Book Description
Kazantzakis infuses this tale with a fervent vision that is uniquely his own, highlighting the saintís heroic single-mindedness in the face of extreme physical and spiritual suffering. He portrays the saint as a great lover and inspiring leader, who embraced radical poverty in the face of many obstacles and temptations.
Customer Reviews:
A rare pen!.......2007-10-04
I did know Saint Francis before but when i read this book it is with great honor I should say Nikos Kazantzakis is my Saint Francis!!
Lost in the Translation.......2007-02-18
In 1972, I read The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis. I will always consider it one of the greatest books ever written. I found it an incredibly faith-affirming book and it changed my life as it changed my outlook on Jesus Christ. Thirty-five years later, I decided to read Saint Francis.
I was very disappointed. Not because it is a bad book, but because it fell way short of what I expected. Over the last three decades, I would say to anyone, "Open The Last Temptation of Christ to any page, and read. The words flow from each page like poetry." Such was not the case with Saint Francis.
I had a similar experience recently with Par Lagerkvist. I read Barabbas 40 years ago and then read The Sybil last year. I'll remember Mr. Lagerkvist for Barabbas, not for the disappointing Sybil. Similarly, I will remember Mr. Kazantzakis for the Last Temptation, not for Saint Francis. I truly believe that my failure to connect with these books recently is because of the translation, not because the author's work was of less value.
Saint Francis is a dark book of personal sacrifice. I continually saw visions of the Opus Dei sect as I read the book. Francis clearly led a life of personal sacrifice dedicated to the glory of God, but the translation left me empty and not inspired. I'll not refute any of the superlative reviews that this book has earned, but from this man's point of view, I'll be cautious in the future when selecting translated material regardless of the author.
One of Kazantzakis most passionate books.......2005-12-08
I am pleased to find that a number of reviewers find this book life-changing. It presents the entire anguish of human being, and it is the book that describes one of the highest concerns of Kazantzakis, an issue that he deals on several other books, but never with such fever: the desire of the human being to talk with God, and the depths that the human mind has to go in believing and disbelieving, in facing irrationality and hearing the voice of God.
You do not have to be religious in the strict christian sense. If that is the case, then this book might be offending, as it presents the passions of man that tries to reach God in an 'uncoventional' way, that does not abide by the doctrine of the church.
Still, I was deeply affected and deeply shaken by this book, more than any other book of Kazantazakis that I have read. Reading it was a 'passion' in itself. I had to reach the same depths, and I felt some of the anguish of St. Francis, as presented by Kazantakis. A lst remark. Do not compare the book with a biography. St. Francis is a tragic hero, an embodiment of mans religious passions, an example of faith.
Grim.......2003-12-16
I have read a lot of books on St. Francis of Assisi, and viewed several films. Kazantzakis presents a "fictional re-creation" St. Francis as an aescetic who travels a journey that few of us would want to take. An aescetic with a disgust for anything having to do with "the flesh" Francis suffers throughout most of the novel from malnutrition, dehydration, and a collection of maladies brought on by the neglect and abuse of his own body, the "temple of the Holy Spirit." This form of mortification of the body has thankfully been abandoned, but was considered a path to salvation coming out of the Dark Ages. His fear/avoidance and mysognistic view of women was unfortunate, and I think this perhaps was a bit overblown and not well researched by Kazantzakis, for I have not found this pathological view in any other writings about St. Francis.
For a deeper understanding of St. Francis of Assisi, and the wide attraction of this most famous saint, please read G.K. Chesterton's biography of St. Francis. Don't get me wrong, I admire and love St. Francis and the revolution he began in Christianity, but I disliked his portrayal by Kazantzakis.
Being with St. Francis.......2002-04-03
I read this book a year ago while on Spring break with my husband and two little daughters. It completely took me away and put me on a higher spiritual level that lasted a long time. Kazantzakis somehow captured the essence of what St. Francis was all about...St. Francis was a man who truly tried to do what Jesus said to do, sell everything you have, give it to the poor, pick up His cross daily and follow Him. The feeling I get when I read the book was one of actually being with St. Francis and understanding why so many followed him and liked him. I am in the middle of reading it again (another Spring break!), and I see why I loved it so much the first time. It's a great novel, even if you aren't a Christian, because the characters and the writing are so good, but being a Christian adds a spiritual level that makes me want to read this book over and over, even though I think I am so far from where St. Francis was! It makes one think about what Jesus really said and what it would be like to TRULY do what He said! I highly recommend it.
Book Description
A creative and compelling examination of the impact-eight hundred years ago and today-of St. Francis of Assisi.
Customer Reviews:
An Old World Solution for Today's Problems and Anxiety.......2007-09-16
Ian Morgan Cron's first book, "Chasing Francis," is a gem. "Chasing Francis" falls into genre called wisdom literature, which is a very delicate balance of fiction and non-fiction, pilgrimage and teaching. Cron, an Anglican priest, centers the story on Pastor Chase Falson, an evangelical pastor, who hits the wall with burn-out and at the urging of his mother's cousin, a Franciscan Friar, encounters an old world saint, St. Francis, in his quest to sort out his faith and Christianity's place in the world today.
"I wasn't sure what a Christian looked like anymore. My idea of what it meant to follow Jesus had run out of gas. I started to feel less like a pastor and more like a salesman of a consumerized Jesus I didn't believe in...I am fed up with all the feuding between the theological conservatives and liberals, the good guys and the bad guys...What if, now and then, we put the drums and guitars away, turned off the projectors, shut down the sound system, and waited quietly for God to emerge from the wood? Do we have enough faith to believe he'd appear to us as a community?"
When Falson reaches the climax of his spiritual crisis in front of his congregation, he is put on leave and embarks on a spiritual journey to Assisi, Italy. He needs to find out what it is to be a Christian, what it means to be the church, and to decide if he wants to stay on the path he has been on. Falson finds a mentor named Saint Francis who teaches him why the church of the future needs to listen to the church of the past and helps him to fall in love with Jesus - and the church - again...but with a different perspective and approach.
"Chasing Francis" captures the values and ideals that Francis held dear. Cron brings them to life throughout the book and narrows them to five categories:
Transcendence - There is a big difference between knowing a lot about God and knowing God. Francis believed in transcendent encounters with Jesus were the key to people's coming to faith. The church must open our eyes and ears to the experiences that can act as portals into the life of God - the Spirit's presence in the community, contemplative prayer and meditation (solitude), the liturgy, and symbol rich experiences like Communion.
Community - We need to be an organism that transmits the expression of Jesus on earth. We can disagree with others and, at times, we should - but whatever happened to gentleness and respect within our churches? Are we not a community of peacemakers - in our homes, our offices, our churches, and, most of all, in our world?
Beauty - Most churches today are designed without any sense of the iconic because moderns like straightforward, unambiguous communication. We want `worship centers' where hominess is more important than holiness. But what about the arts - music, dancing, acting, painting, etc? For God, beauty is its own apologetic. The church should care about the arts. They inspire all of us to think about the eternal.
Dignity - We're all broken people who've lost our dignity, in one way or another. Francis' life was all about giving people their dignity back - poor people, lepers, people who were despised and rejected by society - the very people Jesus sought out to minister to. This means more than hospitality. The church means fighting against anything that robs people of their dignity - racism, sexism, addictions, injustice, and poverty.
Meaning - People are meaning-seekers and want to be part of something larger than ourselves. Our world is filled with people who have no big story that makes sense of their lives and they're hungry for it. Does our earthly ministry create and foster meaning?
People in Francis' time felt the same anxiety that come from living in a rapidly changing society that we do today. "Chasing Francis" offers no new theory but, rather an old practice - the practice of Jesus Christ.
"Chasing Francis" is a book that I will recommend to those who have hit the wall and are searching for meaning in life, to those who are confused in their Christian beliefs, to those who want to deepen their journey within, and, most importantly, to those who have become trapped in today's self-centered and materialistic culture. Along with the author, I urge you to look more closely at the spirituality and ministry of this wild-eyed saint.
(Note: "Chasing Francis" provides a study guide for those who who would like to use this book for group discussion and/or for personal meditation.)
A compelling read!.......2007-08-23
I give this book a top rating of 5. The story is well told, the characters are developed (not 1-dimensional) and the story accomplishes everything a good piece of literature should: it compels you to think about your life and your personal choices and evaluate them. This is a book that changed by life for the better. And a lot of my friends have read it and loved it as well.
Chasing Frances.......2007-05-15
Interesting story with some great insights. Loved going through Italy with the main character and learning about the awesome man St. Francis was!
Fiction with a message.......2007-05-13
I liked this book. The characters were believable, the story had a message, and it was relevant and throught provoking. I am not a Catholic, but I think it is good for non-Catholics to set aside biases and look into the lives and faith of sincere Catholic believers. This is fiction, of course, and can't be taken as a theology book of the Church, but I think Catholics would be comfortable with it. I had a little trouble believing in the compatibility of the couple in the end. The book ended with no promise they would have a future together, but the suggestion was there.
God's Hand.......2006-12-01
If your faith is uncertain, if you've ever been disappointed by or hurt by a traditional church, if you've tried to approach faith through reason and found yourself wanting, this book is for you. The idea is that God's timeless hand must be "encountered," and Chasing Francis draws the reader into such an encounter vicariously through the main character's pilgrimage to the places where St. Francis' exemplary life was lived. It also throws down a challenging prescription for a new modus operandi for the church in a rapidly changing world.
A quote: [Chase is looking up at exquisite medieval frescoes of Peter preaching in Jerusalem, Adam and Eve leaving paradise, and the death of Ananias.] "...And for the first time in years the enormousness of the Story burst forth like an expanding universe in my chest, and I was grateful it was mine."
God's hand is in this book.
Book Description
An important new study of the way in which St Francis's image was recorded in literature, documents, architecture and art. St Francis was a man whose personality was deliberately stamped on his Order and Rosalind Brooke explores how the stories told by Francis's companions were at once brilliantly vivid portrayals of the man as well as guides to how the Franciscan way of life ought to be led. She also examines how after St Francis's death a great monument was erected to him in the Basilica at Assisi and how this came to reflect in stone and stained glass and fresco the manner in which some Popes and leading friars believed his memory should be fostered. Highly illustrated throughout, including colour and black and white plates, this book will be essential reading for medievalists and art historians as well as anyone interested in St Francis and the Franciscan movement.
Customer Reviews:
Well Worth the Obscenely Expensive Price.......2007-06-24
Anyone going to Europe these days is due for sticker shock...there are just no bargins to be had anywhere. But for someone going to Italy, there is no point in going there and not visiting Assisi. You cannot understand Italy if you don't do it...Italians are an enigma if you do not see them in Assisi. The centerpiece of the town is the Basilica of Saint Francis. I am a Conventual Franciscan, one of the friars who have custody of the Basilica. I worked as a tour guide in that church for a couple of summers and the place is a 'stone marvel'. If you are going to spend money going there, spend the $106.20 on The Image of Saint Francis; it will explain why this poor man ended up being buried in one of the most beautiful museums in the world. The people of Assisi fought for his body and they won and then celebrated. Ms. Brooke explains how it happened, and this book is long overdue. She takes us through the life of the man, the movement, the contradictions, and the rusults. Francis is a lot more than that bird bath in the back yard. He is the untimate Italian. Friar Phil Kelly OFM Conv.
Customer Reviews:
...okay this was on my wish list for waaaay too long..........2003-02-23
I finally bought it, and I'm more than glad I did. This book is not at all what I thought it would be about --- it is so much more. Initially, I thought it would be another book about the life of St. Francis which, of late, I've been quite taken with. This book, though, has more to do with how we can make our faith real --- how we can really respond --- in light of a needy world around us. This is just what the doctor ordered. I say this reluctantly, but reading a chapter is almost better than going to church. I close this book at night with the understanding that I've got to get out there and DO something; I feel like I CAN make some small difference in this world, and that means so much to me. I'm at that point where I WANT to change, WANT to make sacrifices, WANT to be conformed to what God wants me to be. I want desperately not to be an 'average' Christian who longs for the same dusty, lifeless, rusting things the world does. This book reminds me that Francis, in his life, was not afraid to give up personal comfort and familiarity. When he finally overcame the greatest personal obstacle for him --- learning to love the leper -- he was freed from within, freed from that nasty monster that can entangle so many of us. Reflecting on his unique experience, I am compelled to look at my own prejudices, those things about people that keep me from loving them completely. I can't remember the last time a church sermon so compelled me. I highly recommend this book, and encourage you to grow in ways far outside the box.
This is a great book for a reflection group........1998-09-03
St. Francis and the Foolishness of God is not just about St. Francis, but about themes that touch all of our lives. There are reflection questions at the end of each section and an invitation to share stories. I recommend this book for personal and group reflection.
Book Description
He turned away from his life of wealth and privilege to live with lepers, the "untouchables" of his society. He preached the idea of the sanctity of all life, becoming an advocate of animal rights and environmentalism in a time when even human life often had little value. He found joy in owning nothing, and giving everything away. He was story of Saint Francis of Assisi and the story of his life is inspiring and radical. And now more than ever, it bears important messages for American children living in a culture of casual abundance and waste. Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.-a father, a devout Roman Catholic, a crusader for clean air and water, and a member of a family famous for its dedication to public service. It is no wonder, then, that this saint's story should resonate so powerfully with him. Mr. Kennedy has retold Francis's story as a lesson and inspiration for his own children-and for children everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
St. Francis wasn't just for the birds!.......2007-04-07
Very good for beginners of the study of st. Francis.
Saint Francis of Assisi: A Life of Joy.......2007-03-09
When I visited the Basilica of St. Francis in Santa Fe, NM, recently, I browsed through the collection of illustrated books on St. Francis, but none could compare to this one by Robert Kennedy, Jr. The illustrations in his book capture the eye immediately with boldness of color and design. While I am familiar with the life of St. Francis, this storyline presents the facts in a new way that children of any age will give rapt attention. Especially charming is the insight Mr. Kennedy gives on his family prayerfully honoring this unique Saint.
St. Francis of Assissi.......2007-01-11
Beautifully illustrated and beautifully written book. Makes a very nice gift.
a very special book........2006-08-05
This is a delightful book with high quaility art work. It is a book to keep for generations to come.
Great book for all!.......2006-04-23
I teach second grade in a public school in a large Catholic nieghborhood. I get invited to many first communions. I am not Catholic, but growing up in this nieghborhood I know a lot about this deep faith. The story of St.Francis reaches out to everyone no matter thier religion. It has always interested me. So when this book was released I borrowed it from the library. I was taken back by it. I now buy this book for all of my students that receive their first communion, and I personally inscribe each one. My students love this story!
Amazon.com
St. Francis of Assisi--the saint who preached to birds and wolves, the saint whose vow of poverty changed Christian ethics forever, the saint who repented of his fleshly sins by loving the material world--was also a pretty great writer. His Little Flowers, a series of 53 short chapters ranging in form from wild stories to serene meditations, is perfect bedtime or devotional reading. Before you know it, you'll be reading this one aloud to your cat. And Francis will be very pleased to hear it. --Michael Joseph Gross
Book Description
With a new Preface by the noted writer Madeleine L'Engle, author of nearly fifty books of fiction and non-fiction, including
A Wrinkle in Time. St. Francis of Assisi's ecstatic embrace of a life of poverty revolutionized Christianity even as it transformed the ethics of the West. In this luminous and lively book, St. Francis's followers preserved his legend and those of his first disciples, combining stories of miracles with convincing portraits of men who were no less human for having been touched by God.
"God is our home but many of us have strayed from our native land. The venerable authors of these Spiritual Classics are expert guides--may we follow their directions home."
--Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-08-05
I really liked this book, I have waited for years to read this book
again.And I was very pleased.
Thanks Monica C coleman
Life changing.......2004-06-04
Few works have made as strong an impact on my spiritual life as this book. A wonderful compilation of faith building and humbling stories from the life and times of St. Francis of Assisi and his first followers.
Little lessons learned through little flowers.......2001-09-20
Living in an age of weights, measures, logic and reason, a pragmatist may see little reason in reading The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi. However, recent terrorist attacks draws me and--most likely-many of us away from the methodical.
Vintage Spiritual Classics provides us with a preface and introduction of Francis Bernardone, showing us why he needed to become so close to God. They, the preface and introduction, explain this need on a level we may all understand. St. Francis wanted ecstasy and a life not burdened with want, greed, lust and avarice.
Each snippet throughout the body of the book provides a theme, an adventure and a moral that will pull the reader from this world to St. Francis's. Teaching us temperance, piety, and selfless rewards for good deeds and prayer.
I am hopeful that this book and others provided by Vintage will help provide solace and peace to those affected by the recent, tragic events.
Good stories.......1999-02-27
One doesn't have to be Catholic to enjoy these amusing tales about the life of St. Francis, collected by a slightly later church writer. It's no wonder this gentle soul is among the most beloved figures in Christianity.
a moving spiritual classic.......1998-02-14
St. Francis has to be the greatest saint who ever lived. This book is so inspiring, that I can't describe it. It tells of St. Francis in his youth and how he spent time in prison and became disillusioned with the world. He then gave up the world and followed God. The book tells of the many adventures of St. Francis and his monks. Some are serious, but some are very funny. Anyone, who is thinking about what life is all about and how one man had the courage to follow God and not the world, should read this book.
Average customer rating:
- Chesterton never disappoints...
- Not for those seeking a rudmentart history.
- I am sure it's good, but man it's deep!
- Rambling and Overbearing
- More essay than biography, but what an essay!
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Saint Francis of Assisi
G.K. Chesterton
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St. Francis of Assisi: A Biography
ASIN: 0385029004
Release Date: 1987-11-17 |
Amazon.com
There are certainly many studies of Saint Francis of Assisi that an interested reader might find and many of them immensely praiseworthy. But in reading G.K. Chesterton on Francis, you get two glories for one: first is an enlightening study of this most beloved of Christian saints and second is Chesterton himself, one of the great Christian writers of the 20th century, who converted to Roman Catholicism in 1922 because, it has been said, "only the Roman Church could produce a St. Francis of Assisi." Published shortly after his conversion, Chesterton wrote this book in part to reclaim Francis for the church. There are always those who want to claim Francis for their cause, Chesterton recognized, who also fail to understand the spiritual and intellectual ground upon which he stands. Chesterton would return Francis to Christ. As he summarizes, "however wild and romantic his gyrations might appear to many, [Francis] always hung on to reason by one invisible and indestructible hair.... The great saint was sane.... He was not a mere eccentric because he was always turning towards the center and heart of the maze; he took the queerest and most zigzag shortcuts through the wood, but he was always going home."
As one editor of Chesterton's puts it, "of St. Francis he might have said what he said about Blake: 'We always feel that he is saying something very plain and emphatic even when we have not the wildest notion of what it is.'" --Doug Thorpe
Book Description
Francis of Assisi is, after Mary of Nazareth, the greatest saint in the Christian calendar, and one of the most influential men in the whole of human history. By universal acclaim, this biography by G. K. Chesterton is considered the best appreciation of Francis's life--the one that gets to the heart of the matter.
For Chesterton, Francis is a great paradoxical figure, a man who loved women but vowed himself to chastity; an artist who loved the pleasures of the natural world as few have loved them, but vowed himself to the most austere poverty, stripping himself naked in the public square so all could see that he had renounced his worldly goods; a clown who stood on his head in order to see the world aright. Chesterton gives us Francis in his world-the riotously colorful world of the High Middle Ages, a world with more pageantry and romance than we have seen before or since. Here is the Francis who tried to end the Crusades by talking to the Saracens, and who interceded with the emperor on behalf of the birds. Here is the Francis who inspired a revolution in art that began with Giotto and a revolution in poetry that began with Dante. Here is the Francis who prayed and danced with pagan abandon, who talked to animals, who invented the creche.
Customer Reviews:
Chesterton never disappoints..........2006-11-20
G.K. Chesterton ranks high among the most entertaining and insightful Christian writers in history. His singular wit infuses his work bringing mirth to what might otherwise be solemnity. His style is playful, yet earnest and, though his era has passed, he remains as readable now as ever. Indeed, Chesterton resides not far behind the venerable CS Lewis as an icon of Christian literature. His St. Francis of Assisi proves no exception.
Chesterton's intent is cleary not a comprehensive biography, but an introduction to the remarkable career of Francis Bernardone. The author hits only the highlights expecting these examples to accurately portray the whole. He easily succeeds. St. Francis of Assisi is a concise, enjoyable look at a saint who brought the principles of Christ back to a Catholicism which had long before started to wander. Read this and other works of Chesterton. You may find they all bear a 5-star ranking.
Not for those seeking a rudmentart history........2006-08-14
Chesterton writng is for the scholarly reader. His discourse is more question and answer to the theological and philosifcal issues surrounding Francis than a history or biography. As my readings enlarge my scope I will go back to this title and hopefully appreciate the discourse more than at it's first reading.
I am sure it's good, but man it's deep!.......2006-04-01
I have just finished reading "St. Francis of Assisi" by GK Chesterton, and I know that it was pretty good. In fact, it may be very good, but I don't really understand it! If you know anything about GK Chesterton then you know that his books are deeper than the ocean. This one is no exception. If you are looking for a biography (the story of St. Francis throughout his entire life) then this is not the book for you. (I would suggest buying St. Boneventure's biography from Tan Books) This book is really an essay on the life of St. Francis. It is difficult reading, and not a bed-time story for your kids. I think for your benefit, it would be good to read a normal biography on St. Francis (like the one mentioned above) and then read this essay. That way, you will not be frustrated in not getting many stories of St. Francis's life, and you will have perhaps better understandings of what GK Chesterton is talking about. Anyway, if your a Chesterton fan, then I'm sure you will like this, but remember--- this is HARD TO READ.
Rambling and Overbearing.......2005-06-07
This book was arcane and verbose which made it very difficult and unenlightening. The author digresses often and seems to add-in superfluous commentary on unrelated subjects. His references often point to "current events" which have long since lost relevance and the entire text has a dated, maze-like feeling.
If you're looking for an account of the life of St. Francis of Assisi, I would not recommend this book. If you are familiar with the life of St. Francis and are looking for a commentary on the events of his life you may find this work helpful due to its supposed eminence among works about the saint.
More essay than biography, but what an essay!.......2004-07-21
Chesterton's book on St. Francis of Assisi was "avowedly only an introduction to St. Francis or the study of St. Francis. Those who need an introduction are in their nature strangers. With them the object is to get them to listen to St. Francis at all ... ." [Chpt. 9] But Chesterton, in 1924, expected an audience familiar with a variety of subjects--the Investiture Controversy, the Adamite Heresy, The Provencal Moment, for example--unfamiliar to most of us today. I think, therefore, that "St. Francis of Assisi" can no longer serve as a general introduction for the general reader.
If you are only interested in a chronological outline of St. Francis' life, this book is probably not yet for you.
Nonetheless, you would be remiss if you pass on this book because it is a wonderful work of art.
Intellectually "St. Francis of Assisi" serves mostly as a brilliant meditation on the man, his role in the Catholic Church, and his influence on the intellectual history of the West. But it best serves as an example of how one might write and write well. Nearly every sentence is a delight and nearly every page a piece of rhetorical flash and filigree.
Chesterton sometimes chooses sound--especially alliteration--over sound reasoning and makes more than one straw man argument. But you need not be a Christian to appreciate the skill with which he makes his case. Sometimes it sounds so good or so funny that you simply wish it true. To whit:
"In short, he [the writer attempting to write a life of St. Francis] may try to tell the story of a saint without God; which is like being told to write the life of Nansen and forbidden to mention the North Pole." [Chpt. 1]
"To write history and hate Rome, both pagan and papal, is practically to hate everything that has happened. It comes very near to hating humanity on purely humanitarian grounds." [Chpt. 2]
"It was a rude and simple society and there were no laws to punish a starving man for expressing his need for food, such as have been established in a more humanitarian age; and the lack of any organized police permitted such persons to pester the wealthy without any great danger." [Chpt. 3]
"Shelley, when he wished to be a cloud or a leaf carried before the wind, might have been mildly suprised to find himself turning slowly head over heels in mid-air a thousand feet above the sea." [Chpt. 6]
"The modern mind is hard to please; and it generally calls the way of Godfrey ferocious and the way of Francis fanatical. That is, it calls any moral method unpractical, when it has just called any practical method immoral." [Chpt. 8]
"A man in Voltaire's time did not know what miracle he would next have to throw up. A man in our time does not know what miracle he will next have to swallow." [Chpt. 9]
Whatever you think of Chesterton's broader themes, "St. Francis of Assisi" is a profound and insightful investigation into the psychology of the saint which would be helpful to anyone trying to figure how to think about the man. It is also wondrous writing.
Book Description
Acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto strips away the legends from the life of Francis of Assisi to reveal the true story of a man who has too often been obscured by pious iconography. Drawing on unprecedented access to unexplored archives, plus Francis's own letters, Spoto places Francis within the context of the multifaceted ecclesiastical, political, and social forces of medieval Italy, casting new light on Francis and showing how his emphasis on charity as the heart of the Gospel's message helped him pioneer a new social movement. This nuanced portrait reveals the multifaceted character of a man who can genuinely be said to have changed the course of history.
Customer Reviews:
St Francis as human, not as fantasy.......2007-08-02
I have been enjoying reading this book because not only do we learn about francis, but we also have the opportunity to learn about the society in which he lived in and its values, etc. And what I also love is that francis is portrayed as the human he was and not as some fantasy land, high in the clouds character. You will enjoy this book!!!
A great book.......2007-07-03
St Francis is a model saint. Donald Spoto wrote a thorough and moving account of his life. It is hard to get in the mind of another person but this book certainly provided a framework of St Francis's life and thought process. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to further understand the life of this very spiritual saint.
Another Life.......2007-06-08
Donald Spoto's Reluctant Saint is good introduction of the life of Francis of Assisi. It pulls together many of the "lives" of this saint written by original sources and the modern reflection on his life.
One of best features of the book is clearly breaking the chapters into dates so you can sequentially go through Francis's life and compare with the events occurring at the time in the rest of Europe.
The book does not have the emotion and passion of some the "lives" of this saint but this somes times makes his subject closer to us.
Clearly shows Francis as both a man of his times but also one for ours.
Disappointed.......2006-11-05
The book never arrived. I know about the book so can rate it, but I never received it.
a good read.......2006-08-12
Donald Spoto, a PhD theologian, has written a meticulously researched and inspiring biography of Saint Francis of Assisi.
To some degree he has "updated" our understanding of Saint Francis by explaining how some of the traditions pertaining to Saint Francis were based on conventions of his time. For example, he explains how sores that which one generally didn't mention in public became stigmata, which one did mention, and how the children's crusade came to be described as a children's crusade even though it was a crusade of the poor because the church authorities were loath to acknowledge the existence of the poor.
While I enjoyed reading this book, I did find that it is so short that it is more a sketch than a painting of Saint Francis.
Average customer rating:
- Reading this book is an absolutely spiritual exercise.
- This is a book whose message is timleless.
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The Hymn Of The Sun
of Assisi, Saint Francis
Manufacturer: Lancaster Productions
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Ritual
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Francis of Assisi
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Brother Sun, Sister Moon
ASIN: 0930647483 |
Book Description
The first illustrated version of St. Francis of Assisi's beloved poem.
Customer Reviews:
Reading this book is an absolutely spiritual exercise........1999-07-30
If we could summarize the meaning of life in one poem it would be St. Francis' The Hymn of The Sun. Tony Wright has added a visual dimension that is both captivating and peaceful. His illustrations are well described by St. Francis' salutation: Pax et bonum; Peace and all things good."
This is a book whose message is timleless........1999-04-16
It is difficult to believe that this book could be out of print any more than its message could not be eternal. The illustrations are absolutely captivating. A perfect gift for any age.
Customer Reviews:
Sketches of Two Seminal Saints in Classic Chesterton Style.......2007-07-02
Legendary Christian philosopher GK Chesterton wrote concise semi-biographies of St. Francis and St. Thomas Aquinas in 1923 and 1936 (the year of his death), respectively. Those years saw him convert to Catholicism, crystallizing a journey taking him from early appreciation of St. Francis in poetry and essays, to the depths of Oscar Wilde's nihilism to the freedom of orthodoxy expressed in that book and in his classic "Everlasting Man."
For their contrasting both saints' lives, drawn differently as silhouettes of Sancho Panza and Don Quixote (to name one of Chesterton's first, richest allegories in the Aquinas book), both books could with editing meld into the single volume Ignatius Press published. Both used Chesterton's mix of allegory, paradox and common sense eloquence making each of his books a re-discovery. Best of all, in Chesterton's words, both saints "reaffirmed the incarnation, by bringing God back to earth."
Chesterton writes each saint's biography inside out, seeing the major events of both lives through the prisms of their times. He shows both refuting their near-assigned destinies: born "on the hem of the imperial purple," Aquinas asks to be a begging friar and winds up arrested, imprisoned, and even tempted by his family. Born a successful merchant's son, young Francis Bernadone renounces his possessions (including his father Peter), takes poverty and dependence as a lover and walks into the woods in a hair-shirt, taking every existing thing as his family, every day as one without history, and finally writing his life philosophy in "Canticle of the Sun."
Loving the poor, having and wanting nothing, both depended on and thanked God for everything. Francis begged for the worst crumbs and traded down with beggars, using the remainder rebuild churches and lives. Aquinas appreciated his gift senses as windows into God's beauty and reality, refusing to separate earthly process from heaven's factual logic. His "Ens" philosophy, stemming from his need to draw Aristotle's influence back to Christ, filled volumes and stood as the easiest theory to understand and accept of how the world works. (Chesterton's image of the child at the window watching grass makes it simpler still.)
The same can be said of Chesterton's humorous to miraculous anecdotes attributed to St. Francis. These range from Francis' attempts to convert the Sultan of Damietta by throwing himself into fire, creating a snow angel substitute family to refute temptation, to receiving Stigmata (which Chesterton defends with stiletto-sharp apologia). Chesterton also shares part of Francis' relationship with St. Clare, from which formed one of three religious orders he'd inspire. After Francis' death, without his guidance, these would splinter into heresy before the Papacy wisely reigned its passions against what Chesterton referred to as "the staleness" of a new religion.
Benito Mussolini, who hijacked his country's proud religious and secular history to gain power, once said, "The history of saints is mainly the history of insane people." Chesterton's sketches of Thomas Aquinas and Francis of Assisi counter by saying both these sane, logical saints, mistaken by their times for poison, were medicine because they were antidotes. They stood and yet stand against changing 20th-21st century fashions and facelessness. Few Chesterton writings bring his enduring linguistic and logical gifts to such high yet focused purpose and proof. These books, economically and ideologically joined, make essential reading for followers of Chesterton, Catholic apologetics, and Christian history.
A high altitude view of two great Saints........2007-05-12
St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis make for quite a contrast--St. Thomas was one of the greatest brains of the Catholic Church, and St. Francis had one of the greatest hearts. Chesterton has a knack for putting ideas and people into the largest possible context with the least amount of details. These biographies, though short on specifics, put across the essence of each man's character and his impact on the world. Chesterton's writing style in both is more poetic than his essays and even some of his fiction.
"And for him [St. Thomas] the point is always that Man is not a balloon going up into the sky, nor a mole burrowing merely in the earth; but rather a thing like a tree, whose roots are fed from the earth, while its highest branches seem to rise almost to the stars."
"He [St. Francis] devoured fasting as a man devours food. He plunged after poverty as men have dug madly for gold. And it is precisely the positive and passionate quality of this part of his personality that is a challenge to the modern mind in the whole problem of the pursuit of pleasure."
Chesterton piles on insights like these on page after page. Chesterton paints a very personal picture--after reading these biographies, I felt as if I really knew who these men were, how they spoke, how they thought, how they might have talked to me.
One caution--these works may not be the best place to start. In my case, I didn't know much about St. Francis to begin with. Since Chesterton doesn't provide many historical details, some of his references (e.g., to his miracles and famous sayings), were hard to follow.
Classic Chesterton.......2006-06-09
I found this book by accident and haven't even finished it yet, but what a pleasure to read! Chesterton's logic and humor are delightful and the way he is always looking at the "big picture" of Christianity is wonderful. It's a good thing it has footnotes to explain some of the references to British politics. He writes as though to non-Catholics (which I am) who know very little about St. Francis (other than he preached to the animals) and next to nothing about St. Thomas Aquinas. If you like Chesterton and are remotly interested in these two saints who were in many ways opposites of each other, buy and read this book.
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