From Publishers Weekly
Though this study includes many insights into the life of the 12th-century saint, its author insists that it is not a biography but rather the "final report of a long investigation"?begun more than 50 years ago in the Netherlands?that may pave the way for a future biographer. In this closely reasoned work, the author, a Dutch scholar, searches for the historical Bernard as opposed to the saint of myth and legend created by Bernard's earliest proponents and embellished by generations of writers who based their pronouncements on the hagiographers' vision. To do this, Bredero provides detailed analyses of extant medieval texts and their probable sources, evaluates Bernard's treatment through the centuries in historiography and literature, and reconsiders the fiery founder of monasteries?a paradoxical blend of vigorous action and mystical contemplation?in his historical context. Appendices offer a chronology, a summary of textual problems and an extensive bibliography. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Bernard of Clairvaux between Cult and History summarizes Bredero's lifelong study of Bernard, the Cistercian monk who was arguably the most influential ecclesiastical figure of the twelfth century and who remains one of the church's most venerated saints. This volume, which Bredero himself calls his "final report of a long investigation," does not pretend to offer yet another biography of Bernard. Rather, it paves the way for future biographical scholarship by pointing out - and often suggesting resolutions to - the many problems that beset this field of inquiry. Toward this end, Bredero deals care fully with three key areas in the field of Bernard studies. First, he examines the textual problems surrounding the earliest hagiography of Bernard, in particular the vita prima, and the relationship between the authors of this work and Bernard. Second, Bredero evaluates Bernard as he has been discussed in historiography and literature. Third, he deals with the question of how Bernard ought to be viewed in his own historical context, his actions during his "earthly" life. For Bredero, the "chimera" nature of Bernard the man derives from a disjunction between "history" and "cult," between Bernard as historical actor and Bernard as object of cult. This volume will be invaluable to anyone interested in these parallel strains of fact and legend and particularly so to those who would attempt to reconcile them.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly