Among the historical studies of Francis of Assisi that appeared in English in 2012, including Francis of Assisi: A New Biography by A. Thompson (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press) and Francis of Assisi: The Life and Afterlife of a Medieval Saint by A. Vauchez (trans. Michael Cusato [New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press), The Cambridge Companion to Francis of Assisi is probably the least “surprising, astonishing, fascinating” (Vauchez's book description) reconstruction of Francis's life, work, and heritage. The collection presents Francis neither as “real,” as Thompson does in his portrait of a complex and conflicting personality, nor as “constructed,” as Vauchez does in his cautious approach to the lived reality of this “self-revealing” saint. It is, nevertheless, as “authoritative” (Thompson) and “engaging” (Vauchez) as these two major publications, paying attention to both Francis's own writings and the historical context of his life and afterlife.

The book consists of two parts. In the first, on “Francis of Assisi,” the authors deal with Francis's life and works: the origins of his movement (Michael F. Cusato), his writings (Michael J. P. Robson; William J. Short), the hagiographic and historiographic tradition (Michael Blastic; Annette Kehnel), his attitude toward learning and nature (Neslihan Şenocak, Johnson), the emergence of the Second Order (Jean François Godet-Calogeras), and his encounter with the sultan (Steven J. McMichael). The second part of the book, on “The Heritage of Francis of Assisi,” deals with such major topics as the pursuit of learning (Bert Roest), life in the towns (Jens Röhrkasten), the Third Order (Ingrid Peterson), Franciscan connections with royal families and popes (Sean L. Field; Patrick Nold), and missionary activities (Peter Jackson; E. Randolph Daniel). The final contribution, on Francis's ecumenical appeal (Petà Dunstan), puts the man and his work in a different—post-medieval, non-Catholic—perspective.

Avoiding the methodological technicalities (and controversial issues) of Thompson or Vauchez, these chapters do what the Cambridge Companion to Religions series seeks to do: provide an accessible and stimulating introduction to the subject for new readers and non-specialists. At the same time the book is a “must-read for students and scholars of Church history, as well as medieval social and intellectual history” (back cover), presenting a coherent, balanced portrait of the man and his heritage, sketching his spiritual ideals and his historical impact. Some important elements are missing from this portrait, such as urban life in and around Assisi, the architecture of the earliest Franciscan buildings, and the development of the primary statutes. The omission of an article on the legal documents and discussions in the thirteenth century is striking, as many chapters in the second part of the book reach into the fourteenth century and one of them even discusses legal issues under Pope John XXII (1316–1334). Although certain historical lacunae may be unavoidable in a thematic approach like this one, more precise chronological demarcation and a clearer terminus ad quem per section would have benefited the collection. As it stands only some of the chapters in part one (“Francis of Assisi”) end with Francis's death (1228). While other chapters in the first part deal with developments extending to 1263 (the New Rule for the order of St Clare) or 1291 (the vision of Angela of Foligno), only some chapters in part two (“The Heritage of Francis”) describe events (for example, Ramon Llull, John XXII) in the fourteenth century. In the editor's conception, in other words, Franciscan hagiography, historiography and the emergence of the Second Order are part of “Francis” and not of his “heritage.”

Two contributions (Peterson, Dunstan) even include modern developments. While many Franciscanists run the risk of retrojection and anachronism (a fact clearly exposed by Thompson in the “Sources and Debates” section of his biography), Peterson (“The Third Order”) in particular seems to be unaware of the problem, whereas Dunstan (“The Ecumenical Appeal of Francis”) puts the focus squarely on historical imagination. Furthermore, although the “Franciscan Question” (no two hagiographic accounts of Francis being the same) is briefly touched upon (Blastic, 68), critical reflection on the historical value of secondary sources like that of A. Kehnel (101) remains scanty. Several authors do not hesitate to use as historical illustrations sources that are elsewhere described and disqualified as texts from which scholars seek to draw “additional ammunition and fuel” (Roest, 163–164). Exceptional, in fact, is the distinct, explicit option for Francis's own writings as a key to his mind (173).

Fortunately Robson, in his excellent introduction to the book, covers crucial developments that have not been dealt with by the other authors. His short outline of Francis's spirituality (2–5) as the core of the new way of life and movement is essential, as is Cusato's description of the genesis of the fraternity and Francis's interaction with his brothers in the formative years as the broader context of his vocation. The main characteristics of this companion to Francis of Assisi are solidity and clarity. The articles, compact and well organized, rarely overlap (but internal references are few). The authors' positions are well informed and balanced: Francis's encounter with the leper (lepers) was an encounter with Christ, prompting an inner conversion, as well as with a suffering human being in need of care (20–22); Francis incorporated monastic elements in his Rule, but there were also significant differences (58); the friars were to preach the gospel through their deeds and they were to live the message of peace and reconciliation in the world, but Francis greatly desired the conversion of the sultan and there is no mention of preaching anything other than Christian truth (133–137); and so forth. Rare theological remarks like those of T. J. Johnson (“The life and legacy of Francis remains a forceful reminder that the role of God's children is not only to be humble caretakers … but indeed to be courageous liberators of their brothers and sisters” [157]), upset the balance a bit or, depending on how you look at this Companion to Francis of Assisi, improve it.