Bernard of Clairvaux
The Church and the Individual
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21874126 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Joshua Roberts (0000-0002-9834-9379, Ethics & Religious Studies Department, Repton School, Derbyshire, UK, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 30-40 |
| Publication date | 2020-01-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Medieval Mystical Theology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2046-5726 • E-ISSN: 2046-5734 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/20465726.2020.1774170 |
| OpenAlex | W3041345943 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 6 |
How does the individual relate to the health of the Church? Bernard provides a complex and satisfying answer, which is primarily based on his interpretation of St Augustine, the Scriptures and the Apostolic Tradition. In particular Bernard identifies the role of personal holiness and purity within individuals as the crucial means through which the Church undertakes reform. Bernard is clear that it is not systems or temporal power arrangements that make the Church more harmonious or more effective at holiness. Individual change drives the earthly Church to become more like the heavenly Church, the City of God. Such an overview also helps to make clear that Bernard’s mysticism is world embracing, and is about immanence, as well as the transcendent
Immanence · Mysticism · Theology · Augustinian Studies and Theology · Medieval Philosophy and Theology · Philosophy · Reformation and Early Modern Christianity
| Highly cited | No |
|---|