Christian martyrdom in late antiquity : history and discourse, tradition and religious identity / edited by Peter Gemeinhardt and Johan Leemans.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Early Christian hagiography and the Roman historian / Timothy D. Barnes -- Zur Entstehung der Martyrerlegende / Theofried Baumeister -- Author and authority : literary representations of moral authority in Eusebius of Casearea's The martyrs of Palestine / James Corke-Webster -- Vita Antonii oder Passio Antonii? : biographisches Genre und martyrologische Topik in der ersten Asketenvita / Peter Gemeinhardt -- Gregor von Nyssa über die Vierzig und den ersten Martyrer (Stephanus)
/ Ekkehard M�hlenberg -- Christliche Martyrer als Trager romischer Identitat. Das Peristephanon des Prudentius und sein kultureller Kontext / Peter Kuhlmann -- Augustine's homiletic definition of martyrdom : the centrality of the martyr's grace in his anti-Donatist and anti-Pelagian Sermones ad populum / Anthony Dupont -- "Eloquia divina populis legere" : Bible, apologetics and asceticism in the Passio Pollionis / Hajnalka Tamas -- The martyrdom of Sabas the Goth : history, hagiography and identity / John Leemans -- Der Tod des Einsiedlers für einen Verbrecher beim heiligen Isaak von Ninive und im Liber Graduum: Ein neues Zeugnis für die „Martyrer der Liebe“? / Dmitrij F. Bumazhnov.

The present volume`s focus lies on the formation of a multifaceted discourse on Christian martyrdom in Late Antiquity. While martyrdom accounts remain a central means of defining Christian identity, new literary genres emerge, e.g., the Lives of Saints (Athanasius on Antony), sermons (the Cappadocians), hymns (Prudentius). Authors like Eusebius of Caesarea and Augustine employ martyrological language and motifs in their writings, while beyond the borders of the Roman Empire, new martyrs` narratives can be found. The volume thus enlarges and specifies our knowledge of this important Christian discourse.

English and German.