Bernard of Clairvaux: Selected Works (The Classics of Western Spirituality)
by Bernard of Clairvaux
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"...a milestone in American religious publishing."New Catholic World Bernard of Clairvaux-Selected Works translation and foreword by G.R. Evans introduction by Jean Leclercq, O.S.B. preface by Ewert H. Cousins "Lord, you are good to the soul which seeks you. What are you then to the soul which finds? But this is the most wonderful thing, that no one can seek you who has not already found you. You therefore seek to be found so that you may be sought for, sought so that you may be found." show more --Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) Born in Fontaines-lès-Dijon in 1090, Bernard had become, by his twenty-fifth birthday, the abbot of a Cistercian monastery which he had founded in the valley of Clairvaux near Aube, France, some four years earlier. There in those isolated and rugged surroundings he became the spokesman for a revival of monastic life in an age when the radical spirit of religious life was endangered by a movement, best seen in the excesses of the monks of Cluny, that stressed the adaptation of the rule of St. Benedict to the exigencies-and taste for princely comforts-of the royal courts of twelfth-century France. But Bernard's dedication to the strict observance of Benedict's rule was mingled not with the abrasive, shrill style of the prophet but with a sweetness and purity of vision that earned him the title Doctor mellifluous. For he possessed a sense of the love of God, the importance of humility, and the sheer beauty of holiness that has made his writings favorites of scholars and laymen alike throughout the ages. Here in a new translation by G.R. Evans are the writings that have had such a major role in shaping the Western monastic tradition and influencing the development of catholic mystical theology. Together with an introduction by the master of Bernard studies, Jean Leclercq, they comprise a volume that occupies a place of special importance in the chronicle of the history of the Western spiritual adventure. + show lessTags
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I have yet to read anything from this series that has been unhelpful or vague. This one especially has given me some great insights into an inspirational leader and preacher of the Cistercian (Trappist) monastic tradtion.
Introduction augments other background material on saint's life and writings. Excerpts from major works.
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The Essential Western Mystics
66 works; 4 members
The ESOTERICA Library by Dr. Justin Sledge (Western Christian Mysticism)
16 works; 1 member
Author Information
309+ Works 3,444 Members
The foremost reformer of his age, Bernard of Clairvaux spearheaded the Cistercian movement, reestablishing serious discipline and spirituality in the corrupt Benedictine monasteries. His mystical thought is enormously influential, and deservedly so, but he was also, like many reformers, very much a conservative who opposed the progressive show more philosophical movement of his age. This was a time when philosophy was freeing itself from theology, with the establishment of schools of logic and the liberal arts that were no longer under the thumb of the theologians, where faculty interest centered on nontheological issues. Bernard is especially known for his attacks on Peter Abelard and Gilbert de la Porree (1076--1154). (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title*
- Bernardo di Chiaravalle
- Original title
- Bernard de Clairvaux
- Original publication date
- c. 1140
- Original language*
- francese
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- 537
- Popularity
- 55,635
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.29)
- Languages
- English, Italian
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 2
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 3
