William of St. Thierry and the Animal Phase of Monastic Life
This essay examines William of St. Thierry's conception of the "animal" phase of monastic life, drawing primarily on his collected works and the Golden Epistle. The paper explains William's tripartite understanding of the human soul — corpus, anima, and animus — and how this framework differs from the way God views humans versus common animals. It traces the role of training, discipline, and balance in the ascetic life, arguing that the animal phase, while potentially dangerous, must be properly harnessed rather than ignored. The essay also connects William's ideas to relevant biblical passages, including references to Job and the First Letter to the Corinthians.
- Introduction to the Monastic Life and William of St. Thierry: Introduces William and the animal phase concept
- The Tripartite Soul: Corpus, Anima, and Animus: Explains William's three-part view of the soul
- Training and Discipline in the Animal Phase: Describes ascetic training and its scriptural basis
- Maintaining Balance and Avoiding Sin: Warns against imbalance leading to sin
- Conclusion: Summarizes William's enduring monastic insight
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its analysis in a specific primary source — William of St. Thierry's Works — and traces a single conceptual thread (the tripartite soul and animal phase) consistently from introduction to conclusion.
- It makes productive use of biblical cross-references (Job, 1 Corinthians 7:31) to contextualize William's ideas within a broader theological tradition, demonstrating how patristic authors read Scripture.
- The essay maintains a clear central argument: the animal phase is neither irrelevant nor inherently sinful, but must be disciplined and balanced with the other dimensions of the soul.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates close reading of a patristic primary source, using direct quotations from William's text to support each analytical claim. Rather than summarizing the work broadly, the essay isolates specific Latin terms (corpus, anima, animus, mens, spiritus) and unpacks their theological significance, which is the standard method in medieval theology and religious studies research.
Structure breakdown
The essay opens by situating William of St. Thierry within the monastic tradition and stating its scope. It then introduces the tripartite framework with its theological rationale, moves into the practical implications for ascetic training and discipline, and closes with the moral stakes of maintaining balance among the three dimensions. Each section builds on the previous one, moving from definition to application to consequence.
Introduction to the Monastic Life and William of St. Thierry
When it comes to living one's life, there is what is known as the monastic approach and mindset. One person who wrote about this subject at great length was William of St. Thierry. There are important and distinct aspects of the monastic life, and one of those aspects has come to be known as the "animal" phase. This essay describes that phase, covering the training, discipline, and formation associated with it as explained by William of St. Thierry. While some in the modern world do not fully understand what the animal phase of the monastic life is, William of St. Thierry did a masterful job of explaining it in his writings.
Bibliography
William of St. Thierry. Works of William of St. Thierry. Kalamazoo: Cistercian Publications, 1980.
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