, so to speak, anger from the soul, just as pride as a rule engenders it in us. Has a boy touched food between meals? Let him go without food for the best part of the day. Has he been caught eating in a greedy or rude fashion? Let him be debarred from food at meal time and be compelled to see the rest eating as usual, so that he is punished by abstinence and taught to behave himself. Has he uttered idle words, insulted his neighbour, told lies, or said any other forbidden thing? Let him be disciplined in the stomach and by enforced silence.
Moreover, their literary studies must be appropriate to their ideal. Thus their teachers will use the language of the Scriptures, and in place of myths will tell them stories of wonderful deeds and educate them by maxims drawn from the Proverbs and offer rewards for remembering both words and things, so that they accomplish their purpose with delight and mental relaxation finding neither tedium nor offence in their studies. And such pupils being rightly trained will easily attain attention and learn to avoid mental dissipation, if they are regularly examined by their tutors as to their thoughts and wanderings of imagination. For youth, being simple and guileless and unaccustomed to falsehood, confesses readily the secrets of the soul and, to avoid being caught frequently dwelling on forbidden subjects, a boy will avoid wrong thoughts and keep recalling his mind from them, fearing the shame entailed by the scoldings he will receive.
So the soul must be led to practise good immediately and from the outset, while it is still plastic and soft, pliable as wax, and easily moulded by the shapes pressed upon it. So that when reason is added and the power of discrimination it may run its course, starting from the elementary lessons it has already learned and the examples of religion delivered to it; reason will suggest utilitarian motives, habit will make success easy. At this point we must allow the profession of virginity, since it is now valid and takes place with the person’s own consent and judgment, reason being fully developed. Henceforward rewards and punishments are awarded by the righteous Judge to the virtuous and sinners according to their desert. We should bring in the Church authorities as witnesses of their consent, so that by their means the consecration of the body may be hallowed as an offering to God, and their witness may confirm the event. “For in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.” For thus the zeal of the brethren will avoid calumnies, and those who after making a profession try to annul it will be given no loophole for shameless conduct. But let him that does not accept the life of virginity, since he cannot care for the things of the Lord, be dismissed before the same witnesses. Moreover, when a lad has made his profession after careful examination and consideration—which latter he should be allowed to have by himself for a number of days, so that we do not seem to snatch at him—then at last we must receive him and number him among the brotherhood, to share the same house and food as his seniors. One thing I omitted to say, and I had better add now. Since some crafts must be practised from childhood, when any of the boys seem fitted to learn, we do not forbid them to spend their days with the teachers of the craft. But at night we restore them to their comrades, with whom also they must take their meals.