Bernard of Clairvaux and Erich Fromm

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses two different theories of love, that of 12th century monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, and 20th century psychotherapist, Erich Fromm. The paper presents Bernard's philosophy of the 'Four Stages of Love' that, according to him, state that Man will always love himself for his own sake, that man generally loves God in order to gain an advantage for himself, that man loves God for God's sake, and finally, that man loves himself for the sake of God. This is compared to Fromm's book, "The Art of Loving," and his extensive and different ideas on love.

From the Paper:

"Bernard of Clairvaux was one of the most revered monks of his time. Born in the medieval ages, in 1090, he lived up to the year 1153. He is even today considered to be the most honored medieval monk, by both Protestants as well as Catholics. When an official from Rome questioned the monk, the answer to the question was the 'Four Stages of Love' that, according to him, are the following: man will always love himself for his own sake, that man generally loves God in order to gain an advantage for himself, that man loves God for God's sake, and finally, that man loves himself for the sake of God. (Factoids from Church History: The Stages of Love) "

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