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Introduction
Standing approximately a century apart, Bonaventure of Bagnoregio and Bernard of Clairvaux have been described as two of the greatest mystical teachers of the medieval West. Bernard's doctrine of devotion to the humanity of Christ had widespread influence in the Middle Ages, and a number of his texts were read, especially at the University of Paris where Bonaventure was a student and later a Master of theology. According to Fr. John Eudes Bamberger, the Franciscans were sympathetic to Bernard's teaching. "St. Bonaventure," he claims, "can be considered a disciple who continued the work of Bernard and embodies much of his spirit."1 Jacques Bougerol, in his comprehensive study of Bonaventure and Bernard, also sees a correlation between the two medieval doctors. He cites a number of Bonaventure's texts that were influenced by Bernard's writings.2 Yet exactly how closely related are Bonaventure and Bernard, one a Franciscan immersed in the world of preaching and teaching, the other a Cistercian committed to the silence of the cloister although often found traveling around Europe?
The purpose of this study is to examine the role of the humanity of Christ in mystical union by first examining the anthropology of the two doctors. A study of the nature of the fall and the notion of image sheds light on the role that Christ plays in attaining union with God. My thesis is that both the nature of the fall and the image to which the human person is restored reflect the role of Christ in union with God. Based on the notion of fall and image, the seemingly close affinity of Bonaventure and Bernard may be superficial. Mystical union as the perfection of the image of the human person is not the same for the two doctors. Whereas Bonaventure posits a union with the Crucified Christ, emphasizing the earthly, suffering Christ, Bernard posits a union with the Word of God, the ascended Christ. Bonaventure places a positive emphasis on the body as the expression of mystical union while Bernard sees union as an interior ordering of the soul in love. Bonaventure's emphasis on the body corresponds to the idea that we are to be restored in the image of the Son in body and spirit, since Christ, the Word...