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Popular Patristics Series #34
The Book of Pastoral Rule
Recognized as the most thorough pastoral treatise of the patristic era, this sixth-century work by St Gregory the Great carefully details the duties and obligations of the clergy concerning the spiritual formation of their flock.
212 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 600
About the author
Pope Gregory I
268 books46 followersPope Gregory I, commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great (born in 540), became Pope in 590 and was a vigilant guardian of the Church’s doctrine. He was the founder of numerous monasteries including a school for the training of church musicians. He collected the melodies and plain chant so associated with him that they are now known as Gregorian Chants. In his lifetime, he was a Monk, an abbot, a leader of Italy. Also, a momentous influence on the Catholic Church through doctrine, organization and discipline. Gregory of Tours tells us that in grammar, rhetoric and dialectic he was so skillful as to be thought second to none in all Rome. Gregory became a patron saint of England for sending St. Augustine of Canterbury on missions there. One of Gregory's greatest accomplishments were his writings Dialogues, a book on the Lives of the Saints. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by Pope Boniface VIII in 1295.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
July 9, 2023
This really should be required reading for every potential pastor, ideally with a professor or mentor as a guide. It’s a classic for a reason.
March 13, 2023
This will be a work that I return to again over the years. This piece is a blessing for all who read it as it challenges those in pastoral ministry, and helps the laity to see the role of the leadership. While there are a few “Roman Catholic” doctrines present, overall the work is filled universal advice for all leaders in the church.
September 15, 2020
The most thorough pastoral treatise of the patristic era. Gregory the Great (AD 540–604) insightfully examines a shepherd’s qualifications, his life, and his teaching. Stirring and applicable counsel from which any modern pastor will benefit; hard to believe this was written 1,500 years ago—a full millennium before the Reformers(!).
June 26, 2024
Great insight and advice on the challenges of shepherding people in all their different circumstances. Wonderful exhortation to those considering pastoral ministry, particularly those in our day fearful of taking on the official role or title of leadership.
Never have I read a book so wise in exegeting the human condition, and so confounding and baseless in exegeting the Bible.
Never have I read a book so wise in exegeting the human condition, and so confounding and baseless in exegeting the Bible.
January 23, 2021
I love the head behind this book and the deep wisdom for pastoral care.
The book is saturated in Scripture - but often goes off on allegorical flights of fancy. But, it is sound.
I love the way he looks at the complexities of personalities and the different ways the Bible should be applied.
As with all older books, it is a harder read...but well worth it.
The book is saturated in Scripture - but often goes off on allegorical flights of fancy. But, it is sound.
I love the way he looks at the complexities of personalities and the different ways the Bible should be applied.
As with all older books, it is a harder read...but well worth it.
January 29, 2024
“Either discipline or kindness is lacking if one is ever exercised independently of the other” 67
Sadly I know people who separate the two more than they should…
Also loved, “Moreover, those who recognize the evil of their neighbours but remain silent withdraw, so to speak, medicine from visible wounds and become the authors of death in that they do not cure the poison when they can”
Was timely to come upon this quote from Gregory, as the difference between “peacemaking” and “peacekeeping” has been something on my mind a lot recently.
Sadly I know people who separate the two more than they should…
Also loved, “Moreover, those who recognize the evil of their neighbours but remain silent withdraw, so to speak, medicine from visible wounds and become the authors of death in that they do not cure the poison when they can”
Was timely to come upon this quote from Gregory, as the difference between “peacemaking” and “peacekeeping” has been something on my mind a lot recently.
August 8, 2023
I struggled to decided whether this book should have 3 or 4 stars. There’s so much wisdom here and Gregory the Great’s words are as rich as ever for pastors today. However, he’s repetitive, lengthy, and exhausts his points a great deal like many others in the early-middle centuries. Gregory wrote this to the church in another time & world and it shows, however that shouldn’t keep us away.
January 14, 2025
St Gregory explains the qualities of a bishop, how the bishopric should not be sought but should also not be stubbornly refused (because we must work for the good of others), and also how a leader should excel all in virtue so as to truly merit his role as leader. And then, after this, he gets into admonitions which the shepherd of souls should give to people in different states. There are a couple dozen of these, and in each one he addresses the two opposed vices and how they ought to be corrected toward the virtuous mean. There are many insightful references to scripture in this section.
In summary, most of the vices generally have to do with either loving the world too much or with being too prideful, and the solution is to engage in spiritual warfare or to humble oneself. One point he makes is that we can fight against the devil by being humble in the face of temptations. As he went through this, I kept wincing while seeing myself in those vices he rebukes, but St Gregory immediately soothes and explains how to combat them.
Even though the main purpose of the work has less relevance to me as a layperson, it was still wonderful and worth looking at especially in the discussions of correcting vices and in understanding how humility is to be practiced in situations which can inherently tempt to pride.
In summary, most of the vices generally have to do with either loving the world too much or with being too prideful, and the solution is to engage in spiritual warfare or to humble oneself. One point he makes is that we can fight against the devil by being humble in the face of temptations. As he went through this, I kept wincing while seeing myself in those vices he rebukes, but St Gregory immediately soothes and explains how to combat them.
Even though the main purpose of the work has less relevance to me as a layperson, it was still wonderful and worth looking at especially in the discussions of correcting vices and in understanding how humility is to be practiced in situations which can inherently tempt to pride.
April 30, 2023
Read this for the Center for Baptist Renewal’s 2023 Spirituality Reading Challenge. Great book to think through how a pastor ought to live.
“I am trying to point others to the shore of perfection, as I am tossed back and forth by the waves of sin…I beg you to sustain me with the plank of your prayers.”
“I am trying to point others to the shore of perfection, as I am tossed back and forth by the waves of sin…I beg you to sustain me with the plank of your prayers.”
March 17, 2018
This manual for pastors by St Gregory the Great is very, very good. I regret that I didn't read it while I was in seminary because it would have had a significant impact on my training and formation.
This is the most influential ancient work written specifically for pastors regarding their preaching, teaching, and counseling, and though it is 1400 years old, not a single sentence in it is without value. Indeed, Gregory's guidance is timeless, which is very cool to think about. A pastor living in a tiny hut in central Italy in the year 600 had some of the same "a-ha!" moments while reading this book that I have had in a house in southern Minnesota in the year 2018 while reading this book. If that is not an incredible indication of Gregory's brilliance and wisdom, and a testimony to the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit, I don't know what is.
The book is organized into four parts, with the third part composing roughly 60% of the entire volume and the final part being a scant three and a half pages. Therefore most of Gregory's advice is found in part three. Here Gregory offers basically a series of scenarios and gives spiritual direction on the proper way to preach and minister to different sorts of people. This is, as the name explicitly states, a book for pastors in their ruling, but I have not doubt of its great value for laypeople as well, especially those who are engaged in teaching or church leadership.
As a conclusion to this brief review I'll include three of my favorite quotations from the book:
"For one fasts not for God, but for himself, if he does not offer to the poor what he denies himself during the period of fasting, but rather saves it for a later time for his own stomach" (139).
"[The mis-interpreters of Scripture] should consider that sacred Scripture is lit as a type of lantern for us in the night of the present life, but when its words are not understood properly, it produces not light but darkness; although a flawed understanding does not lead directly to a perversion of mind, unless it is first inflated by pride. For when some think that they are wiser than others, they despise to follow another to a better understanding. What is worse, in their desire to create for themselves an image of expertise among the uninformed masses, they work diligently to destroy the correct interpretation of others and to replace it with their own perversions" (157).
"Let [pastors] first perform lofty deeds and then convince others to live well. Let them first strike themselves with the wings of their thoughts. Let them carefully examine whether there is anything about themselves that is sluggish and, if so, correct it with strict observance. Only then should they tell others how to live their lives. Let them first correct their own sins through tears and then denounce what is punishable in others. But before they offer any words of exhortation, they should proclaim by their actions everything that they wish to say" (207).
This is the most influential ancient work written specifically for pastors regarding their preaching, teaching, and counseling, and though it is 1400 years old, not a single sentence in it is without value. Indeed, Gregory's guidance is timeless, which is very cool to think about. A pastor living in a tiny hut in central Italy in the year 600 had some of the same "a-ha!" moments while reading this book that I have had in a house in southern Minnesota in the year 2018 while reading this book. If that is not an incredible indication of Gregory's brilliance and wisdom, and a testimony to the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit, I don't know what is.
The book is organized into four parts, with the third part composing roughly 60% of the entire volume and the final part being a scant three and a half pages. Therefore most of Gregory's advice is found in part three. Here Gregory offers basically a series of scenarios and gives spiritual direction on the proper way to preach and minister to different sorts of people. This is, as the name explicitly states, a book for pastors in their ruling, but I have not doubt of its great value for laypeople as well, especially those who are engaged in teaching or church leadership.
As a conclusion to this brief review I'll include three of my favorite quotations from the book:
"For one fasts not for God, but for himself, if he does not offer to the poor what he denies himself during the period of fasting, but rather saves it for a later time for his own stomach" (139).
"[The mis-interpreters of Scripture] should consider that sacred Scripture is lit as a type of lantern for us in the night of the present life, but when its words are not understood properly, it produces not light but darkness; although a flawed understanding does not lead directly to a perversion of mind, unless it is first inflated by pride. For when some think that they are wiser than others, they despise to follow another to a better understanding. What is worse, in their desire to create for themselves an image of expertise among the uninformed masses, they work diligently to destroy the correct interpretation of others and to replace it with their own perversions" (157).
"Let [pastors] first perform lofty deeds and then convince others to live well. Let them first strike themselves with the wings of their thoughts. Let them carefully examine whether there is anything about themselves that is sluggish and, if so, correct it with strict observance. Only then should they tell others how to live their lives. Let them first correct their own sins through tears and then denounce what is punishable in others. But before they offer any words of exhortation, they should proclaim by their actions everything that they wish to say" (207).
March 12, 2013
My March pick for my Ancient Mentors reading series was Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care. Gregory's is considered early Medieval, so I chose him as an influential figure of the period.F.H. Dudden (1905) says that Gregory's maxims in Pastoral Care were what "made the bishops who made modern nations." The ideal Gregory upheld was for centuries the ideal of the West's clergy.
Pastoral Care (or Regula Pastoralis) was originally written in 590 CE as an apology for Gregory's wish to escape the office of pope after the death of Pelagius II. Similar works had already been written by Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, and especially Nazianzus' work on pastoral care was influential for Gregory's life and work. Structurally, the book is divided into four parts. First, Gregory presents the difficulties of pastoral ministry and the office of shepherd. Second, he discusses the importance and necessity of the inner and outer life of the pastor for the work of ministry. Third, in Gregory's longest section he advises on how the ministry of the Word is to vary depending on audience--your teaching should be context-appropriate. Fourth, Gregory highlights the importance of always remembering and recognizing your infirmities so that you will not become conceited in the pastorate.
Overall, I'm happy I read the book. That said, it wasn't the most mind-blowing read ever. What intrigued me most (while in many places bored me to death) was Gregory's attention to the various struggles believer's face in the Christian life and their need to have tailored, specific ministry according to their needs. Gregory is not a great exegete. You'll find his interpretation of passages strained and wanting, e.g. when discussing the inner and outer life of the ministry Gregory makes multiple allegorical interpretations of the garments and ministry of the Aaronic priesthood; Aaron's breastplate was symbolic of purity of thought, the pomegranates unity of faith. He was a man of his time, but I appreciated the effort to try to arrive at a biblical model of New Testament pastoral ministry using the breadth of Scripture.
Notes:
Part 1:
-the government of souls is the art of arts
-don't foul the water of the sheep by your crooked steps
-don't busy yourself with external matters and neglect and forget yourself (and vice versa)
-Isaiah & Jeremiah give picture of one who laudably desires the office and one driven to it by compulsion. There are commendable desires and dangers in both.
-loved chapter 9: The mind of those who crave pre-eminence, for the most part flatters itself with imaginary promises of performing good works--basically, the mind lies to itself about itself and makes believe it loves good work when actually it does not and wishes for mundane glory.
-chap 11--not all Levites could offer at Temple--only those who were ceremonial set apart and without blemish.
Part 2: Life of a Pastor
-what fascinated me about this passage was Gregory's desire to reflect on ministry through the lens of the OT priesthood. I think something like this could be done well if it was seen through a redemptive-historial lens of Christ's person and work as the High Priest and Chief Shepherd.
-Purity of thought
-exemplary conduct
-discreet in silence/profitable in speech: don't be a dumb dog, unable to bark
-Be a neighbor to all: ascend in thought and descend in service
-be a comrade to good and stern with evil
-Dont be so busy with external that you neglect internal, and vice versa (e.g. Moses and Jethro)--Study AND Serve
-don't be zealous to please men: "For that man is an enemy to his Redeemer who on the strength of the good works he performs, desires to be loved by the Church, rather than by Him. Indeed, a servant is guilty of adulterous thought, if he craves to please the eyes of the bride when the bridegroom sends gifts to her by him."
-don't put cushions under every elbow
-seek to be loved in order to be listened to (1 Cor 10:33; Gal 1:10)
Part 3:
-Not all teaching is suitable for everyone
-Like a harpist, all one doctrine, but not same exhortation
-Gregory lists all different types of people--reminds me of William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying
-be harsher with men; gentle with women
-severe with youth; gentle with elderly
-admonish the wise to stop knowing what they know
-reprove insolent by showing what they've done has been ill-done
-How to admonish the sick: The sick are to be admonished to consider what great health of the heart is bestowed by bodily affliction, for it recalls the mind to a knowledge of itself and renews the memory of our infirmity, which health commonly disregards.
-gospel-driven patience: To preserve the virtue of patience, the sick are to be admonished ever to bear in mind how great were the evils endured constantly by our Redeemer at the hands of those whome He had created, how many horrible insults of reproaches He endured, how many blows in the face He received at the hands of scoffers, while He was daily snatching the souls of captives from the power of the ancient Enemy; that while cleansing us from the power of salvation, He did not screen His face from the spitting of perfidious men, that He silently endured the scourging to free by His mediation from eternal torments, that He endured the buffeting to give us everlasting honors among the choirs of angels, that while saving us from being pierced by our sins, He did not shrink from offering His head to thorns; that He took the bitter gall in His thirst in order to inebriate us with everlasting sweetness, that when mockingly adored, He held his peace and adored in our behalf the Father, though equal to Him in the Godhead, and that He who was the life passed to death that He might prepare life for those who were dead. Why, then, is it considered hard that a man should endure stripes from God for his evil-doing, if God endured so great evil in requital for His own good deeds? Or what man is there of sane mind who is ungrateful for being himself smitten, when He who lived here without sin did not depart hence without a scourging?
-The pride of the Devil became, therefore, the occasion of our perdition, and the humility of God proved to be the pledge of our redemption. For our Enemy, created like all other things, wished to appear superior to all, but our Redeemer, remaining great above all things, deigned to become little among all. Let the humble, therefore, be told that in abasing themselves, they rise to the likeness of God.
-don't love the pilgrimage over the home-country (to those who are well off and wealthy)
-Gregory says that marriage is primarily for procreation and not pleasure, so you shouldnt have too much sex.
-the preacher should make himself heard by deeds more than words (wrong).
Part 4:
-the consciousness of virtue is a pitfall for the soul.
-basically, after you preach remind yourself of all your failings so you don't become proud.
Pastoral Care (or Regula Pastoralis) was originally written in 590 CE as an apology for Gregory's wish to escape the office of pope after the death of Pelagius II. Similar works had already been written by Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, and especially Nazianzus' work on pastoral care was influential for Gregory's life and work. Structurally, the book is divided into four parts. First, Gregory presents the difficulties of pastoral ministry and the office of shepherd. Second, he discusses the importance and necessity of the inner and outer life of the pastor for the work of ministry. Third, in Gregory's longest section he advises on how the ministry of the Word is to vary depending on audience--your teaching should be context-appropriate. Fourth, Gregory highlights the importance of always remembering and recognizing your infirmities so that you will not become conceited in the pastorate.
Overall, I'm happy I read the book. That said, it wasn't the most mind-blowing read ever. What intrigued me most (while in many places bored me to death) was Gregory's attention to the various struggles believer's face in the Christian life and their need to have tailored, specific ministry according to their needs. Gregory is not a great exegete. You'll find his interpretation of passages strained and wanting, e.g. when discussing the inner and outer life of the ministry Gregory makes multiple allegorical interpretations of the garments and ministry of the Aaronic priesthood; Aaron's breastplate was symbolic of purity of thought, the pomegranates unity of faith. He was a man of his time, but I appreciated the effort to try to arrive at a biblical model of New Testament pastoral ministry using the breadth of Scripture.
Notes:
Part 1:
-the government of souls is the art of arts
-don't foul the water of the sheep by your crooked steps
-don't busy yourself with external matters and neglect and forget yourself (and vice versa)
-Isaiah & Jeremiah give picture of one who laudably desires the office and one driven to it by compulsion. There are commendable desires and dangers in both.
-loved chapter 9: The mind of those who crave pre-eminence, for the most part flatters itself with imaginary promises of performing good works--basically, the mind lies to itself about itself and makes believe it loves good work when actually it does not and wishes for mundane glory.
-chap 11--not all Levites could offer at Temple--only those who were ceremonial set apart and without blemish.
Part 2: Life of a Pastor
-what fascinated me about this passage was Gregory's desire to reflect on ministry through the lens of the OT priesthood. I think something like this could be done well if it was seen through a redemptive-historial lens of Christ's person and work as the High Priest and Chief Shepherd.
-Purity of thought
-exemplary conduct
-discreet in silence/profitable in speech: don't be a dumb dog, unable to bark
-Be a neighbor to all: ascend in thought and descend in service
-be a comrade to good and stern with evil
-Dont be so busy with external that you neglect internal, and vice versa (e.g. Moses and Jethro)--Study AND Serve
-don't be zealous to please men: "For that man is an enemy to his Redeemer who on the strength of the good works he performs, desires to be loved by the Church, rather than by Him. Indeed, a servant is guilty of adulterous thought, if he craves to please the eyes of the bride when the bridegroom sends gifts to her by him."
-don't put cushions under every elbow
-seek to be loved in order to be listened to (1 Cor 10:33; Gal 1:10)
Part 3:
-Not all teaching is suitable for everyone
-Like a harpist, all one doctrine, but not same exhortation
-Gregory lists all different types of people--reminds me of William Perkins, The Art of Prophesying
-be harsher with men; gentle with women
-severe with youth; gentle with elderly
-admonish the wise to stop knowing what they know
-reprove insolent by showing what they've done has been ill-done
-How to admonish the sick: The sick are to be admonished to consider what great health of the heart is bestowed by bodily affliction, for it recalls the mind to a knowledge of itself and renews the memory of our infirmity, which health commonly disregards.
-gospel-driven patience: To preserve the virtue of patience, the sick are to be admonished ever to bear in mind how great were the evils endured constantly by our Redeemer at the hands of those whome He had created, how many horrible insults of reproaches He endured, how many blows in the face He received at the hands of scoffers, while He was daily snatching the souls of captives from the power of the ancient Enemy; that while cleansing us from the power of salvation, He did not screen His face from the spitting of perfidious men, that He silently endured the scourging to free by His mediation from eternal torments, that He endured the buffeting to give us everlasting honors among the choirs of angels, that while saving us from being pierced by our sins, He did not shrink from offering His head to thorns; that He took the bitter gall in His thirst in order to inebriate us with everlasting sweetness, that when mockingly adored, He held his peace and adored in our behalf the Father, though equal to Him in the Godhead, and that He who was the life passed to death that He might prepare life for those who were dead. Why, then, is it considered hard that a man should endure stripes from God for his evil-doing, if God endured so great evil in requital for His own good deeds? Or what man is there of sane mind who is ungrateful for being himself smitten, when He who lived here without sin did not depart hence without a scourging?
-The pride of the Devil became, therefore, the occasion of our perdition, and the humility of God proved to be the pledge of our redemption. For our Enemy, created like all other things, wished to appear superior to all, but our Redeemer, remaining great above all things, deigned to become little among all. Let the humble, therefore, be told that in abasing themselves, they rise to the likeness of God.
-don't love the pilgrimage over the home-country (to those who are well off and wealthy)
-Gregory says that marriage is primarily for procreation and not pleasure, so you shouldnt have too much sex.
-the preacher should make himself heard by deeds more than words (wrong).
Part 4:
-the consciousness of virtue is a pitfall for the soul.
-basically, after you preach remind yourself of all your failings so you don't become proud.
January 27, 2025
The first half of this book was great. His comments on the qualifications of a pastor, and the pastors life were really insightful. Despite being a bishop in the late 500s, his comments were still timely and relevant for anyone considering the pastorate.
The second half of the book offered wisdom on how to shepherd every type of person. And I mean every type of person. The proud, the gluttonous, the slothful, the fickle, etc. I found this section a little difficult to read and yet the depth and breath of his counsel was astonishing.
I may appreciate the second section more later in life
The second half of the book offered wisdom on how to shepherd every type of person. And I mean every type of person. The proud, the gluttonous, the slothful, the fickle, etc. I found this section a little difficult to read and yet the depth and breath of his counsel was astonishing.
I may appreciate the second section more later in life
July 28, 2022
Excellent
August 26, 2019
I'm always shocked, when reading these old middle ages saints, how relatable it always is. Nothing new under the sun, I suppose, but this should be required reading for anyone in any position of authority
December 31, 2020
One of the earliest books on biblical counseling for pastors, Gregory's wisdom for advising the complexities of human experience is well worth reading. He has a unique and early perspective on this vital topic.
February 14, 2022
This book helped me fall in love with the church fathers. The pastoral wisdom found here is timeless and easily accessible. I've found myself rereading this book every year.
March 18, 2023
Really great work! One sees how both Catholics and Protestants consider Gregory a great pope.
Gregory takes very seriously that a spiritual director is a weighty and crucial role within the life of God's people. He helpfully calls out ways in which ministers can be "bleary-eyed" or suffer from some other malady, and shows how even if one part of the minister is susceptible to the devil and resistant to God's grace as well as how that is a serious issue they should seek to find health in God before becoming a minister.
Also great is how deeply Biblical this book is. Gregory expounds different issues with deep insights from narratives of Scripture that illustrate what he is discussing. It provides a rich way of reading Scripture that pastors can use in their own imaginations to help form responses to spiritual needs. Particularly noticeable is how much mileage Gregory gets out of Proverbs! Really helps me appreciate that I do not lean enough upon that book in my own day to day processing of issues.
If there are a few areas of concern with the book, they would be 1.) That his use of allegory can be difficult sometimes. A particular instance of this is when he illustrates those being led into error with Dinah. While I think a modern reader should consider the potential error of Dinah into going to "see the women of the land," it is a hard reading that might overly utilize a character in a way that I will have to consider if it is a good reading overall. 2.) While Gregory is helpful for showing how the heart is susceptible to sin. So his diagnoses of how to help those who are patient or read the Scriptures rightly are great. But there is very little discussion about how to encourage your laity. Almost everyone feels susceptible to sins, and this is a side of the ministerial coin to be sure. But I suspect Gregory would want a minister to encourage his laity as well, and I wish there was more discussion of how to do this in the book.
Those things aside, great book and probably one I will re-read every 5-10 years!
Gregory takes very seriously that a spiritual director is a weighty and crucial role within the life of God's people. He helpfully calls out ways in which ministers can be "bleary-eyed" or suffer from some other malady, and shows how even if one part of the minister is susceptible to the devil and resistant to God's grace as well as how that is a serious issue they should seek to find health in God before becoming a minister.
Also great is how deeply Biblical this book is. Gregory expounds different issues with deep insights from narratives of Scripture that illustrate what he is discussing. It provides a rich way of reading Scripture that pastors can use in their own imaginations to help form responses to spiritual needs. Particularly noticeable is how much mileage Gregory gets out of Proverbs! Really helps me appreciate that I do not lean enough upon that book in my own day to day processing of issues.
If there are a few areas of concern with the book, they would be 1.) That his use of allegory can be difficult sometimes. A particular instance of this is when he illustrates those being led into error with Dinah. While I think a modern reader should consider the potential error of Dinah into going to "see the women of the land," it is a hard reading that might overly utilize a character in a way that I will have to consider if it is a good reading overall. 2.) While Gregory is helpful for showing how the heart is susceptible to sin. So his diagnoses of how to help those who are patient or read the Scriptures rightly are great. But there is very little discussion about how to encourage your laity. Almost everyone feels susceptible to sins, and this is a side of the ministerial coin to be sure. But I suspect Gregory would want a minister to encourage his laity as well, and I wish there was more discussion of how to do this in the book.
Those things aside, great book and probably one I will re-read every 5-10 years!
October 30, 2023
A beautifully written book that takes time to digest.
Filled with practical Golden nuggets laced with scriptural backing. BUT you have to go digging through the ye olde poetic rhythms to find them.
There is a wonderful ancient mind behind the book with relevant insight for today’s Pastor.
However, I suggest a reworking in the modern tongue. It will be a fifty page masterpiece, a pocket guide for anyone entering ministry.
The below example of Gregory’s genius…
Part II The life of a Pastor - Chapter VIII
Title: That the ruler (Pastor) should not set his heart on pleasing men, and yet should give heed to what ought to please them.
“For it is indeed difficult for a preacher who is not loved, however, well he may preach, to be willingly, listened to. He, then, who is over others ought to study to be loved to the end that he may be listened to, and still not seek love for its own sake, lest he be found in the hidden usurpations of his thought to rebel against him in his office he appears to serve.”
Filled with practical Golden nuggets laced with scriptural backing. BUT you have to go digging through the ye olde poetic rhythms to find them.
There is a wonderful ancient mind behind the book with relevant insight for today’s Pastor.
However, I suggest a reworking in the modern tongue. It will be a fifty page masterpiece, a pocket guide for anyone entering ministry.
The below example of Gregory’s genius…
Part II The life of a Pastor - Chapter VIII
Title: That the ruler (Pastor) should not set his heart on pleasing men, and yet should give heed to what ought to please them.
“For it is indeed difficult for a preacher who is not loved, however, well he may preach, to be willingly, listened to. He, then, who is over others ought to study to be loved to the end that he may be listened to, and still not seek love for its own sake, lest he be found in the hidden usurpations of his thought to rebel against him in his office he appears to serve.”
January 17, 2025
As thorough of a treatise as you will find from the church fathers on the priesthood and duties wherein. Through the priesthood the yoke becomes light and the promise of Christ is made all the more true for the shepherd charged with giving an account for the soul who by necessity must be a man of great love and zeal for guiding sheep to green pastures and still waters. By the grace of God Saint Gregory shows in his work the lofty calling of the priesthood and provides profound instruction that the reader may learn precisely what is required of them should they decide to take part in continuing the ministry of Christ on the earth.
April 27, 2023
Brimming with insights on pastoral care from an ancient church father.
July 31, 2024
3.5. This pastoral guide from the Patristics Era is full of practical wisdom for pastors. At the same time, this book was difficult to read at times.
April 6, 2018
Written 1400 years ago and still relevant to pastoral issues
February 15, 2013
Gregory the Great, along with Augustine, is one of the few medieval writers who you can read today and occasionally forget that they were writing their works about 1500 years ago. Of course, it's substantially different - there are not a huge number of best-sellers today that will ramble at length about the symbolic significance of Old Testament priestly robes - but the core of the Pastoral Rule is really accessible. It reads a bit like a self-help book (though Gregory envisioned it as a book on how to help others) and a lot of the advice is still really good. Gregory was an accomplished guy on all sorts of levels, but I think quite a bit of it stemmed from the fact that he was just really emotionally insightful and that he was a very empathetic person. It's a simple message: in order to be an effective spiritual guide, you have to help different people in different ways. But the details really shine, and the fact that Gregory felt the need to account for every aspect of a person (their marital status, their age, all their various tendencies and dispositions) makes this a helpful book for anyone to read.
If you are a Christian - particularly in any sort of leadership role - I'd recommend giving the whole thing a read. Same goes for any historians. But even if you aren't, it's still worth a quick look, even if you just glace through the sections that strike your fancy.
If you are a Christian - particularly in any sort of leadership role - I'd recommend giving the whole thing a read. Same goes for any historians. But even if you aren't, it's still worth a quick look, even if you just glace through the sections that strike your fancy.
September 16, 2011
While the Patristic writers have some great insights into the Scriptures and the Christian life, the ones who are rhetoricians require reading a lot to come to the gems. Gregory the Great relies heavily on a particular kind of allegorical interpretation of Scriptures that does little for me. His "proof texts" supporting the points he is making often appear to me to be totally random choices of most obscure passages. His insights are often right on, and surprisingly apropos by modern psychological insights into being human. But his efforts to prove his points from Scripture put a real strain on credibility in terms of any interpretive sound principles. His allegorizing certainly decontextualizes each text he quotes leaving the verse to mean whatever he says it does. So while I would encourage believers to read the Patristic writers to gain insight into the early church's use of
Scripture, in this case you many come away with good insights into the Christian life (his points are well take) but you would have a hard time in the modern world convincing people that the texts he quotes have anything to do with the truth he is offering.
Scripture, in this case you many come away with good insights into the Christian life (his points are well take) but you would have a hard time in the modern world convincing people that the texts he quotes have anything to do with the truth he is offering.
August 15, 2024
Are you discerning whether or not to pursue pastoral ministry? Read this book. Are you currently pursuing the ministry? Read this book. Have you been pastoring for years? Read this book. Are you a part of the laity (like me)? Read this, let it convict and humble you, and then go and hold your pastors to the standard of holiness that their office requires of them.
This whole book is packed full of pastoral wisdom and is edifying and convicting to anyone who chooses to read it. However, the first two sections of this book I found incredibly wonderful because it articulates so well the weight that rests on the pastor, the one who is called to shepherd the flock of Jesus Christ. To find oneself in the office of pastor is terrifying, humbling, yet full of grace. St. Gregory’s Book of Pastoral Rule captures this so well.
This whole book is packed full of pastoral wisdom and is edifying and convicting to anyone who chooses to read it. However, the first two sections of this book I found incredibly wonderful because it articulates so well the weight that rests on the pastor, the one who is called to shepherd the flock of Jesus Christ. To find oneself in the office of pastor is terrifying, humbling, yet full of grace. St. Gregory’s Book of Pastoral Rule captures this so well.
March 23, 2020
If anyone ever tells you that the patristics are irrelevant for modern ministry, hand them this one. Literally over 100 pages on how we preach to certain personalities and temperaments and circumstances of people. Very practical.
February 3, 2023
SVP has undertaken a wonderful task in making these kinds of works accesible. A practical and convicting book for aspiring church leaders, especially pastors. I look forward to using part III as a reference in pastoral ministry the rest of my life.
December 12, 2024
This book is a fantastic journey through the task of a preacher and the preacher required for the task. Gregory proves himself to be a physician of the human heart full of wisdom, truth, compassion and humility.
December 2, 2020
Spunti molto utili per chi ha compiti di formazione o accompagnamento nella vita spirituale.
March 4, 2019
This book is a 6th century manual and it represents the accumulation of the pastoral wisdom of the early church. As the introduction explains, both a secular and a monastic approach to spiritual leadership had developed, and this book unites both strands. It represents care for both the average and the zealous, and the book mainly consists of such dual considerations of opposing types of people.
The church’s leaders had been bishops in the first centuries. With Gregory the pastoral and monastic combined; after this the leaders of Christianity would be monks mainly, until in the reformation. Gregory’s book of pastoral rule not only provides the cumulative pastoral wisdom of the early church, it also set the agenda for pastoral care in the medieval period and can be said to represent at least a thousand years of Christian pastoral care.
That alone makes it important, whatever its content. Pastoral care is spiritual leadership, and spiritual leadership determines the quality of the spiritual life of those under it, usually more than less. Gregory’s book is an important source for understanding how the early church shaped the medieval church.
The book contains a brief letter of introduction and is divided into four sections. It treats the qualifications first and the life of the pastor second. Then comes the longest section, in which a series of opposing characteristics are considered; the point is to give advice in handling people differently (joyful and sad; masters and servants; the sincere and the insincere; etc.). This third section is what makes the book of manual: it is there for consultation. The fourth section deals all too briefly with preaching.
This book, then, contains an accumulation of wisdom in recognizing weaknesses and strengths and advising how to deal with each. There is a great deal of insight condensed and implied. The ascetic bent that characterized so many of Christianity’s leaders in those early centuries makes more sense when you read between the lines of this book and glimpse the discipline that was at the heart of it. It is a manual for those who have advanced in spiritual discipline and are in a position to guide those who have not. It is the discipline of an age shaped by persecution, martyrdom, calamitous heresies, theological wars, doctrinal foundations, and all the wisdom of late antiquity.
Those who consult this book will have to deal with Gregory’s allegorical interpretation, but then, most of what was written by the ancient church is the same. Unfortunately, historical training in our times on this approach is substandard--to refrain from more forceful descriptions. It has served to cut us off from those former periods of the church (and it seems to me that that is worth pondering). The atmosphere of the ancient wisdom of classical antiquity is alien to much that we say and publish because it is alien to so much that we think, and is nevertheless crucial for understanding the allegorical approach. It is greatly to be lamented and vigorously to be resisted; the good news is that there are signs this ignorance, at least, may be on the wane.
But I digress. Here is a sample of what is in this book to ponder: “Since it is often the case that when a sermon is delivered in accordance with a high standard, the soul of the speaker is inflated by the hidden joys of self-display, therefore it is necessary that great care be taken that he might feel the sting of a fearful conscience.”
The church’s leaders had been bishops in the first centuries. With Gregory the pastoral and monastic combined; after this the leaders of Christianity would be monks mainly, until in the reformation. Gregory’s book of pastoral rule not only provides the cumulative pastoral wisdom of the early church, it also set the agenda for pastoral care in the medieval period and can be said to represent at least a thousand years of Christian pastoral care.
That alone makes it important, whatever its content. Pastoral care is spiritual leadership, and spiritual leadership determines the quality of the spiritual life of those under it, usually more than less. Gregory’s book is an important source for understanding how the early church shaped the medieval church.
The book contains a brief letter of introduction and is divided into four sections. It treats the qualifications first and the life of the pastor second. Then comes the longest section, in which a series of opposing characteristics are considered; the point is to give advice in handling people differently (joyful and sad; masters and servants; the sincere and the insincere; etc.). This third section is what makes the book of manual: it is there for consultation. The fourth section deals all too briefly with preaching.
This book, then, contains an accumulation of wisdom in recognizing weaknesses and strengths and advising how to deal with each. There is a great deal of insight condensed and implied. The ascetic bent that characterized so many of Christianity’s leaders in those early centuries makes more sense when you read between the lines of this book and glimpse the discipline that was at the heart of it. It is a manual for those who have advanced in spiritual discipline and are in a position to guide those who have not. It is the discipline of an age shaped by persecution, martyrdom, calamitous heresies, theological wars, doctrinal foundations, and all the wisdom of late antiquity.
Those who consult this book will have to deal with Gregory’s allegorical interpretation, but then, most of what was written by the ancient church is the same. Unfortunately, historical training in our times on this approach is substandard--to refrain from more forceful descriptions. It has served to cut us off from those former periods of the church (and it seems to me that that is worth pondering). The atmosphere of the ancient wisdom of classical antiquity is alien to much that we say and publish because it is alien to so much that we think, and is nevertheless crucial for understanding the allegorical approach. It is greatly to be lamented and vigorously to be resisted; the good news is that there are signs this ignorance, at least, may be on the wane.
But I digress. Here is a sample of what is in this book to ponder: “Since it is often the case that when a sermon is delivered in accordance with a high standard, the soul of the speaker is inflated by the hidden joys of self-display, therefore it is necessary that great care be taken that he might feel the sting of a fearful conscience.”
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