Isle of the Saints

by Lisa M. Bitel

Book Overview

Isle of the Saints recreates the harsh yet richly spiritual world of medieval Irish monks on the Christian frontier of barbarian Europe. Lisa Bitel draws on accounts of saints' lives written between 800 and 1200 to explain, from the monks' own perspective, the social networks that bound them to one another and to their secular neighbors.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0801481570
• ISBN13: 9780801481574
• Release Date: February 1994
• Publisher: Cornell University Press
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.90 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Excellent Treatment of the World of the Celtic Saints

Bitel draws upon a rich literary history of the Celtic saints and monastics to explain just how Irish society was formed by this interaction and also helped shape Irish Christianity. She is very diligent about her use of primary sources and does an excellent job supporting her thesis. In a sense, it was the early Irish monastics that shaped the very culture around them. The culture became so integrated that even the ancient holy pagan sites were adopted into Celtic Christianity. It is a must read for anyone interested in Irish Christianity. However, there is not a lot in this book about the spirituality of the saints and their wonderful method of evangelism among the Irish. It takes more of a sociological attempt to explain how Ireland became Christian. Overall a great work.