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doctrine Doctrine (from , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...
of the absolute poverty of Christ was a teaching associated with the
Franciscan order The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...
of friars, particularly prominent between 1210 and 1323. The key tenet of the doctrine of absolute poverty was that Christ and the
apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...
had no property, whether individually or shared. Debate about the doctrine came to a head in what is known as the theoretical poverty controversy in 1322–23.Melanie Brunner, 'Pope John XXII and the Michaelists: The Scriptural Title of Evangelical Poverty in Quia vir reprobus', ''Church History and Religious Culture'', 94 (2014), 197–226, .


Background

Early Franciscans were itinerant preachers, who, following their founder
Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italians, Italian Mysticism, mystic, poet and Friar, Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Chris ...
, took to heart the injunction in Luke 9:3 to "Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic." The mendicant practice of begging for alms, itself, caused some hard feelings, both on the part of monastic orders sometimes dependent on the same donors, and the donors themselves when faced with repeated appeals from local friars in lieu of more distant potential benefactors. Over time, as the order grew, it faced the demands of caring for sick or elderly friars, and providing for those sent to university for theological training.Jones, John D., ''The Poverty of Christ and the Apostles'', PIMS, 1999, Intro p. 2
/ref> One method to deal with this was a legal construct whereby gifts would be placed in the name of a patron, held in trust for the friars' use. In this way, they need not be perennially destitute. The "Spirituals" felt that this abrogated the spirit of the founder, and believed a restricted use of property was more in keeping with the rule. A lengthy theological discussion then ensued as to what was intended and required by the Rule.


Theoretical poverty controversy

Debate about the doctrine of the absolute poverty of Christ came to a head in what is known as the theoretical poverty controversy in 1322–23.
Pope John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Papacy, Avignon Pope, elected by ...
declared this doctrine
heretical Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, particularly the accepted beliefs or religious law of a religious organization. A heretic is a proponent of heresy. Heresy in Christianity, Judai ...
in November 1323 via the
papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...
''Cum inter nonnullos'', but debate on the subject continued for some years after; indeed, John's own final statement on the subject came in 1329 in his ''Quia vir reprobus''. Key aspects of the debate included: the origins of property (or '
dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...
') and whether use of material objects implied ownership; whether property existed before the
Fall of Man The fall of man, the fall of Adam, or simply the Fall, is a term used in Christianity to describe the transition of the first man and woman from a state of innocent obedience to God in Christianity, God to a state of guilty disobedience. * * * * ...
; whether Christ while on earth had dominion over temporal things; the detailed and technical status of Christ's well attested poverty; and the apostles' use of material goods.


See also

*
Apostolic poverty Apostolic poverty is a Christian doctrine professed in the thirteenth century by the newly formed religious orders, known as the mendicant orders, in direct response to calls for reform in the Roman Catholic Church. In this, these orders attempt ...
*
Christian views on poverty and wealth Christian views on poverty and wealth vary. At one end of the spectrum is a view which casts wealth and materialism as an evil to be avoided and even combated. At the other end is a view which casts prosperity and well-being as a blessing from G ...
*
Imitation of Christ In Christian theology, the imitation of Christ is the practice of following the example of Jesus.''A concise dictionary of theology'' by Gerald O'Collins, Edward G. Farrugia 2004 , p. 115.''Imitating Jesus: an inclusive approach to New Testament ...
* * The novel ''
The Name of the Rose ''The Name of the Rose'' ( ) is the 1980 debut novel by Italian author Umberto Eco. It is a historical fiction, historical murder mystery set in an Italian monastery in the year 1327, and an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, ...
'' features a debate about the topic.


Further reading

* Malcolm Lambert, ''Franciscan Poverty: The Doctrine of the Absolute Poverty of Christ and the Apostles in the Franciscan Order 1210–1323'', 2nd ed. (St. Bonaventure, 1998) * Patrick Nold, ''Pope John XXII and his Franciscan Cardinal: Bertrand de la Tour and the Apostolic Poverty Controversy'' (Oxford, 2003) * David Burr, ''The Spiritual Franciscans: From Protest to Persecution in the Century after Saint Francis'' (University Park, PA, 2001) * Jürgen Miethke, ‘Der “theoretische Armutsstreit” im 14. Jahrhundert. Papst und Franziskanerorden im Konflikt um die Armut,’ in ''Gelobte Armut. Armutskonzepte der franziskanischen Ordensfamilie vom Mittelalter bis zur Gegenwart'', ed. Heinz-Dieter Heimann, Angelica Hilsebein, Bernd Schmies, and Christoph Stiegemann (Paderborn, 2012), pp. 243–283. * Benedikt Koehler, ''The economics of property rights in early and medieval Christianity, '', Economic Affairs, 2017, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 112 - 123


References

{{Franciscans Christian ethics
Poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...
Poverty and religion Wealth and religion Franciscan spirituality 13th-century Catholicism 14th-century Catholicism