Book Description

In order to determine whether there was a relationship between Franciscan poverty and the economic thought of the Franciscans, one must begin by defining the first as it had its origin in the life of Francis of Assisi and his creation of a religious order within the Catholic Church in 1209. It then becomes possible to identify the progressive development of this poverty within the Order of Friars Minor through a dialogue with successive popes and over the course of different events involving the Franciscans. At the heart of the inquiry is the discussion of various economic subjects (exchange, contracts, loans, usury, the gift) by the Franciscans Peter of John Olivi, John Duns Scotus, and Gerald Odonis, as their works establish the existence of economic thought among the Friars Minor. By continuing to follow the interaction between the Order and the papacy, one sees important changes in Franciscan poverty and, consequently, a reprise of the economic thought of Olivi, Scotus, and Odonis in the sermons of Bernardine of Sienna, who died in 1444 and provides a terminus for the present study.