Bernard Of Clairvaux (1090–1153)

The renewal of preaching in the medieval era is traced to the rise of the crusades, the monasteries, and the scholastics. Bernard combined the enthusiasm of crusade rhetoric with the ascetic lifestyle of the monk and reflected a scholastic influence through his struggle with Abelard. His fiery eloquence was powerful enough to make an impression even on those who did not understand his language. Unusually gifted, he was a master of the art of public speaking. Bernard's Personality and Preaching Style Bernard of Clairvaux, commonly called St. Bernard, a devoted monk and a fervently pious man, lived from 1090 to 1153 in France. Pale, meagre, attenuated through much fasting, looking almost as insubstantial as a spirit, he made an impression the moment he was seen. He possessed extraordinary talents, and though he made light of human learning, he at least did so only after acquiring it. His sermons and other writings do not indicate a profound metaphysical thinker, like Augustine or Aq…