Gruesome deaths and celibate lives : Christian martyrs and ascetics / Aideen M. Hartney.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hartney, Aideen M.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christian martyrs--Rome--Biography.

Christian martyrs.

Ascetics--Rome--Biography.

Ascetics.

Christianity--Rome--History.

Christianity.

Religion.

History.

Rome--Religion--History.

Rome.

Rome (Empire).

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xvii, 140 pages : map ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Bristol : Bristol Phoenix, 2004.

Summary:

This is a book about the colourful personalities who emerged from the ranks of the early Christian faithful to seize the imagination and hold the attention of their communities. These remarkable figures - including St Perpetua, St Antony, St Jerome, St Macrina, Simeon Stylites and Alexander the Sleepless - were ready in times f persecution to die for their faith as martyrs or, by sometimes extravagant efforts, to sublimate their physical needs to spiritual ends as ascetics. Their actions not only inspired contemporaries; they played a key role in the development of the Christian faith and the organisation of the Church and they remain venerated figures to this day. And yet the words and deeds of the early martyrs and ascetics can appear difficult to fathom.

Aideen Hartney provides a short introduction to the lives of these martyrs and ascetics, and to the thinking behind their actions. She places each one in historical and cultural context, making them accessible to all readers, whether they approach the subject from a historical, theological or sociological standpoint. At the same time she offers a clear portrait of Christianity under the Roman emperors and into Late Antiquity.

Contents:

Roman Emperors and their Years of Reign xi

Map of the World of Late Antiquity xvi

1 Pagans and Christians: Introduction 1

2 Periods of Persecution 15

3 The Language of Suffering and Death 33

4 The Survival of the Church 51

5 The Rise of the Holy Person in Late Antiquity 59

6 Ascetics and Church Ministry 79

7 The Female Road to Redemption 91

8 'Illegal' Forms of Asceticism 111.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 135-138) and index.

ISBN:

1904675425

1904675131

OCLC:

60195970