Serious Stuff

In The Holy Rule of St. Benedict, St. Benedict makes remarks on laughter. In Chapter IV, he says, “. . . not to speak useless words and such as provoke laughter” (Benedict 8). Words that “provoke laughter” are typically jokes. So, Benedict here appears to be banning humor. Any person that enjoys a good laugh likely disagrees with this rule. However, after pausing to think about it, there are several potential reasons for its existence.

The grounds for the establishment of this rule are hazy compared to the other rules in the book. Many maxims are supported with a corresponding scripture, while this order to not joke appears to be in opposition to scripture. It is written in Proverbs, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (Proverbs 17:22 KJV), and humor tends to either produce or be a by-product of a cheerful heart. If a merry heart is good, then why does St. Benedict veto the jokes? It is unlikely that St. Benedict made this rule arbitrarily; there was most likely a reason.

This rule was presumably enforced in some monasteries, if only the monastery of which St. Benedict was abbot. This is purely guesswork, but perhaps in St. Benedict’s monastery there were problems related to joking. Therefore, St. Benedict found it best to abstain from joking altogether. However, this is only guesswork.

Even if there was not a specific issue with joking in the monastery, there are certain types of joking that are not necessarily beneficial. For example, the Bible warns against coarse joking. (Ephesians 5:4). Furthermore, laughter can easily become slanderous. An illustration of this occurs in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In the book, after Mr. Darcy comments on the beauty of Elizabeth’s eyes, a jealous Miss Bingley responds with “. . . witticisms on fine eyes” (Austen, Chapter 9). This is an example of humor being used the wrong way. In this example, Miss Bingley attempts to use her wit to conceal her jealousy. Obviously, humor of this sort has no place in a society dedicated to God.

Humor can be used to disguise many things, not just the jealousy of a certain Miss Bingley. The Proverbs say that, “Even in laughter the heart may ache, and rejoicing may end in grief.” (Proverbs 14:13, NIV). Laughter cannot fix a broken heart, but can perhaps disguise it. Humor can then be used to distract the mind from serious problems. This may not be a bad thing, but in excess can pose some issues. Using laughter to artificially prop up mood, rather than having a cheerful heart stemming from God, is not good. A person can become accustomed to being fed humorous anecdotes like a morphine drip.

One of the main points of being in a monastery is to reflect. So it is understandable that something distracting- even a good joke- is eliminated. Later in the text Benedict says that “a monk (should not be) easily moved and quick for laughter” (Benedict 14). He then quotes something called the Sirach, which says that, “The fool exalteth his voice in laughter” (Sirach 21:23). This may be a bit on the extreme end. There is nothing wrong with a good joke. However, it is wise to remember that not all humor is good, and as it is written in Lamentations, there is a time for everything, even a time to laugh (Ecclesiastes 3:4).

Much of what St. Benedict says is good stuff. However, it is boring to listen to a list of things I agree with, so I will now turn to a passage that I did not agree with. In Chapter LXIX, there is a short rule that says “that on no occasion (should) one monk try to defend another in the monastery, or to take his part,” (Benedict 77). This raises the question: why? Obviously, as mentioned earlier, there was presumable a reason for this rule. It is possible that monks could band together and cause various sorts of strife between brethren. However, if person A is giving false testimony against person B, and person C is a witness, why can person C not give a defense of person B? Did not Moses plead before God for the Israelites? Why, then, can a monk not plead for his fellow monk before the abbot? Hopefully there were not murder mysteries happening in the monastery, but regardless this rule is still bothersome. It would be helpful if Benedict had penned more than just a paragraph on the subject. More explanation would have been helpful for understanding this rule.