Benedict of Aniane: The Emperor's Monk.

Benedict of Aniane: The Emperor's Monk

Ardo's Life, translated by Allen Cabaniss

Cistercian Publications

c/o Liturgical Press

Saint John's Abbey

P.O. Box 7500, Collegeville, MN 56321-7500

www.cistercianpublications.org

9780879073206, $13.95, www.litpress.org

In the 9th century, a Visigothic aristocrat named Witiza was called upon by the church to revive monasticism and impose uniformity throughout the Carolingian Empire. He changed his name to Benedict, and although preferring a severe austerity for himself, wrote down what was to become known as the 'Rule of Saint Benedict', a series of rules for monks that was intended to be a moral guide capable of being complied with by beginners and the sick. This 'rule' became accepted as the standard for the Benedictine order and all Benedictine monasteries for the better part of three centuries. In "Benedict of Aniane: The Emperor's Monk", Allen Cabaniss (before his passing, a Professor of History at the University of Mississippi) has deftly translated Ardo's biographical account of this venerable and influential figure in European Christian history and made this remarkably and singular life accessible to a whole new generation of readers. "Benedict of Aniane" is a significant and recommended addition to personal, ecclesiastical, and academic library Christian History reference collections and reading lists.