Notes and Reflections for a talk on Franciscan Mysticism by Maury Smith

10 Selected Bibliography.rtf

 

Franciscan Mysticism Bibliography

 

Part of Christian Mysticism Course

http://www.christianmysticismsa.org

 

Recommended Reading for September 20, 2008

 

If you only have time for one book, read Hayes:

 

Hayes, Zachary. Bonaventure: Mystical Writings. NY: Crossroads, 1999.

           Unfortunately this book is out of print but it may be found on the internet

           and in libraries. I will put a copy on the reserve shelf at Oblate School of Theology..

 

Bonaventure. Writings on the Spiritual Life. Works of Bonaventure, Volume X. Introduction and Notes by F. Edward Coughlin. St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 2006   http://franciscanmart.sbu.edu 

 

Angela of Foligno. Angela of Foligno Complete Works: Classics of Western Spirituality by Paul Lachance and Romana Guarnieri. NY: Paulist Press, 1993.

 

On the web:

 

NOTE: Paschal Robinson is an older Franciscan Scholar. He is cited here because his writings are in the public domain. Needless to say scholarship has advanced since his days. But then few scholars accept anyone else’s translation. Noel Muscat is a contemporary  writer of Franciscan studies who has a web page.

 

For an article on Francis’ experience at San Damiano see Noel Muscat’s web page. The Crucifix of San Damiano.

http://www.ofm.org.mt/noelmuscat/articles.html

 

The Canticle of the Sun of St. Francis, go to this web page.

http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=1172&chapter=83223&layout=html&Itemid=27

 

The Testament of St. Francis, go to this web page.

http://www.the-orb.net/encyclop/religion/monastic/francis/testament.html

 

Selected Bibliography

 

Francis of Assisi – Vol. I - The Saint Edited by Regis Armstrong, Bill Short, and J. Wayne Hellmann. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 1999.  ISBN# 1565481100

            Among other things this volume has the Writings of Francis, Celano’s Life of Francis and The Sacred Exchange between Saint Francis and Lady Poverty.

 

Francis of Assisi -Vol. II - The Founder Edited by Regiss Armstrong, Bill Short, and J. Wayne Hellmann. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001.   ISBN# 1565481127

            Among other things this volume has Bonaventure’s Major Legend of Saint Francis, Celano’s Remembrance of the Desire of a Soul, The Legend of the Three Companions and The Assisi Compilation.

 

Francis of Assisi - Vol. III - The Prophet Edited by Reggis Armstrong, Bill Short, and J. Wayne Hellmann. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001.   ISBN# 1565481143

            Among other things this volume has The Mirror of Perfection, The Little Flowers of Saint Francis and the Tree of the Crucified Life of Jesus.

 

(These three volumes are referred to as “FAED.”  Francis of Assisi:: Early Documents.)

 

Francis of Assisi - Index Early Documents Edited by Regis Armstrong, Bill Short, and J. Wayne Hellmann. Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001.   ISBN# 1565481143

 

Armstrong, Edward A.. Saint Francis: Nature Mystic. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973

 

Blastic, Michael. “Franciscan Spirituality.” in The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality. Ed. by Michael Downey. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1993. 408-418. An outstanding brief overview of Franciscan Spirituality.

 

Bonaventure. Itinerarium Mentis in Deum: Works of Bonaventure, Volume II. Introduction and Commentary by Philotheus Boehner, OFM; New English Translation by Zachary Hayes, OFM.  St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 2002

 

Bonnefoy, Jean Francois. The Triple Way: A Bonaventurian Summa of Mystical Theology.(Grayfriars Review Supplement, Vol. 16)  St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 2002

 

Cousins, Ewert. "Francis of Assisi and Bonaventure: Mysticism and Theological Interpretation." in The Other Side of God: A Polarity in World Religion

ed. Peter Berger. Garden City: Anchor Press, 1981.

 

                           “Francis of Assist and Christian Mysticism at the Crossroads,”

in Mysticism And Religious Traditions. ed Steven T. Katz, New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.

 

                           “Franciscan Roots of Ignatian Meditation.” in Ignatain Spirituality in a Secular Age. ed. George P. Schner. Waterloo, Ont. Canada: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 1984

 

Cunningham, Lawrence. Francis of Assisi: Performing the Gospel Life. Grand Rapids: Eerdsman Publishing Company, 2004. A theological reflection on Francis.

 

Cusato Michael F. “Esse ergo mitem e  humilem corde, hoc est esse vere Fratrem Minorem: Bonaventure of Bagnoregio and the Reformulation of the Franciscan Charism,” in Charisma und religiöse Gemeinschaften im Mittelalter, eds. Giancarlo Andenna, Mirko Breitenstein and Gert Melville (Dresden: LIT, 2004), 343-382.

 

________ Michael, Jacques Dalarum and Carla Salvati.  The Stigmata of Francis of Assisk: New Studies New Perspectives.  St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Inst Pubs, 2006

 

Dalarun, Jacques. The Misadventure of Francis of Assisi. St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Inst Pubs, 2002. 

                            Superb: provides the manuscript tradition for the understanding of the early biographies of St. Francis and thus is a companion to FAED.

 

Dalarun, Jacques. Francis of Assisi and.Power. St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Inst Pubs, 2007

 

Daniel, E. Randolf. “Symbol or Model? St Bonaventure's Use of St. Francis.” in Bonaventuriana Miscellanea in onore di Jacques Guy Bougerol, ofm a cura di Francisco de Asis Chavero Blanco OFM   Vol. I Edizione Antonianum Roma 1988. pp. 55-62

 

Delio, Illia. The Canticle Of Brother Sun: A Song Of Christ Mysticism By Ilia Delio, OSF Franciscan Studies 52 (1992) pp 1-22.

 

                   “Toward a New Theology of Franciscan Contemplation: The Mysticism of the Historical Event. The Cord 46.3, (1996): 131-140.

 

…………... “Clare of Assisi and the Mysticism of Motherhood.” in Franciscans at Prayer. ed. by Timothy J. Johnson.Boston: Brill, 2007.

 

Doyle, Eric. St. Francis and the Song of Brotherhood and Sisterhood. NY: Seabury Press, 1981. Reprinted Franciscan Institute, 1997. ISBN: 1576590038  From the viewpoint of relating Francis to our times, still one of the best.

 

Frugoni, Chiara. Francis of Assisi: A Lfie. N.Y.: Continuum, 1995.

 

Fumagalli, Edoardo. “Saint Francis, The Canticle, The Our Father.” Greyfriars Review 19 Sup. (2005) 1-87.

 

Gebhart, Emile and Hulme, Edward Maslin. The Exultation of Franciscan Mysticism

Publisher: In Mystics and Hertics in Italy at the End of the Middle Ages. 1922. Recopied by Kessinger Publishing  ISBN: 1425340989 www.kessinger.net

 

Hammond, Jay. “Saint Francis’s Doxological Mysticism in Light of His Prayers.” In, Francis of Assisi: History, Hagiography and Hermeneutics in the Early Documents. Ed. by Jay Hammond.  NY: New City Press, 2004.  A companion volume to the FA:ED worth reading..

 

____________  “Contemplation and the Formation of the Vir Spiritusalis in Bonaventure’s Collationes in Hexaemeron. in Franciscans at Prayer. ed. by Timothy J. Johnson.Boston: Brill, 2007. pp. 123-165

 

Hayes, Zachary. The Hidden Center. New York: Paulist Press, 1981.

 

____________. “The Theological Image Of St. Francis Of Assisi In The Sermon's Of St. Bonaventure,” in Bonaventuriana Miscellanea in onore di Jacques Guy Bougerol, ofm a cura di Francisco de Asis Chavero Blanco OFM   Vol. I Edizione Antonianum Roma 1988. pp. 309-345

 

Hellman, J. A. Wayne. “The Seraph in Thomas of Celano’s Vita Prima.” In That Others may Know and Love: Essays in Honor of Zachariy Hayes. ed. by Michael F. Cusato and F. Edward Coughlin. St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 1997.

 

…………... “Prayer in the Life of Saint Francis by Thomas of Celano” in Franciscans at Prayer. ed. by Timothy J. Johnson.Boston: Brill, 2007.

 

Leclerc, Eloi. The Canticle of Creatures: Symbols of Union. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1977

 

Longpre, Ephrem. A Poor Man’s Peace. Chicago: Francsican Herald Pesss, 1968

See Chapter Seven Mystical Journey, pages 97-108.  His diary and spiritual letters indicate that Longpre who was a Franciscan scholar, was also a mystic himself.

 

Manselli, Raoul. St. Francis of Assisi. Chicago: Franciscan Herald Press, 1988.

 

Matura, Thaddée. Francis of Assisi: The Message of His Writings. St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 2004.

 

Martignetti, Richard. Saint Bonaventure’s Tree of Life: Theology of the Mystical Journey... (Pensiero Francescano, 2) Grottaferrata, 2004.   ISBN 88-7013-362-1  May be obtained from Provincial Curia, 125 Thompson St., NY, NY. 10012 or fax (212) 533-8034.  As Hayes used the Itinerarium as his center piece to explicate the mystical theology of Bonaventure, so in a similar manner Martignetti uses the Tree of Life.  He sees Bon as the great synthesizer who summarized the laws and statues of the order in his Constitutions of Narbonne; who synthesized the biographies of Francis into his Legenda and who in the Tree of Life synthesized his study and meditation on the Gospels, page 45.

 

McGinn, Bernard. The Presence of God A History of Western Christian Mysticism: Vol. III, The Flowering of Mysticism, Men and Women in the New Mysticism – 1200-1350. NY: Crossroad Herder Book, 1998. This will probably be a classic.  When finished it will be five volumes. In Volume III McGinn deals with early Franciscan Mysticism, the synthesis of Bonaventure and, men and women in the Franciscan Tradition.

 

                           “Was St. Francis a Mystic?” in Doors of Understanding: Conversations on Global Spirituality in Honor of Ewett Cousins.  ed. Steven Chase (Quincy, IL, Franciscan Press, 1997) pp145-74.

 

                           “Reflections on St. Francis at the New Millennium.” Franciscan Studies 58 (2000) pp 1-18.

 

Nicholson, D.H. S.. The Mysticism of St. Francis of Assisi, Boston: Small, Maynard & Co., 1923.   Schmucki writes that this work “has had little impact on Franciscan research, … a lengthy and somewhat esoteric interpretation of St. Francis, … dressing up the Poverello with ideas borrowed from later mystics.”

 

Francisco de Osuna. The Third Spiritual Alphabet: The Classics of Western Spirituality.  Trans. and Intro. by Mary F. Giles. NY: Paulist Press, 1981

 

Peter of Alcantara. Treatise on Prayer and Meditation. Westminster: Maryland: Newman Press, 1949.

 

Peterson, Ingrid. “Images of the Crucified Christ in Clare of Assisi and Angela of Foligno.” In That Others may Know and Love: Essays in Honor of Zachary Hayes.. ed. by Michael F. Cusato and F. Edward Coughlin. St. Bonaventure, NY: Franciscan Institute, 1997.

 

Smith, Maury. Notes and Guide  to Bonaventure’s Itinerarium Mentis in Deum.

personal manuscript. Check out my course page: Formation in the Franciscan Tradition:  http://in.geocities.com/maurysmith/

 

Sorrell, Roger. St. Francis of Assisi and Nature: Tradition and Innovation in Western Christian Attitudes Toward the Environment. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.

 

Tomkinson, Diane. “Angela of Foigno’s Spiral Pattern of Prayer.” in Franciscans at Prayer. ed. by Timothy J. Johnson.Boston: Brill, 2007. pp. 195-219.

 

Underhill,  Evelyn. “Franciscan Mysticism” (Chapter V) In Mystics of the Church. Cambridge: James Clarke & Co., 1925.

 

__________ “A Franciscan Mystic Of The Thirteenth Century: The Blessed Angela Of Foligno.” In Franciscan Essays: Paul Sabatier and Others. Aberdeen U.P., 1912. Pages 88-107.  [Paper read before the British Society of Franciscan Studies. 15 Nov., 1911.]

This is special, a mystic discussing another mystics life and teachings. This talk can be found at http://www.christianmysticismsa.org/Year2.htm

 

__________ The Blessed Angela of Foligno by (Paperback - Dec 30, 2005)

 

Wiseman, James “Mysticism” in The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality. ed. Michael Downey. (Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 1993) 681-592

 

CD Audio:

 

Short, William, ofm, “Franciscan Theology and Mysticism” Disk 8: Topic 22:.

  On the CD: St. Francis of Assisi: A New Way of Being Christian.

  Published by www.NowYouKnowMedia.com  

 

 

DVD:

The Virtual Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi: An interactive, exportable environment with integrated text. Institute of Digital Theology. St. Louis University.  www.digitaltheology.org

 

 

Web Pages of Interest:

 

Franciscan Institute Library:  http://web.sbu.edu/friedsam/

 

Evelyn Undershill web page.   http://www.evelynunderhill.org/

 

Franciscan Studies by Noel Muscat:

                              http://www.ofm.org.mt/noelmuscat/

 

Download The book of divine consolation of the Blessed Angela of Foligno from this web site:  http://www.archive.org/details/divineconsolatio00angeuoft

 

For mysticism an extensive bibliography on the web: http://anamchara.com/bibliomystic/

 

Internet Guide to St. Bonaventure

http://www.franciscan-archive.org/bonaventura/

 

Excerpt from A Treatise on Prayer and Meditation by St. Peter of Alcántara

http://www.franciscan-archive.org/de_alcantara/opera/mentpryr.html

 

Check out my course page: Formation in the Franciscan Tradition

I have added a Franciscan Mysticism section.

                                        http://in.geocities.com/maurysmith/

 

Christian Mysticism Page

http://www.christianmysticismsa.org/index.html

Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

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