Francis Clarified: A Reading of Bonaventure's Legenda Maior in the Light of Clare of Assisi

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the interior life of St. Francis of Assisi. Basing its analysis of Francis on Bonaventure's biography of the saint, it takes Clare's life in the cloisters as a hermeneutical guide to Francis's life in the world. Ultimately, the goal of the thesis is to clarify Francis. That is, the thesis hopes to show that Francis may be seen as another Clare. In the end, it argues that just as the cloister of Clare became an outward sign that invites those in the world to enter into the mystery of God's love, so too did Francis' stigmatized body become a sign that points those in the world to the glory of the eschaton, in which the blessed will enjoy union with their loving Creator.