Composed in Italy around 530 AD but based on earlier compilations, The Rule of St Benedict has been the defining guide to daily prayer and work for Benedictine communities for fifteen centuries. The Rule also embodies the idea of a written constitution, authority limited by law and under the law, and the right of the ruled to review the legality of their superiors' actions-ideas at the heart of the West's most treasured civic institutions. This is a fundamental contribution to the tradition of simple living that continues to experience a renaissance.

St Benedict of Nursia (c. 480-543) founded twelve monasteries, the best known of which was his first at Monte Cassino in Italy. Benedict was canonized in 1220.
Carolinne White is an editor whose publications include a translation of Early Christian Lives<>/I>, published by Penguin Classics.