2083-7658 Reinventing Saint Francis: Józef Wittlin, Anti-Semitism, and the Idea of Modern Sainthood Święty Franciszek ponownie odkryty: Józef Wittlin, antysemityzm i idea nowoczesnej świętości Rzepa Joanna author University of Essex Correspondence to: Joanna Rzepa joanna.rzepa@essex.ac.uk 31 12 2018 Tom 15 zeszyt 3 2018 342 361 Copyright © 2018 2018 <p>This article discusses Józef Wittlin’s literary exploration of the idea of modern sainthood. It argues that Wittlin’s search for a new model of saintly life that would respond to the modern age was informed by the ongoing theological debates about the meaning and value of traditional hagiography. The article demonstrates that Wittlin’s reflections were inspired by Paul Sabatier’s influential study <em>Vie de saint François d’Assise</em> (<em>Life of Saint Francis of Assisi</em>), and informed by the immediate socio-political context (the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918–1919 and the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe). Ultimately, Wittlin’s writings reinvent Saint Francis as a modern-day saint who shows a radical empathy with the persecu­ted and the marginalised, above all the Jews. Responding to growing anti-Semitism that was endorsed by a number of nationalist and Roman Catholic groups, Wittlin reimagines Saint Francis as a social activist who gives active attention to the suffering of the vilified “other” who has been rejected by mainstream society.</p> 1 Bauman Z., Modernity and the Holocaust, New York: Cornell University Press, 1991. 2 Catholicism Contending with Modernity: Roman Catholic Modernism and Anti-Mo­dernism in Historical Context, ed. D. 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