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Recension av Tidig helgonkult i Danmark och Sverige

På svenska

Author

Summary, in English

The purpose of this doctoral dissertation is to illustrate and explain the connections between the establishment of new cults of Saints and the formation of an ecclesiastical organization in Scandinavia. Its main conclusion is that "the creation of new cults of native saints was not necessary for the establishment of ecclesiastical institutions" (p. 255), but that such cults in many cases helped give prestige to and even legitimize newly established dioceses. The reviewer agrees with this conclusion while suggesting that the significance of specifically native cults is overemphasized. He also finds the idea that Church leaders used such cults as instruments to enhance their own and their institutions' prestige too one-sided. The dissertation makes use of three hypotheses taken from current hagiographical research: Peter Brown's concept of "Micro-Christendoms", Alan Thacker's concept of "loca sanctorum" and Lars Boje Mortensens idea of the mythopoietic function of saints' legends. These are pertinent but their relevance could have been discussed in greater depth. The most laudable aspect of the dissertation is its careful and competent use of liturgical fragments, which leads to detailed new insights into how the cults of local saints developed in individual dioceses.

Publishing year

2015

Language

Swedish

Pages

523-529

Publication/Series

Historisk Tidskrift

Volume

135

Issue

3

Document type

Review

Publisher

Svenska historiska föreningen

Topic

  • History of Religions

Keywords

  • Hagiography
  • cult of saints
  • archdiocese of Lund
  • archdiocese of Uppsala
  • A.D. 1000-1300
  • loca sanctorum
  • Micro-Christendoms
  • St. Canute IV
  • St. Canute Lavard
  • St. Eric IX
  • St. Margaret of Roskilde
  • St. Eskil
  • St. Botvid
  • St. David
  • St. Kjeld
  • St. Sigfrid
  • St. Elin
  • St. Thøger
  • St. Liufdag
  • St. Leofdan
  • St. Henry of Finland
  • Erik Plovpenning
  • Niels of Århus
  • St. Magnhild

Status

Published

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 0345-469X