Christian History Home > Issue 40 > The Crusades: A Gallery of Martial Monks & Holy Kings
The Crusades: A Gallery of Martial Monks & Holy Kings
The great preachers, planners, and fighters of the Holy Land crusades.
Stephen M. Miller | posted 10/01/1993 12:00AM
Bernard of Clairvaux
(1090–1153)
The “theologian of love” who preached war
Bernard, the son of a crusader, was a model monk. While young, he fasted so much he damaged his health, causing lifelong digestive problems. He reportedly studied the Bible and worshiped more than half of each day. He said Christ came to him in visions.
His spiritual intensity made for penetrating sermons, letters, and hymns. His essay “On Loving God” is one of Christian literature’s most eloquent on the subject. In it, Bernard writes, “God himself is the reason why He is to be loved.”
This same Bernard, in 1128, convinced church leaders to recognize a new order: fighting friars known as Templars. Though they took vows of poverty and chastity, these military monks were allowed to kill. They defended the pilgrim roads in Palestine.
Bernard was a powerful preacher, perhaps the greatest of his time. At times, he could be blunt. To the pope he wrote, “You have been entrusted with stewardship over the world, not given possession ... To view this item, you must be a member of ChristianHistory.net.
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