Holy Bones, Holy Dust: How Relics Shaped the History of Medieval Europe - Softcover

Freeman, Charles

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300184301 ISBN 13: 9780300184303

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2012

Synopsis

A richly textured history spanning a thousand years of holy relics across Europe Relics were everywhere in medieval society. Saintly morsels such as bones, hair, teeth, blood, milk, and clothes, and items like the Crown of Thorns, coveted by Louis IX of France, were thought to bring the believer closer to the saint, who might intercede with God on his or her behalf. In the first comprehensive history in English of the rise of relic cults, Charles Freeman takes readers on a vivid, fast-paced journey from Constantinople to the northern Isles of Scotland over the course of a millennium. In Holy Bones, Holy Dust, Freeman illustrates that the pervasiveness and variety of relics answered very specific needs of ordinary people across a darkened Europe under threat of political upheavals, disease, and hellfire. But relics were not only venerated-they were traded, collected, lost, stolen, duplicated, and destroyed. They were bargaining chips, good business and good propaganda, politically appropriated across Europe, and even used to wield military power. Freeman examines an expansive array of relics, showing how the mania for these objects deepens our understanding of the medieval world and why these relics continue to capture our imagination.

About this title

Review:

"Freeman is an excellent narrator. . . . He loves to tell a good tale, and the history of relics overflows with countless bizarre and fascinating deeds."--Andrew Butterfield, The New Republic--Andrew Butterfield "The New Republic "

"Despite their prominence in the Middle Ages and even up to today, there is no other comprehensive history of relics available. As always, Freeman writes well and will stir up controversy. Recommended to scholars who will appreciate this comprehensive history, as well as to buffs of medieval history."--David Keymer, Library Journal--David Keymer "Library Journal "

'Charles Freeman's new book is absorbing, wide-ranging and rigorous, while remaining constantly accessible. There is much original material here and many fresh insights; Freeman's eye for intriguing stories never wavers.'--John Cornwell, author of Newman's Unquiet Grave: the Reluctant Saint--John Cornwell

"Wonderfully written and inviting. . . . Freeman, right down to the notes for his illustrations, fascinates....[Holy Bones, Holy Dust is] a model for how history is to be written."--Thomas McGonigle, ABC of Reading--Thomas McGonigle "ABC of Reading "

"Charles Freeman covers a huge sweep of history con brio in this book on the significance of Catholic relics."--Simon Scott Plummer, Standpoint--Simon Scott Plummer"Standpoint" (05/01/2011)

"Freeman's book is a timely reminder of the extent to which relics were once central to mankind's sense of identity."--Nick Vincent, BBC History Magazine--Nick Vincent"BBC History Magazine" (07/01/2011)

"As Charles Freeman point out in his new book Holy Bones, Holy Dust: How Relics shaped the History of Medieval Europe, relics were a crucial part of the medieval economy."--Bess Twiston Davies, The Times--Bess Twiston Davies"The Times" (06/18/2011)

"Charles Freeman's Holy Bones, Holy Dust is a shrewd and readable account of one of the more significant aspects of the spiritual life of the Middle Ages."--Jonathan Sumpton, Literary Review--Jonathan Sumpton"Literary Review" (08/01/2011)

"This book provides an engagingly written historical narrative supported by many detailed stories of how relics were relevant to theological, cultural, political and economic changes across medieval Europe."--Harold Mytum, British Archaeology--Harold Mytum"British Archaeology" (09/01/2011)

"Excellent. . . . Meticulously expert, engagingly readable both as history and as writing."--Craig Smith, Santa Fe New Mexican--Craig Smith "Santa Fe New Mexican "

From the Back Cover:

"Superbly put together and elegantly written book, the first proper history of the cult of relics...a marvellous study." -- Catholic Herald.

"[A] fascinating book...the cult of relics was the motive force of the great medieval passion for pilgrimages. -- Noel Malcolm, Sunday Telegraph.

"...a nuanced, scholarly and richly entertaining introduction to the subject of medieval Christian relics. It is a treat.' - Jonathan Wright, The Tablet.

"In this work he examines the medieval enthusiasm for miracles...of crucial importance in trying to understand the medieval mind." -- Church of England Newspaper.

"...this remarkable, in many ways shocking, study places them at the very heart of medieval life." -- Michael Kerrigan, The Scotsman.

"Charles Freeman covers a huge sweep of history con brio in this book on the significance of Catholic relics." -- Simon Scott Plummer, Standpoint.

"Charles Freeman's new book is absorbing, wide-ranging and rigorous, while remaining constantly accessible.'" - John Cornwell, author of Newman's Unquiet Grave: the Reluctant Saint.

"Wonderfully written and inviting...[Holy Bones, Holy Dust is] a model for how history is to be written." -- Thomas McGonigle, ABC of Reading.

"Recommended to scholars who will appreciate this comprehensive history, as well as to buffs of medieval history." -- David Keymer, Library Journal.

"It's no easy feat to encapsulate these subjects [of medieval history], and yet Freeman...pulls it off with great authority and insight." -- Nick Owchar, Los Angeles Times.

"Freeman's book is a timely reminder of the extent to which relics were once central to mankind's sense of identity." -- Nick Vincent, BBC History Magazine.

"Holy Bones, Holy Dust offers a readable and ambitious panoramic history of medieval society, politics and religion," -- E.L Levin, History Today.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0300184301
• ISBN 13: 9780300184303
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 306