While reading the Life of Saint Benedict, I found this account of Saint Benedicts life to be told in a biased and elevated way. The content is very questionable especially with a dragon reference. There were over 30 different occasions where Gregory claimed Saint Benedict preformed a miracle or prophesied. One correlation I observed with the miracle and prophesy accounts is that it is very similar to miracles performed by Jesus, there were also times I thought he was thought to have more abilities than Jesus himself had. Free will is also another concern that I have, it appears there are times that individuals do not have a choice on the actions they chose.
At the beginning of the story, Benedicts first claim to preforming a miracle started at age 13 (33). One problem I had with the miracle claims is that they were sometimes performed for earthly gain like the miracle of moving a large rock (12). Miracles were used by Jesus and the apostles to prove that the message they were teaching was from God and that they had divine authority. Oftentimes the story of Benedicts miracles benefited people who already believed or he used prophesy to scold people for eating when he told them to fast (13). It appeared that the situations in which he performed a miracle …show more content…
My biggest concern is punishing Monks for not fasting because of physical needs when they were told they had to fast (8). I don’t think it is right to tell someone they have to do something when it is not strictly mandatory to do at a certain time in the Bible and punish them for not following your own traditions. When someone is physically suffering, is it right to punish them when they are trying to nourish themselves and heal their body? Customs should not become mandatory when they are truly influenced on time and culture. Likewise, I thought a gift of prophesy was wasted when it was used to determine if someone ate while traveling or
At the beginning of the story, Benedicts first claim to preforming a miracle started at age 13 (33). One problem I had with the miracle claims is that they were sometimes performed for earthly gain like the miracle of moving a large rock (12). Miracles were used by Jesus and the apostles to prove that the message they were teaching was from God and that they had divine authority. Oftentimes the story of Benedicts miracles benefited people who already believed or he used prophesy to scold people for eating when he told them to fast (13). It appeared that the situations in which he performed a miracle …show more content…
My biggest concern is punishing Monks for not fasting because of physical needs when they were told they had to fast (8). I don’t think it is right to tell someone they have to do something when it is not strictly mandatory to do at a certain time in the Bible and punish them for not following your own traditions. When someone is physically suffering, is it right to punish them when they are trying to nourish themselves and heal their body? Customs should not become mandatory when they are truly influenced on time and culture. Likewise, I thought a gift of prophesy was wasted when it was used to determine if someone ate while traveling or