For those who are new subscribers (welcome!): each week I post a chapter of the Rule of St Benedict in both Latin and English (my translation) and discuss it briefly.
Text
Let there be chosen as Cellarer of the monastery someone who is wise, of mature character, sober, not a big eater, not high and mighty, not agitated, not unjust, not dilatory, not wasteful, but God-fearing and who may be like a father to the community.
Cellerarius monasterii eligatur de congregatione sapiens, maturus moribus, sobrius, non multum edax, non elatus, non turbulentus, non injuriosus, non tardus, non prodigus, sed timens Deum, qui omni congregationi sit sicut pater.
Let him have the care of everything: let him do nothing without the permission of the Abbot.
Curam gerat de omnibus: sine iussione Abbatis nihil faciat.
Let him observe what is commanded him, let him not sadden his brothers.
Quae iubentur, custodiat: fratres non contristet.
If any brother perchance asks him for anything unreasonably, let him not sadden him by rejection, but deny the wrong request reasonably and with humility.
Si quis autem frater ab eo forte aliquid irrationabiliter postulat, non spernendo eum contristet, sed rationabiliter cum humilitate male petenti deneget.
Let him guard his soul, always remembering the saying of the Apostle, that who ministers well, acquires a good standing for himself.1
Animam suam custodiat, memor semper illius apostolici praecepti, quia qui bene ministraverit, gradum bonum sibi acquirit.
Let him care for the sick, children, guests and the poor with all solicitude, knowing without doubt, that he will have to give an account of all these on the Day of Judgment.
Infirmorum, infantium, hospitum, pauperumque cum omni sollicitudine curam great, sciens sine dubio, quia pro his omnibus in die iudicii rationem redditurus est.
Let him look upon all the vessels and goods of the monastery as though they were the sacred vessels of the altar.
Omnia vasa monasterii cunctamque substantiam, ac si altaris vasa sacra conspiciat.
Let him not think he can neglect anything: neither be keen on hoarding, nor be wasteful, nor a squanderer of the monastery’s goods; but let him do all things measuredly, and according to the command of the Abbot.
Nihil ducat negligendum: neque avaritiae studeat, neque prodigus sit, aut extirpator substantiae monasterii; sed omnia mensurate faciat, et secundum iussionem abbatis sui.
Above all, let him have humility, and for him to whom he has nothing to give, let him offer a good word in answer, for it is written: A good word is above the best gift.
Humilitatem ante omnia habeat, et cui substantia non est quae tribuatur, sermo responsionis porrigatur bonus, quia scriptum est: Sermo bonus super datum optimum.
Let him have under his care all that the Abbot commands; let him not presume to take the things that are forbidden him.
Omnia quae ei iunxerit abbas, ipse habeat sub cura sua; a quibus eum prohibuerit, non praesumat.
Let him give the allotted food to the brothers without any obstruction or delay, so that they are not scandalized, remembering the divine words about what he deserves, who scandalizes one of the little ones.
Fratribus constitutam annonam sine aliquo typo vel mora offerat, ut non scandalizentur, memor divini eloquii, quid mereatur qui scandalizaverit unum de pusillis.
If the community is large, let help be given to him, by which aid he may fulfil with peaceful mind the office committed to him.
Si congregatio maior fuerit, solatia ei dentur, a quibus adiutus, et ipse aequo animo impleat officium sibi commissum.
Let suitable times be set for the things to be given, and for what is to be requested: that no one is troubled or saddened in the house of God.
Horis competentibus dentur quae danda sunt, et petantur quae petenda sunt: ut nemo perturbator, neque contristetur in domo Dei.
Comment
The Cellarer - not a word used in English much these days but it comes from our English word “cellar” which is related to the Latin word “cellarius” which means storeroom. The Cellarer is in charge of buying and distributing all the provisions of the monastery; this could be textiles for clothing, candles, food, equipment, pretty much anything.
I’ve read this chapter of the Rule many times but what struck me on this reading was how like the chapter on the Abbot it is. The Abbot’s role is to be a spiritual father to the monks; the Cellarer’s role is to be like a physical father, providing all the necessities of life to the community.
The Cellarer has to be level-headed and practical but also kind, humble and conscious of his responsibilities. Everything he does is done under the instructions of the Abbot, so he must know his boundaries and stick to them. He mustn’t be a great drinker or a glutton, for fear he would be tempted to obtain the trets of the world outside for his own benefit.
St Benedict mentions twice the need to not “sadden” the brothers, even if he has to refuse a request. Why would he need to refuse something?
Monks are given items of clothing and equipment, and over time these wear out or become damaged. It is a monastic principle that things are repaired as much as possible, but the time may come when an item of clothing is more holes than fabric and repairing it is no longer feasible. Or they may want another pen or a bottle of ink. If the clothing is still serviceable and the monk just wants an additional item, above the normal allocation, or another pen even though the one he has is fine, then the Cellarer may and should refuse the request. The principle of holy poverty means that in general, there are no stationery cupboards, no open cupboards of clothing for you to help yourself. This may, of course be different in some modern communities, but this is the original principle St Benedict applied. So the Cellarer, because of the standing rules of the Community, may not be able to give the monk what he wants. In that case he should give him a kind word.
Of course, strict rules like this may not apply to the sick or to children, whose needs may be different. The mention of guests and the poor is important here; monasteries took their duties to the poor very seriously, and medieval monasteries also had large guest houses to give their guests the standard of hospitality they expected. All of this comes under the Cellarer’s purview, so you can see why St Benedict states that he must be humble.
The medieval cellar at Finchale Priory, northern England. This was a small community so it is smaller than the great abbeys of the north.
Food and goods were stored in large, vaulted undercrofts in monasteries, usually along one side of the cloister. This was the Cellarer’s domain, and he would usually have his office there, in a room next to the cellar. Monks could go along at set times to ask for what they needed, and he (or an assistant) would go and fetch it for him if the request was approved.
A window in the cellar at Finchale Priory
These cellars could be vast and contain huge quantities of food and drink, and sometimes along with collections of tools and implements for all the activities of the monastery. Cool conditions for the preservation of food supplies were very important, so cellars were normally constructed on a lengthways alignment north/south along the west side of the cloister, at ground level with another room above. This meant they didn’t get too much sunlight heating them up. There would be only one door normally, for security, and the window openings were small. The one above from Finchale is a good example; it still has its iron bars at the top. Looking at this one, it’s possible that these windows had shutters, at least at the bottom. Circulating air was key to keeping perishable foodstuffs. Shutters would have kept it dark and cool, but also allowed for extra light when people needed it.
One of the cellars at Easby Abbey, northern England. This had no windows and could have been a strongroom for the valuable possessions of the guests or the monastery.
This chapter of the Rule also contains one of the key phrases which formed monastic thought and practice:
Let him look upon all the vessels and goods of the monastery as though they were the sacred vessels of the altar.
Damaging monastery property was regarded as akin to damaging a chalice; care must be taken with every item, however mundane. In the Chapter of Faults, which we will come to later in the Rule, monks are required to confess publicly any infraction of the Rule and damaging monastery property through negligence is one of those things which must be confessed.
Dom Delatte tells us in his commentary that this principle was common to all the early monastic Rules. He says:
Despite the legal arrangements which communities are forced to adopt in order to resist the encroachments of an infidel State, the only true proprietor of monastic property is God, neither one nor many religious nor the corporate community itself. Both persons and property belong to God.
The asceticism of monastic life is not something we in the world can practice. However, it is good to remember sometimes that we often have what we need; what we want in addition may not be essential. Do we need that new phone, TV or is it just a desire for something “new”? In a monastery, having to ask for something acts as a check on the appetite, and perhaps this principle is something we can apply in our own lives too; “Do I really need this, or do I just want it?”.
1 1 Timothy 3:13