In _The Poor in the Middle Ages_ Michel Mollat links the emergence of the
iconography of Christ as worker to the shift in perceptions of the poor
during the turbulent decades of the latter half of the 14th century (pp.
220-37). He implies that the new perception of the poor as a menacing rabble
(sometime after 1400) was motivated by the shift from seeing the pauper as
Christlike, to seeing Christ as worker-like. Helas, Mollat's book is not
well footnoted. If any of you know of studies of this theme, or better yet,
can suggest the source for Mollat's reasoning, I'd very much appreciate
hearing from you.
Willis
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Willis Johnson . Divinity School . Swift Hall . 1025 East 58th Street
University of Chicago . Chicago, IL 60637-1577 . [log in to unmask]
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