"Bernard of Clairvaux, The Last of the Church Fathers," M. Burcht Pranger

The 12th century monastic reformer Bernard of Clairvaux recruited hundreds of young men to the cloister or claustrum (enclosure) of Cistercian monastic life. The rhythm of life in the monastic enclosure not only rules the structured existence of the monks but also alters their experience of time from linear to circular while maintaining the goal of the world to come. Bernard's eloquent insistence on this way of life represents the end of an era and, to an extent, the end of the Middle Ages.
M. Burcht Pranger studied theology, medieval philosophy and medieval Latin at the Universities of Amsterdam, Toronto and Oxford. Since 1976 he has taught the History of Christianity at the University of Amsterdam. His publications-which focus on medieval monastic figures such as Anselm of Canterbury and Bernard of Clairvaux-include The Artificiality of Christianity and Eternity's Ennui: Temporality, Perseverance and Voice in Augustine and Western Literature.