Some reflections on sacred biography

Any reflections on sacred biography would be incomplete without some reference to the miracles' of the saints. As the medieval period progressed, sacred biography became further enhanced by the adoption of new images of literary style and stereotypic forms. The writing of saints' lives has been part of the Christian tradition since its very beginning, with episodes found in the New Testament. At the same time, it is this feature that most distinguishes hagiography from secular biography. The purpose of sacred biography must be considered. Saints' lives are illustrations of holy men and women living the life of the Risen Jesus. It was based on the Martyrologium Hieronymianum of Carolingian times. In the years that followed the Council of Trent, post-Reformation Catholicism concentrated afresh upon the lives of the saints. As always, saints were seen as role models on whose lives individual Christians could base their own efforts to live a life in union with Jesus Christ.

Copyright © 2014 Christian Thorsten Callisen.