16～17세기 프랑스의 자선양식에 나타난 ‘진정한’ 빈민에 대한 고찰

Abstract

]The veritable poor is designated as a principal subject of charity in the wills of French people in the 16th and 17th centuries. The analysis of the wills makes clear the conception the testators had about the true poor. Firstly, the veritable poor can be represented by concrete poor with whom testators had very close relations. In case of testators who didn't maintain the direct relations with the poor, they can be purged of their sins by providing the charity for the hospitals or the 'abstract' poor. Secondly, charity to veritable poor enhances the possibility to be accepted to the Heaven. The charity to the poors who are not veritable poor weakens the expected effects to donators. Thirdly, the exercise of charity to the concrete poor at the moment of death means the prolongation of the charity that testator has done in his life. It is certain that the testator had already done charity to these concrete poor. A good example of veritable poor was the shamefaced poor, who suffer all the more from their high position in social hierarchy. They cannot demand publicly charity in the street. Because of their high social status, they are supposed reluctantly to appear in public. The existence of the shamefaced poor was a representation of the possible collapse of the social order in that time. Therefore, they were the most important beneficiary of topology of charity.(Chungnam National University/capsoclee@yahoo.com)