Arnold of Bonneval

Arnold Of Bonneval a Benedictine writer of the 12th century, was, in 1144, appointed abbot of Bonneval, in the diocese of Chartres. Like his predecessors he had to undergo many trials. His appeal to pope Lucius II was of no avail, and he went to Rome a second time, where he succeeded, in 1154, in receiving the permission of pope Hadrian IV to resign. He died at Marmoutiers, where he had retired. Arnold enjoyed the friendship of St. Bernard, who, on his death-bed, sent a letter full of expressions of love for Arnold. After St. Bernard's death the monks of Clairvaux requested Arnold to continue the life of the saint, which William of Thierry had commenced to write. Thus the Vita Secunda S. Bernardi (Migne, Pat. Lat. 185:267 sq.), which is erroneously ascribed to a Cistercian Arnold (comp. Oudin, Script. Eccles. 2:1293), originated. Arnold also wrote a speculative treatise on the Hexcamermon: — Homilies on the 132d Psalm: — a book entitled De Donis Spiritus S.: — De Septem Verbis Domini in Cruce: — Meditationes, and De Cardinalibus Operibus Christi. It is remarkable that the latter work, which nwas dedicated to pope Hadrian IV, was regarded for a long time as a work of St. Cyprian, and was published by Pamelius in his edition of Cyprian (Amsterdam, 1568). Arnold's works are published by Migne, Pat. Lat. 189 (1513). See Streber, in Wetzer u. Welte's Kirchenlexikon, s.v. (B.P.)