The Last of the Fathers: Saint Bernard of Clairvaux and the Encyclical Letter Doctor Mellifluus

by Thomas Merton

A contextual portrait of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, along with Pope Pius XII’s encyclical letter on the Doctor of the Church.Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, a dominant figure in the history of the Catholic Church and the last of the Church Fathers, died in his monastery in Burgundy on August 20, 1153. In commemoration of the eighth centenary of his death, Pope Pius XII issued one of his most significant encyclical letters—Doctor Mellifluus—which Thomas Merton presents here, together with an introduction to the life and teachings of the great mystic.The essence of Saint Bernard’s doctrine, Father Merton writes, is nothing else but the spiritual peace distilled in monasticism, and it is one of the purest and most authentic sources of Catholic tradition. Pius’s encyclical letter draws on that doctrine to bring the highest spiritual perfection within reach of all Christians.Praise for The Last of the Fathers“A study that will have to be on the shelves of all libraries and in the personal collections of all who are interested in spirituality . . . . Merton has provided an exquisite spiritual and intellectual setting for the jewel of the Encyclical [by Pope Pius XII].” —Catholic World

Genres: Catholic, Spirituality, Christianity, Biography, Christian, Theology

127 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Thomas Merton, religious name M. Louis, was an American Trappist monk, writer, theologian, mystic, poet, social activist and scholar of comparative religion. In December 1941 he entered the Trappist Abbey of Gethsemani and in May 1949 he was ordained to priesthood. He was a member of the convent of the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani, near Bardstown, Kentucky, living there from 1941 to his death.
Merton wrote more than 50 books in a period of 27 years, mostly on spirituality, social justice and a quiet pacifism, as well as scores of essays and reviews. Among Merton's most enduring works is his bestselling autobiography The Seven Storey Mountain (1948). His account of his spiritual journey inspired scores of World War II veterans, students, and teenagers to explore offerings of monasteries across the US. It is on National Review's list of the 100 best nonfiction books of the century.
Merton became a keen proponent of interfaith understanding, exploring Eastern religions through his study of mystic practice. His interfaith conversation, which preserved both Protestant and Catholic theological positions, helped to build mutual respect via their shared experiences at a period of heightened hostility. He is particularly known for having pioneered dialogue with prominent Asian spiritual figures, including the Dalai Lama XIV; Japanese writer D.T. Suzuki; Thai Buddhist monk Buddhadasa Bhikkhu, and Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh. He traveled extensively in the course of meeting with them and attending international conferences on religion. In addition, he wrote books on Zen Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism, and how Christianity is related to them. This was highly unusual at the time in the United States, particularly within the religious orders.

Reviews

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: A brief life of Bernard of Clairvaux, published following the encyclical, Doctor Mellifluous, celebrating the eighth centenary of the death of Bernard, on August 20, 1153.

It was not planned but this review nearly coincides with the Feast Day of Bernard of Clairvaux, who died on August 20, 1153. The book, by Thomas Merton, was first published in 1954, the year following an encyclical by Pope Pius XII, Doctor Mellifluus, celebrating Bernard as a Father or Doctor of the church, eight centuries after his death. He is the last to bear this designation, and the encyclical, as Merton observes, is an argument based on the life and theology of Bernard, to put this beyond question.

After a brief preface, which discusses the occasion for this work and touches on the different “Bernards” united in the person of this last Father of the Church, this work is divided into four parts. The first is a brief life of Bernard, born in Cluny and having access to power and choosing instead the monastic life. Merton takes snapshots of his life at three points: 1115 as the young abbot of a new foundation at Citeaux sent out to begin a new work at Clairvaux with twelve men living in wood shacks; 1124, as he closes his own formation as an abbot and is tested by defections from the order, including Arnold, abbot of Morimond, resulting not in dissolution of the Order but reorganization and a great time of growth; and 1145, when a fellow Cistercian is Pope Eugene III and Bernard accepts the assignment of preaching a Crusade, one that sadly ends in failure–not his but those who led but with which he is associated. Merton observes that these Bernards are not at war but express a singular vision of the greatness of God and his order, communicated through the church to the world. Bernard’s preaching of the Crusade was accompanied by miracles wherever he went, including his overcoming of sickness. Just 21 years after his death, in 1174, he was canonized as a saint by Alexander III.

The second part of the work overviews the writings that warrant the title “Doctor of the Church.” Many focus on the greatness of God and God’s love, evoking the love for God of his children. He envisions a soul made in God’s image and destined for perfect likeness to God in love, captured in his treatise “On the Love of God.” He also wrote on free will, an Apologia challenging the comforts and extravagance of the Benedictines, calling for reform, a number of works on Mary, and De Conversione, on our continuing conversion as grace works in the soul. While many of his works and his life reflective contemplation on God and the spiritual life, he could also engage in discursive theology in writing “Against the Errors of Peter Abelard” whose views of the person of Christ, his Pelagianism, and his views of the work of Christ were deficient. Then there are the eight-six sermons on the Canticle of Canticles exploring the mysteries of God’s love and the mystery of godliness.

The third part of the work is “Notes on the Encyclical Doctor Mellifluus in which he comments on the different aspects of the encyclical beginning with its tribute to the sanctity and wisdom, arising from Bernard’s continual meditation on the scriptures and the Fathers. His theology was not stuffy, or intellectually arid, but flowed from devotion, love that discerned truth. Pius then commends particular works, especially the Canticles. He stresses the hope expressed in these sermons that every sinner might find not only pardon and mercy, but perfect union with God, elaborating the particular gracious workings of God to bring this about. We gain a picture of the unique balance of contemplation and action in the life of this vigorous saint. Part four, then, which follows is the text of the actual encyclical.

This little book by Merton uses the occasion of Pius XII’s encyclical to highlight for Cistercians of his own day and others, the ways that life and theology, contemplation and action, sanctity yoked to wisdom and learning combined in the life of Bernard. What might seem in conflict were rather qualities that walked together in the life of this man. Merton mentions how Bernard’s life came at the time of the early stirrings that would contribute to the rise of universities. For Bernard, knowledge and faith, study and practical leadership were part of a seamless life. Perhaps he may serve as an inspiration to all of us who believe that the love of God and the love of learning may walk hand in hand. And so, as the Feast Day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux approaches, I close with thanksgiving for this Father and Doctor of the Church.

[Jared Kassebaum · Rating 4 out of 5]

St Bernard of Clairvaux was a name I had never heard before reading Merton a few years ago. He was a monk in the 1100's and led within the church in the high middle ages. Merton quotes him in his most famous beauty, his sermons on Song of Songs (Canticle of Canticles I learned it used to be called), and Bernard's mystical theology of divine marriage with God permeates Merton's own understanding of God's love for us. I had bought and started to read the Etienne Gilson book on his mysticism before realizing Merton had his own book about just him, and decided to read this as a primer. Although I am not Catholic and so put little stock into the Papacy or the holiness of Mary, which this book emphasizes both of, I have learned so much of the rich tradition of mystical union deep within the Catholic church that, I believe, the Protestant church has largely lost in favor of metaphors and symbolism that only emphasize a penal substitutionary love at the end of the day. Christ's victory over the grave/death and our mystical life in him have been largely lost. Seeing these beauties in a historical tradition has saved my faith, and Merton and Bernard have played a key role in that.

[Aaron White · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book focusing on Pope Pius XII’s encyclical letter about St Bernard of Clairvaux. It features the encyclical itself, and an introduction to Bernard’s life and work by Merton. The parts composed by Merton are the best of the book, as they place Bernard within his historical, ecclesiastical and intellectual context. Bernard was entranced by the love of God in Christ, but was also a man of the Church – capable of supporting actions that today we would consider extremely contrary to the love of Christ. Merton gives a complex and nuanced portrait of the Church Father, though a generally sympathetic one. There is much here that is worth studying, much that convicts towards a more dedicated reception and application of the love of Jesus.

[Bernard Norcott-mahany · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book consists of an encyclical by Pius XII celebrating the 800th anniversary of Bernard of Clairvaux's death. It was published in 1953, and Thomas Merton, himself a Cistercian monk, published this slim volume as an overview of the saint. Overall enjoyable, and Bernard was an important 12th c. saint. I did find one point a bit offsetting. While admitting that Bernard was one of the chief advocates for the 2nd Crusade (the bloodiest of the lot), Merton (and Pius XII) try to pass it off by suggesting his intentions were good and noble. In these days of diversity, the goal of getting rid of someone else's belief system in the name of promulgating your own just doesn't sit right. And Merton, who had a lot of interest in Buddhism and the Eastern way, should be a lot more sensitive to that drive in the Crusades. Still, it was worth reading.

[Derek Speegle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insightful and encouraging little biography on St Bernard of Clairvaux, written by Thomas Merton, and including Pope Pius XII's Encyclical, DOCTOR MELLIFLUUS. A good read indeed.