The Parables & the Sentences (Cistercian Fathers Series)
Worth buying if: You read slowly and value devotional insight.
Skip it if: You prefer fast-paced narrative or fiction.
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780879071554. The Amazon link uses this ISBN, so the product page should open to the edition shown here.
If this page helped you decide, purchasing through the Amazon button above supports UPB Books at no extra cost to you and helps us continue improving the site. Thanks for visiting today.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some outbound links are paid links, at no additional cost to you.
Summary
This volume gathers Bernard's parables and brief moral sentences with Maureen M. O'Brien's scholarly notes and translation, offering clear access to a medieval mystic's practical spiritual teaching.
Why this book now
Readers seeking contemplative tradition and historical theology will find renewed relevance in Bernard's concise, practice-focused guidance.
30-second preview
Two quick cards, fifteen seconds each.
Card 1 of 2
Best for readers who...
Good fit if you want...
- You read slowly and value devotional insight.
- You study medieval spirituality or monastic theology.
- If you enjoy condensed, powerful scenes, the plot offers no tidy answers, leaving your sympathies to shift as characters make difficult decisions.
- You prefer fast-paced narrative or fiction.
- You want a popularized, nontechnical introduction.
- If you dislike shifting perspectives, the prose indulges in poetic detours that slow narrative progress.
Decided it fits?
Exact edition: Edition shown · ISBN-13 9780879071554
Worth buying if: You read slowly and value devotional insight.
Skip it if: You prefer fast-paced narrative or fiction.
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.
Reader guide
Cues to help you decide faster.
Reading commitment
Steady Needs some room
At roughly 460 pages of translations and notes, expect a steady, reflective reading pace—one or two passages per sitting suits study and meditation over several weeks.
What stands out here
This Cistercian edition emphasizes reliable translation and scholarly annotation, presenting Bernard's short texts with contextual notes for theological and historical clarity.
Best way to approach it
Approach it as a devotional anthology: read short passages slowly, consult the notes when context or technical terms arise, and pause to reflect or journal between sections.
Was this page helpful?
Quick thumbs only. No login.
Loading feedback…
Exact edition: ISBN-13 9780879071554
Check Amazon for the current price and availability of this exact edition.