A Paraphrase of “In Praise of the New Knighthood”

By Chris Dalrymple, KT, OPC, KC

Somewhere between 1120 and 1136 Bernard of Clairveaux, a major leader in the reformation of the Benedictine Order through the Cistercian Order, wrote the work In Praise of a New Knighthood where he praised the rise of the newly established order of Knights Templar.  

The Assasins, the "original" Muslim militant extremists, arose around 1090.  The Order of the Holy Sepulchre a "religious Order" who took knights into its regular Order, and the Knights Hospitaller, whose Order developed into a military chivalry without loosing its charitable purposes, were established in around 1099.  The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ of the Temple of Solomon, now commonly known as the Templars were founded by knights who sought to become a religious Order.  

The samurai of Japan didn't begin to arise until around 1185. So, while the Assasins arose as a terror group, and the early religious orders of knighthood first took fighting knights into their already established religious order for their defense, it was the Templars that became a group of fighting knights who sought to become a religious Order.  They were indeed a new knighthood.

Here is a short excerpt from my paraphrase of Bernard's letter.

To: Hugh De Paynes

From:  Bernard of Clairvaux

Hey, Hugh,

You have asked me to write a good word in favor of your new organization.  Because I take such a request seriously, I have hesitated and deeply sought to create a worthy response.  If my work should fall short of its goal I will, at least, know that I gave you the best work I could muster. ...

The knight who pursues the glory of the world creates a huge error.  These knights treat warfare as if it were some child’s game.  They fight with pomp, and labor for no purpose other than death and error.  They decorate death with silk, and plumes, paint and costly metals and jewels.  They are like the woman who paints herself to attract the attention of another.  Worldly knights are more about gaining the attention of others than they are in accomplishing  the heavenly objectives.  They blind themselves with long and elaborate hair, trip themselves up with overly long and full tunics, and cumbersome sleeves.  They seek conflict to exhibit their gaudy glory.  Any flash of anger, any thirst for self glory, any lust or greed for earthly possessions is reason enough for the worldly knights to wage wars and transact combat amongst themselves. 

Unlike worldly knights, these new knights ARE focused on the necessities of a true warrior, one who especially needs only three things:

• To guard the person with strength, shrewdness and care,
• To be free in the ability to move,
• To be practiced, ready, and able to employ weapons in the cause for which they were consecrated. ...

As a model we will briefly set forth the life and virtues of these new knights of Christ.  See how they conduct themselves at home as well as in battle, how they appear in public, and in what way the knight of God differs from the knight of the world.

In the first place, discipline is in no way lacking and obedience is never despised.  ... They shun every excess in clothing and food and content themselves with what is necessary.  They live as brothers in joyful and sober company.  They dwell united in one family, careful to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

They never sit about in idleness or wander about aimlessly.  When, on the rare occasions they are not on duty, they are always careful to repair their worn armor and torn clothing, or simply by setting things to order.  Otherwise they are guided by the orders of their superior officers and the common needs of their brothers.

There is no distinction of persons among them and deference is shown to merit rather than to bloodline.  They rival one another in mutual consideration, and they carry one another's burdens.  No harmful or  inappropriate word, idle deed, unrestrained laugh, not even the slightest whisper or murmur is left uncorrected once it has been detected.  They take no delight in vanities and unsound deceptions, they do not seek pleasure merely to divert them from their duties.  They are sober and serious in their duties.

When they are active in battling the world, they arm themselves interiorly with faith, and exteriorly with steel.  They do not seek to decorate themselves with gold.  They choose horses that are strong and swift rather than those that are showy.  They set their minds on fighting to win rather than on parading for show.  They think not of glory.  They seek to be formidable rather than flamboyant.  At the same time, they are not quarrelsome, rash, or unduly hasty, but soberly, prudently and providently draw up into orderly ranks,.  The true Israelite is a man of peace, even when he goes forth into battle.   Once he finds himself in the thick of battle, this knight sets aside his previous gentleness and falls upon those who would oppose justice as  one would go forth into so many sheep.  No matter how outnumbered they are, they never regard those who oppose justice as awe-inspiring. Nor do they presume upon their own strength, but they trust God to direct them to the victory that God desires.

Thus, in a wonderous and unique manner they appear gentler than lambs, yet fiercer than lions.  I do not know if it is more appropriate to refer to them as monks or as soldiers, unless it would be better to recognize them as being both.  They lack neither monastic meekness nor military might.  These are the valiant knights of Israel.

... One is able to delight there in splendid merits rather than in shining marble, and to be captivated by pure hearts rather than by gilded paneling. These knights clearly show that they are animated by the same zeal for the house of God  which their leader himself had when he armed himself with a whip and ejected the merchants, scattered the coins of the money changers, and overturned the chairs of the pigeon vendors, considering it most unfitting to defile this house of prayer, this abode for petitioning the God of Israel, with such worldly traffic.  

The events in Israel have shaken the world. People from afar give ear to the news.  In the time of the Templars they swarmed forth from the East and West rushing to the city of God to reinforce the few that were standing firm.  The new knights occupy themselves day and night in both pious exercises and practical work.  ...

Bernard’s letter continues for a number of more chapters of a general report of the conditions in the Holy Land rather than being specific to the Templars.  I think it safe to say that Bernard was holding spiritual warriors in higher esteem than warring religionists.  

The first, according to Wikipedia refers to a term used in Tibetan Buddhism for one who combats the universal enemy:  self ignorance.  This is the ultimate source of suffering according to Buddhist philosophy.  While other paths focus on individual salvation, the spiritual warrior is concerned with compassionately helping others with wisdom being an “illuminated heart and valiant one,” an “enlightenment hero,” “one who aspires for enlightenment,” or “heroic being.”  

The warring religionist is one who seeks glory and victory for his particular religion over others through the use of violence and terror, seeking to bend the thinking and will of others to their own will.

I like to think that Bernard had the concept of spiritual warrior in mind when he praised the new knighthood.  While it is certain that many knights were more of the warring religionists ilk, there were, and are, many who fit in the spiritual warrior ilk, as did the original Knights Templar.