The cult of the saints was central to medieval Christianity largely
due to the miraculous. Saints were members of the elect of heaven and
could intercede with God on the behalf of supplicants. Whilst people
visited shrines and prayed to the saints for many reasons it was the
hope of intercession and the praise of miracles past which drove the
cult of the saints. This book examines how a person solicited aid from
a saint, how they might give thanks and the ways in which post-mortem
miracles structured the cult of the saints. A huge number of miracle
stories survive from medieval England, in dedicated collections as
well as in saints’ lives and other source material. This corpus is
full of stories of human relationships, vulnerability and deliverance
of people from all parts of society. These stories reveal all manner
of details about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. They
also show us how people navigated the world with the aid of the
saints. Saints could help with wayward livestock, lost property or
lawsuits as well as fire, plague and injury. They could also protect
members of their communities, correct lapses by their custodians and
even kill those who mistreated them. A respectful relationship with a
saint could be proof against any problem. Making Miracles in Medieval
England will appeal to all those interested in religious practices in
medieval England, medieval English culture, and medieval perceptions
of miracles.
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Product details
ISBN
9781000635850
Published
2022
Edition
1. edition
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Language
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Author