Aelred z Rievaulx – teolog monastyczny

Abstract

Aelred of Rievaulx, the monk who lived and worked in the prime time of Cistercian reform, along with the great Bernard of Clairvaux and William of St. Thierry, represents the stream of theology called today “monastic theology” This theology, far from lecture halls with their systematic classes, was cultivated in the shelter of the medieval cloisters by and for the monks in terms of formation. Those who proclaimed this kind of theology were, as a rule, the abbots, whose learning and skills often came from education organized by the Church (the so called: ecclesiastical or cathedral schools) and aided by their own exceptional talent and selfdiscipline. It sometimes happened that erudite scholars converted to the monastic life after their acquisition of knowledge. Aelred belongs to the first group of theologians. As a Cistercian abbot of the twelfth-century Rievaulx monastery, Aelred had the right and obligation to teach ex officio through the means accessible at that time: sermons, formation’ meetings, the so called capitula, treatises about spiritual matters and instructions about the monastic discipline related to the monks and nuns. As a result we have abundant literature which gathers his whole theological achievement, although it does not go beyond the framework of monastic issues. To the three fundamental themes of these issues: soul, love, and monastic discipline, Aelred adds his original teaching about friendship. The whole of the present consideration is divided into three parts: the first discusses the matter of education and the theological competence of Aelred; the second speaks about the manner of his teaching, and, finally, the third treats about the content of this teaching.