Reading Prester John : Cultural Fantasy and Its Manuscript Contexts / John Eldevik.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Eldevik, John, author.

Series:

Beyond medieval Europe.

Beyond Medieval Europe Series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christian legends.

Christianity--Public opinion.

Christianity.

Conflict management--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Conflict management.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (170 pages)

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Leeds, England : Arc Humanities Press, [2024]

Summary:

During the Middle Ages, many Europeans imagined that there existed a powerful and marvel-filled Christian realm beyond the lands of Islam ruled by a devout emperor they called ?Priest John,? or ?Prester John.? Spurred by a forged letter that mysteriously appeared around 1165 and quickly ?went viral? in hundreds of manuscripts across Western Europe, the legend of Prester John and his exotic kingdom was not just a utopian fantasy, but a way to bring contemporary political and theological questions into sharper focus. In this new study, John Eldevik shows how the manuscripts that transmitted the story of Prester John reflect the ways contemporary audiences processed ideas about religious conflict and helped them imagine a new, global dimension of Christianity. It includes an appendix with a new translation of the B recension of?'The Letter of Prester John'.0.

Contents:

COVER

Contents

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1. Wonders of the East: Visions of Global Christendom in the Early Middle Ages

Chapter 2. The Letter of Prester John and its Reception in the Twelfth Century

Chapter 3. Reading and Reimagining Prester John in the Twelfth and Thirteenth Centuries

Chapter 4. Prester John, the Mongols, and the Resilience of Wonder

Chapter 5. The New Horizons of Christendom: Prester John in Africa

Conclusion

Appendix. The Letter of Prester John (B Redaction)

Bibliography

Index.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781802701975

OCLC:

1450839381