The Cult of the Virgin Mary in Anglo-Saxon England

The Cult of the Virgin Mary in Anglo-Saxon England
Author: Mary Clayton
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2002
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780521531153

This book provides a wide-ranging exploration of the cult in England from c. 700 to the Conquest. Dr Clayton describes and illustrates with a plate section the development of Marian devotion, discussing Anglo-Saxon feasts of the Virgin, liturgical texts, prayers, art, poetry and prose.

Saint Michael the Archangel in Medieval English Legend

Saint Michael the Archangel in Medieval English Legend
Author: Richard Freeman Johnson
Publisher: Boydell Press
Total Pages: 198
Release: 2005
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781843831280

"A study of the representations of St. Michael in the liturgy, literature, and iconography of the period"--Provided by publisher.

Miracles of the Virgin in Medieval England

Miracles of the Virgin in Medieval England
Author: Adrienne Williams Boyarin
Publisher: Boydell & Brewer
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2010
Genre: Education
ISBN: 1843842408

First book-length study of hagiographical legends of the Virgin Mary in medieval England, with particular reference to her relationship with Jews, books, and the law. Legendary accounts of the Virgin Mary's intercession were widely circulated throughout the middle ages, borrowing heavily, as in hagiography generally, from folktale and other motifs; she is represented in a number of different, often surprising, ways, rarely as the meek and mild mother of Christ, but as bookish, fierce, and capricious, amongst other attributes. This is the first full-length study of their place in specifically English medieval literary and cultural history. While the English circulation of vernacular Miracles of the Virgin is markedly different from continental examples, this book shows how difference and miscellaneity can reveal important developments withinan unwieldy genre. The author argues that English miracles in particular were influenced by medieval England's troubled history with its Jewish population and the rapid thirteenth-century codification of English law, so that Maryfrequently becomes a figure with special dominion over Jews, text, and legal problems. The shifting codicological and historical contexts of these texts make it clear that the paradoxical sign"Mary" could signify in both surprisingly different and surprisingly consistent ways, rendering Mary both mediatrix and legislatrix. ADRIENNE WILLIAMS BOYARIN is Assistant Professor of English at the University of Victoria (British Columbia).

Aelfric and the Cult of Saints in Late Anglo-Saxon England

Aelfric and the Cult of Saints in Late Anglo-Saxon England
Author: Mechthild Gretsch
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2006-01-19
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 113944865X

The cult of saints was one of the most important aspects of life in the Middle Ages, and it often formed the nucleus of developing group identities in a town, a province or a country. The literature of Anglo-Saxon England is unique among contemporary European literatures in that it features a vast amount of saints' Lives in the vernacular. Of these Lives, Ælfric is the most important author, and his saints' Lives have never previously been explored in their contemporary setting. In this study, Gretsch analyses Ælfric's Lives of five important saints in the light of their cults in Anglo-Saxon England. This gives the reader fascinating glimpses of 'Ælfric at work': he adapts the cults and rewrites the received Latin hagiography of the five saints, with the result that each of their English Lives conveys a distinct message to the contemporary political elite and to a lay audience at large.

The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England

The Wiley Blackwell Encyclopedia of Anglo-Saxon England
Author: Michael Lapidge
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 760
Release: 2013-10-02
Genre: History
ISBN: 111831610X

Widely acknowledged as the essential reference work for this period, this volume brings together more than 700 articles written by 150 top scholars that cover the people, places, activities, and creations of the Anglo-Saxons. The only reference work to cover the history, archaeology, arts, architecture, literatures, and languages of England from the Roman withdrawal to the Norman Conquest (c.450 – 1066 AD) Includes over 700 alphabetical entries written by 150 top scholars covering the people, places, activities, and creations of the Anglo-Saxons Updated and expanded with 40 brand-new entries and a new appendix detailing "English Archbishops and Bishops, c.450-1066" Accompanied by maps, line drawings, photos, a table of "English Rulers, c.450-1066," and a headword index to facilitate searching An essential reference tool, both for specialists in the field, and for students looking for a thorough grounding in key topics of the period

The Virgin Mary in Byzantium, c.400–1000

The Virgin Mary in Byzantium, c.400–1000
Author: Mary B. Cunningham
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 289
Release: 2021-11-11
Genre: History
ISBN: 110884569X

Examines the role of the Virgin Mary in Byzantine society, focusing on religious texts that promoted her cult.

Representations of the Blessed Virgin Mary in World Literature and Art

Representations of the Blessed Virgin Mary in World Literature and Art
Author: Elena V. Shabliy
Publisher: Lexington Books
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2017-07-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1498554350

This interdisciplinary study explores Marian imagery and representations in world literature and art throughout the centuries. This book demonstrates the widespread deep veneration of the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in various countries and different Christian traditions. Devotion to the Holy Virgin has served as a bridge to different cultures, overcoming all types of possible borders. Religious and cultural literacy is crucial for domestic and international politics, the practice of peace, harmony, justice and prosperity. This book also gives recognition and pays homage to the influence of the image of Mater Dolorosa in shaping art and literature around the world.

Forgetful of Their Sex

Forgetful of Their Sex
Author: Jane Tibbetts Schulenburg
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 624
Release: 2018-06-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 022651899X

In this remarkable study of over 2,200 female and male saints, Jane Schulenburg explores women's status and experience in early medieval society and in the Church by examining factors such as family wealth and power, patronage, monasticism, virginity, and motherhood. The result is a unique depiction of the lives of these strong, creative, independent-minded women who achieved a visibility in their society that led to recognition of sanctity. "A tremendous piece of scholarship. . . . This journey through more than 2,000 saints is anything but dull. Along the way, Schulenburg informs our ideas regarding the role of saints in the medieval psyche, gender-specific identification, and the heroics of virginity." —Library Journal "[This book] will be a kind of 'roots' experience for some readers. They will hear the voices, haunted and haunting, of their distant ancestors and understand more about themselves." —Christian Science Monitor "This fascinating book reaches far beyond the history of Christianity to recreate the 'herstory' of a whole gender." —Kate Saunders, The Independent

Compelling God

Compelling God
Author: Stephanie Clark
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Total Pages: 331
Release: 2018-01-01
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1487501986

In Compelling God, Stephanie Clark examines the relationship between prayer, gift giving, the self, and community in Anglo-Saxon England.

Apocryphal Texts and Traditions in Anglo-Saxon England

Apocryphal Texts and Traditions in Anglo-Saxon England
Author: Kathryn Powell
Publisher: DS Brewer
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2003
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 9780859917742

Studies and editions of Anglo-Saxon apocryphal materials, filling a gap in literature available on the boundaries between apocryphal and orthodox in the period. Apocrypha and apocryphal traditions in Anglo-Saxon England have been often referred to but little studied. This collection fills a gap in the study of pre-Conquest England by considering what were the boundaries between apocryphaland orthodox in the period and what uses the Anglo-Saxons made of apocryphal materials. The contributors include some of the most well-known and respected scholars in the field. The introduction - written by Frederick M. Biggs, one of the principal editors of Sources of Anglo-Saxon Literary Culture - expertly situates the essays within the field of apocrypha studies. The essays themselves cover a broad range of topics: both vernacular and Latin texts, those available in Anglo-Saxon England and those actually written there, and the uses of apocrypha in art as well as literature. Additionally, the book includes a number of completely new editions of apocryphal texts which were previously unpublished or difficult to access. By presenting these new texts along with the accompanying range of essays, the collection aims to retrieve these apocryphal traditions from the margins of scholarship and restore tothem some of the importance they held for the Anglo-Saxons. Contributors: DANIEL ANLEZARK, FREDERICK M. BIGGS, ELIZABETH COATSWORTH, THOMAS N. HALL, JOYCE HILL, CATHERINE KARKOV, PATRIZIA LENDINARA, AIDEEN O'LEARY, CHARLES D. WRIGHT.