Between Catherine of Siena and Hafez, there is not only a difference in religious belief and geographical location, but also in their approaches to how they changed their respective worlds and institutions. With Catherine, it was more direct, through her interactions with influential people and the political institutions of her time such as the papacy and Mantellate (Vauchez). Hafez’s influence, on the other hand, is seen more through the people who his poetry has influenced. For instance, in modern-day Iran, nearly every person knows at least some of his poetry, and his divan can be found in almost every household next to such influential religious works as the Quran.
Catherine of Siena:
Catherine
of Siena has had a big, but often overlooked and unnoticed impact on the Catholic
faith. However, anyone who has visited the Vatican in Italy should be aware of
it. After all, it is she who is responsible for it being located in Italy (O’Driscoll
p.10). Catherine’s time was one of great political and religious unrest and upheaval. The backdrop for a lot of that chaos was the debate over where the papacy
would be located which took center stage in both Italian politics and Catherine’s
life (Malone pp.194-195). Between the years 1309 and 1376, the papacy resided
in Avignon France instead of Rome Italy which caused economic difficulties for
Italy and political strife between the Italians and the French (who had an increased
presence in Italy during this time). Catherine saw the return of the papacy to Rome
as a vital step to bring about the peace and unity within the Church that she
felt God had called her to achieve. (Vauchez p.31) (Malone p.189) Her first
interaction with Pope Gregory XI (the current Pope at the time) came in 1374
when she was visited by the Spanish Bishop Alfonso Pecha de Vadaterra who wanted
to convince her to pray a special prayer on behalf of Gregory XI. Alfonso Pecha
de Vadaterra’s description of Catherine made such a positive impression on the
Pope that, from that time onward, she was in constant communication with the
chief representatives of the papacy via letters (Vauchez p.29). This was the
start of a chain of events that would eventually lead to her going to France to
personally convince Gregory XI to at last move the papacy to Rome which was done at
the request of Raymond of Cupula who
believed that Gregory XI would be more inclined to listen to a female mystic as
opposed to male politicians (Villegas p.3). Instead of her motivations for
political activism being based on a lust for power, or the pushing of a
political agenda, as were the case with many in the church at the time, hers
were religious in nature (Villegas p.1). For instance, even her unfortunate endorsement
of a crusade launched by the Pope against the Turks was made out of the genuine
belief that it would result in the salvation of souls (Vauchez p.29). Throughout
her life, she supported a great multitude of political causes causing some
scholars to question whether or not she is better described as a politician rather
than a mystic (Villegas p.1) The main mode of her activism was her avid letter-writing,
for which she wrote over 400 letters addressing such topics as The Great Schism
which tore the church in half towards the end of her life. (Malone p.189) Furthermore,
she was the first woman known to have written in the Tuscan dialects which, many
think, may have helped the church to move away from the mindset that Latin was the
only language in which anything important was ever written. (Noffke p.7)
Hafez:
As a poet, the impact that Hafez has had on
institutions, on the world, and on culture can be best understood through how his
poetry has impacted and influenced people. This impact and influence on people can
perhaps be best summed up by what people have said about and called Hafez and
his poetry over the years. For instance, “tongue of the unseen”, “the envy of
the source of eternal life endowed with the power to revive the expired heart
like the breaths of Christ” and much more are some of the things people have
said about his poetry (Dominic). Others say that Hafez “frees one from the shackles
of tradition”, that he is the “interpreter of mysteries”, and even that he is the poet of
death whose “cup is full of death” (Jafri). The wide variety of responses that
arise from his poetry is likely due to the fact that it was written to appeal to
everyone which is why it is laced with such universal themes such as “the rule
of love” (Leonard p.149) This universality of his writing likely came from the
same deeply held belief that led him to believe in the sacredness of taverns. He believed that taverns were places where all people were truly equal
(Jafri p.21). His poetry also connects people across time and political lines demonstrated
by the fact that it still has immense fame and popularity in modern Iran and
across the world. His divan is even fetishized by some as being imbued with
sacred otherworldly power (Dominic). This likely results from the fact that while
Hafez lived, he served under and received patronage from multiple rulers of
Shiraz (Dominic p.3-4). Another lasting impact of Hafez that pervades modern
society is the mystery and intrigue that surrounds the historical figure of
Hafez. Since there is very little known about him, many myths and unsubstantiated
rumors have sprung up about him especially involving his love life (Leonard p.
19). Today he is honored on Hafez Day on October 12th and his tomb
has become a major tourist attraction and destination for pilgrims.
Similarities and differences:
Both Catherine of Siena and Hafez left their marks on
today’s world but in radically different and unique ways. Catherine of Siena
was more direct, altering and bringing about change in institutions such as the
Catholic church through direct confrontation and political activism. Hafez was
more subtle on the other hand. While he was extremely critical of the religious
authorities of his day (especially the corrupt and hypocritical Sufis) (Dominic),
he trod more lightly around political matters. Unlike Catherine who actively sought
and practiced asceticism and poverty, Hafez was unapologetically part of the
educated upper class of Shiraz society (Vauchez) (Leonard p.18) who earned his
income through royal patronage (Domonic pp.3-4). However, both have obtained
lasting fame and popularity that continues to this day. After her death,
Catherine of Siena was canonized and given the title “Doctor of the Church” (O’Driscoll
p.9), while Hafez and his poetry are commemorated during celebrations such as
Hafez Day on October 12th.
Sources:
Catherine, and Mary O’Driscoll. Catherine of Siena-- Passion for the Truth, Compassion for Humanity : Selected Spiritual Writings. Edited by Mary O’Driscoll, New City Press, 1993.
Catherine, and Suzanne Noffke. The Letters of St. Catherine of Siena. Translated by Suzanne Nofkee, Center for Medieval and Early Renaissance Studies, State University of New York at Binghamton, 1988.
Dominic Parviz Brookshaw. Hafiz and His Contemporaries : Poetry, Performance and Patronage In Fourteenth Century Iran. I.B. Tauris, 2019. https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1089126002.
Jafri, Sardar. “Hafiz Shirazi (1312-1387-89).” Social Scientist, vol. 28, no. 1/2, 2000, pp. 12–31. EBSCOhost, https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/7586612227.
Leonard Lewisohn. Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry. I.B. Tauris, 2010.
https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/680041068.
Malone, Mary T. Women &
Christianity. Orbis Books, 2001.
Vauchez, André. Catherine of Siena : A Life of Passion and Purpose. Paulist Press, 2018.
https://bereacollege.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1022075124.
Villegas, Diana L. “Catherine of Siena’s Spirituality of Political Engagement.” Hervormde Teologiese Studies, vol. 77, no. 2, Apr. 2021, pp. 1–9. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.4102/hts.v77i2.6319.
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