Lawrence S. Cunningham is John O’Brien Professor of Theology at Notre Dame University. He is the author or editor of many books, including The Sacred Quest: An Invitation to the Study of Religion (2001), Christian Spirituality (1996), Ecumenism (1990), and The Catholic Faith: An Introduction (1987). His previous works on sainthood include biographies of Thomas Merton and Saint Francis of Assisi. He has won three Catholic Press Association awards for his religious writing and numerous teaching awards.

"This is a book of solid learning worn lightly. Its readable tone coupled with nuggets of juicy anecdote make the rich phenomenon of saints accessible to a wide audience, with great gain of insight." Elizabeth Johnson, Fordham University"In an age when heroes all too quickly become targets for media demolition, saints still have a capacity to fascinate. Whether we are religious or not, saints remain inspirational exemplars of 'a good life' and remind us of the human capacity for wisdom and altruism in a world that is all too often violent and self-seeking. As Lawrence Cunningham indicates in his A Brief History of Saints, a single, simple definition of 'a saint' is impossible. Different times and cultures highlight different human virtues but, as Lawrence Cunningham concludes, saints are ultimately people who 'do the ordinary in an extraordinary fashion.' His book is an excellent example of clarity and succinctness as he summarizes complex historical and theological material. In a brief space he offers a readable, insightful, sometimes amusing, and ecumenically sensitive history both of the role of saints and of the ways that Christian sainthood has been conceived and promoted. His comments on secularized models of 'sainthood' in contemporary culture were illuminating and, in today’s increasingly global situation, his section on sainthood in different world religions will be especially welcome." Philip Sheldrake, University of Durham "This book could easily be justified as an addition to the school library" Networking: Catholic Education Today "A succinct but exceptional guide." M. Sweeney

• List of Illustrations viiIntroduction 11 The Saint: Beginnings 5Beginnings 8The Martyrs 11Literature 13Veneration 16After Constantine 182 The Bureaucratization of Sanctity 28Liturgical Memory of the Saints 28The Saintly Legend 31Regularizing Sainthood 36A Test Case: Francis of Assisi 39The Christian East 44The Many Meanings of the Saints 46Pilgrimage 49Venerating Saints: A Theological Clarification 513 Reformations: Protestant and Catholic 54The Age of the Reformers 54The Catholic Reformation 61The New Martyrs 68The Papal Curia and Canonization 72The Saints and Scholarship 744 Towards the Modern World 78Worlds Divided 78New Forms of Religious Life 81Doctors of the Church 87The Starets 91The Tractarians and the Saints 965 The Twentieth Century 102Schools of Spirituality 102A New Saintliness? 107The New Martyrs 115John Paul II: Saints and Evangelization 120Anglican and Lutheran Calendars 1236 The Saints, World Religions, and the Future 127Some Terminology 130Saints as a Theological Resource 136Saints and the Continuity of Religious Tradition 139Appendix I: Patron Saints 148Appendix II: Iconography of the Saints 151Notes 155Select Bibliography 162Index 169