Franciscan Spirituality and Mission in New Spain, 1524–1599: Conflict Beneath the Sycamore Tree (Luke 19:1–10) by Steven E. Turley
2016; Oxford University Press; Volume: 131; Issue: 550 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1093/ehr/cew072
ISSN1477-4534
Autores Tópico(s)Latin American history and culture
ResumoIn his 1523 document commissioning the first twelve Franciscans to evangelise in New Spain, Minister General Fray Francisco de Los Ángeles Quiñones referenced the story of Zacchaeus in Luke’s Gospel—the man who climbs a sycamore tree to better see Christ. As Steven Turley demonstrates, Quiñones’ adaptation of this biblical passage remained highly significant for the Franciscan enterprise in the New World; indeed, it serves to explain the spiritual difficulties that ensued. Specifically, Quiñones equated the friars with the tree-bound Zacchaeus, exhorting them to descend from their contemplative state (in Spain) and embrace the active life (in New Spain). This radical shift away from the spiritual introspection or recollection to which the friars were accustomed would lead to discontent, frustration, and, for some, abandonment of the mission field. Departing from the usual view of the Franciscans as ideally suited to New World evangelisation, Turley instead examines the spirituality of the friars who laboured among native peoples in New Spain. The active life beneath the sycamore tree was far from homogeneous, with competing spiritualities leading to internal and external conflict as friars struggled to observe the Rule while toiling to bring indigenous souls to Christ. Citing the writings and biographies of numerous friars and their superiors, he challenges the existing historical narrative, offering an innovative reinterpretation of this important period in New World Christianity.
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