Eternal Light and Earthly Concerns
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Eternal Light and Earthly Concerns
Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This book investigates how the practice of keeping a light burning in churches was established in the early Middle Ages. It asks what the material consequences of implementing the practice were and why it ceased at the end of the Middle Ages.
In early Christianity, it was established that every church should have a light burning on the altar at all times. In this unique study, Eternal Light and Earthly Concerns looks at the material and social consequences of maintaining these 'eternal' lights.
It investigates how the cost of lighting was met across Western Europe throughout the whole of the Middle Ages, revealing the social organisation that was built up around maintaining the lights in the belief that burning them reduced the time spent in Purgatory. When that belief collapsed during the Reformation, the eternal lights were summarily extinguished.
The history of the lights thus offers not only a new account of change in medieval Europe, but also a sustained examination of the relationship between materiality and belief.
Series: Artes Liberales
View allBook Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Eternal Light and Earthly Concerns by Paul Fouracre is praised for its meticulous documentation and refreshing approach, as noted by the Journal of Religious History. The English Historical Review commends the work for integrating cultural and religious history with economic and social analyses. Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies highlights its contributions to both intellectual and economic history, offering methodological insights valuable for understanding medieval society's interplay between ideas and material realities.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781526167200
Publisher: Manchester University Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 14 February 2023
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Manchester University Press
Illustration: 5 black & white illustrations, 4 maps
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 13.0mm
Width: 138.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 295g
Pages: 248
About the Author
Paul Fouracre is Professor Emeritus of Medieval History at the University of Manchester
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