The massive project titled Lo Crestià represents a defining effort in 14th-century scholastic thought, aiming to provide a comprehensive theological summation in the vernacular. Authored by Francesc Eiximenis, a Franciscan friar who became deeply embedded in the intellectual and political circles of the Crown of Aragon, the work illustrates the reach of religious philosophy during the medieval period.
Academic Formation and Influences
Born around 1330 in Girona, Eiximenis joined the Franciscan order during his youth. His formal education took place across European centers, with significant time spent at the University of Oxford, an institution central to Franciscan scholasticism. There, he engaged with the ideas of British thinkers including William of Ockham, John Duns Scotus, and Robert Grosseteste. After failing to secure a teaching position at the University of Lleida due to a lack of credentials, he obtained his Doctorate in Theology at the University of Toulouse in 1374 with the support of King Peter IV.
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Residing in Valencia from 1382 to 1408, Eiximenis functioned as a consultant to the city's governing council. His civic involvement included organizing religious responses to the social unrest of 1391 and managing the oversight of confiscated Jewish texts. Furthermore, he advised King Martin I on the Western Schism and initiated the planning for what would eventually become the University of Valencia. By the end of his career, he helped establish the Franciscan convent of Sant Esperit near Sagunto under the patronage of Queen Maria de Luna.
Scholarly Production
Eiximenis wrote extensively in medieval Latin, Old Catalan, and other regional languages. His output spanned moral guidance, political theory, and theology. Notable works include the Llibre dels àngels, which integrated political theory into angelology, and Regiment de la cosa pública, an advisory text for municipal leaders. His Vida de Jesucrist combined biography with theological contemplation, drawing on the meditative traditions of his order. These works reached significant figures of the era, including the popes and monarchs of the Crown of Aragon.
Final Offices and Death
In 1408, the Pope of Avignon, Benedict XIII, appointed Eiximenis as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. During the same period, he served as the apostolic administrator for the Diocese of Elna. His tenure in these ecclesiastical roles was brief, concluding with his death in Perpignan, likely on 23 April 1409.
Fast facts
- Born: 1330, Girona
- Died: 1409, Perpignan
- Education: University of Oxford, University of Paris, University of Toulouse
- Key Positions: Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Bishop of Elna
- Languages: Medieval Latin, Old Occitan, Medieval Aragonese, Old Catalan
- Primary Movement: Scholasticism
Questions readers ask
What was the purpose of Lo Crestià?
It was intended as a massive project of Summa Theologica written in a popular language to explain the fundamentals of Christianity, temptation, sin, and government.
Which universities influenced Eiximenis?
He was educated at the University of Paris and the University of Oxford, the latter of which significantly shaped his scholastic perspective through the influence of British Franciscan thinkers.
Achievements
- Notable work: Llibre de les dones
- Notable work: Lo Crestià
- Notable work: Llibre dels àngels
- Notable work: Scala Dei