EN
Aelred of Rievaulx, a Cistercian thinker, is counted among the greatest 'apostles of friendship'. His treatises seem to be an excellent introduction to the theory of friendship. The analysis of Aelred's claims about spiritual friendship is intended to explore the degree of their correspondence with Ciceros concept of friendship. In his works Aelred referred to the ideas of the Roman philosopher: he discussed the essence of friendship, proposed its definition, distinguished its kinds and examined its origin.