Francisco de Osuna

Francisco de Osuna (* around 1492 in Osuna near Seville in Andalusia , † around 1541 in Spain ) was a mystical theologian and religious reformer.

In 1514 he entered the Castilian Congregation of Franciscan Observants . He completed his studies at the University of Alcalá, which was founded in 1499 . In the Hermitage La Salceda he wrote writings from a. to spiritual theology. In total, he is said to have written more than 500 works. Most important of all is his treatise on contemplative prayer, Abecedario Espiritual , consisting of six alphabetically ordered spiritual maxims, the third of which became the most influential.

He was brought near the Alumbrados and had to defend himself against it. In fact, he rather develops an active contemplative theology of the collection, which has its goal in the unio mystica , but not, like the early Alumbrados, a passive doctrine of separation and passive waiting for God.

He influenced large parts of Spanish mysticism , including Theresa of Avila and John of the Cross .

literature

Francisco de Osuna: sinking. Way and direction of contemplative prayer. 2nd edition, Freiburg im Breisgau 1984, Verlag Herder (texts for reflection), ISBN 3-451-07938-0 , 143 pp.
Manuel Santos: Osuna, Francisco de. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 6, Bautz, Herzberg 1993, ISBN 3-88309-044-1 , Sp. 1324-1325. ( Article / beginning of article in Internet archive )
Peter Dyckhoff : The Spiritual ABC according to Franziskus von Osuna , Freiburg im Breisgau 2018, Verlag Herder, ISBN 978-3-451-38051-8
Hans-Jürgen Prien : Divine grace and human cooperation - Francisco de Ossuna and the beginnings of Spanish mysticism in the 16th century. , in: Hans-Jürgen Prien: The Gospel in the Occident and in the New World: Studies on Theology, Society and History / For the 65th birthday of the author ed. by Hans-Martin Barth and Michael Zeuske.- Frankfurt am Main: Vervuert, 2000 (Acta Coloniensia; Vol. 5), ISBN 3-89354-195-0 , pp. 55-68.

Individual evidence

↑ Today we write Osuna , in the 16th century we write Ossuna , cf. Prien, a. a. Cit., P. 55 fn. 1

Web links

Literature by and about Francisco de Osuna in the catalog of the German National Library

personal data
SURNAME	Osuna, Francisco de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	mystical theologian and religious reformer
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1492
PLACE OF BIRTH	Osuna , Seville
DATE OF DEATH	around 1541
Place of death	Spain

[1] Today we write Osuna , in the 16th century we write Ossuna , cf. Prien, a. a. Cit., P. 55 fn. 1