Saints: The definitive guide to the Saints
From one of the UK’s leading reference publishers, comes an approachable and authoritative guide to Saints, old and new.The Collins Dictionary of Saints includes Saints from all around the world and across the millennia, giving a fascinating – and sometimes intriguing – insight into the lives and achievements of the men and women of God.From such little-known local Saints as Cadoc, the Welsh abbot who lived the life of a hermit on the island of Flat Holm in the Bristol Channel, to such pillars of the church as Saints Peter and Paul, and from the violent tendencies of Joan of Arc to the archetypal peacemaker, Francis of Assisi, this is the only guide you need.Special features include details of Patron Saints, the places they came from and worked in, and their activities. The dictionary also notes the latest additions to have joined the canon and those most likely to join in the near future.There is also a list of Saints who have been de-canonised formally or who perhaps should have been, either for their scandalous living or unholy actions – and those who have gained a Sainthood under false pretences.This is a compelling read for those wanting a popular historical perspective on this fascinating aspect of social tradition. This dictionary is also an invaluable resource for Christian readers wishing to gain an understanding to the background to the lives of Saints, reflecting a growing interest in the Christian spiritual heritage.
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William Collins
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First published in 2004 by Collins
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
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Source ISBN: 9780007169504
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In its broadest contemporary sense the word saint may describe any person whose nature or behaviour suggests exceptional holiness or goodness. More precisely, it may refer to any person deemed to have been granted admittance to heaven after their death on account of their virtuous life while on earth.
In biblical times, the term saint was interpreted somewhat differently, being understood to refer exclusively to those individuals within the early Christian community who had rejected sin and led lives in a state of sanctity. (According to the Bible itself, the term saint refers to holy people, that is, those who are consecrated to God; in New Testament terms, all followers of the Christian way.) In more general use, the term came to be applied especially to those martyrs who had died for their faith and who, being now in heaven, could represent before God the pleas of the faithful. As the Roman persecutions of early Christians came to an end the word saint began to be applied more widely to other notable religious figures who did not necessarily die martyrsâ deaths (technically, confessors), such as the Desert Fathers and other early monks and nuns. In later centuries the term saint gradually evolved until it came to include all manner of individuals deemed to have dedicated their lives to God and to be worthy of special respect, be they martyrs, hermits, theologians, popes, bishops, priests or humble lay people.
Estimates of the total number of saints acknowledged either locally or throughout the church vary but a figure of around 10,000 is often quoted. Of these only some 300 have actually been officially canonized by a pope. The vast majority of saints were originally acknowledged as such by popular acclaim rather than through any formal procedure, their shrines becoming sites of pilgrimage and their bones becoming treasured relics. Some became the focus of universal veneration, while many more were destined to remain the object of local cults. All might be petitioned in prayer for divine aid, protection or guidance.
The lives of some early saints became confused with one another and the details of many were forgotten entirely, or became shrouded in legend. Some lives, it would appear, were wholly fictitious, inspired by the discovery of an old grave, the product of local folklore or the mistranslation of an ancient written text. The need to formalize saint-making resulted in due course in the process of canonization (that is, the listing of saints in an official catalogue, or canon). The first such lists, chiefly martyrologies, were drawn up at an early date and today the identification of saints depends upon consultation of many such catalogues, including martyrologies and church calendars.
The first official canonization by a pope was that of St Ulrich in 993, under the aegis of Pope John XV, and by the 13th century it was accepted that the pope alone could officially confer sainthood (although this only usually happened after a local cult had become well established). In 1588 a special body within the Roman Catholic church was created specifically to investigate candidates for sainthood. From these investigations has evolved the modern (and often very lengthy) process of canonization, which involves detailed investigation into the life of a proposed saint. If initially successful, the individual concerned is granted the title âVenerableâ, upon which he or she goes through further investigation before achieving beatification, being declared âBlessedâ and assigned an official feast day (usually, though not always, falling on the day of their entry into heaven). After a final investigation the individual may be formally canonized as a saint (meaning he or she is deemed worthy of universal veneration). In the course of these investigations it must be proved that the individual in question lived a life of heroic service to virtue or piety, though they need not have been completely faultless. Other requirements include the validation of at least two posthumous miracles.
