Furta Sacra
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Review
[This] is a superb book, original and immaculate in scholarship, elegant in style and though. -- R. I. Moore, Times Higher Education Supplement
A shrewd, interesting, and helpful study. -- C. N. L. Brooke, History
Geary is at his best in unraveling the tangled accounts of individual thefts to suggest the reasons for their occurrence and in describing the central role of saints and their relics in this age. His exposition of the medieval view that saints resided with and participated actively in the affairs of the communities possessing their relics is essential to understanding the function of saints in this society and the desire of communities to steal or, as he argues, to 'kidnap' them. -- John M. McCulloh, American Historical Review
This is a fascinating study of a medieval way of thinking which in certain circumstances countenanced thefts of sacred relics from tombs, churches, and Roman catacombs. . . . Furta Sacra is a truly impressive history shedding much light on a difficult dimension of popular Christian piety in another age. -- Michael Connors, Church History
A shrewd, interesting, and helpful study. -- C. N. L. Brooke, History
Geary is at his best in unraveling the tangled accounts of individual thefts to suggest the reasons for their occurrence and in describing the central role of saints and their relics in this age. His exposition of the medieval view that saints resided with and participated actively in the affairs of the communities possessing their relics is essential to understanding the function of saints in this society and the desire of communities to steal or, as he argues, to 'kidnap' them. -- John M. McCulloh, American Historical Review
This is a fascinating study of a medieval way of thinking which in certain circumstances countenanced thefts of sacred relics from tombs, churches, and Roman catacombs. . . . Furta Sacra is a truly impressive history shedding much light on a difficult dimension of popular Christian piety in another age. -- Michael Connors, Church History
Product Description
To obtain sacred relics, medieval monks plundered tombs, avaricious merchants raided churches, and relic-mongers scoured the Roman catacombs. In a revised edition of Furta Sacra, Patrick Geary considers the social and cultural context for these acts, asking how the relics were perceived and why the thefts met with the approval of medieval Christians.
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THE SUBJECT of this is not, as one might expect from the title, relics, but rather people. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
THE SUBJECT of this is not, as one might expect from the title, relics, but rather people. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful
A luminous interpretation of an obscure phenomena
9 July 2000
Format:Paperback
A martyr's body is stolen by an army of monks; the story of the search of Saint Mark's the Evangelist corpse all over Europe, comissioned by different kings and prelates; the undeniable prestige that Italian relics had all over the Continent; the flux of money that a dead saint brought to a shrine, and how the survival of monasteries depended on their relics; the trade of the relic monger, like Felix, the Frankish monk that sold the bodies of Saint Severus, Saint Bartholomew, Saint Cecilia, Saint Emerita and Saint Eugenia, among others!!These fascinating and bizarre medieval phenomena, known as translatio ( always done with divine help or botched by supernatural dissent) are carefully studied by Geary in this brilliant study. How is it possible that a theft could be applauded by a whole community? That the body of Saint Magdalene had a cult in France? That kings collected relics like the art collectors of today? Explaining the context of these beliefs, it becomes clear that these strange behaviours are not that far from some of the conducts our societies hold dear. Miracles, mysteries, daring thefts, prestige, all are analyzed by Geary. Compassion, wit and first of all a clear understanding of the medieval mind, makes this book a wonderful, entertaining and not at all morbid read.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Before You Buy St. Nicholas' Thigh-Bone, Read This Book
30 Nov 2004
Format:Paperback
"Furta Sacra" is a scholarly, yet easy to read, well-written and documented book on the peculiarly medieval phenomenon of relic thefts.
Maintaining that in medieval hagiography a successful theft of a relic indicated that a stolen saint actually WANTED to be "translated" elsewhere, Dr. Geary, citing dozens of actual medieval theft cases, examines how and why relics were stolen. The reasons range from abbeys and cathedrals, and even cities and towns, attempting to one-up each other with the impressive relics they could boast(and hence increase not only their prestige, but also their coffers from donations by pilgrims), to the desire to keep such sacred Christian objects out of the hands of non-Christians. Geary also examines the lucrative market in such relics.
All in all a wonderful and informative read. Cadfael fans should find this book particularly interesting, as the incident in the first book of the translation of St. Winifred's relics to Shrewsbury actually occurred as depicted by Peters. Now fans of the series can find out how the theology and politics behind such a translation actually worked.
Before you buy St. Nicholas' thigh-bone, just remember. . . it could be stolen!
Pax vobiscum.
Maintaining that in medieval hagiography a successful theft of a relic indicated that a stolen saint actually WANTED to be "translated" elsewhere, Dr. Geary, citing dozens of actual medieval theft cases, examines how and why relics were stolen. The reasons range from abbeys and cathedrals, and even cities and towns, attempting to one-up each other with the impressive relics they could boast(and hence increase not only their prestige, but also their coffers from donations by pilgrims), to the desire to keep such sacred Christian objects out of the hands of non-Christians. Geary also examines the lucrative market in such relics.
All in all a wonderful and informative read. Cadfael fans should find this book particularly interesting, as the incident in the first book of the translation of St. Winifred's relics to Shrewsbury actually occurred as depicted by Peters. Now fans of the series can find out how the theology and politics behind such a translation actually worked.
Before you buy St. Nicholas' thigh-bone, just remember. . . it could be stolen!
Pax vobiscum.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Well written, but probably not for the uninitiated
8 Jun 2007
Format:Paperback
I enjoyed this book in part because the stories of relic thefts, and the lives of the stolen Saints, sometimes seemed too improbable to be true, and yet one cannot deny the obvious impact those same stories had (whether true or not seems irrelevant to their legacy) on the communities that obtained them. I found is rather funny that monks would invent theft stories to imbue a Saints remains (obtained legally) with more pizazz, in the hopes of drawing more pilgrims and donors. I also laughed during the descriptions of the miraculous second body that often accompanied disputed claims to a Saint, who often, it seemed, was unknown to the world until calling out to a wandering monk or two.
I make light of several of the stories, but the book was fascinating, and Geary does a good job of putting the cult of relics and their thefts in cultural and historical perspective, which when seen with that eye, are perfectly normal and important to the spiritual and communal development of the time period. In context, the book and its stories become even more meaningful as we look at how certain things influence us. There is no denying the power relics had then (and now), but through 21st Century eyes, sometimes it's hard to believe.
This book is short, well written, but probably not for the casual reader. It is full of phrases in latin, is written for an intellectual audience, and assumes some familiarity with place and time. I really liked it despite likely being outside the target audience.
I make light of several of the stories, but the book was fascinating, and Geary does a good job of putting the cult of relics and their thefts in cultural and historical perspective, which when seen with that eye, are perfectly normal and important to the spiritual and communal development of the time period. In context, the book and its stories become even more meaningful as we look at how certain things influence us. There is no denying the power relics had then (and now), but through 21st Century eyes, sometimes it's hard to believe.
This book is short, well written, but probably not for the casual reader. It is full of phrases in latin, is written for an intellectual audience, and assumes some familiarity with place and time. I really liked it despite likely being outside the target audience.
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