Monsters, Miracles and Missionary Journeys: Exploring a Historiographical Conundrum

Miracles and wonders that testify to the power of the Christian God and his agents feature prominently in ancient and medieval missionary narratives and hagiography. A particularly dramatic example from the sixth century describes Columba vanquishing a river monster in Christ’s name to the wondermen...

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Autore principale: Statham, Todd (Autore)
Tipo di documento: Elettronico Articolo
Lingua:Inglese
Verificare la disponibilità: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Pubblicazione: 2026
In: International bulletin of mission research
Anno: 2026, Volume: 50, Fascicolo: 1, Pagine: 60-69
Altre parole chiave:B Secularity
B Historiography
B Columba
B Miracles
B Malawi
B Monsters
Accesso online: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Descrizione
Riepilogo:Miracles and wonders that testify to the power of the Christian God and his agents feature prominently in ancient and medieval missionary narratives and hagiography. A particularly dramatic example from the sixth century describes Columba vanquishing a river monster in Christ’s name to the wonderment of the heathen Picts. The conventions of modern historiography require that we demythologize a story like this. Yet a contemporary missionary narrative from Africa describes a similar encounter between an evangelist and a monster. By reading the two accounts analogously, this article challenges scholars of mission to move beyond limiting western intellectual postulates.
ISSN:2396-9407
Comprende:Enthalten in: International bulletin of mission research
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/23969393251361428