St. Bernard of Clairvaux: In Praise of the New Knighthood
(Liber ad milites Templi: De laude novae militae)
(Liber ad milites Templi: De laude novae militae)
In Praise of the New Knighthood (Liber ad milites Templi: De laude novae militae)
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
trans. Conrad Greenia
Editors' note: The following passage is taken from a treatise
written in the early 12th century by the Cistercian abbot Bernard of
Clairvaux, on behalf of the fledgling Knights Templar. It might be
viewed as a combination of exhortation to the Knights, and advertisement
to the population in general. Officially it is an answer to a letter
written to Bernard by his friend Hugh de Payens, one of the founders of
the Templars.
We have reproduced the prologue and the first five chapters of this
treatise here, using the translation of Conrad Greenia. These first
sections deal directly with the Knights Templar and are of great
importance to students of the early military orders. The remaining
sections deal allegorically with holy sites in Palestine, and are
equally interesting, if less directly relevant to the foundation of the
Templars. The full text, along with comprehensive notes, may be found
in The Cistercian Fathers Series: Number Nineteen, The Works of Bernard of Clairvaux: Volume Seven, Treatises III, translated by Conrad Greenia, Cistercian Publications, Kalamazoo, Mich., 1977.
The editors wish to thank Dr. Rozanne Elder and Cistercian Publications
for their kind permission to use this excerpt. It may be downloaded for
personal or classroom use only.
Prologue
TO HUGH, KNIGHT OF CHRIST AND MASTER OF CHRIST'S MILITIA:
BERNARD, IN NAME ONLY, ABBOT OF CLAIRVAUS, WISHES THAT
HE MIGHT FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT
IF I AM NOT MISTAKEN, MY DEAR HUGH, you have asked me not once or twice,
but three times to write a few words of exhortation for you and your
comrades. You say that if I am not permitted to wield the lance, at
least I might direct my pen against the tyrannical foe, and that this
moral, rather than material support of mine will be of no small help to
you. I have put you off now for quite some time, not that I disdain your
request, but rather lest I be blamed for taking it lightly and hastily.
I feared I might botch a task which could be better done by a more
qualified hand, and which would perhaps remain, because of me, just as
necessary and all the more difficult.
Having waited thus for quite some time to no purpose, I have now done
what I could, lest my inability should be mistaken for unwillingness. It
is for the reader to judge the result. If some perhaps find my work
unsatisfactory or short of the mark, I shall be nonetheless content,
since I have not failed to give you my best.
CHAPTER ONE
A WORD OF EXHORTATION FOR THE KNIGHTS OF THE TEMPLE
IT SEEMS THAT A NEW KNIGHTHOOD has recently appeared on the earth, and
precisely in that part of it which the Orient from on high visited in
the flesh. As he then troubled the princes of darkness in the strength
of his mighty hand, so there he now wipes out their followers, the
children of disbelief, scattering them by the hands of his mighty ones.
Even now he brings about the redemption of his people raising up again a
horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David.
This is, I say, a new kind of knighthood and one unknown to the
ages gone by. It ceaselessly wages a twofold war both against flesh and
blood and against a spiritual army of evil in the heavens. When someone
strongly resists a foe in the flesh, relying solely on the strength of
the flesh, I would hardly remark it, since this is common enough. And
when war is waged by spiritual strength against vices or demons, this,
too, is nothing remarkable, praiseworthy as it is, for the world is full
of monks. But when the one sees a man powerfully girding himself with
both swords and nobly marking his belt, who would not consider it worthy
of all wonder, the more so since it has been hitherto unknown? He is
truly a fearless knight and secure on every side, for his soul is
protected by the armor of faith just as his body is protected by armor
of steel. He is thus doubly armed and need fear neither demons nor men.
Not that he fears death--no, he desires it. Why should he fear to live
or fear to die when for him to live is Christ, and to die is gain?
Gladly and faithfully he stands for Christ, but he would prefer to be
dissolved and to be with Christ, by far the better thing.
Go forth confidently then, you knights, and repel the foes of the
cross of Christ with a stalwart heart. Know that neither death nor life
can separate you from the love of God which is in Jesus Christ, and in
every peril repeat, "Whether we live or whether we die, we are the
Lord's." What a glory to return in victory from such a battle! How
blessed to die there as a martyr! Rejoice, brave athlete, if you live
and conquer in the Lord; but glory and exult even more if you die and
join your Lord. Life indeed is a fruitful thing and victory is glorious,
but a holy death is more important than either. If they are blessed who
die in the Lord, how much more are they who die for the Lord!
2. To be sure, precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of
his holy ones, whether they die in battle or in bed, but death in battle
is more precious as it is the more glorious. How secure is life when
the conscience is unsullied! How secure, I say, is life when death is
anticipated without fear; or rather when it is desired with feeling and
embraced with reverence! How holy and secure this knighthood and how
entirely free of the double risk run by those men who fight not for
Christ! Whenever you go forth, O worldly warrior, you must fear lest the
bodily death of your foe should mean your own spiritual death, or lest
perhaps your body and soul together should be slain by him.
Indeed, danger or victory for a Christian depends on the
dispositions of his heart and not on the fortunes of war. If he fights
for a good reason, the issue of his fight can never be evil; and
likewise the results can never be considered good if the reason were
evil and the intentions perverse. If you happen to be killed while you
are seeking only to kill another, you die a murderer. If you succeed,
and by your will to overcome and to conquer you perchance kill a man,
you live a murderer. Now it will not do to be a murderer, living or
dead, victorious or vanquished. What an unhappy victory--to have
conquered a man while yielding to vice, and to indulge in an empty glory
at his fall when wrath and pride have gotten the better of you!
But what of those who kill neither in the heat of revenge nor in
the swelling of pride, but simply in order to save themselves? Even this
sort of victory I would not call good, since bodily death is really a
lesser evil than spiritual death. The soul need not die when the body
does. No, it is the soul which sins that shall die.
CHAPTER TWO
ON WORLDLY KNIGHTHOOD
WHAT, THEN IS THE END OR FRUIT of this worldly knighthood, or
rather knavery, as I should call it? What if not the mortal sin of the
victor and the eternal death of the vanquished? Well then, let me borrow
a word from the Apostle and exhort him who plows, to plow in hope, and
him who threshes, to do so in view of some fruit.
What then, O knights, is this monstrous error and what this
unbearable urge which bids you fight with such pomp and labor, and all
to no purpose except death and sin? You cover your horses with silk, and
plume your armor with I know not what sort of rags; you paint your
shields and your saddles; you adorn your bits and spurs with gold and
silver and precious stones, and then in all this glory you rush to your
ruin with fearful wrath and fearless folly. Are these the trappings of a
warrior or are they not rather the trinkets of a woman? Do you think
the swords of your foes will be turned back by your gold, spare your
jewels or be unable to pierce your silks?
As you yourselves have often certainly experienced, a warrior
especially needs these three things--he must guard his person with
strength, shrewdness and care; he must be free in his movements, and he
must be quick to draw his sword. Then why do you blind yourselves with
effeminate locks and trip yourselves up with long and full tunics,
burying your tender, delicate hands in big cumbersome sleeves? Above
all, there is that terrible insecurity of conscience, in spite of all
your armor, since you have dared to undertake such a dangerous business
on such slight and frivolous grounds. What else is the cause of wars and
the root of disputes among you, except unreasonable flashes of anger,
the thirst for empty glory, or the hankering after some earthly
possessions? It certainly is not safe to kill or to be killed for such
causes as these.
CHAPTER THREE
ON THE NEW KNIGHTHOOD
BUT THE KNIGHTS OF CHRIST may safely fight the battles of their
Lord, fearing neither sin if they smite the enemy, nor danger at their
own death; since to inflict death or to die for Christ is no sin, but
rather, an abundant claim to glory. In the first case one gains for
Christ, and in the second one gains Christ himself. The Lord freely
accepts the death of the foe who has offended him, and yet more freely
gives himself for the consolation of his fallen knight.
The knight of Christ, I say, may strike with confidence and die
yet more confidently, for he serves Christ when he strikes, and serves
himself when he falls. Neither does he bear the sword in vain, for he is
God's minister, for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of
the good. If he kills an evildoer, he is not a mankiller, but, if I may
so put it, a killer of evil. He is evidently the avenger of Christ
towards evildoers and he is rightly considered a defender of Christians.
Should he be killed himself, we know that he has not perished, but has
come safely into port. When he inflicts death it is to Christ's profit,
and when he suffers death, it is for his own gain. The Christian glories
in the death of the pagan, because Christ is glorified; while the death
of the Christian gives occasion for the King to show his liberality in
the rewarding of his knight. In the one case the just shall rejoice when
he sees justice done, and in the other man shall say, truly there is a
reward for the just; truly it is God who judges the earth.
I do not mean to say that the pagans are to be slaughtered when
there is any other way to prevent them from harassing and persecuting
the faithful, but only that it now seems better to destroy them than
that the rod of sinners be lifted over the lot of the just, and the
righteous perhaps put forth their hands unto iniquity.
5. What then? If it is never permissible for a Christian to
strike with the sword, why did the Savior's precursor bid the soldiers
to be content with their pay, and not rather forbid them to follow this
calling? But if it is permitted to all those so destined by God, as is
indeed the case provided they have not embraced a higher calling, to
whom, I ask, may it be allowed more rightly than to those whose hands
and hearts hold for us Sion, the city of our strength?
Thus when the transgressors of divine law have been expelled, the
righteous nation that keeps the truth may enter in security. Certainly
it is proper that the nations who love war should be scattered, that
those who trouble us should be cut off, and that all the workers of
iniquity should be dispersed from the city of the Lord. They busy
themselves to carry away the incalculable riches placed in Jerusalem by
the Christian peoples, to profane the holy things and to possess the
sanctuary of God as their heritage. Let both swords of the faithful fall
upon the necks of the foe, in order to destroy every high thing
exalting itself against the knowledge of God, which is the Christian
faith, lest the Gentiles should then say, "Where is their God?"
6. Once they have been cast out, he shall return to his heritage
and to his house, which aroused his anger in the Gospel, "Behold," he
said, "your house is left to you desolate." He had complained through
the Prophet: "I have left my house, I have forsaken my heritage," and he
will fulfill that other prophecy: "The Lord has ransomed his people and
delivered them. They shall come and exult on Mount Sion, and rejoice in
the good things of the Lord."
Rejoice Jerusalem, and recognize now the time in which you are
visited! Be glad and give praise together, wastes of Jerusalem, for the
Lord has comforted his people. He has ransomed Jerusalem. The Lord has
bared his holy arm in the sight of all peoples. O virgin of Israel, you
were fallen and there was none to raise you up. Arise now and shake off
the dust, O virgin, captive daughter of Sion. Arise, I say, and stand on
high. See the happiness which comes to you from your God. You will no
longer be referred to as the forsaken one, nor your land any more termed
a wilderness; for the Lord takes his delight in you, and your land
shall be peopled. Raise your eyes, look about you and see; all these are
gathered together and come to you. Here is the help sent to you from
the Holy One! Through them is already fulfilled the ancient promise, "I
will make you the pride of the ages, a joy from generation to
generation. You will suck the milk of the nations and be nourished at
the breasts of their sovereignty." And again, "As a mother consoles her
children, so will I console you, and in Jerusalem you will be
comforted."
Do you not see how frequently these ancient witnesses
foreshadowed the new knighthood? Truly, as we have heard, so we have now
seen in the city of the Lord of armies. Of course we must not let these
literal fulfillments blind us to the spiritual meaning of the texts,
for we must live in eternal hope in spite of such temporal realizations
of prophetic utterances. Otherwise the tangible would supplant the
intangible, material poverty would threaten spiritual wealth and present
possessions would forestall future fulfillment. Furthermore, the
temporal glory of the earthly city does not eclipse the glory of its
heavenly counterpart, but rather prepares for it, at least so long as we
remember that the one is the figure of the other, and that it is the
heavenly one which is our mother.
CHAPTER FOUR
ON THE LIFE STYLE OF THE KNIGHTS OF THE TEMPLE
AND NOW AS A MODEL, or at least for the shame of those knights of
ours who are fighting for the devil rather than for God, we will
briefly set forth the life and virtues of these cavaliers of Christ. Let
us see how they conduct themselves at home as well as in battle, how
they appear in public, and in what way the knight of God differs from
the knight of the world.
In the first place, discipline is in no way lacking and obedience
is never despised. As Scripture testifies, the undisciplined son shall
perish and rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, to refuse obedience is
like the crime of idolatry. Therefore they come and go at the bidding
of their superior. They wear what he gives them, and do not presume to
wear or to eat anything from another source. Thus they shun every excess
in clothing and food and content themselves with what is necessary.
They live as brothers in joyful and sober company, without wives or
children. So that their evangelical perfection will lack nothing, they
dwell united in one family with no personal property whatever, careful
to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. You may say that
the whole multitude has but one heart and one soul to the point that
nobody follows his own will, but rather seeks to follow the commander.
They never sit in idleness or wander about aimlessly, but on the
rare occasions when they are not on duty, they are always careful to
earn their bread by repairing their worn armor and torn clothing, or
simply by setting things to order. For the rest, they are guided by the
common needs and by the orders of their master.
There is no distinction of persons among them, and deference is
shown to merit rather than to noble blood. They rival one another in
mutual consideration, and they carry one another's burdens, thus
fulfilling the law of Christ. No inappropriate word, idle deed,
unrestrained laugh, not even the slightest whisper or murmur is left
uncorrected once it has been detected. They foreswear dice and chess,
and abhor the chase; they take no delight in the ridiculous cruelty of
falconry, as is the custom. As for jesters, magicians, bards,
troubadours and jousters, they despise and reject them as so many
vanities and unsound deceptions. Their hair is worn short, in conformity
with the Apostle's saying, that it is shameful for a man to cultivate
flowing locks. Indeed, they seldom wash and never set their
hair--content to appear tousled and dusty, bearing the marks of the sun
and of their armor.
8. When the battle is at hand, they arm themselves interiorly
with faith and exteriorly with steel rather than decorate themselves
with gold, since their business is to strike fear in the enemy rather
than to incite his cupidity. They seek out horses which are strong and
swift, rather than those which are brilliant and well-plumed, they set
their minds on fighting to win rather than on parading for show. They
think not of glory and seek to be formidable rather than flamboyant. At
the same time, they are not quarrelsome, rash, or unduly hasty, but
soberly, prudently and providently drawn up into orderly ranks, as we
read of the fathers. Indeed, the true Israelite is a man of peace, even
when he goes forth to battle.
Once he finds himself in the thick of battle, this knight sets
aside his previous gentleness, as if to say, "Do I not hate those who
hate you, O Lord; am I not disgusted with your enemies?" These men at
once fall violently upon the foe, regarding them as so many sheep. No
matter how outnumbered they are, they never regard these as fierce
barbarians or as awe-inspiring hordes. Nor do they presume on their own
strength, but trust in the Lord of armies to grant them the victory.
They are mindful of the words of Maccabees, "It is simple enough for a
multitude to be vanquished by a handful. It makes no difference to the
God of heaven whether he grants deliverance by the hands of few or many;
for victory in war is not dependent on a big army, and bravery is the
gift of heaven." On numerous occasions they had seen one man pursue a
thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight.
Thus in a wonderous and unique manner they appear gentler than
lambs, yet fiercer than lions. I do not know if it would be more
appropriate to refer to them as monks or as soldiers, unless perhaps it
would be better to recognize them as being both. Indeed they lack
neither monastic meekness nor military might. What can we say of this,
except that this has been done by the Lord, and it is marvelous in our
eyes. These are the picked troops of God, whom he has recruited from the
ends of the earth; the valiant men of Israel chosen to guard well and
faithfully that tomb which is the bed of the true Solomon, each man
sword in hand, and superbly trained to war.
CHAPTER FIVE
THE TEMPLE OF JERUSALEM
THEIR QUARTERS indeed are in the very temple of Jerusalem, which
is not as vast as the ancient masterpiece of Solomon, but is no less
glorious. Truly all the magnificence of the first temple lay in
perishable gold and silver, in polished stones and precious woods;
whereas all the beauty and gracious charming adornment of its present
counterpart is the religious fervor of its occupants and by their
well-disciplined behavior. In the former, one could contemplate all
sorts of beautiful colors, while in the latter one is able to venerate
all sorts of virtues and good works. Indeed holiness is the fitting
ornament for God's house. One is able to delight there in splendid
merits rather than in shining marble, and to be captivated by pure
hearts rather than by gilded paneling.
Of course the facade of this temple is adorned, but with weapons
rather than with jewels, and in place of the ancient golden crowns, its
walls are hung round about with shields. In place of candlesticks,
censers and ewers, this house is well furnished with saddles, bits and
lances. By all these signs our knights clearly show that they are
animated by the same zeal for the house of God which of old passionately
inflamed their leader himself when he armed his most holy hands, not
indeed with a sword, but with a whip. Having fashioned this from some
lengths of cord, he entered the temple and ejected the merchants,
scattered the coins of the money changers, and overturned the chairs of
the pigeon venders, considering it most unfitting to defile this house
of prayer by such traffic.
Moved therefore by their King's example, his devoted soldiers
consider that it is even more shameful and infinitely more intolerable
for a holy place to be polluted by pagans than to be crowded with
merchants. Once they have installed themselves in this holy house with
their horses and their weapons, cleansed it and the other holy places of
every un-Christian stain, and cast out the tyrannical horde, they
occupy themselves day and night in both pious exercises and practical
work. They are especially careful to honor the temple of God with
zealous and sincere reverence, offering by their devout service, not the
flesh of animals according to the ancient rites, but true peace
offerings of brotherly love, devoted obedience and voluntary poverty.
10. These events at Jerusalem have shaken the world. The islands
hearken, and the people from afar give ear. They swarm forth from East
and West, as a flood stream bringing glory to the nations and a rushing
river gladdening the city of God. What could be more profitable and
pleasant to behold than seeing such a multitude coming to reinforce the
few? What, if not the twofold joy of seeing the conversion of these
former impious rogues, sacrilegious thieves, murderers, perjurers and
adulterers? A twofold joy and a twofold benefit, since their countrymen
are as glad to be rid of them as their new comrades are to receive them.
Both sides have profited from this exchange, since the latter are
strengthened and the former are now left in peace. Thus Egypt rejoices
in their conversion and departure while Mount Sion rejoices and the
daughters of Juda are glad to acquire these new protectors. The former
glory in being delivered from their hands, while the latter have every
reason to expect deliverance by means of these same hands. The former
gladly see their cruel despoilers depart, while the latter gladly
welcome their faithful defenders; so that the one is agreeably
heartened, while the other is profitably abandoned.
This is the revenge which Christ contrives against his enemies,
to triumph powerfully and gloriously over them by their own means.
Indeed, it is both a happy and fitting thing that those who have so long
fought against him should at last fight for him. Thus he recruits his
soldiers among his foes, just as he once turned Saul the persecutor into
Paul the preacher. Therefore I am not surprised that, as our Savior
himself has affirmed, the court of heaven takes more joy in the
conversion of one sinner than in the virtues of many just men who have
no need of conversion. Certainly the conversion of so many sinners and
evil doers will now do as much good as their former misdeeds did harm.
11. Hail then, holy city, sanctified by the Most High for his own
tabernacle in order that such a generation might be saved in and
through you! Hail, city of the great King, source of so many joyous and
unheard-of marvels! Hail mistress of nations and queen of provinces,
heritage of patriarchs, mother of apostles and prophets, source of the
faith and glory of the Christian people! If God has permitted you to be
so often besieged, it has only been to furnish brave men an occasion for
valor and immortality.
Hail promised land, source of milk and honey for your ancient
inhabitants, now become the source of healing grace and vital sustenance
for the whole earth! Yes, I say, you are that good and excellent soil
which received into its fruitful depths the heavenly seed from the heart
of the eternal Father. What a rich harvest of martyrs you have produced
from that heavenly seed! Your fertile soil has not failed to furnish
splendid examples of every Christian virtue for the whole earth--some
bearing fruit thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundredfold. Therefore
those who have seen you are most happily filled with the great abundance
of your sweetness and are well nourished on your munificent bounty.
Everywhere they go they publish the fame of your great goodness and
relate the splendors of your glory to those who have never seen it,
proclaiming the marvels accomplished in you even to the ends of the
earth.
Indeed, glorious things are told of you, city of God! Now then we
will set forth something of the delights in which you abound, for the
praise and glory of your name.
Nincsenek megjegyzések:
Megjegyzés küldése