The writing of saints' lives is known as "hagiography" in Christian theology. In light of the current interest in ancient religions and pre-modern spiritual practices, numerous writings by saints and mystics have been edited and reissued, and new kinds of "hagiographies" published with a more diverse, contemporary reader in mind. Saint Francis of Assisi has especially received renewed attention because of his popularity among those engaged in the issues of poverty, simplicity, and ecology. He appears, for example in Carole Armstrong's beautifully illustrated Lives and Legends of the Saints, whose one-page biographies of Cecilia, Francis, Jerome, Martin, Peter, and many others, are accompanied by reproductions of some of the world's most famous paintings, such as a fresco by Giotto of St. Francis preaching to the birds, and Raphael's painting of St. George slaying the dragon. One of the most readable...