Word & Table Lives of the Saints
Oct 28, 2025
Dive into the fascinating world of saints and hagiography! Discover what hagiographies are and their historical significance. Learn about reliable martyr accounts and how legends evolved through storytelling. Explore the economic motivations behind elaborate saint narratives and the common folklore themes found in medieval lives of saints. Understand the impact of the Golden Legend and how scholars worked to clarify saint histories post-Reformation. Finally, see how these stories offer diverse examples of holiness for believers today.
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Meaning And Reach Of Hagiography
- Hagiography literally means 'writing the lives of the holy.'
- The genre shaped centuries of Christian memory and biography.
Early Martyr Accounts Are Reliable
- Some saints' lives are historically well-attested with contemporary records.
- Early martyr accounts like Perpetua, Felicity, and Polycarp provide highly reliable testimony.
Legends Fill Historical Gaps
- Many popular saint legends grew centuries after the person's death to fill memory gaps.
- St. George's dragon story arose long after his contemporaneous tomb was already venerated.
