Scholarlink

In late medieval Christianity, acceptance of death was a fundamental theological aspect, yet, many individuals grappled with its inevitability. This chapter argues that the denial of death played a crucial role in people’s lived religion. It analyzes how the returning to life from a mortal state was scripted in terms of hope. By exploring the biblical Lazarus narrative of John 11, and its use in canonization processes and miracle collections, the chapter assesses whether the story of Lazarus provided late medieval Christians with a pattern of lived religion that fostered hope. The findings suggest that interaction with saints allowed people to affirm their attachment to the material world, with this narrative serving as a cultural script that validated the hope for postponed death.

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Latter-Day Lazaruses: Hoping to Avoid Death in the Late Middle Ages

  • 章节

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2025年

查看全文
  • Jyrki Nissi

摘要

In late medieval Christianity, acceptance of death was a fundamental theological aspect, yet, many individuals grappled with its inevitability. This chapter argues that the denial of death played a crucial role in people’s lived religion. It analyzes how the returning to life from a mortal state was scripted in terms of hope. By exploring the biblical Lazarus narrative of John 11, and its use in canonization processes and miracle collections, the chapter assesses whether the story of Lazarus provided late medieval Christians with a pattern of lived religion that fostered hope. The findings suggest that interaction with saints allowed people to affirm their attachment to the material world, with this narrative serving as a cultural script that validated the hope for postponed death.