Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900–1200

A comprehensive study of the process by which certain martyrs of the early church were transformed into military heroes.

Monica White (Author)

9780521195645, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 February 2013

269 pages, 19 b/w illus. 1 map
23.5 x 15.8 x 1.7 cm, 0.56 kg

'According to tradition, during the persecutions of the third and fourth centuries, a number of Roman soldiers professing Christianity were tortured and executed when they refused to offer pagan sacrifice, becoming martyrs … [this book is] a deeply researched, well-balanced and logically organized study of these figures, using liturgical texts, iconography, and other sources to explore the context of military sainthood, and how it was transformed in its transmission from Byzantine to Russian Orthodoxy.' strategypage.com

The rulers of the Byzantine Empire and its commonwealth were protected both by their own soldiers and by a heavenly army: the military saints. The transformation of Saints George, Demetrios, Theodore and others into the patrons of imperial armies was one of the defining developments of religious life under the Macedonian emperors. This book provides a comprehensive study of military sainthood and its roots in late antiquity. The emergence of the cults is situated within a broader social context, in which mortal soldiers were equated with martyrs and martyrs of the early Church recruited to protect them on the battlefield. Dr White then traces the fate of these saints in early Rus, drawing on unpublished manuscripts and other under-utilised sources to discuss their veneration within the princely clan and their influence on the first native saints of Rus, Boris and Gleb, who eventually joined the ranks of their ancient counterparts.

Introduction
1. The prehistory of the military saints
2. The formation of the martyr-warrior ideal
3. The collective cult of the military saints
4. The military saints in early Rus
5. Boris and Gleb and the martyr-warrior ideal in Rus
6. Military saints under the House of Suzdal
Conclusion
Appendix 1. Feast days of the principal military saints
Appendix 2. Reigns of Byzantine emperors mentioned in the text
Appendix 3. Simplified genealogy of the Riurikids
Appendix 4. Rus churches and monasteries dedicated to patronal figures
Appendix 5. Rus churches and monasteries dedicated to non-patronal figures.

Subject Areas: History of religion [HRAX], Military history [HBW], Middle Eastern history [HBJF1]