The narrative of the Magi from Matthew's Gospel has been shaped over centuries to reflect various social, political, and spiritual agendas. Richard Trexler explores how this story has been interpreted, emphasizing its portrayal of worldly power and the significance of gift-giving as a means of legitimizing divinity. He analyzes how Western societies have adapted the Magi's journey to enhance their own authority, illustrating the interplay between faith and power throughout history.
This book examines the dramatic confrontation in 1206 between Francis of Assisi and his father, Pietro di Bernardone: renouncing property, Francis left civil life and ultimately founded a new religious order. Carefully examining the documentary and artistic evidence to understand this event, Trexler determines that the conflict between the men was actually over women's property - that of Francis's mother, Pica. In a meticulous study of the early biographers, he also discovers that they created two different tales of the renunciation to match different notions about Franciscan poverty. The study is a significant contribution to women's, religious, and art history.