Alcuin and his role in the preparation of the Benedictine reform in the Frankish kingdom

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of the degree and form of Alcuin’s participation in the preparation of the so-called Benedictine reform in the Frankish state. This reform, apparently, was caused by secularisation and the insufficient level of education of monastics at that time. Based on the analysis of Alcuin’s works devoted to the topic of improving discipline, correcting morals and raising the level of education of monks (“General Exhortationˮ, “Letter on the Study of Sciencesˮ, letters), the author of the article looks for parallels with the “monasticˮ policy pursued by Charlemagne and tries to identify the degree Alcuin’s influence on the transformations being carried out at that moment in the monasteries – both through official documents, and through unofficial correspondence, and through his own deeds. The article proves that Alcuin, in his recommendations to the monks, referred to the early ascetic tradition, not only to the Rule of Benedict, but also to the writings of John Cassian the Roman. As a result, the author comes to the conclusion that Alcuin could contribute to the popularisation of the Rule of Benedict in the monasteries, as well as to increase the level of piety and education of the monks through the creation of their own schools, and through the stimulation of rewriting books, and through spiritual mentorship, manifested in his letters.