The beginnings of the cult of relics / Robert Wisniewski.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wisniewski, Robert, author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Relics.

Religious articles.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (264 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2019.

Summary:

Christians have often admired and venerated martyrs who died for their faith, but for long time thought that the bodies of martyrs should remain undisturbed in their graves. Initially, Christian attitude toward the bones of the dead, saint or not, was that of respectful distance. This text examines how this changed in the mid-fourth century. Robert Wiśniewski investigates how Christians began to believe in power of relics, first, over demons, then over physical diseases and enemies. He considers how they sought to reveal hidden knowledge at the tombs of saints and why they buried the death close to them.

Contents:

List of figures

Abbreviations. Introduction

Prehistory and early chronology of the cult of relics

The first miracles

Defenders of cities

Relics and divination

Burials ad sanctos

Finding relics

Touching relics

Displaying and seeing relics

Dividing relics

Discussions and theology

Eastern, Western, and local habits in the cult of relics

Conclusions. Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

This edition previously issued in print: 2018.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

0-19-181760-0

0-19-166305-0

0-19-107504-3