The Rule of Benedict, one of the most influential documents in Western civilization, has its roots planted deeply in the scriptures. As a result, the forms of monastic life and the spirituality it engendered among lay men and women grew out of a loving reading of the Bible.

 

In this book Benedictine scholar Demetrius Dumm traces those roots and shows how the Judeo-Christian scriptures shine through the monastic way of life, its attitudes and forms of praying. He points out that the hospitality often associated with the Benedictines begins with the entertainment of God's presence by quiet, trusting prayer, and he shows that the practice of Christian discipline is intended more for exposing and eliminating illusions than imposing order. Readers of all backgrounds who honor the wealth of the Christian heritage will welcome this wise and stirring book.

 

"This book will delight not only monastics but all seekers of truth." -- Macrina Wiederkehr, O.S.B., author of The Song of the Seed

Demetrius Dumm, O.S.B., is professor of New Testament at Saint Vincent Seminary in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He received his doctorate in theology at Sant' Anselmo in Rome. After two years of graduate studies at the Ecole Biblique in Jerusalem, he received the Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Commission in Vatican City. He is also the author of Flowers in the Desert: A Spirituality of the Bible, and A Mystical Portrait of Jesus: New Perspectives on John's Gospel.