Religion 225HM - Heretics, Martyrs, and Saints

Heretics, Martyrs, and Saints investigates how early Christians described holy people as well as their nemeses. It explores how descriptions of martyrs, saints, heretics, demons, and even Satan himself were used to shore up the ever-contested boundaries of Christian orthodoxy and how the depiction of such figures forever changed the trajectory of Christian beliefs and practices. In the course of the semester we will read sources such as a letter from a Christian bishop wanting to be thrown to the lions, the dream journal of a female martyr, Gnostic gospels, wisdom from desert monks, and an ancient exorcism manual.