- Paperback: 204 pages
- Publisher: University Of Chicago Press; New edition edition (Feb 15 1982)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0226076229
- ISBN-13: 978-0226076225
- Product Dimensions: 21.5 x 13.7 x 1.3 cm
- Shipping Weight: 240 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #146,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
Following the fall of the Roman Empire in the West, the cult of the saints was the dominant form of religion in Christian Europe. In this elegantly written work, Peter Brown explores the role of tombs, shrines, relics, and pilgrimages connected with the sacred bodies of the saints. He shows how men and women living in harsh and sometimes barbaric times relied upon the merciful intercession of the holy dead to obtain justice, forgiveness, and to find new ways to accept their fellows. Challenging the common treatment of the cult as an outbreak of superstition among the lower classes, Brown demonstrates how this form of religiousity engaged the finest minds of the Church and elicited from members of the educated upper classes some of their most splendid achievements in poetry, literature, and the patronage of the arts.
"Brown has an international reputation for his fine style, a style he here turns on to illuminate the cult of the saints. Christianity was born without such a cult; it took rise and that rise needs chronicling. Brown has a gift for the memorable phrase and sees what the passersby have often overlooked. An eye-opener on an important but neglected phase of Western development."—The Christian Century
"Brilliantly original and highly sophisticated . . . . [The Cult of the Saints] is based on great learning in several disciplines, and the story is told with an exceptional appreciation for the broad social context. Students of many aspects of medieval culture, especially popular religion, will want to consult this work."—Bennett D. Hill, Library Journal
"Brown has an international reputation for his fine style, a style he here turns on to illuminate the cult of the saints. Christianity was born without such a cult; it took rise and that rise needs chronicling. Brown has a gift for the memorable phrase and sees what the passersby have often overlooked. An eye-opener on an important but neglected phase of Western development."—The Christian Century
"Brilliantly original and highly sophisticated . . . . [The Cult of the Saints] is based on great learning in several disciplines, and the story is told with an exceptional appreciation for the broad social context. Students of many aspects of medieval culture, especially popular religion, will want to consult this work."—Bennett D. Hill, Library Journal
About the Author
Peter Brown is professor of history at Princeton University and the author of Augustine of Hippo and The Making of Late Antiquity.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant monograph,
By Michael Taylor "Scipio" (Princeton, NJ) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity (Paperback)
This monograph has become the classic work on the cult of the saints, and is part of Peter Brown's monumental contribution to the study of early Christianity.Brown takes on the complex phenomenon of the cult of the saints, countering the prevalent view, expoused by no less a thinker than David Hume, that the cult of the saints was merely a folk continuation of a pagan world view. Indeed, just the opposite was true. The cult of the saints dramatically reversed the pagan view of the universe. In pagan thought, heaven and earth were distinctly separate, but now through the cult heaven and earth were linked by the physical presence of saints and their relics on earth. Rather than being a supersition of commoners, the cult was developed and perpetuated by the most educated and cultured elites of the church. Brown shows that the cult was not "medieval." Indeed it developed from the classical values that permeated the late antique world. Saints become "spiritual friends," reflecting the warm sense amicitia that was so cherished Roman elites, and saints were said to be "patrons," who could intermediate before God in the same fashion that a patron would mediate for a client before a Roman official. Brown paints a vivid picture of early Christian piety, a world filled with genuine emotion and profound spirituality.
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Authoritative Text,
By
This review is from: The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity (Paperback)
Peter Brown has given us a wonderful history of a fascinating period in early Christianity, a time when believers could communicate with Christ through the preserved relics of saints. One cannot fully understand the spread of Christian ideals and traditions into the late Roman Empire without first consulting this book. Those unfamiliar with the cult of the saints will be surprised at the seeming preoccupation with death associated with early Christian traditions--in addition to preserving and displaying bones of deceased bishops (which supposedly held the power to heal and cure), ceremonies and festivals were often held at tombs and burial sites.This book is not for the casual reader whose approaches ancient history as a hobby (I fall into that catagory). It isn't a consistantly linear text, and Brown often uses Latin terminology that is left undefined, and even uses direct quotes from Latin sources without translating them. While historians and scholars will probably have no problems (I assume they are used to this approach), an average history buff like me will have to consult a buddy who's fluent in Latin. Nonetheless, Peter Brown is thorough and precise in his study on the workings of the early church. He shows us not only how saints to the masses, but how an individual believer could form a relationship with the dead saint, thus connecting himself to the divine. Although I had difficulty reading it for recreation, I know it will be a valuable reference text for future projects.
5.0 out of 5 stars
a classic!,
By Scott B. Montgomery (Denton, TX USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity (Paperback)
Peter Brown's book on the Cult of Saints has become a classic work on the formation of the cult of saints in Late Antiquity/Early Medieval Europe. Meticulously researched (as always with Peter Brown), this is essential reading for anyone interested in the cult of saints. It is highly recommended for all students of Medieval history and religion. Though dense and scholarly, this is a worthy read for anyone interested in the topic.
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