Acceso usuarios
Svetlana Yatsyk
A Franciscan intellectual, preacher, and collector of exempla, John of Wales was constantly looking for new forms of pastoral instruction compatible with the social and political reality of his day. This search led John to turn to images of ancient philosophers appearing in his writings as actores rather than autores. Reinventing the bio-doxographic genre, John filled his -loquia sequence with accounts of pagan sages, referring to their writings mainly to complete their portraits. Despite the marked influence of John of Salisbury, the way in which John of Wales represented historical figures of intellectual heritage is innovative for medieval historiography; nevertheless, it closely mimics the typical model for describing Franciscan saints. The philosopher in John's writings appears as an idealized and mythologized other. John takes the liberty of emphasizing the virtues and vices of philosophers, depending on what meaning he wants to attribute to his message. A particular set of characteristics is integral to John's view of the ancients. They are highly educated and humble, enthusiastic about learning, and share John’s opinion that teaching by giving a good example is the method. They show great sobriety and patience, promote poverty, and have no fear of death. There is much in their behavior that a Franciscan might find admirable.
