After living the Rule and studying it for many years, Adalbert de Voga1/4a, a monk of La-Pierre-qui-Vire in France, introduces it to those encountering it for the first time. The relationship of Benedict's Rule to other early monastic legislation is treated thoroughly, but the book is designed for those who are seeking a guide for living. Christians 'in the cloister or in the world 'who seek spiritual guidance in 'this little Rule for beginners' will find here an unforgettable introduction.

Defining spirituality as 'the dynamic unity between the content of a faith and the way in which it is lived by historically determined human beings', Vauchez steps outside the clerical world usually studied to trace the religious mentality of the laity, the ordinary and often illiterate majority of Christians.