medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear All,
I am hoping for some informed advice. For a methods course, I am preparing
a class on using hagiography as a historical source. The course goes
through different categories of evidence (narrative texts, legal texts,
iconography, numismatics, etc.) and discusses how we can know what, and
how we treat different types of evidence. The focus for the course is the
fourth century, Constantine, and the question of "christianization". My
question for the list is two-fold.
First: I am looking for a reading which discusses the issue of using
hagiography as a historical source -- what kinds of information we can
draw from it. The closest thing I know of is the Felice Lifshitz, "Peyond
Postivism and Genre: "Hagiographical" Texts as Historical Narrative"
Viator 25 (1994) 95-113, but this isn't exactly what I'm looking for,
mostly because it is too late and the argument is too dependant upon the
historical moment its discussing (which is the strength of the article,
but doesn't suit what I need).
Second: I'm looking to assign passions or lives which purport to show the
Roman legal system at work (i.e., in which a martyr's confrontation with
the magistrate, governor, judge, etc., is narrated). Any suggestion to
particularly juicy lives welcome. (Perpetua and Pionius are currently on
my list)
Any and all help, or advice on this issue, welcome. And Thanks in advance
for the help-
Cecilia Gaposchkin
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