Journal: Puritan Reformed Journal
Volume: PRJ 01:2 (Jul 2009)
Article: "Cur Deus Homo?" A Closer Look At The Atonement Theories Of Peter Abelard And Bernard Of Clairvaux
Author: Jonathon David Beeke

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PRJ 1:2 (July 2009) p. 43

Cur Deus Homo?
A Closer Look At The Atonement Theories Of Peter Abelard And Bernard Of Clairvaux

Jonathon D. Beeke

The conflict between Peter Abelard (1079-1142) and Bernard of Clairvaux (1090/91-1153) is a captivating story that is often told in medieval church histories.1 The rationalistic scholasticism of Abelard serves as a great foil to the mystic monasticism of St. Bernard. Although this caricature is generally correct, is it possible to draw a line of division throughout every tenet of Abelard’s and Bernard’s theology? More precisely, this article will examine if there is indeed a vast difference between the atonement theories of these two monumental twelfth-century figures.

Secondary scholarship is widely divergent when answering this question. Two considerations in this scholarship merit our attention; I will refer to these as the wider and narrower discussion. Within the arena of this wider discussion, scholars have attempted to examine the relation (if any) between the atonement theories of Abelard and Bernard. The majority of scholars argue that Abelard proposed a moralistic/exemplary nature of redemption, while Bernard adopted the substitutionary model of Anselm mixed together with a resuscitation of the older ransom theory. The narrower discussion centers solely upon the atonement theory of Abelard; some scholars argue that he strictly advocated an exemplary atonement, while others deny

PRJ 1:2 (July 2009) p. 44

this.2 However, the popular consensus of this wider discussion as well as the disagreement within this narrower discussion fails to recognize the proper relation between the scholastic Abelard and the mystic Bernard and their conception of Christ’s atoning work. In contrast to the portrayal given in the majority of secondary scholarship, which depicts Bernard of Clairvaux and Peter Abelard as polar opposites, this article argues that Bernard and Abelard advocated a similar view of the atonement; both had a bi-perspectival view of the nature of redemption which incorporated propitiatory and exemplary elements.

Proposed Method

As the validity of this article hinges upon the premise that both Abelard and Bernard had a bi-perspectival view of the atonement, a proper assessment of each is warranted. Thus, this article will begin by examining Abelard’s doctrine of soteriology, first by focusing on his definition of sin found in his Ethics and then turning to his commentary on Romans. Next, I will examine Bernard’s view of the nature of redemption, concentrating primarily on his Sermons on the Song of Songs (Sermones super Cantica canticorum). F...

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