The Life of Christ

Bonaventure — The Life of Christ, translated and edited by the Rev. W. H. Hutchings (London: Rivingtons, 1888; first published 1881), read from the Internet Archive scan.

Meditations on the life of Christ from the Incarnation to the Ascension, long attributed to Bonaventure and among the most widely copied devotional books of the later Middle Ages. Hutchings translates the shorter recension: the author’s Preface and a hundred chapters. The translator’s own Introduction is not included.

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Contents (101)

1. Preface
2. Chapter 1. Respecting the Deep Concern the Angels had for us
3. Chapter 2. Of the Contention between Mercy and Justice, Truth and Peace
4. Chapter 3. Of the Life of the Virgin Mary, and her Seven Petitions
5. Chapter 4. Concerning the Incarnation of Christ
6. Chapter 5. How the Blessed Virgin visited Elizabeth; and how the “Magnificat” and “Benedictus” were composed
7. Chapter 6. How Joseph willed to put away Mary; and how God permits His Faithful Servants to be Afflicted
8. Chapter 7. On the Birth of Jesus Christ, etc.
9. Chapter 8. Of the Circumcision, and Weeping of our Lord
10. Chapter 9. Concerning the Epiphany, or Manifestation of our Lord
11. Chapter 10. Of the Delay of the Blessed Virgin at the Manger
12. Chapter 11. Concerning the Purification of the Blessed Virgin
13. Chapter 12. Of our Lord’s Flight into Egypt
14. Chapter 13. Of the Return of our Lord from Egypt
15. Chapter 14. How the Child Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem
16. Chapter 15. What our Lord did from the Twelfth to the Thirtieth Year of His Age
17. Chapter 16. Concerning the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ
18. Chapter 17. Of the Fast and Temptations of Christ. Also of His Return to His Mother. Of Four Means of obtaining Purity of Heart. Of Prayer and its Many Fruits. Of resisting Gluttony. Why and for whom God worked Miracles
19. Chapter 18. Of the Opening of the Book in the Synagogue
20. Chapter 19. On the Call of the Disciples
21. Chapter 20. Of the Change of Water into Wine at the Marriage Feast
22. Chapter 21. Of our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount, which He began by speaking of Poverty
23. Chapter 22. Of the Centurion’s Servant, and the Nobleman’s Son, cured by Christ
24. Chapter 23. Of the Palsied Man, who is let down through the Roof and healed by the Lord
25. Chapter 24. Of the Restoration of Simon’s Mother-in-law
26. Chapter 25. Of the Sleep of our Lord in the Boat
27. Chapter 26. Of the Raising of the Widow’s Son by our Lord
28. Chapter 27. Of the Resurrection of a Young Girl, and how the Woman with an Issue was healed
29. Chapter 28. On the Conversion of Mary Magdalen, and other things
30. Chapter 29. How John sent his Disciples to Jesus
31. Chapter 30. Of the Death of John the Baptist
32. Chapter 31. Of the Conversation with the Samaritan Woman
33. Chapter 32. How they wished to cast our Lord down headlong from the Brow of the Hill
34. Chapter 33. Of the Man who had a Withered Hand, and was healed by the Lord
35. Chapter 34. Of the Multiplication of the Loaves, and how God provides for those who love Him
36. Chapter 35. Of our Lord’s Flight, when they would make Him a King; and against the Love of Honours of the World
37. Chapter 36. How our Lord prayed upon the Mountain, and, having come down from it, walked on the Waters; and many Observations about Prayer
38. Chapter 37. Concerning the Healing of the Daughter of the Canaanite, and how the Angels faithfully minister to us
39. Chapter 38. How some were offended at the Words of our Lord
40. Chapter 39. Concerning the Reward of those who forsake All
41. Chapter 40. How the Lord sought from His Disciples what Men said concerning Him
42. Chapter 41. Of the Transfiguration of our Lord on the Mount
43. Chapter 42. How the Buyers and Sellers were cast out of the Temple
44. Chapter 43. Of the Pool of Bethesda, and what happened there. Also, against Rash Judgment
45. Chapter 44. How the Disciples of Christ plucked the Ears of Corn. Also of Poverty
46. Chapter 45. Of the Ministrations of Martha and of Mary. Also of the Order of Contemplation, and its Two Parts
47. Chapter 46. The Active precedes the Contemplative Life
48. Chapter 47. Of Prayer. Also, of Seven Qualifications of a Good Teacher
49. Chapter 48. Of the Exercises of the Active Life
50. Chapter 49. Concerning the Exercise of the Contemplative Life
51. Chapter 50. Of Three Kinds of Contemplation
52. Chapter 51. Of Contemplation on the Humanity of Christ
53. Chapter 52. Of Contemplation on the Heavenly Court
54. Chapter 53. On the Contemplation of the Majesty of God. Also that there are Four Kinds of Contemplation
55. Chapter 54. Of the Manner of living the Active Life. The Excellent Teaching of S. Bernard thereon
56. Chapter 55. Of the Manner of living the Contemplative Life
57. Chapter 56. Of Four Obstacles to Contemplation
58. Chapter 57. The Contemplative is preferred to the Active Life
59. Chapter 58. Of Three Causes, on account of which one ought to return from the Contemplative into the Active Life. Also how Faith without Works is Dead
60. Chapter 59. How the Lord said to the Jews that the Church should pass to the Gentiles, and depicted this by the Parable of the Husbandmen in the Vineyard who killed the Son of their Lord
61. Chapter 60. How they sought to entrap Jesus in His Words
62. Chapter 61. Of the Blind Man at Jericho, and many other Things
63. Chapter 62. How the Lord entered the House of Zacchaeus
64. Chapter 63. Of the Healing of the Man who was Blind from his Birth
65. Chapter 64. How our Lord fled from the Temple, and hid Himself, when the Jews sought to stone Him
66. Chapter 65. How, at another Time, they wanted to stone Jesus
67. Chapter 66. Concerning the Resurrection of Lazarus
68. Chapter 67. Of the Cursing of the Fig Tree
69. Chapter 68. Of the Woman taken in Adultery
70. Chapter 69. Of the Conspiracy of the Jews against Jesus, and of His Flight into the City of Ephraim
71. Chapter 70. How the Lord Jesus returned to Bethany, where Mary Magdalen anointed His Feet
72. Chapter 71. Of our Lord’s Entry into Jerusalem upon an Ass; and how on some occasions Jesus is said to have wept
73. Chapter 72. How we may depict the Lord Jesus, revealing to His Mother His approaching Death
74. Chapter 73. On the Lord’s Supper. Of the Table and the Way of sitting at Meat. The Example of Five Virtues of Christ in the Supper. Also Five Points of our Lord’s Discourse
75. Chapter 74. Meditation on the Passion of our Lord in General
76. Chapter 75. Meditation on our Lord’s Passion before Matins
77. Chapter 76. Meditation on the Passion of Christ for the First Hour
78. Chapter 77. Meditation on the Passion of Christ at the Third Hour
79. Chapter 78. Meditation on the Passion of Christ at the Sixth Hour
80. Chapter 79. Meditation on the Passion of our Lord at the Ninth Hour
81. Chapter 80. Of the Opening of the Side of Christ
82. Chapter 81. Meditation for the Evening Hour
83. Chapter 82. Meditation for the Last Hour
84. Chapter 83. Meditation at Night
85. Chapter 84. Meditation on the Blessed Virgin and her Companions
86. Chapter 85. Meditation on the Lord Jesus, on Holy Saturday, descending into Hell
87. Chapter 86. Of the Lord’s Resurrection. How He first appeared on Sunday, it may be, to His Mother
88. Chapter 87. How Magdalen and the other Two Maries came to the Sepulchre, and of the Running of Peter and John
89. Chapter 88. How the Lord appeared to the Three Maries
90. Chapter 89. Our Lord is said to have appeared to Joseph, as well as to James the Less, and Peter
91. Chapter 90. Of the Return of our Lord to the Fathers after the Resurrection
92. Chapter 91. How the Lord appeared to Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus
93. Chapter 92. How the Lord appeared to the Disciples, whilst shut up on the Day of the Resurrection
94. Chapter 93. How the Lord appeared to His Disciples on the Octave of Easter, and Thomas was then with them
95. Chapter 94. How the Lord appeared to His Disciples in Galilee
96. Chapter 95. How the Lord appeared to His Disciples at the Sea of Tiberias
97. Chapter 96. How the Lord appeared to more than Five Hundred Brethren at once, and on the Appearances Generally
98. Chapter 97. The Ascension of our Lord
99. Chapter 98. Of the Mission of the Holy Ghost
100. Chapter 99. The Exciting of Desire for the Heavenly Country through a Longing for Death
101. Chapter 100. On the Way of Meditating on the Life of Christ, and on the Conclusion of this Work