Britannica
Sources used in this answer
Why was Bernard of Clairvaux called doctor mellifluus?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, detail of an altarpiece by the Florentine School, early 15th century; in the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux was called doctor mellifluus—a Latin title meaning "doctor full of honey"—because his teaching was frequently described as being as "sweet as honey".12
This designation reflects the profound and poetic nature of his spiritual writings, particularly his "Sermons on the Canticle of Canticles," which focused on the theme of divine love. The title was formally used to extol him in a 1953 encyclical issued by Pope Pius XII.12