Abstract
The Franciscan conception of poverty (that is the Franciscan interpretation of Christian perfection) has been an intrinsically economic language. Therefore, it has formed some basic categories in the economic way of thinking of western civilization, starting from those of western Protestants. It was not a chance that Franciscan advocates of the absolute poverty were also authors of writings on commerce, prices and value of things, and credit transactions. Nevertheless, Franciscan economics was not at the origins of the invention of the “spirit” of capitalism in a Catholic key, or the anticipation of the date of birth of economic science. Perhaps it was something more disconcerting. In fact, the Franciscans’ approach to market economy reveals that it was the most rigorous Christian religiosity, namely the voluntary choice of being poor and waiving the right of property, that formed a large part of the vocabulary in western economics.
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Notes
- 1.
Bernardinus Senensis, Sermones XXXII–XLV (De contractibus), in Quadragesimale De evangelioaeterno (Opera omnia, IV, pp. 117–416).
- 2.
P. 95: “Miror etenim unde inter monachos tanta intemperantia in comessationibus et potationibus, in vestimentis et lectisterniis, et equitaturis, et construendis aedificiis inolescere potuit: quatenus ubi haec studiosius, voluptuosius, atque effusius fiunt, ibi ordo melius teneri dicatur, ibi major putetur religio. Ecce enim parcitas putatur avaritia, sobrietas austeritas creditur …” (Claraevallensis 1963).
- 3.
Ibidem, 96: “Inordinata profecto atque irrationabilis misericordia est, sterilis et infructuosae carnis, quae, iuxta Domini verbum, non prodest quidquam …”.
- 4.
Regula non bullata, 9: “Et quandocumque necessitas supervenerit, liceat universis fratribus, ubicumque fuerint, uti omnibus cibis, quos possunt homines manducare, sicut Dominus dicit de David, qui comedit panes propositionis (cfr. Mt 12,4), quos non licebat manducare nisi sacerdotibus (Mc 2, 26). 14Et recordentur, quod dicit Dominus: Attendite autem vobis, ne forte graventur corda vestra in crapula et ebrietate et curis huius vitae et superveniat in vobis repentina dies illa; 15tanquam enim laqueus superveniet in omnes, qui sedent super faciem orbis terrae (cfr. Lc 21, 34–35). 16Similiter etiam tempore manifestae necessitatis faciant omnes fratres de eorum necessariis, sicut eis Dominus gratiam largietur, quia necessitas non habet legem”.
- 5.
Regula bullata, 4: “Praecipio firmiter fratribus universis, ut nullo modo denarios vel pecuniam recipiant per se vel per interpositam personam. Tamen pro necessitatibus infirmorum et aliis fratribus induendis per amicos spirituales ministri tantum et custodes sollicitam curam gerant secundum loca et tempora et frigidas regiones, sicut necessitati viderint expedire; eo semper salvo, ut, sicut dictum est, denarios vel pecuniam non recipiant.”
- 6.
Regula bullata, 5: “Fratres illi, quibus gratiam dedit Dominus laborandi, laborent fideliter et devote, it quod, excluso otio animae inimico, sanctae orationis et devotionis spiritum non exstinguant, cui debent cetera temporalia deservire. De mercede vero laboris pro se et suis fratribus corporis necessaria recipiant praeter denarios vel pecuniam et hoc humiliter, sicut decet servos Dei et paupertatis sanctissimae sectatores.”
- 7.
- 8.
Petrus Johannis Olivi, Quaestiones de perfectione evangelica. Q. IX, in D. Burr ed., De usu paupere. The Quaestio and the Tractatus, Firenze/Perth: West Australia Univ./Italian Medieval and Renaissance St., 4, 1992, 47–48: “Sciendum etiam quod de excessu quantum ad usum secundum diversitatem rerum utibilium est diversimode iudicandum. Nam quedam sunt quibus frequenter et in magna quantitate indigemus et que communiter conservari possunt et communiter conservantur, ut panis et vinum. Quedam vero sunt quibus frequenter et in competenti quantitate indigemus et tamen communiter conservari et haberi non possunt nisi per continuam generationem ipsorum, ut sunt herbe ortolane. Quedam vero quibus raro et tunc in modica quantitate, indigemus, ut oleum et legumina. Quedam etiam quorum conservatio plus sapit divitias et plus opponitur defectui inopie etiam secundum communem usum et estimationem mundi quam multorum aliorum, ut conservatio bladi in horreis et vini in cellariis, quam conservatio olei vel lignorum, nisi forte oleum in quantitate et pretio eis equaretur … In omnibus autem istis semper attendenda est quantitas multitudinis seu societatis. Quod enim saperet divitias uni vel duobus sapit usum pauperem et inopem triginta vel centum hominibus”.
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Todeschini, G. (2023). Franciscan Wealth: The Roots of Franciscan Economic Thought. In: Rotondi, V., Santori, P. (eds) Rethinking Economics Starting from the Commons. Contributions to Economics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-23324-1_5
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