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Sermons on the Song of Songs

san Bernardo di Chiaravalle († 1153) · Sermones in Cantica canticorum · 1135-1153

Traduzione inglese di Samuel J. Eales (active by 1879; M.A., Principal of S. Boniface College, Warminster, in 1882), Life and Works of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, edited by Dom John Mabillon, vol. IV: Cantica Canticorum, Eighty-six Sermons on the Song of Solomon, London: John Hodges, 1896. Testo originale: Migne, Patrologia Latina 183, 785-1198.

One division per sermon. Footnotes and Mabillon's notes omitted. The Latin of Sermon XIX is missing in the Latin source (its text is merged into Sermon XVIII there), so Sermon XIX is English only and the Latin of XVIII also contains XIX.

  1. 1 Sermon I
  2. 2 Sermon II. Of the Incarnation of Christ, which was announced by the patriarchs and prophets, and ardently expected by them
  3. 3 Sermon III. What it is to kiss the feet, the hand, and the lips of the Lord
  4. 4 Sermon IV
  5. 5 Sermon V. Of the four orders of spirits—namely, the Spirit of God, of the angels, of man, and of the beast
  6. 6 Sermon VI. Of the supreme and infinite Spirit, who is God ; and of the sense in which mercy and judgment are called the feet of God
  7. 7 Sermon VII. Of the ardent love of the soul for God ; and of the care and attention that ought to be given to prayer and to psalmody
  8. 8 Sermon VIII
  9. 9 Sermon IX
  10. 10 Sermon X. Of the three spiritual perfumes—namely, penitence, devotion, and piety
  11. 11 Sermon XI. Of two principal facts in the redemption of the human race; the manner in which it is accomplished, and the benefits which we derive from it
  12. 12 Sermon XII. Of the perfume of piety, which is the most excellent of all ; and of the respect which those under authority ought to have for those set over them
  13. 13 Sermon XIII
  14. 14 Sermon XIV. Of the Church of faithful Christians, and of the synagogue of perfidious Jews
  15. 15 Sermon XV
  16. 16 Sermon XVI. Of contrition of heart, and of the three kinds of true confession
  17. 17 Sermon XVII. That it is needful to observe with care the approach and the departure of the Holy Spirit; and of the envy of the devil towards the human race
  18. 18 Sermon XVIII. Of the two operations of the Holy Spirit, of which the one is called effusion, and the other infusion
  19. 19 Sermon XIX. Of the nature, manner, and properties of the angelical love towards God, according to the several orders of angels
  20. 20 Sermon XX
  21. 21 Sermon XXI. In what manner the Bride, that is, the Church, asks that she may be drawn to follow after her spouse, who is Christ
  22. 22 Sermon XXII. Of the four perfumes of the Bridegroom, and of the four Cardinal virtues
  23. 23 Sermon XXIII. Of three ways of contemplating God, represented under the figure of three storerooms
  24. 24 Sermon XXIV. I principally against the detestable vice of detraction : and in what rectitude in a man chiefly consists
  25. 25 Sermon XXV. That the Bride, namely, the Church, is black, yet comely
  26. 26 Sermon XXVI. St. Bernard laments the death of his brother Gerard
  27. 27 Sermon XXVII. Of the adornment of the Bride: and in what sense the Holy soul is called heaven
  28. 28 Sermon XXVIII. Of the blackness, yet beauty, of the Bride: and in what manner hearing, rather than sight, avails in matters of faith, and to the knowledge of the truth
  29. 29 Sermon XXIX. Of the complaint of the Church against her persecutors; that is to say, against those who sow division amongst brethren
  30. 30 Sermon XXX
  31. 31 Sermon XXXI. The excellency of the vision of God. How at the present time the delight in the divine presence felt by Holy men varies according to the varying desires of their soul
  32. 32 Sermon XXXII. Christ communicates himself to the Holy soul as Bridegroom, and to the soul that is weak and imperfect as physician. Of the moods of the soul—how they differ from each other, and from what causes
  33. 33 Sermon XXXIII
  34. 34 Sermon XXXIV. Of humility and of patience
  35. 35 Sermon XXXV. Of the sharp reproof which the Bridegroom gives to the Bride, and of two kinds of ignorance which are especially to be feared and avoided
  36. 36 Sermon XXXVI. The knowledge of literature is good for our instruction, but the knowledge of our own infirmity is more useful to salvation
  37. 37 Sermon XXXVII. Of the two kinds of knowledge and the two kinds of ignor- ance : the evils or injuries caused by these
  38. 38 Sermon XXXVIII. How from ignorance of God comes despair: and how the Bride is called the fairest among women
  39. 39 Sermon XXXIX. Of the chariots of Pharaoh, that is, the devil ; and of the chiefs of his army, who are malice, Sensuality, and avarice
  40. 40 Sermon XL. What is meant by the face of the soul ; what constitutes its beauty or its deformity, its solitude and its modesty
  41. 41 Sermon XLI
  42. 42 Sermon XLII. Of two kinds of humility : the one born of truth, the other warmed by charity
  43. 43 Sermon XLIII. How meditation on the sufferings and the passion of Jesus Christ enables the Bride, that is, the faithful soul, to pass uninjured alike through the prosperity and the adversity of this world
  44. 44 Sermon XLIV. Correction ought to be adapted to the character of offenders, so that those of humble and complying dis- position should be gently dealt with, but the stubborn and obstinate severely chastened to oblige them to reform
  45. 45 Sermon XLV. Of the twofold beauty of the soul: how the soul speaks to God the Word, and the Word to the soul, and what language they employ
  46. 46 Sermon XLVI
  47. 47 Sermon XLVII. Of the threefold flower [of holiness], namely, of virginity, of martyrdom, and of good works ; and of the devotion with which we should participate in divine service
  48. 48 Sermon XLVIII. Of the praises which the Bride and the Bridegroom address reciprocally to each other ; and how by the shadow of Christ is to be understood his flesh and faith in him
  49. 49 Sermon XLIX
  50. 50 Sermon L
  51. 51 Sermon LI. How the Bride makes petition that the fruits of good works and the perfumes of faith may be made to abound with her as flowers, and also concerning hope and fear
  52. 52 Sermon LII. Of that ecstasy which is called contemplation, in which the Bridegroom causes the Holy soul to attain peace and rest, being earnestly desirous of its blessedness
  53. 53 Sermon LIII. By 'mountains' and c hills' are signified the heavenly spirits, over whom and through whom the Bridegroom passes in his coming to earth, that is to say, in the mystery of his Incarnation
  54. 54 Sermon LIV
  55. 55 Sermon LV
  56. 56 Sermon LVI
  57. 57 Sermon LVII. That the Visitations of the Lord are to be carefully and reverently observed, and by what signs and tokens they may be known
  58. 58 Sermon LVIII. How the Bridegroom bids the Bride, that is to say, those men who are perfected, to undertake the rule and training of souls less perfect. Also of the cutting down of vices in them that virtues may grow and increase
  59. 59 Sermon LIX. Of the groans of the soul,. Which sighs for its heavenly fatherland; and of the commendation of chastity and widowhood
  60. 60 Sermon LX
  61. 61 Sermon LXI. How the Church finds the riches of divine mercy in the hollows of Christ's open wounds : and of the fortitude of the martyrs, which they have received of Christ
  62. 62 Sermon LXII. What is meant by the abiding of the faithful soul in the clefts of the rock, and what in the secret places of the stairs. That it is needful rather to search what is the will of God than to search into his majesty, and that purity of intention is necessary to the preaching of the truth
  63. 63 Sermon LXIII. That a man who is pious and wise ought to cultivate care- fully his vineyard, that is to say, his life, his soul, and his conscience ; that there are two kinds of foxes, namely, flatterers and detractors ; and of the temp- tations of monks in their novitiate
  64. 64 Sermon LXIV. Of the temptations of more mature monks) by what foxes they are infested, that is, by what temptations they are most tried. Also of the taking of heretics, who are the foxes of the Church
  65. 65 Sermon LXV. Of secret heretics, whose perverse doctrines and studied care to hide their mysteries St. Bernard severely censures ; also of their scandalous behaviour
  66. 66 Sermon LXVI. Concerning the errors of heretics with respect to marriage, to the baptism of infants, to purgatory, to prayers for the dead, and to the invocation of the saints
  67. 67 Sermon LXVII
  68. 68 Sermon LXVIII. How Christ the Bridegroom inclines unto and gives attention to his Bride, which is the Church ; and how she likewise inclines unto him. Of the care which God has for his elect. Also of the merit and the confidence of the Church
  69. 69 Sermon LXIX. All that lifts itself up against the knowledge and service of God is to be abased. In what way the father and the Word come into a soul that loves, and take vf their abode in it ; and of the close relation that I> thus entered into between God and the soul
  70. 70 Sermon LXX. Why the Bridegroom is called beloved; and of the truth, the gentleness, the righteousness, and the other virtues, which are called lilies, and among which he is said to feed
  71. 71 Sermon LXXI. Of spiritual lilies, that is, good works, of which the fragrance is a right intention, and the colour a good reputation; and how the Bridegroom both nourishes these, and is nourished by them. Also of the unity of God the father with the son, and of the Holy soul with God
  72. 72 Sermon LXXII
  73. 73 Sermon LXXIII. How Christ shall come to judge in human form, that he may appear delightful to the elect j and how he is less than the angels, yet loftier than they
  74. 74 Sermon LXXIV. Of the Visitations of the Bridegroom, the Word, to the Holy soul, and the secrecy with which they are made. St. Bernard states his own experience of this, with great humility and modesty, for the edification of his hearers
  75. 75 Sermon LXXV
  76. 76 Sermon LXXVI. Of the glory of the Bridegroom, in which he sits at the right hand of his father, and is coequal with him. How careful, watchful, and discreet good pastors ought to be in feeding the souls given into their charge
  77. 77 Sermon LXXVII
  78. 78 Sermon LXXVIII. That the Bride, that is to say, the Church of the elect, was predestinated by God before all ages, and pre- vented by his grace that she should seek him and be converted
  79. 79 Sermon LXXIX
  80. 80 Sermon LXXX. An acute and profound argument respecting the image or Word of God, and the soul, which is created in that image : and concerning the error of Gilbert, bishop of Poictiers.1
  81. 81 Sermon LXXXI. Of the similarity and likeness of the soul to the Word, in respect of its identity of essence, its immortality of existence, and its freedom of will
  82. 82 Sermon LXXXII. How the soul, while still remaining like unto God, loses by sin a portion of its likeness to him in its simplicity, immortality, and liberty
  83. 83 Sermon LXXXIII. Of the manner in which the soul, however corrupted it may be with evil habits, is still able, by a chaste and Holy love, to recover its resemblance to the Bride- groom, that is, Christ
  84. 84 Sermon LXXXIV. That the soul, seeking gop, is anticipated by him ; and in what consists that search for God in which it is thus anticipated
  85. 85 Sermon LXXXV. Of the seven needs of the soul, on account of which it seeks the Word. When the soul is once reformed, it draws near to contemplate Christ, and to enjoy the sweetness of his presence
  86. 86 Sermon LXXXVI. Of the caution and modesty becoming to the soul in seeking the Word, and of the praise of modesty

Samuel J. Eales (active by 1879; M.A., Principal of S. Boniface College, Warminster, in 1882), Life and Works of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, edited by Dom John Mabillon, vol. IV: Cantica Canticorum, Eighty-six Sermons on the Song of Solomon, London: John Hodges, 1896. Fonte del testo digitale: OCR of the Internet Archive scan LifeAndWorksOfSaintBernardV4, word-repaired against LifeWorksOfSBernardClairvauxV4. Testo originale: Corpus Corporum (University of Zurich) TEI of the Patrologia Latina, via the CatholicCorpus mirror. Public domain in the US and Canada: published 1889-1896; translator active by 1879, an M.A. and principal in 1882; necessarily died before 1972. Latin: Migne, Patrologia Latina 182-183 (1854), public domain.

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