medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On the matter of how figures before Christ could be viewed as saints:
I'm not a specialist, but my understanding of the theology - now as in the
Middle Ages - is that Christ's redemption was for good men and women who
both preceded and succeeded him. Martyrdom is not necessary, only to have
led a good life. Hence, in Christian tradition all patriarchs and
matriarchs - from Adam onwards - could be regarded as saints, and therefore
worthy of veneration. There are many examples of Christian devotion to
pre-Christian figures throughout the Middles Ages. In my own field of
English literature, there are Old English poems and later hymns and prayers
to such figures as Judith, Anne (Mary's mother), and of course John the
Baptist whose martyrdom preceded Christ's death. The tradition is that
between the Crucifixion and Resurrection, Christ descended to the dead in
the "harrowing of hell", and allowed those who had died before him to enter
the Kingdom of Heaven.
Please correct me if I have this wrong! Best wishes, (and thanks for the
daily saints)
Johan
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Johan Bergstrom-Allen, BA (York), M.Phil (Oxon)
-----Original Message-----
From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Atchley, Clinton
Sent: 31 March 2003 16:56
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] saints of the day 31. March
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
>Amos (8th cent. BCE) Amos was a shepherd near Bethlehem who
>became one of
>the minor prophets. According to the Roman martyrology, he
>was killed by
>having an iron bar knocked through his head.
Saints aren't really my forte, but I'm interested in this. I've never heard
of a saint who lived before the coming of Christ. How is this possible? Is
martyrdom for the cause the only requirement? If so, which cause in Amos's
case? Are there others?
Best,
Clint Atchley
Clinton Atchley, Ph.D.
Director, Master of Liberal Arts Program
Department of English and Foreign Languages
Box 7652
Henderson State University
Arkadelphia, AR 71999
Phone: 870.230.5276
Email: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.hsu.edu/faculty/atchlec
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