The Franciscan inspiration of Ruusbroec's mystical theology. Ruusbroec in dialogue with Bonaventure and Thomas Aquinas

In this article the A. discussed some of the main doctrinal areas throughout Ruusbroec's writings in which he detected a distinctly Franciscan inspiration. Of course, Ruusbroec was not a scholastic theologian but that does not mean that he was not engaging in theology. The A. argued hat a Franciscan inspiration could be found in his trinitarian theology ; the analysis of the relation between the nothingness out of which we have been created, and sin ; the more harmonious understanding of the human will in relation to God's grace ; his elaborate descriptions of the humanity and sufferings of our Lord ; his reference to the immaculate conception of our Lady. He was also aware of the Franciscan-Dominican debate on the nature of the beatific vision and the last judgement. All this merely suggests that Ruusbroec was influence by the Franciscans ; further research is necessary to conclusively settle this issue once and for all.