The Wandering Holy Man - (Transformation of the Classical Heritage) by Johannes Hahn & Volker Menze (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Barsauma was a fifth-century Syrian ascetic, archimandrite, and leader of monks, notorious for his extreme asceticism and violent anti-Jewish campaigns across the Holy Land. Although Barsauma was a powerful and revered figure in the Eastern church, modern scholarship has widely dismissed him as thug of peripheral interest. Until now, only the most salacious bits of the ancient text the Life of Barsauma-a fascinating collection of miracles that Barsauma undertook in the Holy Land-had been translated. This pioneering study includes the first full translation of the Life and a series of studies by scholars employing a range of methods to illuminate the text from different angles and contexts. This is the authoritative collection on this influential but understudied figure in the history of the church and his life, travels, and relations with other religious groups"--

Book Synopsis

Barsauma was a fifth-century Syrian ascetic, archimandrite, and leader of monks, notorious for his extreme asceticism and violent anti-Jewish campaigns across the Holy Land. Although Barsauma was a powerful and revered figure in the Eastern church, modern scholarship has widely dismissed him as a thug of peripheral interest. Until now, only the most salacious bits of the Life of Barsauma--a fascinating collection of miracles that Barsauma undertook across the Near East--had been translated. This pioneering study includes the first full translation of the Life and a series of studies by scholars employing a range of methods to illuminate the text from different angles and contexts. This is the authoritative source on this influential figure in the history of the church and his life, travels, and relations with other religious groups.

From the Back Cover

"This series of essays shows how the Life of Barsauma illuminates central issues in the study of late antiquity: asceticism, Jewish-Christian relations, and Christian identity formation. The contributors, accomplished experts in the field, admirably demonstrate how this previously understudied work sheds new light on these issues and others."--Yonatan Moss, Assistant Professor of Comparative Religion, Hebrew University of Jerusalem

"This book presents the first full translation of the fifth-century Life of Barsauma of Samosata, accompanied by detailed essays exploring how the text relates to broader themes in late Roman history. This volume will be particularly useful for specialists in Syriac, Jewish, and Samaritan studies."--Philip Wood, Professor of History, Aga Khan University, Institute for the Study of Muslim Civilisations

About the Author

Johannes Hahn is Professor of Ancient History at Münster University and author of Gewalt und religiöser Konflikt. He is editor of several volumes on religion, violence, and society in the later Roman Empire.

Volker Menze is Associate Professor of Late Antique History at Central European University and author of Justinian and the Making of the Syrian Orthodox Church.