cover image Bernard of Clairvaux: An Inner Life

Bernard of Clairvaux: An Inner Life

Brian Patrick McGuire. Cornell Univ., $34.95 (376p) ISBN 978-1-5017-5154-7

McGuire (Friendship and Community), professor of history at Roskilde University, offers a revealing but awkwardly organized biography of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090–1153), a Cistercian monk and abbot of Clairvaux Abbey in northeastern France. McGuire depends heavily on surviving correspondence to show Bernard’s breadth of interest, including his extensive decoration of hand-illuminated manuscripts, advice to new popes, commentary on the Crusades, and questions of grace and free will. McGuire starts with an overview that provides historical context for Bernard’s life, for which “miracles were part of his worldview,” and his pivotal role spreading Benedictine monasticism throughout Europe. McGuire then poses a set of “Fifteen Questions About Bernard,” the answers to which come in the form of essays. For instance, McGuire answers “Did Bernard show tolerance toward Jews?” by explaining how Bernard “respected them as witnesses to Scripture” and worked to protect Jews during the Crusades. Unfortunately, this question-and-answer approach, with questions peppered throughout the book, gives the narrative a scattered feel. Academics of European Christianity will get most out of this narrow biography. [em](Oct.) [/em]