Results for religst237

This seminar will use both written and visual sources to explore how the body mattered in the creation of saintly tropes and cults in late antique and medieval Europe. We will begin by reading the diary of an early Christian martyr to consider how a good death set the terms for an ideal Christian life. We will then explore a number of medieval vitae or saints' lives to uncover narrative devices used to describe an exemplary life and consider the role self-denial, bodily and otherwise, played in constructing those portraits. We will conclude by considering the power medieval people ascribed to the remains of saints' bodies and look at the cult of relics as well as miracle accounts describing the bodily healings and transformations ascribed to saints.