Gone Medieval: St. Francis & the First Nativity Play

Podcast: Gone Medieval (History Hit)
Host: Dr. Eleanor Janega
Guest: Prof. Tim Larson McManus (Wheaton College, author of The Oxford Handbook of Christmas)
Date: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

This festive episode explores the origins of the Nativity scene as a central Christmas tradition, tracing it back to St. Francis of Assisi’s first dramatic recreation in 1223. Dr. Eleanor Janega welcomes Professor Tim Larson McManus to unpack St. Francis’s radical spirituality, theatrical flair, and enduring influence. Together, they illuminate how a thirteenth-century Italian friar reimagined religious practice for ordinary people—blurring lines between liturgy, street theater, class, and even humanity’s relationship with animals.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Setting the Scene: The Familiar Nativity (02:29–04:00)

• The hosts playfully describe the classic Nativity tableau: Mary, Joseph, the manger, shepherds, angels, animals, and a tinfoil star.
• Dr. Janega notes, “It's such a cozy and comforting scene that we couldn't imagine Christmas and a million infant school productions without it.” (03:42)
• The tradition’s roots are traced to St. Francis of Assisi in 13th-century Italy.

St. Francis’s Origin Story: Radical Renunciation (10:00–16:00)

• Prof. McManus summarizes Francis’s transformation from “rich playboy to one of the more devoted ascetics who ever existed.” (09:44)
• Francis’ conversion is triggered by experiencing art depicting Christ’s suffering and hearing Christ’s voice telling him, “My church is falling down. Repair it.” (12:36)
• Dramatic rupture: Francis steals cloth from his father to finance the repair, is hauled before a bishop, and publicly strips off "even his underwear," renouncing all ties to his family and possessions. (15:18)
• Quote: “Freedom is having nothing left to lose. And he's like, if I don't own anything, I am free.” — Tim Larson McManus (11:08)

Mendicant Orders: Redefining Monasticism (16:53–24:49)

• Francis founds a new order: Neither cloistered nor wealthy, but “begging friars” living in radical poverty (mendicants) and ministering directly to people.
• The church establishment, initially uneasy (“It is a rebuke. ... It makes you look ashamed a little of yourself.” — TL McManus, 22:21), ultimately (if warily) approves Francis’s order.
• Friars, unlike traditional monks, renounce all property and venture into society to preach, serve, and uplift the poor.

Evangelism, Spectacle, and The First Nativity Scene (27:51–31:34)

• Francis’s showmanship: The Nativity scene is a form of “evangelism—a way of drawing a crowd,” leveraging spectacle to communicate the Gospel. (28:01)
• Quote: “Francis gets that ... I'm going to put on a spectacle and people are going to come ... and then I'm going to witness to them.” — Tim Larson McManus (28:32)
• The Nativity event in Greccio (1223) draws villagers from every class for an embodied, interactive experience of Christ’s birth—featuring live animals, hay, and song.

Theatrics and Liturgy: Breaking Boundaries (35:10–41:09)

• Francis’s flair for the dramatic sets him apart, whether putting a fur coat on a beggar or orchestrating the Nativity drama.
• The Greccio Nativity challenges church norms: It’s outdoors, immersive, unscripted, and bypasses traditional rigid liturgical forms.
• Quote: “He is turning it into a kind of church service. ... A hybrid between street spectacle and this moment of worship.” — Tim Larson McManus (38:51)
• The approach breaks down class distinctions—inviting peasants, nobles, and even animals into spiritual participation.

Francis and Animals: A Unique Bond (44:59–50:06)

• Francis’s radical empathy extends to animals. Stories abound of him blessing, befriending, and even negotiating with creatures (e.g., the wolf of Gubbio).
• In his view, animals aren’t just props—they are “sister animals,” deserving of respect and inclusion.
• Quote: “He thinks of the animals as characters in that story in the same kind of way [as humans]. ... He tends to treat animals like people.” — Tim Larson McManus (48:41)
• This vision is distinctive and seen as both scripturally inspired and personally innovative.

Scriptural and Artistic Origins of the Nativity Scene (52:01–53:36)

• The podcast clarifies: No animals are specified in the Gospels’ Nativity story, but medieval tradition incorporated ox and ass imagery based on Isaiah 1:3.
• By Francis’s time, the symbolic connection was established, but he infuses it with new meaning, emphasizing poverty, humility, and universal participation.

Francis’s Final Years and Legacy (54:42–59:55)

• The Greccio Nativity occurs during Francis’s declining health and amid factionalism among his followers.
• The project serves as communal focus, reinforcing unity and spiritual purpose.
• Shortly afterward, Francis receives the stigmata, mirroring Christ’s Passion both physically and existentially.
• Quote: “He really is on this deepening personal quest to understand Christ's life ... in a very literal, radical way. And it is theatrical, for sure, but some of that theatricality is just who he is as a person.” — Tim Larson McManus (56:22)

The Modern Nativity Scene: Politics and Power (60:38–65:03)

• The hosts reflect on how the Nativity, though often sanitized, is profoundly political—highlighting poverty, displacement, empire, and oppression.
• Quote: “The Nativity story ought to make us think about real issues ... injustice and pain and lack and cruelty and rulers who are not doing what's best...” — Tim Larson McManus (61:25)
• Francis’s original message was intentionally subversive, connecting sacredness with poverty, hospitality, and the breaking down of social divisions.

Personal Reflections: Nativities Today (65:34–70:07)

• The episode ends with lighthearted team stories of childhood Nativity play mishaps, showing the tradition’s enduring, sometimes chaotic, appeal.
• Dr. Janega ties her own experience as a shepherd in school to her scholarly path—demonstrating the scene’s lasting impact.

Memorable Quotes

• Dr. Eleanor Janega (03:42): “It's such a cozy and comforting scene that we couldn't imagine Christmas and a million infant school productions without it.”
• Prof. Tim Larson McManus (11:08): “Freedom is having nothing left to lose. And he's like, if I don't own anything, I am free.”
• Prof. Tim Larson McManus (22:21): “It is a rebuke. ... It makes you look ashamed a little of yourself.” (on church hierarchy’s view of mendicant orders)
• Prof. Tim Larson McManus (28:32): “Francis gets that ... I'm going to put on a spectacle and people are going to come ... and then I'm going to witness to them.”
• Prof. Tim Larson McManus (38:51): “He is turning it into a kind of church service. ... A hybrid between street spectacle and this moment of worship.”
• Prof. Tim Larson McManus (48:41): “He tends to treat animals like people. They are also somebody who deserves respect, who I can talk with and interact with.”
• Prof. Tim Larson McManus (61:25): “The Nativity story ought to make us think about real issues ... injustice and pain and lack and cruelty and rulers who are not doing what's best...”

Noteworthy Segments & Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |--------------------------------------------------|------------| | Playful description of modern Nativity scenes | 02:29–04:00| | Francis’s conversion and dramatic renunciation | 10:37–15:48| | Founding of the mendicant orders | 16:53–24:49| | The first Nativity and Francis’s showmanship | 27:51–31:34| | Theatricality vs. liturgical norms | 35:10–41:09| | Francis’s unique relationship with animals | 44:59–50:06| | Scriptural roots of the Nativity scene | 52:01–53:36| | Francis’s declining health and last projects | 54:42–59:55| | Discussion on modern Nativity’s radical message | 60:38–65:03| | Nativity play memories from the team | 65:34–70:07|

Concluding Thoughts

The episode positions St. Francis as a medieval innovator—part spiritual radical, part theatrical impresario—whose reimagining of the Nativity remains both comfortingly familiar and potentially revolutionary. The Nativity, at its Franciscan core, belongs to everyone: peasants and nobles, children and animals, outsiders and insiders. The message, still resonant today, is one of humility, shared humanity, and the sacredness of the ordinary.