REVIEWS

THE LIFE OF A RESTLESS SAINT

FRANCIS OF ASSISI

Written by: Volker Leppin (Translated from German by Rhys S Bezzant)

Published by: Yale University Press Price: £25

Francis of Assisi is perhaps one of the best-known saints within Christianity. He has a special place in Scottish culture, thanks to the Norman McCaig poem written after a visit to the Basilica built in honour of the Catholic priest who devoted his life to the poor. (The poem has long been a stalwart of the Scottish curriculum for English). Indeed the life of Francis and his care of the downtrodden and love of animals mean his name is more widely known than those of other saints.

Leppin, who is Horace Tracy Pitkin Professor of Historical Theology at Yale Divinity School, has drawn together possibly every available source on the life of Francis to create a lively retelling of his call to faith, set in the cultural and political landscape of 12th and 13th century Europe.

But the book is not simply a dry academic account quoting historical fragments, but rather an attempt to get to the essence of the man and demonstrate his humanity and willingness to ignore convention.

The book traces Francis’s early life from comfortable roots and a desire for upward mobility – including being a soldier and incarceration – to encounters with the poor and sick in which he persistently ignored social convention.

His persistent call to a priestly life of poverty caused division and rupture with his family – particularly his father – but his call prevailed.

The author pieces together multiple sources to trace the life of Francis and demonstrate that he remained a seeker throughout his life and whilst his work and profile drew people around, he was not comfortable in the spotlight. Yet his work offered a different vision of Christianity to the social norm of the time.

This work will be appreciated by those seeking to learn more about the life of Francis and his long-term impact on the Christian church.

A SHETLAND BOYHOOD

Memories of a Manse 1911-1922

Published by: Shetland Times Price: £11.99

This charming book captures the life of a manse family in Shetland during a bygone era. The author, son of the manse, John B Logan, became a minister himself, serving as an assistant at St Giles’ Cathedral before ordination and was called to charges in Edinburgh, Coupar Angus and Midlothian (including a Second World War period of service with the Church of Scotland Mobile Canteens unit, serving across Europe).

Born at Halfway, Cambuslang, the young John and his siblings found their lives transformed when his father was called to the parish of Dunrossness parish. The journey to Shetland (from Edinburgh) by sea is recalled in vivid detail and the contrast between urban life and a new chapter on an island is described in detail. The family acquired their own livestock and the author recalls never feeling bored during childhood, despite lacking accoutrements that children living on the mainland may have taken for granted.

The book captures a snapshot in the life and culture of Shetland. Photographs taken by the author himself bring to life the reality and challenges of life for Shetlanders during this time. The period also covers experience of the First World War, with recollections of the sinking of a steamer ship on the passage to Shetland and US naval vessels spotted on a visit to Lerwick, but also of family losses. It also offers cultural insights with the inclusion of poetry (often reflecting the experience of island life and including Shetland dialect).

The book offers insights into how the manse and the Church played a key part in the life of the parish over a pivotal period on the islands, although the author concluded that there were fewer deprivations on island life during this period than on the mainland.

The book also provides a fascinating insight into education – the author left Shetland to board with an aunt to attend Hutcheson’s

Grammar in Glasgow before university and a call to the ministry. In an introduction, his son (also John) describes how his father was inspired to write the memoir in 1966 during a trip to the island. He was encouraged to dig out old photographs and old diaries to record his memories of Shetland during that period of time.

Outlining the premise of the work, he explained: ‘My father felt it was important that his childhood memoirs should not just be in prose, but should also include poems (some in dialect, and some expressing how he felt as a child and reflecting his childhood experiences).’

His father had articles published in Life and Work and the Glasgow Herald and received encouragement to provide a permanent record of his memories.

Sadly, the book was not published in his lifetime (he died in Haddington, East Lothian, in 1987), but his son has now succeeded in bringing to life a snapshot not only of rural island existence but of manse life and its purpose and place in the hearts and minds of the community which it served. The book will be of interest to those interested in Shetland but also those keen to learn more about island ministry in a unique context.

Lynne McNeil