Delve into our illuminating conversation with Dr. Kyle Smith, the author of the fascinating social history “Cult of the Dead:A Brief History of Christianity.” Dr. Smith discusses his research into how Christianity was profoundly shaped by the cult of martyrdom in its early centuries. He explains how the often gruesome stories of saints’ tortures and deaths reinforced Christian faith and bound believers together, and how martyrs’ relics and shrines continue to be venerated today. Kyle also unpacks how commemorating martyrdom through calendar feasts dedicated to saints’ deaths structured the passage of time itself for Christians. Get the book at: https://www.ucpress.edu/book/9780520345164/cult-of-the-dead

 [https://ia601805.us.archive.org/32/items/cultofthe-dead/CultoftheDead.mp3] 

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