earticle

영어

St. Francis(can friars)' New Responses to Social Changes and Rise of Cities in the Medieval West Young-Jae Lee When St. Francis was born at Assisi in 1182, the Western Europe society had been transformed. His father was a successful cloth merchant. What is most interesting is that this merchant's son sought to lead a chivalrous lifestyle. After his conversion, however, St. Francis had broken with mundane life totally. He followed absolute poverty. Also he needed the sacraments and, the first among them, the Eucharist. Francis, then, may now be perceived as orthodox and traditional son. So then, was he not really an innovator? What is Francis' revolutionary life? The first, in taking Christ himself, and no longer his apostles, as a model, he engaged Christianity in an imitation of God-Man. By proposing as a programme a positive ideal, open to love for all creatures and all creation, rooted in joy and not in sadness, he revolutionized the medieval and Christian sensibility and rediscovered a basic joyfulness. Also the rapid growth of Francis's third order was peculiarly unpredictable. The Rule of its order created a potent political weapon. One of them, by his or her oath to the pope, a member became subject only to canon law and was immune from a secular action. It would inhibit the newly created republican communes from abusing their authority to mobilize a militia and wage war unreasonably. Therefore third order members could be experienced liberal conception. The second, St. Francis was addressed to everyone. He rooted this missionary concern in a profound need to embraced all of society, globally and individually. Here what is manifest above all is the desire to consider society as a set of categories that are all equal on the level of salvation. The third, the saint' ideal of equality wanted to lead brother' uniformity as a fraternitas. The concept of fraternity also broke the 'three order system' which 'laborans' depended on 'oratores' and 'bellatores'. 'Oratores' and 'laborans' identified with the clergy and the laity. So fraternity ideal included the democratic one. The last, as Franciscan friars and the third orders expanded all of Europe, their urban culture had flowered in the Western society. For example, voluntary donation for the poor or church, founding charity hospital, protection for the poor and weak, simple and ascetic life, gentle manner and beneficence. Thus until now, Francis' way of life is so valid for our modern society as a model. (Soongsil University / marisstella@hanmail.net)