William of St Thierry Exposition on the Epistle to the Romans
William of Saint Thierry’ biography”
William of St. Thierry (1070-1148) became a cistercian monk as a result of his infirmity, and decided to retire from his position as a Benedictine Abbot.(1135) His Exposition on Romans is the only surviving commentary on Romans from the 12th Century and is described as a monastic text. “William’s aim is not refutation, dialectic, or scholastic disputation, but joy and delight: His goal is humility of heart and devotional purity. Williams motivation is the centrality of grace in the spiritual life. To sing the praises of grace is the single theme that dominates William’s writing and research. There are negative aspect to his work, an intolerance toward non‘ Augustinian theological inquiry. His crowning achievement is his ability to synthesize two systems of thought,i.e.grace and free will, which are the systems of Augustine and Origen. William’s curiosity is the driving force perhaps toward linking St. Augustine with Origen in the exegesis of romans.” {2}
William had a close and intimate relationship with St. Bernard which lasted for life and as a result of their conversations, William was the first to deal with the errors of Abelard and to urge St. Bernard to bring charges against him.
The Ascetical Life, Free Will and Grace Themes
William of St. Thierry in his exposition introduces us to the author, Paul,as “a stout hearted champion of God’s glory throughout this whole epistle, who defended it with apostolic authority and prudence against the jews; The holy fathers defended it against heretics, to acquire a disposition of total humility and to achieve purity of devotion. He states, “ There is no piety without thanksgiving and no thanksgiving without an acknowledgement of grace. Blessed are the poor in spirit to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs and whose spirit is believed to be totally with God.” {3} The eternal pleasures of God are found to be of essence as He takes up residence in our soul. We
William of St. Thierry (1070-1148) became a cistercian monk as a result of his infirmity, and decided to retire from his position as a Benedictine Abbot.(1135) His Exposition on Romans is the only surviving commentary on Romans from the 12th Century and is described as a monastic text. “William’s aim is not refutation, dialectic, or scholastic disputation, but joy and delight: His goal is humility of heart and devotional purity. Williams motivation is the centrality of grace in the spiritual life. To sing the praises of grace is the single theme that dominates William’s writing and research. There are negative aspect to his work, an intolerance toward non‘ Augustinian theological inquiry. His crowning achievement is his ability to synthesize two systems of thought,i.e.grace and free will, which are the systems of Augustine and Origen. William’s curiosity is the driving force perhaps toward linking St. Augustine with Origen in the exegesis of romans.” {2}
William had a close and intimate relationship with St. Bernard which lasted for life and as a result of their conversations, William was the first to deal with the errors of Abelard and to urge St. Bernard to bring charges against him.
The Ascetical Life, Free Will and Grace Themes
William of St. Thierry in his exposition introduces us to the author, Paul,as “a stout hearted champion of God’s glory throughout this whole epistle, who defended it with apostolic authority and prudence against the jews; The holy fathers defended it against heretics, to acquire a disposition of total humility and to achieve purity of devotion. He states, “ There is no piety without thanksgiving and no thanksgiving without an acknowledgement of grace. Blessed are the poor in spirit to whom the kingdom of heaven belongs and whose spirit is believed to be totally with God.” {3} The eternal pleasures of God are found to be of essence as He takes up residence in our soul. We