Overview

This book provides a new way of understanding the role of the cult of the martyrs for the Cappadocian Fathers and their families. The study shows that the cult of the martyrs was so popular among all social levels of Christians, including the Cappadocian Fathers, that it formed the rudimentary framework for Christian piety in the fourth century. When Christianity became the state religion in 325, the fundamental presupposition of martyrdom as Christian identity became ambiguous. Thus it was paramount for the Cappadocians to preserve, evolve, and represent how martyr piety fit into the Christian life after the Constantinian settlement. The book reveals the Cappadocians' tireless promotion of martyr piety through careful expositions of the ritual of the panegyris and importance of the calendar, their pastoral teachings through panegyrics to the martyrs, and the triumphs and frustrations of building a martyrium. Limberis also demonstrates how the Cappadocians fixed the image of the martyrs on their families' identities forever, showing how the veneration of the martyrs contributed to practicing Christian faith in a familial context. The study demonstrates that the local martyr cults were so powerful that the Cappadocian Fathers promoted their own kin as martyrs, and claimed other martyrs as their ancestors. The study also engages how gender and theories of kinship complicate their texts, both for the Cappadocians and for us.

Full Product Details

9780199730889

Table of Contents

Reviews

<br> Limberis brings the pastoral world of the Cappadocian fathers alive, revealing how thoroughly the martyr cult infused their own popular piety and that of the laity they served. One gains new appreciation for their clever and oft revisionary use of the stories, for the centrality of the subject in their thought, and for the ideological value of connecting with those who died for the faith. A delightful and informative read! <br>-- James E. Goehring, University of Mary Washington <br> Limberis skillfully presents the intersecting modes of encountering and honoring the martyrs in fourth-century Cappadocia. By attending to the ways that the faithful were affectively addressed by vivid narratives and visual recreations of their courage, holiness, and suffering through story, picture, and architectural space, she allows the reader a three-dimensional and multi-sensory glimpse into the embodied piety of the age. <br>-- Robin Jensen, Luce Chancellor's Professor of the History of Chr

Limberis brings the pastoral world of the Cappadocian fathers alive, revealing how thoroughly the martyr cult infused their own popular piety and that of the laity they served. One gains new appreciation for their clever and oft revisionary use of the stories, for the centrality of the subject in their thought, and for the ideological value of connecting with those who died for the faith. A delightful and informative read! James E. Goehring, University of Mary Washington

<br> Limberis brings the pastoral world of the Cappadocian fathers alive, revealing how thoroughly the martyr cult infused their own popular piety and that of the laity they served. One gains new appreciation for their clever and oft revisionary use of the stories, for the centrality of the subject in their thought, and for the ideological value of connecting with those who died for the faith. A delightful and informative read! <br>-- James E. Goehring, University of Mary Washington <br><p><br> Limberis skillfully presents the intersecting modes of encountering and honoring the martyrs in fourth-century Cappadocia. By attending to the ways that the faithful were affectively addressed by vivid narratives and visual recreations of their courage, holiness, and suffering through story, picture, and architectural space, she allows the reader a three-dimensional and multi-sensory glimpse into the embodied piety of the age. <br>-- Robin Jensen, Luce Chancellor's Professor of the History of Christian Art and Worship, Vanderbilt University <br><br><p><br> Vasiliki Limberis has captured an essential and fascinating dynamic in the religious sensibility of the Cappadocians -- their preoccupation with and propagation of the cult of the martyrs. Her multi-faceted analysis of the ritual, literary, and theological contours of this integral feature of their life's work is a valuable contribution to the study of ancient Christianity. <br>-- Margaret M. Mitchell, Professor of New Testament and Early Christian Literature, The University of Chicago <br><p><br>

Author Information

Vasiliki Limberis is Associate Professor of Ancient Christianity, Department of Religion at Temple University. She teaches a wide variety of courses in early Christianity from the first through the fifth century.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available