From Publishers Weekly
It does not seem possible that the world needs another biography of St. Francis of Assisi, but Spoto (The Hidden Jesus) makes a credible case for adding to the glut of books and articles about the medieval saint. (Spoto cites one count taken nearly 40 years ago that puts the number at 1,575.) He argues that new discoveries in several fields and the latest Franciscan scholarship justify this new biography. 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. He raises, for example, questions about whether Francis actually bore the stigmata, or wounds of the crucified Christ, pointing out that sources interviewed for Francis's canonization denied that he had the marks. Spoto suggests that Francis may actually have suffered from leprosy and that his companions interpreted those wounds as a sharing in Christ's suffering. 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. Occasionally however, he lapses into seemingly misplaced preaching pedagogy, such as when he holds forth on the subject of conversion in a section about Francis's spiritual transformation- but given the saint's diverse appeal, this book should interest a wide audience.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Celebrity biographer Spoto again limns a figure who far transcends celebrity and, as with
The Hidden Jesus (1998), produces a serious, thought-provoking book. Like Jesus, Francis of Assisi had no wish for fame; he became, however, one of the foremost men of his time, the thirteenth century. Like Jesus' fame, his arose from abandoning the zeitgeist; born into a newly rich family (another parallel with Jesus, if Spoto is correct about the status of carpenters in ancient Judea) in a viciously acquisitive era, he spurned all possessions. Also like Jesus, Spoto maintains, though he fasted and largely avoided even reasonable comfort, Francis revered the material world, including the human body, as being intrinsically good because God created it. Because flesh as well as soul is good, Francis served the sick, not stinting at becoming sick himself, one might say, as a result of committed compassion. As he relates the dramatic events of Francis' life, Spoto shows that the blessing of the Incarnation was what most animated the saint's fabled gentleness, courtesy, and faith.
Ray OlsonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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