Overview
This is the first full-length study of Demetrius of Alexandria (189–232 ce), who generated a neglected, yet remarkable hagiographic program that secured him a positive legacy throughout the Middle Ages and the modern era. Drawing upon Patristic, Coptic, and Arabic sources spanning a millennium, the analysis contextualizes the Demetrian corpus at its various stages of composition and presents the totality of his hagiographic corpus in translation. This volume constitutes a definitive study of Demetrius, but more broadly, it provides a clearly delineated hagiographic program and charts its evolution against a backdrop of political developments and intercommunal interactions. This fascinating study is a useful resource for students of Demetrius and the Church in Egypt in this period, but also for anyone working on Early Christianity and hagiography more generally.
Full Product Details
Author: Maged Mikhail
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint: Routledge
Weight: 0.335kg
ISBN: 9780367876821
ISBN 10: 0367876825
Pages: 216
Publication Date: 12 December 2019
Audience:
College/higher education
,
General/trade
,
Tertiary & Higher Education
,
General
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: In Print
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Reviews
The Legacy of Demetrius is a multi-faceted jewel of historical investigation. Mikhail first gathers together and contextualizes virtually all that we know of Demetrius himself, and then draws out for us the process through which Demetrius the legend evolved. Through this complex investigation new windows are also opened onto the distinctive shape of Christianity in late antique and Islamic Egypt. Rarely does a study so well combine these different style of exploration. - Lewis Ayres, Durham University, UK Due to [his] innovative approach and a sovereign handling of the sources, Mikhail's book is considered very successful. His deconstruction of hagiographic legends and motifs, coupled with his analysis of various editorial levels, would have to set a new standard for the study of hagiographic texts. - Daniel Vaucher, Universitat Bern, Germany, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2017 Phil Booth, University of Oxford The project is a solid one, and the scholarship is of high quality, as one would expect from this author. But I do not think the book should be commissioned at present. The first, analytical part of the book is short (136pp, even with a large font and double spacing) but is then supplemented with translations. But M needs to justify the inclusion of the latter. (See response from author to this). Prof Lewis Ayres, Durham University, UK This is an excellent idea for a book. Combining the study of this enigmatic figure with a study of his legacy and growing reputation makes the book into a paradigm for a growing style of study. At the same time it gives the book a good story to tell which may well increase its audience. I like the idea very much.From the sample material I have to say also that the text seems to be well written and scholarly questions are handled with real precision and care. James Corke-Webster, University of Durham, UK This is an excellent proposal, and the MMS provided lives up to many of the promises of that proposal. Projects of such scale are attempted too rarely and should be commended and properly cultivated when they appear. This monograph is of great importance and will be of interest to a variety of different scholarly audiences because of its expansive scope. The author is almost always a reliable guide to an impressive range of material and the research on display is detailed, meticulous and cautious, but prepared to think big when the occasion calls for it, and with suitable qualifications. My concerns/thoughts for improvement fall into three main areas [see review for full comments]... This book is an important contribution to scholarship and should be published (though in my opinion with certain revisions and additions noted above). Its important and uniqueness in the marketplace make it a necessary purchase for libraries, and its wide chronological scope should ensure interest levels for a wide range of scholars. See the author's response to the reviews in separate document. I am happy with his responses, and I feel that the comments from Reviewer 1 on the need for the translations are unwarranted.
The Legacy of Demetrius is a multi-faceted jewel of historical investigation. Mikhail first gathers together and contextualizes virtually all that we know of Demetrius himself, and then draws out for us the process through which Demetrius the legend evolved. Through this complex investigation new windows are also opened onto the distinctive shape of Christianity in late antique and Islamic Egypt. Rarely does a study so well combine these different style of exploration. - Lewis Ayres, Durham University, UK Due to [his] innovative approach and a sovereign handling of the sources, Mikhail's book is considered very successful. His deconstruction of hagiographic legends and motifs, coupled with his analysis of various editorial levels, would have to set a new standard for the study of hagiographic texts. - Daniel Vaucher, Universitat Bern, Germany, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2017
The Legacy of Demetrius is a multi-faceted jewel of historical investigation. Mikhail first gathers together and contextualizes virtually all that we know of Demetrius himself, and then draws out for us the process through which Demetrius the legend evolved. Through this complex investigation new windows are also opened onto the distinctive shape of Christianity in late antique and Islamic Egypt. Rarely does a study so well combine these different style of exploration. - Lewis Ayres, Durham University, UK Due to [his] innovative approach and a sovereign handling of the sources, Mikhail's book is considered very successful. His deconstruction of hagiographic legends and motifs, coupled with his analysis of various editorial levels, would have to set a new standard for the study of hagiographic texts. - Daniel Vaucher, Universitat Bern, Germany, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2017
Author Information
Maged S. A. Mikhail is Professor of History at California State University at Fullerton, USA.
