Trickster Saints and Their Manifestations and Miracles in Late Antique Hagiography

Julia Doroszewska is a research fellow at the Faculty of History, University of Warsaw, Poland. She is the author of The Monstrous World: Corporeal Discourses in Phlegon of Tralles’ "Mirabilia" and has published widely on liminal phenomena in Greek and Roman pagan and Christian cultures.

• Abbreviations x Acknowledgements xi Introduction 1 Manifestations and Miracles of Saints: The Context 3 Trickster Paradigms 10 "By the Fear of God, the Saint Is an Impostor!" 13 PART 1 Manifestations: Schema: The Looks 19 1 Boundary Crossers: Ambiguous and Ambivalent Personalities 21 Human or Divine? 23 Dead or Alive? 24 ‘Real’ or Dream-Like? 26 Corporeal or Incorporeal? 35 Sacred or Profane? 39 Salvific or Destructive? 43 Tricky Sainthood 48 2 Shape-Shifters: ‘True Guises’ and Disguises in Performative Saintly Manifestations 54 Saints and Icons 55 Conventions 57 The Saints’ ‘True Guises’ and Costumes 59 ‘True Selves’ of Kyros and Ioannes 65 Saints in Monastic Garments 67 Kyros and Ioannes in Monastic Garments 67 Other Saints in Monastic Garments 69 Saints in Military Attire 71 Saints as ‘True Doctors’ 76 Conclusion 81 Disguises 82 Physicians 83 Staff of the Sanctuary 87 Clerics and Presbyters 89 Men of Rank and Power 91 Friends and Acquaintances 94 The Saints’ Namesakes 95 Strangers 97 "Transformation as Clothing"? 98 Saint Actors 103 Theatrical Imagery, Theatrical Imagination 105 Shape-Shifting and Polymorphy 108 Conclusion 112 PART 2 Miracles: Schema: The Plots 127 3 Sacred Bricoleurs 129 Relics and Presence 130 Healing Touch 132 Contact Relics: Holy Oils 135 Other Organic Products as Contact Relics 141 Icons as Relics: The Image and the Paint 143 Subversively Simple Medicines: Groceries and Plants 144 Tricky Simplicity as a Bricolage: Conclusion 147 4 Mischief-Makers and Trick-Players 154 The Schema: Plots, Scenarios, and Riddles 156 Riddles 163 Mutual Healing Scenarios 164 Other Tricky Treatments 167 Playful Penalties 168 Healing Tricks and Their Background 173 Parallel Punitive Pranks 1785 Situation-Invertors and Taboo-Breakers 185 Saints’ Topsy-Turvy Interventions 186 Just(ified) Theft 186 Sanctified Fornication 192 Society Upside Down 194 Authorities Overthrown: Physicians 194 Heretics Converted 198 The Noble Humiliated, the Low Elevated 198 Subversive Gospels and the Saintly Taboo-Breakers 200 6 Conclusion: Divine Jesters as Messengers and Interpreters of God 205 Bibliography 211 Index 229