Living the Gospels?
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Francis of Assisi: A Revolutionary Life, by Adrian House. Published by Hidden Spring.
Another biography of Francis of Assisi? So many have already been written, what is the point of another one - and why would it be of any interest to skeptics and nonbelievers? Unlike most who write biographies of St. Francis, Adrian House deliberately writes both for religious and irreligious people. St. Francis was among the least dogmatic of Saints, and did more to try and live by Christian ideals than anyone else; his life thus serves as a counterpoint to what Christians today actually do.
Who was St. Francis? Put very simply, he was the son of a wealthy merchant who abandoned his entire inheritance to become a pauper, devoted to relieving all the misery he saw around him. He was one of very few people who appear to have tried to consistently and genuinely follow the gospel teachings of poverty and selflessness, even to their extremes.
But House's biography is about much more than that, because Francis' work did not take place in a vacuum. What Francis did and why he did it were closely related to the social and political events going on around him, events which House takes time to explain in some detail. Thus, his work is not just a biography but also a historical exploration of medieval Europe.
The first and one of the most important issues was the changing economic structure of Europe. For a long time, feudalism reigned supreme with little to challenge it. The population was divided up between the powerful lords and the poor peasants they were supposed to take care of.
Gradually, however, a new group of people began to emerge: the rich. Feudal lords were powerful because of the land they controlled and the titles they had inherited, but they were rarely also wealthy in terms of money or material possessions. As the merchant class began to expand, however, their actual money allowed them to start buying up that land and, over time, displacing the inherited power of the old feudal system.
This, in turn, was giving the serfs a reason and purpose for leaving behind their agricultural work on lands owned by the feudal nobility. For one thing, the shrinking power and lands of the lords meant that the serfs had less and less security in terms of food and protection. But more than that, they saw a chance at making money and a better living in the cities with the merchants. This had two effects, the first of which was obviously to make life even more difficult for the lords as they lost the manpower needed to maintain their estates.
The second was to create a new underclass of poor peasants. Previously these peasants would often be able to produce enough to live on and eat while working their lord's estate, but in the city, this was no longer the case. If they didn't find work, they couldn't necessarily rely upon family or neighbors - at best, they had to rely upon the charity of the church and the merchants. As a result, obvious poverty and economic dislocation exacerbated social problems all around.
Francis' father, Pietro, was a merchant who bought a great deal of land from cash-starved feudal lords in the area around Assisi. Because of this, he gained in respect and power within the city, and so did his son Francis. But despite his many dalliances with having fun and his attempts to become a knight, Francis was growing increasingly aware of and distressed by the poverty and disease which surrounded him.
His life certainly did not lack in drama. He lived for a time as a rich young playboy, in a manner which would not be too unfamiliar to people today. Later, he became infatuated with the life of a knight, so purchased armor and rode to fight in battle with Assisi's enemies at the Battle of Collestrada. Unfortunately he was captured and held for ransom, and nothing ever became of his military dreams.
In the end, though, those dreams were translated into a more religious and spiritual life. After his release from prison in 1206, Francis Assisi had a transformational moment in which he believed he was visited by Christ. It was at this time that Francis changed the direction of his life and dedicated it to serving others.
Yet even then, his life was never boring. He met with some of the most powerful men of his day, including Pope Innocent III, and attempted to make peace between Christians and Muslims during the Crusades. He traveled widely, spoke to thousands, and influenced the lives of many thousands more. His story is very much the story of medieval Christianity and, in some ways, that of medieval Europe.
His conflicts mirrored those inherent in the social and religious structures of European society, such that learning more about what he experienced provides important insights into how Christianity developed as a political force. His fidelity to the gospels and efforts to redress social injustices may have staved off the Reformation for another 300 years.
Because of this and much more, Adrian House's book serves as an excellent resource for learning more about medieval Christianity, medieval European society, and how the life of a single man can not only reflect the issues in society, but can also have a transformative effect upon them.
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