Letters of Ascent : Spiritual Direction in the Letters of Bernard of Clairvaux

A study of the letters of the 12th-century Cistercian abbot Bernard of Clairvaux, revealing his use of the epistolatory form for spiritual guidance. 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 compromised 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.