Abstract
As a response to the theology of Abelard, the twelfth-century Cistercian monk William of St Thierry provides a thoughtful doctrine regarding the relationship between faith and reason. His teaching on the ‘reasoning of faith’ remains helpful, even today, in understanding the role of reason in the search for God. William discusses the reasoning of faith in relation to three degrees of understanding: the degree of understanding involving obedience to authority; the degree of understanding involving reason; and the degree of understanding involving the affections of grace. It is at the second degree of understanding that one exercises the reasoning of faith.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.