Man of Spain: A Biography of Francis Suarez by Joseph H.

Fichter
Review by: John T. McNeill
The Journal of Religion, Vol. 21, No. 1 (Jan., 1941), p. 101
Published by: The University of Chicago Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1199505 .
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 RECENT BOOKS IOI

FICHTER, JOSEPHH. Man of Spain: A Biography of Francis Suarez. New York: Mac-
millan, 1940. 349 pages. $2.50.
Frances Suarez (I548-I617) belonged to a Toledo family that claimed a record of
six centuries of warfare with the Moslems. His grandfather received the estates of a
wealthy Moor when Ferdinand, in violation of his promise, took over the properties
of the Moors of Granada, and in Granada Francis was born. He studied canon law
at Salamanca where, however, he was "completely given over to the pleasures of his
age"; and under the influence of a preacher of repentance he entered the Jesuit order.
His admission was delayed by his apparent lack of talent; like Aquinas, he was called
by his fellows "the dumb ox," and, like Aquinas, he became the intellectual glory of
his order. The sudden flowering of his genius is attributed to his devotion to the
Blessed Virgin. The story of his life becomes the story of his books and of literary battle
against Dominicans and Anglicans. Father Fichter writes of these matters lucidly and
with persuasive admiration for the great Jesuit schoolman. A chapter entitled "Suarez-
ian Democracy" presents a typical Jesuit view of the sources of democratic theory. In
another chapter there is an exposition of Suarez's teaching on the question of war. Our
author incidentally intimates that in the recent Spanish war "Christians" were en-
gaged against "communists."-JOHN T. McNEILL.

FILSON, FLOYD V. Pioneers of the Primitive Church. New York: Abingdon, I940. I94
pages. $2.00.
In this book Professor Filson presents character sketches of early Christian leaders,
with the view that, taken together, they tell the story of the early history of apostolic
Christianity. The sketches themselves are well done; they are critical and discerning.
The book is the substance of lectures offered to a pastor's institute, so that the studies
are presented on a popular level. This is no defect but a virtue. The substance of the
book is "edifying" in the proper sense of the word, but the tone is never homiletical.
It must be said, however, that the claim which the publishers make for the book-that
this procedure thus offers a history of the early church-is not borne out by the content.
History is not written by biographical sketches. In the nature of the case the concentra-
tion upon leaders does not permit the study of the general movement and necessarily
neglects the consideration of the underlying social processes without attention to which
history cannot be written.-DONALD W. RIDDLE.

FLEMING, DANIEL JOHNSON. Christian Symbols in a World Community. New York:

Friendship Press, I940. viii+I50 pages. $2.00.
Dr. Fleming has again placed in his debt all who are interested in the adaptation of
Christian artistic expression to new cultural environments. The present volume is a
continuation of his series begun in I938 with Heritage of Beauty and Each with His Own
Brush, both published by the Friendship Press. It contains 222 illustrations of church
buildings, sacred vessels, furnishings and ornaments, crests and seals, in their indige-
nous forms as developed by Christian artists in Asia and Africa. Several chapters of
text and a running commentary on the illustrations give a succinct account of the
principles of Christian symbolism. The examples have been collected by Fleming's
own individual efforts; for there has been little or no published material in the field
to guide him. His volume is thus a pioneer venture in a new field, and this fact to-
gether with his attractive and lucid method of presentation should win him deserved
congratulation.

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