La sanctification in utero de Joseph : une proposition gersonienne
Joseph’s in utero sanctification : a gersonian suggestionIn 1413, Jean Gerson launched what could be described as a huge campaign in favour of Joseph, at a time when Mary's spouse was seldom considered a saint and was of very little interest to theologians or predicators, with the exception of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | fra |
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Centre de Recherches Historiques
2012-04-01
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| Series: | L'Atelier du CRH |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/acrh/4246 |
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| Summary: | Joseph’s in utero sanctification : a gersonian suggestionIn 1413, Jean Gerson launched what could be described as a huge campaign in favour of Joseph, at a time when Mary's spouse was seldom considered a saint and was of very little interest to theologians or predicators, with the exception of a few Franciscans. However, among the privileges and virtues ascribed to Joseph by the chancellor, lies, surprisingly, the idea of in utero sanctification, a reminder of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, a notion also staunchly defended by Gerson and his master Pierre d’Ailly. This affirmation is however carefully exposed, as something that we can “piously believe in”.On the occasion of a sermon delivered at the Constance council, Gerson exposed this idea with more clarity by making a distinction between the holy Virgin who is totally preserved from the original sin, and Joseph who was sanctified while in his mother's womb. The logic in this arises from a comparison with John the Baptist considered consecrated in utero during the Visitation episode.In an attempt to assert Joseph's superiority on John the Baptist, Gerson credits him with at least one comparable virtue. What is at stake is the recognition of Joseph's holiness, a notion whose definition is a delicate matter since he probably died before the Passion and cannot be acknowledged as a martyr.Even though the gersonian formulation remains quite original, the idea of in utero sanctification has most probably matured through his association with other admirers of the holy Virgin's spouse, such as Pierre d'Ailly or the Celestin Pierre Pocquet. It also stems from oriental liturgical sources that are more difficult to identify. However, his proposition was not widely acclaimed : taken over by a few authors of the 15th and 16th centuries, it was eventually explicitly rejected when the worshipping and the sanctity of Joseph was no longer questioned.However it remains as a testimony of strong theological audacity, in a time the still unclear borders of the Immaculate Conception, sanctification and consecration, when the disruptions of the Great Schism made the need for inaccessible purity more acute. |
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| ISSN: | 1760-7914 |