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What happens when the church becomes too clever? What happens when faith is no longer something to be lived, but something to be analysed? That is the world we stepped into with Peter Abelard in our last episode.

But not everyone welcomed that change, because, amid that rising tide of intellectual confidence, another voice began to speak. His name was Bernard of Clairvaux. And these two worldviews would collide. The world of the philosopher…. and the world of the monk.

Their conflict would not just shape their own lives, but it would shape the direction of medieval theology itself. And this still matters because, at its core, this is not just a story about the twelfth century. It is a story about every generation of the church.

So, join me in today’s episode…. As we step into the life, the passion, and the fierce convictions of Bernard of Clairvaux.

The man who stood against the rising tide of intellectualism and called the church back to what, well, maybe to the heart of the Christian faith.

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This episode goes live on all podcast platforms on the 1st May 2026

What happens when the human mind refuses to stay quiet?

Today as we move further into the medieval world, that careful balance begins to shift. Because in the next generation, a new voice emerges. Brilliant, bold, and uncompromising.

A man who would not simply reflect on the faith but would challenge it….

His name was Peter Abelard.

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update

Send us Fan Mail

A History Podcast of the Christian Church told through the lives and thoughts of its greatest thinkers.

Anselm of Canterbury Part Two.

References and Sources for This Episode:

Below are reliable academic and historical sources supporting the material used in this episode on Anselm of Canterbury.

Primary Sources (Anselm’s Writings)

Cur Deus Homo

Proslogion

Monologion

Compilation: Anselm of Canterbury, The Major Works, Oxford World’s Classics.

Church History & Theology

Justo L. González — The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1

Bruce L. Shelley — Church History in Plain Language

Nick Needham — 2,000 Years of Christ’s Power, Vol. 2: The Middle Ages

Alister McGrath — Historical Theology

Tony Lane — A Concise History of Christian Thought. (My original Course Textbook from 1995)

Scholarly Works on Anselm

R. W. Southern — Saint Anselm: A Portrait in a Landscape

Brian Davies & G. R. Evans — Anselm of Canterbury: The Major Works

David F. Wells — God in the Wasteland (for evangelical discussion of atonement history)

For understanding Anselm’s satisfaction theory and later Protestant development:

John Stott — The Cross of Christ

Leon Morris — The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross

Gustav Aulén — Christus Victor (classic historical study of atonement theories)

Medieval Intellectual Context

Peter Abelard — Sic et Non

Bernard of Clairvaux — selected writings

Thomas Aquinas — Summa Theologiae.

Support the show

Follow and support me on Patreon.

Jeremy McCandless | Creating Podcasts and Bible Study Resources | Patreon

To receive my weekly newsletter and keep up to date with all five of my podcasts, subscribe at:

Jeremy McCandless | Substack

Check out my other Podcasts.

The Bible Project: https://thebibleproject.buzzsprout.com

History of the Christian Church: https://thehistoryofthechristianchurch.buzzsprout.com

The L.I.F.E. Podcast: (Philosophy and current trends in the Arts and Entertainment Podcast).

https://the-living-in-faith-everyday-podcast.buzzsprout.com

The Renewed Mind Podcast. My Psychology and Mental Health Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568891

The Classic Literature Podcast:

https://www.buzzsprout.com/2568906

To visit my Author page on Amazon and view my entire back catalogue of books on both Amazon and Kindle and now also on Audible, Visit:

Amazon.com: Jeremy R Mccandless: books, biography, latest update