eBook - ePub
Setting the World on Fire
The Brief, Astonishing Life of St. Catherine of Siena
- 210 pages
- English
- ePUB (mobile friendly)
- Available on iOS & Android
eBook - ePub
About this book
"Emling . . . handles her subject tenderly and respectfully, in the process breathing new life into a remarkable figure." —Austen Ivereigh, author,
The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope
One of only two patron saints of Italy, the other being St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine was ahead of her time. As a political powerhouse in late fourteenth-century Europe, a time of war, social unrest and one of the worst natural disasters of all time—the plague, she worked for peace between Christians while campaigning for a holy crusade against Muslims. She was illiterate but grew into a great writer by dictating to assistants. She was frail and punished herself mercilessly, often starving herself, while offering moral guidance and inspiration to kings, queens and popes.
It's easy to see why feminists through the years have sought to claim the patronage of St. Catherine. From her refusal to marry to her assertion that her physical appearance was of no importance, the famous Saint is ripe for modern interpretation. She was a peacemaker during Siena's revolution of 1368, sometimes addressing thousands of people in squares and streets; she convinced Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy to Rome at a time when the Catholic Church was unraveling.
How did this girl, the second-youngest of twenty-five children of a middle-class dyer, grow to become one of the most beloved spiritual figures of all time, a theological giant to rank alongside the likes of Thomas Aquinas? Setting the World on Fire provides an intimate portrayal of this fascinating and revolutionary woman.
"Engaging and enlightening." — Publishers Weekly
"This first modern, secular biography of St. Catherine of Siena." — Library Journal
One of only two patron saints of Italy, the other being St. Francis of Assisi, St. Catherine was ahead of her time. As a political powerhouse in late fourteenth-century Europe, a time of war, social unrest and one of the worst natural disasters of all time—the plague, she worked for peace between Christians while campaigning for a holy crusade against Muslims. She was illiterate but grew into a great writer by dictating to assistants. She was frail and punished herself mercilessly, often starving herself, while offering moral guidance and inspiration to kings, queens and popes.
It's easy to see why feminists through the years have sought to claim the patronage of St. Catherine. From her refusal to marry to her assertion that her physical appearance was of no importance, the famous Saint is ripe for modern interpretation. She was a peacemaker during Siena's revolution of 1368, sometimes addressing thousands of people in squares and streets; she convinced Pope Gregory XI to return the papacy to Rome at a time when the Catholic Church was unraveling.
How did this girl, the second-youngest of twenty-five children of a middle-class dyer, grow to become one of the most beloved spiritual figures of all time, a theological giant to rank alongside the likes of Thomas Aquinas? Setting the World on Fire provides an intimate portrayal of this fascinating and revolutionary woman.
"Engaging and enlightening." — Publishers Weekly
"This first modern, secular biography of St. Catherine of Siena." — Library Journal
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Yes, you can access Setting the World on Fire by Shelley Emling in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Theology & Religion & Historical Biographies. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.
Information
Table of contents
- Cover
- Title Page
- Copyright Notice
- Dedication
- Chronology
- Preface: An Astonishing Life
- One: A Bright Little Girl
- Two: A First Glimpse of Christ
- Three: Kiss Me with a Kiss of Your Mouth
- Four: Just What the Times Needed
- Five: Fighting Off Threats
- Six: Bearing the Wounds of Christ
- Seven: The Spilling of Blood
- Eight: The Move to Rome
- Nine: Brilliant Work
- Ten: A Turn for the Worse
- Eleven: Spiritual Anxieties
- Twelve: The End of a Saintly Existence
- Epilogue: A Woman’s Legacy
- Selected Bibliography
- Index
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Newsletter Sign-Up
- Photographs
- Contents
- Copyright Page