c. Biography of St. Francis by Giovanni di Ceperano.
Project Gutenberg EPUB3 edition
Sabatier, Paul and Houghton, Louise Seymour
One of the biographies which disappeared, no doubt in consequence of the decision of the chapter of 1266,71 is that of Giovanni di Ceperano. The resemblance of his name to that of Thomas of Celano has occasioned much confusion.72 The most precious information which we have respecting him is given by Bernard of Besse in the opening of his De laudibus St. Francisci: "Plenam virtutibus B. Francisci vitam scripsit in Italia exquisitæ vir eloquentiæ fr. Thomas jubente Domino Gregorio papa IX. et eam quæ incipit: Quasi stella matutina vir venerabilis Dominus et fertur Joannes, Apostolicæ sedis notarius."73
In the face of so precise a text all doubt as to the existence of the work of Giovanni di Ceperano is impossible. The Reverend Father Denifle has been able to throw new light upon this question. In a manuscript containing the liturgy of the Brothers Minor and finished in 1256 he found the nine lessons for the festival of St. Francis preceded by the title: Ex gestis ejus abbreviatis quæ sic incipiunt: Quasi stella (Zeitschrift für kath. Theol., vii., p. 710. Cf. Archiv., i., p. 148). This summary of Ceperano's work gives, as we should expect, no new information; but perhaps we need not despair of finding the very work of this author.