Franciscan Studies

BOOK REVIEWS513 her various virtues, the persecutions she endured from the devil, her charismata , her last sickness and death. The eighty letters of the second part of the book show us the inner soul of this great woman; they show us the workings of God in His chosen vessel; here in simple language is shown the mystical growing-together of a creature and the Creator. The greatest lesson emphasized in the book to my mind is this: faithfulness to one's duties will lend to union with God. Madame Brault never neglected her duties as wife and mother. She cooked, baked, washed, sewed, and found time to help the poor, the sick, and to assist in decorating the altars of the parish church. In the whirl of all these activities she still became more and more absorbed in the Love that is God. The book should appeal to all who are striving to advance in the spiritual life; it should prove a valuable aid to directors of souls. Arnold Yanker, O.F.M.Cap. St. Fidelis Seminary, Herman, Pa. Obras de San Buenaventura. Edición Bilingüe. Three volumes. Edición dirigida, anotada y con introducciones por los Padres Fr. Leon Amorós, O.F.M, Fr. Bernardo Apperibay, O.F.M. and Fr. Miguel Oromí, O.F.M. Madrid: Biblioteca de Autores Christianos. La Editorial Católica, S.A., 1945, 1946, 1947. Vol. I, pp. xl, 755; Vol. II, pp. xvi, 848; Vol. HI, pp. xii, 800. When we behold these three beautiful volumes, of the bilingual edition of the works of St. Bonaventure made by Spanish Franciscans, we cannot but say: Hispania docet. In various countries translators within and without the order of Friars Minor, have made gallant efforts towards a faithful translation of St. Bonaventure's works into their vernacular language. None of them, however, neither the English, French, German nor the Italian translators have done a work comparable with this Spanish edition. It is classical and should be a model for similar enterprises. , The exterior representation is most pleasing and dignified. The format or size of the volumes is appropriate, the print clear, and, due to the use of thin paper, the volumes are by no means bulky. Up to now the following works have been published: Volume I: Breviloquium, Itenerarium, De Reductione artium ad Theologiam , Christus unus omnium magister, De Excellentia magisterii Christi. Volume II (Jesu Christo): Quaestiones disputatae de scientia Christi, Arbor vitae, De quinqué festivitatibus Pueri Jesu, Vitus mystica, a few sermons and, as a surprise, Meditationes de Passione Domini (this work does not figure in the Quaracchi-edition, but has been rightly attributed to St. Bonaventure; a critical edition is in preparation; the translation was made according to the text of the Meditationes de vita Christi, of the Vives edition into which compilation they had been inserted already in the Middle Ages); 514BOOK REVIEWS furthermore, sermons and tracts of the holy Eucharist (one sermon is translated according to the edition of Delorme; the authenticity of the Tractatus de praeparatione ad Missam is reaffirmed). Volume III: Collationes in Hexaemeron, the sermon: De regno Christi and the Tractatus de plantatione Paradisi. As is evident from this enumeration, the translators have not confined themselves to the works of St. Bonaventure as edited in the classical edition of Quaracchi. They have made use of recent research in which they took an active part. For the Quaracchi-edition of St. Bonaventure can only be considered as a landmark, not as the end of the critical study of the attribution of medieval writings to the Seraphic Doctor. The restitution of the Meditationes de Passione Domini is certainly one of the most remarkable results of these studies. In addition it is the most impressive sign of the highly scientific standard which prevails in these translations. This highly scientific standard, which in no way does harm to the popularizing of the works of St. Bonaventure, finds also expression in the very valuable introductions to the various volumes. There are essays written by experts in their field and will prove extremely valuable to all scholars who are devoting their studies to the Seraphic Doctor. Alone, the bibliography covers 22 pages in...