The Monastic Rules

The Monastic Rules is a model of clarity in its approach to a complex subject, and it succeeds admirably in being satisfying on both the scholarly and the spiritual level in unveiling the monastic writings of Augustine of Hippo.

This volume brings together three Augustine scholars of international reputation Gerald Bonner, George Lawless, O.S.A., and Sr. Agatha Mary, S.P.B. in a rare collaborative effort to present St. Augustine's highly influential Rule to a wide audience. Lawless, who has already published a major book on the Rule, offers a stimulating foreword that discusses the work's literary genre. Bonner, whose St. Augustine of Hippo: Life and Controversies is an acclaimed study, has written two chapters, one on the controversy regarding Augustine's authorship of the various rules attributed to him and the other on the spirit of the Rule. Sr. Agatha Mary, finally, translates the Rule and several other related documents.The Monastic Rules of St. Augustine is a model of clarity in its approach to a complex subject, and it succeeds admirably in being satisfying on both the scholarly and the spiritual level.