Furta Sacra - Thefts of Relics in the Central Middle Ages - Revised Edition

To obtain sacred relics, medieval monks plundered tombs, avaricious merchants raided churches, and relic-mongers scoured the Roman catacombs. In a revised edition of Furta Sacra, Patrick Geary considers the social and cultural context for these acts, asking how the relics were perceived and why the thefts met with the approval of medieval Christians.

About the author

Patrick J. Geary is Professor of History at the University of Florida.

Summary

To obtain sacred relics, medieval monks plundered tombs, avaricious merchants raided churches, and relic-mongers scoured the Roman catacombs. In a revised edition of Furta Sacra, Patrick Geary considers the social and cultural context for these acts, asking how the relics were perceived and why the thefts met with the approval of medieval Christians.

Additional text

"This is a fascinating study of a medieval way of thinking which in certain circumstances countenanced thefts of sacred relics from tombs, churches, and Roman catacombs. . . . Furta Sacra is a truly impressive history shedding much light on a difficult dimension of popular Christian piety in another age."---Michael Connors, Church History

Product details

• Authors: Geary, Patrick Geary, Patrick J. Geary
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 21.02.1991
• EAN: 9780691008622
• ISBN: 978-0-691-00862-2
• No. of pages: 248
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Pre and early history; Europe, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Criminology, HISTORY / World, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, General & world history, CE period up to c 1500, c 1000 CE to c 1500, Early history: c 500 to c 1450/1500, Archaeology by period / region, General and world history, Crime and criminology, Crime & criminology, Medieval European archaeology