Soldiers of Christ: Saints and Saints Lives from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages [Hardcover]

Thomas F. X. Noble (Other Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1995

To understand European culture and society in the Middle ages it is essential to understand the role of Christianity. And there is no better way to understand that role than to study that religion's greatest human heroes, the saints. For if medieval Christians regarded God as their king, then the saints were the Christian nobility, human members of the divine court. The purpose of Soldiers of Christ: Saints and Saints' Lives from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages is to present some of the most significant records of the lives of those people considered to be saints. In exploring these works the reader will be presented with rich evidence about the development of religion and society in western Europe from the late Roman empire to the great changes that transformed European society around the year 1000. Each text is newly annotated and prefaced by the editors, and a general introduction on saints and saints' lives makes this volume ideal for students and general readers alike. Included are lives of Martin of Tours, Augustine of Hippo, Germanus of Auxerre, Boniface of Crediton, Strum, Willibrord, Benedict of Aniane, Leoba, Willehad of Northumbria, and Gerald of Aurillac, as well as the Hodoeporicon of Saint Willibald.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

To understand European culture and society in the Middle ages it is essential to understand the role of Christianity. And there is no better way to understand that role than to study that religion's greatest human heroes, the saints. For if medieval Christians regarded God as their king, then the saints were the Christian nobility, human members of the divine court. The purpose of Soldiers of Christ: Saints and Saints' Lives from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages is to present some of the most significant records of the lives of those people considered to be saints. In exploring these works the reader will be presented with rich evidence about the development of religion and society in western Europe from the late Roman empire to the great changes that transformed European society around the year 1000. Each text is newly annotated and prefaced by the editors, and a general introduction on saints and saints' lives makes this volume ideal for students and general readers alike. Included are lives of Martin of Tours, Augustine of Hippo, Germanus of Auxerre, Boniface of Crediton, Strum, Willibrord, Benedict of Aniane, Leoba, Willehad of Northumbria, and Gerald of Aurillac, as well as the Hodoeporicon of Saint Willibald. -- Midwest Book Review

About the Author

Thomas F. X. Noble is Associate Professor of History at the University of Virginia and the author of The Republic of St. Peter: The Birth of the Papal State, 680-825 (Pennsylvania, 1984). Thomas Head is Assistant Professor of History at Washington University in St. Louis and the author of Hagiography and the Cult of the Saints: The Diocese of Orleans, 800-1200 (Cambridge, 1990). --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 383 pages
• Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press (January 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0271013443
• ISBN-13: 978-0271013442
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,336,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

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0 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting resource book, July 3, 2007

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This review is from: Soldiers of Christ: Saints and Saints Lives from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (Paperback)

The only value I can give as theologian to this book is the worldview of this missionaries of the middle ages that lived in a society that was more savage than christian. The rest is pure fiction to try to convice the medieval readers to accept the worship of certain people as "saints". The Biblical concept of holiness is that all baptized and real christians are saints for God, because they all are in Christ. There is nothing extra-ordinary in this. Now, the concept of the writers of this book is different, is that these were abnormal people, holy since conception, born special and meritorious of devotion (worship). As an evangelical christian I will recommend you better the biographies of Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Knox, John Wesley, Spurgeon, Billy Graham, etc...