{"id":{"repo_id":"uwtsd","oai_identifier":"oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:4173"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uwtsd/oai:repository.uwtsd.ac.uk:4173","repository":{"repo_id":"uwtsd","name":"University of Wales Trinity Saint David","base_url":"https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/cgi/oai2"},"display":{"title":"The Roots of Franciscan Theology and Metaphysics: An Integrated Approach Towards Encounter, Participation, and the De-Radicalisation of Difference","abstract":"This thesis argues that the Franciscan theological tradition, rooted in the spiritual attributes of humility, poverty, and simplicity, and shaped by metaphysical motifs such as freedom, relationality, and moral goodness, offers a coherent and constructive framework for interfaith dialogue. By retrieving the theological and metaphysical vision implicit in the life and witness of Francis of Assisi, the thesis demonstrates that these elements function not merely as devotional ideals, but as the foundations of a theology of encounter and a metaphysics of participation. Chapters 1.0–3.0 trace the emergence of these themes through an exploration of the roots of Franciscan spirituality, with particular attention to hospitality and the agency of the other, as exemplified in Francis of Assisi’s historic meeting with the Sultan during the Fifth Crusade. Chapters 4.0 and 5.0 examine how these Franciscan attributes and metaphysical motifs are developed within the medieval scholastic tradition, focusing on the contributions of Bonaventure and John Duns Scotus. Particular attention is given to doctrines such as divine illumination, intuitive cognition, and contingency, showing how these concepts articulate and extend a participatory Franciscan theological vision. The thesis engages directly with the critique posed by the Radical Orthodoxy movement, particularly its claim that Franciscan theology leads to a flattening of participatory ontology and a fragmentation of theological meaning. In response, it argues that the Franciscan tradition sustains a robust participatory metaphysics grounded in divine freedom and mediated through relationality and moral goodness. Concluding with a constructive synthesis, the thesis proposes an integrated Franciscan framework for interfaith dialogue that affirms the theological integrity of encounter and the metaphysical significance of participation. This framework is embodied in the Ordinary Life, where divine presence is mediated through humility and where interfaith encounter becomes a lived theological practice oriented toward justice and peace within creation.","abstract_html":"This thesis argues that the Franciscan theological tradition, rooted in the spiritual attributes of humility, poverty, and simplicity, and shaped by metaphysical motifs such as freedom, relationality, and moral goodness, offers a coherent and constructive framework for interfaith dialogue. By retrieving the theological and metaphysical vision implicit in the life and witness of Francis of Assisi, the thesis demonstrates that these elements function not merely as devotional ideals, but as the foundations of a theology of encounter and a metaphysics of participation. Chapters 1.0–3.0 trace the emergence of these themes through an exploration of the roots of Franciscan spirituality, with particular attention to hospitality and the agency of the other, as exemplified in Francis of Assisi’s historic meeting with the Sultan during the Fifth Crusade. Chapters 4.0 and 5.0 examine how these Franciscan attributes and metaphysical motifs are developed within the medieval scholastic tradition, focusing on the contributions of Bonaventure and John Duns Scotus. Particular attention is given to doctrines such as divine illumination, intuitive cognition, and contingency, showing how these concepts articulate and extend a participatory Franciscan theological vision. The thesis engages directly with the critique posed by the Radical Orthodoxy movement, particularly its claim that Franciscan theology leads to a flattening of participatory ontology and a fragmentation of theological meaning. In response, it argues that the Franciscan tradition sustains a robust participatory metaphysics grounded in divine freedom and mediated through relationality and moral goodness. Concluding with a constructive synthesis, the thesis proposes an integrated Franciscan framework for interfaith dialogue that affirms the theological integrity of encounter and the metaphysical significance of participation. This framework is embodied in the Ordinary Life, where divine presence is mediated through humility and where interfaith encounter becomes a lived theological practice oriented toward justice and peace within creation.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Dawson, Sian"],"institution":"University of Wales Trinity Saint David","degree_name":"dprof","degree_level":"doctoral","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-03","date_published":"2026-03","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:53:11Z","subjects":["BR Cristnogaeth","BV Diwinyddiaeth Ymarferol"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.grantnumber","label":"Dc Identifier Grantnumber","values":["UWTSD"],"render_values":[{"text":"UWTSD","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://doi.org/10.82227/repository.uwtsd.ac.uk.00004173","outbound_label":"DOI","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.doi"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.sponsor","label":"Sponsor","values":["University of Wales Trinity Saint David"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Dawson, Sian"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2026-03-04"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2026-03"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.commercial","label":"Dc Publisher Commercial","values":["University of Wales Trinity Saint David"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Traethodau PhD","Institute of Education and Humanities: Humanities and Social Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Wales Trinity Saint David"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/4173/"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Gosodiad"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["doctoral"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["dprof"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["BR Cristnogaeth","BV Diwinyddiaeth Ymarferol"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.doi","label":"DOI","values":["10.82227/repository.uwtsd.ac.uk.00004173"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.grantnumber","label":"Dc Identifier Grantnumber","values":["UWTSD"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/4173/1/Dawson_S_ProfDoc_Thesis.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis argues that the Franciscan theological tradition, rooted in the spiritual attributes of humility, poverty, and simplicity, and shaped by metaphysical motifs such as freedom, relationality, and moral goodness, offers a coherent and constructive framework for interfaith dialogue. By retrieving the theological and metaphysical vision implicit in the life and witness of Francis of Assisi, the thesis demonstrates that these elements function not merely as devotional ideals, but as the foundations of a theology of encounter and a metaphysics of participation. Chapters 1.0–3.0 trace the emergence of these themes through an exploration of the roots of Franciscan spirituality, with particular attention to hospitality and the agency of the other, as exemplified in Francis of Assisi’s historic meeting with the Sultan during the Fifth Crusade. Chapters 4.0 and 5.0 examine how these Franciscan attributes and metaphysical motifs are developed within the medieval scholastic tradition, focusing on the contributions of Bonaventure and John Duns Scotus. Particular attention is given to doctrines such as divine illumination, intuitive cognition, and contingency, showing how these concepts articulate and extend a participatory Franciscan theological vision. The thesis engages directly with the critique posed by the Radical Orthodoxy movement, particularly its claim that Franciscan theology leads to a flattening of participatory ontology and a fragmentation of theological meaning. In response, it argues that the Franciscan tradition sustains a robust participatory metaphysics grounded in divine freedom and mediated through relationality and moral goodness. Concluding with a constructive synthesis, the thesis proposes an integrated Franciscan framework for interfaith dialogue that affirms the theological integrity of encounter and the metaphysical significance of participation. This framework is embodied in the Ordinary Life, where divine presence is mediated through humility and where interfaith encounter becomes a lived theological practice oriented toward justice and peace within creation."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["text"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Roots of Franciscan Theology and Metaphysics: An Integrated Approach Towards Encounter, Participation, and the De-Radicalisation of Difference"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.sponsor":["University of Wales Trinity Saint David"],"dc:creator":["Dawson, Sian"],"dc:date":["2026-03-04"],"dc:date.issued":["2026-03"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis argues that the Franciscan theological tradition, rooted in the spiritual attributes of humility, poverty, and simplicity, and shaped by metaphysical motifs such as freedom, relationality, and moral goodness, offers a coherent and constructive framework for interfaith dialogue. By retrieving the theological and metaphysical vision implicit in the life and witness of Francis of Assisi, the thesis demonstrates that these elements function not merely as devotional ideals, but as the foundations of a theology of encounter and a metaphysics of participation. Chapters 1.0–3.0 trace the emergence of these themes through an exploration of the roots of Franciscan spirituality, with particular attention to hospitality and the agency of the other, as exemplified in Francis of Assisi’s historic meeting with the Sultan during the Fifth Crusade. Chapters 4.0 and 5.0 examine how these Franciscan attributes and metaphysical motifs are developed within the medieval scholastic tradition, focusing on the contributions of Bonaventure and John Duns Scotus. Particular attention is given to doctrines such as divine illumination, intuitive cognition, and contingency, showing how these concepts articulate and extend a participatory Franciscan theological vision. The thesis engages directly with the critique posed by the Radical Orthodoxy movement, particularly its claim that Franciscan theology leads to a flattening of participatory ontology and a fragmentation of theological meaning. In response, it argues that the Franciscan tradition sustains a robust participatory metaphysics grounded in divine freedom and mediated through relationality and moral goodness. Concluding with a constructive synthesis, the thesis proposes an integrated Franciscan framework for interfaith dialogue that affirms the theological integrity of encounter and the metaphysical significance of participation. 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