San Francisco de Asís Santo Tomás de Aquino

by G.K. Chesterton

G.K Chesterton, escritor y periodista británico (1874-1936) entrega dos recorridos por la vida de dos monumentales santos: San Francisco de Asís (1181/1182- 1226) y Santo Tomás de Aquino (1224/1225- 1274), los cuales son un excelente ejemplo de biografía histórica. En esta obra se ha querido recoger estas dos biografías escritas por Chesterton, en las cuales él recorre la vida de ambos santos con un genio perspicaz como su guía, señalando cosas que son, obviamente ciertas, pero que uno no se da cuenta hasta que él lo señala. Es una excelente revisión de la vida, pensamiento y espiritualidad de los dos santos, Chesterton da un análisis en profundidad de estos dos grandes hombres santos con su sorprendente visión clásica. Estos dos santos fueron hombres de diferentes generaciones y de distintos tiempos pero en su propia época transformaron al mundo con su visión del mismo, del ser humano y de Dios.

Genres: Biography, Theology, Religion, History, Catholic, Nonfiction, Christianity

207 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 11, 2016

About the author

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.

He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.

Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.

Reviews

[Josephine (Jo) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved these two biographies. I have always been very fond of Chesterton and I especially love his animal poems. He does a great job with these two life stories; I knew less about St. Thomas Aquinas than I did about St. Francis because St. Francis is a particular favourite of mine. Chesterton has made me like Aquinas much more. I was amused by Thomas' family when they were trying to stop him from becoming a monk. Their rough handling of their dreaming "dumb Ox" of a brother reminded me of the brothers of Joseph in the bible (although they were not quite so brutal). Now I know a lot more about Thomas and have grown to like him more. As for St. Francis he was already a friend of mine and Chesterton painted a lovely picture of him. Francis was almost the polar opposite of Thomas, he was impulsive, and he didn't care about books or even where he was particularly. He had a great love for his fellow man (and creature) and that was what made him tick. Thomas was far more disciplined; he could not survive without books and did not wish to wander as Francis did. But despite their differences they complement each other!
Chesterton does not write like a superior professor but it seems to me more like a fellow Catholic who knows a lot more than I. He is however not perfect in his knowledge about some things and that just makes him more endearing, he tells the stories with true affection

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the Saint Francis half of this book. Saint Thomas Aquinas will have to wait for another day. Chesterton's biography of Francis is not the sort of straight-forward historical biography I'm used to reading. Although he describes it as an "introduction," Chestron assumes the reader already knows the basic story of Francis' life, he takes events out of order, and engages in debate with contemporary critics. So it's more like an essay or an anlysis than a biogrpahy. That said, Chestrton provides great insight into the life of this extraordinary saint. And Chestrton's writng style is just fun. It's also amazing how well read he was. Read it to learn about Francis, and read it to enjoy Chestrton.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came at this book having little knowledge of either St. Thomas Aquinas or St. Francis of Assisi. Chesterton does a wonderful job of giving a sketch of both lives and also something of a comparison of the two. As in all Chesterton's writings, he comes at a simple biography from a different angle than most biographers. He doesn't give so much as a chronology of their lives as a look into their heart and minds and philosophies and how they influenced their world ... and are still influencing ours. He tackles some of the controversy that has surrounded both and in doing so preserves all that is best of both saints.
As I read St. Thomas Aquinas, I almost felt as if I was reading about a friend ... one of my favorite authors is the German Thomist philosopher, Josef Pieper and I felt like I was getting a deeper look at a man (St. Thomas Aquinas) I partially know and love from reading Pieper's writings.

[Thomas Gilmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written, but at times felt like Chesterton took me on an endless pursuit of wanting more substance without ever receiving it.

[Mitchell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really what I was looking for. I should have taken the warning about Chesterton being wordy more seriously. That guy can seriously ramble. Also, he's unabashedly biased towards Aquinas. I was kind of looking for a more balanced look at his life and philosophies/theologies. Instead, most of the book was spent explaining why "The Thomist" was superior to any other belief system. I would still like to read a good book on Thomas Aquinas, but I'll probably stay away from Chesterton.

[Carolyn]

So far, a vintage Chesterton; he brings Aquinas to life as no one else I've read has. I think an understanding of Aquinas is increasingly important for our age. GKC is a marvellous aid to this.
And Francis of Assisi! GKC made me want to know him - far above any aspirations of mine spiritually, but such a lovely character! Chesterton excels as always.

[Douglas Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chesterton is always a grand, spacious read. I read these biographies of St. Thomas and St. Francis many years ago, and then again now. Chesterton is a delight even when defending the indefensible. He is especially endearing in his confusions about Calvinism, but we love him anyway.

[Becki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this for my college class. I had a real additude about it, thought it was MAJOR boring, but read it anyway. How ignorant can I be! Haa! I was shocked I totally LOVED it! It was an excellent book. It is two books in one.

[Eric Orchard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full of wonder and beauty.

[Marco Moysén · Rating 4 out of 5]

En Chesterton la paradoja no es un recurso, sino un estilo con el que descifra asuntos complejos en ideas sencillas y razonables. Siendo ensayo y no biografía, exige un conocimiento previo. Aún así, sin saber mucho, uno coincide hasta en las más temerarias sentencias por el peso de su razonamiento, sobre todo cuando habla de la santidad.

[chewed up lemon · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Chesterton isn't busy calling Islam a religion for simpletons and agnosticism and, oh dear Lord, atheism the creed of idiots (while adressing his words to non-Catholics or, at least, to non-practicing Catholics 🙃), he manages to write some truly fascinating essays about two of arguably the most prominent Catholic saints of the 13th century.

[Dcn. Benj · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars for Francis
3.5 stars for Aquinas

[Joseph R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chesterton takes on a challenging task in writing a biography of Saint Francis of Assisi. Francis was beloved in his own life time, so even the earliest sources are bound to exaggerate (if not make up) stories. Or at least skeptics can assume so. And Francis's life was well over five hundred years ago leaving plenty of time for legends and misconceptions to grow. How can a modern, interested person get a true understanding of the man with so many obstacles in the way?

Chesterton flies over such hurdles by several methods. His first and least obvious solution is to eschew the typical biography's strictly historical retelling of someone's life, where they start with his birth on such and such a date at a certain place and recite all the famous historical and personal events up to his burial on such and such a date at a certain place. Instead, Chesterton focuses on a few key events in Francis's life and meditates on how those events reveal Francis. In an early event, he was working for his father as a cloth merchant, negotiating with a purchaser while a beggar was also asking Francis for alms. Trying to please two supplicants at the same time was impossible for Francis though he clearly wanted to. When he was finished with the merchant, he turned to help the beggar who had left. Francis left his market stall (with presumably a lot of valuable stock unattended) to hunt down the beggar in the narrow byways of Assisi and give him the money he had just made. Chesterton points out that Francis always treated everyone equally, as a brother, whether they were from a high or low station. He didn't play favorites, he was a true egalitarian. The incident also shows his unconcern for material things. Many other incidents are handled with the same depth and reflection.

Chesterton also avoids the ambiguities and misconceptions about Francis's life by looking at the world as it was when Francis lived. Many modern people cherish Francis as the harbinger of the Renaissance--a man in love with nature and unconcerned with personal possessions. He's considered a Flower Child and a proto-communist. Chesterton argues that Francis came immediately after the time known as the "Dark Ages" but those times were only "dark" in the sense of Europe being besieged by the paganism of Rome and the perpetual barbarian invasions. Paganism had finally been overthrown by Francis's time; the barbarians had settled down to become locals and Christians. Monks no longer had to live in cloisters where they kept learning alive. Francis's friars could live "on the road" as it were, relying entirely on the generosity of others for food and shelter. His call appealed to many in his day but clearly it couldn't be heeded by all or society would collapse. His love of nature sprang from a simplicity of life that accepts the world with wonder. He's fascinated by the God-given glory of animals, not just by the animals themselves. His context gives him a different view from what we might casually think today.

Chesterton writes for the modern reader who is uninformed yet curious about this romantic and fantastic character. Chesterton sets aside the skeptic's doubt (if the reader denies the supernatural is even possible, Francis will forever remain inexplicable) and assumes the inquirer's wonder (the reader is open to explanations beyond his or her own personal experience). Chesterton himself was in such a position before his conversion to Christianity and thus is possibly the best author to tackle St. Francis's biography in this way. He gives a sense of Francis's life and the sanctity he had on a level few of us experience. Francis was a true lover of God and men and lived out that love with a sense of humor and self-denial that will always fascinate the casual observer and may transform those who strive to look more closely.

This book is an unusual, fascinating, and well worth your while.

I was inspired to read this by that great podcast, A Good Story Is Hard to Find, and somehow have managed to read it before the episode posted! I may treat myself to ice cream.

NB: I did only read the St. Francis part. I may get around to St. Thomas at some point, but I did borrow it from the library, so not any time soon--too many other books already in the queue!

[Aaron Crofut · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for the first time nearly six years ago, and apart from a few sermons I had heard over the previous two years, this was my first real contact with St. Thomas Aquinas. Since then, I've read a few Thomists and have spent quite a bit of time with St. Thomas himself, or his works at least. In retrospect, I'm floored by how beautifully and simply Chesterton expresses the essence of St. Thomas. No wonder Gilson despaired! As I said six years ago, reading this book will not make on an expert on this great Saint, and that is still true. That was not the point. After spending so much time focusing on the detailed brushstrokes of this masterpiece, rereading Chesterton's book is like stepping back and being able to take in the whole beautiful work at a glance.


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It's difficult to review a book that wanders as much as St. Francis, but like the great saint, it always seems to find something useful to ponder wherever it goes. In the main, this introduces us to the Heart and Mind of the Church, St. Francis and St. Thomas Aquinas. Both are treated in a manner similar to their personalities. The section on St. Thomas is fairly focused on revealing the calm but passionate man behind the philosophy, while the section on St. Francis is frantically going wherever the saint takes Chesterton's attention to (often not on the saint at all!).

I very much enjoyed the book. It will not make the reader into an expert on either individual, but it will give a number of insights into who they were, how we relate to them, and maybe even how we relate to the greater picture.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I learned about this book's existence, I immediately moved it to the top of my to-read list. What more could one want from a book about two of the greatest saints in the history of the Catholic Church written by one of the finest writers in the history of the English language?
Chesterton's wit, wisdom and insight are beautifully framed in his sublime wordcraft, which rises to a poetic climax towards the end of each chapter.
Written about seven hundred years after the time of St Francis and St Thomas, one would think that all that could be written about them would already have been written. Chesterton's biographies, however, are sparklingly original, painting a new and delightful picture of the well-known and much-studied saints.

[Joannebober · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although I entered a date for finishing the book, it's actually the date I gave up on this book. I read the 2016 edition which started with an intro and then St. Francis which might be the opposite of this addition but likely the same text. I found Chesterton's writing style academic and boring. He didn't delve into the lives of the saints as much as I expected. He makes references to people from his time that I don't know. I made it through St. Francis but gave up shortly into St. Thomas. I found this book to be a very difficult read. If you're a Chesterton fan and you like his writing style, you may like this book but it's not for everyone.

[John Tessitore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea if Chesterton's biographies are factually accurate. There aren't that many facts to go on. I'm not even sure if they're theologically accurate. But these books are about Chesterton as much as they are about the saints. They're a good writer's best case for his own faith. And if the writer's good enough (as Chesterton is), and the subject's strong enough (Francis and Thomas are pretty strong), the book has to be worth reading. I wouldn't recommend these books for everyone, but if you've ever thought hard about matters of faith, they might be useful to you.

[Eric]

This is really two books in one volume. I just finished the first on Saint Thomas Aquinas. Holy cow! Chesterton is a master of the English language, and you really have to follow closely with some of his word play. But through that he seems to have a great depth of understanding. Chesterton is that rare thinker who can get at the essence of something and that even rarer writer that can communicate it an engagingly succinct way. I need to read more about Aquinas and more by Chesterton.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chesteron spends less time on the history of St. Thomas than he does on the mind of St. Thomas. For Chesteron to know this saint requires more than knowing dates, times, activities; it requires pealing back the curtain around one of the greatest minds that ever lived. Chesterton helps us to understand the greatness of Aquinas thought, not only in its impacts on the Middle Ages, but for our own time; which could use a return of common sense based on the senses that St. Thomas proposed.

[Nathanial]

Two biographies by the early 20th Century convert. One, more enthusiastic, written soon after conversion, maybe not coincidentally considers the saint famed for his enthusiasm; one, more measured and polemic, written years later about the figural founder of Scholasticism. The Francis book appeals, while the Aquinas book exhorts; both consist more of ruminations than descriptions.

[Vance J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the perspective offered on the life of St. Francis of Assisi, although I recommend the reader be familiar with St. Francis' life. Chesterton's work places St. Francis in the context of his time and I'd consider it more of a discussion of St. Francis' life than a specific biography.

[robert miecznikowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

You never know

Chesterton's biography of these two minds is approached in an interesting manner. He begins each with a discussion of what the conditions of the world was and how each man changed it. He also made many stories to give examples of their lives and how they changed the history of our lives.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written with Chesterton's usual witty and insightful prose, both books provide popular introductions to the worlds of St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis of Assisi. The books are less about their ideas, and more about their social contexts.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

These narratives are not really biographies; as Chesterton repeatedly says, though, he merely wants to give a sketch of Thomas Aquinas and Francis of Assisi and create interest in these men. So far, I like Mr. Chesterton.

[Ben · Rating 2 out of 5]

The biography of St. Thomas did accomplish its goal of peaking my interest in finding out more about Aquinas. But both biographies were more about the philosophy of Chesterton and contained little about the lives and work of their titular subjects.

[Patrick]

Reading the St. Francis portion with my small group. Very deep and yet not linear at all.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Francis of Assisi: With Introductions by Ralph McInerny and Joseph Pearce by G. K. Chesterton (2002)

[Jean Seah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read over here!
http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-thomas-a...
http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-francis-...

[Vicki]

A nice edition of these two works. They are great to read one after the other, although St. Francis should be read first, followed by St. Thomas.

[Tony Laplume · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think everything you need to put Chesterton’s perspective in perspective is in the introduction to the Thomas Aquinas volume: Ralph McInerny exhibits sheer amazement that Chesterton could’ve begun writing it with no visible sign that he’d actually begun to study Aquinas.

That’s not really critical thinking at all. If you read the volume itself you’ll see how Chesterton basically plugs Aquinas into the general framework of his times. It’s more a masterful synthesis of that period in history, what it was and wasn’t, and how it contrasts with later periods, such as Chesterton’s, than it is a study of Aquinas himself. Again and again, Chesterton admits as much, that he can’t possibly explain Aquinas himself.

It’s basically hero worship, both volumes really, with all the blind spots therein implied. And as such, filled with the kind of logic in the old saying about if the legend is better than the history, go ahead and print the legend.

None of this is to say his subjects are empty frauds, or that Chesterton doesn’t have intrinsic value. Reading him is to be reminded of the classroom. Chesterton engages in a lecture style. I learned a long time ago that the most interesting lecturers are in fact sometimes the hardest to actually learn anything from. They love most of all talking. They’re windbags. And most of what they say is actually extraneous, padding. At least according to reports in this volume, Chesterton didn’t write so much as dictate his work, and I think that speaks for itself. He keeps circling around his subjects, repeating himself, and when he gets to the point, it is insightful, most of the time, so that you wish he’d spent time expounding on that, and not merely warming himself up continuously.

Of the two subjects, he’s far more insightful on Aquinas, as thinkers they’re much closer, so it only figures. Francis is someone he appears far too close to to have dealt with fairly. He inevitably bows before a narrative he barely sketches, and therefore presents implausibly, an outline with an altogether different analysis than history suggests and he himself champions. In fact, don’t take my word for it: reading this collection and reading the Aquinas volume and then the Francis will expose the marked contrasts of insight Chesterton is able to provide. Is it merely that the former was written later? I don’t think so.

Chesterton’s greatest skill was what he fails to exhibit with Francis, his ability in a world that was once again sliding into darkness to remember when men knew things as readily as he did. That made him valuable to later writers like Neil Gaiman, who borrowed his image and legacy (in the form of Fiddler’s Green) for the purposes of Sandman, another work of abject synthesis. Ironically I wonder if Chesterton would’ve approved of such a secular accomplishment, and his appearances therein.

Chesterton came to the Catholic faith, it seems, because of Francis but stayed, maybe, because of Aquinas. He saw an inspirational figure in one, but an intellectual one in the other. In Aquinas he found someone who dominated thought in a way that reconciled Catholicism in a world that is forever rejecting it, which itself, what Aquinas achieved, is a paradox, perhaps because of that peculiar habit of Catholics to embrace romantic figures like Francis over practical ones like Aquinas. So Chesterton himself becomes a paradox.