<I>Medieval Franciscan Approaches to the Virgin Mary
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578 Mediaevistik 33 . 2020 ted in the former Trentham manuscript? tradition, starting with St. Francis and Did this work become an “orphaned” his first community at the tiny church commission as the new king Henry IV of St. Mary of the Angels, Assisi, whe- somehow failed to support the collection, re he also chose to die. The editors of or even rejected it? McGrady’s work pro- this valuable collection are wise to pro- vides a rich and enlightening context for mise no more than a “sample” of topics further investigations. from the near-infinite range of medieval This generally excellent work could Franciscan Marian expression (1). Like- have been helped by a final proofreading wise, the sixteen contributors avoid the to correct a smattering of careless mista- pitfall of grandiose claims for Franciscan kes—for example, “hieratic” for “hier- uniqueness in discussion of teachings in archic,” and the occasional questionable fact widespread or universal to medieval translation—for example, doesn’t “se Catholicism. In its totality, the collection feusse si eureuse” (204) mean “if I should provides a rich and powerful overview be so fortunate,” in the context of an ap- of medieval Mariology in the Franciscan peal for patronage? Although Christine context, including its development over produced her Sept psaumes allegorisés time. on “commandement” by Charles III of Commonalities in topic and method Navarre, this relevant example goes un- can be observed across the collection, cited in the book, perhaps because the which includes emerging doctrines on scholarly edition by Bernard Ribémont the privileges of Mary, personal and af- and Christine Reno had yet to appear. In fective piety, the visual arts, and if only at a few places, clarity would have been ser- times, the spiritual authority of women. ved by shorter paragraphs. These minor While the canonical Bible has few direct quibbles aside, McGrady has produced references to Mary, Franciscan theologi- a contribution to scholarship, supported ans contributed to the dazzling virtuosity by an extensive bibliography helpfully of an exegetical tradition in which every divided into manuscripts, primary works, book in the Bible is understood as aboun- and secondary works. ding in her praise (33, 127). Several con- Linda Burke, tributors offer a fresh perspective on the Department of English, Elmhurst Univer- sermon, once dismissed as watered-down sity, 190 Prospect, Elmhurst, IL 60126; theology, but now respected as essential [email protected], [email protected] to the mendicant charism of training pre- achers to go forth and educate the vast lay audience who did not know Latin (32, 57‒58). The praise of Mary in every Medieval Franciscan Approaches to genre has a double purpose: to elucidate the Virgin Mary: Mater Misericordi- as much as human language will permit ae Sanctissima et Dolorosa, ed. Steven her mystery as the virgin Mother of God, J. McMichael and Katherine Wrisley and to promote her earthly life of poverty, Shelby. The Medieval Franciscans 16. charity, and self-sacrifice as a perfect mo- Leiden: Brill, 2018, 467 pp., 53 ill. del of behavior for every Christian man Devotion to the Virgin Mary was essenti- and woman. al to medieval Christian spirituality, and The first two chapters are concerned possibly even more so to the Franciscan with the foundational Marian devotion of Mediaevistik 33 . 2020 579 Sts. Francis, Clare, and Anthony of Pa- Rachel Fulton Brown presents her re- dua. Michael W. Blastic describes how search on the Mariale of preacher and Francis and Clare both use the same phra- confessor Servasanctus of Faenza (d. se ‒ “eligendo vivere” ‒ to denote Mary’s ca. 1300), a treatise on the 150 names of freely choosing to live in poverty with her Mary he finds in the Bible, including (for son as a sine qua non of her earthly ex- example) the rainbow of Ecclesiasticus ample to follow (26‒27). In several wri- 43:12, a creation sent to remind us of her tings of instruction to his followers, Fran- creator (146). Fulton Brown includes an cis deploys a range of metaphors such as updated list of fifteen surviving manu- “virgin made church” (21) in elucidating scripts showing their presence not limi- Mary’s role as the earthly vessel of God. ted to Islamic Spain as earlier believed As discussed by Luciano Bertazzo, the (129‒30), but ubiquitous from Spain to “first Franciscan master” Anthony of Pa- Prague (148‒49). dua created a Mariology in sermon form A different kind of theology, a “doctri- by “interweaving” Old and New Testa- na” based on her own mystical “experien- ment readings for the Sunday or Marian tia,” was taught by the lay saint Angela of feast day (33). At the Annunciation, for Foligno (1248‒1309), as discussed in the example, Mary is the rainbow of Sirach chapter by Marzia Ceschia. The mystic 50:7‒8, as a rainbow is produced when related herself to Mary ‒ especially Mary the sun enters a cloud, a type of God de- at the foot of the cross ‒ as prototype in scending into Mary’s womb; she is also whose redemptive suffering she is mira- the rainbow of Genesis 9:13, representing culously permitted to share (155, 162), Mary’s ongoing active life as mediatrix and as exemplar of the Christian virtues or messenger of peace between God and that Angela aspires to practice, including man (43‒44). poverty (159). With six chapters, the longest section Especially associated with Franciscan focuses on Mary in the evolving context theologians, the rising doctrine of Mary’s of medieval Franciscan theology. For J. Immaculate Conception is the topic of Isaac Goff, St. Bonaventure’s two ser- the next two chapters, beginning with the mons on the Annunciation comprise a work of John Duns Scotus (1266‒1308), “magnificent tapestry” of “biblical, patri- discussed by Mary Beth Ingham. Mee- stic, and contemporary sources” (55‒56), ting the objection based on Romans 5:12 all brought into play as the human mind is that all humans sinned through Adam, unable to approach the hypostatic union so all must be redeemed by Christ, Duns except in metaphors (63). Scotus argues that Mary was redeemed Christopher Shorrock attends to the through her exemption from original sin, “forgotten Franciscan” Conrad of Saxony and that the Incarnation was an act of (d. 1279), whose Speculum Beatae Mari- love for humanity not dependent on sin as ae Virginis (extant in 173 manuscripts) the cause (189‒94). is of interest as a “synthesis of Catholic Expounding on the immaculist theolo- thought about the Virgin” (92) to date, in- gy of Francis of Meyronnes (1280‒1327), cluding the growing tradition ‒ inspired Christian Kappes presents his “new dis- by Bernard of Clairvaux ‒ of identifying coveries” on Francis’s deployment of Ro- the Bride in the Song of Songs with her man law as distilled in Justinian’s Novel- (97, 89, 101‒04). lae and also known to the Apostle Paul 580 Mediaevistik 33 . 2020 (197, 201‒03). Confronting Romans 5:12, 296). Using on-site photography, cosmo- Francis enlarged on the legal concept of logist Darrelyn Gunzberg reflects on two “privilege,” an “exemption from the com- fourteenth-century frescoes in the same mon rules” that could be invoked by an Lower Church, where little natural light emperor (203, 209) and had been used by appears. Gilded for maximum effect, the- God, for example, in excusing Enoch and se works are placed to catch the rays of Elijah from the mandate that all must die the setting sun at certain times of year. (210). On June 21, notably the true summer sol- Two chapters concern the Virgin stice, the Virgin and Child are enshrined Mary in the fourteenth-century Medit- in a cone of light (327, figure 12.23). ationes Vitae Christi, extant in some The final four articles focus on medie- 220 manuscripts, a work designed for val Franciscan preaching, especially pre- private reading and devotion by a Fran- aching to the laity. Alessia Francone re- ciscan spiritual director as a gift to the views the work of itinerant crowd-pleaser Clarissan sisters under his care. Leah Berthold of Regensburg (ca. 1210‒1272), Marie Maturain discusses the five An- whose homiletic corpus includes model nunciation pictures in the beautifully il- sermons both in Latin and German. Bert- luminated BnF ital. 115 along with their hold believes that Mary was purified in surrounding text, while Pacelli Millane the womb, post-conception, and that her includes a wider overview of Marian bodily Assumption is only a devout opi- themes in the text per se. Both writers nion (350, 352, 358). Her exemplary vir- explain how author John used his “spiri- tues include the humility of her “fiat,” her tual imagination” along with extra-bibli- poverty, and her haste in doing good for cal authorities (including the visions of others. a mysterious medieval “St. Elizabeth,” As discussed by Steven J. McMicha- 258) to complement the sparse details of el, the Assumption of Mary had gained the biblical account on Mary’s life as ex- in authority by the age of Bernardino of ample to follow. The Italian manuscript Siena (1380‒1444), who composed a ser- includes a heretofore unknown image of mon for the Assumption feast day based Mary as a child praying in the temple on Psalm 131:10 (132:8): “Arise, O Lord, just outside her cell, evidently concei- into your resting place, you and the ark ved as a model for sisters living enclosed which you have sanctified” (373). As did (236). the Dominican Jacobus de Voragine, also Discussing the “Virgin Mary in Me- writing for preachers, Bernardino invo- dieval Art,” Holly Flora proposes a new kes the authority of the visionary Eliz- interpretation of the celebrated fresco abeth of Schönau (1129‒1165), who was “Madonna and Child Enthroned with St.