Chapter 7: Towards a New Ideal

1)  Who was St. Benedict? Did the Benedictines of the first millennia always adhere strictly to his rule?

2)  What happened at Cluny in the 11th century? What was the reason for this?

3)  Who was Stephen Harding?

4)  What is the motto of the Cistercians?

5)  What was the difference between Choir monks and lay brothers?

6)  What even of significance happened in the year 1113 at Citeaux?

7)  How did this effect the life of Bernard of Clairvaux?

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Chapter 8: The Mellifluous Doctor

1)  Where was Bernard from?

2)  How did Bernard view Mary (the mother of Jesus)?

3)  Which was the first Pope that Bernard helped to the Papacy?

4)  Why did Bernard favor Innocent II?

5)  What did the Pope declare in regard to Mary?

6)  What was Bernard like personally?

7)  What makes the Song of Songs special?

8)  What did Bernard have to say about the Cathars?

9)  What about Peter Abelard?

10)  The authors describe Bernard as working “within” Christianity,but not being “of” it. Think on this situation for a while. There are a number in our order who, while belonging to the Church of the Way, still also are considered part of a traditional, exoteric group. For instance, Lady Christine still sings in the choir of her Catholic Church. What are your thoughts on this? Is this hypocrisy or delusion (as Lady Christine sometimes thinks it is!)? Or is it possible to integrate different schools of thought (as Lady Christine is rather sure she has, though she still has her “moments”!)? There’s no right or wrong answer, just think about it and share some of the thoughts that occur to you.

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Lesson 9:  The Cistercian Monks

1)  What kind of land did the Cistercians seek out for their abbeys?

2)  What effect did this example have on the society of the time?

3)  Were there any other patterns to the settlements? What were they and what might they indicate?

4)  How would a new Cistercian abbey be founded?  Also use info in chapter 7 to help you answer.

5)  T/F:  Each Cistercian abbey was unique in construction and design.

6)  Was the plumbing found in their buildings common in that era?

7)  Were the Cistercians more, or less physically “industrious” than the Benedictines? How so?

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Lesson 10:  The Cistercian’s Day

1)  ______ ________ was itself considered the highest form of prayer.

2)  Write out a schedule of the average Cistercian day, including notes on how certain tasks and roles were fulfilled and performed.

3)  What type of self-government did the monks have?

4)  What sorts of “industries” were they involved in?

5)  What problem led to the creation of the lay brotherhood? What other benefits came to the order from its creation?

6)  What is vellum?

7)  About how many hours per week did a monk work?

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All Questions on this page by Lady Christine