| FB-51939-05 | Research Programs: Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars | John Victor Tolan | Francis of Assisi's Mission to al-Kâmil of Egypt in Western Art and Historiography | 1/1/2005 - 9/30/2005 | $40,000.00 | John | Victor | Tolan | | | | Oregon State University | Corvallis | OR | 97331-8655 | USA | 2004 | Interdisciplinary Studies, General | Fellowships for College Teachers and Independent Scholars | Research Programs | 40000 | 0 | 40000 | 0 |
In September, 1219, Francis of Assisi went to Egypt to preach to Sultan al-Malik al- Kâmil. Though we in fact know very little about this event, writers from the thirteenth century to the twentieth have portrayed Francis alternatively as a new apostle preaching to the infidels, a scholastic theologian proving the truth of Christianity, a champion of the crusading ideal, a naive and quixotic wanderer, a crazed religious fanatic, or a medieval Gandhi preaching peace, love and understanding. My study of the varying depictions of this lapidary encounter will attempt to throw into relief the changing fears and hopes that Muslim- Christian encounters inspire in European writers over eight centuries. |