This text examines topics such as the characteristic traits/diverse functions of holy men; the fashioning of saints out of a minority of holy men and other individuals; the literary processes involved in the construction of hagiographical texts; and the role of hagiography in the creation of cults.

Introduction ; On Defining the Holy Man ; Asceticism and Paideia: Time for Another Function? ; 'For Next to God, You are My Salvation': Reflections on the Rise of the Holy Man in Late Antiquity ; 'What we heard in the Lives of the Saints we have Seen with Our Own Eyes': The Holy Man as Literary Text in Tenth-Century Constantinople ; De-mystifying the Role of Sanctity in Western Christendom ; The Origins of the Carolingian Attempt to Regulate the Cult of Saints ; The Missionary Life ; The Cult of Saints in Medieval Rus' ; The Holy Man and Christianization from the Apocryphal Apostles to St Stephen of Perm ; Prophecy and Holy Men in Early Islam ; The Etiquette of Devotion in the Islamic Cult of Saints

`it is greatly to the credit of this collection of essays that so much is done to unpack the real contribution of the craft of hagiography to the experience of Christianity ... This comparative approach, explored through articles of uniformly high quality, provides a perspective on the history of sanctity of which Peter Brown would surely be well pleased.' Anthony Marett-Crosby, Royal Asiatic Society `analysing Brown's work ... the outstanding study by Avril Cameron reveals much of Brown's own intellectual journey ... does much to illuminate Brown's central insights, as well as offering a clear analysis of the development after Brown of the study of the sociology of sanctity.' Anthony Marett-Crosby, Royal Asiatic Society `this book is an excellent testimony to the worth of Peter Brown's work.' Michael Cahill, Journal of Early Christian Studies `despite their disagreements, these authors pay unanimous tribute to the stimulating and provocative quality of Peter Brown's scholarship. Both their criticism and their praise merit a broad audience.' John M.McCulloh, The Journal of Religion `who wants such stories told, and what are saints' lives for? This volume has greatly extended the range of answers.' Gillian Clark, Times Literary Supplement `The essays in this impressive collection revisit, or rediscover, the holy man, over a very wide geographical and chronological range.' Gillian Clark, Times Literary Supplement `Peter Brown's 'presence' actually becomes both more shadowy and more exemplary as the book's chapters move outward from the Mediterranean and advance in time, but the influence of his work is readily detectable throughout. In his introductory chapter James Howard-Johnson provides perceptive resumes ... of the book's eleven other chapters.' Dennis Trout, The Medieval Review `Peter Brown has jump-started two generations of new scholarship on the rise, roles, and functions of holy men and women and the cults devoted to the tombs and relics of the holy dead.' Dennis Trout, The Medieval Review `Through his extensive publications, Brown has largely redefined the field of hagiography ... A reassessment requires no justification and, after thirty years, is even timely. This volume is not just a tribute, however. Although admiration for Brown's accomplishments is evident in each of the contributions, virtually all of them balance this with measured but altogether telling criticism.' David A. Warner History `the scholarship represented by the individual contributions is of the highest quality ... and well worth the read.' David A. Warner, History

- this book covers a broad range of disciplines in the fields of both religion and history. - the cult of saints is treated as more than a Christian phenomenon, is shown to be a key feature throughout the wider Orthodox world of eastern Europe, and especially important to Islam. - the contributors adopt an interdisciplinary approach, and avoid jargonistic language

- this book covers a broad range of disciplines in the fields of both religion and history. - the cult of saints is treated as more than a Christian phenomenon, is shown to be a key feature throughout the wider Orthodox world of eastern Europe, and especially important to Islam. - the contributors adopt an interdisciplinary approach, and avoid jargonistic language