This is a wonderful book. Also, check out the movie "Brother Sun, Sister Moon" and the book "Francis: the Journey and the Dream".

I love this book for a million reasons but probably the simplest reason is the mystery that is as old as the world and the separateness and unity of the sexes themselves. It paints Clare the human woman and Clare the divine woman and seeks not to compromise either but makes St. Clare real flesh and bone and brings her radiant awe into a new era when mankind is floundering for as sense of identity. Friar Bodo writes like no other and from the point of view of a contemplative,the inner way and written by a man who himself seems to be madly in love with the Lady Clare - and who himself has the touch and the gift of a medieval poet.

this book is written with all the tender poignancy of a lover and with all the insight and wisdom of a man who has followed in the footsteps of the Franciscan Way. For all who are interested in a more intimate knowledge of Clare and Francis or anyone simply interested in a love story at it's zenith and it's purest - this book is purely a real fairy tale and pure treasure.

Clare - A Light in the Garden is a book to be cherished, endeared, words to be read over and over. Murray Bodo paints a picture like no other person. He definitely has a sense of the holyness and purpose of St. Clare. Enjoy and share with others!

This book is a collection of four different works of Saint Augustine. The table of contents is as follows:

"Christian Instruction", introduced and translated by John J. Gavigan

"Admonition and Grace", introduced and translated by John Courtney Murray

"The Christian Combat", introduced and translated by Robert P. Russell

"Faith, Hope, and Charity", introduced and translated by Bernard M. Peebles

Index

The supplemental materials in this book consist of fairly short introductions to each work written by the translator of that work, footnotes that explain translation issues, references to other works, including scripture references, and finally, a shared index.

Each of the four works which comprise this book will be discussed in turn.

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The title of the first work, "Christian Instruction", leaves the reader to wonder whether the work is intended to instruct him in Christianity or to be an instructor of others in Christianity. The answer is: yes. To quote Augustine himself, in his discussion of it in his "Retractions":

"I...completed the work in four books. The first three of these help to an understanding of the Scriptures, while the fourth instructs us how to present the facts which we have just comprehended."

Of the "books" alluded to by Augustine, the first prescribes the proper attitude for the study of scriptures, specifically from the perspective of "faith, hope, and charity". The second prescribes a program of education, central to which is knowledge of language: both the general knowledge of language as a system of signs, and specific knowledge of Hebrew and Greek. The third prescribes a system of hermeneutics or interpretive principals and rules. Finally, the fourth is essentially a discussion of rhetorical methods of persuasion and their application to teaching Christianity to others.

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The second work, "Admonition and Grace", was written because a number of monks had been disturbed by an a letter of Augustine which they thought so exalted the importance of divine grace as to leave no place for human free will (and responsibility). The specific question they asked was:

"Why are we preached to, and given commands, in order to have us avoid evil and do good, if it is not we ourselves who do these things, but God who effects in us the will and the deed?"

To the immediate question, Augustine in reply developed the doctrine that while man of his own free will could do no good without grace, he could recognize his own evil, and in that power lay his responsibility:

"Whenever you fail to follow the known commands of God and are unwilling to be admonished, you are for this very reason to be admonished, that you are unwilling to be admonished...You are unwilling to have yourself shown to yourself, that you may see your own deformity, and seek one to reform you, and beg Him not to leave you in your ugliness of soul."

Not content with having answered the question at hand, Augustine went further, and discussed the ultimate origin of sin, and the state of man and the fallen angels before their respective falls and the nature of those falls. Going further yet, he discusses grace with regard to Mary and the elect, and still further, ultimately ending in a theodicy.

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The third work, "The Christian Combat" is a short, muscular work "written in a plain style for brethren not proficient in the Latin language". Its end is to lay out how a Christian should live, and to identify heresies that Christians should avoid falling into. As befitting its audience and purpose, it is simple and direct. The basics of Christian belief and scriptural justifications for them are quickly described, then then warnings are given a series of heresies that must be rejected.

The points of Christian belief covered are the nature of evil (Manichaean dualism being explicitly rejected), the governance of Providence, salvation through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and God as the Trinity.

The list of heresies to be rejected is actually the bulk of the work. Each begins with a "Let us not heed..." introduction, followed by a description of the particular heresy, and then a justification (generally scriptural, sometimes logical) for why it should be rejected.

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"Faith, Hope, and Charity", the fourth and final work in the book, is also known as the "Enchiridion", or handbook. It was written in response to a letter containing a list of questions pertaining to Christian doctrine.

"Faith, Hope, and Charity" begins by discussing is a wide-ranging work, as its origin might suggest. Most of the work is loosely organized around the apostles' creed as a framework for explaning the faith. As such, it discusses belief in God, the goodness of creation, the nature of sin, the origin of sin, God's grace and Christ as the means of man's salvation, the church, the resurrection of the dead, the relation between providence and free will, hope and the Lord's prayer, and finally charity as the crowning principal of the commandments and the true good at which man should aim.

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For my part, the work that really stood out was "Grace and Admonition". The subtlety and power of Augustine's solutions to the problems of grace and free will make truly impressive reading. Several times, I went back to the beginning and started reading again - not because I didn't understand it, but because I was so floored by it, that I simply had to read it again right away.

I'm a big fan of compilations of primary source material and this is one of the best. Alexander Callander Murray has put together an outstanding collection of sources, translated into English, describing events from the 3rd through the 8th centuries.

These sources are wide-ranging in style and scope, including works from Roman historians such as Ammianus Marcellinus and Orosius, Antique and Early Medieval chronicles, a selection of Saints' Lives, excerpts from Gregory of Tours, and numerous poems, letters, and legislative and legal documents.

This is a great starting point for someone wondering what original source material is available for the period. It also provides the reader with something of a "feel" for how life was conducted in Western Europe during the 5th-7th centuries. I found it excellent for showing me which primary sources I wanted to study further, such as Sidonius, Fredegar and Ammianus. It is also a very good counter to anyone characterizing the early medieval period as a "dark age" - one devoid of any written works.

This is a very sweet book of reflections on everyday life
and on finding Christ in all things. There are questions
to ponder following each chapter, making it an ideal
choice for church study groups and/or personal
lectio divina/spiritual reflection. Well written,
subtle, and graceful. And very inexpensive (another
plus for church study groups)!

There are 15 articles in this work, 7 are in English, 2 are in French and 6 are in German. There are basic translations on the website, but the photos and drawings need little translation. The maps of the finds, and the excellent article on the Newstead Pits was why I started this, but the article on Republican Roman era finds in Gual was an added bonus, If you want something on Late Roman Helmets, this is good, and the finds in Slovakia are an added bonus. The discussion of scale and chain mail and weapons found in Slovakia with the excellent drawings helps me in my reconstruction of Roman armor. If you are serious, add this to your library.

Murray's commentary on Romans is the best 20th century treatment of the work, easily beating Barth's earlier work. Tying in with his "Redemption Accomplished and Applied", Murray seizes the main theme of Romans, our justification, and carefully exegetes the book with a continual thought to the overall theme

This book is essential for researching the cheiroballista. It has many diagrams, measurements. Importantly it addresses the interpretation of other publications and replicas of the cheiroballista. On another note although the reconstruction of the cheiroballista is a good part of this book, it is a journal and contains other articles referencing roman equipment.

I will add this book to my "got to have library."

Other books that have found important for ballista are:
Payne Gallway, "The Crossbow"
Marsden, Eric William. Greek and Roman artillery; technical treatises
Marsden, Eric William. Greek and Roman artillery; historical development

This little prayer book is thorough. It contains the Breviary, as well as prayers for all occasions. I especially like the commentaries on spirituality and prayer by those who have formed our heritage--Teresa of Avila, John Henry Newman, and many others. All of this in a compact little book.

Read the life of a Saint, keep it in your heart and try to imitate it. (Saint Vincent Pallotti)

This book is a perfect guideline to live a life in peace. St. Francis of Assisi is the author of the famous peace prayer: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace... To have this book, is the dream of a lifetime. Having Francis guiding our lives with his marvellous thoughts and prayers. Wishing you can also acquire it to fulfil your life...

I enjoyed this book as an introductory to studying the life of St. Francis of Assisi, and found the book easy to read and yet deeply meaningful. Murray Bodo uses the point of view of a narrator who can read Francis's thoughts and feelings, knows his desires, dreams, and relationships with God, fellow brothers, St. Clare, and Pope Innocent III. While Bodo makes history come to life using anecdotes, dialogue, poetry, metaphors, and vivid imagery, some of the book may be artistic license, but after reading other histories on Francis I think Bodo's portrayal is accurate and that Francis would have thought and acted in the way Bodo presents. It seems to me that the book is more geared toward providing spiritual growth by studying the life of St. Francis and revealing his human thoughts than a historical biography of him, and Bodo does a very good job in leading the reader to tackle some of the same questions that Francis had. The illustrations are beautiful; there are some black and white renderings of watercolor washes showing some of the important events in Francis' life interspersed throughout the book. My only qualms about the book are that sometimes the chronology is hard to follow, but maybe as a more careful reader I would not have had that problem. A map would have been nice, for much geography in the Assisi area is mentioned. Otherwise, I appreciated the book for its emphasis on having a dream, taking action and living it, and the power of prayer and love in one's life.

I must say that I enjoyed this book very much and so have most of the people I have spoke with. It is a good poetic book with a lot of great insights into the heart and soul of Saint Francis. Bodo has a wonderful way of expressing the poetic heart of Francis through his own poetry. A must read for anyone interested in Saint Francis of Assisi.