De laude novae militiae
A New Knighthood Risen in the East
Bernard announces a new kind of knighthood born in the Holy Land, where Christ once drove out the powers of darkness and now raises up warriors to redeem his people.
A new kind of knighthood, lately risen, is heard of in the lands, and in that region which the Rising One from on high once visited in the flesh: so that from where he then drove out the princes of darkness by the strength of his hand, from there even now he may destroy their attendants, the sons of unbelief, scattered by the hand of his own valiant ones, bringing even now the redemption of his people, and again raising up the horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant.
The Twin Struggle of the New Warrior
Bernard describes a new kind of warfare untried by the ages, in which the knight fights both flesh and blood and spiritual wickedness, clothed in faith and secure in Christ, for whom to live is Christ and to die is gain.
A new kind of warfare, I say, and one untried by the ages: through which a twin struggle is waged with equal and tireless effort—now against flesh and blood, now against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.✦ And indeed, where brave resistance is made to a bodily enemy by the strength of the body alone, I consider this neither more wonderful nor more rare. But when war is declared against vices or demons by the virtue of the soul, I would not call this wonderful, even if I should call it praiseworthy, since the world is seen to be full of monks. But when each person is powerfully girded with his own sword, and nobly distinguished by his own belt, who would not judge this most worthy of all admiration, because it is so clearly unusual? Truly a fearless soldier, and secure on every side, who is clothed with the breastplate of faith for the soul just as the body is clothed with iron.✦✦ Fortified, to be sure, with both kinds of arms, he fears neither demon nor human being. Nor indeed does he fear death, who desires to die. For what should he fear, whether living or dying, for whom to live is Christ, and to die is gain?✦
Forward in Every Danger
Bernard exhorts the soldiers to advance fearlessly, sustained by the assurance that nothing can separate them from Christ's love, and to embrace both victory and martyrdom as gifts of the Lord.
He stands confidently and gladly for Christ, but he longs even more to be set free and to be with Christ, for that is better.✦ Go forward confidently, then, soldiers, and with fearless hearts drive back the enemies of the cross of Christ, certain that neither death nor life will be able to separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus; and keep repeating this to yourselves in every danger: 'Whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's' (Rom.✦ 14:8). How glorious the victors who return from battle! How blessed the martyrs who die in battle! Rejoice, strong athlete, if you live and conquer in the Lord; but exult and glory even more if you die and are joined to the Lord. A fruitful life and a glorious victory are indeed great things, but a sacred death is rightly preferred to both. For if those who die in the Lord are blessed, are not those who die for the Lord blessed far more?✦
The Secure Life of Holy Service
Bernard contrasts the precious, fearless death of Christ's soldier with the perilous double danger of worldly warfare, insisting that the cause and intention of the heart, not the outward outcome, determine true victory or defeat.
And surely, whether someone dies in bed or in battle, their death will without question be precious in the sight of the Lord — the death of his saints. Yet in battle it is certainly that much more precious, and correspondingly more glorious. What a secure life, where conscience is pure! What a secure life — I say it again — where death is awaited without fear, and even longed for with sweetness, and welcomed with devotion! How truly holy and safe is this military service — and completely free from that twofold danger to which the human race is so often exposed, whenever Christ is not the cause of fighting. How often, when you engage in combat — you who serve in worldly warfare — you must be absolutely terrified that you might not even kill your enemy in the body without losing yourself in your soul, or that they might kill you, in body and in soul together. For it is by the affection of the heart, and not by the outcome of battle, that the peril or the victory of a Christian is weighed. If the cause of the one fighting is good, the outcome of the fight cannot be evil; just as neither will the end be judged good where the cause was not good and the intention was not right.
The Peril of the Murderer's Victory
Bernard warns that in worldly combat killing another makes one a murderer whether one wins or loses, for the soul that sins dies, and no outward victory can excuse the death of the soul.
If it happens that you're killed rather than killing another, you'll die a murderer. But if you prevail, and in your eagerness to overcome or to avenge you happen to kill a man, you live on as a murderer. But it doesn't help — whether you're dead or alive, whether you've won or lost — to be a murderer. A miserable victory, in which by conquering a man you fall to vice. And when anger or pride rules you, you boast in vain over a man you've beaten. But there's the one who kills a man with no zeal for vengeance and no pride in conquest, but only as a way of escaping. But I wouldn't even call this a good victory: since of two evils, dying in body is a lighter thing than dying in soul. Not that the soul dies because the body is killed: but the soul that sins — that soul will die.✦
Read the original Latin
Novum militiae genus ortum nuper auditur in terris, et in illa regione, quam olim in carne praesens visitavit Oriens ex alto: ut unde tunc in fortitudine manus suae tenebrarum principes exturbavit, inde et modo ipsorum satellites, filios diffidentiae, in manu fortium suorum dissipatos exterminet, faciens etiam nunc redemptionem plebis suae, et rursum erigens cornu salutis nobis in domo David pueri sui.
Novum, inquam, militiae genus, et saeculis inexpertum: qua gemino pariter conflictu infatigabiliter decertatur, tum adversus carnem et sanguinem, tum contra spiritualia nequitiae in coelestibus. Et quidem ubi solis viribus corporis corporeo fortiter hosti resistitur, id quidem ego tam non judico mirum, quam nec rarum existimo. Sed et quando animi virtute vitiis sive daemoniis bellum indicitur, ne hoc quidem mirabile, etsi laudabile dixerim, cum plenus monachis cernatur mundus. Caeterum cum uterque homo suo quisque gladio potenter accingitur, suo cingulo nobiliter insignitur; quis hoc non aestimet omni admiratione dignissimum, quod adeo liquet esse insolitum? Impavidus profecto miles, et omni ex parte securus, qui ut corpus ferri, sic animum fidei lorica induitur. Utrisque nimirum munitus armis, nec daemonem timet, nec hominem. Nec vero mortem formidat, qui mori desiderat. Quid enim vel vivens, vel moriens metuat, cui vivere Christus est, et mori lucrum?
Stat quidem fidenter libenterque pro Christo; sed magis cupit dissolvi, et esse cum Christo: hoc enim melius. Securi igitur procedite, milites, et intrepido animo inimicos crucis Christi propellite, certi quia neque mors, neque vita poterunt vos separare a charitate Dei, quae est in Christo Jesu; illud sane vobiscum in omni periculo replicantes: Sive vivimus, sive morimur, Domini sumus (Rom. XIV, 8). Quam gloriosi revertuntur victores de praelio! quam beati moriuntur martyres in praelio! Gaude, fortis athleta, si vivis et vincis in Domino: sed magis exsulta et gloriare, si moreris et jungeris Domino. Vita quidem fructuosa, et victoria gloriosa: sed utrique mors sacra jure praeponitur. Nam si beati qui in Domino moriuntur, num multo magis qui pro Domino moriuntur?
Et quidem sive in lecto, sive in bello quis moritur, pretiosa erit sine dubio in conspectu Domini mors sanctorum ejus. Caeterum in bello tanto profecto pretiosior, quanto et gloriosior. O vita secura, ubi pura conscientia! O, inquam, vita secura, ubi absque formidine 545 mors exspectatur, imo et exoptatur cum dulcedine, et excipitur cum devotione! O vere sancta et tuta militia, atque a duplici illo periculo prorsus libera, quo id hominum genus solet, frequenter periclitari, ubi duntaxat Christus non est causa militandi. Quoties namque congrederis tu, qui militiam militas saecularem, timendum omnino, ne aut occidas hostem quidem in corpore, te vero in anima: aut forte tu occidaris ab illo, et in corpore simul, et in anima. Ex cordis nempe affectu, non belli eventu, pensatur vel periculum, vel victoria christiani. Si bona fuerit causa pugnantis, pugnae exitus malus exitus esse non poterit; sicut nec bonus judicabitur finis, ubi causa non bona, et intentio non recta praecesserit.
Si in voluntate alterum occidendi te potius occidi contigerit, moreris homicida. Quod si praevales, et voluntate superandi vel vindicandi forte occidis hominem, vivis homicida. Non autem expedit sive mortuo, sive vivo; sive victori, sive victo, esse homicidam. Infelix victoria, qua superans hominem, succumbis vitio. Et ira tibi aut superbia dominante, frustra gloriaris de homine superato. Est tamen qui nec ulciscendi zelo, nec vincendi typho, sed tantum evadendi remedio interficit hominem. Sed ne hanc quidem bonam dixerim victoriam: cum de duobus malis, in corpore quam in anima mori levius sit. Non autem quia corpus occiditur, etiam anima moritur: sed anima, quae peccaverit, ipsa morietur.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Eph.6.12 — For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
- ↩Eph.6.14-Eph.6.16 — Stand firm, then, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist and having put on the breastplate of righteousness. Eph.6.15 — and having shod your feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace Eph.6.16 — In all circumstances, take up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
- ↩1Thess.5.8 — But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and the helmet of the hope of salvation.
- ↩Phil.1.21 — For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
- ↩Phil.1.23 — But I am hard-pressed between the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for it is far better;
- ↩Rom.8.38-Rom.8.39 — For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor rulers, neither the present nor the future, nor powers Rom.8.39 — nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord
- ↩Rev.14.13 — And I heard a voice from heaven saying, 'Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.' 'Yes,' says the Spirit, 'so that they may rest from their labors, for their works follow with them.'
- ↩Ezek.18.4 — Behold, all souls are mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is mine. The soul that sins shall die.
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