- Peterson, Herman A. (2010) "The genesis of monastic libraries." Libraries & the Cultural Record, 45 (3), 320-332.
- A "Dig Deeper" article from Early Libraries
- Accessible online at http://bit.ly/2nYvhDV
I thought I'd like to read a little bit more on monasteries, as they seemed to have a large impact on the development of both libraries and literacy in Western society.
From the opening paragraph, I thought this would be another article on the manual process monks put themselves through when creating a book. But Peterson instead takes a different angle, bringing to light texts (such as The Rule of Benedict and Rule of the Master) that served to instruct monks in how to best utilize their time when it came to reading. This wasn't merely to uphold educational standards but to keep monks occupied. As the saying goes...idle hands are the Devil's tools! I had to laugh though at how specific the instructions were in The Rule of the Master. The monks were told when and where to sit, so as not to have too many voices in one spot, and how many listeners should be per one speaker. I also got a laugh out of the instructions written down by an Egyptian monk named Pachomius:
Peterson also discussed the emphasis of memorization in monasteries, which seems at odds with their written culture (as opposed to oral). There were practical purposes to this--if a monk was called to public prayer, then there would be no hesitation--but also because it was believed that if these prayers and scriptures were memorized, then they became part of that person. This is where the phrase "by heart" comes from, of which I had never known the origin so I found this pretty cool.
From the opening paragraph, I thought this would be another article on the manual process monks put themselves through when creating a book. But Peterson instead takes a different angle, bringing to light texts (such as The Rule of Benedict and Rule of the Master) that served to instruct monks in how to best utilize their time when it came to reading. This wasn't merely to uphold educational standards but to keep monks occupied. As the saying goes...idle hands are the Devil's tools! I had to laugh though at how specific the instructions were in The Rule of the Master. The monks were told when and where to sit, so as not to have too many voices in one spot, and how many listeners should be per one speaker. I also got a laugh out of the instructions written down by an Egyptian monk named Pachomius:
"And if he is illiterate, he shall go at the first, third, and sixth hours to someone who can teach and has been appointed for him. He shall stand before him and learn very studiously with all gratitude...even if he does not want to, he shall be compelled to read."Don't feel like reading? Tough! You're gonna read anyway.
Peterson also discussed the emphasis of memorization in monasteries, which seems at odds with their written culture (as opposed to oral). There were practical purposes to this--if a monk was called to public prayer, then there would be no hesitation--but also because it was believed that if these prayers and scriptures were memorized, then they became part of that person. This is where the phrase "by heart" comes from, of which I had never known the origin so I found this pretty cool.
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