Symeon Stylites the Younger and Late Antique Antioch : From Hagiography to History

"Symeon Stylites the Younger and late antique Antioch : from hagiography to history" is a study of the authority of the holy man and its limits in times of crisis. Lucy Parker investigates the tensions that emerged when increasingly ambitious claims about the powers of holy men came into conflict with undeniable evidence of their failures, and explores how holy men and their supporters responded to this. The work takes as its central figure Symeon Stylites the Younger (c.521-592), who, from his vantage point on a column on a mountain close to Antioch, witnessed a period of exceptional turbulence in the local area, which, in the sixth century, experienced plague, earthquakes, and Persian invasion. Through an examination of Symeon's own writings, as well as his hagiographic biography, it reveals that the stylite was a divisive figure who played upon social tensions and upon culturally sensitive areas such as paganism to carve out a role for himself as prophet and spiritual authority in the face of considerable opposition. It sets Symeon's life and cult in the context of Antioch and eastern Roman society, offering a new perspective on the state of the empire in the period before the rise of Islam. It argues that hagiography is an exceptionally rich source for the historian, offering insights into debates and tensions which reached to the heart of Christianity Cover Symeon Stylites the Younger and Late Antique Antioch: From Hagiography to History Copyright Dedication Acknowledgements Contents List of Figures Note on Transliterations and Conventions Abbreviations Introduction 1: Antioch and Northern Syria in the Sixth Century Disasters in Antioch: A City in Decline? The Literary Evidence The Archaeological Evidence Society and Culture Socio-Economic Relations Cultural and Religious Tensions Public spectacles, civic identities, and Christian ideology Pagan scandals Christological controversy Conclusion 2: The Sermons of Symeon Stylites the Younger The Early Christian Homily Authorship Genre Style Demons and Monks Heaven and Hell Rich and Poor Conclusion 3: The Life of Symeon Stylites the Younger The Hagiographer’s Worldview Christology Opposition and Crisis Symeon and his Monastery Funding the Monastery External Opposition Theodicy and the Problem of Intercession Scapegoats: The Pagan Rich Conclusion 4: The Life of Martha Cult Promotion and Apologetic A Reorientation of Priorities Liturgy and Ritual Practice Conclusion 5: Hagiography and the Crises of the Sixth and Seventh Centuries Saints’ Lives and Disasters Context for Crisis: Heightened Expectations of Holy Men Miracle Collections Conclusion Conclusion Bibliography Sources Secondary Literature Websites Index A study of the authority of the holy man and its limits in times of crisis, taking as its central figure Symeon Stylites the Younger (c.521-592), who, from his vantage point on a column on a mountain close to Antioch, witnessed a period of exceptional turbulence in the sixth century, including plague, earthquakes, and Persian invasion.