Colophon
Fr. Hilary de Jean, OSB, made the original Saint Meinrad translation and published it in 1937. He later transferred his stability to Saint Joseph Abbey in St. Benedict, LA.
In 1956, Grail Publications at Saint Meinrad printed the translation with a note that it had been revised in 1950. That revision mainly included an updating of the Scripture references from the translation of the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine.
This revision follows Fr. Hilary’s goal of remaining close to the Latin as addressed to the original audience and context. Translations of the mid- and late-20th century have sought a more idiomatic translation, while more recent versions have adopted an inclusive approach which has precedents in the tradition. Each approach has its advantages.
The Rule follows the numbering of the psalms in the Septuagint and Vulgate. They have been adjusted to follow the numbering in the Hebrew, as found in translations today.
Fr. Harry Hagan, OSB, made this revision. Various monks reviewed the first draft and offered many helpful comments that greatly improved the revision: Fr. Vincent Tobin, OSB, Fr. Colman Grabert, OSB, Fr. Guerric DeBona, OSB, Fr. Eugene Hensell, OSB, Br. Francis de Sales Wagner, OSB, and Fr. Mateo Zamora, OSB. The text was also reviewed by Fr. Aelred Kavanagh, OSB, of Saint Joseph Abbey, and Fr. Joel Rippinger, OSB, of Marmion Abbey.
Br. Francis de Sales Wagner, OSB, also served as the copy editor and a proofreader. Fr. Mateo Zamora, OSB, and Mrs. Mary Jeanne Schumacher also assisted as proofreaders.
This revision follows the Latin text given in the RB 1980 taken from the Latin text of Jean Neufville in La Règle de Saint Benoît, Sources Chrétiennes, 181-182. Paris: Les Éditions du Cerf, 1972.
The following translations especially were consulted:
Fry, Timothy, ed. RB 1980: The Rule of St. Benedict in Latin and English with Notes. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1981.
Holzherr, Georg. Die Benediktsregel. Eine Anleitung zu christlichem Leben. Freiburg, Switzerland: Paulusverlag, 1982. English: The Rule of Benedict: An Invitation to the Christian Life, translated by Mark Thamert. Cistercian Studies, 256. Collegeville, MN: Cistercian Publications/Liturgical Press, 2016.
Kardong, Terrence G., tr. Benedict’s Rule: A Translation and Commentary. Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 1996.
Lentini, Anselm, tr. & ed. La Regola. Montecassino: Publicazaioni Cassinesi, 1994.
Probst, Benedikt, ed. Regula Benedicti de codice 914 in bibliotheca monasterii S. Galli. St. Ottilien: EOS Verlag, 1982.
Puzicha, Michaela, Joannes Gartner, Plazidus Hungerbühler, tr. and ed. Quellen und Texte zur Benediktusregel. St. Ottilien: EOS Verlag, 2007.
Venarde, Bruce L., ed. and tr. The Rule of Saint Benedict. Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library, 6. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2011.
Vogüé, Adalbert de, tr. La Règle de Saint Benoît. Sources Chrétiennes, 181 and 182. Paris: Les Éditions du Cerf, 1972.
