The early hopes
seemed to be dashed to the ground when the bereaved monks of
Molesme obtained a papal command for Robert to return to his former
charge, and a good number of the monks of the New Monastery opted
to return with him. Alberic accepted the abbatial crozier at the
New Monastery, and the little community struggled on. To insure the
monks the freedom they needed to live the Rule of Benedict to the
full and at the same time save the monastery from depending on
outsiders, Alberic introduced into the Cistercian community
committed lay men who took vows as lay brothers. These men, fully
members of the community, would take charge of the temporal
management both at the abbey and at its dependencies, leaving the
monks with the possibility of following literally the programme
laid out by Saint Benedict. Alberic also fostered the development
of a scriptorium at Citeaux to insure the monks with an abundance
of good material for their lectio divina (sacred
reading). The fine illuminated manuscripts in the municipal library
at Dijon bear witness to the fruitfulness of his endeavour. He also
encouraged those studies which would contribute to this, such as
their Prior Stephen Harding's study of Hebrew and Greek to produce
a new and more accurate translation of the Bible.