Differences

This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.

Link to this comparison view

Both sides previous revision Previous revision
Next revision		 Previous revision
Next revisionBoth sides next revision
saint_francis [2008-10-16 10:35] – theunkarelsesaint_francis [2011-10-08 08:43] – theunkarelse
Line 1: Line 1:
- 
- 
- 
-==== Saint Francis of Assisi ==== 
- 
-When brother Francis wanted to say the name of Jesus, his biographer Thomas de Celano recounts, he would sometimes use the phrase 'child of Bethlehem' and when he said Bethlehem, the pure joy of saying it would make him bleat like a sheep: 'Beeeeeeeethleheeeeeeem'. An he would lick his lips as if  he was tasting some sweet thing. 
- 
-In the time of Francis Europe was going through a massive commercial revolution. Business was challenging the state and the religious system. People were catholics but they just went through the motions. Somehow Francis succeeded to convert people who already thought they were christians, to sort-of renew their faith. He did not just succeed, he is generally recognized as the biggest religious genius Europe has ever produced. Also he successfully showed people the harmful side of business by demonstrating the virtue of poverty in such a manner that the locals viewed him with astonishment and laughter. How did he do it? He tapped into peoples direct experience by inventing the Christmas-stable, taking live animals into church. Also he did jackass-like challenges and stunts, he had himself dragged through town behind a wagon because he ate a piece of chicken. He threw rocks at other holy-men. Could be seen talking or praying to rocks, birds, flowers etc. He was a show-man,  singer songwriter, performance artist, Jesus-impersonator[1], dancer, poet, fake-instrument player, animal-trainer and village-idiot. He never told people what to do he just showed them relying completely on his intuition, and he was extremely successful. 
- 
- 
-[1]The view of brother Francis as a hilarious Jesus impersonator and performance artist, has been put forward by the dutch writer Kees 't Hart, in a booklet about what he calls 'the disease that is admiration'. (or translated as veneration perhaps) 
- 
-More on Saint Francis as a patron saint of ecology, in the last paragraph on this page: 
-http://www.siena.edu/ellard/historical_roots_of_our_ecologic.htm) 
- 
 === Saint Francis on Gardening === === Saint Francis on Gardening ===
  
Line 46: Line 31:
 The landscape that Thomas shows him (Francis red.) gazing upon, especially its fields and vineyards, betrays the unmistakable marks of human cultivation, of nature tamed and disciplined in its service to the emerging capitalist agricultural economy, the very economy the saint had hoped to critique- and then escape. What we are to imagine Francis detecting behind this simple outdoor scene is the presence of a hidden but powerful system of private land ownership by the Umbrian nobility, the rising bourgeoisie, and the wealthy church, a system of exploitation and exchange which he later came to oppose. The landscape that Thomas shows him (Francis red.) gazing upon, especially its fields and vineyards, betrays the unmistakable marks of human cultivation, of nature tamed and disciplined in its service to the emerging capitalist agricultural economy, the very economy the saint had hoped to critique- and then escape. What we are to imagine Francis detecting behind this simple outdoor scene is the presence of a hidden but powerful system of private land ownership by the Umbrian nobility, the rising bourgeoisie, and the wealthy church, a system of exploitation and exchange which he later came to oppose.
 </blockquote> </blockquote>
 +
 +
 +
 +
 +===== Saint Francis as a performance artist =====
 +
 +<blockquote>
 +When brother Francis wanted to say the name of Jesus, his biographer Thomas de Celano recounts, he would sometimes use the phrase 'child of Bethlehem' and when he said Bethlehem, the pure joy of saying it would make him bleat like a sheep: 'Beeeeeeeethleheeeeeeem'. And he would lick his lips as if  he was tasting some sweet thing.</blockquote>
 +
 +In the time of Francis Europe was going through a first wave of raw capitalism. Business was challenging the state and the religious system. So that's the setting. Francis is recognized as the biggest religious genius Europe has ever produced. He has a great sense of PR. Francis went around the Italian countryside with an odd bunch of followers re-enacting the life of Jesus and his disciples. He had a vast media campaign including vast amounts of printed portraits, live animals and most powerful of all perhaps his Jack-Ass like stunts and controversial live events. These would include being dragged through the city behind a wagon, bringing live animals to mass, stripping naked on the market in front of high officials, swearing and throwing rocks at other holy-men and talking or praying to rocks, birds, flowers etc. He was a stunt-man, singer songwriter, performance artist, Jesus-impersonator[1], dancer, poet, air-guitarist, animal-trainer and village-idiot.  
 +
 +
 +[1]The view of brother Francis as a hilarious Jesus impersonator and performance artist, has been put forward by the dutch writer Kees 't Hart, in a booklet about what he calls 'the disease that is admiration'. (or translated as veneration perhaps)
 +
 +More on Saint Francis as a patron saint of ecology, in the last paragraph on this page:
 +http://www.siena.edu/ellard/historical_roots_of_our_ecologic.htm)
  • saint_francis.txt
  • Last modified: 2011-10-08 10:21
  • by theunkarelse