Franciscan Studies

BOOK REVIEWS Antonio di Padova: ¡Jomo Evangélico, Contributi biografía e dottrinali. Ed. Luciano Bertazzo. Padova: Edizioni Messaggero Padova, 1995. 25,000Lire. This volumes is a series of articles produced by professors from the Theological Institute of St. Anthony in Padua and the Pontifical Faculty of St. Bonaventure in Rome. The articles were a course of study in continuing formation for the friars of St. Anthony of Padua Province, Padua, for the 800th anniversary of the birth of St. Anthony. They deal with biographical, theological and devotional concerns, the unifying principle being Anthony himself. All of the articles are in Italian. The first article, "Historic Sources for the Life of Anthony," is by Vergilio Gamboso. The early Assidua (1232) and later Raymundina (1293) present a pastoral, realistic portrait of the life of Anthony, while the Benignitas (c. 1276) and the Rigaldina (c. 1300) emphasize his fame as a miracle worker both during his life and after his death. Gamboso also gives a quick overview of artistic presentations of the saint (e.g. the Bible is the first symbol used for Anthony, the lily being added in the 14th century to emphasize his purity and the child Jesus in the 16th century). Finally, there is a short explanation of the origin of various Anthony devotions, e.g. bread, Tuesday, patron of the lost. In "Anthony, Franciscan and Franciscanism," Luciano Bertazzo presents a well annotated article on the Franciscan dimension of Anthony. He notes the presentation of Anthony in the early Franciscan sources as preacher and miracle worker. He speaks of Anthony as part of a new generation of Franciscanism, the more cosmopolitan, educated element which inherited the governance of the order after Francis's death. He closes with an overview of the latest theories concerning Anthony's role in the Franciscan movement. Anthony Poppi in "Introductions to the Sermones of Anthony," speculates on the date of the Sermones production (probably toward Franciscan Studies, 55 (1998) 333 334BOOK REVIEWS the end of his life). He shows Anthony drawing upon his Augustinian studies of Scripture and Patristics. He defines the Sermones as study guides to help preachers discern what should be proclaimed to congregations, especially penance and conversion to the love of Christ and conformity to the life and passion of Christ. Tiziano Lorenzin studies the faith behind the Sermones in "Listening to the Word and Prayer in St. Anthony." He shows how the starting point of the Sermones is a devout listening to the Word of God in the manner of the Lectio divina. Anthony, however, goes beyond contemplation to application. He encourages the preacher to be embued with the Spirit of the Word. He continuously inserts prayers in his text which all his listeners to internalize that Word and to respond to it with profound conversion and intense love. Alfonso Pompei gives a masterful presentation in "The Preaching of St. Anthony and its Content." This well documented article first studies the manner in which Anthony preached (and called others to preach) and second the preaching's content. Drawing from the various instructions to preachers scattered throughout the Sermones and placing these instructions in their historic context, Pompei shows how Anthony's preaching was marked by its itineracy, moral-penitential nature, and Franciscan roots. Anthony encouraged sanctity of life, knowledge and eloquence in preachers. In terms of content, Anthony's teachings were pastoral and yet profoundly theological (based upon a mystical love of God). He called his listeners to conversion of life and penance, an action which would bring humanity back to the loving Trinity from which it had separated itself through sin. Anthony's anthropology was fundamentally Augustinian and used to make more specific his call to conversion. Anthony is profoundly Trinitarian in his preaching, emphasizing the goodness of God and God's creation (against the Manichean tendencies of the Albigencians). As with all Franciscan, Anthony emphasizes the love of Christ, the Savior, as it is demonstrated on the cross, and the call to join Christ's cross through our own sacrifice of love. Anthony speaks of the Church as the continuation of the incarnation of Christ (never ignoring the need for conversion among its members). He speaks of the...