Bursting into the Greco-Roman “classical” world, Christian hagiography was a series of continuities, ruptures, and metamorphoses that integrated a new worldview into all facets of human life. As new heroes, the martyrs and saints—the protagonists of hagiography—went on to constitute religious, moral, and even political paradigms with a high identity value for Christian communities, shaping Christianity from its origins to the present day. But to what extent was the heritage of the classics decisive in building the hagiographic profile of these new heroes? In this volume, each author explores this question through various case studies, showing how hagiographic texts—whether examined from philological, historical, sociological, political, theological, or iconographic perspectives—always benefit from engaging with the rich and enduring classical tradition.
After the Postsecular and the Postmodern
A vanguard of scholars asks what comes after the postsecular and postmodern in Continental philosophy of religion. This volume argues philosophy must liberate itself from theological norms and mutate into a new speculative practice to confront the challenges of our time.