Thorns in the Flesh: Illness and Sanctity in Late Ancient Christianity

by Andrew Crislip

The literature of late ancient Christianity is rich both in saints who lead lives of almost Edenic health and in saints who court and endure horrifying diseases. In such narratives, health and illness might signify the sanctity of the ascetic, or invite consideration of a broader theology of illness. In Thorns in the Flesh, Andrew Crislip draws on a wide range of texts from the fourth through sixth centuries that reflect persistent and contentious...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812244451
• ISBN13: 9780812244458
• Release Date: October 2012
• Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 9.1"