Les miracles chez saint vincent ferrier
Institution:
Université Marc Bloch (Strasbourg) (1971-2008)Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
The study of the miracles in saint vincent ferrer touches on an essential feature of the evolution of the mentalities at the end of the middle ages. At that time, the assertion of realism and reason went hand in hand with a growth and a diversification in miracles. The structure of the depositions made in vannes, toulouse and naples showed that miracles were not rejected during the canonization procedure. A shift from physical to moral miracles accompanied the integration of the aforementioned. A theological construction underlies the accounts of the miracles in which vincent is identified with the saints, the apostles and christ, all those he had imitated in his life. In his sermons and treatises, vincent prefered to rely on the scriptures rather than on misleading wonders. The surnaturalisation resulted from a rereading of historical and personal events in the light of the bible and from its updating. A miracle is an eschatological schema that takes part in the preaching of doomsday against millenarist and revolutionary tendencies. Vincent emphasized personal responsibility and announced salvation to the distraught victims of the plague, to those of the hundred years'war as well as to the floch led astray by the great schism. So as to reform and unify the church, vincent inaugurated itinerant popular preaching which took him from spain to italy, from the south of france to brittany. Eager to obtain sincere conversions among the sinners, the heretics, the jews and the muslims, vincent adopted a festive language integrating the miraculous and the supernatural that filled the masses, impervious to scholastic quibbles, with enthusiasm. Both the frantic search for miracles and the common practice of flagellation reflected the same fear : that of being unworthy of salvation. The overabundance of miracles was also brought about by the progress in the field of sacramental teaching, owing to the analogy between sacramentals, sacraments and miracles.
Abstract FR:
L'etude des miracles chez saint vincent ferrier touche un aspect essentiel de l'evolution des mentalites a la fin du moyen-age. L'affirmation du realisme et de la raison s'accompagne alors d'une multiplication et d'une diversification des miracles. La structure des depositions faites a vannes, toulouse et naples montre que le miracle n'est pas rejete lors du proces de canonisation. Son integration s'accompagne d'un glissement des miracles physiques vers les miracles moraux. Une construction theologique sous-tend ces recits de miracles ou vincent est identifie aux saints, aux apotres et au christ, qu'il avait imites toute sa vie. Dans ses sermons et traites, vincent prefere l'appui des ecritures aux prodiges trompeurs. La surnaturalisation resulte d'une relecture des evenements historiques et personnels a la lumiere de la bible, d'une actualisation de celle-ci. Le miracle est un scheme eschatologique qui participe a la predication du jugement dernier contre les tendances millenaristes et revolutionnaires. Vincent rappelle la responsabilite personnelle et annonce le salut aux traumatises de la peste. Aux victimes de la guerre de cent ans, aux brebis egarees par le grand schisme. Pour reformer l'eglise dans ses membres et faire l'unite, vincent inaugure la grande predication populaire itinerante, qui le mene d'espagne en italie, du midi a la bretagne. Soucieux d'obtenir des conversions sinceres chez les pecheurs, les heretiques comme chez les juifs et les musulmans, vincent adopte un langage festif integrant le miraculeux et le merveilleux qui enthousiasment les masses hermetiques aux arguties de la scolastique. La recherche effrenee de miracles comme la pratique des flagellations par les foules revelent la meme peur de ne pas meriter le salut. L'inflation des miracles resulte aussi des progres de la pastorale dans le domaine sacramentel, du fait de l'analogie entre sacramentaux, sacrements et miracles qui relevent pareillement de l'efficacite symbolique.