Bernard of Clairvaux between Cult and History summarizes Bredero's lifelong study of Bernard, the Cistercian monk who was arguably the most influential ecclesiastical figure of the twelfth century and who remains one of the church's most venerated saints. This volume, which Bredero himself calls his "final report of a long investigation," does not pretend to offer yet another biography of Bernard.

Rather, it paves the way for future biographical scholarship by pointing out - and often suggesting resolutions to - the many problems that beset this field of inquiry.

Toward this end, Bredero deals care fully with three key areas in the field of Bernard studies. First, he examines the textual problems surrounding the earliest hagiography of Bernard, in particular the vita prima, and the relationship between the authors of this work and Bernard. Second, Bredero evaluates Bernard as he has been discussed in historiography and literature.

Third, he deals with the question of how Bernard ought to be viewed in his own historical context, his actions during his "earthly" life. For Bredero, the "chimera" nature of Bernard the man derives from a disjunction between "history" and "cult," between Bernard as historical actor and Bernard as object of cult. This volume will be invaluable to anyone interested in these parallel strains of fact and legend and particularly so to those who would attempt to reconcile them.