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[Prologue]a
1The life of Francis, poor and humble man of God, founder of the three Orders, has been written by four estimable persons, brothers brilliant in learning and holiness, namely Johnb and Thomas of Celano,c Brother Bonaventure, minister general after blessed Francis,d and a man of marvelous simplicity and holiness, Brother Leo, the companion of Saint Francis.e
4Anyone who reads and diligently examines these four descriptions or histories will be able to know in part from the matters told in them the vocation, way of life, holiness, innocence, life, and first and last intention of that seraphic man;f and how Christ especially loved him and was kind and familiar with him, cleansing, illuminating, and forming him; drawing him after Himself to follow the footprints of His perfection, appearing to him crucified. He so transformed him into Himself, that from then on he lived not for himself but, fully crucified, for Christ.
8To him Christ was substance, impulse, sense, light, and life;g he was imprinted by fire in his memory, intellect, and passion; he was united and secretly conformed to the cross deep within his marrow. And all that he was, all that he desired, thought, spoke, and did, he received from Christ, and he vigilantly, humbly, and blessedly arranged and perseveringly fulfilled all according to Him and on account of Him.
- This translation is based on Angelo Clareno, Liber Chronicarum sive Tribulationum Ordinis Minorum, ed. Giovanni Boccali, introduction by Felice Accrocca, with Italian translation by Marino Bigaroni (Sta. Maria degli Angeli, Assisi: Edizioni Porziuncola, 1998). The bracketed titles are based on this edition.
- For the difficulty in determining the identity of this "John of Celano," see infra 832-3.
- FA:ED I 180-308; 319-26; FA:ED II 239-393; 399-468.
- FA:ED II 525-683; 684-730.
- A reference to Leo's involvement in the composition of the L3C and AC, FA:ED II 66-110; 118-230.
- This passage, "the first and last intention of the seraphic man," is repeated three times in this Prologue and may be seen as a leitmotif of the entire work. Cf. HTrb Prol 13, 144, 577; VI 87.
- In her study of the images of Christ found in the Spirituals, Edith Pásztor focuses on these opening paragraphs of Clareno's text as underscoring, in the form of a dialogue, the Christocentric basis of Francis's inspiration. Cf. Edith Pásztor, "L'Immagine di Christo negli Spirituali," in Chi Erano Gli Spirituali: Atti del III Convegno Internazionale, Assisi, 16-18 Ottobre 1975 (Assisi: Società Internazionale di Studi Francescani, 1976): 109-124.