Chapter Two. Parabola I, De Filio Regis

In most cases, Bernard evokes the spiritual topography through almost offhand allusions; there are, however, a few texts in which a more methodical mapping is laid out. Parabola I is one of them. This parable offers a narrative elaboration of several crucial Bernardine themes. It exhibits the love of God. The parabolic version, however, is rather different from that of Bernard's most prominent works on this subject. The parable centres on the basic love of God for man displayed in creation. The map of Parabola I presents five different places: Paradise, the land or landscape outside Paradise where the son meets the old robber, regio dissimilitudinis, the castle of Wisdom, and the heavenly palace. It gives particular rise to a closer inspection of the topos of Paradise, the employment of landscape features, the vice of wandering, regio dissimilitudinis, and the general structure of the topography.Keywords: Bernard; castle of Wisdom; Parabola I; Paradise; regio dissimilitudinis; spiritual topography