Synopses & Reviews
Does an immense service to anyone interested in Joan of Arc... A thorough and timely book. Mystics Quarterly
Joan of Arc arrived at the French court claiming to be sent by God to come to the aid of the dauphin Charles. Most studies of Joan focus on her political expediency, but the starting point of this book is her assertion that she was sent by God: it is the first real exploration of the application of the Catholic doctrine of discretio spirituum (the discernment of spirits) to her case, and of her reception as a visionary woman.
Synopsis
Joan of Arc's self-proclaimed divinity was a prickly subject for contemporary theologians, stimulating a theological debate about her divine status and her mission to help the Dauphin Charles. Aided by the monarchists, condemned by supporters of the English, this book explores the two differing pictures of Joan as revealed through contemporary documents and the theological issues that surrounded her.
Synopsis
Does] an immense service to anyone interested in Joan of Arc... skillfully disentangles countless textual threads, all centered around one problem: the nature of Joan's mission as it was examined in the early theological debates... A thorough and timely book. MYSTICS QUARTERLY
Joan of Arc arrived at the French court claiming to be sent by God to come to the aid of the dauphin Charles. Most studies of Joan focus on her political expediency, but the starting point of this book is her assertion that she was sent by God: it is the first real exploration of the application of the Catholic doctrine of discretio spirituum the discernment of spirits] to her case, and of her reception as a visionary woman. The author examines contemporary theological documents which show genuine debate about Joan's mission and whether she was diabolically or divinely inspired, also taking into account the two major literary works dealing with her, Christine de Pizan's Ditie de Jehanne d'Arc and Martin Le Franc's Le champion des dames, as well as Joan's own letter to the English. Appendices offer translations of pertinent Latin and French texts.
Professor DEBORAH FRAIOLI teaches in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Simmons College, Boston.
Synopsis
An important examination of the true nature of Joan's mission, as debated by her contemporaries: was she divinely or diabolically inspired? It also discusses how church law was applied to her case and her position as a visionary women.
Synopsis
Joan of Arc arrived at the French court claiming to be sent by God to come to the aid of the dauphin Charles. Most studies of Joan focus on her political expediency, but the starting point of this book is her assertion that she was sent by God: it is the first real exploration of the application of the Catholic doctrine of discretio spirituum (the discernment of spirits) to her case, and of her reception as a visionary woman. The author examines contemporary theological documents which show genuine debate about Joan's mission and whether she was diabolically or divinely inspired, also taking into account the two major literary works dealing with her, Christine de Pizan's Ditie de Jehanne d'Arc and Martin Le Franc's Le champion des dames, as well as Joan's own letter to the English. Appendices offer translations of pertinent Latin and French texts. Professor DEBORAH FRAIOLI teaches in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at Simmons College, Boston.