A Critical Examine of the Complete Writings of Francis of Assisi

The writings of St. Francis may, as is obvious, be considered from more than one point of view. Premising this, we are afforded a clue to the difficulty, which has led students of Franciscan sources to divide themselves into two camps as to the objective value of these writings. Indeed, one writer goes so far as to compare the attitude of modern scholars toward them to that of the “spiritual” and conventual friars, respectively, in the first century of Franciscan history. To say that the writings of St. Francis reflect his personality and his spirit is but another way of saying that they are at once formidably mystic and exquisitely human, that they combine great elevation of thought with much picturesqueness of expression. Important as the doctrinal aspect of St. Francis' writings must of necessity be to all who would understand his life since “the springs of action are to be found in belief, and conduct ultimately rests upon conviction," it is foreign to the object of the present volume.