Francis of Assisi

Augustine Thompson, O.P., is Professor of History at the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology, Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, California. His most recent book is Cities of God: The Religion of the Italian Communes, 1125–1325.

This is not a typical biography of Francis of Assisi (1181–1226). Thompson, a Dominican priest and church historian, bases his biography solidly on verifiable material. He seeks the historical Francis, not the Francis of legend, and succeeds admirably in this task. A well-written, scholarly portrait of a saint whose biography has been based too often on legends.(Library Journal) It's a book that rescues the human being from hagiography, and that is, in fact, two biographies: one a purely historical one, based on contemporary accounts; and the second a review of the enormous literature of legend and spin that his Order bestowed upon him. The Francis in this book is terrifying and self-destructive, visionary, and tormented. And the way he was subsequently used—in legend and parable and hearsay—speaks not just to the imagination of the church, but to the obvious miracle of Francis's life's work.(Newsweek) Francis of Assisi so impressed the people of his own time that even before his death a rich field of stories, images, anecdotes, and reports of miracles had sprung up. These so enveloped the saint that many scholars have despaired of uncovering the man behind the legends. Thompson's new biography of the saint is engaging and well-written.(Choice)

• Introduction1. "When I Was in My Sins," 1181–12052. The Penitent from Assisi, 1206–12093. The Primitive Fraternity, 1209–12154. Expansion and Consolidation, 1216–12205. Francis Returns Home, 1220–12216. Rules and Retirement, 1221–12237. The Way of the Cross, 1223–12258. From Penitent to Saint, 1225–1226For Further Reading