Divine Deliverance : Pain and Painlessness in Early Christian Martyr Texts / L. Stephanie Cobb.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Cobb, L. Stephanie, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Martyrologies--History and criticism.

Martyrologies.

Christian martyrs in literature.

Pain in literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (323 pages)

Place of Publication:

Berkeley, CA : University of California Press, [2016]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

Does martyrdom hurt? The obvious answer to this question is "yes." L. Stephanie Cobb, asserts, however, that early Christian martyr texts respond to this question with an emphatic "no!" Divine Deliverance examines the original martyr texts of the second through fifth centuries, concluding that these narratives in fact seek to demonstrate the Christian martyrs' imperviousness to pain. For these martyrs, God was present with, and within, the martyrs, delivering them from pain. These martyrs' claims not to feel pain define and redefine Christianity in the ancient world: whereas Christians did not deny the reality of their subjection to state violence, they argued that they were not ultimately vulnerable to its painful effects.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

1. Bodies in Pain: Ancient and Modern Horizons of Expectation

2. Text and Audience: Activating and Obstructing Expectations

3. Divine Analgesia: Painlessness in a Pain-Filled World

4. Whose Pain? Pain as a Locus of Meaning in Christian Martyr Texts

5. Narratives and Counternarratives: Discourse and Early Christian Martyr Texts

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Previously issued in print: 2016.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 24. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

9780520966642

0520966643

OCLC:

962447490