Francis (c. 1182-1226); "The Little Poor Man" of Assisi; and Clare (c.1193-1254); "The Clear One;" the woman who lived out his vision with heroic simplicity; together shaped the spirituality of early thirteenth-century Europe. Each gathered communities of like-minded persons to live out a radical commitment to the Gospel message of poverty and in the process left a legacy that has captured the imagination of both believer and nonbeliever throughout the ages. Here for the first time in English the complete writings of both Francis and Clare have been brought together in one volume. The book represents the first English translation based on the critical texts of the writings of Francis assembled by Kajetan Esser in his 1976 Opuscula des Heiligen Franziskus von Assisi; and the critical texts of Clare's writings done by Ignatio Omaechevarria. Writing in the preface to this volume; John Vaughn; Minister General of the Friars minor; sums up the relevance of Francis's and Clare's vision for today: "[It] Calls us to revitalizes our lives and those of others; and indeed to renew the very life of the Church in these times of crisis."
#678183 in Books Hill and Wang 2011-09-27 2011-09-27Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 228.60 x 26.47 x 6.00l; 1.27 #File Name: 0809034174464 pages
Review
15 of 16 people found the following review helpful. RemarkableBy Mark LevineIn the tradition of John Hope Franklin--- one of the dedicatees--- Holt has written an overview with an ambitious subtitle that he fulfills spectacularly in barely 350 pages. It goes back to Africa before the slave trade and ends virtually last month; with issues facing President Obama. In a book of this sort; one is obligated to be highly selective; and Holt has made his selections judiciously. He manages; somehow; to deal with major players--- Olaudah Equiano; Frederick Douglass; Rosa Parks; and Obama are the "heroes"--- but the emphasis throughout is on less-known players and on the black population and its concerns as a whole; or as much as it can be. Holt manages to take a very clear; activist posture but to remain objective; and his writing is elegant. Some might quibble about emphases or omissions; as would be inevitable in a book of this sort; but this promises to be the standard overview of the "long" movement; and; when it appears in paperback; should be a common text in introductory African American History courses.Several years ago; this imprint published Harvard Sitkoff's The Struggle for Civil Rights; now a standards history of the shorter; mid-20th century movement. Holt's book will join both it and Franklin's text as indispensable.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy Charmen GoehringBook arrived in great condition!1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Engaging and enlighteningBy Max F. MillerOnly half way through this and Prof. Holt's approach to the history has stretched my thinking in so many ways around the interplay of European and African cultures and the many complex dimensions of commerce; slavery; politics and religion.
