Francis of Assisi: A New Biography - Augustine Thompson

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⭐ 7.5/10

(Originally written by Beans)

I unfortunately did not know too much about St. Francis before I read this book, except for that really famous prayer that is attributed to him that apparently isn’t true.

The thing with this book is it tried to present a Historical Francis, and while that is fine and good, I was expecting a more theological approach, and so my expectations weren’t really met.

However, I think it was still a good intro to who Francis was and it stripped away a lot of the fluff that is often attributed to him. He really was a man of discipline and obedience, I admire his life a lot.

Historically, he still had a lot of miracles attributed to him which is so fascinating. He was also considered a saint before he died, and canonized shortly after which I think makes him so popular and so accessible; all Christians love St. Francis!

I have been wrestling with a theology of poverty for quite some time, and while this didn’t give me a great direction, it did, I think, set me on a path to learn more about who Francis was and what I can learn from him. He was a cool, but very strange man, and I think that’s what set him apart.

I’m very excited to learn more about him, and if you want to learn about the history of his movement this is a great source.

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