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Ibn 'Arabi's contemporaries in the Christian world
Francis of Assisi (1181–1226)
Like Ibn 'Arabi, Francis abandoned a military career in favour
of a life of spiritual poverty. Founder of the Franciscan order of friars,
he visited Egypt with the Crusaders in 1219, meeting the Ayyubid Sultan,
al-Kamil, on friendly terms. After a brief stay in the Holy Land in 1220,
he returned to Italy, where he completed his Rule and what is possibly
the earliest extant poem in Italian, the "Canticle of the Sun".
By his emphasis on Jesus' teaching of absolute poverty, Francis demonstrated
a new meaning to the power of humility and love.
Albertus Magnus (1193–1280)
Born in Bavaria, he joined the Dominican order and taught in Germany.
For the last 20 years of his life he lived and wrote in Cologne. The "Doctor
Universalis" of the Christian world, Albertus is best-known for the
breadth of his knowledge, on subjects as diverse as astronomy, meteorology,
mechanics, anthropology, architecture and navigation. He was also one
of the primary transmitters of Greek philosophy, teaching the texts of
Aristotle in Paris through the translations of Averroes.
Thomas Aquinas (c.1224–74)
Born near Naples, he joined the Dominicans and became the foremost pupil
of Albertus Magnus in Cologne. His life was dedicated to teaching, holding
disputations and preaching, in Paris and Italy. Later known as the "Angelic
Doctor" and the "Angel of the Schools", he represents the
pinnacle of medieval scholasticism. His great unfinished work, Summa
Theologica, puts him at the forefront of Christian theology.
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