This volume provides an anthology of about 40 primary source documents that describe the work of religious communities that took care of pilgrims and the sick in the late antique and early medieval world. The project identifies letters; diary accounts; instructions; sermons; travelogues; and community records and rules that give us a window into a world of early communities that saw it as their duty and their privilege to care for the sick; to safeguard the pilgrim; and to host the stranger. Each document is placed in historical; geographical; and social context as it contributes to an emerging picture of these communities. The volume addresses the motivations and practices of communities that risked extending hospitality. Why did these communities take great risks for the socially vulnerable? What stake did they have in pilgrims and the sick? What communal experiences supported and sustained both the communities and their audiences? How was hospitality cultivated?
#349413 in Books 1997-03-01 1997-03-01Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.44 x 1.70 x 5.50l; 1.66 #File Name: 0684845695866 pages
Review
1 of 3 people found the following review helpful. More DepthBy MasmanThis excellent book digs deeper into the facts such as army movement leading up to the battleand many other details lost in the bigger picture books about Gettysburg. The author made a subject that I am so familiar with even more interesting for me. Well worth the cost and time.1 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Not the best book on GettysburgBy Kevin BrownCoddington presents a well researched and detailed study of the Battle of Gettysburg but it is far from the best. Coddington spends and inordinate amount of time "Monday morning quarterbacking" and "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic." He relies too heavily on The Southern Historical Society Papers (a throughly discredited source) particularly for his assessment of James Longstreet. While he is not as bad as the "Lost Cause" mythologists; he is still to quick to rely on them as sources.His analysis of the Union situation is far superior to that of the Confederate one. He makes some bold but ultimately unsupportable assertions; such as claiming that the Pickett-Pettigrew-Trimble charge could have been successful; because the Union line was "so thin." He then goes on to state that the Union interior lines were so well supported that Meade could reinforce wherever necessary (thus negating his earlier argument).While an interesting book on Gettysburg I would recommend Stephen Sears "Gettysburg" or even Glenn Tucker's "High Tide at Gettysburg" for a better analysis of the battle.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. GrandBy Jason G LutzI am not well read on the Civil War; so I cannot compare Coddington's work with true peers. That said; I am a well-read student of history; I have read countless histories; biographies; and battle descriptions. This is one of the absolute best books I have come across. I purchased this book in preparation for a trip to Gettysburg. My hope has been to learn about the battle on multiple levels and Coddington's work more than delivered. The narrative is engaging and writing with good color. The battle descriptions are technical and in loving detail. The discussion of strategy implied and realized is interesting and fair. I have enjoyed it immensely. As I continue to study the Civil War; I only hope that I have not read the best first.
