Religions Reviewed

The Exemplum of “Arnulf of Majorca”
(Arnulphus de Majorca)

Another exemplum in Liber de Miraculis gives an account of the conversion of the wealthy man Arnulf of Majorca.  In this story, a herdsman is instructed by a divine voice to join Arnulf in his conversion. Arnulf recognizes the miracle when the herdsman approaches him, because although the rich man has made his decision to join the Cistercians, he has kept it secret to avoid opposition from family and business associates. Arnulf takes the herdsman along to Clairvaux. When they arrive, Arnulf gives his wealth to endow Cistercian houses, and shows great remorse for his worldly life. When Bernard assigns him a penance of repeating the Lord’s Prayer three times and persisting in his monastic vocation, Arnulf is confused and upset. But the abbot assures him that this penance will suffice to assure him a heavenly reward. Arnulf struggles with this instruction and executes his penance a hundredfold, eventually undergoing a holy death.
 
This exemplum is longer and more complicated, but as with one just discussed, it is possible to diagram a set of oppositions. Unlike the opposites in “Constant Bound Over for Hanging,” though, all of these are the direct responsibility of Arnulf. They are not attached to two representative persons or symbolized through objects; the two poles of the diametrical opposition are within the actions and attitudes of Arnulf himself. The opposing pairs are more like “counterweights” in the evaluation of Arnulf’s soul, which is the title that Matarasso gives to this exemplum.  This idea is brought to fruition in the contrast between the body “set down” (deposita) and Arnulf’s consequent “flight” (pervolabis), communicating the idea that Arnulf’s conversion has so thoroughly struck a balance against his earlier life of sin, that the three prayers would be sufficient weight to tip the scale, once his body itself has been set aside. The symbolism of weight overcome by flight is a common one in medieval monastic literature, and Bernard himself used it often.