SUCH IS THE POWER OF LOVE

Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor, writing about Francis, the Seraphic Saint: such is the nature of this volume. The enigmatic Pseudo-Dionysius considered seraphs fire-makers or carriers of warmth. Expanding upon Dionysius, Hugh of Saint-Victor interpreted fire as the fire of love. Because love is superior to knowledge, the seraphim rank as the highest of the choirs of angels. Such is the power of love, Hugh wrote, that it transforms the lover into the beloved. Continuing the thought of his predecessors in the mystical tradition, Bonaventure was the first to call Francis seraphic. Therein Bonaventure discovered the secret of Francis and established the guiding principle of his portraits of and reflections on his Seraphic Father.