Francis of Assisi Research Papers (original) (raw)

On 28 May last year the title of Emeritus Professor was conferred to Professor Leonhard Lehmann, when his didactic activity at our Franciscan Istitute of Spirituality came to a close. In that circumstance prof. Lehmann presented an... more

On 28 May last year the title of Emeritus Professor was conferred to Professor Leonhard Lehmann, when his didactic activity at our Franciscan Istitute of Spirituality came to a close. In that circumstance prof. Lehmann presented an illuminating study on: "Il significato della preposizione inter negli Scritti di Francesco d’Assisi". Modestly described by Lehmann, in the manuscript sent us, as «a lesson on the occasion of my departure», it is yet truly a “Lectio magistralis,” which dives into the "Scripta" of Francis, identifies the 25 times the preposition “inter” appears in them, and, supported by lexicographical research, recovers and highlights values specific to the spirituality of the Saint of Assisi.

"Religious practices in late medieval Kotor included charitable acts of donating clothes to the poor as a form of imitatio Christi. The model of charity for the faithful to follow was set in the vitae of widely-favoured saints such as Sts... more

"Religious practices in late medieval Kotor included charitable acts of donating clothes to the poor as a form of imitatio Christi. The model of charity for the faithful to follow was set in the vitae of widely-favoured saints such as Sts Martin of Tours, Francis of Assisi and Catherine of Sienna, whose portraits were painted on the walls of Kotor’s church of St Anne in the second half of the fifteenth century. Evidence for the practice and purpose of this particular form of charity is found in the surviving wills of the citizens of Kotor. Apart from giving clothes to the poor out of concern pro remedio animae, the motif of clothes features in the deceased’s testamentary instructions for burial in the habit of a mendicant order.
"

The remarkableness and sanctity of Francis of Assisi is not an indication that he was immune to the same human fragility that we share. This is borne out if we refuse to settle for the piles of modern-day biography and go directly to the... more

The remarkableness and sanctity of Francis of Assisi is not an indication that he was immune to the same human fragility that we share. This is borne out if we refuse to settle for the piles of modern-day biography and go directly to the most important medieval source literature. In particular, Francis did not experience his stigmatization to be a confirmation of his perfect configuration to Christ, but rather a mercy from God who was rescuing him from self-absorption.

Sejarah singkat mengenai kehidupan Santo Fransiskus dari Assisi

Ein auf die Minderbrüder beschränkter Entwurf basierend auf "Die frühe Ordenskleidung der Franziskaner und Dominikaner" mit neueren Überlegungen. Was trugen die frühen Minderbrüder - und warum? Beantwortet mit Quellenarbeit, der... more

Ein auf die Minderbrüder beschränkter Entwurf basierend auf "Die frühe Ordenskleidung der Franziskaner und Dominikaner" mit neueren Überlegungen.
Was trugen die frühen Minderbrüder - und warum? Beantwortet mit Quellenarbeit, der gleichberechtigten Zusammenschau von Bild-, Text- und Sachquellen und Wissen um zeitgenössische Kleidung.

This study examined how aesthetic leadership behaviors may indicate leaders’ level of personal inner cohesion. The hypothesis asserted that leaders who were exposed to prolonged/profound trauma and did not work through this trauma may... more

This study examined how aesthetic leadership behaviors may indicate leaders’ level of personal inner cohesion. The hypothesis asserted that leaders who were exposed to prolonged/profound trauma and did not work through this trauma may retreat their identity into their leadership role, attempting to epitomize the ideals of their movement to escape from the pain, forcing the leaders into constant state of hyper-arousal (fight or flight) and social constriction (Schick, 2011). Further, it was proposed that leaders’ level of personal coherence will be observable in their aesthetic actions. Identity fracture was hypothesized to be aesthetically observable in hyper-prototypicality as a leader, with simultaneously observable difficulty in maintaining healthy self. In a companion study, a hybrid personal narrative approach was utilized to analyze the parallel texts of biographical and autobiographical narratives in the examination of respective apparent cohesion of self for two leaders: St. Francis of Assisi and Sister Aimee Semple McPherson. The study suggests research of a leader’s inner person requires study of multidimensional aesthetic exchanges rather than aesthetic action alone. Role development in the family shaped leaders’ understanding of calling and expectations. Aesthetically expressed disintegration of core identity post-trauma appears to have resulted in lifestyles that sustained hyper-arousal. Four variables emerged as factors that appeared to threaten integrated sense of personhood in the leaders studied: (a) overbearing/abusive parental influence during formation, (b) intense/obsessive desire to have widespread impact, (c) perception of overwhelmingly high demands of God or personal application of the gospel, and (d) lack of capacity to process trauma—variables that leaders in numerous contexts may experience.

A Franciscan historian comes to learn of an ancient manuscript being auctioned off in the United States; it seems like the plot of a mystery novel. Indeed , this is the premise needed to comprehend the origin of the publication. The... more

A Franciscan historian comes to learn of an ancient manuscript being auctioned off in the United States; it seems like the plot of a mystery novel. Indeed , this is the premise needed to comprehend the origin of the publication. The scholar senses the priceless value of this little codex, so battered, so completely unknown until today. His intuition is confirmed by more extensive studies: the manuscript is the only witness to come down to us of a " Life of Blessed Francis " written by Thomas of Celano between 1232 and 1239. This is the first " life " written expressly for the brothers at the request of Brother Elias, their Minister General and beloved companion of Francis. The " life " presented in this text, even if it was found some eight hundred years after it was written, has not lost any of its fascination as it offers us a surprisingly contemporary face of the Poverello of Assisi. (From the Italian edition)

This article focuses on the figures of Francis of Assisi and Ramon Llull, both of whom are representative of the Late Mediaeval world. The intention is to point out, albeit not to present exhaustively, the main lines of thought and action... more

This article focuses on the figures of Francis of Assisi and Ramon Llull, both of whom are representative of the Late Mediaeval world. The intention is to point out, albeit not to present exhaustively, the main lines of thought and action that could be considered expressive of convergence between the two; for example: penance and conversion, the desire to establish a dialogue with non-Christians, the will to preach the Gospel using a universal language, the admiration for the troubadours,
etc. With the help of all this, we will try to answer the question: can any Franciscan heritage be prominently identified in Llull’s system, and in his spirituality?

Francesco d'Assisi scrittore?

Il Vangelo ha donato a Francesco di Assisi una fondamentale buona notizia che ha dato una forma evangelica alla sua esistenza: Dio in Gesù si è fatto nostro Padre donandoci suo Figlio come fratello, così da farci suoi figli. Questa... more

Vivimos en una época cínica, como denuncia Peter Sloterdjik, y profundamente ideologizada con no-ideologías, como señala Slavoj Žižek. Una manera de atacar estos problemas es volviendo a la Razón desfachatada y burlona, a la crítica... more

Vivimos en una época cínica, como denuncia Peter Sloterdjik, y profundamente ideologizada con no-ideologías, como señala Slavoj Žižek. Una manera de atacar estos problemas es volviendo a la Razón desfachatada y burlona, a la crítica socarrona y la filosofía vital de los quínicos antiguos, como Diógenes de Sínope, el quinismo medieval franciscano, la sátira renacentista y, en general, la argumentación no demostrativa, sino propositiva, del arte en general.

Antonianum, 85 (2010), p. 165-168

Il piccolo biglietto conservato ancora a Spoleto e scritto di proprio pugno da frate Francesco a frate Leone costituisce senza ombra di dubbio uno dei testi più preziosi e belli della storia del francescanesimo. In esso è giunto fi no a... more

Il piccolo biglietto conservato ancora a Spoleto e scritto di proprio
pugno da frate Francesco a frate Leone costituisce senza ombra di dubbio uno dei
testi più preziosi e belli della storia del francescanesimo. In esso è giunto fi no a
noi un brandello di vita quotidiana nella quale emerge con immediatezza non solo
la profonda intimità che regnava tra i due frati, ma anche la logica evangelica che
guidava il santo nell’aiutare il suo fratello. “Come una madre” Francesco infatti
chiede a Leone di assumersi la fatica di sapere cosa sia il meglio per sé e i suoi frati
e di farlo. Nella semplicità e umiltà del dettato del biglietto risuona ancora potente
e commovente lo spirito evangelico di un uomo che aiuta il suo fratello a diventare
adulto nella fede diventando responsabile dei suoi fratelli.

A report of Francis of Assisi foretelling a non-canonically elected pope is circulating online in English translation. The translation is of a text edited by Luke Wadding in 1623. With the advances of Franciscan studies over the last... more

A report of Francis of Assisi foretelling a non-canonically elected pope is circulating online in English translation. The translation is of a text edited by Luke Wadding in 1623. With the advances of Franciscan studies over the last century, we can assert with confidence that Wadding's text is a distraction from the real origin of the report, namely a small collection of sayings that circulated in the fourteenth century as the "Verba fratris Conradi." We also can say with confidence that those sayings were written in the first half of the fourteenth century by zelanti who were trying to make sense of their experience of being persecuted both by their superiors and the popes themselves.

Forthcoming, December 2022, Cambridge University Press

A comparative study of the two different Catholic religious orders in reference to the Rules of their founders.

This article explores the encounter between Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil, an event that many proponents of Muslim-Christian dialogue – including Pope Francis – have invoked as a sign of hope for... more

This article explores the encounter between Francis of Assisi and the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil, an event that many proponents of Muslim-Christian dialogue – including Pope Francis – have invoked as a sign of hope for interreligious relations today. The first section of the article consists of a narrative summary of the encounter between saint and sultan. The second describes the effects of the voyage on Francis, particularly in transforming his understanding of the mission of the friars minor. The third discusses Arabic sources for the encounter and the effects of the event on the Sultan, arguing that the event likely left no mark on his governance, behavior, or piety. The final section explores three lenses with which to view the encounter: dialogue, friendship and kinship. The author notes the limitations of each interpretive lens but favors kinship as the key to understanding this encounter, discussing this in light of the Document on Human Fraternity signed by Pope Francis and Ahmad al-Tayyeb in 2019.

Commento al testo del cantico di Francesco

Life-Writing The academic study of charisma has long been where Max Weber put it: in the areas of religious experience, political leadership, and social interaction. Looming behind these domains, where living people embody charisma and... more

Life-Writing The academic study of charisma has long been where Max Weber put it: in the areas of religious experience, political leadership, and social interaction. Looming behind these domains, where living people embody charisma and influence admirers in a variety of ways, is a very broad realm in which neither Weber nor the sociologists, historians, psychologists who followed him had any interest: art and literature. These exercise charismatic effects no less than human beings; in fact one of the reasons why art and literature exist is to give fascinating people an earthly afterlife.1 One topic of many in this area of interest in medieval studies is charismatic effects in the saint's life. The literary/hagiographic form responds to and inter­ acts in a wide variety of ways with the actual effect of the personal presence of the living saint. To see that interaction at its most critical, we must imagine the crisis within a religious movement upon the death of a charismatic leader. If the guidance of an ordered monastic life had been regulated by the charis­ matic force of a leader's personal presence, then the bereaved community faces a serious problem, a leadership vacuum. It had two options: it either " went straight " by taking over a conventional rule of life and so abandoning its charismatic phase (Gert Melville calls it " Entcharismatisierung "),2 or con­ tinued to live through the charisma of its founder. Or some combination of the * This study is a lightly revised version of the keynote address at the NYU conference which led to the publication of this volume. I omit discussion and bibliography on the Weberian tradi­ tion of scholarship on charisma, and refer the interested reader to my book, Enchantment: On Charisma and the Sublime in the Arts of the West (Philadelphia, 2012).

Who should be poor? How poor should they be? And why? These are the questions I wish to address in this essay. They are questions that have been asked throughout the entire history of God's people. They were given special attention during... more

Who should be poor? How poor should they be? And why? These are the questions I wish to address in this essay. They are questions that have been asked throughout the entire history of God's people. They were given special attention during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, particularly in the midst of ongoing discussions among those associated with St. Francis of Assisi. They have also been relevant questions for me personally. I review the history of this theme, paying close attention to developments surrounding the life and vision of Francis of Assisi and his followers. I conclude with some reflections on the theme for followers of Christ today.

The author studies the prophet’s image employed in the Middle Ages vis-à-vis the person of St Francis of Assisi. The research begins with a perusal of the main hagiographic legends of the 13th century, singling out the episodes in... more

The author studies the prophet’s image employed in the Middle Ages vis-à-vis the person of St Francis of Assisi. The research begins with a perusal of the main hagiographic legends of the 13th century, singling out the episodes in Francis’ life revealing his prophetic quality and the images of the biblical prophets to whom he is associated. The essay subsequently focuses on the main medieval sermons enhancing Francis’ figure through the use of the prophet’s image. Special attention is given to five sermons (including three anonymous ones) that revolve around the Gospel verse Lk 7,16 “Propheta magnus surrexit in nobis”. Besides giving their structural analysis and the hagiographical sources, a critical edition of them is also offered.

This article looks at the British theological movement Radical Orthodoxy and Franciscanism, two schools of thought that have historically been pinned against each other. Here a constructive dialogue of reconciliation is proposed between... more

This article looks at the British theological movement Radical Orthodoxy and Franciscanism, two schools of thought that have historically been pinned against each other. Here a constructive dialogue of reconciliation is proposed between the theologians of Cambridge and Assisi, arguing that at their core Radical Orthodoxy and Franciscanism espouse an underlying theological vision that - in ontology, aesthetics, and other forms of theology - have much in common and that can benefit greatly from mutual dialogue and reconciliation with each other.