The Seven Last Words of Christ - by Saint Bonaventure & Arnold Of Bonneval (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the pulpit of the cross, Christ gave His final and most riveting sermon: His seven last words. In times past, Christ frequently spoke in parables, but no more. No, Christ penned these words with His royal blood like a calligrapher using the most delicate of strokes. Christʼs seven last words are the greatest utterances ever recorded in the history of the world--greater than the words of any esteemed orator, heroic leader, or even saint, because they were the last words of God to mankind. They are the "mystical compendium of the entire Gospel," the perfection of the Beatitudes. Yes, Christ saved the best for last, just like at the wedding feast of Cana--only this time, it was the blood and water from His side that were offered freely to His own bride, the Church.

In this engrossing work, the seraphic doctor, Saint Bonaventure, and Arnold of Bonneval, a Benedictine abbot, offer some of the most profound insights into the seven last words of Christ. Arnold, a friend of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, is believed to be the first person to write on the seven last words, inspiring Bonaventure. While the seven last words have been glossed over for centuries by Christians, it is now time to uncover their hidden and powerful meaning--for there is no greater meditation than pondering the Teacher's last lecture. In Christ's seven last words, we find the necessary direction to reach the heights of perfection.

Review Quotes

"Every word that the Eternal Word spoke was meant for us. The seven last words of the Lord Jesus, prayed through the Seraphic Doctor of the Church, Saint Bonaventure, will illumine your understanding of the Passion. His words on Christ's last words will help you to pray and offer you insights you've never considered before."
Fr. John Paul Mary Zeller, MFVA, EWTN Employee Chaplain


"Spiritual reading--at its best--leads us into prayer, tilling the soil of our hearts for the gift of contemplation. What makes for better spiritual reading than the seven last words of our beloved Lord Jesus from the cross? No doubt, Saint Bonaventure and Arnold of Bonneval intended their meditations to be just that: the plow, and our hearts the soil. May the Holy Spirit drop in the dew of contemplation as you ponderously read this powerful work."
Mother Clare Matthiass, CFR, Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal

About the Author

"In AD 1221, one of the Church's greatest saints was born in Bagnorea, Italy. His baptismal name was John, but we know him by his religious name, Saint Bonaventure, which means "Good Things to Come." He was born only four years before his friend, Saint Thomas Aquinas, the "Angelic Doctor", another one of the Church's greatest saints. As a young child, Saint Bonaventure was healed from a dangerous illness through the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi. At the age of twenty-two, he entered the Order of Friars Minor, following in the footsteps of Saint Francis. Bonaventure excelled in all his studies, including Latin, philosophy, theology and rhetoric. He laboriously copied the entire Scriptures with his own hand, not once only, but twice, and thereby committed virtually all of it to his capacious memory. In 1257, he was elected as the seventh Minister General for the order, and later he was elected Cardinal-Bishop of Albano. Because of his writings, life, and teachings, he is referred to as the "Seraphic Doctor," for he sought to love Christ as the Seraphim do. He died on July 15, 1274. Today the Church celebrates this Doctor of the Church's feast day on July 15.

In 1156, Arnold of Bonneval was born in France. He became a monk at a Benedictine monastery in the diocese of Chartreuse, France, and was elected abbot there in due course. He was a beloved friend, biographer, and correspondent of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux, who esteemed his writings very highly."