Franciscans and Preaching ─ Every Miracle from the Beginning of the World Came About Through Words

Francis of Assisi, whose Gospel performance captured the imagination of his day, fostered a movement of men and women who were fascinated by the transformative power of the embodied Word. Learned or unlettered, theologian or penitent, their shared conviction took form in various gestures, languages, and literary genres. For their part, medieval artisans and craftsmen reflected this Franciscan predilection to preach in architecture, frescoes, and reliquaries. In "Franciscans and Preaching," scholars from Europe and North Amercia offer the first extensive English language study of medieval Franciscan preaching. Contributors are C. Colt Anderson, Joshua C. Benson, Michael W. Blastic, Jay M. Hammond, J.A. Wayne Hellmann, Timothy J. Johnson, Beverly M. Kienzle, Francesco Lucchini, Steven J. McMichael, Alison More, Stephen Mossman, Patrick Nold, Darleen Pryds, Amanda Quantz, Bert Roest, Michael Robson, Francisco Javier Rojo Alique, and Nicholas W. Youmans.

Timothy J. Johnson holds a doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (1990) and is Professor of Religion at Flagler College, in St. Augustine, Florida. He has published widely on Franciscan theology and spirituality, including Bonaventure's Sunday Sermons (Franciscan Institute, 2008).