Medieval Francis In Modern America

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St. Francis of America

Author : Patricia Appelbaum
Publisher : UNC Press Books
ISBN 13 : 1469623757
Total Pages : 287 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (696 download)

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Book Synopsis St. Francis of America by : Patricia Appelbaum

Download or read book St. Francis of America written by Patricia Appelbaum and published by UNC Press Books. This book was released on 2015-07-28 with total page 287 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How did a thirteenth-century Italian friar become one of the best-loved saints in America? Around the nation today, St. Francis of Assisi is embraced as the patron saint of animals, beneficently presiding over hundreds of Blessing of the Animals services on October 4, St. Francis's Catholic feast day. Not only Catholics, however, but Protestants and other Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Jews, and nonreligious Americans commonly name him as one of their favorite spiritual figures. Drawing on a dazzling array of art, music, drama, film, hymns, and prayers, Patricia Appelbaum explains what happened to make St. Francis so familiar and meaningful to so many Americans. Appelbaum traces popular depictions and interpretations of St. Francis from the time when non-Catholic Americans "discovered" him in the nineteenth century to the present. From poet to activist, 1960s hippie to twenty-first-century messenger to Islam, St. Francis has been envisioned in ways that might have surprised the saint himself. Exploring how each vision of St. Francis has been shaped by its own era, Appelbaum reveals how St. Francis has played a sometimes countercultural but always aspirational role in American culture. St. Francis's American story also displays the zest with which Americans borrow, lend, and share elements of their religious lives in everyday practice.

Francis of Assisi

Author : Augustine Thompson
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 0801464269
Total Pages : 311 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Francis of Assisi by : Augustine Thompson

Download or read book Francis of Assisi written by Augustine Thompson and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2012-03-21 with total page 311 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Among the most beloved saints in the Catholic tradition, Francis of Assisi (c. 1181-1226) is popularly remembered for his dedication to poverty, his love of animals and nature, and his desire to follow perfectly the teachings and example of Christ. During his lifetime and after his death, followers collected, for their own purposes, numerous stories, anecdotes, and reports about Francis. As a result, the man himself and his own concerns became lost in legend. In this authoritative and engaging new biography, Augustine Thompson, O.P., sifts through the surviving evidence for the life of Francis using modern historical methods. The result is a complex yet sympathetic portrait of the man and the saint. Francis emerges from this account as very much a typical thirteenth-century Italian layman, but one who, when faced with unexpected crises in his personal life, made decisions so radical that they challenge his own society-and ours. Unlike the saint of legend, this Francis never had a unique divine inspiration to provide him with rules for following the teachings of Jesus. Rather, he spent his life reacting to unexpected challenges, before which he often found himself unprepared and uncertain. The Francis who emerges here is both more complex and more conflicted than that of older biographies. His famed devotion to poverty is found to be more nuanced than expected, perhaps not even his principal spiritual concern. Thompson revisits events small and large in Francis's life, including his troubled relations with his father, his contacts with Clare of Assisi, his encounter with the Muslim sultan, and his receiving the Stigmata, to uncover the man behind the legends and popular images. A tour de force of historical research and biographical writing, Francis of Assisi: A New Biography is divided into two complementary parts-a stand alone biographical narrative and a close, annotated examination of the historical sources about Francis. Taken together, the narrative and the survey of the sources provide a much-needed fresh perspective on this iconic figure. "As I have worked on this biography," Thompson writes, "my respect for Francis and his vision has increased, and I hope that this book will speak to modern people, believers and unbelievers alike, and that the Francis I have come to know will have something to say to them today."

The Franciscans in the Middle Ages

Author : Michael J. P. Robson
Publisher : Boydell Press
ISBN 13 : 9781843832218
Total Pages : 270 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (322 download)

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Book Synopsis The Franciscans in the Middle Ages by : Michael J. P. Robson

Download or read book The Franciscans in the Middle Ages written by Michael J. P. Robson and published by Boydell Press. This book was released on 2006 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: St Francis of Assisi is one of the most admired figures of the Middle Ages - and one of the most important in the Christian church, modelling his life on the literal observance of the Gospel and recovering an emphasis on the poverty experienced by Jesus Christ. From 1217 Francis sent communities of friars throughout Christendom and launched missions to several countries, including India and China. The movement soon became established in most cities and several large towns, and, enjoying close relations with the popes, its followers were ideal instruments for the propagation of the reforms of the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215. They quickly became part of the landscape of medieval life and made their influence felt throughout society.BR>This book explores the first 250 years of the order's history and charts its rapid growth, development, pastoral ministry, educational organisation, missionary endeavour, internal tensions and divisions. Intended for both the general and more specialist reader, it offers a complete survey of the Franciscan Order. Dr MICHAEL ROBSON is a Fellow and Director of Studies in Theology at St Edmund's College, Cambridge

War, Government, and Society in the Medieval Crown of Aragon

Author : Donald J. Kagay
Publisher : Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
ISBN 13 : 9780754659044
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (59 download)

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Book Synopsis War, Government, and Society in the Medieval Crown of Aragon by : Donald J. Kagay

Download or read book War, Government, and Society in the Medieval Crown of Aragon written by Donald J. Kagay and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2007 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The focus of this collection of articles by Donald J. Kagay is the effect of the expansion of royal government on the societies of the medieval Crown of Aragon. He traces how, in the long conflicts against Spanish Islam and neighbouring Christian states during the 13th and 14th centuries, the relationships of royal to customary law, of monarchical to aristocratic power, and of Christian to Jewish and Muslim populations, all became issues that marked the transition of the medieval Crown of Aragon to the early modern states of Catalonia, Aragon and Valencia.

Birdman of Assisi

Author : Jaime Lara
Publisher : Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS)
ISBN 13 : 9780866985291
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (852 download)

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Book Synopsis Birdman of Assisi by : Jaime Lara

Download or read book Birdman of Assisi written by Jaime Lara and published by Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies (ACMRS). This book was released on 2016 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume examines images and beliefs related to birdmen among Incas and other peoples of South America, and the transformation of that phenomena in the colonial era by Christian missionaries. The author brings to light previously-unknown images of Saint Francis of Assisi with wings, flying through the air as a militant angel of the Apocalypse. Although commissioned by the Franciscan friars, these works of painting and sculpture were executed by native artists with native sensibilities. They reveal a social critique of colonial society, an expectation of an approaching end of the world, and a controversial role for Francis of Assisi at a final cosmic battle. Natural catastrophes, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, combined with mythology, prophecy, piety and public performance, assert a "Franciscan exceptionalism" at a crucial time in Latin American history. A side trip to colonial Mexico reveals that similar dynamics were occurring there, but with different artistic solutions. Birdman of Assisi documents how a beloved medieval saint gained new life among Incas and other native civilizations of the Americas, and continues to fascinate their descendants today.

The Saint and the Sultan

Author : Paul Moses
Publisher : Image
ISBN 13 : 030758951X
Total Pages : 322 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (75 download)

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Book Synopsis The Saint and the Sultan by : Paul Moses

Download or read book The Saint and the Sultan written by Paul Moses and published by Image. This book was released on 2009-09-29 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An intriguing examination of the extraordinary–and little known meeting between St. Francis of Assisi and Islamic leader Sultan Malik Al-Kamil that has strong resonance in today's divided world. For many of us, St. Francis of Assisi is known as a poor monk and a lover of animals. However, these images are sadly incomplete, because they ignore an equally important and more challenging aspect of his life -- his unwavering commitment to seeking peace. In The Saint and the Sultan, Paul Moses recovers Francis' s message of peace through the largely forgotten story of his daring mission to end the crusades. In 1219, as the Fifth Crusade was being fought, Francis crossed enemy lines to gain an audience with Malik al-Kamil, the Sultan of Egypt. The two talked of war and peace and faith and when Francis returned home, he proposed that his Order of the Friars Minor live peaceably among the followers of Islam–a revolutionary call at a moment when Christendom pinned its hopes for converting Muslims on the battlefield. The Saint and the Sultan captures the lives of St. Francis and Sultan al-Kamil and illuminates the political intrigue and religious fervor of their time. In the process, it reveals a startlingly timely story of interfaith conflict, war, and the search for peace. More than simply a dramatic adventure, though it does not lack for colorful saints and sinners, loyalty and betrayal, and thrilling Crusade narrative, The Saint and the Sultan brings to life an episode of deep relevance for all who seek to find peace between the West and the Islamic world. Winner of the 2010 Catholic Press Association Book Award for History

Sensing the Sacred in Medieval and Early Modern Culture

Author : Robin Macdonald
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 131705718X
Total Pages : 422 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Sensing the Sacred in Medieval and Early Modern Culture by : Robin Macdonald

Download or read book Sensing the Sacred in Medieval and Early Modern Culture written by Robin Macdonald and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-05-20 with total page 422 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume traces transformations in attitudes toward, ideas about, and experiences of religion and the senses in the medieval and early modern period. Broad in temporal and geographical scope, it challenges traditional notions of periodisation, highlighting continuities as well as change. Rather than focusing on individual senses, the volume’s organisation emphasises the multisensoriality and embodied nature of religious practices and experiences, refusing easy distinctions between asceticism and excess. The senses were not passive, but rather active and reactive, res-ponding to and initiating change. As the contributions in this collection demonstrate, in the pre-modern era, sensing the sacred was a complex, vexed, and constantly evolving process, shaped by individuals, environment, and religious change. The volume will be essential reading not only for scholars of religion and the senses, but for anyone interested in histories of medieval and early modern bodies, material culture, affects, and affect theory.

Francis of Assisi

Author : Andre Vauchez
Publisher : Yale University Press
ISBN 13 : 0300184921
Total Pages : 625 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (1 download)

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Book Synopsis Francis of Assisi by : Andre Vauchez

Download or read book Francis of Assisi written by Andre Vauchez and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2012-10-23 with total page 625 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A biography of the saint as both mystic and man: “The single best book about Francis now available in English” (Commonweal). In this towering work, Andre Vauchez draws on the vast body of scholarship on Francis of Assisi, particularly the important research of recent decades, to create a complete and engaging portrait of the saint. He also explores how the memory of Francis was shaped by contemporaries who recollected him in their writings, and completes the book by setting “il Poverello” in the context of his time, bringing to light what was new, surprising, and even astonishing in the life and vision of this man. The first part of the book is a fascinating reconstruction of Francis’s life and work. The second and third parts deal with the texts—hagiographies, chronicles, sermons, personal testimonies, etc.—of writers who recorded aspects of Francis’s life and movement as they remembered them, and used those remembrances to construct a portrait of Francis relevant to their concerns. Finally, Vauchez explores those aspects of Francis’s life, personality, and spiritual vision that were unique to him, including his experience of God, his approach to nature, his understanding and use of Scripture, and his impact on culture as well as culture’s impact on him. “Considered one of the great spiritual leaders of humankind, Francis of Assisi was also a man of many faces and personas: ascetic, the founder of a religious order, a romantic hero, a mystic, a defender of the poor, a promoter of peace. But as Vauchez emphasizes—and this biography constantly reminds us—Francis was also a flesh-and-blood human being . . . A bracing, erudite account of a mystic’s life.” —Booklist

Francis of Assisi

Author : Augustine Thompson
Publisher : Cornell University Press
ISBN 13 : 0801469880
Total Pages : 140 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (14 download)

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Book Synopsis Francis of Assisi by : Augustine Thompson

Download or read book Francis of Assisi written by Augustine Thompson and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2013-09-15 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This elegant and accessible biography of one of Catholicism's most beloved saints was originally published as Part 1 of Francis of Assisi: A New Biography by Augustine Thompson, O.P. It stands alone as a richly informed portrait of a man whose complex faith and commitment continue to inspire today. An introduction by Thompson places his biography in the context of continuing discussions about Francis's legacy, particularly the new Pope's decision to adopt the saint's name.

Francis of Assisi - The Prophet: Early Documents, vol. 3

Author : Regis J. Armstrong
Publisher : New City Press
ISBN 13 : 1565481143
Total Pages : 892 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (654 download)

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Book Synopsis Francis of Assisi - The Prophet: Early Documents, vol. 3 by : Regis J. Armstrong

Download or read book Francis of Assisi - The Prophet: Early Documents, vol. 3 written by Regis J. Armstrong and published by New City Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 892 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Prophet is the third volume in this extraordinary series of "the writings of Saint Francis and those of the early Franciscan witnesses" and it will "be of estimable value to scholars, students, and lovers of Il Poverello as well...a scholarly achievement done in the service of history, theology and spirituality." (Lawrence Cunningham)

St. Francis of Assisi and Nature

Author : Roger D. Sorrell
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199878897
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (998 download)

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Book Synopsis St. Francis of Assisi and Nature by : Roger D. Sorrell

Download or read book St. Francis of Assisi and Nature written by Roger D. Sorrell and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1988-12-08 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One of the best-loved saints of all time, Francis of Assisi is often depicted today as a kind of proto-hippie or early environmentalist. This book, the most comprehensive study in English of Francis's view of nature in the context of medieval tradition, debunks modern anachronistic interpretations, arguing convincingly that Francis's ideas can only be understood in their 13th-century context. Through close analysis of Francis's writings, particularly the Canticle of the Sun, Sorrell shows that many of Francis's beliefs concerning the proper relation of humanity to the natural world have their antecedents in scripture and the medieval monastic orders, while other ideas and practices--his nature mysticism, his concept of familial relationships with created things, and his extension of chivalric conceptions to interactions with creatures--are entirely his own. Sorrell insists, however, that only by seeing Francis in terms of the Western traditions from which he arose can we appreciate the true originality of this extraordinary figure and the relevance of his thought to modern religious and environmental concerns.

A Pilgrimage to Eternity

Author : Timothy Egan
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0735225249
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (352 download)

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Book Synopsis A Pilgrimage to Eternity by : Timothy Egan

Download or read book A Pilgrimage to Eternity written by Timothy Egan and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2019-10-15 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From "the world's greatest tour guide," a deeply-researched, captivating journey through the rich history of Christianity and the winding paths of the French and Italian countryside that will feed mind, body, and soul (New York Times). "What a wondrous work! This beautifully written and totally clear-eyed account of his pilgrimage will have you wondering whether we should all embark on such a journey, either of the body, the soul or, as in Egan's case, both." --Cokie Roberts "Egan draws us in, making us feel frozen in the snow-covered Alps, joyful in valleys of trees with low-hanging fruit, skeptical of the relics of embalmed saints and hopeful for the healing of his encrusted toes, so worn and weathered from their walk."--The Washington Post Moved by his mother's death and his Irish Catholic family's complicated history with the church, Timothy Egan decided to follow in the footsteps of centuries of seekers to force a reckoning with his own beliefs. He embarked on a thousand-mile pilgrimage through the theological cradle of Christianity to explore the religion in the world that it created. Egan sets out along the Via Francigena, once the major medieval trail leading the devout to Rome, and travels overland via the alpine peaks and small mountain towns of France, Switzerland and Italy, accompanied by a quirky cast of fellow pilgrims and by some of the towering figures of the faith--Joan of Arc, Henry VIII, Martin Luther. The goal: walking to St. Peter's Square, in hopes of meeting the galvanizing pope who is struggling to hold together the church through the worst crisis in half a millennium. A thrilling journey, a family story, and a revealing history, A Pilgrimage to Eternity looks for our future in its search for God.

Medieval Foundations of International Relations

Author : William Bain
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317635493
Total Pages : 253 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (176 download)

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Book Synopsis Medieval Foundations of International Relations by : William Bain

Download or read book Medieval Foundations of International Relations written by William Bain and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-07-15 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The purpose of this volume is to explore the medieval inheritance of modern international relations. Recent years have seen a flourishing of work on the history of international political thought, but the bulk of this has focused on the early modern and modern periods, leaving continuities with the medieval world largely ignored. The medieval is often used as a synonym for the barbaric and obsolete, yet this picture does not match that found in relevant work in the history of political thought. The book thus offers a chance to correct this misconception of the evolution of Western international thought, highlighting that the history of international thought should be regarded as an important dimension of thinking about the international and one that should not be consigned to history departments. Questions addressed include: what is the medieval influence on modern conception of rights, law, and community? how have medieval ideas shaped modern conceptions of self-determination, consent, and legitimacy? are there ‘medieval’ answers to ‘modern’ questions? is the modern world still working its way through the Middle Ages? to what extent is the ‘modern outlook’ genuinely secular? is there a ‘theology’ of international relations? what are the implications of continuity for predominant historical narrative of the emergence and expansion of international society? Medieval and modern are certainly different; however, this collection of essays proceeds from the conviction that the modern world was not built on a new plot with new building materials. Instead, it was constructed out of the rubble, that is, the raw materials, of the Middle Ages.This will be of great interest to students and scholars of IR, IR theory and political theory. .

St. Clare of Assisi

Author : Bret Thoman
Publisher : Tan Books
ISBN 13 : 9781505109719
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (97 download)

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Book Synopsis St. Clare of Assisi by : Bret Thoman

Download or read book St. Clare of Assisi written by Bret Thoman and published by Tan Books. This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just as with his stirring narrative of the life of St. Francis, Saint Francis of Assisi: Passion, Poverty & the Man Who Transformed the Church, author Bret Thoman draws upon his profound knowledge of original sources, his familiarity with the places where these two great founders lived and breathed and changed the world, and his own Franciscan spirituality, to bring to life, like never before, the story of St. Clare of Assisi. Join Thoman as he skillfully weaves the known facts of Clare's life with imaginative passages that bring the reader into the profoundly spiritual world of the "Light from the Cloister." Hailing from an aristocratic or "Major" family, Clare continually-- in imitation of Our Lord and Francis--sought to make herself lesser or minor. In the process, in another of God's "divine paradoxes," she became a giant, not only of her Age, but of all time. Tenaciously attached to poverty, she became rich as only the saints are; docile and obedient, she stood up to her aristocratic family and, later, princes of the Church in following the path upon which God had set her; frail and vulnerable, she caused Saracen invaders to turn tail and run . . . merely by prostrating herself before the Blessed Sacrament; and though not learned in either theology or canon law, she became the first woman to write a Rule for a new religious community. St. Clare truly was a "light from the cloister" not only for her era but for all time. Meet her as never before in these pages and, in what is sure to be a profoundly spiritual reading experience, let her light shine upon you.

Medieval and Early Modern Representations of Authority in Scotland and the British Isles

Author : Kate Buchanan
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317098137
Total Pages : 376 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Medieval and Early Modern Representations of Authority in Scotland and the British Isles by : Kate Buchanan

Download or read book Medieval and Early Modern Representations of Authority in Scotland and the British Isles written by Kate Buchanan and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-05-20 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What use is it to be given authority over men and lands if others do not know about it? Furthermore, what use is that authority if those who know about it do not respect it or recognise its jurisdiction? And what strategies and 'language' -written and spoken, visual and auditory, material, cultural and political - did those in authority throughout the medieval and early modern era use to project and make known their power? These questions have been crucial since regulations for governance entered society and are found at the core of this volume. In order to address these issues from an historical perspective, this collection of essays considers representations of authority made by a cross-section of society within the British Isles. Arranged in thematic sections, the 14 essays in the collection bridge the divide between medieval and early modern to build up understanding of the developments and continuities that can be followed across the centuries in question. Whether crown or noble, government or church, burgh or merchant; all desired power and influence, but their means of representing authority were very different. These essays encompass a myriad of methods demonstrating power and disseminating the image of authority, including: material culture, art, literature, architecture and landscapes, saintly cults, speeches and propaganda, martial posturing and strategic alliances, music, liturgy and ceremonial display. Thus, this interdisciplinary collection illuminates the variable forms in which authority was presented by key individuals and institutions in Scotland and the British Isles. By placing these within the context of the European powers with whom they interacted, this volume also underlines the unique relationships developed between the people and those who exercised authority over them.

Late Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy

Author : Frederick Copleston
Publisher : A&C Black
ISBN 13 : 9780826468970
Total Pages : 500 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (689 download)

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Book Synopsis Late Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy by : Frederick Copleston

Download or read book Late Medieval and Renaissance Philosophy written by Frederick Copleston and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2003-01-01 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Copleston, an Oxford Jesuit and specialist in the history of philosophy, first created his history as an introduction for Catholic ecclesiastical seminaries. However, since its first publication (the last volume appearing in the mid-1970s) the series has become the classic account for all philosophy scholars and students. The 11-volume series gives an accessible account of each philosopher's work, but also explains their relationship to the work of other philosophers.

The Stigmata in Medieval and Early Modern Europe

Author : Carolyn Muessig
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0192515136
Total Pages : 307 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (925 download)

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Book Synopsis The Stigmata in Medieval and Early Modern Europe by : Carolyn Muessig

Download or read book The Stigmata in Medieval and Early Modern Europe written by Carolyn Muessig and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2020-02-06 with total page 307 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Francis of Assisi's reported reception of the stigmata on Mount La Verna in 1224 is almost universally considered to be the first documented account of an individual miraculously and physically receiving the five wounds of Christ. The early thirteenth-century appearance of this miracle, however, is not as unexpected as it first seems. Interpretations of Galatians 6:17—I bear the marks of the Lord Jesus Christ in my body—had been circulating since the early Middle Ages in biblical commentaries. These works perceived those with the stigmata as metaphorical representations of martyrs bearing the marks of persecution in order to spread the teaching of Christ in the face of resistance. By the seventh century, the meaning of Galatians 6:17 had been appropriated by bishops and priests as a sign or mark of Christ that they received invisibly at their ordination. Priests and bishops came to be compared to soldiers of Christ, who bore the brand (stigmata) of God on their bodies, just like Roman soldiers who were branded with the name of their emperor. By the early twelfth century, crusaders were said to bear the actual marks of the passion in death and even sometimes as they entered into battle. The Stigmata in Late Medieval and Early Modern Europe traces the birth and evolution of religious stigmata and particularly of stigmatic theology, as understood through the ensemble of theological discussions and devotional practices. Carolyn Muessig assesses the role stigmatics played in medieval and early modern religious culture, and the way their contemporaries reacted to them. The period studied covers the dominant discourse of stigmatic theology: that is, from Peter Damian's eleventh-century theological writings to 1630 when the papacy officially recognised the authenticity of Catherine of Siena's stigmata.