St. Francis of Assisi and Nature: Tradition and Innovation in Western Christian Attitudes Toward the Environment

by Roger D. Sorrell

One of the best-loved saints of all time, Francis of Assisi is often depicted today as a kind of proto-hippie or early environmentalist. This book, the most comprehensive study in English of Francis's view of nature in the context of medieval tradition, debunks modern anachronistic interpretations, arguing convincingly that Francis's ideas can only be understood in their 13th-century context. Through close analysis of Francis's writings, particularly the Canticle of the Sun, Sorrell shows that many of Francis's beliefs concerning the proper relation of humanity to the natural world have their antecedents in scripture and the medieval monastic orders, while other ideas and practices--his nature mysticism, his concept of familial relationships with created things, and his extension of chivalric conceptions to interactions with creatures--are entirely his own. Sorrell insists, however, that only by seeing Francis in terms of the Western traditions from which he arose can we appreciate the true originality of this extraordinary figure and the relevance of his thought to modern religious and environmental concerns.

Genres: Theology

217 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Raffaele Russo · Rating 4 out of 5]

L'idea più interessante che compare nel "nature mysticism" di Francesco, come lo interpreta Sorrell, è quella di sistema cosmico degli esseri: per Francesco, certo, "ogni cosa è collegata", come in ecologia, ma con questo non intende solo tutti gli animali e tutti i corpi e sostanze esistenti, ma un sistema cosmico, che oltre ai corpi comprende le anime, gli spiriti, e Dio. Cfr., ad esempio, p. 104: "“Francesco sembra suggerire una comprensione profonda delle interrelazioni tra le creature e le loro relazioni con gli umani e con Dio”...

[Lou]

best saint!

[Cristian Marrero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful book to learn many aspects of St. Francis. Though this book is written as a collegiate review and study of different words from separate biographers and hagiographers, it is a wonderful read. It has eight chapters in total which I do recommend that you read slowly to fully appreciate it and interpret it well.