Loving God Sweetly: An Exploration of Bernard of Clairvaux and the Five Senses

This dissertation examines the role of the five senses in the sermons of Bernard of Clairvaux, arguing that the prevalence of sensory language characteristic of Bernard’s writing is not a mere rhetorical flourish but the consequence of his distinctive view of the incarnation as well as a reflection of his Cistercian monastic identity. Scholars have studied, to some extent, the vivid language and evocation of the senses and affect that typify Bernard’s sermons, even connecting this to his unique notion of amor carnalis Christi, or a love of the flesh of Christ. However, a comprehensive and interdisciplinary study on Bernard’s view of the senses, physical and spiritual, and its various influences remains to be done, despite numerous acknowledgements of the significant role the senses play in Bernard’s writings and theological thought. This dissertation endeavors to provide such a study. After the requisite background provided in the introduction, this dissertation proceeds in four chapters. The first offers a comprehensive examination of how each of the senses function in Bernard’s sermons as well as how the individual senses relate to each other and the role of hierarchy and order. After this foundation is laid, the second and third chapters analyze Bernard’s claim that hearing should come first in one’s sensory experience of God and God’s word. These chapters demonstrate how Bernard’s prioritization of hearing, while grounded exegetically, is a consequence of the aural framework that underlies much of his life and spiritual experience as a Cistercian monk. The third chapter focuses specifically on the liturgy as a formative source for Bernard’s understanding of the embodied and sensory experience of God. Furthermore, his composition of the Office of St Victor demonstrates the multifaceted nature of aurality present in his notion of liturgy, and consequently, his notion of the encounter of and response to God’s word. The fourth chapter turns to the theological, defining amor carnalis Christi, its role in the progression of one’s spiritual life, and locus in Bernard’s larger theological system. Thus, the senses are not merely a rhetorical feature but fundamental, providing new insights into Bernard’s Christocentric theology and his understanding of his own identity as Cistercian monk, abbot, and preacher.<p></p>