-
Chapter 6: From Bonaventure to the Misadventure of Francis of Assisi
- Franciscan Institute Publications
- Chapter
- Additional Information
221 Chapter 6 From Bonaventure to the Misadventure of Francis of Assisi VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN about the Franciscan hagiographers whose work we have looked at so far. Some remain anonymous , others are hard to identify, while for still others who are well known, such as Thomas of Celano, our information is pretty much limited to their literary production. On the other hand, we have more than enough information about our last author, Bonaventure: theologian, minister general, Seraphic Doctor of the Holy Roman Church. We need only look at the eleven volumes of his Opera omnia, published at Quaracchi between 1883 and 1902, to understand the magnitude of the problem. Obviously I will deal only (and in a very incomplete manner) with “Bonaventure the Biographer of Francis,” to borrow the title of an article by Edith Pásztor.1 Even then, there is still much to do. Bonaventure’s role as hagiographer is not incidental, either to his role as minister general or to his role as theologian. It will be necessary to begin with a very rapid presentation of the man and the essential characteristics of his work. Then we will try to understand the evolution of the Major Legend through the use of earlier treatises and sermons. Finally, we will take a quick look at the two legends, the Major Legend and the Minor 1 E. Pásztor, “S. Bonaventura: biografo di s. Francesco? Contributo alla ‘questione francescana,’” Doctor seraphicus 27 (1980): 83-107. 222 THE MISADVENTURE OF FRANCIS OF ASSISI Legend and then, by way of conclusion, suggest an area for research . Our desire is to open doors rather than close them. 1. Bonaventure and His Work John of Fidanza, later called Bonaventure, was born in Bagnoregio near Viterbo around 1221. The first fact, not to be forgotten, is that of all the Franciscan hagiographers mentioned so far, he is the first one who did not know Francis personally. In the Minor Legend, which has more details than the Major Legend,2 he tells how he was miraculously cured by the saint: “Because of him [Francis] innumerable benefits from God do not cease to abound in different parts of the world, as even I myself who wrote the above have experienced in my own life. When I was just a child and very seriously ill, my mother made a vow on my behalf to the blessed father Francis. I was snatched from the very jaws of death and restored to the vigor of a healthy life.”3 In 1235 he went to Paris where he began his studies for the Master of Arts degree, which he obtained in 1243. It was then that he was received into the Order. After that, he began his theology at the Franciscan house of studies in Paris, which had opened in 1237. His teachers were Alexander of Hales, Odo Rigaldi and John of La Rochelle. After completing the required Commentary on the Sentences, he was licensed to teach theology in 1253 by John of Parma, who was minister general at the time. He became regent master at the house of studies in Paris, where he soon brought fame to the Order in the dispute against William of Saint-Amour and the secular masters with his Questiones disputatae de perfectione evangelica. 2 LMj Prol 3. 3 LMn 7, 8: “Innumera quoque per ipsum in diversis partibus orbis exuberare non cessant beneficia Dei, sicut et ego ipse, qui superiora descripsi, experientia teste, in me ipso probavi. Voto enim pro me languente gravissime ad beatum patrem Franciscum emisso a matre, cum adhuc essem puerulus, ab ipsis sum mortis faucibus erutus et in robur vitæ incolumis restitutus.” [34.204.99.254] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 15:56 GMT) 223 FROM BONAVENTURE TO THE MISADVENTURE In his defense and description of the Franciscan vocation, Bonaventure avoided the trap of pseudo-Joachimite interpretations and found himself in basic agreement with Pope Alexander IV. In 1255, the Pope condemned the Introduction to the Everlasting Gospel by the Franciscan Gerard of Borgo San Donnino and, in 1256, the Tractatus de periculis novissimorum temporum by William of Saint-Amour. On the other hand, Alexander IV was also the one who forced John of Parma to resign, probably because of his Joachimite tendencies. On February 1, 1257, following John of Parma’s resignation, the General Chapter of Rome, at which Alexander IV personally presided, elected Bonaventure minister general of the Order , at the suggestion of John and the Pope. He...