Miracle cures : saints, pilgrimage, and the healing powers of belief / Robert A. Scott.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Scott, Robert A., 1935-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Spiritual healing.

Healing--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Healing.

Miracles.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (267 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, Calif. : University of California Press, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Iconic images of medieval pilgrims, such as Chaucer's making their laborious way to Canterbury, conjure a distant time when faith was the only refuge of the ill and infirm, and thousands traveled great distances to pray for healing. Why, then, in an age of advanced biotechnology and medicine, do millions still go on pilgrimages? Why do journeys to important religious shrines-such as Lourdes, Compostela, Fátima, and Medjugorje-constitute a major industry? In Miracle Cures, Robert A. Scott explores these provocative questions and finds that pilgrimage continues to offer answers for many. Its benefits can range from a demonstrable improvement in health to complete recovery. Using research in biomedical and behavioral science, Scott examines accounts of miracle cures at medieval, early modern, and contemporary shrines. He inquires into the power of relics, apparitions, and the transformative nature of sacred journeying and shines new light on the roles belief, hope, and emotion can play in healing.

Contents:

Front matter

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Prologue

1. Life in the Middle Ages

2. Saints

3. Apparitions

4. Pilgrimage and Shrines

5. Disease

6. The Role of Stress in Illness

7. Belief, Hope, and Healing

8. Framing, Confessing, Self-Efficacy, and Healing

Coda

Appendix: Accounts of Miracles at Medieval Shrines

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9786612764011

9781282764019

1282764012

9780520946200

0520946200

OCLC:

646576238