The Prayed Francis
Liturgical Vitae and Franciscan Identity in the Thirteenth Century
Marco Bartoli
Filippo Sedda
Timothy Johnson
Jacques Dalarun
9781576594346
237 pages
The Franciscan Institute
Overview
The sources contained in this volume offer an introduction to early liturgical texts dedicated to Francis of Assisi. Frequently ignored by scholars, these crucial sources present a collection of incredible perspectives on how religious communities, both within and outside the Franciscan Order, constructed their identities as they interpreted and performed the life of Francis of Assisi in prayer. The team of international scholars responsible for the volume's introductory essays in the volume, Marco Bartoli, Jacques Dalarun, Timothy J. Johnson, and Filippo Sedda, maintain that this “Prayed Francis” played a decisive role in the reception and retrieval of the Franciscan story throughout the changing context of the thirteenth century and beyond.
Author Bio
MARCO BARTOLI is professor of medieval history at the University of Perugia and has done extensive studies on the life of Clare of Assisi. SISTER FRANCES TERESA DOWNING, O.S.C., is guardian of a community of four Poor Clares in Hastings (Sussex), England. From Cambridge University she earned a diploma in philosophy of religion and theology, religious history, and ethics. She is completing a master’s degree in philosophy of Franciscan theology and spirituality from the Franciscan International Study Centre at Canterbury, where she teaches about Clare. She wrote Living the Incarnation: Praying with Francis and Clare of Assisi and This Living Mirror: Clare of Assisi, in addition to editing Praying in the Franciscan Spirit and translating five books by Italian authors.Filippo Sedda did his doctoral work in Rome at the Gregoriana and the Sapienza, and currently coordinates the ‘Laboratorio di agiografia: Filologia, Edizione, Interpretazione delle Fonti’ at the Scuola Superiore di Studi Medievali e Francescani of the Pontifical Università Antonianum, also in Rome. His research interests focus on Franciscan history, especially the edition and study of hagiographical and theological texts from the 13th through the 15th century, studies on the life and works of Giovanni of Capestrano and, more recently, Franciscan liturgical sources. He is the author of a large number of essays and articles, and he also published several book-length studies. Together with Jacques Dalarun, Timothy Johnson and others, he edited Franciscus liturgicus. Editio fontium xiii saeculi (Padua: Edizioni Francescane, 2015), Fonti liturgiche francescane. L’immagine di san Francesco nei testi liturgici del XIII secolo (Padua: Editrici Francescane, 2015).Timothy J. Johnson is Professor of Religion and Humanities Department Chair at Flagler College, St. Augustine, Florida. A Senior Fulbright Scholar, Dr. Johnson holds a Doctorate in Sacred Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He also holds a Licentiate in Sacred Theology and a Diploma Litterarum Latinarum from the Pontifical Gregorian University, a Bachelor's in Sacred Theology from Pontifical Theological Faculty of St. Bonaventure, Rome, and a B.A. in Theology from St. Louis University. Dr. Johnson has taught in Europe and Africa. His primary area of expertise is the history of Christian spirituality and theology. Dr. Johnson has published numerous journal articles and books on Franciscan topics including Bonaventure Mystic of God s Word and The Sunday Sermons of St. Bonaventure.Jacques Dalarun is internationally known in the field of medieval studies. The former director of Medieval Studies at l Ecole francais de Rome and of l Institut de Recherche et d Histoire des Textes (CNRS), Dalarun is also known for his significant publications on the medieval religious experience in France and Italy. In 2004-2005, he was the Joseph A. Doino Visiting Professor of Franciscan Studies at The Franciscan Institute, Saint Bonaventure University. His works on Francis of Assisi have been translated into English and published by Franciscan Institute Publications.
