'Let us die that we may live' - Greek homilies on Christian Martyrs from Asia Minor, Palestine and Syria c.350-c.450 AD

Author : Johan Leemans, Wendy Mayer, Pauline Allen, Boudewijn Dehandschutter

Master eBook ISBN10 : 0-203-41345-8

Master eBook ISBN13 : 978-0-203-41345-6

No of pages :256

Originally Published : 19 Jun 2003

Status : Available [You may read this title]

The cult of the saints - martyrs being the most notable among them - was an important feature of the daily life of Early Christian communities. The supernatural powers believed to reside in the saints'' relics attracted many visitors to their sanctuaries, and inspired a variety of devotional practices. The homily on the martyr was a culmination of the yearly feast - day in and around each sanctuary.
This book presents fresh, lively translations of fourteen such homilies, the majority for the first time in English. The homilies were delivered in some of the main cities of the Greek East of the later Roman Empire, by well-known figures such as Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa and John Chrysostom, as well as the equally gifted preachers, Asterius of Amasea and Hesychius of Jerusalem.
Each author receives a separate introduction, and each homily also has its own introduction and notes. The main introduction gives useful background information on the cult of the martyrs in Roman Asia Minor, Palestine and Syria, and on the martyr homily as a literary genre, while also presenting possible methodological approaches to the texts.
Let Us Die That We May Live offers an approachable, surprising, and not always reverent insight into the life of the Early Church. It reveals the full importance of the martyr homily in terms of style, treatment of its subject, and social and liturgical issues, in a way that will be useful across disciplines such as theology, classical studies and religion.

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Table of contents : Introduction Martyrium and Relics: the Centre of the Martyr Cult The Yearly Paneguris Martyr Homilies Approaching the Homilies: Possibilities and Limits Notes TEXTS I. Basil of Caesarea General Introduction A Homily on Martyr Gordius A Homily on the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste Notes II Gregory of Nyssa General Introduction A Homily on Theodore the Recruit First Homily on the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste Notes III John Chrysostom General Introduction A Homily on the Holy Martyrs A Homily on Julian the Martyr A Homily on the Martyr Babylas A Homily on Pelagia, Virgin and Martyr Notes IV Asterius of Amasea General Introduction A Homily on Phocas Ecphrasis on the Holy Martyr Euphemia A Homily on Stephen the First Martyr Notes V. Hesychius of Jerusalem General Introduction A Homily in Praise of Stephen the First Martyr A Homily in Praise of Saint Procopius Noties Bibliography Index

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