Francis of Assisi

By: The Great Courses, Ronald B. Herzman, William R. Cook

Narrated by: Ronald B. Herzman, William R. Cook

Length: 6 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

These 12 lectures by Professors Cook and Herzman will give you a rounded, fully informed introduction to the luminous Francis of Assisi and will tell the intellectually and spiritually rewarding story of how his influence has glowed across the centuries.

Just who was Assisi? Despite his continuing influence and the fairly ample writings about him that date from his own time, Francis remains somewhat elusive in history. It is not easy to meet the man who, at about the age of 25, renounced his family and inheritance to serve his God in poverty, simplicity, and obedience. Yet these lectures, with their mastery of history, theology, art, and literature, expertly unlock two sources that are the most revealing and plentiful-written narratives of Francis's life and the images created for Franciscan churches.

In charting the life, times, and legacy of Francis, Professors Cook and Herzman include a great deal about the world around Francis as well as on the artwork, the ministries, and the religious communities that he inspired. But through it all shines their deeply human sense of the man himself and what he stood for-things which, they argue, are needed as much today as ever they were when Francis trod the byways of Italy to show what it means to live life to the full in faith, hope, and love.

By the time you finish the last lecture, you'll find yourself in agreement that, whatever your background or beliefs, Francis of Assisi remains as fascinating and inspiring a man today as he was more than 800 years ago.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2000 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2000 The Great Courses

Sadly misses the impact of faith

Good history. Totally misses the spiritual impact of Francis and his unshakable faith in christ which guided Francis to do so much of his work

Another Winner

These two remarkable men have composed yet another outstanding course to add to their others. After hearing this I now have a much "improved" understanding of this great saint, one so highly regarded all over the world.

Loved it

I have been curious about the Great Courses for a few years now, but they have always been too expensive! Now that they are in the Audible store, however, I was willing to try one. This course, co-taught by two medievalists, was amazing. I did a directed reading last quarter on the life and hagiographies of St. Francis, but I still learned so much from Cook and Herzman.

One strong point of this course was the contextualization of Francis. They show what the moral and social issues of Francis’ day were and how Francis responded to them. In a developing market economy where money was being used more, Francis stressed absolute poverty. In an age where universities were beginning in Europe and theology went out of the prayerful world of cloisters and into the rational world of the classroom, Francis was an uneducated preacher with a simple message, a man who taught by dramatic gesture and stressed deed over act. He may look like a foolishly happy simpleton, but Francis was a man who saw the problems of his age and made himself the antidote.

Cook and Herzman’s discussion of the “Canticle of Creatures” was amazing. They show how he draws on the Psalms, on Genesis’ creation stories, and even on classical natural philosophy. They argue that this poem is not just an example of Christian nature mysticism, but the first piece of Italian literature.

Last, I thought they did a great job showing how Francis’ message was disseminated in the Church and in his orders. Their re-enactment of the dialogue between Francis and Innocent II approving the order really showed how radical his path was. They also guide the reader through the complicated thicket of post-Francis controversy between the spirituals and the progressives, between those who wanted the letter of Francis’ example and those who desired its spirit. Both sides exist to this day. They also spend a lecture on St. Clare, emphasizing that she was not just a passive vehicle for Francis’ teaching but a great mystic and teacher in her own right.

That said, I wish Cook and Herzman had discussed the hagiographic tradition. Though they discussed Thomas of Celano and Bonaventure, they didn’t talk about less official writings like the Legend of Perugia, or later ones like the Little Flowers. Though they talked about the Canticle, the two Rules, and the Testament, they didn’t talk about the various exhortations and letters he wrote. Giving a roadmap to the different types of literature and hagiography in the Franciscan canon would have been a good way to get people into Regis Armstrong’s scholarly edition of the early documents by and about Francis.

First class!

As someone who knew nothing about St Francis, I found these lectures highly educational and enjoyable. First class!

great intro

I resent being made to leave a review to rate but I can say this was very good.

Very Good Introduction to Francis

This course is a very good introduction to Francis of Assisi. It not only covers his life and times. There is also a fair amount of discussion regarding the impact of Francis and his order. There are even examples of Francis' impact on our lives today.

Excellent

The two presenters do an outstanding job of providing the material with a descriptive narrative of the imagery and history at the time. Highly recommend this and also other booklets by Ron and Bill.

Great profs

The professors are very knowledgeable and very likable. If you want to know more about Francis of Assisi this is a good resource. This is the first book I’ve listen to or read about him. I gained the knowledge I needed.

Excellent series on St Francis

This is a really interesting series present by Mr Herzman & Cook. Very engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Best Ever!

This study of Saint Francis is taught beautifully by Herzeman and Cook (my 2 favorite professors on ANYTHING, anyways) about a man who really knew about compassion towards the poor and less fortunate. For Christians and non believers alike, he is so loved by so many, and even to this day his philosophies are at work in so many ways to help the poor, and to love the planet. This is the best Coarse yet!