God in the Garden: Eroticism and Monastic Spirituality in Bernard of Clairvaux’s Sermones super Cantica canticorum

Abstract

Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153) wrote his most eloquent collection of homilies, Sermones super Cantica Canticorum (Sermons on the Song of Songs), on the most sensual book in the Christian scriptures. This thesis examines Bernard’s contribution to an unprecedented proliferation of exegetical commentaries and reflections on the Song of Songs; his homilies remain among the most enduring treatments of this biblical text. Beginning with Bernard’s biography and the exegetical tradition of the Canticle leading up to his own contribution, this thesis explores three specific perspectives which inform Bernard’s treatment: kissing and eating, labour and prayer, and silence and space. These foci, as represented in the Canticle, contrast with the Cistercian lifestyle, but Bernard manages to harmonise these in an astute commentary which resonates with contemporary readers.