The Greatest of These is Love: The Life of St. Elizabeth of Hungary

by Lori Pieper

Though St. Elizabeth of Hungary lived 800 years ago, she has a unique appeal for Christians today. Love, rather than politics or ideology, was the driving force of her life. She was a happily married woman who loved her husband and children. She was a lover not just of social justice in the abstract, but of the poor as individuals. Above all, Elizabeth hungered for God, and found him in her everyday activities as a noblewoman, wife and mother before she found him in heroic charity to the poor and in religious life in imitation of St. Francis. The Greatest of These is Love, first written for the 8th centenary of Elizabeth's birth in 2007, and based on the most up-to-date research, will bring us closer to her than ever before. It also includes an English translation of the testimonies given by her closest friends at her canonization process, along with newly-discovered from the process never before translated into English; and a section of prayers for private meditation or group celebrations.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction

204 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Katie Marquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging, approachable look at a remarkable woman's life.

[Amy Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the book from cover to cover. This was well-done for a scholarly work. Three stars because I couldn't take all of the Catholic mysticism and justification by works, and it's just hard for me to know what to believe. I hope Elizabeth only depended on Christ for her salvation, not rejecting her wealth, etc. But if she did trust in Christ alone, I think she'd be rolling in her grave to have people praying to her.

[Paul Baker]

I am speechless as the humans say. It is hard to grasp the lives of people who have such grace in their lives. This book could encourage you (it should) but it could also make you ask why you have wasted so much of your life not serving the Lord our God.

[Tammy Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book because my middle name is for St. Elizabeth of Hungary. She devoted her life to the poor even though she married into a wealthy royal family. The work she did in her short lifetime was amazing. A true Saint of God!

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since I first heard of Elizabeth of Hungary, I have been captivated by this woman, who sought to live a life full of faith in circumstances so different from my own.

Elizabeth lived from 1207 to 1231 AD. Her young installation at Wartburg Castle in Eisenach, Germany as the contracted bride from the Hungarian Arpad dynasty to the German Ludovingian house, her connection with St. Francis of Assisi, her tender marriage to Ludwig IV (Landgrave of Thuringia), her advocacy for the poor, her fall into widowhood through Ludwig IV’s death in the Crusade, followed by her death at age 24, form the brief outline of a life lived with conviction. Her installation as a saint, the distribution of her remains throughout Europe, and the abundant tributes to her in art, architecture, and contemplative writing, testify to the impact her short but powerful life had upon Christians in the thirteenth century and beyond.

And while Lori Pieper’s scholarly biography weaves together these details through diligent accounting from primary source documents and copious notes (well done!), it also highlights how messy this world is – even for someone declared a saint.

I do not understand the social constraints and expectations that shaped Elizabeth’s world and sometimes, I’m not sure I understand those in mine, either.
I see the tension between Elizabeth and the empowered nobles through a glass darkly;
I mentally understand yet cannot quite follow her thinking to avoid food contaminated by exploitation – and how she became convicted it was so;
I vaguely comprehend the fragments of her mystical experiences,
but her relationship with her confessor Conrad eludes me in its demanding harshness toward Elizabeth whose young and tender heart toward the LORD and others is widely known.

I love the Lord Jesus. I’m thankful for the Reformation. And I’m thankful for the testimony of faithful women (and men) who walked with Him and now form the “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1). However, while their lives can be inspiring and encouraging, I do not believe we should worship or seek intercession from these people of faith, as “there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus…” (1 Timothy 2:5 ESV).

And so, what are we to conclude? Elizabeth lived out her faith in a world just as messy, oppositional, and needy as the one we confront. The Holy Spirit that animated her lives in us today; the Word of God that directed her is available to us in our own language today; the Father that loved her and the Son of the Father that redeemed her call out to us today. While those who come after us to look back on our lives may find our path to be overcast and foggy, let us leave them no doubt of our devotion to Jesus Christ, the Risen King, as our light, refuge, and strength. May our lives – and St. Elizabeth’s – point others to Him and Him alone as the only path to peace with God and our companions.

Want more Church History? My favorite overview of the history of the church is:
Church History, Simonetta Carr, 2022
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Want more biographies? My favorite series is also by Simonetta Carr:
Christian Biographies for Young Readers (20+ Titles), Simonetta Carr
https://www.goodreads.com/series/8395...

And for longer Christian biographies that hold to a reading level appropriate for all ages, see
Christian Heroes: Then & Now (50+ Titles), Janet Benge & Geoff Benge
https://www.goodreads.com/series/2349...