Lawrence of Arabia
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09:28:11 am on May 11, 2008 | # | |
So I have been working on the portrayal of Islam in early Franciscan documents (especially the various lives of St.Francis), and ran across this little tidbit, in David Burr’s Spiritual Franciscans, about two of my favorite Franciscans: Peter John Olivi and Ubertino da Casale (of Name of the Rose fame). Olivi argues, for instance, in his commentary on the Apocalypse of John (1298) that
Continued decay of the Church will lead to rule by a pseudopope who, with the aid of a secular authority, will support a carnal version of Christianity, persecuting those who observe evangelical poverty. These carnal leaders and the carnal church which they represent (Babylon) will eventually be destroyed by a non-Christian (presumably Muslim) army. Thus will end the persecution of the mystical Antichrist, but that of the great Antichrist will then begin. Another king/pseudopope combination will join in a persecution aimed more explicitly at Christianity itself. Here, too, Olivi seems to anticipate an important role for Islam. Finally, with Christ’s aid, this second persecution will end and the seventh period will begin.
All this of course so that the renewal of Christian life initiated by Francis could reach its consummation.
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razib 11:49 am on May 11, 2008 | #
for the first centuries of islam’s existence in the east (byzantium, caliphate) it was viewed as a heresy sent by god to test the mettle of christians; not a separate and new religion. you can see the last of the church fathers on this question, john of damascus (who was also a minister in the court of the ummayyads).
Lawrence of Arabia 6:47 am on May 12, 2008 | #
you see some of that in the Latin world as well, though within the Franciscan milieu it is not, at least at the earliest stage (1219-1274, let’s say), it is not the only way of thinking of Muslims. Francis himself refers to the “Saracens” as infidels. His first biographer, Thomas Celano, follows him by and large, though at one very crucial juncture, for literary/theological reasons, refers to them as pagans.
Henri d’Avranches is the only one among the early biographers who refers to Muslims as heretics: wondering why Francis would go to the Muslims when Italy has so many heretics of its own.