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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture > >Hugo Farsitus' account of the "miracles" associated with the ergot outbreak in > >the Soissonais in the 1120s is the product of an obviously very well educated > >(as a doctor, perhaps?) man who is, among other things, looking at the > >phenomenon occuring before his eyes in a relatively dispassionate and > >objective manner. > > > >but there's no trace in his narrative of any level of skepticism re the actual > >validity of the miracles & visions themselves. One study that has not so far been mentioned in this discussion is Ronald C. Finucane, Miracles and Pilgrims: Popular Beliefs in Medieval England, who actually compares such medieval descriptions of ergot poisoning with that of an outbreak that occurred in a French village in 1951. The parallels are fascinating. I don't know how his work is regarded generally, but I can't help thinking that he does about the best job I've come across of both taking medieval miracle accounts seriously and "deconstructing" them in a way that makes them understandable to a contemporary audience. He also, in passing, has some very interesting perspectives on mental illness in the Middle Ages. Cheers, Jim Bugslag ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html