Concordance to the Prologue of the Rule
Someone at Blue Cloud Abbey compiled a Concordance to the Prologue of the Rule of Benedict. That monk made a strong and profound statement about the Prologue:
“In the Prologue Benedict reveals his monastic theology. His choice of words and metaphors lights up his world of monastic values. The Prologue is, like Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, short but memorable. The Chapters that follow the Prologue are mere postscript.”
The Concordance helps us see the places, at least in the English translation, where Benedict has used the same word or drawn upon the same concept, more than once. The citation in parentheses refers to the paragraph or verse in the Prologue. For instance, it is revealing to look at the four times Benedict speaks of the good in the Prologue:
Good
turn away from evil and do good (P,4)
the Lord’s power brings about the good (P,5)
do not become elated over good deeds (P,5)
the good of all concerned, however, (P,8)
