BERNARD OF AUVERGNE (ALVERNIA)

French Dominican theologian; fl. 1294 to 1307. Originally from Gannat, he entered the Dominican Order at Clermont in the province of Auvergne. Known as Malleus (hammer) to his contemporaries, he taught at Paris as a bachelor of theology (1294–97) and commented on the Sentences (ed. Lyons 1519). Although direct evidence is lacking, it is probable that he became a master in theology, for five Quaestiones disputatae of his are extant and some manuscripts attribute that title to him. He was prior of Saint-Jacques in 1303, when he and the entire priory signed the appeal against boniface viii. Four sermons that he preached between 1301 and 1305 are extant. As an ardent defender of the doctrines of St. thomas aqui nas, he vigorously opposed the views of henry of ghent, godfrey of fontaines and james of viterbo. Thus, Bernard was one of the earliest theologians who contributed to the spread and development of thomism. Although the bulk of his extant writings is polemical in nature, he did not reply to the Correctorium of william de la mare (see correctoria). After the death of peter of auvergne toward the end of 1304, Bernard was elected bishop of Clermont by the cathedral chapter, but clem ent v annulled this election in 1307. It is certain that Bernard never took possession of the see.

Bibliography: m. grabmann, "Bernhard von Alvergne, O.P., ein Interpret und Verteidiger der Lehre des hl. Thomas von Aquin aus alter Zeit," Divus Thomas, 10 (1932) 23–35. f. j. roensch, Early Thomistic School (Dubuque 1964). e. filthaut, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner, 10 v. (2d, new ed. Freiburg 1957–65) 2:242. a. d'amato, Enciclopedia filosofica 4 v. (Venice-Rome 1957) 1:660.

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