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When influential and controversial Paris theologian, Peter Abelard, wrote, "It is by doubting that we come to inquire and by inquiring that we reach truth," and suggested that Christ died not to pay a penalty but merely to demonstrate God's love, Bernard was scandalized. In 1139, he wrote a lengthy letter to the pope refuting Abelard. He called the Parisian a "son of perdition" who "disdains and scoffs" the death of Christ: "I was made a sinner by deriving my being from Adam; I am made just by being washed in the blood of Christ and not by Christ's 'words and example.'"

Because of Bernard's letter and political influence (Pope Innocent III owed his position, in part, to Bernard's public support), Abelard's teaching was condemned, and he was forced to retire to a monastery.

Bernard's informal political influence was further enhanced with the election of Pope Eugenius III, one of Bernard's former pupils. Bernard had a high view of the papacy, and he called the pope "the unique vicar of Christ who presides over not a single people but over all." At the same time, he warned Eugenius, "You have been entrusted with stewardship over the world, not given possession of it. … There is no poison more dangerous for you, no sword more deadly, than the passion to rule." All in all, he wielded such influence with Eugenius III that Eugenius once complained to Bernard, "They say that it is you who are pope and not I."

When Eugenius called for the Second Crusade, he enlisted Bernard as the crusade's chief promoter. Bernard traveled over Europe calling upon men to enlist in "the cause of Christ." In one sermon he pleaded, "I ask you and advise you not to want to put your own business before the business of Christ."

Because of bickering and ineffective leadership, though, the crusade was a disaster, ending in an embarrassing retreat, and Bernard's reputation suffered the last four years of his life. Still, just a little over 20 years after his death, he was esteemed enough to be canonized.

>What Bernard is remembered for today, more than his reforming zeal and crusade preaching, is his mystical writings. His best known work is On Loving God, in which he states his purpose at the beginning: "You wish me to tell you why and how God should be loved. My answer is that God himself is the reason he is to be loved."

His other great literary legacy is Sermons on the Song of Songs, 86 sermons on the spiritual life that, in fact, only tangentially touch on the biblical text. One passage in particular speaks aptly to Bernard's lifelong passion to know God (and, likely, the temptations that troubled him):

There are some who long to know for the sole purpose of knowing, and that is shameful curiosity; others who long to know in order to become known, and that is shameful vanity. … There are others still who long for knowledge in order to sell its fruits for money or honors, and this is shameful profiteering; others again who long to know in order to be of service, and this is charity. Finally, there are those who long to know in order to benefit themselves, and this is prudence.

Recommended Resources Buy the book containing this and many other profiles of Christians you should know. Christian History, Issue 24, is currently out of print, but the content is available in electronic form at CTLibrary.com

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