Español
July 13, 1247: Approval of the Second Life of Celano in the General Chapter of Lyon
Thomas of Celano's Vita Secunda was written in response to a call at the General Chapter of 1244 for a new account of Francis' life. Innocent IV had begun his pontificate and Crescentius of lesi was Minister General of the Franciscan Order. The surviving early companions of Francis were aging and many had died, therefore, a request was made that they should write down their remembrances for compilation. Brothers Leo, Rufino and Angelo particularly involved themselves in this work.
The process of compiling information lasted for two years and the results must have been a point of reference for the Vita Secunda. Crescencio officially approved the vita on July 13, 1247, and subsequently sent it to Buenaventura, who had been his representative at the General Chapter. Saint Clare was still alive at the time of its completion, although very ill.
It is also important to note that this was a period of change and dissent for the Order. The growing prominence of the Order in the Schools of Paris, and the acquisition of property, made many brothers feel that the original precepts of Francis were being ignored.
In the prologue of the Second Life, Thomas of Celano explains the main reasons for this new biography of Saint Francis: “First of all, this work contains some marvels about the conversion of Saint Francis not included in the previous legends written about him because they never caught the attention of the author. Then we will carefully try to express and manifest the good, pleasant and perfect will of our most holy father. This concerns both him and his followers, the exercise of heavenly discipline and the search for the highest perfection that he always expressed in love for God and in living example for others "(Prol 2,1-2) .
Let's remember the First Life had been commissioned directly by Gregory IX. The Second Life, on the other hand, was the result of the will of the authority of the Order, in the person of the General Minister Crescentius of Lesi. When in 1244 Crescentius asked the friars to submit to him in writing what they remembered about the life and wonders of Saint Francis, his objective was to complete the missing parts of the First Life, which was an opus perfectibile, that is, a document to be completed. This is where the memories of the three companions come in, to help Tomás de Celano write a completely new biography of Saint Francis.
The result indicates that there were collaborators, but the style of Thomas' pen is evident. Friar Celano had access to a wealth of documentary information, which could very well have been supplied by Crescencio as a result of the memories that the brothers Leon, Rufino and Angelo had sent from Greccio in 1246, as well as other memories from other friars who had Personally known to Saint Francis.
Source: History of the Franciscan movement, from the beginnings of the order to the year 1517, by Noel Muscat, OFM
Comments
Post a Comment