Francis of Assisi as a Hesychast: Byzantine Conceptions of Sanctity in Bonaventure's Legenda Sancti Francisci1.

This paper seeks to re‐examine the relationship between medieval Latin spirituality and the Byzantine theological tradition by drawing attention to a neglected Life of Francis written by the Scholastic Bonaventure of Bagnoreggio. Though Francis is sometimes presented as the very antithesis of Greek patristic spirituality, Bonaventure's Legenda Sancti Francisci presents a figure devoted to asceticism, repentance, and contemplation. Particularly through the motif of deification, and the utilization of hesychast principles, Bonaventure paints a portrait of Francis that is not nearly as inimical to Byzantine spirituality as is sometimes thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]