The Writings of Francis of Assisi: Letters and Prayers

Letter to the Entire Order

lETTEr TO ThE ENTIrE OrdEr mIChaEl W. blaSTIC I. ESTablIShINg ThE TExT Beginning with the Assisi 338 manuscript and the Volterra manuscript , the Letter to the Entire Order has been transmitted in fifty-eight manuscripts. The letter is present in all four of the manuscript families which transmit the early writings of Francis and the brothers.1 After the Later Rule and the Testament, this is the text best represented in the manuscripts.2 Though the authenticity of the letter has never been questioned, there are many variations within the tradition.3 The incipit of the letter differs widely between the manuscripts among which one can find the following: “The Letter and Admonition of our most blessed father Francis, which he sent to the brothers gathered in chapter while he was sick”; “The Letter of blessed Francis sent to the General Chapter while he was sick”; and “The Letter which blessed Francis sent to all the Brothers.” One manuscript even gives it the title of “The Testament of Francis.”4 Esser adapted the title from the 1 The four manuscript families are described by Luigi Pellegrini in the introductory essay in this volume. 2 Kajetan Esser, ed., Die Opuscula des hl. Franziskus von Assisi (Grottaferrata: Editiones Collegii S. Bonaventurae ad Claras Aquas, 1976), 238-41. 3 Esser, Die Opuscula, 243, was “excessively pessimistic” about the transmission of the text according to Carlo Paolazzi. Consult, Paolazzi, “Le epistole maggiore di frate Francesco, edizione critica ed emendamenti ai testi minori,” Archivum Franciscanum Historicum 101 (2008): 109-10. Paolazzi produced a Stemma codicum for the text and provided a new edition, pages 110-54. 4 Esser, Die Opuscula, 237. The Writings of Francis of Assisi 132 manuscript of the letter which he considered decisive.5 While Paolazzi agreed with the title Esser adopted, Jan Hoeberichts disagrees with Esser’s choice, arguing that a better title, based on the text itself, would have been A Letter to the Brotherhood.6 The letter addresses all the brothers, acknowledging the multiple offices of leadership found in “the religion of the lesser brothers.” The address then must be to his successors, all the ministers and custodians, priests and “simple” brothers, “from first to last” (v. 2). This same hierarchy is addressed at the close of the letter in verse forty-seven, with the addition of the “other custodians and guardians of the brothers.” This listing suggests the most clearly articulated structure of leadership found in the writings. It describes leaders at the general or universal level, the geographical level of provincial ministers, and finally the custodians and guardians on the local levels. The author of the letter identifies himself in verse two as, “Brother Francis, a worthless and weak man, your very little servant,” and in verse forty-seven as “Brother Francis, a useless man and an unworthy creature …” While the authorship is clear, the text uses a very refined Latin style and syntax that suggests various edits. The content, however , remains consistent with Francis’s other writings.7 There is, however, a question about the prayer found at the conclusion of the letter, in verses fifty to fifty-two. Verse forty-nine concludes the letter with a doxology ending with “Amen,” after which follows the prayer. The Portiuncola manuscript family transmits this concluding prayer among the greater prayers of Francis, rather than at the conclusion of this letter. However, beginning with the Assisi 338 manuscript, the other three manuscript families connect the final prayer to this letter. II. aPPrOaChINg ThE TExT The content of the letter identifies concerns that are very similar to those articulated in Francis’s Testament, especially with regard to 5 Esser, Die Opuscula, 244. 6 Jan Hoeberichts, “Francis’ letter to all the brothers (Letter to the Entire Order): Title, themes, structure and language,”Collectanea Franciscana 78 (2008), 7-9. 7 Francesco d’Assisi: Scritti, ed. Aristide Cabassi (Padua: Editrice Francescane, 2002), 394-95. The Writings of Francis of Assisi 133 the observance of the Rule and the recitation of the Divine Office. In addition, the letter dedicates almost one half of its text to issues related to priestly ministry, in particular, the worthy celebration of the sacrament, suggesting thereby a growing concern about priestly ministry within the brotherhood. Both of these characteristics suggest that Francis wrote this letter around the same time as his Testament. The concern seems to be connected to the danger of what Giovanni Miccoli has called...