Liber Primus, Caput XI. In advocatos et procuratores, qui ex iniquitate quaestum faciunt, severe animadvertendum.
The Master's Scourge
Bernard calls the disciple to imitate Christ's zeal by driving out corrupt traders with authority and fear, just as the Lord cleansed the temple.
If you are a disciple of Christ, let your zeal forgive, and let your authority rise up against this impudence and widespread corruption. Look at the Master doing this, and listen to him speaking: 'Whoever serves me must follow me.'✦ He does not prepare his ears to listen, but rather the lash to strike. He does not utter any words, and he does not receive any. He does not sit in judgment, but instead pursues and punishes. Yet he does not hide the reason — namely, that they had turned a house of prayer into a house of business.✦✦ Then you do the same. Let such traders blush at your presence, if that is possible; if not, let them fear.
Fear the Scourge, Reclaim the Time
Bernard urges steady, zealous discipline against money-changers so that many are corrected and the leader recovers precious time for contemplation.
And you hold the scourge. Let the money-changers be afraid, and let them not trust in their coins but distrust them; let them hide their copper from you, knowing that you are readier to pour out than to receive.1 By doing this zealously and steadily, you will reclaim many pursuers of shameful profits for more honorable services: you will keep many from daring to attempt anything of this kind.2 Add also the point that it will be of no small benefit, and to the breaks that I am urging on you.3 In this way, then, you will recover no small amount of time for devoting yourself to consideration — some matters, as I said, by not hearing them yourself, and some by entrusting them to others: those which you think worthy of your attention, bringing them to a close with a faithful and suitable summary for the case itself.4 On this consideration I intend to add some things to these, but under the beginning of another book: and let this be the end of that one, so that a less pleasing speech should not burden you twice over, if it should be long.
Read the original Latin
Si Christi discipulus es, ignoscat zelus tuus, exsurgat auctoritas adversus impudentiam hanc et generalem pestem. Intuere Magistrum sic facientem, et audi dicentem: Qui mihi ministrat, me sequatur. Non parat aures ut audiat, sed flagellum quo feriat. Verba nec facit, nec recipit. Nec enim sedet judicans, sed insequitur puniens. Causam tamen non tacet, quod videlicet domum orationis, negotiationis fecissent. Ergo et tu fac similiter. Erubescant vultum tuum istiusmodi negotiatores, si fieri potest: si non, timeant.
Et tu flagellum tenes. Timeant nummularii, nec fidant in nummis, sed diffidant; abscondant aes suum a te, scientes effundere, quam accipere paratiorem. Hoc studiose et constanter agendo, multos lucrifacies, turpium sectatores lucrorum honestioribus officiis vindicando: multos, ne vel audeant hujusmodi attentare, servabis. Adjice illud, quod non parum proficiet et ad ferias quas tibi suadeo. Ita nempe non pauca tibi momenta temporum redimes ad vacandum considerationi, quaedam, ut dixi, negotia nec audiendo, quaedam aliis committendo: quae tua digna putaveris audientia, fideli quodam et accommodo ipsi causae compendio terminando. De qua consideratione his addere aliqua cogito, sed sub alterius sane principio libri: atque hic sit finis istius, ne duplo te oneret minus suavis oratio, si longa fuerit.
Scripture echoes
- ↩John.12.26 — If anyone serves me, let him follow me; and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
- ↩Isa.56.7;Matt.21.13 — For I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all peoples. Matt.21.13 — And he said to them, "It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers."
- ↩Matt.21.13 — And he said to them, "It is written, My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers."
Notes
- 1 ↩The jussive subjunctives (timeant, fidant, diffidant, abscondant) are rendered as imperatives directed at the corrupt advocates, carrying Bernard's indignant tone.
- 2 ↩lucrifacies is a rare form (lemma uncertain, possibly lucrifacio); rendered as 'you will reclaim' based on context of converting dishonest gain to honest service.
- 3 ↩ferias rendered as 'breaks' (periods of rest from legal business) rather than 'holidays' in the liturgical sense, given the context of judicial recess.
- 4 ↩considerationi rendered as 'to consideration' (the practice of contemplative reflection central to Bernard's treatise).
De consideratione (On Consideration) companion
Make consideration a daily appointment
Bernard told Eugene to set aside time every day. Chosen Portion holds that time for you, free.
Bernard's core prescription — a fixed daily time reserved for examining the soul — is exactly the habit Chosen Portion installs with its daily devotional portion.
- One 10-minute daily portion for self-examination and prayer
- Reflection prompts drawn from historic texts, not improvised journaling
- A visible streak that protects the daily interval Bernard insisted on