St. Bonaventure, the Seraphic Doctor

On the life, writings and spirituality of St. Bonaventure, bishop and doctor

St. Bonaventure, 1221-1274 A.D.: known as the Seraphic Doctor, a title attributed to him because of his angelic virtues and his Franciscan identity.

Biographical sketch

St. Bonaventure was born at Bagnorea, a little town near Viterbo, Italy, in the year 1221 A.D. He was given the same name as his father - Giovanni di Fidanza - at his baptism. His mother was Maria la Ritella.

There are two stories in relation to how he got the name Bonaventure. One story tells how Maria, his mother, pleaded to St. Francis to cure the dangerous illness that Bonaventure was stricken with as a baby. Another story tells how St. Francis cured him of a mortal illness when only 4 years old. Whichever was true, what was important is that both share the legend of St. Bonaventure being healed from his ailment, and St. Francis seeing a great future for the baby and exclaimed, "O buona venture" - O good fortune! O good encounter! That was how he got the name Bonaventure.

St. Bonaventure entered the Franciscan order at either the age of 17 or 22 years old. His religious superiors recognized his intellect and sent him to the University of Paris for studies. It was here that his reputation for genius was manifested and where he became close friends with St. Thomas Aquinas. At that time, Bonaventure was under the tutelage of Alexander of Hales [Franciscan], while Thomas Aquinas was under the tutelage of Albert the Great [Dominican]. In 1257 A.D., both St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas received their degree of Doctor of Theology on October 23.

St. Bonaventure was also asked to be the minister general of the Franciscans in 1257 A.D. He governed the Franciscan Order for 17 years. Then on 1273 A.D., he was named bishop of Albano. Pope Gregory also called St. Bonaventure to Rome to prepare an agenda and develop position papers for a council to be held in Lyons, France [the purpose of the council: to effect a reconciliation between the Eastern Church and Rome]. St. Bonaventure obeyed the Pope and was able to forge a reunion [later abrogated by Constantinople]. At a celebration Mass in Latin and Greek, St. Bonaventure was preacher. Two weeks later, he died. That was July 15, 1274 A.D. St. Bonaventure was only 53 years old.

St. Bonaventure was canonized in 1482 A.D. by Pope Sixtus IV and declared a Doctor of the Church in March 14, 1587 A.D. by Pope Sixtus V.

Teaching and spirituality

St. Bonaventure was very literary in his style of writing. And in his writings, all his theology and spirituality were intimately related. This is unlike today's concept of theology, which functions more at the level of the head, while spirituality on the other hand, functions at the level of the affections - feeling. Therefore, to understand the writings of St. Bonaventure, the readers are called to understand the medieval context of the faith - where theology and spirituality are intertwined. St. Bonaventure himself prayed and lived out this intertwining of theology and spirituality in his work and mission as a Franciscan.

Though St. Bonaventure wrote articles on many subjects, there is one that mentions his teaching on the affectus - that which has to do with affections, the will, love, passion, feeling, emotion, affectivity. This he relates to his thought on the subject and Person of the Holy Spirit.

For a brief study of this teaching, we must know that St. Bonaventure contextualized this also in the context of his teaching on the Holy Trinity. According to Bonaventure, there are 4 ways of knowing the relations within the Trinity [as Father, Son and Holy Spirit]. We can know them according to:

• properties belonging to the divine essence - deity
• properties constituting the divine persons
• properties attributed to the persons by reason of origin or order
• properties appropriated to divine essence as it is referred to an extrinsic effect in creation

[This was mentioned in John Quinn's, "The Role of the Holy Spirit in St. Bonaventure's Theology," Franciscan
Studies 33 (1973):273-274]

It is in the 4th way [properties...extrinsic effect in creation] where Bonaventure makes reference to the temporal mission of the Holy Spirit, who gave birth to the church at Pentecost.

By virtue of this temporal mission, the Holy Spirit has a proper role in the constitution of the science and wisdom of theology.

• the Holy Spirit nurtures in us a life of holiness and makes us spiritual temples of the Trinity
• as Gift, the Holy Spirit perfects the image of Christ in us with His graces
• as Love, the Holy Spirit binds the Church in faith and charity to the incarnate Word
• in general, the Holy Spirit's role is to sanctify the church, to give it Christ's grace and to teach it divine truth

The Holy Spirit is called the bond, nexus, or unity of Father and Son - in the context of a communication of love.

To examine how Bonaventure sees theology as a form of knowledge, his writings reveal that his thought on the Trinity also reflects a trinitarian character. Theology according to St. Bonaventure, is comprised of three forms of knowledge:

• the science of scripture
• the science of faith
• the wisdom of faith which proceeds from the other two and uniting them by a bond of charity

It is the third knowledge which orders the whole of theological knowledge to the contemplation of God in ecstatic love.

Excerpts from writings

St. Bonaventure wrote many tracts of teaching. To mention a few of his works:

• Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard
• Concerning Perfection of Life
• A Discourse on the Sacred Heart
• The Psalter of Our Lady

Listed below are also excerpts from his writings. We can learn about the teaching of St. Bonaventure on love and the Holy Spirit through these excerpts.

The perfect state of Christian wisdom is, therefore, a rapture of heart and mind in God by a mystical union of charity. This union, transcending all speculation and understanding, is an experience obtained solely by the grace of the Holy Spirit. (The Role of the Holy Spirit in St. Bonaventure's Theology, 283)

Its [Christian life] perfection consists in the contemplation of God as God is known by faith and loved for God's own sake in charity. (The Role of the Holy Spirit in St. Bonaventure's Theology, 277, 280)