Introduction... Draft

 https://archive.org/details/inhonourofdomjea0000unse

https://archive.org/details/memoirsfromgrace0000lecl

 "During the past few years "monastic" theology has become a subject for discussion.  Is there any reality behind this expresion?  Is there any form of intellectuality which is a theology on the one hand, and monastic and nothing but monastic on the other?"

This is how Jean Leclercq opens his introduction, and to consider this question he wants to focus on the 12th century, when monastic theology was at its height.  

 "It is true that all the twelfth century writings paved the way for those in the thirteenth century.  This they did in different ways, since they were themselves different in character.  Some were scholastic in character and entitled, on this account, to be called pre-scholastic.  Others were not at all scholastic; and it is these that will be treated here.  They exist and deserve to be taken into account in the doctrinal and literary history of the twelfth century."  

Though this seems to narrow down Leclercq's topic to a very tight focus, not just 12th century history but the theological and literary efforts of one branch of Christendom during that time almost a thousand years ago, it seems that his work has had wider implications than just a specific part of Catholic history.    As mentioned before, he was addressing young monks, in Rome, in the later 1950's, just a few years before the Vatican II Council was proposed by John XXIII.     His distinction between monastic and scholastic types of learning was helpful to ressourcement thinkers who were trying to restore the authentic traditions of both.

In order to clarify the distinction, he takes two writers of the time -- Peter Lombard, and St Bernard of Clairvaux.    They were friends, in fact.   I'll quote again:

"Let us note carefully that the monastic and the scholastic milieux are not in constant opposition; they form a contrast but are also interrelated and they owe much to each other.  In order to recall the truth of this statement we need only refer to ST Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux, and Peter Lombard, master of the Sentences; though very different from each other, they were friends.  Here we may well illustrated the differences between these two milieux of Christian culture, and to avoid lengthy generalizations, present two texts taken from the two theologians just mentioned. "

Though Lombard was best known for his Sentences,  a kind of anthology of texts from Scripture and Church Fathers on various items of doctrine, Leclercq picks the Prologue of his commentary on the Pauline epistles to contrast with Bernard's prologue to his sermon on the Canticle of Canticles.