"(Bonaventure 116) Bonaventure's philosophy has experienced a lot of features of mysticism, as for Bonaventure mysticism is the only way to perform a spiritual journey to God. We can also observe it in the work, as he blindly refers to the bible texts: By Scripture we are taught that we should be purged, illumined and perfected according to the threefold law handed down in it: the law of nature, of Scripture and of grace; or rather, according to its three principal parts: the law of Moses which purifies, prophetic revelation which illumines, and the gospel teaching which perfects; or especially, according to its threefold spiritual meaning: the topological, which purifies one for an upright life; the allegorical, which illumines one for clarity of understanding; and the anagogical, which perfects through spiritual ecstasies and sweet perceptions of wisdom."(Bonaventure 91)

So we should make a conclusion that the journey that Bonaventure had described in his ITINERARIUM MENTIS IN DEUM is not just guidance to religious observations and religious way of life, but it's guidance to human perfection, purification and spiritual development. Bonaventure bases his teaching and his idea to achieve unity with god on Christian and natural love, on harmony of the body with soul and on aspiration to perfection. Most of his ideas about the need of physical, mental and spiritual perfection are very close to the ideas of humanism, even though that he was a religious leader and theologist. He states that the way to God can not be achieved only through prayers, or simply through moderate and right way of life, in order to become close to God, person has to imitate god by his behavior, and this behavior has...

Only after achievement of spiritual purification a person is able to continue his way to perfection and grace. The key role in this process of course is given to spiritual development and spiritual renewal, as the soul is able to change the human in general. The ideas of searching for God through spiritual perfection and development are very close to the definition and essence of God for Bonaventure. As God is supernatural power, a Heavenly father of all people, the practices that he suggests to use in order to achieve union with God give us an image of God as Bonaventure saw Him, as the practices and the steps in the journey to spiritual perfection describe who is God if the person is going to achieve unity with Him and equality through following spiritual practices. The best understanding of the living god was explained by the life and miracles of Jesus Christ, as well as by his teaching and the message he left to people, that harmony, grace and unity with God can be achieved only through love. Bonaventure writes that understanding of God will occur when a person will understand himself, his inner world, will make essential changes and will start to love. Jesus said "Love your neighbor as you love yourself," so in order to achieve illumination a person has to learn to love, in the spiritual meaning of this word.
That's why we can see that being a theologist, and a representative of Franciscan Order; Bonaventure had left a lot of humanistic ideas in his philosophy, based on spiritual perfection, love and mental development.

Literature

Bonaventure, J. The Mind's Journey into God Hackett Publishing Company, 1993