|
Three Byzantine Saints: Contemporary Biographies of St. Daniel the Stylite, St. Theodore of Sykeon, and St. John the Almsgiver |  | Author: Elizabeth A. S. Dawes
Creator: Norman Hepburn Baynes
Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr
Category: Book
List Price: $20.00
Buy Used: $6.87
as of 7/28/2010 14:45 MDT details
You Save: $13.13 (66%)
Used (15) from $6.87
Seller: a_teambooks
Rating:  1 reviews
Sales Rank: 840191
Media: Paperback
Pages: 275
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.9
ISBN: 0913836443
Dewey Decimal Number: 270.20922
EAN: 9780913836446
ASIN: 0913836443
Publication Date: January 1, 1977
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
These Byzantine biographies of St Daniel the Stylite, of St Theodore of Sykeon, and of St John the Almsgiver help us to enter into the Byzantine ascetic thought world, with its miracles, its feeling of the nearness of saints and demons, its contempt for the body, its longing for the peace of the soul. They also give us a vivid picture of life in Asia Minor before the Arab invasions, and are in many ways documents concerning the social history of Byzantium. The introduction and bibliographical notes of Dr Norman Baynes are a mine of information and are matched by the excellence of the translations of the lives by Dr Elizabeth Dawes, who captures the widely divergent aspects of Byzantine piety. John the Almsgiver was Patriarch of Alexandria in a time of crisis during the early years of the seventh century; Theodore the Sykeote represents life among the peasantry of Anatolia at the end of the sixth century; while Daniel the pillar saint, who died in 493AD through his strange form of asceticism, challenged many to seek a more disciplined theological and spiritual life.
|
| Customer Reviews:
Great hagiographies from a forgotten time August 29, 2004
Florentius (New Jersey, USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I read this book many years ago in college and recently rediscovered and re-read it, mainly as a resource to support my research into late Roman/early Byzantine culture and history. What I didn't expect--or forgot--was the profound spiritual impact that the biographies retain even after 13-15 centuries.
The book consists of translations of three hagiographies from the 5th through 7th centuries from the regions of Asia Minor and Egypt. Each is written by rough contemporaries of the saint in question or his followers. Perhaps the most fascinating of these accounts is the remarkable life of St. Daniel the Stylite. An ascetic in the tradition of his mentor, St. Simeon, Daniel spent the last 30 or so years of his life standing atop a pillar. There he gained a reputation as a living saint and dispensed wisdom and miracles to commoners, patricians, bishops, and even emperors such as Leo and Zeno. His fame was such that the heretical usurper Basiliscus was cowed by St. Daniel who came down from his pillar to issue a rebuke.
St. Theodore of Sykeon was another ascetic miracle worker and reluctant bishop from the area of Asia Minor near Ancyra. He lived during the tumultous late 6th and early 7th century and, much like St. Daniel, he was sought out by the great and small alike for his wisdom and for his ability to cast out demons. This biography contains numerous examples of his battles with demons--who called him "iron eater" in reference to his strength and power over them. St. Theodore was well known to the emperor Maurice and famously rebuked the tyrant Phocas who had usurped the throne and murdered the family of Maurice.
St. John the Almsgiver was a married layman who was called to the patriarchate of Alexandria after his wife and children perished. He was renowned for his outstanding generosity and care of the poor in Alexandria during a time of military defeat, economic collapse, and wholesale destruction in the Greek east. Truly, St. John "spoiled the poor" as Mother Theresa of Calcutta would later put it, and is a great example of charity and piety for us today.
In short, this book is very useful as a historical document, as the stories of many famous historical persons are intertwined with the lives of these saints. In several cases, these lives serve as the only known record of certain events. However, don't be surprised if these biographies have a certain spiritual impact on you as well. While some of the anecdotes related seem to suffer from the hyperbole of oral tradition, most of them are credible accounts of incredible suffering, piety, physical endurance, and miraculous events. All in all, a great read for anyone interested in this period.
|
|
|
Contact History Edition
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON SERVICES LLC. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME.Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
