THE INFLUENCE OF THE WORK OF RAMON LLULL IN THE
CONSTRUCTION OF THE IDENTITY OF JESUS IN THE EARLY MIDDLE
AGES
MARRONI, Paula Carolina Teixeira – Aluna do Programa de Pós Graduação em
Educação da Universidade Estadual de Maringá – PR (Brasil) – PPE/UEM
ABSTRACT
This paper suggests reflections on the importance of the work of Ramon Llull
(1232/1235 – 1316, Palma, Spain) for the construction of Jesus’ identity in the
thirteenth century, specifically, as example, The Order of Chivalry (1279 – 1283). This
work is featured as a manual that in addition to dictate the rules of behavior and
Christian ideals of chivalry, sets as the function of this group to “maintain and defend
the Catholic faith”. These characters are regarded as men sent by God to defend the
world and convert the infidels. This group represented the ethical and moral values to be
followed by society, because besides the nobility and courage, the chivalry were
supposed to present morality and Christian virtues. Thus, in correlating the office of the
Knight to a Christian need – based on Just War proposed by St. Augustine (354 – 430)
and later at the Peace of God, which sought the extinction of chivalry violence – Ramon
Llull compares victory of the chivalry and Christian’s faith to the victory of Christ. Also
concerned to symbolism relating the cross and the sword, the need for a sacred
ceremony for the consecration of the knight, there is the identity of a victorious and just
Jesus Christ transmitted by Ramon Llull. To the chivalry, therefore, is delegated the
responsibility to transmit this courageous, righteous, just and victorious Jesus Christ.
Keywords: Chivalry, Ramon Llull, Christian faith.
1. Introduction
The Identity of Jesus can be presented in different ways at different times, and
the study of this identity is relevant and influences in several areas of knowledge, such
as education. Ramon Llull, Spanish monk who had previously been prepared to be a
knight, is presented here as an important name influenced by Patristic. Writing a work
of more than 200 volumes1, conveyed the identity of Jesus Christ as brave, righteous
and having salvation.
1
COSTA, Ricardo da. Ramon Llull, La cruzada y lãs ordenes militares de caballeria. Conferencia
proferida no Seminário Cristianismo e Islã – o caso de Tortosa e Tartous no Mediterrâneo. Evento
organizado pela Faculdade de Ciências Jurídicas e Políticas da Universidade Internacional da Catalunia
(UIC), Barcelona, 2005. Disponível em: www.ricardodacosta.com. Acesso em 22 mar 2012.
This paper analyzes the influence of the work of Ramon Llull to build the
identity of Jesus in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth. Considering the immense
work of Ramon Llull, more than 200 books, one for this work was selected to be
considered here as an important education manual for knights - The Book of the Order
of Chivalry
2
(1279 – 12833). This knight, who defends the faith of Christ, is
courageous, righteous and saviors because sent by God to take his word to the infidels,
may be an important figure for understanding the construction of the identity of Jesus in
the Middle Ages.
This study is built in the following order: a brief presentation of the life and
work of the monk of Mallorca, the contextualization of medieval chivalry and work
reference source, seeking, as a whole, demonstrate the influence of Llull in building the
identity of Jesus in the Middle Ages . The theoretical framework in which this work is
based is the Social History, presented by Castro4 among other methodologies, such as
classical and comprehensive as shall be seen as a perspective of synthesis, opposing the
traditional historiography.
2. The life and work of Ramon Llull and the influence Patristic
Ramon Llull was born in Mallorca, or Majorca, Palma - Spain was, according to
Souza5, landowner and close to the nobility, which justifies education to became knight,
or Miles Christi.
According to Zierer6, Ramon Llull devoted to the conversion of infidels in a vast
work that has profoundly pedagogical nature. It is presented as a monk who was related
to important men of his time with the central goal of teaching how to be a good
Christian and get salvation.
To present the construction of Christian identity through Llull, it is noteworthy
that for him, it was evident the superiority of Christian doctrine in relation to others, and
2
LLULL, Ramon. O livro da Ordem de Cavalaria. Trad. Ricardo da Costa. São Paulo: Giordano,
Instituto Brasileiro de Filosofia e Ciência “Raimundo Lúlio” (Ramon Llull), 2000.
3
The definition of the date 1279 – 1283 is presented by Zierer – ZIERER, Adriana. O modelo
Pedagógico de Cavaleiro segundo Ramon Llull. In: OLIVEIRA, T. e MACHADO, M. C. G.(org)
Educação na Historia. São Luiz, MA. Editora UEMA, 2008.
4
CASTRO, Hebe. História Social. In: CARDOSO, Ciro.Flamarion; VAINFAS, Ronaldo. (orgs).
Domínios da história: ensaios de teoria e metodologia. Rio de Janeiro: Campus, 1997.
5
SOUZA, Ana Aparecida Arguelho de. Literatura e História na Educação Medieval. Mirabilia 13.
Junho-dezembro de 2011. ISSN 1676-5818.
6
ZIERER, Adriana. O modelo Pedagógico de Cavaleiro segundo Ramon Llull. In: OLIVEIRA, T. e
MACHADO, M. C. G.(org) Educação na Historia. São Luiz, MA. Editora UEMA, 2008.
he sought rational arguments to justify the instruction of the faithful of other religions,
specially the Muslims. Ramon Llull was fluent in Catalan, his mother tongue, Latin and
Arabic, as one of his mentors was an Arab. Probably this is the cause of the ease of
communication with Muslims and the importance of Llull at the time of the Crusades
and the attempt to bring the word of God Christian to Islam.
Llull's work appears as catechetical, in order of conversion from Islam, the
strengthening of the Christian faith through education of children of the nobility and
chivalry, as well as the expression of art.
It is possible to identify in his work an important influence of Patristics Heritage.
Souza7 points out that in medieval historiography demonstrates two major currents: the
Fathers, whose representative is St. Augustine, and Scholastic, represented by Thomas
Aquinas. For this author, Patristics is "the current education that covers the early
centuries of the medieval church and corresponds to the period beginning the work of
the first priests, nearly all of them educators who seek to reconcile the Greco-Roman
culture with Christianity"7.
One of the important Patristic influences in Llull’s work is Just War, proposed
by St. Augustine, so that the war waged in the name of God would be a justified war seeking to conquer the infidels and defeat the enemies of Christ. This ideal, according to
Franco Junior8 was incorporated in medieval times, linked to the Peace of God, a try to
attract the secular knights to the Christian faith, and Christianizing chivalry. It is
observed a strong presence of this heritage in the work The Book of the Order of
Chivalry, as Ramon Llull expressed clearly assigning the knight the responsibility and
the office to defend and maintain the Christian faith, even through war.
3. The context of Milles Christi and The Book of Order of Chivalry
Educational models and examples of conduct are hallmarks in different
civilizations9. It is observed that the educational phenomenon is called to contribute to
this social and educational process. This phenomenon may be considered by several
actions, since the transmission of values and knowledge spontaneously in the family,
7
Idem note 5, p.20.
FRANCO JR, Hilário. O feudalismo. São Paulo: Editora Brasiliense, 1983.
9
LUPI, João. O discurso da Guerra e da Paz no Portugal Medievo. In: ZIERER, Adriana (org), SOUZA,
Neila, GOMES, Flavia Santos (colab). Uma viagem pela Idade Média: estudos interdisciplinares. São
Luis: Editora UEMA, p.127 – 144, 2010.
8
religious and social life, among others, to the formulation of strategies for teaching the
most varied, such as education for social workers or role models.
Thus, the transmission of a model of social behavior implies an ideal man, at
times presented as fearless, brave and protective, or ideal for being responsible for their
actions:
[...] Todas as civilizações praticaram a guerra, e a praticam
ainda, e quase todas têm o guerreiro como máximo herói,
geralmente no topo das classes sociais e dirigentes. É tido como
uma mostra, ou um ícone, da questão de sobrevivência, pela
necessidade de usar armas para defender o grupo, a cultura, a
civilização ou o império10
Considering the affirmation of Lupi about the existence of models of heroes in
all civilizations, standing out from the medieval period, especially between the eleventh
and twelfth centuries, we observe the formation of a figure that can be presented as a
male model to be followed in that society: the knight.
Com alguma freqüência é apresentada para nós, nos dias
atuais, a imagem idealizada de cavalaria medieval como a
de um grupo formado por homens de elevada conduta
moral e ética, voltados à proteção dos fracos e oprimidos,
com uma fidelidade inabalável ao seu senhor ou rei e à
palavra dada em juramento 11.
Besides Arias11, Barthelemy12 also states that even today, the figure of the
knight, especially the French knight, appears as a model of courage and generosity. This
idealized figure, an example to be followed because God -fearing and defender of the
Christian faith established itself as an icon in the medieval period, especially during the
Crusades.
10 “
[...] All civilizations practiced the war, and still practice, and almost all have the warrior hero as
maximum, usually at the top of the social classes and managers. It is seen as a show, or an icon, the
question of survival, the need to use weapons to defend the group, culture, civilization or empire (LUPI,
2010, p. 127”). 9 LUPI, João. O discurso da Guerra e da Paz no Portugal Medievo. In: ZIERER, Adriana
(org), SOUZA, Neila, GOMES, Flavia Santos (colab). Uma viagem pela Idade Média: estudos
interdisciplinares. São Luis: Editora UEMA, p.127 – 144, 2010.
11
With some frequency the knight is presented to us today, with the idealized image of medieval chivalry
as a group of men of high moral and ethical conduct, concerned with protecting the weak and oppressed,
with an unwavering loyalty to his lord or king and the word given on oath (ARIAS, 2010 p.11). ARIAS,
Ademir Aparecido de Moraes. A Rapina como meio de vida da aristocracia cavaleiresca: o exemplo da
“Gesta dos Lorenos”. n: ZIERER, Adriana (org), SOUZA, Neila, GOMES, Flavia Santos (colab). Uma
viagem pela Idade Média: estudos interdisciplinares. São Luis: Editora UEMA, p.11 – 18, 2010.
12
BARTHÉLEMY, Dominique. La legende dorée dês chevaliers du Moyen Age. L’Histoire. Puiseaux: n.
224 Juin 2000.
According to Barthelemy13, its constitution was composed by an ideal of dignity,
justice and mercy, with an explicit code of conduct to be followed. As noted in the work
of Ramon Llull, (1279 - 1283), The Book of Order of Chivalry also sets a code of
conduct to be followed. However, this rider is presented as a model of the priesthood
perhaps after, Franco Junior14, connect to the precepts of the Church, which sought to
civilize them and mold them to a function.
It is noteworthy that for Franco Junior14, Duby15 and Arias16 the knight had a
position of prominence, the best, as an example of education being followed. His
attitude was, therefore, admired by all, examined and ordered by his master. But they
were endowed with feelings which sought to combat, such as jealousy, revenge,
betrayal, love, passions. This chivalrous ideal, therefore, according to Franco Junior,
and Duby was necessary for the Church needed to Christianize this model. Barthelemy12
establishes a relation with Duby regarding the information that the consecration
ceremonies were once held the rider without the presence of priests or nuns, going to
have the presence of these authorities, which may suggest to him that Christianity meant
to directly relate the cavalry with the function of defending the church. According
Zierer17 this is the main educational function of the Book Of The Order Of Chivalry Empowering Knight to take the word of God and defend the Christian faith - to defend,
the symbolism of the sword, Christ a warrior and conqueror.
Models of how to be a knight were also important. Numerous works have been
prepared in order to exalt the values and model of education that a knight of Christ, or
Milles Christi should follow. The work in question in this work can be considered an
important source that presents the everyday and the knights who followed the rules this
time.
Education Manual of the rider, the nobility and assistance to the social order and
its consequent saving17, the Book of Order of Chivalry was in accordance with the
purposes of the church, as well as demonstrating the code of conduct, sought
appreciation of the rider in relation to society and the importance of taking God's word,
fighting for it. The adoption of Christian precepts in daily life and the lives of influential
and important figures for the period is clearly presented in this book, written by a monk
13
BARTHÉLEMY, Dominique. La Mutation de l’an mil a-t-elle eu lieu? Paris: Fayard, 1997.
Idem note 8.
15
DUBY, Georges. A sociedade Cavaleiresca. Tradução de Antônio de Pádua Danesil. São Paulo:
Martins Fontes, 1989.
16
Idem note 10.
17
Idem note 6.
14
who was also educated as a knight - so based on his experience, reflection and ideals
that intended to expose.
Zierer and Souza indicate that the primary objective of Llull’s book is the
defense of the Catholic Church and the upgrading of the ideal of the crusade. The ideal
would be most important, therefore, virtues such as justice, wisdom, charity, loyalty,
truth, humility, strength and hope, all preceded by the most important - love and fear
God, never losing faith. The symbolism of Christ's death and the symbolism of the
Cross Cross belonging to the sword, the knight remembered that it was the sword that
they would defeat the enemies of the cross. So this is the identity of a knight who
represented the faith of Christ a winner, right, who defeated the enemy, the infidels, the
persecutors. For Souza, the work presents the initiation ritual to which the children of
the nobility were submitted as a condition of membership, the status of rider.
4. Final Considerations
This study aimed to present the importance of the work of Ramon Llull to build
the identity of Jesus in the thirteenth century by the example of the work The Book
Order Of Chivalry (1279-1283). It has been considered here that the identity of Jesus
linked to Milles Christi was that as the figure of Jesus, the knight should be bold and
win. However, the symbolism of the sword as a cross to settle the enemies of Christian
faith and the cross itself was being built over time, and is related to the need to
overcome the enemy, even if it was necessary death. As shown, the work highlighted a
manual reveals that in addition to dictate the rules of behavior and the Christian ideals
of chivalry, sets as a function of this group to "maintain and defend the Catholic faith".
Knights in this sense are regarded as men sent by God to defend the world and convert
the infidels, representing ethical and moral values to be followed by society, as well as
the nobility and courage, it took the knight morality and Christian virtues.
There were briefly presented the relations of life and work of Ramon Llull with
the influence of Patristics Saint Augustine (354 – 430), who proposed the Just War and
later at the Peace of God, who sought the extinction of knightly violence, and the
context of Milles Christi. In, The Book Of The Order Of Chivalry, Ramon Llulll
compares the Christian Knight and the victory of the Christian faith to the victory of
Christ. With a big symbolism relating to the cross the sword, the need for a sacred
ceremony for the consecration of the rider, there is the identity of a victorious Jesus
Christ and just passed by Ramon Llull. In the cavalry, therefore, is delegated the
responsibility to pass this Jesus Christ courageous, righteous and having salvation.
5. References
ARIAS, Ademir Aparecido de Moraes. A Rapina como meio de vida da aristocracia
cavaleiresca: o exemplo da “Gesta dos Lorenos”. n: ZIERER, Adriana (org), SOUZA,
Neila, GOMES, Flavia Santos (colab). Uma viagem pela Idade Média: estudos
interdisciplinares. São Luis: Editora UEMA, p.11 – 18, 2010.
BARTHÉLEMY, Dominique. La legende dorée dês chevaliers du Moyen Age.
L’Histoire. Puiseaux: n. 224 Juin 2000.
_______________________ La Mutation de l’an mil a-t-elle eu lieu? Paris: Fayard,
1997.
CASTRO, Hebe. História Social. In: CARDOSO, Ciro.Flamarion; VAINFAS, Ronaldo.
(orgs). Domínios da história: ensaios de teoria e metodologia. Rio de Janeiro:
Campus, 1997.
COSTA, Ricardo da. Ramon Llull, La cruzada y lãs ordenes militares de caballeria.
Conferencia proferida no Seminário Cristianismo e Islã – o caso de Tortosa e Tartous
no Mediterrâneo. Evento organizado pela Faculdade de Ciências Jurídicas e Políticas
da Universidade Internacional da Catalunia (UIC), Barcelona, 2005. Disponível em:
www.ricardodacosta.com. Acesso em 22 mar 2012.
_____________ A sociedade Cavaleiresca. Tradução de Antônio de Pádua Danesil.
São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 1989.
FRANCO JR, Hilário. O feudalismo. São Paulo: Editora Brasiliense, 1983.
LLULL, Ramon. O livro da Ordem de Cavalaria. Trad. Ricardo da Costa. São Paulo:
Giordano, Instituto Brasileiro de Filosofia e Ciência “Raimundo Lúlio” (Ramon Llull),
2000.
LUPI, João. n: ZIERER, Adriana (org), SOUZA, Neila, GOMES, Flavia Santos (colab).
Uma viagem pela Idade Média: estudos interdisciplinares. São Luis: Editora UEMA,
p.127 – 144, 2010.
SOUZA, Neila Matias de. A demanda do Santo Graal e o melhor dos melhores
cavaleiros do mundo. In: ZIERER, Adriana (org), SOUZA, Neila, GOMES, Flavia
Santos (colab). Uma viagem pela Idade Média: estudos interdisciplinares. São Luis:
Editora UEMA, p.247-262, 2010.
SOUZA, Ana Aparecida Arguelho de. Literatura e História na Educação Medieval.
Mirabilia 13. Junho-dezembro de 2011. ISSN 1676-5818.
ZIERER, Adriana (org), SOUZA, Neila, GOMES, Flavia Santos (colab). Uma viagem
pela Idade Média: estudos interdisciplinares. São Luis: Editora UEMA, 2010.
_______________ O modelo Pedagógico de Cavaleiro segundo Ramon Llull. In:
OLIVEIRA, T. e MACHADO, M. C. G.(org) Educação na Historia. São Luiz, MA.
Editora UEMA, 2008.