Evangelization, reform and eschatology, mission and crusade in the thought of Ramon Llull

grantor: University of TorontoRamon Llull is justly famous as a philosopher, mystic, and a missionary. He is perhaps less well known as an advocate of crusade and a writer of crusade plans. This thesis seeks to reconcile the opposition between missionary efforts and crusade activities in the late Middle Ages by examining Llull's crusade and missionary ideology and placing them in the context of his thought as a whole. The results of this investigation demonstrate that these two starkly different approaches to the question of how to deal with those outside of the religious and political boundaries of the western Christian Church were in part born of identical religious inspirations and concerns. Chapter One surveys the history of western Christendom's attempts at crusade from the time of the II Council of Lyons in 1274 until approximately 1330, and also traces the emergence of a particularly medieval missionary ideology during the same period. Crusading efforts against the Muslims in the east, against Christians in Europe, and against Muslims in Spain and North Africa are all discussed briefly. The nature, character, and enduring popularity of the crusade ideal are demonstrated by way of specific examples from efforts to launch various crusades. In addition, it is shown that, although occasionally missions were embraced as a replacement for crusade, usually crusade and missions were viewed as complementary activities. In chapter two, Llull's own ideas about mission and crusade are placed into the context of the actual crusading and evangelization efforts described in chapter one. This chapter shows how Llull's plans for mission and crusade were intensely personal in inspiration, how they developed and changed in the face of external events (e.g. the fall of Acre in 1291), and how they were united in the overall context of his thought, particularly his desire that the Christian faith be exalted throughout the world. Chapters three and four tie Llull's specific plans for mission and crusade to some of his overriding religious concerns. Chapter three deals with Llull's view of the purpose for which mankind was created: to honor and glorify God. Llull sees participation in evangelization and in crusading as concrete ways of fulfilling this purpose. Chapter four looks inward and relates mission and crusade to Christian reform. If all the world is to be brought to its appointed end then Christendom itself is in need of reform as well. Llull reworks the relationship between failure in mission and crusade efforts and the sinfulness of Christian society along both traditional and strikingly original paths. The fifth and final chapter provides the eschatological context of Llull's ideas of mission and crusade. It provides an introduction to Llull's Latin treatise Liber Contra Antichristum (originally written in Catalan) and shows how profoundly eschatalogical concerns shaped Llull's thought on mission and crusade. This chapter also demonstrates how careful Llull was to stay on the path of orthodoxy: he never ventures into apocalyptic prophecy despite repeated calls for reform.Ph.D