Bernard's Belching Bride: The Affectus that Words cannot Express
In Sermon 67 of his set of sermons on the Song of Songs, Bernard of Clairvaux is rendered speechless by the verse Dilectus meus mihi et ego illi. There are no words with which to express the soul's delight in its union with the divine. There is resort only to the language of affectus - a sponta...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group
[2017]
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| In: |
Medieval mystical theology
Year: 2017, Volume: 26, Issue: 1, Pages: 54-72 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality HB Old Testament KAE Church history 900-1300; high Middle Ages KDB Roman Catholic Church |
| Further subjects: | B
Eating
B St. Bernard of Clairvaux B jubilus B affectus B belch B Song of Songs |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Resolving-System) |
| Summary: | In Sermon 67 of his set of sermons on the Song of Songs, Bernard of Clairvaux is rendered speechless by the verse Dilectus meus mihi et ego illi. There are no words with which to express the soul's delight in its union with the divine. There is resort only to the language of affectus - a spontaneous eruption of joy unconstrained by the rules of normal speech. In this instance, it is the belch that expresses the inexpressible love of the soul for God. This paper suggests several reasons why Bernard selected the belch: It is consistent with the references to eating, both metaphorical and literal, that recur throughout the commentaries. It is a phenomenon that makes palpable on a physical level the experience of the divine. Consideration is given to whether the belch is a form of jubilus. Bernard's focus on the belch, furthermore, suggests his ambivalence towards matters of the body. |
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| ISSN: | 2046-5734 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Medieval mystical theology
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/20465726.2017.1321201 |