From the Mystical Αγάπη the Intellectual Amor / Caritas: The Transformation of Concepts in the Bridal Mysticism of the Xii Century

B a c k g r o u n d . The article is mainly devoted to the conception of intellectual love in the tradition of the Bridal mysticism of the XII century. This investigation shows that theologia mystica of Bernard of Clairvaux, William of Saint Thierry and Richard of Saint-Victor was formed under the influence of the conception of a mystical agape and metaphorical language of the Song of Songs by the Fathers of the Church. Moreover, it was also stressed that the spiritual sources of intellectual love came from Augustine's Neoplatonic tradition. His work "The Trinity" made polysemantic caritas the central notion for the Bridal mystics in the XII century who used it to describe Divine and human love. M e t h o d s . This investigation used a descriptive method to demonstrate the genesis of the concept of love in the tradition of the early Fathers of the Church and Bridal mystics of the XII century. It also applied textual analysis to explicate the conceptual link between different meanings of love in the works of the Bridal mystics. R e s u l t s . This study underlined that St. Bernard of Clairvaux, William of Saint-Thierry and Richard of Saint-Victor worked out the conception of the intellectual love (amor / caritas) that is an extension of the concept of the mystical agape by the Fathers of the Church. C o n c l u s i o n . It was concluded that the Bridal mystics of the XII century often used notions of amor and caritas as synonyms in their texts when they wrote about recognising God through the perfect love – virtue charity or a strong love – amor fortis in the human soul. However, their concept of epistemic love: caritas intellectualis or amor rationalis also impacted the works of the Flemish and German mystics in the XIII-XIV centuries.