Hospes venit, Christus venit: Hospitality, Healing, and the Opera Misericordiae in the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

As a whole, this essay reminds the reader of the central value of hospitality to Christian practice. Philanthropy (a love for humanity), as argued by the essay, was distinctive to the Christian mission and ethos. This essay rightly argues that this value must be retained in order for the Christian faith to fulfill its mission, as demonstrated through the brief study of charity in the Gospel of Matthew.

As a way of a case study, this essay offers an excellent historical study of Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala. Although the vocabulary throughout demonstrates need for a working knowledge that not all readers -- even scholarly readers -- may possess, it does not detract from the historical narrative that is woven together. The section on the frescos of di Bartolo help bear this out visually. Overall, the argument is warranted and constructed well.

Only two small points of critique: I would have liked to see some textual scholarship brought to the conversation regarding the use of Gospel of Matthew. There is often a false "either/or" binary when engaging biblical scholarship, to which this essay could subtly offer a "both/and" perspective.

Also, if possible, photographs of the frescos discussed would be helpful. Obviously, one would use open access photos, which may limit how many could be used.

 

Author Response

First and foremost, please extend my gratitude to the reviewer for having taken the time to evaluate this piece, for their enthusiasm, and constructive comments. 

There were two points for consideration here:

1. "I would have liked to see some textual scholarship brought to the conversation regarding the use of Gospel of Matthew. There is often a false "either/or" binary when engaging biblical scholarship, to which this essay could subtly offer a "both/and" perspective."

I think that the reviewer here is suggesting that I speak a little more to the "inclusive spirit" of the Matthean Gospel that extends the scope of care beyond the Christian community (not us v them, but an all-together approach). I have added a short  paragraph to drive this point home:

At page 4, where I cite the following text: “Truly I tell you,” he says after listing the saving actions (of feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, etc), “just as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Mt 25.40) . . . I have added the following (highlighted in yellow in the revised article):

There is debate in Biblical scholarship as to whether the reference here to “my brothers” intended to limit the scope of concern to the Christian community alone. Interestingly, this same verse is repeated again in the text moments later (Mt 25.45), but the reference to “my brothers” is left out altogether. The late New Testament scholar Benedict Viviano is convinced that the reach of the mandate to care for others is best understood in the gospel of Matthew in its broadest sense, seeing “any human being as the object of ethical duty” (Viviano 1990, p. 669). This is in line with theologian Mitchell Reddish’s reading of Matthew as having clear hints of a “more inclusive spirit, ‘good news’ that applies to Jew and gentile alike” (Reddish 1997, p. 128). According to Reddish, restrictions of Christ’s ministry to certain groups, which are mentioned in the gospel, are thought by Matthew to be only temporary: “the post-resurrection task of the disciples includes proclamation to all people” (Reddish 1997, p. 128).   

If I have misunderstood the reviewer's comments here, please let me know!

2. "Also, if possible, photographs of the frescos discussed would be helpful. Obviously, one would use open access photos, which may limit how many could be used."

Very much agreed, but I do not know how to do this without infringing on copyright laws for the journal. The image that I would want to use is Di Bartolo's Care of the Sick (it can be found all over the internet, including here on Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Domenico_di_Bartolo_-_Care_of_the_Sick_-_WGA06417.jpg), but - again - I am concerned about copyright. I think I may also have a book that has a picture of the piece in it . . . would copying that and citing the author of the text do? Or could we use the link from Wikimedia Commons? Not sure!

Many thanks!

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

The article ‘Hospes venit, Christus venit: Hospitality, Healing, and the Opera Misericordiae in the Ospedale di Santa Maria della Scala’ presents the interesting subject of the hospital complex of Santa Maria della Scala in Siena. It is one of the first xenodochiums (p. 4) and one of the first European hospitals. Today, it is one of the most interesting religious and historical sites in the city and serves as a museum.

This manuscript consists of four paragraphs, an introduction, a summary and a bibliography. In the introduction, the author outlines an introduction to the present topic and outlines the purpose of the article. The first paragraph introduces the reader to the context of hospitals and hospitality in relation to antiquity and the Middle Ages. In this section, the author referred to the Church's teaching on the care of the poor, the sick. Originally, hospitals were places for the poor (p.2). the author also emphasises that in the beginning the patient was treated as a certain ‘composition, body and soul’ (p.2). The ‘famous Benedictine maxim of hospitality, hospes venit, Cliristus venit’ (p.2), the importance of which has been forgotten in post-modern culture, is also discussed. Paragraph two introduces the reader to the subject of charity and works of mercy. The author presents the formulation of the doctrine concerning the works of mercy. The third paragraph reveals the founding of Santa Maria della Scala, a hospital that operated for nearly a thousand years (p. 4). In this paragraph, the author takes a closer look at the origins of Santa Maria della Scala from Xenodochium to the modern understanding of the hospital. Paragraph four of the manuscript is an interesting discussion of the works of Lorenzo Vecchietta and Domenico di Bartolo. The frescoes in Pellegrinaio depict unusual religious, secular, charitable and medical hospital themes (p. 5). With their realism and wealth of images taken from life, the frescoes provide a remarkable insight into the hospital's activities. They represent a rearrangement of the religious language depicted through the images and point to ‘an important element of the hospital's charitable mission’ (p. 8). The author's good knowledge of the subject undertaken deserves to be highlighted.

The manuscript submitted for review has the hallmarks of originality. Regarding the selection of literature and sources, I believe that it is sufficient and adequate to the problematic of the work. The conclusions are correct and are justified by the content and results of the work. The clarity of the argument is clear. The manuscript submitted for review is characterised by good scholarly workmanship and sourceability. The contribution to the theological research area of the work is important.

 

Taking into account the above criteria, I rate the reviewed work very good.

Author Response

Please extend my gratitude to the reviewer for having taken the time to evaluate this piece, for their enthusiasm, and constructive comments . . . all of which I appreciate very much.