The Admonitions of St. Francis

Title Page, Copyright

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Table of Contents

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pp. vii-viii

The Admonitions of St. Francis: Sources and Meanings

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pp. ix-xii

In this study of the twenty-eight Admonitions of St. Francis of Assisi, I situate them in the spiritual context of their age. Previous commentators, writing mainly in languages other than English, have been my guides to this spiritual context...

Abbreviations and Short Titles

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pp. xiii-xvi

Introduction: The Admonitions in General

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pp. 1-15

Before examining in detail each one of Francis’s twenty-eight admonitions, I will consider general questions such as occasion and literary style. I advise my astute readers that they should return to this chapter after they have worked...

Chapter One: Admonition 1: (Concerning the Body of the Lord)

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pp. 17-50

1. The Lord Jesus says to his disciples: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 2. If you will know me, you will also know my Father. And now you know him and have seen him. 3. Philip says to him: Lord, show...

Chapter Two: Admonitions 2-16

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pp. 53-175

Francis gives no indication why he cites Genesis 2:16-17 at the beginning of Admonition 2. The quotation is given as a set text, as it were, for interpretation. Francis’s text generally accords with the Vulgate.² Since the rest of this admonition presupposes...

Chapter Three: Admonitions 17-28

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pp. 183-266

Vorreux, Esser, and Desbonnets et alii suggest no parallels to Admonition 17. But Miguel Angel Lavilla Martín, in a recent monograph, has drawn attention to the image of the servant in Francis’s thought and provided parallels to the religious use of...

Chapter Four: Conclusion

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pp. 273-301

As I come to the end of this extensive study of the Admonitions of St. Francis of Assisi, I deem it worthwhile to summarize the discoveries I have made. I do so under three headings: 1) The form and traditional content of the Admonitions and Francis’s creative use of that traditional...

English Translation of the Admonitions of St. Francis of Assisi

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pp. 305-316

The Lord Jesus says to his disciples: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 2. If you will know me, you will also know my Father. And now you know him and have seen him. 3. Philip says to him: Lord...