J. M. Wallace‐Hadrill
- Published in print:
- 1983
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269069
- eISBN:
- 9780191600777
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269064.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Looks at the Gallo–Roman religious experience as a heritage for the Frankish (Germanic) Church. In the 5th century, the Gallo–Roman churches (rather than a Church) were separate Christian communities ...
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Looks at the Gallo–Roman religious experience as a heritage for the Frankish (Germanic) Church. In the 5th century, the Gallo–Roman churches (rather than a Church) were separate Christian communities in cities, each under a bishop, and closely related to the structure of the late‐imperial administration; some had ancient origins from the days of persecution. This century was also an age of barbarian invasion and settlement in Gaul, in which the bishops, by and large, stood firm as protectors in the Roman tradition, although not as secular administrators (as their Merovingian successors would become). The various aspects of the period discussed in the chapter include, the radical bishops (who were mostly ascetics), saints, the cults of asceticism (monks) and relics, miracles as proof of sanctity, Rogation days (devised as a city's confession of guilt, probably in the 460s a.d.), and roles of the bishops in administration (in the diocesan sense) and as controllers of an impressive literary tradition. The last part of the chapter examines the role of Caesarius (bishop and metropolitan of Arles from 503 to 543) in the identification of a secular with a Christian community.Less
Looks at the Gallo–Roman religious experience as a heritage for the Frankish (Germanic) Church. In the 5th century, the Gallo–Roman churches (rather than a Church) were separate Christian communities in cities, each under a bishop, and closely related to the structure of the late‐imperial administration; some had ancient origins from the days of persecution. This century was also an age of barbarian invasion and settlement in Gaul, in which the bishops, by and large, stood firm as protectors in the Roman tradition, although not as secular administrators (as their Merovingian successors would become). The various aspects of the period discussed in the chapter include, the radical bishops (who were mostly ascetics), saints, the cults of asceticism (monks) and relics, miracles as proof of sanctity, Rogation days (devised as a city's confession of guilt, probably in the 460s a.d.), and roles of the bishops in administration (in the diocesan sense) and as controllers of an impressive literary tradition. The last part of the chapter examines the role of Caesarius (bishop and metropolitan of Arles from 503 to 543) in the identification of a secular with a Christian community.
Aviad Kleinberg
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780231174701
- eISBN:
- 9780231540247
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Columbia University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7312/columbia/9780231174701.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
Where one particularly sly Dominican demoniac makes an incredible stink.
Where one particularly sly Dominican demoniac makes an incredible stink.
Corinne G. Dempsey
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195130287
- eISBN:
- 9780199834136
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195130286.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Kerala Christian Sainthood is an ethnography‐based study that celebrates the multivocal function of saints. Drawing on pilgrim anecdotes, shrine practices, official hagiographies, and regional ...
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Kerala Christian Sainthood is an ethnography‐based study that celebrates the multivocal function of saints. Drawing on pilgrim anecdotes, shrine practices, official hagiographies, and regional folklore, it shows how the business of saints routinely extends beyond their capacity as earthly conduits of miraculous power. Saintly characters described in this book, hailing from the religiously pluralistic South Indian state of Kerala, not only tend to the health and happiness of individual devotees but also help craft and express the multiple identities and complex power relations of their devotional communities as well.Highlighted throughout the study are the traditions of Sr. Alphonsa of Bharananganam (1910–46) and St. George the martyr, figures who richly reflect the many preoccupations of Kerala sainthood. Sr. Alphonsa, native to Kerala and famous for her life of suffering and posthumous power, stands in line to be canonized by the Vatican. St. George, the caped dragon slayer imported to Kerala by Syrian merchants and later by Portuguese and British colonizers, is today partially debunked by Rome. These two figures, while differing dramatically in temperament, nationality, age of cult, and Vatican standing, boast a vast popular appeal in Kerala's Kottayam district. By examining practices and stories surrounding Sr. Alphonsa and St. George, Dempsey shows how their traditions help express devotees’ hybrid identities in both colonial and postcolonial times. This ethnography of Christian sainthood within a Hindu cultural context, of “foreign” traditions adapted to native practice and of female sanctity negotiated through patriarchal expectation, is poised at a number of intersections. The book provides not only a comparative study of cultures, religions, and worldviews but also a unique grounding for contemporary ethnographic, postcolonial, and feminist concerns.Less
Kerala Christian Sainthood is an ethnography‐based study that celebrates the multivocal function of saints. Drawing on pilgrim anecdotes, shrine practices, official hagiographies, and regional folklore, it shows how the business of saints routinely extends beyond their capacity as earthly conduits of miraculous power. Saintly characters described in this book, hailing from the religiously pluralistic South Indian state of Kerala, not only tend to the health and happiness of individual devotees but also help craft and express the multiple identities and complex power relations of their devotional communities as well.
Highlighted throughout the study are the traditions of Sr. Alphonsa of Bharananganam (1910–46) and St. George the martyr, figures who richly reflect the many preoccupations of Kerala sainthood. Sr. Alphonsa, native to Kerala and famous for her life of suffering and posthumous power, stands in line to be canonized by the Vatican. St. George, the caped dragon slayer imported to Kerala by Syrian merchants and later by Portuguese and British colonizers, is today partially debunked by Rome. These two figures, while differing dramatically in temperament, nationality, age of cult, and Vatican standing, boast a vast popular appeal in Kerala's Kottayam district. By examining practices and stories surrounding Sr. Alphonsa and St. George, Dempsey shows how their traditions help express devotees’ hybrid identities in both colonial and postcolonial times. This ethnography of Christian sainthood within a Hindu cultural context, of “foreign” traditions adapted to native practice and of female sanctity negotiated through patriarchal expectation, is poised at a number of intersections. The book provides not only a comparative study of cultures, religions, and worldviews but also a unique grounding for contemporary ethnographic, postcolonial, and feminist concerns.
JIMMY YU
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199844906
- eISBN:
- 9780199949564
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199844906.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter is the conclusion of the book. It summarizes each chapter of the book and argues for a more nuanced understanding of Chinese religions.
This chapter is the conclusion of the book. It summarizes each chapter of the book and argues for a more nuanced understanding of Chinese religions.
J. M. Wallace‐Hadrill
- Published in print:
- 1983
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269069
- eISBN:
- 9780191600777
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269064.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
Discusses the development, nature and role of the most characteristic form of Merovingian literature, the Lives of the Saints. This can be seen in the volumes of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, ...
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Discusses the development, nature and role of the most characteristic form of Merovingian literature, the Lives of the Saints. This can be seen in the volumes of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, and also in an enormous number of manuscripts that contain collections of them, most of which are from the 12th to 14th centuries, although some are earlier. They are not ‘biographies’ in the usual sense of the word, but are rather an elaborate literary exercise conducted by the Frankish Church to attract and hold popular devotion (they were to be read aloud on saints’ feast days), to define the nature of sanctity, and to keep the cult of holy men within the structure of the Church. The various Lives written by Gregory, Venantius, Jonas and others are discussed, and the changes in the sort of Saint's Life wanted by the Church in the 12th century described, of which the most significant was the inclusion of the Lives of martyred political bishops. Later Merovingian Lives are richer in personal and political detail, although they were still composed as proofs of sanctity as traditionally understood.Less
Discusses the development, nature and role of the most characteristic form of Merovingian literature, the Lives of the Saints. This can be seen in the volumes of the Monumenta Germaniae Historica, and also in an enormous number of manuscripts that contain collections of them, most of which are from the 12th to 14th centuries, although some are earlier. They are not ‘biographies’ in the usual sense of the word, but are rather an elaborate literary exercise conducted by the Frankish Church to attract and hold popular devotion (they were to be read aloud on saints’ feast days), to define the nature of sanctity, and to keep the cult of holy men within the structure of the Church. The various Lives written by Gregory, Venantius, Jonas and others are discussed, and the changes in the sort of Saint's Life wanted by the Church in the 12th century described, of which the most significant was the inclusion of the Lives of martyred political bishops. Later Merovingian Lives are richer in personal and political detail, although they were still composed as proofs of sanctity as traditionally understood.
Simon Yarrow
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199283637
- eISBN:
- 9780191712685
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199283637.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Medieval History, History of Religion
This book offers a new approach to the study of lay religion as evidenced in collections of miracle narratives in 12th-century England. There are a number of problems associated with the ...
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This book offers a new approach to the study of lay religion as evidenced in collections of miracle narratives in 12th-century England. There are a number of problems associated with the interpretation of this hagiographical genre and an extended introduction discusses these. The first issue is the tendency to read these narratives as transparent accounts of lay religion as if it were something susceptible to static, ‘ethnographic’ treatment in isolation from wider social and political activities. The second issue is the challenge of explaining the miraculous as a credible part of cultural experience, without appealing to reductionist notions of a ‘medieval mindset’. The third issue is the problem of how to take full account of the fact that these sources are representations of lay experience by monastic authors. The author argues that miracle narratives were the product of and helped to foster lay notions of Christian practice and identity centred on the spiritual patronage of certain enshrined saints. The six main chapters provide fully contextualized studies of selected miracle collections. The author looks at when these collections were made, who wrote them, the kinds of audiences they are likely to have reached, and the messages they were intended to convey. He shows how these texts served to represent specific cults in terms that articulated the values and interests of the institutions acting as custodians of the relics; and how alongside other programmes of textual production, these collections of stories can be linked to occasions of uncertainty or need in the life of these institutions. A concluding chapter argues the case for miracle collections as evidence of the attempt by traditional monasteries to reach out to the relatively affluent peasantry, and to urban communities in society, and their rural hinterlands with offers of protection and opportunities for them to express their social status with reference to tomb-centred sanctity.Less
This book offers a new approach to the study of lay religion as evidenced in collections of miracle narratives in 12th-century England. There are a number of problems associated with the interpretation of this hagiographical genre and an extended introduction discusses these. The first issue is the tendency to read these narratives as transparent accounts of lay religion as if it were something susceptible to static, ‘ethnographic’ treatment in isolation from wider social and political activities. The second issue is the challenge of explaining the miraculous as a credible part of cultural experience, without appealing to reductionist notions of a ‘medieval mindset’. The third issue is the problem of how to take full account of the fact that these sources are representations of lay experience by monastic authors. The author argues that miracle narratives were the product of and helped to foster lay notions of Christian practice and identity centred on the spiritual patronage of certain enshrined saints. The six main chapters provide fully contextualized studies of selected miracle collections. The author looks at when these collections were made, who wrote them, the kinds of audiences they are likely to have reached, and the messages they were intended to convey. He shows how these texts served to represent specific cults in terms that articulated the values and interests of the institutions acting as custodians of the relics; and how alongside other programmes of textual production, these collections of stories can be linked to occasions of uncertainty or need in the life of these institutions. A concluding chapter argues the case for miracle collections as evidence of the attempt by traditional monasteries to reach out to the relatively affluent peasantry, and to urban communities in society, and their rural hinterlands with offers of protection and opportunities for them to express their social status with reference to tomb-centred sanctity.
Frank Graziano
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195136401
- eISBN:
- 9780199835164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195136403.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Rose and flower tropes are pursued into “deflowering,” paradise-garden and edenic imagery, the odor of sanctity, and the miracle after which St. Rose of Lima’s name was changed. The discussion ...
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Rose and flower tropes are pursued into “deflowering,” paradise-garden and edenic imagery, the odor of sanctity, and the miracle after which St. Rose of Lima’s name was changed. The discussion references Venus, the Virgin Mary as the “Rose without Thorns,” the Romance of the Rose, and Christ as the New Adam, among other topics.Less
Rose and flower tropes are pursued into “deflowering,” paradise-garden and edenic imagery, the odor of sanctity, and the miracle after which St. Rose of Lima’s name was changed. The discussion references Venus, the Virgin Mary as the “Rose without Thorns,” the Romance of the Rose, and Christ as the New Adam, among other topics.
Kenneth Baxter Wolf
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195158083
- eISBN:
- 9780199834877
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195158083.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Francis's decision to put his energy into imitating the poverty of Jesus and the apostles rather than alleviating the poverty of the poor was a decision that many saints before him had made. This ...
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Francis's decision to put his energy into imitating the poverty of Jesus and the apostles rather than alleviating the poverty of the poor was a decision that many saints before him had made. This chapter offers a history of Christian sanctity up to the time of Francis, with special emphasis on the two paths toward Christian perfection: the vita passiva of the monks and the vita activa of the bishops. This survey shows that the vita activa, with its emphasis on serving the physical and spiritual needs of other Christians, inevitably played second fiddle to the vita passiva, with its emphasis on ascetic withdrawal and the perfection of one's self. The early hagiographers of Francis relied on the techniques pioneered by Sulpicius Severus and Gregory I to vindicate the vita activa, but ultimately still presented Francis as a devotee of the vita passiva.Less
Francis's decision to put his energy into imitating the poverty of Jesus and the apostles rather than alleviating the poverty of the poor was a decision that many saints before him had made. This chapter offers a history of Christian sanctity up to the time of Francis, with special emphasis on the two paths toward Christian perfection: the vita passiva of the monks and the vita activa of the bishops. This survey shows that the vita activa, with its emphasis on serving the physical and spiritual needs of other Christians, inevitably played second fiddle to the vita passiva, with its emphasis on ascetic withdrawal and the perfection of one's self. The early hagiographers of Francis relied on the techniques pioneered by Sulpicius Severus and Gregory I to vindicate the vita activa, but ultimately still presented Francis as a devotee of the vita passiva.
Stephen Haliczer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148633
- eISBN:
- 9780199869923
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148630.003.0013
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
In order to ensure that canonization would be a possibility, woman mystics intentionally created a cult of veneration, which acknowledged that they were indeed recipients of God's favor. This was ...
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In order to ensure that canonization would be a possibility, woman mystics intentionally created a cult of veneration, which acknowledged that they were indeed recipients of God's favor. This was achieved by demonstrating, for instance, that they had experienced the pain of suffering of Christ's passion and could effect miraculous deeds, including healings. Further, it was necessary to build support networks within their communities and among politicians and ecclesiastical authorities. Upon their deaths, their communities would continue the quest through elaborate funerals and public veneration. Still, it was those who did not threaten the male‐hierarchy who were most likely to achieve canonization.Less
In order to ensure that canonization would be a possibility, woman mystics intentionally created a cult of veneration, which acknowledged that they were indeed recipients of God's favor. This was achieved by demonstrating, for instance, that they had experienced the pain of suffering of Christ's passion and could effect miraculous deeds, including healings. Further, it was necessary to build support networks within their communities and among politicians and ecclesiastical authorities. Upon their deaths, their communities would continue the quest through elaborate funerals and public veneration. Still, it was those who did not threaten the male‐hierarchy who were most likely to achieve canonization.
Eva von Contzen and Anke Bernau (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719089701
- eISBN:
- 9781526104243
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719089701.001.0001
- Subject:
- Literature, Anglo-Saxon / Old English Literature
Sanctity as literature in late medieval Britain explores how sanctity and questions of literariness are intertwined across a range of medieval genres. “Sanctity” as a theme and concept figures as a ...
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Sanctity as literature in late medieval Britain explores how sanctity and questions of literariness are intertwined across a range of medieval genres. “Sanctity” as a theme and concept figures as a prominent indicator of the developments in the period, in which authors began to challenge the predominant medieval dichotomy of either relying on the authority of previous authors when writing, or on experience. These developments are marked also by a rethinking of the intended and perceived effects of writings. Instead of looking for clues in religious practices in order to explain these changes, the literary practices themselves need to be scrutinised in detail, which provide evidence for a reinterpretation of both the writers’ and their topics’ traditional roles and purposes. The essays in the collection are based on a representative choice of texts from the fourteenth to the early sixteenth centuries, covering penitential literature, hagiographical compilations and individual legends as well as romance, debates, and mystical literature from medieval and early modern England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. For researchers and advanced students of medieval literature and culture, the collection offers new insights into one of the central concepts of the late medieval period by considering sanctity first and foremost from the perspective of its literariness and literary potential.Less
Sanctity as literature in late medieval Britain explores how sanctity and questions of literariness are intertwined across a range of medieval genres. “Sanctity” as a theme and concept figures as a prominent indicator of the developments in the period, in which authors began to challenge the predominant medieval dichotomy of either relying on the authority of previous authors when writing, or on experience. These developments are marked also by a rethinking of the intended and perceived effects of writings. Instead of looking for clues in religious practices in order to explain these changes, the literary practices themselves need to be scrutinised in detail, which provide evidence for a reinterpretation of both the writers’ and their topics’ traditional roles and purposes. The essays in the collection are based on a representative choice of texts from the fourteenth to the early sixteenth centuries, covering penitential literature, hagiographical compilations and individual legends as well as romance, debates, and mystical literature from medieval and early modern England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. For researchers and advanced students of medieval literature and culture, the collection offers new insights into one of the central concepts of the late medieval period by considering sanctity first and foremost from the perspective of its literariness and literary potential.
Corinne G. Dempsey
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195130287
- eISBN:
- 9780199834136
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195130286.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Explores prominent themes in Alphonsa's hagiography as a means to compare Christian and Hindu perspectives and practices of female asceticism. While Christian and Hindu traditions have much in common ...
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Explores prominent themes in Alphonsa's hagiography as a means to compare Christian and Hindu perspectives and practices of female asceticism. While Christian and Hindu traditions have much in common in this regard, most strikingly different is the fact that Catholic Christianity commonly considers the female renouncer to be the pinnacle of holiness for women, while for some Hindu traditions, particularly Brahmanical Hinduism, female renunciation is a decided aberration. Referring back to postcolonial theory fleshed out in earlier chapters, this final chapter portrays Alphonsa as following normative religious prescriptions for female sanctity, yet ironically, through their fulfillment, she molds and transcends the same. The paradox of Alphonsa's devotional cult gets reflected furthermore through the story of a woman who was beaten down by life, enduring physical and emotional hardship throughout, yet whose posthumous powers are understood as a means for relieving the pain and suffering of her devotees.Less
Explores prominent themes in Alphonsa's hagiography as a means to compare Christian and Hindu perspectives and practices of female asceticism. While Christian and Hindu traditions have much in common in this regard, most strikingly different is the fact that Catholic Christianity commonly considers the female renouncer to be the pinnacle of holiness for women, while for some Hindu traditions, particularly Brahmanical Hinduism, female renunciation is a decided aberration. Referring back to postcolonial theory fleshed out in earlier chapters, this final chapter portrays Alphonsa as following normative religious prescriptions for female sanctity, yet ironically, through their fulfillment, she molds and transcends the same. The paradox of Alphonsa's devotional cult gets reflected furthermore through the story of a woman who was beaten down by life, enduring physical and emotional hardship throughout, yet whose posthumous powers are understood as a means for relieving the pain and suffering of her devotees.
Bernard Cooke
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195174519
- eISBN:
- 9780199835119
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195174518.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Theology
Fame and good reputation have long been recognized as powerful forces of motivation. A person's good name and credibility can be enhanced or damaged by report or rumours; to so influence one's public ...
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Fame and good reputation have long been recognized as powerful forces of motivation. A person's good name and credibility can be enhanced or damaged by report or rumours; to so influence one's public esteem is to exert considerable power. Again, the power of propaganda has often been employed to influence public opinion and acceptance of a regime. Esteem of influential professional groups, such as clergy, doctors or lawyers, provides subtle power for members of those groups, provided they adhere to accepted norms of ‘respectability’. Special credibility attaches to those in ‘sacred’ offices or those with a reputation for sanctity.Less
Fame and good reputation have long been recognized as powerful forces of motivation. A person's good name and credibility can be enhanced or damaged by report or rumours; to so influence one's public esteem is to exert considerable power. Again, the power of propaganda has often been employed to influence public opinion and acceptance of a regime. Esteem of influential professional groups, such as clergy, doctors or lawyers, provides subtle power for members of those groups, provided they adhere to accepted norms of ‘respectability’. Special credibility attaches to those in ‘sacred’ offices or those with a reputation for sanctity.
Elizabeth Wicks
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199547395
- eISBN:
- 9780191594373
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199547395.003.0002
- Subject:
- Law, Human Rights and Immigration, Medical Law
This chapter investigates the human origins of the idea that human life has an inherent value. The concept has religious and philosophical roots and serves as the underlying principle for the modern ...
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This chapter investigates the human origins of the idea that human life has an inherent value. The concept has religious and philosophical roots and serves as the underlying principle for the modern day right to life. We see its development from a religious belief in the sanctity of human life, through philosophical musings about why human life is valuable and whether individuals enjoy certain rights by virtue of their humanity, to the gradual development of a right to life in international law. It is discovered that a concept of the sanctity of human life is not specific to any single human culture. The universally recognized value in human life, when combined with a natural law philosophy and widespread moral revulsion at the disregard for human life during the Holocaust, cemented itself into a legally recognized international human right to life in the mid twentieth century.Less
This chapter investigates the human origins of the idea that human life has an inherent value. The concept has religious and philosophical roots and serves as the underlying principle for the modern day right to life. We see its development from a religious belief in the sanctity of human life, through philosophical musings about why human life is valuable and whether individuals enjoy certain rights by virtue of their humanity, to the gradual development of a right to life in international law. It is discovered that a concept of the sanctity of human life is not specific to any single human culture. The universally recognized value in human life, when combined with a natural law philosophy and widespread moral revulsion at the disregard for human life during the Holocaust, cemented itself into a legally recognized international human right to life in the mid twentieth century.
Torbjörn Tännsjö
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195320398
- eISBN:
- 9780199869534
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195320398.003.0011
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy, General
The film Sophie’s Choice has been seen to represent in a vivid manner how a human being in extreme circumstances is faced with a true moral dilemma. This interpretation is questioned in the present ...
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The film Sophie’s Choice has been seen to represent in a vivid manner how a human being in extreme circumstances is faced with a true moral dilemma. This interpretation is questioned in the present paper. It is argued that the best way of making philosophical sense of Sophie’s choice is to see it as a case of blameful right-doing, rather than a dilemma. By doing, in her situation, the right thing, or at least not clearly doing anything wrong, Sophie exhibits a trait of character we do not expect to find in a good mother. She was in a situation where a good parent is not supposed to be able to do the right thing, and yet she does this. Even if we cannot fully explain it, her choice to commit suicide, rather than becoming a parent once again, makes sense when viewed from her own subjective perspective and given her personality as we know it.Less
The film Sophie’s Choice has been seen to represent in a vivid manner how a human being in extreme circumstances is faced with a true moral dilemma. This interpretation is questioned in the present paper. It is argued that the best way of making philosophical sense of Sophie’s choice is to see it as a case of blameful right-doing, rather than a dilemma. By doing, in her situation, the right thing, or at least not clearly doing anything wrong, Sophie exhibits a trait of character we do not expect to find in a good mother. She was in a situation where a good parent is not supposed to be able to do the right thing, and yet she does this. Even if we cannot fully explain it, her choice to commit suicide, rather than becoming a parent once again, makes sense when viewed from her own subjective perspective and given her personality as we know it.
Gareth Atkins
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780719096860
- eISBN:
- 9781526115072
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719096860.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, British and Irish Early Modern History
This collection of essays examines the place of ‘saints’ and sanctity in nineteenth-century Britain. It argues that holy men and women were pivotal in religious discourse, as subjects of veneration ...
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This collection of essays examines the place of ‘saints’ and sanctity in nineteenth-century Britain. It argues that holy men and women were pivotal in religious discourse, as subjects of veneration and inter-confessional contention. Protestants were as fascinated by such figures as Catholics were. Long after the mechanisms of canonization had disappeared, they continued not only to engage with the saints of the past but continued to make their own saints in all but name. Just as strikingly, it claims that devotional practices and language were not the property of orthodox Christians alone. Even in an age of confessional strife, doubt and secularisation, devotional practices and language remained central to how both Christians and their opponents reflected on that changing world. Making and remaking saints is significant, then, because until now no-one has explored how sainthood remained significant in this period both as an enduring institution and as a fruitful metaphor that could be transposed into unexpected contexts. Each of the chapters in this volume focuses on the reception of a particular individual or group. Together they will attract not just historians of religion, but those concerned with material culture, the cult of history, and with the reshaping of British identities in an age of faith and doubt.Less
This collection of essays examines the place of ‘saints’ and sanctity in nineteenth-century Britain. It argues that holy men and women were pivotal in religious discourse, as subjects of veneration and inter-confessional contention. Protestants were as fascinated by such figures as Catholics were. Long after the mechanisms of canonization had disappeared, they continued not only to engage with the saints of the past but continued to make their own saints in all but name. Just as strikingly, it claims that devotional practices and language were not the property of orthodox Christians alone. Even in an age of confessional strife, doubt and secularisation, devotional practices and language remained central to how both Christians and their opponents reflected on that changing world. Making and remaking saints is significant, then, because until now no-one has explored how sainthood remained significant in this period both as an enduring institution and as a fruitful metaphor that could be transposed into unexpected contexts. Each of the chapters in this volume focuses on the reception of a particular individual or group. Together they will attract not just historians of religion, but those concerned with material culture, the cult of history, and with the reshaping of British identities in an age of faith and doubt.
Adriana Cavarero and Angelo Scola
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780823267347
- eISBN:
- 9780823272341
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Fordham University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5422/fordham/9780823267347.003.0011
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
The force of the sixth commandment is undermined by its own historical contradictions and exceptions. In contemporary life, absolute commitment to the sanctity of life may lead to the merciless ...
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The force of the sixth commandment is undermined by its own historical contradictions and exceptions. In contemporary life, absolute commitment to the sanctity of life may lead to the merciless prolongation of life—or at least the indefinite deferral of death. It foregrounds the question of what it means to be human.Less
The force of the sixth commandment is undermined by its own historical contradictions and exceptions. In contemporary life, absolute commitment to the sanctity of life may lead to the merciless prolongation of life—or at least the indefinite deferral of death. It foregrounds the question of what it means to be human.
John Keown
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199589555
- eISBN:
- 9780191741036
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199589555.001.0001
- Subject:
- Law, Medical Law
The book explains the principle of the sanctity or inviolability of human life and its continuing relevance to English law governing aspects of medical practice at the beginning and end of life. It ...
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The book explains the principle of the sanctity or inviolability of human life and its continuing relevance to English law governing aspects of medical practice at the beginning and end of life. It shows that the principle, though widely recognized as an historic and foundational principle of the common law, has been widely misunderstood, not least in the legal academy, at the Bar and on the Bench. Part I of the book identifies the confusion and clarifies the principle, distinguishing it from “vitalism” on the one hand and a “qualitative” evaluation of human life on the other. Part II addresses legal aspects of the beginning of life, including the history of the law against abortion and its relevance to the ongoing abortion debate in the US; the law relating to the “morning after” pill; and the legal status of the human embryo in vitro. Part III addresses legal aspects of the end of life, including the euthanasia debate; the withdrawal of tube-feeding from patients in a “persistent vegetative state”; and the duty to provide palliative care.Less
The book explains the principle of the sanctity or inviolability of human life and its continuing relevance to English law governing aspects of medical practice at the beginning and end of life. It shows that the principle, though widely recognized as an historic and foundational principle of the common law, has been widely misunderstood, not least in the legal academy, at the Bar and on the Bench. Part I of the book identifies the confusion and clarifies the principle, distinguishing it from “vitalism” on the one hand and a “qualitative” evaluation of human life on the other. Part II addresses legal aspects of the beginning of life, including the history of the law against abortion and its relevance to the ongoing abortion debate in the US; the law relating to the “morning after” pill; and the legal status of the human embryo in vitro. Part III addresses legal aspects of the end of life, including the euthanasia debate; the withdrawal of tube-feeding from patients in a “persistent vegetative state”; and the duty to provide palliative care.
Jeff McMahan
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195079982
- eISBN:
- 9780199833443
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195079981.003.0004
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Discusses abortion, infanticide, and the infliction of prenatal injury. It argues that early abortion is morally comparable to contraception and that late abortion can be justified in many cases ...
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Discusses abortion, infanticide, and the infliction of prenatal injury. It argues that early abortion is morally comparable to contraception and that late abortion can be justified in many cases because of the comparative weakness of the fetus's interest in continuing to live. The permissibility of abortion is not threatened either by considerations of potential or by claims about the sanctity of human life. Because there is no significant intrinsic difference between a late‐term fetus and a newborn infant, infanticide can also be permissible in a limited range of cases for the same reasons that abortion can be justified. Abortion cannot be justified, however, by appealing to a pregnant woman's right of self‐defense.Less
Discusses abortion, infanticide, and the infliction of prenatal injury. It argues that early abortion is morally comparable to contraception and that late abortion can be justified in many cases because of the comparative weakness of the fetus's interest in continuing to live. The permissibility of abortion is not threatened either by considerations of potential or by claims about the sanctity of human life. Because there is no significant intrinsic difference between a late‐term fetus and a newborn infant, infanticide can also be permissible in a limited range of cases for the same reasons that abortion can be justified. Abortion cannot be justified, however, by appealing to a pregnant woman's right of self‐defense.
Paola Cavalieri
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195143805
- eISBN:
- 9780199833122
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195143809.003.0001
- Subject:
- Philosophy, Moral Philosophy
Focuses on the recent cultural changes that have contributed most to the revival of the debate on the animal question. The first area I consider is the political discussion of the principle of human ...
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Focuses on the recent cultural changes that have contributed most to the revival of the debate on the animal question. The first area I consider is the political discussion of the principle of human equality; in this area the prohibition both of group discrimination and of hierarchies based on perfectionism paved the way to the idea that equality cannot be confined to our own species. The second area is bioethics, in which the criticisms of the sanctity‐of‐life doctrine, by eliminating the ambiguity between being human in the biological sense and being human in the philosophical sense, deprived mere species membership of any moral relevance. Finally, I turn to the disciplines that are today grouped together under the label of cognitive sciences – a field that has produced a wealth of evidence that, contra any behavioristic beliefs, animal minds not only do exist, but are much more like human minds than we ever thought.Less
Focuses on the recent cultural changes that have contributed most to the revival of the debate on the animal question. The first area I consider is the political discussion of the principle of human equality; in this area the prohibition both of group discrimination and of hierarchies based on perfectionism paved the way to the idea that equality cannot be confined to our own species. The second area is bioethics, in which the criticisms of the sanctity‐of‐life doctrine, by eliminating the ambiguity between being human in the biological sense and being human in the philosophical sense, deprived mere species membership of any moral relevance. Finally, I turn to the disciplines that are today grouped together under the label of cognitive sciences – a field that has produced a wealth of evidence that, contra any behavioristic beliefs, animal minds not only do exist, but are much more like human minds than we ever thought.
Catherine Sanok
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719089701
- eISBN:
- 9781526104243
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719089701.003.0012
- Subject:
- Literature, Anglo-Saxon / Old English Literature
In Osbern Bokenham’s Life of St Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins, secular and sacred time are negotiated and ultimately collapse in literary form. Medieval literature more generally does not allow for a ...
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In Osbern Bokenham’s Life of St Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins, secular and sacred time are negotiated and ultimately collapse in literary form. Medieval literature more generally does not allow for a clear-cut distinction between ‘secular’ and ‘religious’ time, and the focus on sanctity as a crucial aspect of these processes draws one’s attention to the importance of form, i.e. how different manifestations of time are negotiated. All of the articles in the volume are engaged with questions of literary form and temporality in relation to sanctity.Less
In Osbern Bokenham’s Life of St Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins, secular and sacred time are negotiated and ultimately collapse in literary form. Medieval literature more generally does not allow for a clear-cut distinction between ‘secular’ and ‘religious’ time, and the focus on sanctity as a crucial aspect of these processes draws one’s attention to the importance of form, i.e. how different manifestations of time are negotiated. All of the articles in the volume are engaged with questions of literary form and temporality in relation to sanctity.
