Letters of ascent : spiritual direction in the letters of Bernard of Clairvaux / Michael C. Voights.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Voigts, Michael C.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 1091-1153. Correspondence.

Bernard.

Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 1091-1153--Criticism and interpretation.

Bernard, of Clairvaux, Saint, 1090 or 1091-1153.

Spiritual life--Early works to 1800.

Spiritual life.

Spiritual direction--History.

Spiritual direction.

Christian saints--France--Correspondence.

Christian saints.

History.

Criticism and interpretation.

France.

Genre:

Correspondence.

Physical Description:

ix, 180 pages ; 23 cm

Place of Publication:

Eugene : Pickwick Publications, 2013.

Summary:

Bernard of Clairvaux is best known by many today for his mystical approach to spirituality and his eloquent sermons on the Song of Songs. In his letters, however, a different Bernard emerges-one who had fled the world for the cloister yet possessed a soaring vision for the Church on earth. By examining select letters and placing them in the larger context of the people and the world around him, we discover a man who loved the Church-but who realized that the Church is comprised of individuals who did not share his ideals and agendas. In Letters of Ascent, we travel to medieval Europe and view society through the eyes of one of history's most passionate ecclesiastical reformers. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Bernard of Clairvaux in the Twelfth-Century World 1

Chapter 2 Bernard and the Direction of Souls 17

Chapter 3 An Introduction to the Letters of Bernard 31

Chapter 4 The Letters of Bernard to Monks 46

Chapter 5 The Letters of Bernard to Abbots 70

Chapter 6 The Letters of Bernard to Bishops 98

Chapter 7 The Letters of Bernard to Popes 120

Chapter 8 The Letters of Bernard to Laity 140

Chapter 9 Bernard's Letters as a Methodology for Twelfth-Century Ecclesiastical Reform 162.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 177-180).

ISBN:

1620321580

9781620321584

OCLC:

856413311

Publisher Number:

99956140377