Philippe de Mézières’ portrait of PeterThomas as a preacher

Abstract

In this article the geographically wide-ranging and diverse preaching activity of the Carmelite friar, Peter Thomas, subsequently  appointed as papal legate to the Eastern Mediterranean, and the way it was presented by a contemporary admirer of his, the  chancellor of the Lusignan kingdom of Cyprus Philippe de Mézières, are analysed and discussed on the basis of de Mézières’  biography of Peter Thomas. In this biography, that de Mézières wrote shortly after Peter Thomas’ death in January 1366 and with  the view to promoting an application for his canonization submitted to the pope, he was far from impartial in presenting the  legate’s activities, including his preaching. Peter Thomas preached throughout the Mediterranean area over a long period of time,  His audiences included, besides Roman Catholics, non-Latin Christians such as Greeks, Jacobites, Armenians and Nestorians, even Muslims  on certain occasions. Hence the merit of de Mézières account of Peter Thomas’ preaching is its contemporary character as well as its vivid narrative style. On the debit style his obvious partiality and ulterior motives led him to gloss over the legate’s failures  to win over audiences, including on occasion Latin Christians as well as Muslims or Greeks, and to exaggerate his successes. Therefore  his undoubtedly valuable presentation of his preaching activities has to be treated judiciously and with a degree of incredulity.