Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi (Compass)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.33 (535 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0142196258 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 288 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-10-03 |
| Language | : | English |
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.
Spoto's chronological recounting of Francis's life is sufficiently engaging to retain the interest even of those familiar with the basic facts of the saint's story. . Although the findings of his research required Spoto to strip away some of the romance surrounding Francis's familiar story, he manages to report them without detracting from the integrity of the saint. Spoto suggests that Francis may actually have suffered from leprosy and that his companions interpreted those wounds as a sharing in Christ's suffering. From Publishers Weekly It does not seem possible that the world needs another biography of St.
Strat Guy said This Isn't St. Francis. I have read many books about St. Francis, and this is certainly the one that I liked the least. The book utterly fails to capture the mystery of Francis, his intimacy with God, his spontaneous natureinstead, he is presented as crafty and scheming, all of his ac. "Elegant and insightful" according to Kerry Walters. You'd think there would be little left to say about Francis. Thousands of articles, monographs, and books have been written about the little poor man over the last eight centuries. But Spoto has risen to the occasion in his new book. He makes sense of the frequ. "Excellent!" according to Jen. Very realistic, transformative and spiritual. An illuminating portrayal of the Medieval times and how it shaped St. Francis of Assisi. An amazing man.