Two lengthy letters from the abbot of Clairvaux illuminate the transition in theological method in the mid twelfth-century. In his letter to the bishop of Sens on the responsibilities of his office, Bernard articulates his monastic conviction that authority in the Church must be accompanied by contemplative virtues, especially a deeply ingrained humility. Pastors who do not attend to their own spiritual health, he explains, are incapable of caring for others. 

In his letter on baptism, written to Hugh of Saint victor, Bernard seeks to refute what he considered the doctrinal error of an unnamed scholar and a theological method he deemed likely to mislead the faithful. as Emero Stiegman points out in his Introduction, Bernard considered all theological questions 'in the perspective of God's love'. 

These two letter-treatises (42 and 77) are not included in Bruno Scott James' English translation of The Letters of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. 

Translated by: Pauline Matarasso
Introduction by: Martha G. Newman, Emero Stiegman