Why Can the Dead Do Such Great Things? : : Saints and Worshippers from the Martyrs to the Reformation / / Robert Bartlett.

• VerfasserIn: Bartlett, Robert,
• Place / Publishing House: Princeton, NJ : : Princeton University Press, , [2013]; ©2013
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource :; 8 color illus. 23 halftones. 3 line illus. 10 tables. 3 maps.

From its earliest centuries, one of the most notable features of Christianity has been the veneration of the saints-the holy dead. This ambitious history tells the fascinating story of the cult of the saints from its origins in the second-century days of the Christian martyrs to the Protestant Reformation. Robert Bartlett examines all of the most important aspects of the saints-including miracles, relics, pilgrimages, shrines, and the saints' role in the calendar, literature, and art.The book explores the central role played by the bodies and body parts of saints, and the special treatment these relics received. From the routes, dangers, and rewards of pilgrimage, to the saints' impact on everyday life, Bartlett's account is an unmatched examination of an important and intriguing part of the religious life of the past-as well as the present.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of Illustrations -- Preface -- PART I. Developments -- Chapter 1. Origins (100-500) -- Chapter 2. The Early Middle Ages (500-1000) -- Chapter 3. The High and Later Middle Ages (1000-1500) -- Chapter 4. The Protestant Reformation -- PART II. Dynamics -- Chapter 5. The Nature of Cult -- Chapter 6. Saints' Days -- Chapter 7. Types of Saint -- Chapter 8. Relics and Shrines -- Chapter 9. Miracles -- Chapter 10. Pilgrimage -- Chapter 11. Dedications and Naming -- Chapter 12. Images of the Saints -- Chapter 13. The Literature of Sanctity -- Chapter 14. Doubt and Dissent -- Chapter 15. Reflections -- Glossary -- Bibliography of Works Cited -- Index