Symeon Stylites the Younger and Late Antique Antioch: From Hagiography to History

Symeon Stylites the Younger and Late Antique Antioch: From Hagiography to History explores the authority of holy men and the limits of their power in times of crisis, focusing on Symeon Stylites the Younger and his role in Antioch during a period of turbulence. It argues that hagiography is a valuable source for historians, offering insights into debates and tensions within Christianity.

Format: Hardback
Length: 288 pages
Publication date: 07 July 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press

Symeon Stylites the Younger and Late Antique Antioch: From Hagiography to History delves into the examination of the authority of the holy man and its boundaries in times of crisis. Lucy Parker explores the tensions that arose when ambitious claims about the powers of holy men conflicted with undeniable evidence of their failures. She investigates how holy men and their supporters responded to this challenging situation. The central figure of the work is Symeon Stylites the Younger (c. 521-592), who, from his vantage point on a column on a mountain near Antioch, witnessed a period of exceptional turbulence in the local area. In the sixth century, Antioch experienced plague, earthquakes, and a Persian invasion. Through an analysis of Symeon's writings and his hagiographic biography, the work reveals that the stylite was a divisive figure who played upon social tensions and culturally sensitive areas such as paganism to carve out a role for himself as a prophet and spiritual authority in the face of considerable opposition. It sets Symeon's life and cult in the context of Antioch and eastern Roman society, offering a fresh perspective on the state of the empire in the period before the rise of Islam. The work argues that hagiography is an exceptionally rich source for the historian, providing insights into debates and tensions that reached the heart of Christianity.

Weight: 564g
Dimension: 165 x 241 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780192865175