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The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity

  • May 27, 2022
  • Peter R.L. Brown
  • 325 responses.

[PDF] Read ✓ The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity : by Peter R.L. Brown - The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity, The Cult of the Saints Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity 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

  • Title: The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity
  • Author: Peter R.L. Brown
  • ISBN: 9780226076225
  • Page: 133
  • Format: Paperback

[PDF] Read ✓ The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity : by Peter R.L. Brown, The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity, Peter R.L. Brown, The Cult of the Saints Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity 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 some [PDF] Read ✓ The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity : by Peter R.L. Brown - The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity, The Cult of the Saints Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity 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

  • [PDF] Read ✓ The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity : by Peter R.L. Brown
    133 Peter R.L. Brown
The Cult of the Saints: Its Rise and Function in Latin Christianity

About "Peter R.L. Brown"

  1. Peter R.L. Brown

    There is than one author with this namePeter Robert Lamont Brown FBA is Rollins Professor of History Emeritus at Princeton University His principal contributions to the discipline have been in the field of Late Antiquity His work has concerned, in particular, the religious culture of the later Roman Empire and early medieval Europe, and the relation between religion and society.

325 Comments

  1. Peter Brown begins by announcing a topic and ends by illuminating a period In this work, he uses the cult of the saints to trace the shift from ancient pagan to late antique Christian cosmology The ancient pagan link between the individual person, nature, and the divine was replaced by a hierarchical, mediatorial system populated by fellow humans Modeled after the late Roman system of patronage, the cult of the saints brought Western Christendom into a spiritual web of patronage relationships do [...]

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  2. Peter Brown s The Cult of the Saints It s Rise and function in Latin Christianity , as laid out in the opening chapter, is an all inclusive examination of the very special dead , and their detached holy paraphernalia, in relation to late antique 200 500 A.D religion, society, and modes of thinking Brown will argue fervently that the religious shifts which occurred throughout the classical period to late antiquity, such as the cult of martyr s, communal saintly patronage, invisible guardians, or [...]

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  3. I really enjoyed reading this I know I m going against the general grain of reviews here, but I didn t find the book to be much of a chore to read It s certainly dense it s only 127 pages and there are a lot of ideas packed in there , and it made me slow down my reading pace a bit, but I don t think any of it is unnecessary Considering the complexity of his ideas and the number of pages he uses to convey them, I think the work as a whole winds up being rather elegant It s also really thoughtful [...]

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  4. I have discovered a great scholar of first rank in this book by Peter Brown, my first encounter with the erudite historian of the late classical period, but certainly not my last It would be difficult to overstate my extreme enthusiasm for this book, which is beautiful, penetrating, and immensely illuminating Brown is a scholar of extraordinary erudition, and in this volume he examines the genesis and evolution of the cult of sainthood in Europe from the earliest days of the Christian church thr [...]

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  5. The common view of religion in ancient times was that educated people held well thought out beliefs while on the popular level superstitions and wacky ideas persisted This has led many scholars to argue that the rise of the cult of the saints was a popular movement, resisted by the leaders in the Catholic church Brown argues against this, showing that such a two tiered view of religion is a result of stereotyping and poor history then reality In this book he sheds light on how the saints achiev [...]

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  6. 127 pages about Christianity in late antiquity c.a AD 300 600 and the increasing devotion to specifically martyred saints and their physical remains Brown talks about shrines and pilgrimages and burials and exorcisms and relics, and it is all fascinating 4 of 5 stars only because I ve read The Body Society Men, Women Sexual Renunciation in Early Christianity long long ago in an undergraduate history class and that book sets the particular bar for Professor Brown kind of high This is a lovely boo [...]

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  7. Really Good This small book is essential reading for anyone drawn towards or perplexed by patristic medieval approaches to the cult of the saints Here Brown is focused on deconstructing Hume s two tier approach to Christian piety the view that the piety of the common folk naturally returns to a normative paganism as opposed to the piety of the intellectual elites which alone can maintain a robust monotheism Instead, Brown argues that the cult of the saints was one of the primary challenges Latin [...]

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  8. This was an interesting book Brown traces the development of the cult of saints in western Christianity, mainly as he explores the inclusive and developing popular religion, and the somewhat aloof religion of the clergy Brown essentially rejects the development of the cult of saints as the natural evolution of popular superstition Instead, he recounts examples of how this form of piety was championed by the elite, as well as artistic developments See my other reviews here

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  9. I read this book for a class so it wasn t really voluntary but it turned out to be really interesting It covers the functions of saints and relics in he late antiquity so up to about 1000 A.D almost It s a short read and pretty academic but not so bad that you re lost But honestly I think what made it interesting was the exposure to relics that I ve had in the past year and a half I found it relevant to life right now and without that relevance I don t think I would have enjoyed it as much.

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  10. After reading 38% of the book, I had to put it aside It s unreadable Too long sentences, many german and french expressions made it to me unenjoyable.

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  11. Although heavy going at times, largely because my knowledge of foreign languages is less than what it could be, this book provides a wonderful introduction into the advent of the Cult of the Saints in the Church of the West Drawing on a wide range of sources and commentators, Peter Brown captures the basics of this development and communicates it to the reader in a way that provides a general overview of the place of this religious practice in the life of the early Church.In making his presentat [...]

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  12. Well, this was a fascinating little book The period of late antiquity in Western Europe and the Mediterranean is often glossed over in most of our learning about history it s just the muddled period of the decline and fall of the Roman Empire before we really arrive at castles and knights and true medievalry But one of the big points that often goes unsaid, is how exactly the Church expanded its influence and dominance in the lives of so many, Roman or barbarian alike After all, it s not obvious [...]

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  13. My copy of this book was a thrift purchase, with the bonus of a page falling out every time I turned it It made it look like I studied this little book so hard that all the pages fell out That may be an exaggeration, sure, but I did study it and I enjoyed it very much I also learned quite a lot, so that s a plus now, what I remember is another story.Peter Brown, born 1935, is a professor of history at Princeton University, so he is a perfect person to learn from He s studied at least 26 language [...]

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  14. This is a compact book examining how the cult of the saints emerged in the late Roman world It is academic and dense and sometimes a little dry Yet Brown does a good job of explaining how the late Roman consciousness made the concept of saints possible vestiges of Rome s patron client relationships One point Brown raised I had never considered before related to sacred space The shrines of the saints early on were considered exceptionally holy places where Heaven and earth met and so pilgrims wou [...]

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  15. Wow What Brown might lack in lecture comes out truly poetic in this tiny book Although it is short 120 something pages it is by no means an easy read Brown s inserts latin, greek, french, whatever he wishes when he can, and writes in extremely complex and often run on sentences The message behind the book though, the proposal for a new look at the spread of Christianity in late antiquity, is not one to be ignored The message of the gospel isn t necessarily negated insomuchas it is complimented b [...]

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  16. for my death the afterlife in the ancient world class although accessible, i don t have enough background in late roman church history to really understand in a visceral way most of what brown articulates, although i can see how the book could open up for someone who knows the impact may not be so strong for me, but i did feel like i gained a immediate understanding of social contexts for martyr cults and how this religious bent could shape daily life, even down to decisions about obtaining me [...]

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  17. It may be because I read this book in two long all night sittings with insomnia that I am so negative about it Peter Brown has a style of writing I distain His overuse of non English quotations is for me intellectual willie waving I can handle the Latin and the Greek, but French and German come on that s just showing off Also his preface to the first edition and then the one To the second edition plus the forward are longer than the book itself or so it seems I m not sure I actually agree with h [...]

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  18. This is a fine analysis of the syncretic nature of Christianity Concrete examples of the power transference from late Roman to Christian via appropriation, subversion, and mimicry is astounding The assimilation of the pagan in Celtic regions by the people, often to the chagrin of the Church elite, as seen through the dispersion of power from Eastern provinces of Rome and Jerusalem via saints shrines is fascinating to consider how central power was already being undermined in the 5th, 6th, and 7t [...]

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  19. First published in the early 80s, Peter Brown s examination of saints cults in early Christianity is a milestone in the field at once intelligently considered and beautifully written It isn t often that one gets to savour historical prose, but Brown offers well measured turns of phrase in abundance, all while rejecting the two tiered model of elite and popular religion Highly recommended for anyone who wishes to gain insight into the interplay between theological ideas and religious practices.

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  20. An interesting book about how some of the ancient cults specifically the cult of heroes were incidentally became a part of the catholic religion in the form of the cult of the saints Peter Brown finds some good evidence but unfortunately his writing style leaves the reader feeling like he has been bitch slapped He wants to make sure everyone knows that he is smart Other than that it is a good read.

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  21. Read this book in the Italian translation and I m glad I did, since the writing style is a bit different from other books about this topic Peter Brown assertions are very interesting, tearing down the in famous two tiered model Unfortunately some questions that I d like to receive answers are still unanswered, but the reconstruction of the ideological movements of power of the cultural oligarchy are fascinating If written in other way many people would like it Such a pity.

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  22. Interesting enough What I found most interesting about this book was not the content but rather the description my professor gave of Peter Brown, who he had seen give a lecture apparently this book is almost an exact copy of the kind of talk he would give, except he would give it in barely a whisper, and from a great distance off Huh.

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  23. This was a favorite of mine by Brown, because it filled in the huge gaps in my understanding of how christianity became Roman Catholicism by conveying to me the way in which the church fitted itself to ancestral forms of Roman culture, until the two had blended seamlessly This book marked an important step in my understanding.

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  24. A significant little book Slender, but not a quick or easy read An important contribution to a knowledge and understanding of the commemoration of martyrs and other saints from the third through the sixth centuries Among other things, it offers a new perspective and helpful discussion on the place of popular religion in the faith and life and piety of the Church.

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  25. Pithy and relevant book by leading Princteon scholar Peter Brown Very clear thesis and interesting counterthesis to popular beliefs about the cult of the saints and their incorporation of pagan mythology Landmark work in the field.

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  26. Peter Brown is a wonderful historian with a lyrical writing style and solid evidence and conclusions It is no wonder that this is a classic in the field It links the Roman Empires and its customs to the rise of medieval Christian practices, including the Catholic cult of saints.

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  27. Read for exams Will need to revisit some of the later chapters As is usually the case with Peter Brown, I enjoyed his new introduction s even than the book itself It s always refreshing to see a scholar self reflect and admit some of his short comings.

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