Jean Leclercq

Jean Leclercq, OSB (1911-1993) was a French Benedictine monk and a premier historian of medieval spirituality. His landmark study, The Love of Learning and the Desire for God: A Study of Monastic Culture (1957, trans. 1961), defined 'monastic theology' as a prayerful approach to scripture distinct from scholasticism. A prolific author and global traveller, Leclercq was instrumental in renewing monastic life and bridging Eastern and Western contemplative traditions.