Insanity and Sanctity in Byzantium - The Ambiguity of Religious Experience

In the Roman and Byzantine Near East, the holy fool emerged in Christianity as a way of describing individuals whose apparent madness allowed them to achieve a higher level of spirituality. Youval Rotman examines how the figure of the mad saint or mystic was used as a means of individual and collective transformation prior to the rise is Islam.

About the author

Youval Rotman is a Byzantinist and Associate Professor of History at Tel Aviv University.

Summary

In the Roman and Byzantine Near East, the holy fool emerged in Christianity as a way of describing individuals whose apparent madness allowed them to achieve a higher level of spirituality. Youval Rotman examines how the figure of the mad saint or mystic was used as a means of individual and collective transformation prior to the rise is Islam.

Product details

• Authors: Rotman, Youval Rotman, Rotman Youval, Youval Rotman
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.09.2016
• EAN: 9780674057616
• ISBN: 978-0-674-05761-6
• No. of pages: 272
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Psychology > Theoretical psychology; Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Geosciences > Geography; Social sciences, law, business > Sociology > Sociological theories; PSYCHOLOGY / Social Psychology, HISTORY / Ancient / General, RELIGION / History, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Sociology of Religion, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Anthropology / Cultural & Social, Christianity, Social & cultural anthropology, History of Religion, Social, group or collective psychology, Social and cultural anthropology, Byzantine Empire